Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World Reviews

• a huge disappoinment

  
  By A2ZGPAIV64KOYU on 2008-05-05
  I really, really wanted to like this book, partly because of Hungry Girl's easy, breezy style. I had been forewarned by one of the recipes that appeared on the HG website (for mock French onion soup) that I never made again, but since I am always searching for good low-points WW recipes, I thought I'd give the book a try.
  
  So far, I've made a handful of the recipes, all of which have resulted in varying degrees of disappointment as is most often the case when making mock foods. For instance, the mock chocolate peanut butter fudge (a potentially promising combination of brownie mix, canned pumpkin and peanut butter) counts on a tiny bit of peanut butter to mask what turns out to be the much too prominent taste of pumpkin. I admit that one small piece was quite filling, but at the price of sitting in my stomach for hours like a rock. Even the non-mock recipes, like the "Yummy, Yummy Eggplant Goo," are largely poorer versions of better recipes that are just as low in fat and calories as the HG version.
  
  The cutesy recipe titles are somewhat grating (which would have been easily overlooked if the recipes were good) and the author's descriptions of the finished products won't measure up unless you have fairly dull taste buds and an overactive imagination.
  
  If you just want to stuff yourself with mock and/or fiber-filled recipes and don't really care what the food tastes like, then this is your book. My bet is that most people will try a few of the recipes before deciding that it is better to have occasional smaller portions of real food.
  
  

• My favorite cookbook so far this year

  
  By A10G4BPT5MGBHY on 2008-04-30
  As soon as I saw this book at a bookstore I knew I had to buy it. It's filled with food I want to eat! Its 160 recipes are easy to make, delicious (at least every one I've tried) and guilt-free. In other words, this book is a treasure, and my favorite cookbook so far this year.
  
  As author Lisa Lillien writes, she's not a nutritionist or a doctor, she's just hungry! She's also funny, with the wit of a teenage goofball. The author's photo on the back cover shows her sitting on the floor wearing a Cookie Monster T-shirt. That informal, silly tone is everywhere. Recipe names include the Ginormous Cereal Bowl-Anza, I Can't Believe It's Not Sweet Potato Pie, Lord of the Onion Rings and My Big Fat Greek Pita.
  
  There are lots of extras. Each recipe lists the calories, grams of fat, sodium, carbs, fiber, sugars and protein, and the front of the book has a long list of recommended name-brand products to use for ingredients. Many recipes include Fun Facts (for example, chocolate syrup was used to represent blood in the famous "Psycho" shower scene) or what the author calls Happy Girl Shockers, trivia tidbits scattered throughout the book. Did you know that Taco Bell's Fiesta Taco SALAD has a whopping 840 calories?
  
  In the middle of the book is a full-color, eight-page photo insert, which shows 27 different dishes with the page numbers where that recipe appears. There are photos of all the recipes in the book on its companion website.
  
  Here is the chapter list:
  
  1. Rise & Dine
  2. Chop `Til Ya Drop
  3. Souper Douper
  4. Let's Do Lunch
  5. Junk Food Junkie
  6. Manly Meals
  7. Party Time
  8. Chocolate 911
  9. Fruity Call
  10. Oven Lovin'
  11. Zappuccino
  12. Happy Hour
  13. Fun With...
  14. Survival Guides
  
  My other new favorite cookbook: The Most Decadent Diet Ever!
  
  

• Predictable and Processed

  
  By A2UBZXHP6AFE2X on 2008-05-07
  I have mixed thoughts about the Hungry Girl Book. If you like her web site, you will like the book.
  
  The benefit of the book is that it provides one with suggestions for swapping high calorie, high fat ingredients with lower calorie, lower or fat-free ingredients. The recipes are also very quick and easy.
  
