Lisa Lillien was so sure the "diet" breakfast pastry she ate daily was too low-cal to be true that she sent it to a lab. The result? Twice the calories claimed on the label. Furious, the self-styled "foodologist" vowed to make her own healthy snacks and "share them with the world."

In 2004 Lillien launched Hungry-Girl.com, a free e-mail service with food news, diet tips and recipes. She now has a national following and a bestselling cookbook, Hungry Girl. Her approach seemingly works: Once 143 lbs., the 5'1" Lillien, 42, is down to 118 lbs. Working from the Encino, Calif., apartment she shares with TV-writer husband Dan Schneider, she makes minimeals of egg-white omelets and whips up baked onion rings coated with fiber cereal ("60 calories instead of 600!") and chocolate peanut butter fudge with pumpkin. "It's about guilt-free eating," she says, "but I won't sacrifice taste."

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Dreamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
1 18.3-oz. box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies Traditional Chewy Brownie Mix 2 cups canned pure pumpkin 2 tablespoons reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature Combine pumpkin with brownie mix in large bowl and stir until smooth. Spray a square 9"×9" baking pan with nonstick spray and pour in mixture. Spoon on peanut butter and swirl around top with a knife. Bake 35 min. at 350°F. Cool. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least two hours. Servings: 36 1 1/2-in. squares Calories per serving: 65