French Women Don't Get Fat - Explained Fully

Mireille Guiliano Reveals the Secret of Eating For Pleasure

Mireille Guiliano gives advice on how to eat, be happy and not get fat. The secret to her eating success is eating for pleasure, not guilt. A must read for everyone.

Author and CEO Mireille Guiliano's 2005 best-seller, French Women Don't Get Fat (Vingage Books of London) is full of wonderful, healthy recipes from blueberry smoothies to pumpkin pie.

Mireille entices her readers with such foods as pizza with ratatouille toppings and salads of duck a' la' orange. Mireille will make all her readers think of food in ways no other author has in the past, but she does it with a flair. Not only does she teach portion control, but she shows how to enjoy what is being eaten. Her goal is to teach how the French think, live and what they love the most.

 

Mireille Guiliano's Advice for Staying Thin

1. Look at the offenders and get rid of them completely or eliminate them slowly.
2. Shop often at the grocery store, avoiding the need for stock-piling.
3. Eat at regular times.
4. Portion controls imperative.
5. Diversify meals and foods.
6. Try new recipes, so you don't get bored.
7. Make all the meals homemade, avoiding eating out so much.
8. Have a real breakfast.
9. Eat slowly

Mireille includes more advice, like drinking fresh sparkling water and exercising. Her plan for staying thin and being happy is inspiring and this book will make all her readers smile at her concepts of dieting.

 

Chocolate Lovers Rejoice

Is there anything wrong with eating chocolate? Can a woman eat chocolate and still remain thin? According to Mireille, "A recent survey reveals that 9 out of 10 people loving chocolate ..... and the tenth one is lying." French women love chocolate and they average around five kilos a year.
Mireille states that trying to ignore that these wonderful pleasures don't exist will probably lead to weight gain. She feels that both bread and chocolate are good for you. French women eat then and yet they don't get fat. In other words as she states, "maximize the rewards but minimize the cost." (portion control).

 

Water - Why is the Cooler Full in America

Mireille compared French water coolers to American water coolers and it was funny to hear how Americans prefer coffee and cola to a small glass of water. This simple fact helps you understand the mentality of French women. Mireille drinks a glass of water when she wakes up and before she sleeps - and another one 30 minutes before she eats.

In her French office, the water cooler is changed almost daily. In America the water company is sad - the same bottle of water is still on the water cooler after one whole week. Americans will run to get giant colas and many pots of coffee, but rarely think of drinking clear sparking water.

Mireille suggests that one reason women avoid drinking water is due to the fact that the water is too cool and hurts the stomach and the digestion. For this reason she never drinks water with her meals. She does not drink cold water either.

Oh, the dream of a French Restaurant and being able to taste over one hundred different types of water. That is exactly what happens at a restaurant called Colette, where between 80-100 waters from all over the world are available for tasting. France is second only to Italy in being sparkling water drinkers.

 

About Mireille Guiliano

Mireille Guiliano is French - from Alsace-Lorraine and Provence. She lives in New York with her husband most of the year, but does travel to Paris, France. She is the President and CEO of Cicquor, Inc. and she is the Director of Champagne Veuve Cicquot in Reims. You can find out more information about Miereille at her website: Mireille Guiliano.

In addition to French Women Don't Get Fat, Guiliano has also written:

1. French Women for All Seasons:
2. French Women for all Seasons Engagement Calendar for 2010
3. Women, Work and Art the of Savoir Faire

 

Final Thoughts on Eating for Pleasure

Mireille has taught her readers to love their chocolate and their wines and she has taught them to be happy and enjoy some of the most wonderful recipes she has lovingly added to this book. She has let them see how French women think, eat and live also. Don't think of this book as a diet, but as a way of life.