  The problems with the book are; 1) It relies on A LOT of processed ingredients with nutritionally empty, artificial ingredients - e.g. it is okay and healthy to eat low-fat natural cheese and a whole grain hamburger bun instead of plastic pieces of Fat free American cheese with an overprocessed, white flour, tasteless low calorie hamburger bun 2) There is an overemphasis on getting the calories down as far as possible - interesting, catchy approach to draw people to the book, but IT IS AT THE EXPENSE OF TASTE AND NUTRITION 3) Some of the recipes are not "recipes" - I do not need to be told to use low calorie bread, fat-fat cheese, and lean meat to create a sandwich 4) The descriptions are overly enthusiastic - they will not taste that good. It eventually makes you less willing to believe what she is selling after a while. 5) Hungry Girl has financial tie-ins with certain food products (I don't know if I am allowed to name them by brand), like those shirataki noodles (her picture is on them) and muffins (she has her own flavors). This biases her suggestions and swaps - there are better options available. 6) Most of the swaps that she suggests and similar recipes are available already on her web site. If you want to modify one of your favorites, you can find all sorts of swaps on her site or around the internet.
  
  

• Fun and informative, plus you can find pictures of all the recipes online!

  
  By A56XIVBI7P5RJ on 2008-04-30
  I subscribed to the Hungry Girl newsletter about a month ago and it's one of the few newsletters I actually read all the way through! Hungry Girl is really funny and she dishes out so much good info on new products and new ways to try recipes. I got this book today and I can't wait to try some of the recipes out, they all look so yummy.
  
  The only thing I was a little disappointed about was the fact that there weren't that many pictures. But this disappointment quickly faded when I realized that pictures of all the book's recipes can be easily found over at hungry-girl.com/book. What a great idea! It's probably really expensive to include a lot of glossy photos in a book, especially for a first-time author, so having them available online is a really smart way of getting around this.
  
  

• Cute, but the food is chemical laden & just disgusting.

  
  By A1TZYKZBGM0HE9 on 2008-05-04
  I'm so beyond confused how anyone could like this book. The reviews have to be done by her friends. By her own admitance in the intro of the book, the author says that she doesn't think healthy food can taste good. She then proceeds to put fiber one cereal in a dressing-less Chinese chicken salad instead of crunchy noodles, I guess. And she suggests dish after dish with the main ingredient being those tasteless tofu noodles that truly feel like you're eating worms! She also uses tons of Splenda and other chemical-y foods. It's like the the whole goal is gorge yourself while eating a few calories. But if you're going to do that, why not just eat carrots and broccoli and other real food?
  Oh, there are so many brand names in there too, it's like a huge paid advertisement.
  All of that said, the text is clever. If you're going to read it, ok. But don't think about cooking or eating it. Buy a chef's cookbook for that.
  
  
• a creative cookbook that falls short of expectations
  By A2XC9WUNS2X539 on 2008-05-05
  This cookbook is unlike any other - it is creative and very fun to look through... However, the majority of the recipes in this book are made from processed foods and not enough clean ingredients.. the recipes also frequently use artifical sweeteners, which have been proven to actually stimulate appetites..
  
  There are a lot of smart and easy to make recipes like Lord of the Onion Rings, and brownie muffins made with pumpkin puree - that will save you tons of calories!! I admit, the onion rings tasted strangely too sweet and looked nothing like the picture, but I loved the brownie muffins made with Pumpkin. I did do a serch online and saw that substitute oil and egg with pumpkin is not uncommon for people who want to eat healthier -- sorry HG, can't give you credit for that one. There are a lot of no brainer "recipes" such as the hamburger recipe which is essentially a boca burger slapped with lettuce, pickles, fat free cheese and an english muffin that consists of light bread, egg beaters, fat free cheese and low cal bacon ---I mean cmon now, is that really even a recipe?
  
  FYI, if you found out about this book through the Hungry Girl website, please note that this book is not a full color cookbook like you would assume from visiting the HG site. There are about 10 pages of pictures in the middle. Weight Watchers points arent included - you'll have to go to the website for that.. But that's better than nothing right?
  
  If you like Hungry Girl but want more recipes made with clean ingredients, be sure to check out the Biggest Loser Cookbook (very simple and clean recipes -- majority of them are low calorie but some are not!!) and the Weight Watchers Cookbook and the Decadent Diet cookbook. I happen to have all 3 of these cookbooks and think they complement each other well =) Sorry HG but your book is going back to the store.
  
  HAPPY (HEALTY) EATING!
  
