I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening!: Over 150 Ridiculously Easy Recipes for the Super Busy [Paperback]

Devin Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2010

From the New York Times Bestselling author of The Biggest Loser cookbooks: amazingly simple, super-speedy, and decadent recipes that taste sinful but are 100 percent guilt-free
 
Devin Alexander lives by the motto that "twenty minutes in the kitchen can save you 3 hours on the treadmill!" The chef and author of The Biggest Loser Cookbook  has maintained a weight loss of fifty-five pounds for almost twenty years by transforming the decadent dishes that we all crave into fantastic lo-cal indulgences.  Now, she shows us how to make those mouthwatering favorites in mere minutes. Because—let's face it, we want what we want and we want it NOW!
 
With simple, super easy-to-follow recipes for delectable dishes such as Unbelievable Easy Chicken Parmesan, Carmelized Apple Buuter-Topped Pork Chops, Bacon Cheeseburger,  and even a Peppermint Brown "Pizza," you can now whip up fantastic, slimming meals in the time it would take to go through the drive-thru.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Featured Recipe: Chicken Breasts with Goat Cheese and Fire-Roasted Tomatoes

This dish is exceptionally easy to make and worth every second. That said, there is one thing to note: Be careful when checking the chicken for doneness. The tomatoes will likely drip into the chicken. If you cut into the chicken or poke it with a fork to test for doneness, be sure it’s not the liquid from the tomatoes making the chicken look pink even if it’s not.

Ingredients

• 4 (4-ounce) trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• Olive oil spray
• 1/2 cup canned, drained, diced fire-roasted tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic
• 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) goat cheese crumbles
• 2 tablespoons finely slivered fresh basil leaves, or more to taste (optional)

(Serves 4)
Hands-on Time: 7 Minutes
Hands-off Time: 5 to 9 Minutes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place a medium ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat. When it’s hot, lightly mist the skillet with spray and immediately add the chicken side by side to the pan so it does not touch. Cook the chicken just until it is golden brown on the outsides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Remove the pan from the heat and top each piece of chicken evenly with about 2 tablespoons of the tomatoes, followed by about 1/2 ounce of the cheese. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the chicken until it is no longer pink inside and the cheese is melted, 5 to 9 minutes. Top evenly with the basil, if desired. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings. Each (1 topped breast) serving has: 171 calories, 29 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 72 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 198 mg sodium

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From Publishers Weekly

More a guide to smarter shopping than cooking, the latest from Alexander (The Biggest Loser Cookbook) gives dieters largely healthy options in 150 basic low-calorie recipes. Alexander admits her recipes are geared for convenience, unabashedly utilizing processed foods and artificial ingredients; though she does offer substitutions for organic or all-natural diets, readers will want to pay attention to nutritional information (Mafia's Favorite Turkey Sandwich, for instance, has over 1,600 mg of sodium per serving, while Tequila Cheese Fondue is measured in two-tablespoon serving sizes). Novices and those pressed for time will be pleased to find more assembly than actual cooking: Pigs in Comforters consists of only four ingredients-olive oil spray, low-fat beef hot dogs, biscuit dough and mustard-and Spicy Tuna Salad comes together in seconds using tuna, low-fat mayo and chili sauce. Almost all of her recipes derive their health benefits from the inclusion of low- or reduced-fat store-bought ingredients: Ravio-Sagne, a ravioli-based riff on lasagna, relies on canned sauce, ravioli and low-fat cheese; Cheesy Brown Rice consists of cooked brown rice and Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Squares; Peppermint Brownie "Pizza" consists of fat-free whipped topping spread over a low-fat brownie (made from a box mix).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 edition (March 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767931572
• ISBN-13: 978-0767931571
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Low Fat

More About the Author

New York Times Bestselling Author, Devin Alexander, is a veteran in the fight against obesity and she's winning the war with her unique approach to healthy cooking . Having maintained a 55 pound weight loss for over 15 years, she lives and eats her message: you don't have to deprive yourself to be fit and healthy.

Devin has shared her secrets for unbelievably decadent, yet healthy foods through frequent appearances on Good Morning America, The View, The Biggest Loser, Discovery Health, HGTV, USA, Style Network and others, and through over 100 magazine features including Prevention, Women's Health, Shape, and Healthy Cooking, to name a few. She has served as Culinary Advisor to Men's Fitness Magazine and is currently The Cooking Expert to Women's Health Magazine.

