Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Lisa Lillien is the woman behind “Hungry Girl”. Fans know her from her website
, where she dishes out food finds, healthy ingredient swaps and recipes. Lillien is the author of nine cookbooks centered around the Hungry Girl mindset that you can have your cake and eat it too with guilt-free recipes. With the upcoming indulgences of the holiday season, we wanted to talk with Lillien about how to make better lifestyle changes with your food.
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
You started with 'coffee shop swap drinks’ and your friends went crazy for them. What made them successful?
It’s so easy to achieve a healthy alternative to traditional coffee shop drinks like lattes and mochas. You get that same flavor but you are using low or no calorie sweetener, coffee, and a small amount of sugar-free instant creamer. They add a lot of flavor for very little calories. For equipment, make sure you have good ice and a high-speed blender.
How can people stay focused on healthier foods during the upcoming food-centric holidays?
I tend to live by the 80/20 rule. So 80 percent of the time I’m making better choices, but nobody is perfect and that 20 percent gives people that buffer.
Give some examples of healthy food ingredient swaps.
- Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, because you get more protein.
- Unsweetened almond milk has far few calories than regular milk.
- Sugar free syrups or sweeteners instead of regular sugar is a great one to one for homemade smoothies or lattes.
What are some crowd-pleasing treats that you would suggest for Halloween gatherings?
It’s always a home run to make anything chocolate. One of my favorites is the
It’s basically one can of diet soda and one box of cake mix. Try diet cola with a Devil’s Food Cake- people love it and it couldn’t be easier to make.
How can we use up leftover Halloween candy?
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
I joke that there is usually not much leftover Halloween candy. If I do have leftovers I make
that use the sweetness from mini candy bars, but you blend it with almond milk. Most of my shakes have less than 200 calories.
How has the food culture changed since Hungry Girl started?
I’m thrilled that people are reading labels and concerned and paying attention to what they are eating because for so many years people weren’t like that. Back in the day, people would say fat or carbs were the enemy, and it changes all the time. I think people pick one enemy, then think that it will help them to automatically lose weight.
Many of your books or recipes are calorie focused. Why?
It’s all about calories in versus calories burned. Calories are important and that is why I use sugar-free products. My doctor tells me that these alternatives are better than full-sugar products, and that’s how I feel about all my choices. I think that is why Hungry Girl is successful. People want to know that it’s okay to make these swaps and it doesn’t have to be extreme. It’s difficult to be extreme and in a way that is not as successful.
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