The Biggest Loser Quick and Easy Cookbook Part 17

Joe Mitch.e.l.l SEASON 12 To satisfy my sweet tooth, I love combining Greek yogurt with Truvia and strawberries. Just throw it all in a bowl and mix it up. It curbs my desire for ice cream!

S'MORES PROTEIN PUDDING "PIE"

My friend Allison, who is a health coach, mentioned one day that she spikes pudding with protein powder to make pudding pies. It was seconds before I asked her if I could "borrow" her idea!

If you're not familiar with ricemellow creme, it's very similar to marshmallow creme but a bit less dense, and it's sweetened with natural brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup. Look for it in natural food stores.

2 tablespoons whole grain, crunchy, high-fiber, low-sugar cereal (I used Kashi 7 Whole Grain Nuggets) 2 (4-ounce) cups all-natural, chocolate pudding, preferably agave-sweetened (I used Potter Family Organics Chocolate Pudding) 1 scoop (17 grams) Biggest Loser All Natural Chocolate Deluxe Protein Supplement (or 50 calories' worth of other chocolate protein powder)*

4 tablespoons all-natural marshmallow creme (I used Suzanne's Ricemellow Creme) Divide the cereal between two 3-diameter (-cup capacity) ramekins.

In a small bowl, stir together the pudding and protein powder until well combined. Spoon half over the cereal in each ramekin.

Dollop the top of each with 2 tablespoons of the marshmallow creme. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings Per serving: 158 calories, 9 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates (14 g sugar), 1 g fat, trace saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 6 g fiber, 146 mg sodium *If you don't have protein powder, this recipe is just as delicious without it. If you skip it, it just won't have as much fiber or protein.

MMMM ... MONKEY TRAIL MIX Like granola, trail mix is one of those tricky "healthy" foods. Yes, there can be a lot of health benefits in the nuts (if they're dry-roasted) and in unsweetened dried fruit. But granola and trail mix also tend to be very calorie-dense, so portion control is key. Here, I've created an alternative to traditional trail mixes that your kids-and the kid inside of you-are likely to love.

1 cup all-natural crunchy corn peanut b.u.t.ter cereal (I used Mother's Peanut b.u.t.ter b.u.mpers) 1 cup all-natural chocolate and peanut b.u.t.ter puffs cereal (I used Barbara's Peanut b.u.t.ter and Chocolate Puffins) 13 cup ( ounce) freeze-dried unsweetened bananas 2 tablespoons natural 70% cocoa mini dark chocolate chunks 2 tablespoons dry-roasted, lightly salted almonds In a medium bowl, mix the cereals, bananas, chocolate chunks, and almonds until well combined. Divide the trail mix evenly among 4 snack-size resealable plastic bags. Serve immediately or store the bags in a medium resealable plastic container.*

Makes 4 (heaping -cup) servings Per serving: 139 calories, 3 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates (9 g sugar), 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 108 mg sodium *Be sure to store the snack-size bags in a resealable plastic container, as most resealable plastic bags will not keep the mix from going stale.

TAKE IT TO GO!.

This is the perfect to-go snack. Just measure out individual servings and place them in resealable baggies. Tuck them into lunch boxes, backpacks, purses, or desk drawers for healthy snacking on the go.

WATERMELON c.o.c.kTAIL.

This simple dessert is all about the presentation. After measuring the balsamic glaze, it's best to transfer it from a measuring teaspoon to a serving teaspoon to do the drizzling. It's much easier to create a pretty drizzle pattern that way. Another option is to transfer the glaze to a small squirt bottle, to ensure you create even lines.

1 cup seedless watermelon cubes (5 34 ounces) 1 teaspoon natural balsamic glaze (get one with no added sugar) Fresh mint leaf, for garnish (optional) Place the watermelon cubes in a chilled martini gla.s.s. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the watermelon. Garnish with mint, if desired. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving Per serving: 57 calories, <1 g="" protein,="" 14="" g="" carbohydrates="" (12="" g="" sugar),="" trace="" fat,="" trace="" saturated="" fat,="" 0="" mg="" cholesterol,=""><1 g="" fiber,="" 3="" mg="" sodium="">

Jesse Atkins SEASON 10 I like making smoothies as a sweet treat. Just blend together a cup of frozen strawberries, a half cup of frozen raspberries, a cup of milk (I use light vanilla soy milk), a cup of water, and a cup of spinach for a great smoothie. (The spinach doesn't change the taste at all. It's just a great way to get an extra serving of veggies in there!) If you need it to be sweeter, add a packet of Truvia.

PUNCHED-UP PInA COLADA.

