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Hungry Girl cookbook offers summer entertainment for hungry adults and kids
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With school out, summer can be a lot of fun. It can also be an endurance trial in keeping the kids entertained. This summer the kids and I have found a wonderful way to bond and have fun. We have been going through cookbooks and selecting recipes to make. We then go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients and return home to whip up some new treats. The bonus to this is that I am able to make it to the grocery store with kids that are not only willing to go, but eager to help! They, in turn, enjoy cooking and are learning valuable skills, from math to entertaining.
Our favorite book right now was also a Mother's Day present: Hungry Girl 200 Under 200. Lisa Lillien, or the Hungry Girl, has compiled many hints, tricks, and recipes on her website to help busy people eat better. With one book already on the shelves, her second book is simply a cookbook of her favorite recipes, all 200 of which are under 200 calories.
While she has met some criticism for her emphasis on processed foods, we must face that many busy people do rely on the pantry items. She helps make those pantry items healthier and with better results. My main problem with her recipes is that she relies heavily on sugar substitutes, and the though jury is still out on whether they are actually healthier than sugar, the jury is on the taste: blech. I found that in some recipes, I had to replace at least half of the sugar substitute, if not all, with real sugar. Of course this adds to the calorie count, but I feel like it's worth it. My ten year old attempted the choco-monkey oatmeal with the sugar substituted, and each of us took one bite and passed it to the next in despair. It ended up in the garbage disposal before the morning was done, and he had another blueberry muffin instead.
The big fat blueberry muffins were selected by my seven year old and were awesome. Though neither big nor fat, we doubled the recipe and found that it made even far more than we thought, so perhaps our muffin tins were not fat enough. Still we were thrilled with the extras and the flavor. In fact we were so thrilled, that the muffins were gone by the end of the day. We will be making that recipe again soon. Another favorite recipe was the gooey cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing. And yes, they were under 200 calories, 136 to be exact. And they were amazing. My ten year old claims the credit for this selection. Thankfully he gave the book another shot after the choco-monkey incident.
Of course there are more than just breakfast options. The cheesy beef quesadillas are the new favorite lunch for the men in our family. Easy to make and delicious, I had to multiply this recipe by 6, since this recipe is listed by the serving. This brings us to another weakness. Many of the servings are small. This requires some extra math if you are feeding more than yourself. On the other hand, often for lunch or a snack, I am serving just myself, so the small amounts can also be strength.
The tricky part is making sure you have all of the ingredients, and not all of the ingredients are easy to find. Shirataki noodles are famous for being hard to find. And I am still searching for the matcha green tea powder for the green tea creme swappaccino. The good news is once you have the ingredients, a lot of them are repeated in different recipes. Fiber 1 cereal, for example, makes more than a few appearances.
This book is definitely an asset to your kitchen, and you will appreciate the ease of the recipes and the taste. The bonus is that many of the recipes are easy for kids to help with, and there are plenty that they will enjoy as well. If you have kids, I do urge you to spend time cooking with them regardless of whether you use this particular book. Kids love feeling like they have a say in the kitchen. They are proud to say they picked it out and helped to cook it. Even my ten year old boy, who loves baseball and video games, brags about his cooking skills- well maybe not the choco-monkey oatmeal- but don't get him started on the heavenly wonder that is his cheesy beef quesadillas. It's something they enjoy, and it's something they are proud of. And more importantly, it helps them to be more aware of what goes into their food and their bodies. And eating healthier is easier when you start earlier.
For more info: Hungry Girl website
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