  
  
  
  
• You have to understand the Hungry Girl philosophy
  By A3CL6HZN1PXEVP on 2008-05-28
  In my years of subscribing to the HG Web site and now using this book, it has occurred to me that there are many different philosophies of dieting and weight loss/maintenance. There are WAY more than two, but for the purposes of this review I am going to boil it down:
  
  1. Eat super healthy, nonprocessed, preferably organic foods. Make whole grains, fruits and veggies the mainstays of your diet. Severely curtail fats, oils and sugar. When you want to indulge, enjoy one small portion of something "real" -- i.e. one sliver of chocolate cake, one square of dark chocolate, one cookie, or the like. [And exercise.] People who follow this approach are probably more likely to never snack between meals (or eat only fruits and veggies as snacks), avoid "100-calorie-packs," eschew artificial sweeteners and diet sodas, etc.
  
  2. Follow the above philosophy to the extent that your time and lifestyle allow, but lean on processed low-cal foods to (a) save cooking/prep time and (b) enjoy modified versions of the "junky" foods you feel deprived of when you are dieting or have to eat low-cal in order to maintain your weight. [And exercise.] People who take this approach are probably the lion's share of 100-calorie-pack purchasers, more likely to use artificial sweeteners, drink diet sodas, and so on.
  
  What you have to understand about HG author Lillen is that her Web site and book are tools for those who adopt approach #2. She states repeatedly that she isn't a nutritionist or a dietitian, and she makes no claim for the "healthfulness" of her recipes. They do lean on processed ingredients and tend to contain a lot of sodium, artificial sweetener and chemical ingredients. What they offer is a similar flavor experience to the very high-cal foods lots of people like, with much lower calorie and fat counts (and often more fiber as well).
  
  But for those who would knock this approach (while you certainly retain the moral high ground as organic eating becomes something akin to spiritual cleanliness in more and more people's minds), please bear in mind that for some of us, our eating is always going to be a trade-off in terms of risk. I speak from experience as someone who has maintained a 100-lb. weight loss for over 10 years. For whatever reason, my body processes food in such a way that I gain weight exceptionally easily. I have to be CONSTANTLY vigilant about what I am putting in my mouth and how I am counterbalancing it with exercise. If I relax my vigilance for even a couple of days, it shows up on my body. As a (reformed) compulsive overeater I struggle with eating just one cookie, tiny sliver of cake, etc., every couple of weeks. (Yes, it is true, I would often rather have a larger portion of something that actually isn't AS good as the real thing.) And if you think that this behavior is not incredibly challenging to sustain for a lifetime, you just don't know whereof you speak.
  
  So personally, while I certainly do my best to eat truly healthy, skip sugar, keep fat and meat intake to a minimum, and eat lots of whole grains and fruits/veggies, I salute HG for giving me recipes that allow me to "let my hair down" and enjoy some fun foods along with the rest of the world, without having to lie awake at night and worry about what I ate for lunch.
  
  For the record, among my favorite HG recipes are the butternut squash fries, the turkey reuben and the fettucine "girl-fredo."
  
  
• Supportive, Humorous, Just Right!
  By A2XG7LMPUNQ1YR on 2008-04-29
  This is an absolutely charming, informative and imaginative book for anybody, female or otherwise, looking to eat better. Hungry Girl started out as a helpful website and just exploded from there and the excitement of having a new book to reach and assist wider audiences is present throughout the work.
  
  The usual standards of recipes - soups, salads, entrees, party foods, desserts, etc. - are there, most with information on just why this is better for you than the standard recipe. There are also plenty of tasty vegetarian recipes available for those who can appreciate the endless appeal of butternut squash. Along with the recipes are also tips and helpful guidelines for lots of situations - eating at work, going to a party, taking a cruise, in line for fast food, etc. - many of which really made me stop and think about what I've been eating and how I've been eating it. She's got a lot of really great tips that I honestly had never considered before. There are selections of color photographs but most of the recipes have small drawings along with them. I really enjoyed this because it allowed the book to be packed with information rather than tantalizing pictures. And in the end, it's the ingredients that are important, not how it looks.
  
