Anyone try any "Hungry Girl" recipes??

[pjlla]

Anyone here ever make anything in the "Hungry Girl" cookbooks? I have both of them, but I only just made a few things from them for the first time yesterday. I made the "Lord of the Onion rings" and the "Scoopable Chinese chicken salad".

I think I need to tweak my technique with the onion rings... they were good, but I think that they could have been better. The chicken salad was very good and I am having some of the leftovers for lunch today. I like that the chicken salad recipe didn't have an overabundance of "artificial" ingredients. That would be my only complaint about those cookbooks is the overwhelming use of chemical/artificial ingredients like Cool Whip Free, sf/ff pudding packs, etc. I think occasional ingestion of these things is fine, but I would hate to think that people are eating this stuff EVERY DAY. But I am definitely going to try a few more things. I'll let you know how they turn out.

If you are interested in making the onion rings, I suggest you really pulverize the Fiber One cereal to a near dust. I left mine too chunky and it didn't stick at all. I had to kind of start again with a new batch and it worked better. Plus they DEFINITELY need salt. The FiberOne is a little sweet and it would have been better with more salt.

I had the chicken salad on a bed of mixed greens. I topped it with a bit of chow mein noodle for some crunch and it was excellent (I omitted the mandarin oranges because I knew I wouldn't like them). It would probably also be tasty in a pita pocket.

Anyone?..........................P

 

[westcliffemom]

Yep! I make the Blueberry Apple Shake-up (without the blueberries), (my names may be wrong slightly) also the egg & cheese dish in the microwave, I think it's called Egg Mug. I really like this! I've made the Yum Yum brownies (which my DD say, it's good, but there's something that tastes different), the Death by Chocolate cupcakes, the Ooze Cake.

My fav by far is the Egg mug! Then the Shake-up. I didn't get the new book because I'm working on eating less processed foods, and she doesn't mind using processed foods & things with HFCS.

Have fun trying recipes!

 

[tinkerbell181]

Yes! I have the original book and just got the 200 Under 200. I love the onion rings, although I cheat a bit and use half corn flakes and half fiber one.
I tried the spinach dip last weekend and I was so exicted about it.....but the end result was not as good as I had hoped, way too 'tangy' so I will have to try some adjustments with the ingredients I think.....

 

[pjlla]

Anyone else?

I was going to try a breakfast sandwich recipe for dinner tonight, but my turkey bacon isn't precooked and I just wasn't in the mood to get into that mess, so maybe later this week I will try it. I'm anxious to try a few of the dessert recipes too. Anyone have any good ones they have tried from the books?................P

 

[tinkgirl2007]

The Pina Colada Cupcakes from the new book are fantastic. I have already made two batches of them. The sloppy janes are good too.

 

[ama4889]

In general, she is about 50-50 for us.

We love the spinach dip, the sloppy janes, the cheesy butternut mash thing. The new book has a recipe for a homemade warm delight <3, and the french toast nuggets are a cute and simple idea. I want to try more of the salad ideas.

I take everything with a grain of salt though. I usually use my own bread crumbs instead of fiber one, egg whites instead of substitute, skim milk (and sometimes vanilla) for the milk subs. She's very brand-happy and there are entire chapters in the newest book for the brands she endorses.

 

[Belle2667]

I have the 200 under 200 and I've tried several recipes.

So far I made the slamming smoked salmon & bacon breakfast sandwich, tweaked to my tastes (soy bacon rather than turkey and no cucumber). It was yummy and definitely kept me full for a while.

The cheesy cauliflower casserole is pretty good, too. I tweaked that one as well by putting a very light layer of breadcrumbs on top. The second time I made it, I used broccoli instead of cauliflower.

I can't find red hots anywhere or I'd do the red hot apple in a cup.

I'm usually pretty good thinking things up but need some inspiration some times. There are definitely some good recipes, some are not so great.

 

[TammyNC]

I need to see if our library has a copy, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[pjlla]

I also tried those "slammin salmon and bacon"... whatever it is. (Salmon, bacon, cream cheese spread.) It was good, but not fabulous. I really didn't like the texture of the fat-free cream cheese and I ended up adding some regular cream cheese to it... that definitely helped. I didn't think that it was good enough to warrant the cost of the smoked salmon or the work involved in cooking the bacon, etc. (especially since it was just for me), but I think it would be a nice addition to a family brunch or something.