Her recently released cookbook, Fast Food Fix (April 2006) was featured as an editor's top pick in USA Today. And she just released The Biggest Loser Cookbook (October 2006), which accompanies the hit NBC show.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She's a genius!, March 11, 2010

By 

M.S. - See all my reviews

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This review is from: I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening!: Over 150 Ridiculously Easy Recipes for the Super Busy (Paperback)

About a year ago, I first heard about Devin Alexander when reading a review for a "diet cookbook" by someone else. The quote was something like "anything by Devin Alexander is better than this". So, I bought the Biggest Loser cookbook, then The Most Decadent Diet Ever and Fast Food Fix. Now, I have I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening, and I am firmly convinced Devin Alexander is a genius. Her "secret" is this: food doesn't have to be plain to be healthy. Her recipes appeal to the food lover who wants to be healthier or lose weight-without compromising taste. Let's face it, most of us do not crave plain grilled chicken and steamed vegetables. All of her cookbooks are a little different: the Biggest Loser is a little more on the VERY low fat and calorie side; Fast Food Fix is geared for the fast food lover; Decadent Diet-well, I can't imagine who wouldn't love that one...unless it's someone who wants everything to be quick. I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening is specifically written to appeal to people who don't have a lot of time to cook. From that standpoint, I think she hits her mark and then some. The recipes sound fabulous, tasty, and EASY! So far, I've had the book for about 48 hours and have made the mini frittatas with herbed goat cheese, the pb&j oatmeal, breakfast fried rice, pierogies with kielbasa and sauerkraut, quick crunchy potato chips (twice) and fixed up french onion dip, and the chocolate banana boat. And worked two-twelve hour+ days. I loved every one of them. I can't claim to have tried every recipe in the book yet; I can tell you that I'm picky and demanding, and I have not yet found one of her recipes that I didn't like. Most of these recipes taste just as "decadent" as her previous recipes but with more "shortcuts"...using storebought dressings, jarred marinara, or herbs in a tube. Personally, I prefer making homemade salad dressings or my own fat free marinara, but there's no reason that these couldn't be substituted IF you don't mind the additional time. If you are looking for healthy, low fat food that will taste fabulous AND not take up too much time to cook, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe how good these recipes taste!, March 12, 2010

By 

J. Whitford (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening!: Over 150 Ridiculously Easy Recipes for the Super Busy (Paperback)

My hero Devin Alexander lost 55 pounds and has kept them off over a decade. She did it by taking all her favorite foods and creating healthier versions. She has written bestselling cookbooks for the Biggest Loser and under her own name. She also has her own cooking show on cable.

This book is a different format from her earlier ones. First, the drawing of Devin on the front is remarkably similar to the one for the Hungry Girl series. The pages are slick and glossy and the color pages of the recipes are gorgeous.

I made a list of all my favorite foods and recipes from restaurants, food courts at all my favorite shopping malls, county fairs, takeout menus, and comfort foods. I wrote them all down and started looking for cookbooks that gave me great tasting healthy alternatives.

I had totally given up on burritos - until I tried her Fully Loaded Turkey Burrito Pocket. At 300 calories and 15 minute prep time, this is one of my favorite meals.

I love tuna so the Spicy Tuna Salad (with chili sauce) was a new taste buzz for me. (I usually put Chesapeake Bay Seafood seasoning on my tuna; some cracked pepper and heat it up for a few minutes.)

One of my favorite snacks is the Faux French Onion Dip (made with Greek yoghurt) and the Quick and Crunchy Potato Chips (made from real potatoes).

All in all Devin continues to be extremely passionate about cooking and has fun with the healthy recipes she creates.

I highly recommend all of her books.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's Not Fattening - but the font isn't legible, either, April 9, 2010

By 

Cindy McC "Cindy McC" (Williamsburg, VA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening!: Over 150 Ridiculously Easy Recipes for the Super Busy (Paperback)

I am a huge fan of Devin Alexander's Most Decadent Diet Ever and could not resist ordering her latest, I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening. The recipes may well be as wonderful as those in the first book; however, the publisher has chosen to color-code the ingredients and nutritional information by section. That probably would have not been a problem for me twenty years ago, but after a full day, these middle-aged eyes have trouble reading light green or light blue fonts on white backgrounds. Even removing my specially ordered contact lenses and putting on my progressive bifocals has not resulted in the ease of use one wants when reaching for one of the "over 150 ridiculously easy recipes for the super busy."

If you're young and have no difficulty reading light-colored fonts, don't hesitate to buy the book. If you have found that your eyes are changing (and a house guest had the same difficulty, so the problem isn't mine alone), you may want to look at the book before you buy it.