Cook Yourself Thin, on Lifetime TV, is based on the concept of enjoying favorite foods while reducing calories and fat. The hosts of Cook Yourself Thin show a different guest in each episode how to cook their favorite foods by adjusting the recipes to reduce the impact on the waistline.
In the sixth episode the hosts of Cook Yourself Thin on Lifetime TV helped a guest who loved fried foods. The guest was a vegetarian, but was in the habit of frying everything, so the calorie load of her diet was high and her weight went up. The hosts pointed out that she had probably gotten into the habit of deep frying to add flavor to her food and that she loved the crunch of fried foods.
Breakfast Hash
The guest loved a breakfast of fried vegetable hash. The cooks made a low fat version by swapping out the deep fry oil with spices. They fried onions with a tablespoon of oil, pointing out that a tablespoon of oil contains 100 calories. They added cooked bake tofu for protein. They sautéed the ingredients in a skillet and made a vegetable hash. Non-vegetarians can use turkey or chicken instead of the tofu. The hash was garnished with chopped scallions for an attractive dish. The hash dish was 320 calories instead of the fried breakfast that was over 1,300 calories.
Fried Rice and Tempura Vegetables replaced by Risotto and Vegetables
The cooks showed the guest how to make a flavorful risotto with chopped garlic and onion for flavor Asparagus and zucchini was also used for health benefits and flavor. The asparagus and zucchini were cut into bite sizes pieces and boiled briefly so as not to overcook. They also pointed out that many people use too much rice, because rice puffs up and makes a big portion.
They cooked the risotto with wine instead of butter. They said that rice itself is creamy, so it is not necessary to cook risotto in cream and butter. They did add a small amount of butter for the buttery flavor.
This dish can be made with any vegetables that are in season. The cooks used ingredients that added flavor instead of relying on fatty butter or oil to cook the rice and vegetables.
The dish was reduced in calories from 2,030 to 489.
Fried Shrimp replaced by Crispy Baked Shrimp
The cooks beat up egg whites to make a coating for the shrimp. A Japanese bread crumb, called Panko, was used as the breading on the shrimp. They added salt and said that it was a common mistake to leave out the salt, because that makes the dish taste bland. They dipped the deveined shrimp in the egg white and into the Panko crumbs and stuck the shrimp pin the oven to bake. For flavor, they made a dressing of mustard, capers and dill instead of tartar sauce.
The calorie count was reduced from 1,006 to 291 calories.
Happy Results
The guest said she was really happy with the flavors and thought the dishes were delicious. The total caloric reduction for the day was from over 4,500 calories to about 1,100 calories.
After six weeks the Cook Yourself Thin hosts visited the guest and found that she looked stunning. Using the cooking techniques she learned on the show, the guest had lost a dress size and fit into clothes she could not fit into before.
The Lifetime TV Cook Yourself Show is very motivating to watch. The hosts show guests and viewers how adjustments to recipes can make a big difference in calories counts, while cooking healthy and flavorful food.
Cast of Cook Yourself Thin
- Harry Eastwood co authored the cookbook Cook Yourself Thin: The Delicious Way to Drop a Dress Size
- Chef Allison Fishman has worked for Martha Stewart and on Food Network as a food stylist and recipe developer.
- Candice Kumai, professionally trained at Le Cordon Bleu, was a contestant of the first season of Bravo’s Top Chef.
Cook Yourself Thin airs on Monday through Friday at 5:00 PM ET/PT.
Cook Yourself Thin on Lifetime TV Helps Gymnast
Cook Yourself Thin on Lifetime TV
