Plus there’s a free daily e-mail you can sign up for. I get the daily e-mails and really enjoy them. In addition to product reviews and recipes, there’s fun and silly news. That’s how I found out January 12 is National Curried Chicken Day (who decides this stuff?). If that’s not enough useless trivia for you, today – January 13 - is National Peach Melba day.

My favorite Hungry Girl newsletters are the ones with a “Fight It, Bite It” theme where the calorie/fat/sodium stats are given for a not so healthy food (some are truly horrifyingly bad).  But, instead of just being told to avoid that food there’s also a recipe or suggestion for a “bite it” swap – one that is lower in calories/sodium/fat; a.k.a. one that won’t contribute to jiggle arms and wide butt syndrome.

The mastermind behind the Hungry Girl website is Lisa Lillien.  She’s what I consider a “regular person” who has the same everyday struggles with weight and food that most of us deal with.  She started to share her ideas for lighter eating and now has published a couple cookbooks and has been a guest on shows such as Rachael Ray. 

I like that Lisa is a not a “scientific guru” – one of those people that preaches diet and exercise to lose weight and be healthy but has never been even an ounce overweight in their lives so they really have no idea what it’s like to struggle with food and weight loss. 

You may not like everything on Lisa’s website.  For example a lot of recipes rely on Fiber One cereal in one way or another and I personally am not a fan of it.  But if you find just one good tip that you can use to help you with your quest to lose weight or be healthier then the time spent looking at the website is time well spent, right?

But, plain grapefruit feels like “diet food” to me so I dress it up a little and turn into a treat that tastes like a decadent dessert but without the high calorie and fat count more desserts have.

Broiled grapefruit is easy and quick to make; and by my calculations a half of broiled grapefruit is just 1 Weight Watcher point (but check points values yourself to be sure).

BROILED GRAPEFRUIT
Ingredients:
1 grapefruit half
1 teaspoon brown sugar
cinnamon
optional: pinch of ground nutmeg and pinch of ground cloves

Turn oven to broil.
Section grapefruit with sharp knife, leaving it intact in the peel.
Sprinkle with brown sugar, a light dusting of cinnamon, and a small pinch of nutmeg and/or ground cloves if desired (a very small pinch of ground cloves – a little goes a long way).
Heat under broiler until sugar browns, about 5 minutes.
Eat and enjoy!

PINEAPPLE ANGEL FOOD CAKE:
Ingredients:
1 box angel food cake mix
1, 20 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice

Mix together dry cake mix and pineapple with juice. Pour into angel food cake pan. Bake according to package directions, making sure to not underbake the cake; otherwise it will fall right out of the pan when you remove it from the oven and invert it to cool. The cake is done when the top is golden brown and the cracks look dry.

The cake is delicious plain, but if you want to dress it up and still have “frosting,” top it with fat free Cool Whip

The pumpkin butter recipe below is great on whole grain toast and waffles, but my favorite way to serve it in a pretty bowl with whole wheat pretzel twists for dipping. 

Bring it to your holiday gatherings and while everyone else is gorging on high calorie dips you can enjoy this one without guilt.  It’s just 1 WW point for 1/4 cup (that’s what I calculated but always calculate the nutritional info yourself because you may use different brands than I do). 

PUMPKIN BUTTER RECIPE
Ingredients:
15 ounce can pure pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
In medium saucepan stir together pumpkin, applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger.
Bring to a boil over medium to medium/high heat, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the mixture is very thick, stirring occassionally.
Stir in lemon juice.
Store in refrigerator.

Makes 10, 1/4 cup servings.

I didn’t just pick that menu out of thin air. It’s one a personal trainer at a gym gave me several years ago when I asked for help with a diet plan. It just goes to show that a person needs to be careful about what they ask for. Look what it got me – a diet plan that I couldn’t follow no matter how hard I tried and one that I hated from the second I saw it. Was it healthy? I suppose so. Was it tasty? No, no and no! (just exactly what was I supposed to put on that slice of toast to make it not taste like a piece of cardboard?)

When a person goes on a diet it’s hard to figure out how to make that healthy food we’re eating taste good without adding a lot of fat because as French chefs say “The flavor is in the fat.”

We all know that lean protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy are the mainstays of most any weight loss plan. That’s no secret. And, sadly, we also know that we should limit or completely avoid those tasty white flour products, sugar and alcohol. Yeah, no hope of a cocktail every so often or a candy bar along with seeing broiled fish, brown rice and streamed broccoli is just what I want to look forward to every evening when I get home (not!).

