Maffucci Ali - Inspiralized: turn vegetables into healthy, creative, satisfying meals

For my first twenty-six years, I was living a life that followed the appropriate track: do well in school, go to a notable university, get a job after graduation, and build a career. A few months after my twenty-sixth birthday, I quit my job and took a leap of faith in pursuit of a dream to make the world a happier and healthier place with Inspiralized.com. Now, just less than two years later, I am publishing my first cookbook, at age twenty-seven. Pinch me, please!

Without the support and love around me, I would never have achieved such success, especially in such little time. I would still be dreaming not doing and for that, I am eternally grateful to the following people:

Leah Bhabha, thank you for testing every single recipe in this book, responding to my texts at all hours, and being a fellow lover of all foods. Since we spent the larger part of our summer indoors in my kitchen, I think we owe ourselves a trip to the beach!

To every single reader, follower, and lover of Inspiralized thank you, thank you, thank you. Every single like youve given me on Facebook, every blog post of mine youve retweeted, and every friend youve tagged on my Instagram has brought me here. Im honoured that youve trusted me enough to bring my recipes into your home and among your friends and family. Thank you for being truly Inspiralized.

Amanda Englander, thank you for guiding me through the publishing process as my editor. Thanks for entertaining all of my questions (no matter how obvious the answers were) and expediting the publication of this book I cant wait to see it sitting on a bookshelf, finally in stores. Of course, thanks to the entire Clarkson Potter team, who I consider to be pioneers, believing in me and Inspiralized at such an early stage. Thanks for bringing my message to the masses!

Alyssa Reuben, thanks for supporting me every step of the way and believing in this spiralizing movement before anyone truly cared. This book is a result of your faith in me, and Im forever appreciative to have you as my agent. Heres to many more books! Special thanks to Evan and Marisa Richheimmer for connecting Alyssa and me you two were my original supporters!

To the entire photography crew that made this cookbook gorgeous Im still stunned. Thank you to Evan Sung for your incredible ability to capture spiralized vegetables and fruits, and for your kind, composed attitude throughout the experience. Thanks to Chelsea Zimmer for styling the vegetable noodles better than I can and Kaitlyn DuRoss for styling not only the photos but also me (Im still finding pins in my shirts!).

Felicia, thank you for helping me spread the word about Inspiralized from the very beginning. Im proud of the caring and loving person youve become, and I cant thank you enough for being there when I needed to vent, helping me plan a wedding while this book came to fruition, and for being my lifelong best friend. Youll always be my little sister.

Dad, thanks for teaching me there are no shortcuts in life: just hard work, commitment, and determination. Without that, I would still be sitting at a desk, working a job that didnt fulfil me. You are the hardest-working man I have ever known, and I am grateful for every lesson in life you ever taught me. Im proud to join the family ranks as an entrepreneur!

Grandma Ida, I thank you each and every day for teaching me to love reading and writing. Thank you for spending the countless hours with me, studying the literary classics and helping me to understand the way words come together when I struggled. Your faith in education and knowledge has led me to this hopefully never-ending chapter of my life.

Mum, I could write for hundreds of pages about how thankful I am to have you in my life and never do you justice. There is no one in this world who encourages, supports, and believes in me as much as you do. Not only am I forever grateful to you for introducing me to spiralizing, but Im thankful for the hours and hours weve talked about living a healthy lifestyle despite falling off the wagon a few times! Youre my best friend, and knowing that I can come to you and talk about anything is more valuable to me than anything else. Youve helped me write this book even when you werent there. Nothing makes me happier than making you proud this cookbook is as much yours as it is mine. I love you.

Pops, not only do I thank you for every last flawless meatball you put on my plate, but I thank you for being as strong as you are. From walking countless miles in the snow to court Grandma in your twenties to winning a very scary battle with cancer, your love and passion for life has always inspired me to live one that exceeds expectations and puts a smile on my face and hopefully, on yours. Youre my first true love and youll always be my Poppy.

Grandma Loretta (Grams), youre the life of the party, the brightest smile in the room (and the best dressed!), and the most compassionate woman. Your faith and confidence in those you love is inspirational, and although you always manage to burn the sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, you are the adorable glue that holds everyone together.

And Lu. When this book hits shelves, well be four months away from becoming husband and wife. Youre the love of my life, and without you, the whole idea for Inspiralized would never have become what it is today. You encouraged me to quit my job and pursue this dream, believing that I could do anything. Your unwavering faith in me brings tears to my eyes and I cant wait to spend the rest of my life with you, making you as happy as youve made me. You not only lift me up but you also keep me there if I ever start to fall. Every single day, Im inspired and motivated by your own hard work as an entrepreneur, and I couldnt ask for a better person to have along for the ride in this dream journey. Most importantly, thank you for genuinely loving healthy food you might even love courgette noodles more than I do (doubtful, but maybe!).

Inspiralized is what your meal and you become a healthy and inspired version of the original! When you work vegetable noodles and vegetable rice into your diet, youll start to notice the effects almost instantly: glowing skin, better digestion, more energy, and overall dietary satisfaction. You will no longer crave the heavy carbs, sugars, or processed foods. Your body will be so satisfied and so well nourished that youll forget about real pasta and noodles and real rice, and youll yearn for more lean, whole, and clean foods. Most importantly, youll want to invent your own recipes, whether that means adapting the classics and your favourites or experimenting with new ideas. Youll find yourself eager to get home and Inspiralize.

These days, healthy is a relative and confusing term. Weve lost the concept of whats truly healthy; we place labels on strict diets that we follow instead of learning what works best for our own bodies. Of course, for some of us, strict guidelines can help keep a weight-loss journey on track or help manage an illness. Regardless of your food outlook, youll be hard-pressed to find a dietary lifestyle that doesnt advocate eating more vegetables. When you add more vegetables to your diet, the health benefits are immense. They include:

HIGHER INTAKE OF DIETARY FIBRE: The fibre in vegetables helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and therefore may lower the risk of heart disease. Dietary fibre also helps provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories, which promotes overall weight loss and health maintenance.

MORE NUTRIENT DENSITY : Simply put, vegetables have tons of nutrients. Vitamins A and C help keep your skin healthy and your immune system strong, respectively; potassium and folate help your muscles function and your body to build cells, respectively. Overall, these nutrients keep your body running optimally and keep you feeling more energized.