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Rocco DiSpirito's "Now Eat This! Diet"

March 30, 2011   218 Comments

Snack Girl likes it when celebrity chefs decide to design recipes for those of us trying to be healthier and lose weight.

Rocco DiSpirito's "Now Eat This! Diet"

Paula Deen, you could take a page from Rocco DiSpirito's latest effort, "Now Eat This! Diet' with his almost 300 pages of beautiful pictures, recipes, and thoughts on how to get healthier.

(Not that I don't love Paula - but I am POSITIVE that "deep fried macaroni and cheese" is going to shorten my life.)

Rocco DiSpirito has been on The Biggest Loser, Dancing With The Stars, and now Snack Girl (I am sure his crowning achievement). The man can't dance, but he can cook and he lost over 20 pounds.

How did he do it? He came up with a bunch of recipes that replaced his favorites with lower calorie versions. This mushroom lasagna recipe doesn't have meat and I know it is delicious.

He was able to shave over 400 calories from one serving! (Lasagna can be a calorie bomb.)

There are a whole bunch of favorites here - mac and cheese, brownies, and a even a cheeseburger. Rocco even uses black beans in his brownie recipe - just like Snack Girl (see here: Healthier Brownies With A Secret Ingredient).

His brownie recipe doesn't use a mix because he is a chef (and he isn't lazy).

Here’s how you can win your own signed copy of Now Eat This! Diet, signed by Rocco DiSpirito himself:

Comment on this post and share the following with us "What is your motivation to lose weight?".

For example, some choose to lose the weight to be better parents, what's your reason?

At the end of the contest, I’ll pick 4 winners (at random) to receive the book and announce them on April 6th, 2011.

No Boil Mushroom Lasagna Recipe

reprinted with permission from "Now Eat This! Diet" by Rocco DiSpirito

YEARS AGO, after she came to Hollywood and became an international film star, Sophia Loren gave the media her most sultry pose one day and reportedly said, “All you see, I owe to pasta.” Americans now know what Italians and others have known for centuries: Pasta is cheap, chic, and healthy. I don’t like diets that give you scheduled feedings of birdseed, so, my friends, thank you for coming back to the pasta fold. This recipe uses no- boil noodles. Mushrooms and no-boil lasagna noodles were made for each other. Because mushrooms release a lot of water during cooking, they essentially steam the noodles, thereby cooking them.

(makes 4 servings)

INGREDIENTS
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups reduced-fat ricotta cheese, such as Sargento
½ cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh fl at-leaf parsley
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces (about 8 sheets) no-boil whole wheat lasagna noodles, such as Dalallo 10 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
4 ounces white button mushrooms
½ cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the inside of an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, basil, parsley, and ¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Mix with a spoon until blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Line the bottom of the prepared baking pan with two lasagna sheets. Top with ½ cup of the cheese mixture. Using the back of a spoon, spread the mixture so that the noodles are covered. Top with a layer of mushrooms. Repeat the procedure two more times. On the last layer, place two lasagna sheets on top of the mushrooms. Spread a layer of the remaining cheese mixture on top. Scatter the mozzarella and remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.
4. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Raise the temperature of the oven to 425°F, and bake for another 15 minutes. Uncover the dish and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Per serving: 388 calories, 15 g fat, 34 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein, 3 g fiber, 510 mg sodium, 10 Points+

What will I win?
A signed copy of "Now Eat This! Diet", signed by Rocco DiSpirito himself.

How do I enter?
Comment below on your motivation to lose weight.

Additional Ways To Enter:

  1. Follow Snack-Girl on FaceBook. Comment on the FB page on your motivation to lose weight.
  2. Follow Snack-Girl on Twitter and Tweet this post (use the Tweet Button in the Share Box at the top of this post).
Snack-Girl can follow and count all the additional entries using magical website tools.

Am I eligible to enter?
This giveaway is offered to US residents only.

When do I find out if I am the winner?
The winner will be announced on April 6th, 2011. You will have 2 weeks to e-mail us back with your home address so we can mail the prize.

