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

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!

People who want/need to lose weight and who don't want to spend too much time and energy in the kitchen will find this a very useful book. The author is herself a success story, someone who lost the weight and has kept it off, without the yo-yo track that so many people find themselves on. This in and of itself gives the author a bit more street cred (so to speak) than those authors who just rattle off recipes yet have always been healthy and fit.All this being said, this is yet another sound volume from Devin Alexander. Packed with easy-to-follow recipes, healthy eating tips, and plenty of motivation, Devin is encouraging and heartwarming, the kind of woman you want to cook with, knowing she has your best interests at heart. She understands that you want to enjoy your food but may not necessarily have the time to spend in the kitchen. Pared-down recipes should encourage cooking-shy people who want to eat healthy to venture into the kitchen and not fear the end result. They can also enjoy food without thinking about "dieting." This way of eating, cooking, and living is light-years beyond throwing yet another frozen "light" entree into the microwave and picking at it mindlessly, wishing it were something else.If you have more time in the kitchen, check out "Fast Food Fix" and "The Most Decadent Diet Ever" also by Alexander. Both books offer winning recipes that take a bit more time but are healthy and extremely satisfying.

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.

I ordered all of Devin Alexanders books after reading the reviews. All in all I believe they are good books. I enjoy most of the recipes I have tried. I was a little disappointed when I noticed some of the calorie counts were way off. For example, the peppermint brownine pizza looks amazing and with only 142 calories per slice it sounded too good to be true. It turns out it was. The recipe supposedly makes 8 servings and uses a box of No Pudge! Original Fudge Browine Mix. According to the package the mix alone has 1320 calories. At 8 servings the mix would be 165 calories per serving before all the toppings. My rough calculations put the actual calories per serving at around 205. It may only be 63 calories but when you are following a strict calorie rule it can certainly make a difference. All in all I enjoy all of her books and have used several of the recipes.

I love my new cookbook that I got from amazon.ca it's keeping me on track it's got my blood sugar is under control and I'm losing weight fantastic

Bonnes idees

The recipies look lovely and simple to make but cant source most of the ingredients in ireland. Looks lovely and healthy though

Devo dire che sono delusa dal ricettario. E' un ricettario praticamente solo utilizzabile in USA (o forse anche in UK, se hanno gli stessi prodotti). Si basa su una grande quantità di prodotti pronto uso disponibili in USA, e quindi non riproducibile come ricette "veloci" in Italia. Sarebbe meglio farlo presente nella presentazione...