Meet Flavia Del Monte (pictured above).

She kinda has the perfect name for a book about flavorful cooking, eh? I didn't just randomly decide to interview Flavia. Nearly a decade ago, I actually met Flavia's husband Vince Del Monte. Vince is well known in the fitness world as a go-to expert for skinny guys to build muscle (I believe when I met him he was going by the name "Skinny Guy's Savior"), and he's a guy who taught me a lot about how to do things like start a fitness website and write e-books.

So when I saw that his wife Flavia had written a cookbook, I figured I'd check it out, and it's actually not your stereotypical cut-the-calories, fat-phobic, mumbo-jumbo. Instead, it's actually jam-packed with some really delicious recipes and outside-the-box thinking.

So in this episode, I interview Flavia about her book - which is entitled Flavalicious Cooking - and you'll discover... -How Flavia broke out of the stereotypical fitness model diet of salt and peppered tilapia, steamed broccoli and raw nuts... -The versatility and benefits of coconut sugar as an alternative to regular sugar and artificial sweeteners... -The difference between coconut butter and coconut oil... -How you can use coconut aminos as an alternative to soy sauce... -How you can make sauces and soups thicker without using corn starch... -How to use a microplane and why you should use one... -How you can use your freezer to preserve your herbs... -Flavia's 3-3-3-3 recipe to cook a perfect steak...

Resources we discuss in this episode: -Coconut sugar -Coconut butter (AKA coconut manna) -Coconut aminos -Bob's Red Mill potato starch -Microplane

Do you have questions, comments or feedback about these essential kitchen items, Flavia's book Flavalicious Cooking, or anything else we talk about in this episode? Leave your thoughts at BenGreenfieldFitness.com!