Alexander Devin - The Biggest Loser family cookbook: budget-friendly meals your whole family will love

W hen I started my own weight-loss journey back in the late 80s, dieting was lonely. I was one of the only kids in my high school who was overweight, let alone obese, and there was no one (at least to my knowledge) on TV giving weight-loss advice or talking about the subject at all. I struggled in silence, peaking somewhere over 190 pounds at 15 years old. I wondered if Id ever even find a friend who would understand what my every day was like as an obese girl with a passionate spirit and a cute personality dying to emergeif only given some glimmer of hope.

Fortunately, I found that hope in my late teensin my kitchen, of all places. It was ironic, since that was also the location of some of my greatest struggles and many low moments when I just couldnt manage to tear myself away from the refrigerator, even though I desperately wanted to change. So you can imagine how ecstatic I am not only to have shifted my negative obsession with food into a fulfilling career, but also to be a part of The Biggest Loser communitya place where anyone struggling with weight can find the sort of friend that I so desperately needed.

Unlike the lonely battle I faced as a child, obesity has, regrettably, become a common issue for many American families. Millions of parents are struggling to stay fit and ensure the lifelong heath of their children, all the while maintaining the family budget. A lot of people think that its just too expensive to eat healthful, nutritious foods. And sure enough, grocery costs seem to be climbing higher each day. So whats a concerned, health-minded parent to do? Im here to show that you can lose weight and feed your family delicious food without breaking the bank. This cookbook is full of wholesome recipes that can be easily adapted to fit into your budget. In the recipes themselves and throughout this book, youll find cost-saving tips and recipe modifications from me and The Biggest Loser cast and experts to ensure that these meals wont break the bank.

A couple of years ago, when I agreed to write the first Biggest Loser Cookbook, I had no idea how powerfully it would impact my life and others. Ive since been able to befriend a number of the contestants and work with even more. Ive received thousands of letters from folks who are just like me or just like I was, who expressed shock at how tasty my healthy recipes are. Ive since been called a Kitchen Magician and Americas Cool Food Chef and have appeared on hundreds of TV spots, from the Today show to The Biggest Loserand all because I have a deep love and passion for re-creating dishes that would otherwise be off-limits to those of us seeking to lose weight or maintain weight loss. The Biggest Loser has changed my life, and it is changing America.

I truly believe that its easy to find freedom and enjoyment from food. You just need to learn some basic recipes and make family mealtime a priority in your household. Cooking is a valuable, lifelong skill, and getting your kids into the kitchen at a young age and encouraging them to participate in meal preparation will help them learn how to eat healthfully for many years to come. It sounds so simple, but I swear I would still be obese if I couldnt cook or if I hadnt ever heard that all you need to do to lose 10 pounds in a year (on average) is to cut 100 calories from your diet per day. Think about it: For a weekend breakfast with the family, you can rely on a local restaurant that serves overpriced veggie egg-white omelets, or in your own kitchen, make a at a fraction of the price that are fun to eat and bursting with flavor. And you dont have to be a master chef.

Folks often ask me how I do it. They want to know why my healthy food tastes so good. There are two reasons. First of all, healthy food is my life. I live it. I breathe it. And I think it. As youll see in the pages of this book, I dont just substitute fat-free this and fat-free that in obvious fashion or fill every dish with tofu and carrot sticks. Every recipe is carefully conceived, whether it is a quick throw-together for a weekday lunch on-the-go or a heartier family meal. And some of these recipes were actually cooked as many as 32 times to get the flavor profiles just as they should bedecadent, delicious, and not at all reminiscent of diet food. And secondly, I am a culinary school graduate who is committed to putting cooking techniques to good use so that my recipes are no-brainers for you by the time they reach your familys kitchen.

You dont need to be a master chef or have trained for years to cook amazing dishes in your own kitchen. You just need to be stocked with an arsenal of fabulous recipes like the ones in The Biggest Loser Cookbook, and now The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. As you flip through the pages and see vibrant images of foods like Grilled Chicken Smothered Nachos, Pizza Burgers, Baked Ziti, and even Chocolate Cherry Truffles, youll quickly see that these recipes taste like the unhealthy, expensive restaurant foods that we crave, but they arent. Believe me, you wont get food this healthy or this cost effective by ordering in or making a reservation. Its time to head to your own kitchen: Its where miracles do occur.

Chef Devin Alexander