I’m obsessed with food. I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve felt this way ever since I was a toddler. I remember my mom pushing me in a stroller and feeding me special ice cream sundaes from a local department store in Brooklyn. I can recall the exact taste and texture of the chocolate chip cookies served in my elementary school cafeteria. And I especially remember loving those Swanson frozen dinner mashed potatoes once some of the apple goo from the cobbler bubbled over into it in the toaster oven. I was the 8-year-old who ordered surf & turf at family celebration dinners (thanks, Dad!) and the kid who was completely fixated on reading the packages of every item in every vending machine I passed since the day I could read.
Pretty much all of my first memories involve food. In fact, the very first thing about my entire life that I can recall vividly is being in a playpen, barely able to stand, and hobbling over to the edge to greet my big sister who had walked over eating a slice of pizza. I wanted that pizza. Badly. And when I was told I couldn’t have it (I was toothless!), I started to cry.
These days, I’ve perfected the whole standing and walking thing. And the reason I don’t eat certain foods is less about not having teeth and more about not wanting to consume all the artery-clogging fat and the insane number of calories those foods contain. But instead of crying about it, I simply create healthier versions of these foods. My complete and total obsession with all things chewable has turned me into Hungry Girl. And this, my 12th Hungry Girl book, is packed solid with recipes for things that we all crave. Nachos. Brownies. Quesadillas. Pizza. Mashed potatoes. Cheesecake. Lasagna. Pie. They’re all here. And they’re all made with healthy ingredients and clock in with less than 375 calories.
I hope you love these recipes as much as I do … and I have a feeling you will!
Lisa :)
