Snack

This is another recipe where caramelized onions work well. Though they’re not actually moist, they ensure you’re not eating a dry, bland dish. And if you make them ahead (see page 225), you can reheat them in a flash to turn what would otherwise be an ordinary meal into a restaurant-quality one.

I particularly love this dish because of the meld of temperatures—hot dumplings with cool sauce. If you haven’t tried them, pierogies are Polish dumplings that are similar to ravioli, but the “pasta” is made from flour and potato instead of just flour. Numerous brands of pierogies are available these days, so they’re relatively easy to find. Just be sure to read the nutrition information, because while some are very low in fat, others can be quite high. It’s sometimes even possible to find whole-wheat, all-natural pierogies. Living Right Natural Foods makes them, though using the same serving size of these will add about 3.5 grams of fat to each three-pierogie serving. To keep the calories as low as the recipe below, eat three all-natural pierogies instead of the manufacturer’s suggested serving size of four. Be mindful when you’re buying bruschetta sauce as well. This is another item where brands vary widely. Though olive oil is good for you, overindulging can definitely counter efforts to be fit, and some brands have an extraordinary amount of olive oil.

These meatballs are great as a party appetizer served with pretty toothpicks for munching or excellent as a quick weeknight dinner served over brown or Mexican rice. If you have trouble finding Mexican seasoning, you can substitute lower-sodium taco seasoning. If you are serving them at a cocktail party, you might consider tossing them in only half of the sauce and adding the remaining sauce to a small bowl for dipping. Save time by having your children roll the meatballs. It’s fun for them and will give you more “you time.” The next day, save even more time by using the leftovers as the meat for throw-together tacos using soft corn tortillas.

I love dips because I think they “force” people to eat more veggies. Now that’s great if the dip isn’t doing more damage than the veggies are adding in health benefits, which is not the case with many dips. But fortunately, this is one that helps people eat more veggies and adds extra nutrients.

These insanely simple chips provide a very fresh twist to an otherwise packaged product. The idea comes from family friends of my test kitchen director, Stephanie. Over the years, she’s attended a few of their “Parrot Head” Jimmy Buffett backyard barbecues. They love creating dishes that are margarita-inspired, and they always fry their own tortilla chips and sprinkle them with lime zest and salt. My version is healthier, not to mention much easier, as you don’t have to stand over a pot of hot oil to cook batches of chips. When you make these, be sure to layer the lime with the chips in the bowl so it doesn’t all end up at the bottom.

Instead of succumbing to temptation at the mall, satisfy your craving for this savory pretzel at home with a fraction of the fat and calories. You’ll definitely be glad you did when you save plenty of guilt and a lot of cash. You can cook this pretzel in the microwave, but I think it’s much more enjoyable (and no more calories) when it’s cooked in the oven.

These potato chips are shockingly fresh and tasty right from the microwave, and they’re healthier than almost any chips on the market. Plus, they’re likely to save you a lot of cash since baked chips tend to be quite expensive, yet large bags of fresh potatoes are not.

I know a lot of people who love to eat apples and Cheddar in tandem. And I’m no different. One of my favorite 100-calorie afternoon snacks is a light string cheese and a small apple. It’s well balanced and contains protein and calcium and is thus quite filling. So I created these skewers as a more festive version of this classic pairing. I love to serve it along with dessert when hosting a girls’ night for my friends. Be sure to thread the cheese onto the skewers gently to keep the cubes from breaking. I tend to use red-skinned apples because they’re the most colorful, but any variety will be delicious. For even more variety, try the skewers with cut-up lowfat string cheese instead of the Cheddar.

Looking for ways to cut more fat? The Biggest Loser contestants have been known to swear by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! spray instead of light butter when eating popcorn. As long as you don’t add too much fat and too many calories, popcorn is a great snack. It’s high in fiber and low in calories. You can eat a decent volume without eating too many calories.

It can be a bit tricky to spread the cheese over the cucumber because the cucumber pieces are so moist. But this super-simple snack is more than worth the mini-challenge!

I worked on a teen weight-loss show by the producers of The Biggest Loser that took place at a camp in Wisconsin. The night I arrived, I was talking to one of the producers about food, of course. He mentioned his ex-wife used to make tuna with hummus instead of mayo and serve it on bagels. He said that she suggested it to a restaurant and they started serving it. When I told him I was going to borrow the idea he said I had to credit his ex-wife—only he never mentioned her name. Though I created this myself, Matt’s ex-wife deserves the credit for the general concept . . . whoever and wherever she is.

Who doesn’t love pepperoni pizza? This recipe is a quicker, healthier alternative to the ordinarily fat-filled pie. It’s also simple enough for kids to take part!

We’ve all heard of sloppy joes. Well, now there’s a new dish on the block. Instead of serving your favorite sloppy joes on a regular old hamburger bun, have some fun (and some crunch) with them by using Tostitos Baked! Scoops. If it’s easier, feel free to sub in any baked tortilla chips for the scoops. They obviously won’t look the same, but they’ll taste just as great. These joes can also be made with extra-lean ground turkey, but you’ll need to add extra sauce because turkey is drier than beef. Using turkey in this recipe will save you about 3 grams of fat, but keep in mind that the extra sauce will add 95 mg of sodium per tablespoon.

Kids will definitely go for these logs. Make them for breakfast or even as an after-school snack. They’re so delicious, the kids won’t balk at eating fruit. If you have them, feel free to use corn-on-the-cob holders to assist in coating the bananas. You don’t absolutely need them, but they’ll help keep the peanut butter where it belongs—on the bananas.

My weakness for ice cream is well known, and the name of this drink says it all.

Gina: A muffin for the chocolate lover in all of us. They’re great for festive brunches and holiday breakfasts, or with a cup for tea for an afternoon pick-me-up. Pat’s been known to sneak them in the middle of the night, too, to eat with his ice cream (he thinks I’m not watchin’, but, girlfriend, you know we are always watchin’ . . .).

Gina: Everybody loves fresh blueberry muffins, and this recipe is the best one we’ve tried. The sugar topping adds a sweet crunch.