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Lisa Lillien: Hungry Girl in real life

Success has been off the charts for Hungry Girl -- that would be, Lisa Lillien. But most days you can find her in her Woodland Hills office, crafting and testing new recipes and putting the final touches on her daily e-mail blast offering low-cal recipes, diet tips and tell-it-like-it is product reviews. She started in 2004 with 70 subscribers. By year's end, she is expected to have a million. She also has two bestselling books.

Success has been off the charts for Hungry Girl -- that would be, Lisa Lillien. But most days you can find her in her Woodland Hills office, crafting and testing new recipes and putting the final touches on her daily e-mail blast offering low-cal recipes, diet tips and tell-it-like-it is product reviews. She started in 2004 with 70 subscribers. By year’s end, she is expected to have a million. She also has two bestselling books.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien in the test kitchen

On this day, she was undertaking her fourth crack at developing a tasty recipe for calorie-conscious peanut butter “softies” -- they’re not quite cookies, not quite muffins, hence the name. The earlier versions had the texture Lillien wanted, but not the rich peanut butter taste she was looking for.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Bacon-bundled BBQ shrimp, from a recipe found in Lillien's new best-selling book, "Hungry Girl: 200 under 200."

These bacon-bundled barbecued shrimp are in Lillien’s new bestselling book, “Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200,” but it’s still hard to believe each one has fewer than than 100 calories -- that’s right, under 100 calories -- per serving. Click here for the recipe. Lillien started crafting her recipes after she made the decision to lose 20 pounds, and had to develop low-calorie treats and snacks.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Lillien in the kitchen with members of the Hungry Girl team

Lillien began to share her recipes with friends and family -- and they wanted more. She knew she was on to something. Today, Hungry Girl has nine employees. Lillien, at right, in the test kitchen with members of the Hungry Girl team. They are, from left, Dana DeRuyck, the recipe development and kitchen manager, Lisa Friedman, the office manager, and Jamie Goldberg, the managing editor.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Hot boneless buffalo wings -- fewer than 200 calories per serving

This recipe for hot boneless Buffalo wings is one of Lillien’s favorites. If you are a Buffalo wing fan, she challenges you to try it. She says you won’t miss all the fat from the classic bar-food version. The recipe is from Lillien’s new book, “Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200.” Click here for the recipe.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Lillien stirs a crockpot-full of BBQ sauce and cocktail weiners

Lillien stirs a crockpot of barbecue sauce and cocktail weiners. Lillien loved how the sauce turned out. But she went back to the supermarket to find cocktail weiners that weren’t, in her words, “rubbery.” Lillien has her critics, who say she puts too much of an emphasis on processed foods. But Lillien says her recipes aren’t a diet -- they’re meant to help people scratch a snack itch in a calorie-conscious way.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Philly cheesesteak lettuce wraps

Philly cheesesteak lettuce wraps -- all the taste and none of the guilt. That’s what Lillien promises. The recipe is from her new bestselling book, “Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Recognize this face?

If you’ve seen the Hungry Girl logo in your local supermarket or on TV or the Web, you’d have no trouble picking Lisa Lillien out of a crowded room: She looks exactly like her cartoon alter ego, down to the gleaming white smile, green eyes and bouncy brown hair.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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