Search - Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories

I normally don't review books but I had to chime in for this one.

I love the idea. The author did a great job coming up with easy, creative ways to make low-calorie snacks, meals and desserts. There are a variety of ingredients, and many of the recipes sound quite tasty.

So if you're looking for low-cal and low-fat recipes and that's your only concern, this is a great book. If you want healthier versions of unhealthy foods, this will work.

But if, like me, you're looking for some all-around healthier options, this book might not work.

The sodium counts for many of these recipes are off the charts. The reliance on processed foods (particularly meats and cheeses) drives the sodium way up. For example, one recipe is 197 calories and 5.75 g fat...but 1,258 mg sodium.

For anyone eating a 1200-1400 calorie diet, these recipes (while tasty) are going to be too low in calories and too high in sodium (and possibly carbs).

So, for a more traditional diet, this book might be good for the occasional dessert or treat, but probably not for regular use. Don't get me wrong - there are several options here that have decent numbers for everthing (calories, fat, carbs, sodium) but overall it just wasn't to my liking.

While some of the ingredients aren't in my normal use (soy milk, boca burgers) -- the recipes look yummy and easy. My favorite part ---- that many of the recipes are for 1-2 servings! I don't know about you, but when a recipe calls for 12 low-cal muffins....I'm gonna eat all friggin 12!

Wow -- what a terrific guide for dieters! From the popular Hungry Girl series, this book features 200 recipes all under 200 calories. Including fresh ideas for snacks, appetizers and drinks as well as the standard meal fare, I really enjoyed the new ideas for low-calorie, high taste treats that won't kill my weight loss plan.

However, I had one problem with the book -- many of the recipes call for a ton of ingredients. I'm on a calorie budget, but I'm also on a monetary budget. Although some of the dishes sounded delicious, many are cost-prohibitive for my personal purposes. I think there are other ways to eat healthy without breaking the bank. However, 200 under 200 game me some great ideas for special event dishes and other "splurges" that I will be able to look forward to in the future. Highly recommended for women that can't look at one more turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread. The dips section alone is worth checking out the book. Yummy. [close]

I love the idea, and the book is very entertaining to read. But: in addition to the objections of the other three reviewers, there is one I would like to add. Because the recipes are often for 1-2 people, you use a weird amount of each ingredient. For instance, recipes call for 1/2 box (or 1 cup) of cake mix, or 2 tablespoons of pudding mix, 3 tbl. of tub frosting, etc. WHAT are you supposed to do with the rest of these items? (I can tell you what I would do with the rest of the tub of frosting, but it sure wouldn't be under 200 calories!!)

For that reason I can't see myself making many of the recipes.