  Hungry Girl is also endorsed by Weight Watchers and so all the recipes have their points value available online.
  
  Lastly, and most importantly for a lot of people, none of the recipes in this book are overly complex or require lots of crazy ingredients. I'm just learning to be confident in the kitchen and I haven't come across a recipe yet that seems out of my skill range. Her enthusiasm throughout the book gives a fun feeling to the recipes, like you're not cooking but embarking on an adventure to eat better.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the obvious effort put into it. There's something for everyone it its pages.
  
  
• Weight Watcher member or not...this is a must for those living healthier!
  By A23O8T3LNL9YY8 on 2008-05-01
  Although this cookbook is geared toward Weight Watcher members, it truly is a must for all of those looking to reduce the fats and calories from their food and lose weight.
  The recipes are made from items readily availiabe in your store. Sometimes brand names are mentioned (when HG says no other brand will do), but mostly a generic item is mentioned with the nutritional information listed so you can find an equivialent your market.
  I've looked at each page and some of the receipes just look too good to be low calorie.
  The chapters are:
  1. Rise & Dine (Breakfast)
  2. Chop 'til ya Drop (salads)
  3. Souper Douper (Soups, many 0-1 points)
  4. Let's do lunch (lots of sandwhich/lunch ideas)
  5. Junk Food Junkie (things you would usually have at a fast food)
  6. Manly Meals (chili's, pizzas, etc)
  7. Party Time (appetizers, party ideas)
  8. Chocolate 911 (need I say more)
  9. Fruity Call (lots of good low-cal fruit based receipes)
  10. Oven Lovin (baked goods)
  11. Zappuccino (coffee based)
  12. Happy Hour (cocktails)
  13. Fun With...(different foods made with specific items)
  14. Survival Guides (hints on how to survive your weight loss journey.)
  
  If you are on Weight Watchers (as I am) you can go the website and find the point values of the receipe.
  The hints, shopping lists, and swap lists and cooking hints are worth the $10 bucks.
  This is a keeper!
  
  
• Um...What? How do people think this stuff tastes good?
  By AY1EF0GOH80EK on 2008-05-22
  I am amazed by how glowing the reviews for this book are! A girlfriend of mine bought it and I was not impressed by what I saw/tasted. If you have been dieting yourself to death for years, then I guess this stuff may taste good since your taste buds are probably on a deprivation level. For anyone who eats actual food on a regular basis, these recipes taste awful! I am also dismayed by all of the fake foods, artificial sweeteners and such.
  
  I understand that she doesn't eat these things all the time and is an advocate for eating an apple as a snack rather than a fake-ish cupcake, and she says these foods are to sub-out the high caloric versions of foods that you crave -- but I cannot see how these foods could satisfy a craving for the average person with normal taste buds. I suggest eating the real thing you crave and hit the treadmill for a bit longer or have a salad for a meal to balance it out.
  
  BTW, fake sugar actually causes MANY people to crave actual sugar that can lead to over eating, so these diet foods may actually sabotage your diet.
  
  I appreciate the author's desire to help people eat better, but I think people should just try to be more responsible about what and how they eat, eat real foods, have the OCCATIONAL real treat that truly satisfies and exercise more -- it is really a no brainer. I recommend the book "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma" to anyone looking for guidance on healthy eating.
  
  
  
• I heart HG!
  By A31MIE60WF7PFJ on 2008-04-29
  These recipes rock! This book is especially good if you are on weight watchers and want to indulge in your favorite foods without sacrificing all of your points. It is also a good book for anyone who wants to find a healthier version of a favorite recipe. And they actually TASTE GOOD!
  
  
• Cute but not that satisfying
  By A1ZDAE1689ZD10 on 2008-05-09
  I am trying to lose a few pounds and came across this book recently. As far as cookbooks go, it is pretty lame. It relies on Splenda, fat free dairy products and fat free creamers. Whether these products are really healthy is open to debate. I cannot see myself making any of these faux convenience food items at all. pizza with an oatmeal and fiber cereal crust just sounds disgusting. I recommend the Weight Watchers and Zone cookbooks for something a little more tasty.
  
