Healthy Hollywood: Fab Food Friday – Rocco DiSpirito’s Weight Loss Tips!

Lose 10 – 20 – 30 pounds – without starving or sweating it out! Healthy Hollywood is game! Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito who dropped by Access Hollywood Live this week revealed anyone can start dropping the pounds by making simple adjustments to their daily diet. Think baked potato instead of French fries or Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon. “They’re really no-brainer calorie savers that result in a steady, automatic loss – simple changes anyone can make without a lot of effort,” reveals Rocco in his new book “Now Eat This! 100 Quick Calorie Cuts.” Love it – weight loss that’s obtainable and sustainable!

Here are a few of Rocco’s favorite calorie-slashers:

Lose 10 pounds per year – (eliminate 100 calories a day)

*Trim the skin from chicken breast (100 calories saved).
*Forgo the 20-ounce OJ and have a real orange instead (100 calories saved).
*Switch to low-fat cheeses (100 to 150 calories per serving saved).

Lose 20 pounds per year (eliminate 200 calories a day)

*Drink skim milk instead of whole milk (200 calories saved if you consume 3 glasses a day).
*Steam fish rather than frying (250 calories saved).
*A medium baked potato instead of fries (266 calories saved).

Lose 30 pounds per year (eliminate 300 calories a day)

*Use low-fat or non-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream (340 – 390 calories saved).
*Switch from butter on your toast to all-fruit jam (370 calories saved).
*Flash fry your food (500 calories saved).

Rocco also shared with Healthy Hollywood his diet-friendly Mac & Cheese recipe. A typical serving of this childhood favorite is over 800 calories, but Rocco’s way is a slim 399 calories. Can you say, more Mac & Cheese, please!

Mac & Cheese with Ham & Broccoli

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 large Vidalia chopped onion

9 chopped garlic cloves

.5 cup water

Salt & pepper

6 ounces whole wheat elbow macaroni

2 cups broccoli florets

.5 teaspoon dry mustard

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1.75 cups (about 7 ounces) shredded 50% reduced-fat cheddar

.33 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

.5 cup diced Canadian bacon

.33 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs

.33 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 425. Spray an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, combine the onion, garlic, and water in a bowl. Salt & pepper. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 10 minutes. Pour mixture into blender and blend until smooth.

Cook pasta and in the last two minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets; drain. While pasta is cooking, bring onion mixture, mustard, and cayenne pepper to simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Whisk in the cheddar cheese until is has melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in yogurt. Then toss the cooked macaroni and the Canadian bacon with the cheese sauce. Pour macaroni into baking dish, and sprinkle panko over the top. Top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Finally, bake for about 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and macaroni is hot throughout.