Read More:

French Women Don't Get Fat 
French Women Don't Get Fat - Magical Leek Soup
French Women Don't Get Fat - Chocolate Recipes
French Women Don't Get Fat - Croissants
French Women Don't Get Fat - Easy Desserts 



Photo courtesy of Photobucket/abuelowolf

French Women Don't Get Fat - Recipe for Croissants

Step-By-Step Instructions on How to Prepare France's Favorite Bread

Croissants are to the French as apple pie and ice cream is to Americans. It is a part of their diet and their life and it is allowed on the recasting diet.

French Women Don't Get Fat was first published in 2004 and has been translated into 40 languages. It has sold over 3 million copies and the main premise is that it is okay to eat and enjoy, but to eat slowly. French women do eat bread and this book teaches the dieter to learn to eat for pleasure.

When eating bread there are some rules attached though. The slices are counted and they do not eat before the first course is served. The art of making croissants can be mastered rather quickly, but they do take time to make. It will take several days to complete.

Mireille suggest that you start on a Friday evening, so that they can be enjoyed on Sunday for breakfast. This step by step guide will teach how to make these croissants simply and easily and then the entire family will be so happy. This recipe is reprinted with permission from Mireille Guiliano's website.

How to Make Croissants the French Women Don't Get Fat Way

Ingredients

• 260ml milk plus 2 tablespoons to brush over croissants
• 250 grams sifted plain or strong white flour plus 3 tablespoons (measure and reserve in separate bowls)
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 180 grams unsalted butter

 

Directions on Preparing Croissants

1. On Friday evening (day 1), heat 65ml milk to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm milk, stir in about 6 tablespoons of flour (from the 250 grams of flour), and whisk until there are no lumps left.
2. Cover with cling film and let stand at room temperature until doubled in volume (it will take about 20 minutes).
3. Mix sugar and salt into the remaining flour.
4. Heat the remaining 195ml of milk to lukewarm. Transfer the raised dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add lukewarm milk, with the mixer at high speed, start adding the sugar, salt and flour mixture, a little at a time. Lower the speed to low-medium on the mixer and continue to mix until the dough is sticky soft.
5. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
6. On Saturday Morning, bring the butter to room temperature and work with the heel of hand to incorporate the 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth and shaped into squares.
7. Sprinkle the working surface (marble is best) with flour, shape the cold dough into a 38 x 15cm rectangle and spread the softened butter square on the upper 2/3 of the rectangle, leaving a 1cm border around the sides and top.
8. Fold the dough like a letter in thirds, folding the bottom third up first. Turn the dough anti-clockwise (it will look like a notebook with the open flap on your right). Then again roll out the dough into a 38 x 15 cm rectangle and fold as before.
9. Transfer the dough unto a baking pan and cover with cling film. Refrigerate the dough overnight for 6 hours.
10. On Saturday afternoon (day 2), roll out the dough two more times, wrap and refrigerate overnight.
11. On Sunday morning (day 3), about 1 1/2 hours before baking time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle flour on the working surface. Roll the dough into a 40cm circle, working as quickly as possible. Using a knife, cut into quarters and then each quarter into 3 triangles.
12. With both hands, roll the base of each triangle towards the remaining corner. Do not curl the ends in a croissant shape. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons of milk. Let stand at room temperature for about 45 minutes or until the croissants have doubled in volume.
13. Preheat oven to gas mark 6 or 200 degrees C. Brush croissants with the glaze and bake for 15-20 minutes. If the croissants brown too fast, cover them loosely with foil. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

The first time this recipe is tried, it may seem daunting, but with practice the art of making croissants will be second nature. It is a pleasure very few can actually enjoy daily or even yearly, but it is indeed more satisfying than a stale diet cracker.

Photo courtesy of Photobucket/Soggy_waffle

Healthy Brown Rice and Pinto Beans Meal

Here is a new recipe I just created with the help of a fellow Twitter Person @irenehisle.  This is a variation of her recipe and written with her permission.

