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Cook Yourself Thin Faster - A Delicious Way to Drop a Dress Size
by Lauren Deen
Voice (Hyperion)
ISBN 978-1-4013-4138-1
Published December 2009 - Softcover - 191 pages - $19.99

Mmmm, cook yourself thin.  Conjures up two distinct images for me—one, literally boil yourself thin, or two, the better option, cook food and eat but don't gain weight.  Sounds heavenly.  This book is a follow-up to the first book and television series (I've not seen it) and they say, "This is not a diet manual or a nurtritional guide.  It's a cookbook."  They also say "You really can eat what you want—you've just got to be clever and creative about it, and watch your portion sizes."  [It's always just a question of everything in moderation."  Op. Ed.]  The best thing about this way of eating is that you don't have to cut out most foods.  They cover Breakfast; Starters; Mains; Sides / Soups / Salads, and Desserts, and include meals such as French Toast Bread Pudding; Hot Wings; Pineapple Mojitos; Pork with Apples (yum); Pasta with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes; Sweet Potato Gratin, and Tiramisù.  Doesn't much sound like "diet food" does it!  They also offer success stories which are encouraging, and I loved what Kristen said about "you are what you eat"!  She eats vibrant, firm and colorful food, and guess what?  That's how she is now!  Some of the recipes that appealed to me include: Cheese Biscuits (I'd use whole wheat flower as opposed to all-purpose flour); White Pizza with Roasted Mushrooms (doesn't get any better than this!); Asian Chicken Salad; Hearty Vegetable and Lentil Soup; Creamed Spinach, and Chocolate Volcano Cakes.  What I liked about these recipes is that they're not geared for serving just the "dieter" in the family, they serve 4 (usually), and thus more people get to eat healthy food.  What I did find when trying to eat healthily, is that it costs more, and as one who is unemployed, that's not often easy to do.  For example, ingredients I'd never buy because they're expensive, are pomegranate juice, goat cheese, and Greek yogurt.  However, in this book there aren't that many pricey ingredients, thankfully.  You have to be creative at times.
Beautifully illustrated.  Nutritional guides given — calories in this case are important.
Conclusion - Very inspirational.  Great meals which won't make you gain weight.  Halleluyah!