EDIT: After having this book for a few days now, I've tried several of the recipes and wanted to point out that this is NOT a cookbook for the most fantastic-tasting dishes you'll ever savor. In fact, as some of the other reviewers have already pointed out, some of the recipes can be a little bland. Still, I think that HG's cookbook is an awesome resource to have for making smart substitutions, and inspiration for creating your own healthier version of an old favorite. My new fav is HG's pumpkin trifle, but instead of using Fiber One cereal, I use crushed gingersnaps! Perfect for me, but just a slight change from HG's!
OLD REVIEW:
One of the things that disappointed me about the original Hungry Girl cookbook was the dismal dessert selection. Sure, I'd had some success with the pumpkin cupcakes and brownies, but I have a real sweet tooth to keep in check, so I wanted more dessert suggestions.
Fortunately for me, Hungry Girl's follow-up follows through nicely. The format is similar to the origina - a list of recommended products and staples (which are mostly the same), then the best part - more recipes to try! A lot of these recipes call for the same 'Hungry Girl stapes' - Fiber One, shirataki, eggbeaters, so you don't actually have to buy a whole slew of new foods to try out most of these recipes.
For the breakfast section, I was happy to find some pretty creative oatmeal recipes - oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes, and oatmeal sundaes. I was particularly excited to try the blueberry muffins - which don't call for a cake mix (yay!) - they turned out nicely, even though I used white flour instead of whole wheat...
The foods in this book, though snacks by calorie standards, seem heartier and more diverse. There's a goolash recipe, cioppino(!), cornbread, and buffalo wings.
But on to the desserts...There are FOUR chapters devoted to dessert, and two that are mostly dessert. Yay!! First, to satisfy the cupcake fetish everyone seems to have nowadays - there's a chapter devoted to cupcakes, which includes red velvet adn even chocolate marshmallow - can't wait to try that one! Then there's creme brulee, tiramisu, strawberry shortcake, and apple fritters.
Like in the last book, Hungry Girl also sectionalizes the last part of the book for specific foods - in this book, that's Cool Whip, Fuji apples, Fiber One, and Vitalicious. The photos in this book also seem better organized - they're organized by chapter, making for easier reference and flipping.
As with the first book, my only real gripe with the whole Hungry Girl diet is the use of artificial sugars in a lot of the recipes, as they tend to give me headaches. Even then though, many of these recipes make such good substitutes for the unhealthier restaurant version, that it doesn't hurt too much to use real sugar instead of Splenda, so I can't complain!
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