Maria Menounos - The EveryGirls Guide to Everyday Cooking

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A Zinc Ink Trade Paperback Original

Copyright 2016 by EveryGirls Guide, LLC

Photography: Elise Sinagra

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Zinc Ink, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

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The EveryGirls Guide is a registered trademark of EveryGirls Guide, LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Menounos, Maria, author. | Undergaro, Keven, author.

Title: The everygirls guide to cooking / Maria Menounos with Keven Undergaro.

Description: New York : Ballantine Books-Zinc Ink, 2016. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015048419 (print) | LCCN 2015050075 (ebook) | ISBN 9780804177146 (paperback) | ISBN 9780804177153 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Cooking. | Quick and easy cooking. | Low-fat dietRecipes. |

Low-calorie dietRecipes. | BISAC: HEALTH & FITNESS / Diets. | COOKING / Health & Healing / Weight Control. | COOKING / Health & Healing / General. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX714 .M4625 2016 (print) | LCC TX714 (ebook) | DDC

641.5/12dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015048419

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eBook design adapted from printed book design by Diane Hobbing

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May weof all ages and backgroundscontinue to seek improvement, growth, and solutions in all areas of life. Lets help each other and stick together. Lets get the most out of lifein ways that are better, faster, cheaper, smarter, simpler, and healthier.

Learning how to cook for myself, and others, allowed me to finally take control of my diet. That control was one of the main factors in my 40-pound weight loss.

By day, you cooked at the school cafeteria. Nights and weekends, you cleaned nightclubs and bars, alongside Dad. In between, you always supported my dreamsincluding baking for every church, school, or extracurricular event. And somehow, on a daily basis, you managed to cook the most amazing and healthy meals for the family, managing Dads type 1 diabetes around the clock in the process. You are a culinary genius, my personal hero, and the precursor to todays EveryGirl. Dad and I are the ones in the family who get all the spotlight while you and Kev do all the dirty work behind the scenes to uplift us. And before I had Kev in my corner, I had you. When Dad fought me, out of fear, on everything from modeling, participating in pageants, studying broadcast journalism, and even my move to Hollywood, you stood by me. It was probably the only time you went against Dad, and I cant even imagine how hard it was for you to do. But you bore the brunt of it for me and for all of us. Today our family enjoys the many blessings that came as a result. You dont get nearly enough credit, praise, or thanks for everything you did for me and still do to this very day. Im so blessed to have a mother like you and so excited to share your culinary creations with EveryGirls everywhere.

Who Is the EveryGirl?

The EveryGirl is every girl out there who wants to try to have it allhealth and happiness, and a life of meaning. She understands that if she is not growing, she is dying and that she will be learning and evolving until her last breath. She doesnt necessarily have the time and money to make it work all the time. And if she is blessed enough to have the money, that doesnt mean she needs to spend it. Whether youre my boyfriend Kevs mom, Kathie, who is in her early seventies, or one of my AfterBuzz TV hosts in their early twenties, or somewhere in between, nearly all of us can relate to the no-time, no-money, still want to grow, do, and have it all, EveryGirl predicament. And when it comes to this predicament, cooking is by no means an exception.

What Is EveryGirl Cooking?

The book you now hold is full of recipes and techniques that center on your EveryGirl needs. Whether you are experienced in the kitchen or a total newbie, this book can help you prepare delicious and healthy dishes and meals despite a busy schedule and a tight budget. My goal is to teach you how to cook unique and delicious recipes that, for the most part, are fast, healthy, simple, and uncomplicated. A few of these recipes and techniques came from friends in the same boat as me, some are ones I created myself, but most were created by my mother, Litsa. She is a woman who had to do it allbe a mother and wife, work full-time, clean, and, of course, cook. And not just cook any old dish, but ones that my father, a type 1 diabetic with extreme dietary requirements, could enjoy, too. She refused to let his dietary needs and her time and budgetary limits stop her from cooking amazing meals.

For all these reasons, her recipes, ingredients, and preparations are as simple, easy, and healthy as possible. There are no heavy creams or butters (well, except for our ), and most of the recipes keep the ingredients to a manageable number. Personally, Im so grateful she cooks this way and that I can pass so many of her deliciously simple creations along to you. I am so disappointed when I buy a cookbook and find that the recipes include long, long lists of ingredientsincluding ones Ive never even heard of! Likewise when the recipes require a lot of prep and experience. It makes the cooking process so daunting and discouraging, to the point I dont even want to try.

Along with keeping ingredients simple, youll also see many similar ingredients in each recipe. This makes for a more uncomplicated shopping experience, where youre not running all over the supermarket or filling your cabinets and fridge with items youll only use once.