  
• Mixed review, but still recommend
  By A2GI17BUIOQWD8 on 2008-05-13
  Of the four recipes that I've tried so far, I've enjoyed the ones that don't rely so much on fat-free products. The chopped buffalo salad was spicy, delicious, and quite filling, but I don't think that it tasted just like the industrial-strength version. It was easy to make and I recommend it to anyone who likes spicy food.
  
  I was a little wary of the English muffin pizzas because I used to make those as a kid and never really cared for them. I also have never been crazy about turkey pepperoni. I added some pizza seasoning to the tomato sauce and cooked the pizzas in the oven rather than a toaster oven. I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty these little pizzas turned out - even with the fat-free mozzarella cheese. The turkey pepperoni was crispy and the pizzas (made from one English muffin) satisfied my hunger.
  
  My husband liked the twice-baked potato, but I thought that it tasted strange. The mixture wasn't too cheesy and had an odd taste and consistency. I'm not a big fan of baked potatoes, but if I were to make this recipe again, I might use reduced fat cheese rather than fat-free cheese. And yes, I know that will change the calorie and fat content of the recipe.
  
  The onion ring recipe was very disappointing. While the rings smelled and looked good, they didn't taste as great as the author promised they would. They were dry and sweet-tasting. I've tried other mock onion ring recipes before and have been let down. I think that I will stick to the fried ones in moderation when I do indulge.
  
  One thing that I do like about this recipe book is that it doesn't tout a plan with all kinds of restrictions. I plan to use some of the recipes in this book along with some other resources that I have in my quest to eat healthier.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Absolutely Wrong..
  By A3NDW13SFBZL66 on 2008-06-13
  This book is totally wrong for a dieter. It doesn't emphasize any nutritional value in real, whole foods. Rather, this author uses over processed food that tastes like garbage. I'm a subscriber to her newsletter and I never make the recipes...learned that after 3 recipe flops...I was foolish to buy her book. Don't make my mistake! I promise there are healtier options out there, like Cooking Light and Weight Watcher recipes.
  
  
• If you like to eat you will love Hungry Girl
  By A25ROVL6Q3SV2X on 2008-04-29
  Hungry Girl's first cookbook dealing with real food that real people want to eat. Lisa Lillien deals out dish after dish after dish of delicious low-calorie smart foods that real people want to eat.
  
  I might be a little biased, since I am the photographer/stylist who shot the food photos for the Hungry Girl book, but in doing so I got to try out the recipes first hand and I can tell you with all sincerity that the recipes are FULL of flavor, guilt free flavor. Try the Dreamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge, first of all it is SIMPLE to make, second it looks and smells amazing and last but not least it tastes so sinfully good you won't believe that what you are eating only has 65 calories.
  
  The book covers everything from main dishes to soups to dessert and beverages. There is something there for everyone. Nutrition information is laid out in detail as well.
  
  The recipes are easy to prepare, they taste unexpectedly GREAT and you can leave your meal table without guilt.
  
  Lisa Lillien's Hungry Girl Website turned me on to the idea of swapping out for a healthier way of eating the foods I liked and now her book puts all that great advice and tasty goodness at my fingertips. This book is not just for Hungry Girls... it is for Hungry People!
  
  
• yum yum
  By A2BZRK97LQQZBW on 2008-05-03
  I just stumbled onto the hungry girl website last week, actually the day before the book came out. I ordered the book and have now ordered another one for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.
  
  I have done weight watchers in the past so I like the fact it has point values.
  
  I tried that Yum Yum Brownie Muffins last night. They were a hit!! (unlike the brownies from Jessica Seinfeld's book) I waited until the family ate a muffin, got positive responses. My daughter was the only one who didn't want to know what was in it, she was afraid of spinach or something.
  
  I liked the Lord of the Onions Rings too.
  
  I can't wait to try more recipes.
  
