Now Eat This!: 150 of America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories

Good and Healthy Recipes

I just spent about an hour reviewing Now Eat This! 150 of America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories, by celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito. As a former chef and avid cook, my passion is cooking healthy and delicious meals. So, it was with interest that I read this book, as I wanted to see how Rocco brought flavor--not calories--to America's favorite comfort foods.

The trick to cooking flavorful, healthy and low calories meals is using--no surprise--flavorful, health and low calorie ingredients and understanding how to combine them to make a dish that satisfies. Using such ingredients is how Rocco achieves this. He uses aromatic herbs and spices that are packed with flavor, for example. Another great substitute that Rocco uses for butter, sour cream or cream is Greek yogurt--yum! If you haven't tried Greek yogurt, you're in for a treat. I substitute it all the time in dishes and don't miss a thing.

Rocco was inspired to write this book after being a guest cook on The Biggest Loser. He was asked to turn traditional comfort foods--laden with fat and calories--into low calorie, tasty and healthy dishes.

The book itself is eye candy--bright, beautiful colors and lots of sexy photos of the dishes.

To keep the calories at a minimum, Rocco uses cooking spray. Cooking spray is great for faux frying and in some other instances, but I would use a bit of extra virgin olive oil in some of the other recipes. Olive oil is a "good fat" and is good for you. Sure, it adds calories, but it also adds flavor and gives the diner the feeling of satiation and satisfaction. (I can't help but believe that some of these meals are so light in calories that they would lead to hunger an hour or so later later and a possible unhealthy binge! For instance, his macaroni ann cheese recipe calls for 4 ounces of pasta for 4 servings!I do not know any pasta lover who could eat 1 ounce of pasta and be satisfied...)

That said, these are terrific recipes if you are trying to lose weight! Instead of the same old boring diet dishes, this book could keep you on track because of the variety in the dishes.

If you just want healthy and tasty meals, this cookbook is still fine. You can always eat a bigger portion or add some olive oil! :)

Overall, I like this cookbook and have earmarked several recipes to try very soon.

Author, HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT & SELL YOUR HOME FAST

30 out of 31 people found this review helpful.

This guy is a moron

Apparently the guy who wrote this book has no knowledge of insulin management. Removing all of the fat and loading up with pasta will increase the speed of glucose release causing huge insulin spikes telling your body to store fat. If you want to lose weight do exactly the opposite of what this guy is telling you to do.

13 out of 36 people found this review helpful.

Eat To Live, Live To Eat!

Loving food has become a national pastime. The popularity of Food only cable networks are evidence of the fascination we have with gustatory delight. Yet this comes with a price, the obesity epidemic. No where else in the world is it more evident than in the good ol' USA. We have become fat and our love of food is the villain of our ever increasing waistlines.

I must admit I am guilty! I have always loved food. All kinds, rich, full of fat, carbohydrate and lacking nutrional benefit, but oh so tasty!

I bought this book as a gift for my mother - the worlds greatest cook. After getting it and looking it over I was shocked! Could this be true, 350 calories or less? Fried Chicken, Brownies, Cookies; impossible!

Forget the narrative portion. I skimmed it enough to realize it is the filler, the heart od this Cook Book is in the recipes.

Brownies made with Black Beans. Now if you are like me you love rich, chewy, chocolaty Brownies. The calories and sugar are what keep me from scarfing them non-stop. I had to try this. I mean guilt free Brownies would be like the Sutter Gold strike!

I followed the recipe but had to replace espresso powder with a brand of instant coffee. After combining the ingredients and poring the batter in the pan I put the concotion in the oven, but was doubtful of the end result. How could a 350 calorie Brownie be any good?

When the oven bell went DING! I leapt like a schoolgirl off the couch and pulled them out of the oven. They looked like brownies but hadn't risen to thickness as in the lucious picture in the book. I was disheartened, thinking my initial assumption was correct.

I let them cool a bit, then cut them into squares. They developed that crusty, bubbly, cracked surface and had the sheen of freshly baked brownies. I used the spatula to scoop one onto a plate. Still tentative about them, I let it sit for few minutes more.

