I had an interview recently that was pretty stressful. Afterward, I craved a certain restaurant sandwich I love, made with bacon, cheese and nice, thick Italian bread.

It’s no wonder that when I saw a headline on a women’s magazine that said, “Are you SICK of being fat?” I wanted to yell right back, “YES!”

Comfort food is always calling, even, or maybe especially, when you know you have to say no. I rarely crave sweets for sweets’ sake — it’s the warm, full feeling I get after chowing down that gets me. And a nap afterward.

Which is why such carb-heavy things as cake, puddings, cookies are high on my must-have list.

Unfortunately, what they do to my bod is not good. But I refuse to give them up. I’ve been the cardboard du jour route, and I’m not going there again.

So when news of the “Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook” (Taste of Home/Reader’s Digest, $17.95) landed in my e-mail, I was so there.

The book, produced by the people who publish “Taste of Home Healthy Cooking” magazine, follows their tried-and-true formula: compiling, testing, tapping into the skills of folks across the country who have been there, cooked that.

Editors were seeing more lighter recipes come in to their office and noting “just a general sense of, people want this,” said Peggy Woodward, food editor for “Taste of Home,” author of its “Ask Peggy” nutrition column and a registered dietitian.

“This” is satisfying, healthier recipes with broad appeal, which can also assist in weight loss, Ms. Woodward said. “The bottom line is [recipes] still have to taste great. if they taste like diet food, if the ingredients are hard to find and if the rest of the family doesn’t enjoy the food, they’re not going to stick with it.”

For so many of us, recipes have to satisfy that comfort food craving. I’ve been fascinated to see lately markers of how pervasive this issue is, and how people address it.

It’s the topic of several popular reality TV shows, notably the tale of Ruby Gettinger, the Savannah, Ga., woman who topped out at 716 pounds but since has lost nearly 400 pounds and is working to lose more, without surgery. she explores the emotional issues that sway her weight gain and loss on Style’s “Ruby.” There’s also NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” with its intensely personal, often heart-wrenching, life stories.

Lately, there are also some high-profile converts to better eating, people who have said they were comfortable at higher weights, such as Academy Award winners Mo’Nique and Jennifer Hudson. both have slenderized and, while not stick-thin, are talking about how they are eating and feeling better.

“I’m not a psychologist but there are so many different reasons that bring us to eating,” says Ms. Woodward. “Most of the time it’s not because we’re hearing our stomachs growl.

“There’s such a social aspect to food and it’s hard to get around that.”

The “Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook” helps by giving stories of success from people who have lost significant amounts of weight, suggestions for small changes that yield big results over the long run, nutrition information and advice, and easy recipes that address many eating triggers.

Recipes are grouped as snacks, breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, and come with nutrition information, as well as tips on daily calorie impact and how to keep within your calorie budget. purchase the book and you’ll also receive a year’s free subscription to “Taste of Home Healthy Cooking” and access to more recipes and information online.

I tested three recipes and honestly enjoyed them. Quite importantly, my family loved them. my husband particularly liked that they were low-fat. I’ve also purchased a pedometer to get in the recommended 10,000 steps per day. I’m happy to report that I’ve added a least a few miles to my weekly exercise regimen, and I’m feeling more energetic and certainly more watchful of my food intake.

I am not going to tell you I plan to peel off pound after pound quickly with these changes, but I do hope to make an important impact on my lifestyle, and my family’s by example (and avoid needing the Brobdingnagian Sports Chair, marketed at hammacherschlemmer.com, $149.95). Ms. Hudson, who is now a spokesperson for Weight Watchers, says she embarked on losing weight partly because she wants to set a good example for her infant son.

“People need to know what’s realistic,” says Ms. Woodward. “We generally recommend losing 1 to 2 pounds per week.

“Slow and steady weight loss, weight loss that you can keep off over time, even less than that, is OK. think about just not gaining weight — that can be successful for you.

“You’re on the right path to getting healthier, and people need to realize that it’s not just about the weight or fitting into a certain [outfit].