  
• disappointing book
  By A3QCXZ8LFLASN5 on 2008-06-27
  Well, I had really high hopes for this book, but if you're looking to actually be healthy, and enjoy your food, and live a healthy lifestyle long-term, this probably isn't the book for you. Too many weird chemical and tofu substitutions. Even the recipes that seemed promising didn't really taste good when I actually made them. A MUCH better book is "The Most Decadent Diet Ever" by Devin Alexander. She uses real food that you can live with forever. Her "Chocolate Not Only In Your Dreams Cake", is absolutely to die for, and it has real brown sugar, not splenda, 5 grams of fiber (without adding fiber one cereal), tastes totally indulgent, and you get a real life size portion for 3 weight watchers points! Now that's what I'm talking about!!! And it was easy to make to boot!
  
  
• Not a major fan of this book.
  By AKMEY1BSHSDG7 on 2008-07-09
  I wanted very badly to like this book. The idea that you can eat enough to be full and find substitutes for the way fattening things that we all love is a great idea. However, in presenting these recipes, there is an overload of aftificial sweetener and some gross-out foods that would not satisfy me in my most desperate hour.
  
  There are ways to consume mass quantities of food and still lose weight if you choose foods that have volume, high water content, fiber and are delicious. Yes, I am talking about fruits and veggies that can be prepared in amazing ways that would satisfy the most ravenous appetite and picky eater. Then, of course, there's lean meat and fish.
  
  After that, go eat the real cheese cake and be done with it. (If, indeed, you still want it!)
  
  
  
  
• B+ for taste and A+ for low cal/low fat
  By A36OX7UWWB52AS on 2008-05-21
  These recipes are absolutely amazing for what you are eating. You see "fat free" this and "lite" this in all the ingredients but when combined the taste is so amazing you honestly do not realize what you are eating is healthier than the alternatives.
  
  I just made the "Dream Puffs" tonight and I was floored - so freaking good. Sweet, puffy donut-like pastry with cold creamy filling for only 45 calories and 1.5 grams of fat? Ridiculous! (As long as you don't eat the whole tray, lol)
  
  I also tried the imitation recipe of the Taco Bell crunch wrap supreme and was equally impressed. You get a pretty big portion of (delicious) food that filled me up and was only 220 calories and 4.5 grams of fat.
  
  One thing I noticed is that there are a LOT of common ingredients amongst the different recipes, so you won't find yourself buying a whole huge thing of vanilla soy milk and going what on earth am I going to do with the rest of this?
  
  Finally.... I'd recommended this to the single or the couple. I live by myself and half the time I don't feel like cooking because 1. most recipes just make too much and 2. I'm too lazy. A lot of these are written for one or two servings so that is very convenient for me and almost all of them are really simple.
  
  
• Don't like
  By A2LLBE5S6FQJ7Y on 2008-06-04
  I didn't like this book. It has too many processed foods in it like fat free cheese or the like. This book is definately for some, but not for me. I am going to donate my book to a friend. She is into the fat free stuff. I like the real thing not all of those chemicals.
  
  
• BEST. COOKBOOK. EVER.
  By A3R74EHB34JTTP on 2008-05-01
  I've seen a LOT of diet-conscious cookbooks over the past 3 decades and even if you're not on a diet, this one is a must-have.
  
  The recipes use readily-available ingredients, and they're fairly quick and very easy to follow, with lots of hints and tips. I found them to be surprisingly original, and with plenty of variety to suit most any taste and mood. There's also a lot of single-serving recipes (finally!). Each recipe also includes a nutrition breakdown, which is very helpful if you keep a food journal.
  
  There's plenty of healthy-living hints and exercise ideas sprinkled throughout the book, too.
  
  I just made the cheeseburger salad, and it was delicious!
  
  
• Hungry Girl: How to Cook with Non-Dairy Creamer
  By A26OJZR8BRWPT2 on 2008-08-23
  I browsed through the pink-tinged pages looking at the recipes, fighting my way through the over-enthusiastic use of exclamation marks and cute-and-confusing titles like "pizzalicious chop chop" (page 44) and "amazing ate-layer dip" (page 158). Intending to be "sassy" and "fun", the writing comes across as though it were the product of a calorie-obsessed teen-aged girl rather than an adult woman...
  