Pinto Beans

The night before you are going to want this meal soak the beans in water along with 1 tablespoon of baking soda.  Make sure to have plenty of water because the beans will swell.  Cook as many beans as you want and freeze any leftovers for later use.  The next day, rinse the beans well and drain off all the water.  Put the beans in a pressure cooker and cover with water at least 2 to 3 inches.  Add in salt and pepper.  Cook the beans for 20 minutes after you hear the kettle start to whistle.

Brown Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups boiling water
3/4 cups brown rice
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium size onion, chopped
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

Put the boiling water in a baking dish and then add in the bell pepper and onion.  Rinse the rice well in water and add it to the boiling water mixture.
Season the rice well and cover the entire dish with aluminum foil.  Place in a very hot preheated 450 degree oven and bake for 40 minutes.

How to prepare the meal

Place 3 cups beans in a large skillet with enough liquid.  Heat the beans to boiling and then add in the rice mixture.  Add in 6 drops of hot sauce for more flavor along with some salt and pepper.  Mix the rice and beans together well.  Chop up some parsley and cook for a few minutes more and then serve.

On the serving plate chop up a cucumber and spread the slices all around the plate.  Add a few pieces of parsley on top of the rice for decoration.

Photo courtesy of Photobucket/glutenoll, Appliejuice

6 Halloween Candy Corn Snack Mix Recipes

Candy Corn Holiday Snack Mix and More

Salty Peanut Tripoli, Homemade Granola and Fiddle Faddle Fantasy

It is the time of the year to invite guests over for fun and for food. It is the time of year for children and laughter and it is the time of year for candy corn.

What could possibly please guests more than candy corn and peanuts? Well maybe some candy corn with M & M's and peanuts. There are many snack recipes listed here to please any party crowd. Mix and match or just fill individual bowls and spread them around the room.

 

Peanuts and Candy Corn

• 1 cup of candy corn
• 1 cup of salty peanuts

Mix well and pour into party bowls.

 

Peanuts, M &M's and Candy Corn

• 1 cup of candy corn
• 1/2 cup of M & M's
• 1/2 cup of peanuts

Mix well and pour into party bowls.

 

Fiddle Faddle Fantasy

• 1 cup of candy corn
• 1 cup of Milk Duds
• 1 cup of Fiddle Faddle

Mix well and pour into party bowls.

Salty Peanut Tripoli

• 1 cup of salty peanuts
• 1 cup of cashews
• 1 cup of walnuts
• 1 cup of candy corn

Mix well and pour into party bowls.

 

Party Trail Mix with Candy Corn

• 1 cup of candy corn
• 1/2 cup of jelly beans
• 1/2 cup of red hot dots
• 1/2 cup of M & M's
• 1/2 cup of pretzels
• 1/2 cup of peanuts
• 1/2 cup of corn chips

Mix in large bowl and place on party table with candy corn cupcakes, circling the bowl.

 

Homemade Granola with Candy Corn

• 4 cups of oatmeal
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/2 cup of oil (corn, coconut or olive)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 Tablespoon of butter
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 3/4 cup of almonds (peeled and sliced in strips)
• 1/2 cup of dried apricots (cut into small chunks)
• 1/2 cup of dates (cut into small chunks)
• 3/4 cup of candy corn

Directions for Preparing the Granola

1. Butter a large baking dish. In the buttered dish, place the oatmeal, honey, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well and add water if needed to make the mixture moist.
2. Press down the mixture in the pan.
3. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven.
4. Stir every 10-15 minutes, as to make the granola evenly brown. Keep baking until the mixture is a golden brown and slightly crunchy. Remove from the oven to cool.
5. In a separate bowl, place the raisins, almonds, apricots, dates and candy corn. Mix well.
6. Add the candy mixture with the granola mixture and then store in an airtight container. When the granola is to be served at the party, place in a large bowl with extra candy corn decorated around the outer edges of the bowl for decor.

