It took the reality TV star took more than a year to lose the 50 pounds she packed on while pregnant with her son, Hank Baskett Jr. Here’s how she did it!

Kendra Wilkinson has struggled to get her body back into Playboy centerfold shape since giving birth to her son, Hank Jr., with her NFL player hubby, Hank Baskett, 28. But now, just over a year after her son’s arrival, the 25-year-old’s body is back in pre-baby shape! Isn’t it refreshing to read about a celebrity mom who didn’t drop the pregnancy pounds overnight?

Hank Jr. celebrates his first birthday

According to OK! magazine, Kendra was able to gradually slim down by making better choices when it came to her favorite foods. “I still order Chinese,” says Kendra. “But I get lettuce wraps and spicy green beans, not orange chicken.” Exchanging fatty fried entrees for more veggies is what helped the realty TV darling lose those last 15 pesky pounds. She’s so thrilled about her body that she’s showing it off on the December cover of Playboy.

Baby Hank already knows how to share

Besides a better diet, the new mom also squeezes in a workout every day. If she’s not in the gym doing 45 minutes of circuit training, she’s taking her 1-year-old for a stroll. Getting in shape while bonding with your baby is the best of both worlds! Way to go Kendra!

–Amy L. Harper

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Hey, Hollymoms! Every day this week we’re sharing a new recipe from our favorite celebrity chefs that would be perfect to stir up this Christmas! Whether you’re having a cocktail party or a four-course meal, Food Network star Rachael Ray‘s Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms will be a welcome addition to your menu. You’ll probably want to bake up a double batch, as we’re sure they’re going to be a crowd favorite!

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Yields: 24

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, one turn of the pan
24 large gourmet stuffing mushroom caps, stems removed and reserved brushed with damp towel
Salt and pepper

Stuffing:
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, half a turn of the pan
3/4 pound sweet bulk Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, chopped
20 stems mushrooms, finely chopped
1 rib of celery and green, leafy top from the heart of the stalk, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 slices white bread, toasted and buttered, chopped into small dice
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano, 2 handfuls

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and mushroom caps and season caps with salt and pepper. Saute caps 5 to 7 minutes, until they are lightly browned and tender on edges. Turn caps up and let juices drain away from caps. Transfer caps to a small nonstick baking sheet. Wipe out skillet and return to heat. Add a touch of oil and sausage to the hot skillet. Brown and crumble sausage for 3 minutes. In a food processor pulse and chop the garlic, add mushroom stems and pulse to chop the mushroom stems. Add celery, onion and red bell pepper to the mushrooms and pulse to chop. Remove mixture from the processor and saute veggies and mushrooms over medium high heat another 3 to 5 minutes. Add dry, defrosted spinach and stir into stuffing. Add chopped bread and cheese to the pan and toss stuffing until bread is moist and stuffing is combined, 2 or 3 minutes. Fill caps with stuffing using a small scoop or large spoon. Place caps in hot oven and reduce heat to 450 degrees F. Bake 6 to 8 minutes to crisp edges of stuffing and set stuffing in mushrooms. Transfer stuffed mushrooms to a serving plate.

Let us know if this are a hit at your holiday party! Happy cooking!

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Hey, Hollymoms! Every day this week we’re sharing a new recipe from our favorite celebrity chefs that would be perfect to stir up this Christmas! Today we’re talking comfort food and what could be better than a steaming bowl of soup? Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis‘ Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostini will warm your heart and soul after a long day of shopping or shoveling snow. Even the pickiest eater will come back for seconds, we promise!

Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostini
Ingredients:
Soup:
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crostini:
1/2 baguette, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 cup (2 ounces) grated fontina cheese
Kosher salt

Directions:
In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.

For the crostini: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheese crostini.

Cook’s Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

Happy cooking this holiday season, HollyMoms!

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You don’t have to suffer to look like a celeb! We’ve got cocktails, bar food, and snacks that will leave you feeling like you indulged in treat — without busting your diet!

When I heard that Chelsea Handler kept her figure by sustaining on vodka and french fries, I thought … that sounds like a pretty good way to spend the summer! But obviously most of us can’t stay in shape by downing martinis and fried potatoes. However, hope is not lost. There are a slew of snacks — and beverages — that, while not exactly “good” for you, aren’t going to completely bust your diet either.

Celebs like Kim Kardashian, Holly Madison, and Katy Perry choose popchips instead of french fries, and tequila on the rocks instead of margaritas … so they give up the calories without giving up indulging all together! So check out these Un-Guilty snack foods and spiked drinks that will satisfy your junk cravings — without completely busting your diet. Because nobody wants to go a whole summer without a cocktail!

LOW-CAL COCKTAILS!

Cloned Clover
This cocktail recipe from Butter Restaurant in NYC is super sweet, and simple to make:

2.5 parts Svedka Vodka
1 part fresh Lemon Juice
1.5 part Agave Nectar

Combine ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into martini glass. Garnish with French Dragees.

901-DERFUL
A low-cal take on a margaritas from Justin Timberlake‘s NYC eatery Southern Hospitality is terrific way to sip tequila:

1.5 oz Justin Timberlake’s 901 Tequila
1 oz fresh Lime Juuice
1 oz Agave Nectar

Shake and sip!

