Hungry Girl

I like to pretend I can cook.

Well, I guess I can but I hardly ever do. And really, it's usually because I don't have a reason to. The nights that I do actually have to provide dinner for myself, I don't get off work until 8pm (at least) and I HATE eating that late, but I kind of have to. Otherwise, I would be dead by morning. Ok, not really, but you get the point.

Anyway, when I do eat dinner that late, I like to keep it to as few calories as possible while still being satisfying. In comes a cookbook I've been wanting to get for a very long time and finally broke down and ordered. 

Hungry Girl has some really awesome recipes for some favorites that are a fraction of the calories! She has several cookbooks out right now, but I opted for the 200 under 200. Tonight I tried the first recipe, not actually from this cookbook, haha, but from the website.

"Chicken on the Barbie" is a knock-off of California Pizza Kitchen's Barbeque Chicken Pizza.

Ingredients: 1 stick light string cheese 3 oz. cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped 2 tbsp. your favorite BBQ sauce with about 45 calories per 2-tbsp. serving, divided 1 high-fiber or whole-wheat pita (I used Arnold's whole wheat sandwich thin at only 100 calories!) 1 1/2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion 1 tsp. chopped cilantro (yeah, I skipped that part, ew!)  Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Break string cheese into thirds, and place in a food processor or blender -- blend at high speed until cheese takes on a shredded or grated consistency. (Or just tear string cheese into pieces and roughly chop.) Set aside. In a small dish, toss chopped chicken with 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce. Set aside. Place pita on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Spread remaining 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce onto the exposed side of the pita, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle evenly with shredded/grated cheese. Scatter saucy chicken over the layer of cheese, and then sprinkle with onion. Bake in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes, until pizza is hot. Top with cilantro, slice into quarters, and enjoy. YUMMMM! MAKES 1 SERVING

I was quite surprised with the outcome. It was absolutely delicious and very filling! In fact, I probably could've gone without the last few bites, but I did because it was so good. And just to compare, CPK's barbeque chicken pizza has 1,136 calories and 39 grams of fat. That's all the calories I eat in a single day!! HG's version only has 340 calories and 5 grams of fat. And I can promise you, it's just as good!  This is definitely something I will be making again. In fact, with lots of leftover chicken that's already cooked, I just might have it for dinner again tomorrow night ;)  Have you tried any of HG's recipes? Or do you have any other favorite low-calorie meals?