Candy corn is used in many party recipes and comes in many shapes and sizes. It is not only for Halloween parties, but for the entire holiday season.

Candy Corn Halloween Snacks and Treats Recipes

Rocky Road, Popcorn Balls and Decatant Fudge to Delight the Kids

Not one recipe, but three delicious recipes to thrill the children in the neighborhood. All the children will come running when they smell these delicious treats.

Nothing spells Halloween more than candy corn. Candy corn has been bought and used for years and years. So as the children are so excited about their big night of dressing up and being special, let them all taste one of these little treasures made especially for them.

 

Rocky Road

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 125 gr miniature white marshmallows
• 1 cup puffed rice
• 300 gr milk chocolate
• 100 gr of candy corn

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl, except for the chocolate. Take the chocolate and melt over a double boiler. When the chocolate is melted, pour over the mixture in the bowl and mix well. Butter a square baking dish or pan and press the mixture into the pan. Score the chocolate bars with a knife slightly making marks where the bars will be cut later when cool. Place a piece of corn candy on each square and push in slightly to let the corn set.

 

Popcorn Balls

Ingredients

• 10 cups of popcorn, popped
• 12 ounces of mini marshmallows
• 1 cup of candy corn
• 1/3 cup of butter
• dash of salt

Place the popcorn and the candy corn in a large bowl. In a heavy bottom saucepan put the butter and let it melt. Then add in the marshmallows and the salt. Stir until they are completely melted. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn mixture. With buttered hands shape the balls into small 3 inch balls and let set on some aluminum foil or waxed paper.

 

Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients

• 4 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 cup of butter
• 12 oz of semi sweet chocolate
• 12 ounces of milk chocolate
• 1/2 cup of candy corn chopped
• 25 large marshmallows cut up

In a large pan put the milk, vanilla, butter and sugar. Stir constantly for two minutes. Remove from the stove and add the marshmallows. Keep stirring until melted. Add all the chocolate at once and stir till melted. Stir in the candy corn chunks. Pour into a buttered 13 x 9 inch pan. Score the top of the fudge with a knife and place one piece of corn on each square. Place the fudge in the refrigerator to cool.

Halloween "Trick or Treat" is all about children and fun. The smiling faces of children as they bite into one of these wonderful treats. What a great ideal to make individual bags with orange ribbons on each and inside mini treats of fudge, popcorn balls and rocky road candy.

Photo courtesy of Photobucket/ Janeezy2

French Women Don't Get Fat - Easy Dessert Recipes

Healthy and Easy to Prepare Low Calorie Dessert Recipes

Low calorie desserts do not need to be bland and tasteless. Mireille Guiliano shows how to enjoy life and lose weight at the same time with these delicious recipes.

Low calorie dessert recipes are plentiful in Mireille Guiliano's book, "French Women Don't Get Fat." Mireille shows how to recast the stomach by ridding the body of harmful offenders, such as sugar and white flour and replace them with low calorie, healthy foods. Healthy low calorie desserts help the dieter stay on the program for life. French women do indulge in treats and pleasures, but limit the portions. These recipes are being printed with permission from Mireille Guiliano website.

 

Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients

• 10 ounces strawberries, de-stemmed and halved
• 1 plain yogurt (1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 4 ice cubes

Yield: 2 servings

Directions on How to Make the Smoothie

Put all the ingredients in a blender. Blend till smooth. Serve at once.

 

Figs and Ricotta Cheese with Honey

Ingredients

• 12 large figs
• 1 pound fresh whole milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons wildflower honey

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Directions to Prepare the Figs and Ricotta Cheese With Honey

Quarter figs and arrange them on plates. Add a spoonful of ricotta to each fig and a generous drizzle of honey.