Tranquility
This bold treat from New York hotspot Buddakan will keep you cool and calorie conscience this summer!

1.5 oz Stoli Citrus
1.5 Oolong Tea
.25 oz Lemongrass Syrup
.25 oz Lemon Juice

Serve in Collins glass, stir, and garnish with lemon wedge.

HEALTHY BAR FOOD!

Wall and Water Mushroom Salad
This salad, served in the Andaz Hotel’s restaurant in NYC, is a light and delicious way to feed your hunger cravings! This recipe is for six 5 oz, portions.

Ingredients:
3 pounds of fresh seasonal mushrooms, cleaned
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
3 oz extra virgin olive oil plus 2 oz to finish the salad
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
.5 pound organic arugula
2 Tbsp. roasted garlic
.25 cup picholini olives, pitted
6-8 thin slices (in rings) red onion
1 lemon, juiced
.5 cup roasted hazelnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Clean mushrooms with a brush to be sure to get all of the dirt from the surface and gills, and place into a large mixing bowl.

3. Sprinkle with the chopped thyme and drizzle with 3 ounces of extra virgin olive oil. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss well until the mushrooms have absorbed all of the oil.

4. Place the mushrooms on a large sheet pan and roast for 12 minutes to allow moisture to evaporate. Let mushrooms cool to room temperature.

5. Once cool, place into a large mixing bowl.  Add roasted garlic, red onion slices, picholini olives, the juice of one lemon, and 2 ounces of extra virgin olive oil.Mix well to blend.

6. To finish the salad, gently fold in the arugula and season with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Top with roasted hazelnuts and serve.

Yellowtail Jalapeno
This Yellowtail Jalapeno recipe from swanky NYC Japanese eatery Tanuki Tavern is so simple! There’s no excuse not to reach for this instead of fried shrimp on a warm day. This recipe is for one 4 0z. serving.

Ingredients:
4 oz. fresh Hamachi, also called Yellowtail fish
1 Jalapeno pepper
1 Japanese mountain potato
2 Tbs. Spicy ponzu sauce (or substitute with 1 cup lemon juice, 1tbs rice vinegar, 4/3 cup soy, 1 Tbs. sriracha)
1/4 cup Micro green mix for the garnish

Directions:
1. Slice Hamachi into six pieces, about 1 and ¼ inch long x 1 inch wide

2. Place Hamachi in circle around the plate, spacing the slices evenly.

3. Slice the jalepeno into six thin rings

4. Slice the Japanese mountain potato into six things rings

3. Place 1 slice of jalapeno and 1 slice of crispy mountain potato on each Hamachi slice.

4. Lightly drizzle the spicy ponzu sauce over Hamachi and micro mix green for the garnish.

CELEBS’ FAVORITE SNACKS ON-THE-GO!

BBQ Pop Chips
‘Tis the season for BBQ! But if you’re craving the taste of bar-b-que, but don’t want to fill up on a greasy meal, grab a bag of BBQ flavored popchips. At 100 calories per bag, they are quick way to feed your craving, without filling your fat content.

Sugar Factory Couture Lollipops
Celebs like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Katy Perry get their sugar fix — without killing their calorie count for the day — with Sugar Factory lolipops! The pops come with a plastic cover, so you can save it for later! The pop’s bejewelled stick costs $25.00 — but you can continue to replace the tops every time you’re done!

Yogen Fruz
The latest treat to join the FroYo craze is Yogen Früz, which blends vanilla yogurt with fruit to crate a customized blend for dessert. Brooke Shields, Courteney Cox, and Khloe Kardashian are fans of the newest flavor, Chai Latte, which combines the taste of a super sugary coffee drink with frozen yogurt, for only 110 calories — including the shaved almonds! So yummy, you’ll never pick up a calorie-heavy frozen coffee again.

Trident Layers
Ok, so you can’t live on gum alone, but after a night of boozing and eating, you might want to cut back the next day. If you’re trying to stop yourself from snacking, chew gum! Heather Graham, Whitney Port, and Denise Richards are obsessed with Trident Layers gum, and at 5 calories a piece, the sugar free snack is not hurting your figure!

Courtesy of Redbook

Wow, it sounds like Tricia Yearwood and Garth Brooks‘ lives really revolve around food! And one cheesy noodle dish in particular.

Tricia tells Redbook magazine, “[Garth] jokes how, when he first got divorced and moved to Oklahoma and had the girls every other day, the three of them ate a lot of boxed macaroni and cheese and chicken tenders.” But now, “He is really an experimental cook. He came up with this breakfast bowl, but it’s not really a recipe. It’s more like a bunch of really great things thrown into a bowl.”

But, she and her husband of nearly five years sure make a good pair! Tricia says, “I love cheese and I love cheese in everything. Macaroni and cheese is probably one of my favorite things in the world. I don’t care if it’s from a box or a school cafeteria.” OK! We get it!  But … that’s not all.

“In [Home Cooking With Tricia Yearwood], I’ve included a Crock-Pot recipe for mac and cheese that is one of the best things in the whole world. I can’t make it that often, because I will eat the entire thing. But my motto’s always been, Everything in moderation – including moderation.”

We guess everything … except for Macaroni & Cheese!

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