2010 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE AND GIVEAWAY – Substitute Yourself Skinny

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Substitute Yourself Skinny

• By Chef Susan Irby
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Published by Adams Media
• May 2010
• $17.95 US/$21.99 CAN
• ISBN-10: 1440503974
• ISBN-13: 978-1440503979

About the book – Cut the Calories, Keep the Flavor with Hundreds of Simple Substitutions! The Secret is in the Substitutions! Diet cookbooks should be about dropping weight, not depriving yourself. By swapping this for that, you can turn your favorite foods into low-calorie creations — proving once and for all that you can have your chocolate molten cake, and eat it too!

In this calorie-slashing collection, Bikini Chef-to-the-stars Susan Irby offers 175 inventive recipes for switching up ingredients that keep calories to a minimum. Complete with serving-size suggestions and “Skinny Secret” shortcuts to trim calories in little ways, here you’ll get expertly crafted recipes that include offerings for every meal of the day.

I’ve seen lots of people I know torture themselves then they were trying to lose weight. I remember going through it myself, the agony of wanting one of your favorites but it not being “ok” for the diet. Substitute Yourself Skinny contains 175 popular recipes that can help end some of that torture. The recipes aren’t for brand new dishes but rather recipes for how to update some of your tried and true favorites into no fat or lower fat dishes. Imagine being able to eat Molten Chocolate Cake that has 262 less calories than it usually does! How about Chicken Alfredo with 650 less calories? The book is laid out into chapters – Jumpstart Your Day Breakfasts, Energizing Lunches, Thinner Dinners, Slimming Sides, Guilt Free Snacks & Appetizers, and Deliciously Skinny Desserts. The recipes are all clearly written and easy to follow. Each recipe gives you nutritional information, tells you the proper serving size, shows the amount of calories saved by revising the recipe. Each page contains a slimming secret – a tip of some sort. One thing I wish the book did have is a few more pictures. There aren’t many pictures in there but the ones that are are colorful and appetizing. The other thing I wish the book had was the amount of time it takes to prep and make each dish, I always find that helpful when deciding what recipe I’m going to try. This book would make a great gift for yourself or someone else.

To learn more about Chef Susan Irby, The Bikini Chef, visit www.SusanIrby.com.

Here’s a recipe for Fudgy Chocolate Brownies, courtesy of Substitute Yourself Skinny.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

Coffee has a strong flavor that most people love, even in baked goods. Using it in this recipe is a perfect way to keep flavor high without adding any fat or calories. In addition, applesauce is naturally sweet and can be used to substitute for some or all of the sugar in recipes. Then, the egg whites help balance out the density of the applesauce, keeping your recipes lighter in texture.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ⅓ cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• ⅓ cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Mix well.

2. In a small-quart boiler, bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the coffee; stir to dissolve. In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, vanilla, and egg whites. Mix well. Add the coffee mixture and mix well. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix well.

2. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen. When cooled completely, slice into 2-inch squares and serve.

Calories per serving

Original recipe 243
SYS recipe 63

Nutritional breakdown
Fat .5g
Carbohydrates 14g
Protein 1g
Sodium 66mg

Serving size: 1 brownie

WIN IT!

ONE WINNER will receive a copy of the book Substitute Yourself Skinny.

HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)

To enter leave a comment on this post telling me one recipe you’d like to find a lower calorie version of.

BONUS ENTRIES

1 – Leave a comment containing a suggestion on reducing sodium in your family’s diet.
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1 – Visit HereAndThere.US (my Mom) and leave a comment on any post (except a giveaway post) there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.

Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.

THE SMALL PRINT.

US addresses only please. This contest will end on Sunday 10/24/10 at 11:59 pm est.  If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within two days of my email notifying them they’ve won.  Good luck to everyone!

The product(s) featured in this review was provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.