It’s not that I hate healthy food. I do like fish, chicken, broccoli, and brown rice. I just like them to have some flavor without using my old way of cooking which is add some butter and some oil and then to add more butter!

But along with finding flavorful substitutes for excessive amounts of fat, I don’t think it’s realistic for a person to think they can completely give up “treats” because I think that’s a setup for almost instant failure. Why? Because there’s going to come a moment of weakness at the same time an entire family size bag of peanut M&M’s and a 2 liter bottle of Coca Cola are within reach.

I think the trick is to leave a little “wiggle room” for treats (truthfully I have a little something sweet or salty every day and I’ve lost 50 pounds so far); along with finding ways to punch up the flavor of food without using vats of butter and oil.
If you’ve made the commitment to cut back on fat and sugar, what can you do to give your food flavor and punch while still staying on the “losing game” with weight loss?

Here are some of my favorites:
Fresh lemon juice, a splash of good quality extra virgin olive oil, and a little freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or a more reasonably priced American Grana cheese) along with some sea salt and freshly grated black pepper give baby salad greens a huge punch of flavor without adding a lot of calories.

Another favorite salad of mine is a combination of Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, 1 cucumber, 1 green bell pepper, and 2 stalks of celery all chopped into bite size pieces along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of my favorite full fat Parmesan Peppercorn dressing (I make it myself using Penzey’s creamy peppercorn dressing mix that I make with light sour cream and light mayo and that I stir a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese into). The salad fixings have very few calories and have a huge crunch factor. Yes, the dressing does have some calories and fat in it; but did you know that some fat needs to be eaten along with those healthy vegetables so that a person’s body is able to absorb the nutrients?

Spices, spices and spices. Make friends with the spice aisle in your grocery store, or better yet find a store that sells spices and only spices for a great variety and reasonable price (my favorite is Penzey’s spices).

My spice cupboard gets a heavy workout when I’m cooking lean protein. Jerk or lemon/pepper seasoning are my favorites with fish and chicken. McCormick has some delicious spice blends that take the guesswork out of giving food flavor. Their Montreal steak and chicken seasonings are delicious, and their vegetable supreme seasoning perks up the taste of almost any cooked vegetable. There’s a ton of seasoning mixes available in stores specifically designed to give meat and poultry flavor without adding calories. Check out the spice aisle and then sprinkle it on or rub it in and cook away.

Steamed broccoli sprinkled with Italian seasoning, freshly cracked black pepper and a little bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese is yummy!

Or, give the steamer a break and roast vegetables instead. Toss bite size pieces of your favorite vegetables in a little olive oil and then sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper and a little sea salt. Roast in a single layer on a baking sheet at 425 degrees for 12 minutes, turn, and continue cooking until the vegetables are browned. I never liked steamed cauliflower (unless it was drenched in butter) but I love it roasted. Other vegetables that I absolutely love roasted are broccoli, potatoes, asparagus, carrots and butternut squash.

Salsa, hot sauce and mustard add tons of flavor but minimal calories. Mustard pairs especially well with pork. Breakfast is my favorite time to use hot sauce. I love it with eggs. Salsa is also good with eggs and is a great addition to lean ground meat to make a deliciously moist burger.

To add flavor to whole grains, cook them with low sodium broth or stock instead of water. It’s how I got my whole family to like brown rice.

When it comes to the beverages you drink throughout the day think “I’d rather eat my calories than drink them.” I love Starbucks but their 16 ounce size (Grande size) white chocolate mocha has almost 500 calories. Switching to nonfat milk and skipping the whipped cream on top saves over hundred calories but still weighs in at a hefty 350 calories. A more calorie friendly choice is a 16 ounce latte with non fat milk and a shot of sugar free syrup. It weighs in at 130 calories (less than a third of the calories of the same sized white chocolate mocha). But if you’re not a fan of sugar free anything (I’m not because I don’t think those artificial sweeteners are good for a person’s body), try a latte with a half shot of regular syrup.

Eat fresh whole foods whenever possible and yes I know that’s a good thing to say in theory but is much harder to do when you’ve just worked the entire day, have to get one child to soccer practice, another to a piano lesson, and then need to get a meal on the table before there’s a revolt from your hungry family (that’s if you can convince them to wait until you get home to eat).

