This hungry girl fights back!

I have been preparing light meals for a long time. In fact, March was my 1 year anniversary of Sparkpeople.com.

Jon and I live a fairly clean life- we don't smoke, rarely drink, and use only environmentally/pet friendly products in our home. We try to eat as organically as we can (OK, I do, and since I'm the cook and grocery shopper Jon GETS to eat organically) We've reduced the amount of meat we eat, and are very careful to get what I call "happy meat" when it's available at a reasonable price. Happy meat is free range poultry and grass feed beef.

No, I am not on my soapbox. No, we are not "hippy freaks." I just like to have control over what goes in my delicate system. I am not asking you or yours to change your lives, it's just how we choose to live ours :)

After I decided it was time to take back control in the kitchen we simply migrated to a more organic lifestyle. It's been small changes over the last year. I am extremely happy with the results. I am down 3 pants sizes, Jon is down 2 sizes. We are happier and healthier. It hasn't always been easy, particularly when we only had one income. But we made it work.

As part of our lifestyle change I began subscribing to Cooking Light Magazine. It's a monthly publication with scrumptious dishes, a lot of classics with a make-over. Always fun to try new things!

In addition to cooking light, I came across the Hungry Girl cook books. These books are awesome! They take real food- philly cheese steak, chicken pot pie, chicken lo mien, peanut butter and chocolate bread pudding- and make it healthy. The best part? Jon, my hungry man, has LOVED everything we've tried so far!

We had chicken pot pockets tonight. They are pot pies using egg roll wrappers. Tasty! Next time we are going to try beef pockets :) I did add some additional chicken and changed the cream soup from celery to mushroom. If you prepare the recipe with only 2 oz of chicken and leave the soup as celery, the calorie count is about 88 calories per pie.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friend. Cheers!

Chicken Pot Pockets
Makes 12 pies
97 calories per pie

12 egg roll wrappers
1 (10 3/4oz) healthy request cream of mushroom soup- undiluted
2 cups frozen bite-sized mixed veggies
5 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dice chicken into small cubes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Saute chicken and garlic until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet and cool slightly. Chop finely.

In a medium bowl, mix cornstarch thoroughly with 1 tsp. cold water. Add soup, and mix thoroughly. Add veggies and chicken, mix well, and then season to taste.

To Assemble:

On a large dry surface, lay out two egg roll wrappers. (Keep remaining wraps covered so they don't dry out) Set out a small dish of water, dip your finger into it, and then run your finger along all of the wrapper edges.

Starting about 1/2 inch from the bottom, place 2 - 3 tbsp. of filling along the bottom half of each wrapper, leaving a 1/2-inch border on both sides.

Fold the top half of each wrapper over, so that the top edge meets the bottom -- the mixture should be completely encased with a 1/2-inch border on three sides. Dab each border with water, and fold each inward about 1/4 inch to lightly seal all sides. Press firmly along the borders with the prongs of a fork to seal completely. Place completed pockets onto a prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until slightly golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.