  The author, Lisa Lillien, is "a self-appointed `foodoligist' (sic)" and founder of the website HungryGirl.com- a popular website with more than 100,000 subscribers. According to her website, she rightly states that she is neither a dietitian nor a food professional, but "an average female, struggling with the same food issues most females struggle with every day." Losing and gaining the same 10-15 pounds several times over, and trying "every diet under the sun," she has a self-admitted food obsession- counting calories and finding low-fat, low-carbohydrate substitutes for a wide variety of foods.
  
  The book, which is a natural extension of her popular website, is sadly rife with rather unnatural foods. For example, her "2-good twice-baked potato" (page 124, from"Manly Meals" Chapter 6) calls for fat-free American cheese and fat-free liquid non-dairy creamer. Is substituting the fats found in natural dairy products with things like corn syrup solids and Polysorbate 60 (both found in non-dairy creamer) such an excellent idea, however many calories might be saved? Polysorbate 60, as I have learned from a rather amusing article posted at Wired magazine, is:
  
  ...made by polymerizing ethylene oxide (a precursor to antifreeze) with a sugar alcohol derivative. The result can be a detergent, an emulsifier, or, in the case of polysorbate 60, a major ingredient in some sexual lubricants.
  
  Perhaps the dish should be re-christened "2-good twice-lubed potato." (And hint to the recipe testers- you might want to sprinkle the potato with paprika and parsley after removing it from the oven...)
  
  To read the full review, visit michaelprocopio.wordpress.com
  
  
• Great book if you're such a hungry girl you don't care about taste
  By A2G2192JTWM0SF on 2008-09-17
  I picked up this book mostly because it seemed like it had recipes for foods that I might actually enjoy like philly cheese steak, spicy chicken sandwhich etc and promised easy, low-fat, high-fiber recipes.
  
  I wish I had glanced over the ingredient lists a bit more before purchasing. The recipes rely very heavily on "faux" foods such as fat free cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, soy crumbles, etc
  
  Of all the recipes I tried so far, only the cheese steak is decent and it's basically just sauteed onions and meat, so....
  
  The Fiber One breading she uses frequently for chicken dishes is imo horrible. I guess if you just really want to get some extra fiber or you like the taste of Fiber One, it's fine, but I didn't care for it at all.
  
  All the fake dairy products make most of the recipes bland, with weird textures. Some of them I caught myself thinking might be decent if I swapped out all the fake ingredients for smaller amounts of real food, but overall everything I tried ranged from just edible to horrible.
  
  I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone other than people who are determined to eat nachos and fries and such and are willing to resort to all these "diet" versions of foods to keep the calories down.
  
  
• Best Cookbook Ever
  By A14IW8FI5KA3QM on 2008-05-01
  This book is wonderful. The recipes are easy, fast and delicious. As a Weight Watcher this book is tremendously helpful. This is a book I will use over and over. Thanks for a practical cookbook! Job well done!!!
  
  
• Didn't live up to my expectations...
  By AFCL386MORX7T on 2008-05-28
  I've been a Hungry Girl email subscriber for quite a while. I always enjoy the cute emails and find Lisa's tips and tricks for "guilt free" eating helpful. I eagerly rushed out to buy the book (and about $80 worth of the groceries I'd need to get started) as soon as it came out. Over the past few weeks I've tried a lot... and I mean a LOT... of the recipes and have been sorely disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's as cute and witty as can be. Great writing and fun to read. But a lot of the recipes can barely pass as edible (I can still taste the pumpkin crunchers on p. 269... two weeks after hubby and I each took one bite and threw them all out). A couple of the "coffee shop swaps" are ok, but definitely don't satisfy my Starbucks cravings. There are a couple things in the book that I've tried and then adapted to my and my family's tastes. Oh, speaking of families, keep in mind that most of the recipes serve 1 or 2, so they need to be doubled or quadrupled to serve the spouse and kids too (though my kids haven't been crazy about anything I've fixed so far anyway...). If you have a thing for Shirataki noodles, then you'll love the section dedicated to recipes using them (unfortuately I don't... it's a texture thing, and I just can't "pretend" it's pasta. Really, I've tried).
  