That is all that I have had a chance to try recently. I will be taking another look at the book this week to see if there is anything special that I could make for Memorial Day weekend. ...................P

 

[DawnM]

I just recently learned of her and found out about the noodles! The shiritake ones. I want to try more with the noodles! the Lo Mein looks great.

I haven't tried the onion rings....but that sounds great! I have a Vita-mix so I could turn any cereal into flour!

Dawn

 

[Belle2667]

I also tried those "slammin salmon and bacon"... whatever it is. (Salmon, bacon, cream cheese spread.) It was good, but not fabulous. I really didn't like the texture of the fat-free cream cheese and I ended up adding some regular cream cheese to it... that definitely helped. I didn't think that it was good enough to warrant the cost of the smoked salmon or the work involved in cooking the bacon, etc. (especially since it was just for me), but I think it would be a nice addition to a family brunch or something.

That is all that I have had a chance to try recently. I will be taking another look at the book this week to see if there is anything special that I could make for Memorial Day weekend. ...................P

Oh yeah, I didn't use the fat-free cream cheese. There are just some things that are worth the extra calories and cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream are just a few I won't go lite or fat-free with.

I also agree that if I used regular bacon, I probably wouldn't make it either, but the soy bacon in the microwave only takes a minute or two.

 

[Chickysmom]

Can anyone give me more info on these books and are they more healthy recipes? I'm curious now!

 

[pjlla]

Can anyone give me more info on these books and are they more healthy recipes? I'm curious now!

Well now... more healthy than what?? I would say, as far as healthy goes, you would have to pick and choose which recipe you wanted to use. Some are fairly "clean" and healthy (like the Scoopable Chinese chicken salad I tried).... some are filled with ingredients that are much more questionable (like the entire chapter dedicated to recipes made with Cool Whip and the large abundance of "pudding pack" recipes).

I decided it was definitely worth the $$ to be able to try some of the "cleaner" recipes and I have been reasonably happy with the ones I tried. And I suppose if I was having a real craving, I might be tempted to try some of the dessert recipes (which seem to be the more chemical filled ones).

Like any other cookbook, you will find things that you would really like to try and other things that don't appeal to you at all. Try checking it out of the library or just flipping through it at the store to see if it would warrant purchasing. I would be happy to post a recipe or two from the book if you are interested. I also believe that there is a Hungry Girl website that probably has some recipes....................P

 

[KarenC]

I made the Holy Moly Guacamole on Cinco de Mayo and really liked it. It was the first time I'd used fat free greek yogurt--I'm now a big fan! I've also made the margaritas in her first cookbook. Yum!

 

[wdwgal]

I would like to see the Scoopable Chinese Chicken Salad recipe if someone wouldn't mind posting it. I love chicken salad and this one sounds good. TIA.

wdwgal

 

[wdwgal]

Nevermind, I found it!

Scoopable Chinese Chicken Salad::



1 16oz pkg dry broccoli slaw mix


12 oz cooked skinless lean chicken breast, chopped


1 c. canned water chesnuts, drained and chopped


1 c. canned mandarin orange segments, drained


1 c. chopped scallions


3/4 c. Newman's Own Lighten Up! Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing ((didn't have this at my store, so I used Kraft's Sesame dressing))




Toss all ingredients until mixed well and refrigerate for 2 hours.

wdwgal

 

[pjlla]

Sorry I wasn't on earlier to share the recipe! I hope you enjoy it. I skipped the oranges because I knew I wouldn't enjoy them and I added some celery instead. I put a serving (or two) on top of a bed of baby spinach and romaine and it was SO good. I was the only one in the family who ate it, so I had a LOT of it (I had to eat quickly so it wouldn't go bad), but I really liked it. I think it would be especially good in a pita pocket as well...........P

 

[pjlla]

DD made the Yum Yum Brownie Muffins last night. They are delicious. Such a great chocolately treat. I have an idea about modifying them that I might try. I'll let you know how it works out......................P

 

[pixiedust23]

I've made the Yum Yum brownies (which my DD say, it's good, but there's something that tastes different), the Death by Chocolate cupcakes, the Ooze Cake.

If you like brownies, you can always try the No Pudge Brownie Mix. You just add in 3/4 c fat free vanilla pudding to the mix and it's fabulous!