Lisa Lillien’s Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 featured easy snack-sized recipes. But for the truly hungry girl, Hungry Girl 300 Under 300 provides some heartier options for the calorie-conscious cook. Lillien covers all three meals, starters, sides, soups and baked goods. Every option is quick, and easy, with clear directions. Lillien even includes several sections of recipes with only three ingredients. While there are many upsides to Lillien’s simple guide to low-calorie eating, it relies heavily on certain packaged foods that don’t always result in nutritionally sound meals.
Kick Cravings Quickly for Under 300 Calories
Lillien has great ideas for readers intimidated in the kitchen, but who want to lose weight and quench cravings without resorting to potato chips and takeout. The book includes an entire chapter on egg mugs, super-quick egg scrambles made in the microwave. Another section covers multiple takes on oatmeal, while another focuses on the healthy foil-pack method of cooking everything from sweet potato to fish to stuffed tomatoes.
Lillien also provides numerous replacements for takeout and junk food cravings. Her “Snack-tastic Burger Wrap,” at 192 calories, has all the elements of a fast food burger, except the grease, while the “Sausage, Egg ‘n Cheese ChickGriddle” recreates one of McDonald’s most unhealthy menu items for only 205 calories.
For dieters who have trouble resisting temptation and are new to cooking, Lillien’s easy-to-follow directions, simple ingredient lists and quick cook times will allow for easy-entry into the world of healthy eating. However, for those more experienced chefs, Hungry Girl 300 Under 300 is worth a quick flip through for new tricks and tips, but might not garner a permanent place in the cookbook library.
Low-Calorie: Necessarily Healthy?
Lillien’s recipes rely heavily on diet products, some of which can be hard-to-find or expensive. Certain products Lillien suggest for the pantry, such as tofu shirataki noodles, sugar-free pancake syrup and low-calorie hot dogs, are even nutritionally suspect. The recipes may be under 300 calories, but due to their reliance on packaged foods, some of them are not so low on sodium. Just one Hungry Girl crab cake Benedict with hollandaise sauce comes in at 910mg sodium, while the “In-N-Outrageous Animal-Style Salad” has 1032mg.
While such sodium-rich recipes won’t hurt once in a while, readers should be conscious of how often they are resorting to Lillien’s pre-made diet food. The easy and healthy muffin, bread and scone recipes might be more realistic everyday options for those who are mindful of more than just calories.
Highly Informative
The book contains two colour inserts with fun photographs of some select recipes, but the more visual reader can visit the Hungry Girl website to see photographs of all the recipes, plus Weight Watchers points for each. Every recipe contains calorie and other nutritional information, making it an excellent resource for those on Weight Watchers or other dieters who want to be saved the hassle of calculating points and calories themselves. Helpful tips are also scattered throughout the book, such as lists of essential kitchen equipment, suggestions on how to use leftovers, and how to tackle slicing up squash.
Hungry Girl 300 Under 300 might not provide many epiphanies to seasoned chefs, but to readers new to both the kitchen and to healthy eating, it can be a great resource for ideas and tips.
Bibliography
Lillien, Lisa. Hungry Girl 300 Under 300: 300 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Dishes Under 300 Calories. Published by St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011. ISBN 978-0-312-67681-0.
Carolyn Psutka - MA in English and self-professed bibliophile.
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