  On a positive note, the chopped salads ROCK! The book is really user-friendly, with photos and WW Points values easily found on the book's website. And like I said, some of the recipes are really good starting points that you can take and run with. I still love Hungry Girl, and will continue to look forward to the email newsletters as my book gathers dust on shelf...
  
  
• Not real food
  By A2L4TVG0MOWTWS on 2008-07-09
  If you enjoy eating good food, skip this book. No "foodie" or "gourmet" will enjoy these recipes. Not to mention the deception: I made the "fudge" and it doesn't even come close to fudge--it is simply a very dense brownie. It wasn't bad, but I was expecting more. If you want to watch what you eat while eating good, healthy, real food, I recommend Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave" instead.
  
  
• A Delightful Surprise
  By A28QO8FJFU7RE9 on 2008-07-13
  I really didn't xpect to like this book when I got it but I was delightfully surprised as I made recipe after recipe and everything but 1 has turned out delicious. The 1 recipe that did not turn out so great was the dreamy chocolate peanut butter fudge but I did not follow the recipe so I'm going to give it another try.
  
  My entire family has enjoyed all of the drink recipes that I have made and the chocolate brownie muffins made with pumpkin. Tonight we are trying the Southwestern Surprise Soup (though we always called it taco soup when I made it before).
  
  It's really hard to believe that these recipes are low in calories, sugar and fat. Yes, these recipes use a LOT of processed foods but we live in a real world and I would rather eat low cal processed foods from time to time than high fat/high sugar junk food.
  
  The best thing about this book is that it has encouraged my family and my parents to start trying to eat healthy again and take control of our weight and fitness in general. You just don't feel deprived eating food like this.
  
  Lisa Lillien has a great sense of humor that comes through in all of her writings. I would recommend signing up for her daiy newsletter on her web site as well. It's filled with humor, recipes and great tips.
  
  Using pumpkin for the eggs and oil when making cake mixes is just genius! I tried it with a spice cake and a can of pumpkin and it was like a pumpkin pie muffin. Try it if you like that sort of thing. :)
  
  PRO: Filled with "light" humor and recipes for things that you would normally feel guilty eating or drinking. The recipes are delicious and most are easy to make. This might also get you on the road to a healthier you.
  
  CON: Uses a lot of processed foods and the noodle substitute recommenation is not readily available. Some ingredients are hard to find and might have to be mail ordered. I had to order some of the the low cal/sugar free syrups recommended. I don't think I will be ordering the tofu noodles. Just use high fiber noodles instead.
  
  Overall, I would recommend the book to you.
  
  
• Most awesome book!
  By A2LBX9490RWO39 on 2008-04-29
  I have always loved the Hungry Girl recipes I have gotten by email so ordered the book. I received it and it is even better than I thought it would be--some of my favorite recipes are in it, plus many more.
  
  
• A Must Have for Weight Watcher gals!!
  By A11BHWXAJT60MB on 2008-04-30
  This book is fabulous and a must-have for Weight Watchers. She breaks down all the nutritional info for you, which is easily interpreted into the "point" system we use. She covers everything from appetizers to desserts to drinks, doesn't miss a thing. Fantastic!!
  
  
• Best Book EVER!!!!!
  By A27MUTJVNHSYP4 on 2008-05-04
  This cookbooks is AMAZING!!!! I LOVE Hungry Girl!!!! I have been reading their daily emails for four years now and was psyched to get the book. Let me tell all of you it does NOT disappoint! There's a reason Lisa has half a million subscribers receiving her daily emails. THE HG STAFF IS MADE UP OF GENIUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  I HIGHLY recommend this book to ANYONE and EVERYONE. It is FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Great recipes -- easy to follow -- fun facts -- humor -- and I want to eat every single thing in the book!
  
  too good to be true.
  
  

• The Most Decadent Diet Ever!: The cookbook that reveals the secrets to cooking your favorites in a healthier way
• The Biggest Loser Success Secrets: The Wisdom, Motivation, and Inspiration to Lose Weight--and Keep It Off!
• How to Eat Like a Hot Chick: Eat What You Love, Love How You Feel
• Eat Out, Eat Right: The Guide to Healthier Restaurant Eating
• The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life