I sat down, grabbed a fork, and took the first bite. Now I have made many brownies in my life and eaten many more. The first bite was telltale of the truth of this book. It was wonderful, and chocolaty and chewy and rich and delicious! I was in heaven! Imagine that, brownies from Black Beans, less than 350 calories, almost no sugar with protein from the beans to boot. Guiltless!

Rocco has revolutionized how we think about food and the book has enouhg recipes to keep even the most addicted foodie's palate satisfied. It proves you can love food and enjoy eating flavorful and healthfully without being bored to death with raw Celery stalks and Carrots.

If you want to eat well, healthier and guilt free I recommend "Now Eat This!" At any price this is a cook book must have for every kitchen in America our national waistline depends on it.

9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Originally saw this book on the Rachel Ray show, and ordered right away!

Althought the book was not available at the time I discovered on the Rachel Ray show, I pre-order my copy, and I have to say, it has the greatest confort food that you might want to make and eat. Of course it not the type of food I would eat everyday, however, Rocco Dispirito does gives you such food with alternative healthy option ingredients. Great illustrations which are always helpful, but great tasty recipes with under a 350 calories. I love the book!

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Life is too short to eat bland food....

I love food - GOOD food. Why eat healthy when everything that isn't tastes so much better? I saw Rocco DiSpirito with this book on the Rachael Ray show several weeks ago. I thought it might be a good way to eat what I like and be healthy as I HATE dieting. I have now tried at least 6 of the recipes in "Now Eat This!" and I am quite surprised at how delicious they are and how I don't miss the regularly prepared dishes. I tried the Fettucine Alfredo with the Greek yogurt rather than cream and found that it tasted a little different but was so good that it could compete on it's own. Cutting most of the calories and fat was an added bonus. The Chicken Parmigiano was really good and easy to prepare as well. Next on my list are some of the turkey dishes.

I thought I couldn't go wrong with the Italian guy's cookbook because I figured he had to know and understand how important it is for food to look and taste good. I was right - there are some ingenious tricks and tips in some of the recipes that only a gifted chef would know. Plus, these recipes cover lots of American favorites like mashed potatoes and mac and cheese so that you can still eat what you crave without feeling so guilty. Overall, I'm quite impressed with the recipes and would recommend it to anyone that likes good food regardless of the calorie count.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great Inspiration

I belivee after eating rich foods your palate has to adjusts to eating foods with less fat, salt and more herbs and flavors. This book delivers and is easy to follow, most ingredients are easy to find. As with any cookbook there may be some receipes I don't care for only because of my personal perference . I have not found one of these yet. Great job. has inspired me to get back on the band wagon for healthier living. This is one of Rocco's better books. The price is right it is not a big investment but I would have paid more. I would recommend anyone looking for easy not time consuming receipes that are not high in calories to buy this book.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Now Eat This!

Rocco Dispirito's new cook book "Now Eat This!" is incredible. All the dishes are low in calories and taste surprisingly good and are very healthy. I've tried some of them and am very please. I watched him prepare one of the recipes (in the book) on the Rachel Rae show and I couldn't believe the ingredients he was using and still be able to call it low calorie. He brought a 1100 calorie meal down to 345, so I had to get it. I immediately went online to Barnes & Noble and ordered it, and not for the asking price, but half of the asking price. I had the book in less than a week and started using it the day I received it. Thanks Barnes & Noble, you have never disappointed me.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Comfort Food Made Healthy!!

I am a health food junkie that is always looking for new recipies to feed my family. This book is fantastic!! As a personal trainer and lifetime Weight Watchers member I can tell you that these recipies really hit the mark. I have been using greek yogurt for years but he really takes it to a different level and using it like I would have never thought possible. His carbonara is on our families heavy rotation dinner list right now. I serve it with grilled chicken and salad and my family loves it. Chicken Marsala and Shrimp Pad Thai, how can you go wrong?? Some of his recipies include sauces that you have to make ahead of time. I like to choose two recipies which use the same sauce to make in one week. That way things are quick and economical. Love it, Love it, Love it!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great Job...

Love the new cookbook. The brownies rock and it is hard to believe beans could taste so good. The entire cookbook has great recipes and ideas that can be used in other home recipes. I highly recommend this book to all who are looking for healthy alternatives to your favoriate foods with out loosing the flavor.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I love this cookbook!