Melon and Lime Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 large honeydew melon or 2 small cantaloupes
• 1 large lime
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum (optional)
• Mint leaves or lime wedges, for garnish

Yield: 6 servings

Directions to Prepare the Melon and Lime Sauce

1. Cut the honeydew or cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds. Using a melon baller, remove balls of the melon flesh and place them in a large bowl.
2. With a vegetable peeler, remove the lime rind in thin strips. Then stack the strips together and cut them into fine julienne pieces. Add the strips to the melon.
3. Squeeze the lime over a small bowl and mix the juice (approximately 1/3 cup) with the sugar and rum, if using. Stir the mixture into the melon balls and set them aside for 1 to 2 hours.
4. At serving time, divide the melon balls among 6 dessert dishes, garnish with mint leaves or lime wedges and serve.

 

Grilled Peaches With Lemon Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 peaches
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 4 sprigs lemon thyme, coarsely chopped

Directions to Prepare the Grilled Peaches with Lemon Thyme

1. Rinse peaches, pat dry, cut in halves, and remove the stone. Place in a baking dish. Mix the oil, honey and vanilla extract and pour over the peaches.
2. Sprinkle with the lemon thyme. Marinate for 20 minutes turning over once and basting.
3. Grill on the barbeque for 2 or 3 minutes on each side or until the peach is tender, but not soft. Serve immediately, alone or with a scoop of ice cream.

According to Guiliano, "The mind is the French woman's ultimate firewall against getting fat and the senses are of course the portals of the mind." Enjoy the smells all around, savor the real delicacies of the universe and then taste only a few bites and be satisfied with the choices made on this day.
Some will ridicule the follower of such a plan, but then again the true revenge against such treatment is when the dieter looks in the mirror and is pleased with what is shown.

Photo courtesy of Photobucket/ misspearr

Delicious and Healthy Whole Wheat Bread

Full of Goodness and Nutrition Including Broccoli, Oregano & Yogurt

There is nothing better than the smell of homemade whole wheat bread baking in the oven. It fills the home with happy thoughts and anxious children.

This recipe takes many steps to do, but once it is perfected it will go very quickly. It is so delicious that it will be bread made weekly and the old trip to the grocery store for Wonder Bread will be a thing of the past. This recipe is made to make the body feel healthy all over and is made with things that are both nutritional and extremely delicious.

How to Make Healthy and Delicious Whole Wheat Bread

The first part that must be done is the oregano mix. This can be made in advance and stored in the cabinet for up to one year. This mixture will make enough for several recipes of bread.

Buy the Oregano Mix Already Made

Ingredients for the Oregano Mix

• 1/2 kilo of whole wheat grains
• 2 cups of dried oregano
• 1/2 cup of black cumin seeds
• 1/3 cup of sesame seeds (toasted)

Directions for Making the Oregano Mix

1. In a skillet place the whole wheat and lightly toast the seeds, stirring constantly. Make sure the fire is on very low heat.
2. When they are lightly toasted, remove them from the fire and grind them in a coffee grinder or blender. Do the same process with the black cumin seeds. Keep tasting the black cumin seeds until there is no bitter taste in them. Grind them in a coffee grinder also.
3. Place the oregano in the coffee grinder also and grind as with the black cumin (Nigella sativa) and whole wheat grains. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Add the sesame seeds to the mixture and store in an airtight glass container.

 

Broccoli Mixture for the Bread

In a food processor put one small head of broccoli (approximately 2 cups), 3 green onions and 1 ounce of goat cheese. Pulse slightly until all the ingredients are mixed together well.