Most c.o.c.ktails contain a lot of calories and empty carbohydrates. Here I've replaced calorie-dense coconut creme with light coconut milk, and used frozen pineapple chunks and dried egg whites to thicken the drink. The frozen pineapple retains more nutrients than the sugar-sweetened pineapple juice typically used in a pina colada, and the egg whites add about 5 grams of protein. In the end, you save a whopping 307 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 12 grams of saturated fat over a typical same-size pina colada!

cup light coconut milk 8 ice cubes 3 cups frozen pineapple chunks 2 tablespoons 100% dried egg whites (I used Deb-El Just Whites), optional 3 tablespoons light rum 2 pineapple wedges for garnish (optional) To the jar of a blender with an ice crush setting, add the coconut milk, ice cubes, pineapple chunks, egg whites (if desired), and rum. Blend on high just until the mixture is smooth. Divide it between 2 chilled Collins gla.s.ses or other tall, thin gla.s.ses. Garnish with the pineapple wedges, if desired, and serve immediately with straws and/or drink umbrellas.

Makes 2 servings Per serving (with egg whites): 219 calories, 6 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates (23 g sugar), 4 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 83 mg sodium Per serving (without egg whites): 204 calories, 1 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates (23 g sugar), 4 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 8 mg sodium

Brendon Donovan SEASON 10 My favorite sweet treat on the Ranch was crushed strawberries, blueberries, and peaches with a sprinkling of Truvia, stevia, or agave nectar.

Acknowledgments.

Devin Alexander.

I think I may be the luckiest girl in the world to get to continually be a part of the Biggest Loser family. With five cookbooks in partnership, I not only get to hear from and interface with amazing fans of the show who have been inspired and inspire, I also have the honor of working with some of the most amazing professionals in the business.

The whole team at Rodale rocks, particularly: Julie Will, who happens to be a brilliant editor and who I'm going to miss like crazy if our "three seconds later" partnership ever ends; Pam Krauss, who came in and made phase two of this book a snap; Production Editor Nancy Bailey, who makes sure the trains run on time; Designer Christina Gaugler, who made the pages look so enticing with the help of Killer Photographer Mitch Mandell; Publisher Extraordinaire Karen Rinaldi; and Publicity G.o.ddesses Emily Weber and Yelena Nesbit.

To the super-cool Dr. Michael Dansinger, who totally "gets it." He's extremely professional and knowledgeable, yet allows me to be the voice of healthy decadence as needed.

To the ultimate coordinator Edwin Karapetian. To Reveille's Vice President of Brand Development and Production Chad Bennett, who's worked with me on every book and whom I absolutely adore beyond words. And to uber-cool Executive Producer Todd Lubin-you're my new hero!

To the producers and executives of The Biggest Loser, particularly Howard Owens of Reveille, who made me the happiest girl ever when they first invited me into the Biggest Loser family. To Kim Niemi, Neysa Siefert, and Joni Camacho from NBCUniversal, and to Dave Broome and Yong Yam from 25/7 Productions, who are simply the best!

To Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels for embracing me and my work over the years, and to new "recruits" Anna Kournikova and Dolvett Quince. To every Biggest Loser contestant who spent time in my kitchen and let me visit theirs, inspiring so many of my creations.

To Sara Wing and the team at Cabot's, who provided plenty of their insanely great 75 percent reduced-fat Cheddar cheese. And to Rachel Litner and Mary Rodgers of Cuisinart for sending me the coolest blender/food processor combo and kitchen scales when mine freaked out right before deadline.

To my WME agents Suzanne Lyons and Ivo Fischer, for their support and determination on my behalf-woo hoo! To Becca Oliver, for making a difference "with one phone call." To Lauren Zander and Rebecca Bent of the Handel Group, who've helped turn my most recent dreams into realities. And to my sister, Leslie Simone, also of the Handel Group, for constantly growing with me and for just being you!

And a very special thanks to the incredible team in my kitchen as well as my recipe testers-Stephanie Farrell, Alexandra Gudmundsson, Jordan Rebecca Harris, Miriam Heath, and Allison Samon. You save my life daily, and I couldn't have done it without you!

Julie Will.

Big, heartfelt thanks to the mult.i.talented Chad Bennett and the rest of The Biggest Loser and Reveille family: It's such a pleasure to work with you guys. To all of my friends and colleagues at Rodale, especially Karen Rinaldi, Pam Krauss, Nancy Bailey, Chris Gaugler, Melissa Roberson, Yelena Nesbit, and the amazing Marie Crousillat: Thank you for your shrewd intellect and limitless patience. And to Devin Alexander: You are the hardest working, most diligent author I know-thanks for your great, creative content-and for letting me sample your recipes.

And lastly, to my family and friends: I don't know why you put up with me, but I am so lucky, and grateful, that you do. Thank you.

end.