A slow cooker is a great investment. You can pop a beef roast in it in the morning along with some beef broth and dry onion soup mix (reduce fat cream of mushroom soup is also a tasty addition to the beef in the crock pot). You’ll be able to walk in the door at night to delicious hot beef that you can instantly turn into delicious hot beef sandwiches. Or, if you have a little more time, you can cook up some potatoes and carrots to serve alongside. Or put some chicken breasts in the slow cooker in the morning that are sprinkled with taco seasoning. Add some salsa and about a cup of chicken broth. Cook on low all day. At night you’ll have tender chicken that can be shredded and rolled up in wraps with your favorite toppings.

When you want to really treat yourself without having to buy pants that are a size larger, indulge in lobster (a little over 160 calories for 6 ounces which leaves enough room to dip it in a little melted butter); shrimp cocktail (about 60 calories for 12 large shrimp and around 50 calories for a quarter cup of cocktail sauce); or top a slice of angel food cake with some fresh raspberries and a dollop of freshly whipped cream (less than 200 calories – about 150 for the cake, a little over 1 calorie for each raspberry and 8 calories for a tablespoon of unsweetened whipped cream).

If you’re looking for a crunchy snack with minimal calories eat some dill pickles or other pickled vegetables. Pickled green beans and pickled asparagus are super delicious and are low in calories.

When in doubt trying to decide what you should or shouldn’t eat while trying to lose weight, choose foods closest to their natural source as possible; foods with a short and natural ingredient list (like my mother says “If you can’t say it do you really want to eat it?”); and avoid partially hydrogenated fats and high fructose corn syrup.

And, when fast food is the only choice besides chewing off your arm, choose a burger (pile on the ketchup, mustard and pickles but opt out of the other sauces and cheese) or grilled chicken sandwich over a deep fried chicken or fish sandwich. A small side of fries won’t break the calorie bank as long as they’re not a daily indulgence because even though a side salad is often a lower calorie choice (depending on the salad dressing chosen), a salad is awfully hard to eat while on the run.

So I make own instead. They’re still really tasty but contain less calories and fat. Plus, they are quick and easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:
1 spice cake mix (dry mix, unprepared)
1, 15 ounce can Libby’s pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix)
1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Hershey’s cinnamon chips, divided.

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2, 12 slot muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In medium bowl stir together cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, and water. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cinnamon chips.

Fill each liner about 2/3 full (a heaping tablespoon is about the right amount-use a tablespoon from your kitchen drawer, not a measuring one)

Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon chips.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool on baking rack.

Store in airtight container or freeze leftover muffins.

3 points for each muffin.

Freezing: wrap each muffin in plastic wrap. Place in large plastic freezer bag. Pull them out of the freezer as needed. Thaw at room temperature or unwrap, place on microwave safe plate, cover with paper towel and place in microwave for about 20 seconds to thaw and warm.

NOTE: There are many variations of this recipe available online. Most don’t contain the eggs, water or cinnamon chips listed in this recipe but instead just mix together a dry cake mix and can of pumpkin. It’s how I used to make pumpkin spice muffins and while they tasted okay, I didn’t like how heavy and dense they were. The addition of eggs and water improves the texture and makes them a little fluffier (not as fluffy as a cupcake though). The cinnamon chips add extra flavor and are my replacement for frosting. Sometimes, instead of dividing the cinnamon chips between the batter and top, I use them all on the top of the muffins which gives them a truly decadent taste.

Today someone gave me a much lower calorie version.  If you’re on Weight Watchers like I am, you’ll find it’s super points friendly. I’ve already eaten 3 cups of the stuff today and just may have another one before I go to sleep tonight – it’s that good.

TAFFY APPLE SALAD RECIPE
Ingredients:
1, 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 pkg Jell-o fat free, sugar free instant butterscotch pudding, unprepared
1, 8 ounce container fat free Cool-Whip
5 large apples, diced (I used Cortland but Fiji or Granny Smith would well too)

DIRECTIONS:
In medium bowl, mix the pineapple with juice and dry pudding. Stir well. Fold in the Cool Whip. Stir in the diced apples.

Optional topping: 1 mini size Snickers bar finely diced (makes the salad taste truly decadent); 1 teaspoon sunflower seeds or 1 teaspoon chopped salted peanuts (also tasty).

I don’t know how long this will keep in the fridge. I’m sure the entire bowl I made today will be gone by tomorrow afternoon. The higher calorie version of this salad that I used to make kept well in the fridge for 3 days; this one should as well although I’m pretty sure it won’t last in your fridge any longer that it’s lasting in mine.