As someone who is always watching my weight and the nutritional content of the food I prepare for my family, I was especially pleased to find when I ordered the cookbook that the fat, fiber and calories (all less than 350!)were included with the recipes. I also enjoyed reading how Rocco Dispirito became interested in converting comfort foods from high fat to low fat, low calorie dishes. I would recommend this to anyone on Weight Watcher (lifetime member) or any other diet.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Worth the Wait

Having seen the author on Today Show and other tv shows demonstrating and talking about various recipes in this book, I had to have it. I especially love the brownies made totally nutritionally. I can even have them, even though I am diabetic. Excellent, good tasting, not too expensive recipes. I love it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Finally! I have been waiting on a book like this.

Now Eat This! is such a great book by Rocco DiSpirito!
I am so glad this book is finally out. Just as Rocco DiSpirito says in his new book all the healthy diet books are full of whole grains and flax seed and no one wants to eat that all the time. He has also noted that healthy cook books are usually not even written by chefs. He has done a wonderful job of coming up with very different ways of making the foods we all love without all the calories that we do not need. I would have never have thought to do some of the stuff that he has discovered. I am just glad he has such a passion for this so that he can share it with everyone.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Now Eat This!

Love these books! The recipes are all simple and very delicious! Have lost 10 lbs. In 2 1/2 weeks! You wont be disappointed!

Great Recipes

We really love Rocco's recipes, It has helped me look at all of my recipes and find ways to cut calories while still keeping great taste.

Great for people looking for healthier favorites

Oh. My. Goodness. These recipes are delicious. A few of the ingredients might be hard to find (whole wheat panko breadcrumbs for example) but for the most part, you can either find ingredients at your local supermarket, (I live about 30 miles past the middle of nowhere, so if I can find it, you can find it), or else you can order it online. (That's what I did after trying enough recipes to feel like it would be worth the time/effort to special order a few things.)

The recipes are easy to use for the most part. Though Rocco does try to focus more on lean protein and cut way back on carbs/fat, most of the recipes are not appropriate for someone looking for low carb recipes. But for the majority of people trying to cut fat, calories and just generally eat healthier, this book is amazing.

The only negatives I've found are that many of his desserts are, to put it nicely, not that tasty. And I do wish that there were photos of all the recipes.

Great Book! and i never write reviews on anything!

I have been using this cook book to keep my calorie intake down and lose weight. I don't even feel like I am on a diet (other than the portion control side of things). The food tastes great with a lot of flavor. There are some interesting ways of going about reducing fat and calories but so far they all work! Highly highly highly recommend for anyone trying to drop a few lbs without having to eat baked chicken and broccoli for a month straight.

Highly Recommended!!

This is a great book, easy to follow recipes- even my fiance can make them :)
We have tried probably half the recipes so far- all of the main courses have been amazing, you will not miss the calories or fat in there. This definately does not taste like diet food!
The only disappointment has been the desserts- we have tried the brownies and the mousse and both were pretty awful- even so this is the best cookbook we have.

Highly Recommended

I have already lost 7 pounds and my family has been eating healthier because of this cookbook! Even if you over eat, the calories still do not add up!

I Love This Book

Rocco Dispirito has "rocked" my kitchen. I absolutely love this book.
The Chicken Piccata on page 117 is to die for. The whole wheat pasta recipe for macaroni is wonderful. I can't wait to try every recipe in
his book! I'll make the black bean brownie recipe and serve it to friends
to prove to them that wise nutrition is delicious. Initally, I had a little trouble finding the exact brand of ingredients that Rocco prefers
but they are out there and your local health food store may order these
ingredients for you. Who can go wrong with lowfat and low sugar!

jo in northern lower michigan

Nice pictures, ok recipes...

I bought this book for my boyfriend who recently started a restricted calorie diet. At first glance I was very pleased with the book. It has nice colored illustrations and the recipes are well laid out and seemingly easy to follow. However, upon closer inspection we realized the serving sizes were tiny! I'm sure the food is just as good as the author claims it to be, but the portions are so small I don't think they would be filling at all. In addition, there are a few strange substitutions to cut back on calories, including a lot of greek yogurt. If you like greek yogurt I guess it wouldn't be so bad, but I am not a fan so that is another bad mark in my book. Overall, there are some good ideas, and lots of nice pictures but my boyfriend wasn't very happy with the selections and neither was I.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.