Recipe Weekend / Cookbook Review: The Digest Diet Cookbook by Liz Vaccariello

Last July we reviewed The Digest Diet book, also by Liz. SO we were quite happy to review the new cookbook that goes along with the diet!

Synopsis: Drop a Size in 4 Days. Eliminate Fatigue and Cravings.Kick-start a Lifetime of Good Health!

The Digest Diet utilizes groundbreaking science and collective wisdom to help you lose weight quickly and safely -- backed by the authority of America's most trusted magazine. Join editor-in-chief Liz Vaccariello as she analyzes and condenses decades of research to unveil the surprising truth about weight loss. She reveals eye-opening and myth-busting ways to shed fat and slim down -- and puts it all into one easy-to-use plan. Read the fascinating pages and get these life-changing, health-boosting lessons:

• Beat the sneaky fat increasers that cause "fat creep"
• Enjoy amazing and delicious fat releasing foods
• Discover why fast weight loss is safe and effective
• Stop craving junk food and start craving greens
• Drop a pound or more a day for 21 days!
• Delight in the surprising fat-burning power of laughter

The Digest Diet is a complete 21-Day Fat Release plan backed by science that teaches us how to identify “fat releasers” and “fat increasers.” Liz Vaccariello expertly analyzes and condenses decades of research and science to reveal the simple truth about fast and lasting weight loss. 

The Digest Diet exposes delicious, natural foods that make weight loss a lot easier, and the simple rules for eating them with more than 50 recipes the whole family will enjoy.

See some success stories here!

Also included are tips for burning up to 700 calories a day - without exercise,diet myths, foods that dissolve fat, and information on how manufacturers get you to eat an extra 500 calories a day! 

Review: Did you know that certain foods release fats from your body? Yup- vitamin c high fruits and veggies, calcium and dairy products, proteins and healthy fats for starts. Add coconut oil , fiber, vinegar, honey and cocoa (AHA), and others, and it is easy to form a 'diet' that works. This book shares the tenants of The Digest Diet and offers success stories for motivation, then helps you set up your pantry and kitchen, to work with the diet- preparation sometimes is the KEY ingredient in any diet! And if you stick with the diet for 21 days, you can loose up to 26 pounds!

The book then helps you set up a 21 day 'fat release diet' to get you on your weight loss success story. Then it offers you recipes for each phase of the plan.There is even a recipe to make your own healthy sausage- how neat is that? Each recipe highlights the fat releasers in in it, tells you how long it takes to make, how many servings, recommended dishes to serve with it and full nutritional info.There are recipes for breakfast, salads, sides, main dishes and even desserts. She has also included some sample daily diets, including some for specialities, like gluten or dairy free. All in all the recipes are really decent, and I think your whole family would like them, making it easier on Mom the Cook, and Mom the Dieter! I'll be adding many of them to my meal plan! I highly recommend this book as a good basis for any dieting plan!

I know with the super bowl coming up, you need recipes that will allow you to eat on your diet too. How about one that makes the kids happy, and satisfies your sweet tooth at the same time? I haven't had a chance to bake these yet, as whole wheat flour has not been available locally, but they are one of the higher rated recipes in the book!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hands-On Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 50 minutes, Makes: 30 cookies

Toasted oats mimic the flavor and crunch of nuts in these cookies while making them good for you, too. Unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate chips pair up to make the cookies especially chocolaty.

Fat Releasers 
Oats, whole-wheat flour, cocoa, olive oil, flaxseed meal, eggs, chocolate

Ingredients:

½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, spooned into the cup and then leveled
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup extra-light olive oil
⅓ cup flaxseed meal
⅓ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
2 large egg whites
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
1 cup (6 ounces) mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the oats until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, stir together the oil, flaxseed meal, maple syrup, turbinado sugar, egg whites, vanilla, and water until well combined. Fold in the flour mixture, oats, and chocolate chips.

4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonsful 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets and flatten slightly with dampened hands. Bake until the cookies are set, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Remove from the baking sheets to cool on racks.

These cookies freeze well. Serve what you want, then freeze the remainder. They’re good straight from the freezer, or thaw at room temperature before eating.

Per cookie: 81 calories, 2g protein, 4g fat (1g saturated), 1g fiber, 8mg calcium, 0mg vitamin C, 11g carbohydrate, 64mg sodium

About the Author: Liz Vaccariello, author of The Digest Diet, is editor-in-chief and chief content officer ofReader's Digest, which reaches more than 26 million readers. She is the coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flat Belly Diet! and 400 Calorie Fix. Vaccariello regularly appears on national programs such as Good Morning America and The Doctors and has been featured onThe Biggest Loser, Today, Rachael Ray, and The View. Previously, she was editor-in-chief ofPrevention. She lives in New Jersey with her family. For more information please visit http://readersdigest.com/digestdiet, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

FSB