Want to read about snacks?
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Three Reasons To Avoid Yoplait Greek Yogurt
Can Domino's Deliver A Healthy and Tasty Meal?
Green Thing...You Make My Heart Sing

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First 20 Comments: ( See all 218 )

I have heard wonderful things about this cookbook!!! I want to be a better person all-around! That includes wife, sister, mother, friend! I think this can be acheived by losing weight. It will not only help my physical well-being but all my mental well-being! That is my motivation! If I am a healthy, well-rested person, I can play a better role in my loved ones lives!

I just want to be healthy, be happy, feel good about the way I look, and I want to look good for my husband too! :)

Wow! Lots of talk about this cookbook. Can't wait to see it. My motivation has got to be my health....don't want any health issues that can be prevented!

My motivation for losing weight is self confidence. Looking good and feeling good gives me more self confidence.

I've recently fallen in love! He loves me just the way I am, I know, as I do him. But both of us could stand to lose more than a little. Not for appearances, but so we have as much time on this earth together as possible!

I try to eat healthy and exercise regularly because it just makes me feel better. If I feel better, I'm a happier person. I want my son to learn by example. I will definitely be trying this Mushroom Lasagna...sounds yummy!

My motivation for losing weight is my health. I'm 1 BMI point from being obese, and the excess weight is taking a toll on my knees. I don't want to immobilize myself by continuing to pack on the pounds, so I have to work on getting the weight down.

This sounds like a great book and a must have, especially for a person like me who wants to lose weight but I don't want to feel like I am depriving myself either.

My reason for wanting to lose weight is to feel more healthy and look better and ultimately feel better about myself.

I was tired of being tired all the time! Not to mention having a crap-tastic selection for clothing and not really fitting into seats! I saw him make this on GMA. Definitely going to make it myself!

I want to be healthy! After my grandma was diagnosed with diabetes, I learned if I kept up with my unhealthy eating habits, I'd be sitting right next to her in the hospital. My goal is to get a healthy BMI! I'm well on my way.

My motivation to lose weight is ME. You see I had a couple of health scares in the last 3 months and it finally made me realize losing weight can't be about a bathing suit a dress or to look good for another person. Losing weight has to be about me and my want to be a silly little old lady walking hand in hand with my husband on my 90th birthday (which is still very far away) :) Too many diseases can happen by not watching what I eat... it's about time I learn :)

I have many different kinds of motivation to lose weight - my clothes fit better, I look better, but most of all, I FEEL better. It's amazing how good I feel when I eat healthy and how crummy I feel when I don't!

Watching family members literally dying because of their food choices motivated me to lose 55 lbs and become a WW lifetime member. I'm now within 10 pounds of losing my pregnancy weight gain and regaining that lifetime status. It's hard, but worth it.

My motivation to eat healthy is due to a spotted family history. Cancer, heart disease, yada yada. I want to be here to see my children achieve their dreams and grow into wonderful people.

My seven year old son has stage IV neuroblastoma cancer. I have not taken care of myself since this has happened. Kyle is receiving a trip to Disney World curtisy of the Make a Wish Foundation. I need lose weight so I can fit into my summer clothes before we go.

My motivation is to be confident in who I am - eating healthy directly influences one's body image. I would love to learn these recipes in the kitchen with my mom so that we can both learn the healthy alternatives to our favorite family recipes instead of weighing them down with mayonnaise and cream. I am nearing the age when I will start a family, and would like to start some healthy food traditions to be passed down through the years :)

My motivation to loose weight is so I look fabulous on my wedding day in October! It's approaching quickly and I want to look and feel my best!

SUCH A GREAT RECIPE! I'm so excited to try this and whatever else his book has to offer. My motivation for losing weight/keeping my weight healthy is the idea of getting pregnant soon. I want my body to be strong during this season of life ready to handle whatever life has to throw it's way - as well as already maintain a lifestyle of eating healthy and working out so post baby time won't be quite as challenging.

My motivation to lose weight is to set a good example for my daughter and have enough energy to keep up with her!

My motivation to lose weight is to have a healthy pregnancy! Not pregnant, but would like to be soon!

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