Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY MAR 28, 2011

The architect of the Hungry Girl franchise returns with nearly a year's worth of recipes that all clock in at under 300 calories per serving. By now her approach is familiar: employ pre-made, low-cal and/or low-fat substitutes for higher calorie items in order to Chili Mac, breakfast sandwiches, and other favorites. Not afraid to name names (she happily recommends brands, in some cases practically screaming "endorsement deal," though her web site prominently denies that she receives any compensation for recommending products), Lillien offers low-cal dishes for all times of day, beginning with her Egg Mugs 15 variations of eggs and other ingredients microwaved in a coffee mug through lunch (So-Good Grilled Veggie Panini, etc.) and dinner (Balsamic BBQ Chick Skillet; Chicken Chili Surprise). Virtually every dish is well within the abilities of even novice cooks, and "Trios" dishes with just three ingredients are so simple that even a child could make them. Whether dishes like Easy BBQ Chicken Nachos (pre-cooked chicken warmed with barbecue sauce and poured over tortilla chips) and Crunchy Turkey Tacos (ground turkey, taco seasoning, taco shells) really needed to be put to paper is debatable. Though a few options (Red Velvet Pancakes) seem strange, the majority are healthier takes on the familiar and will give time-starved cooks a litany of choices.