 

Ingredients for the Whole Wheat Bread

• 1 kilo of brown flour
• 1 cup of oats
• 1 1/2 cups of yogurt
• 1/2 cup of virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup of the oregano mix
• Broccoli mix from above
• 6 teaspoons of baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Warm water to mix with

Directions to Make the Whole Wheat Bread With Broccoli

1. Put the flour and oats on the table and mix together. Make a hole in the center of the flour mixture and add in all the other ingredients, except the water. With a small fork start mixing the ingredients together slowly. After all the flour and wet ingredients are mixed together, manually start mixing and pressing the dough together.
2. Add enough water to make the bread into a soft pliable ball. Begin kneading the bread for at least 5-7 minutes.
3. Rub some olive oil over the top of the bread and cover with a bowl on the table. Let the bread rise for at least one hour.
4. After the bread has risen for one hour, cut the bread into 24 individual pieces and flatten the bread slightly and freeze the bread in individual packages.
5. When it is time to bake the bread, remove one or more packages from the freezer and roll the bread into flat pita style bread. It may be necessary to add more flour to make it the right consistency.
6. Preheat a very hot oven to 450 degrees and place the pita right on the hot shelf of the oven and bake. A baking pan may be used if necessary. Watch the bread as it will bake quickly. Turn the bread once in the oven.

This very nutritional and delicious bread is a little difficult to make, but will satisfy anyone on a diet for many days to come. It is very convenient to just get one package out of the freezer daily and have fresh hot bread from the oven with the meal.

Note: The items in this recipe may be interchanged or omitted as necessary.

Photo courtesy of Photobucket/mytmouse247, tanyalrsn

French Women Don't Get Fat: Great Chocolate Recipes

Gourmet Dessert Recipes From Mireille Guiliano's Book on Recasting

Mireille Guiliano's book, "French Women Don't Get Fat," is all about eating the things that are craved while still dieting (recasting), chocolate included.

What French woman or American as a matter of fact, does not enjoy chocolate? Mireille writes about how French women can give up the harmful offenders in her best selling book, "French Women Don't Get Fat" and still enjoy a rich and low fat reward of chocolate. It is important to use 70-80 percent chocolate in the recipes however. These recipes are reprinted by permission from her website.

 

Chocolate Rice Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 liter of milk
• 50 grams of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 200 grams of risotto rice
• 85 grams of dark chocolate (broken into small pieces)

 

Directions for Preparing the Chocolate Rice Pudding

1. Pour the milk, sugar and the salt into a heavy bottom saucepan and bring the mixture to boil over a low heat.
2. Add the rice and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally until the milk is absorbed (if the mixture becomes sticky, add a bit more milk to keep it creamy). Stir in the vanilla.
3. Pour the rice pudding into four ramekins and with a spoon insert the chocolate pieces in the middle of the mould and push them into the rice. Leave at room temperature. The chocolate will slowly melt and mix into the pudding.

Note: After the chocolate has melted, the rice pudding may be refrigerated to chill.

 

Hot Chocolate Soufflé' Recipe

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 liter of milk
• 50 grams natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
• 75 grams of sugar
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons of butter at room temperature
• Pinch of salt

 

Directions for Preparing Hot Chocolate Soufflé'

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4 and prepare a 1-liter soufflé' mould by lightly buttering it, dusting the insides with sugar and tapping out the excess amount. Place the mould in the refrigerator.
2. Mix the cocoa powder and sugar in a heavy saucepan and add a little of the milk to make a paste. Stir in the rest of the milk a little at a time.
3. Bring to a boil over moderate heat while stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and cook while stirring until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and cool to lukewarm.
4. Separate the eggs and stir the egg yolks into the still warm, but not too hot chocolate mixture. Stir in the butter.
5. Beat the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Add the salt and beat until stiff. Whisk half of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining whites gently with a spatula. Pour the mixture into the soufflé' mould and smooth the top.
6. Bake on the lower middle shelf of the oven until puffed and golden brown for about 18 minutes, which will give a soft center to the soufflé'. Serve at once with fresh whipped cream.

Chocolate can be enjoyed and savored. The ideal treat for any holiday is a small bowl of chocolate rice pudding or a ramekin filled with a delicious chocolate soufflé'. Both desserts are low fat and very easy to make. Recasting or dieting does not mean giving up all the rewards in life, just limiting them to smaller portions.

Resource

French Women Don't Get Fat Website