“It’s about their overall well-being.”

Pudding just can’t do that.

Easy Arroz con Pollo

Casseroles top the list of comfort foods. this one is listed in the “Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook” among dinners with a higher calorie count. It is meant to be a one-stop supper, but you could easily add a salad with a drizzle of dressing, or a steamed vegetable, and your fat cells would never notice.

• 1 3/4 cups uncooked instant rice
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• Garlic salt and pepper to taste
• 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth
• 1 cup picante sauce
• 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the rice in a greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with garlic salt and pepper. place over rice. In a bowl, combine the broth, picante sauce, tomato sauce, onion and green pepper; pour over the chicken.

Cover and bake for 55 minutes or until the rice is tender and the chicken juices run clear. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Serves 6. one serving is 351 calories and 9 grams fat.

– Debbie Harris, Tucson, Ariz., in the “The Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook” (Taste of Home/Reader’s Digest, 2009, $17.95)

Pineapple Pudding Cake

Take away my dessert? You’re so funny. Yes, you use a 9-ounce cake mix for this. The cake is thin, the dessert almost like a tiramisu. Don’t skip the refrigeration.

• 9-ounce package yellow cake mix (such as Jiffy)
• 1 1/2 cups cold fat-free milk
• 1-ounce package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 8-ounce package fat-free cream cheese
• 20-ounce can unsweetened crushed pineapple, well-drained
• 8-ounce carton frozen, fat-free whipped topping, thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 20 maraschino cherries, well drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions; pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. cool completely on a wire rack.

In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in pudding mixture until blended. Spread evenly over cake. Sprinkle with pineapple; spread with whipping topping. Sprinkle with walnuts and garnish with cherries. Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 20 servings. one piece is 131 calories, 2g fat.

– Kathleen Worden, North Andover, Mass., in “The Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook” (Taste of Home/Reader’s Digest, 2009, $17.95)

I love fresh, crunchy foods, especially vegetables. I wish it made up for my pudding craving. this would be great served next to broiled fish, or any of the “fried” fish recipes in “Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook.” A sucker for good mayonnaise, I’ve found the reduced-calorie versions now available are much improved over versions from some years ago. Julie Copenhayer, of Morganton, N.C., devised this recipe and writes that it makes a “great light lunch when stuffed into a whole-wheat pita.”

• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 5 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup fresh broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a bowl, combine the cabbage, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and onion. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over cabbage mixture; toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Serves six. one serving equals 84 calories and 5 grams fat.

– Julie Copenhayer, Morganton, N.C., in the “The Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook” (Taste of Home/Reader’s Digest, 2009, $17.95)

• Speaking of healthy eating, Good Housekeeping is offering a $125,000 prize for the best heart-healthy recipe in its “Cook your Heart Out” contest. Deadline: May 15. Recipes must meet American Heart Association guidelines and taste good. Details: goodhousekeeping.com/your-recipes.

• Joey D’s Bar & Grille, 2801 Freeport Road, Harmarville, will host a wine tasting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. $25, space limited, register at grapethoughts.com.

• An easy way to help: Saturday is the annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive, sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers and Campbell Soup Co. to participate, leave a bag of nonperishable food on Saturday at the spot where your letter carrier usually leaves your mail. For more details, go to helpstampouthunger.com. Or ask your letter carrier. Drive says it’s the largest single-day food collection. started in 1993, it last year netted a record 73.4 million pounds of food. if you don’t know the need is there, you’ve had your head in a bag of Doritos.

• Learn to identify spring edibles (and avoid poisonous plants) and how to prepare them at 2 p.m. May 16 at the Regional Environmental Education Center, 1571 Mayview Road, Upper St. Clair. Groups of three or more receive a 10 percent discount. Fees: $8 adults, $3 children under 12. E-mail JessicaS@regionaleec.org or call 412-838-0064.

• Fox Chapel High School alum Kelly Liken, who owns an eponymous restaurant in Vail, Colo., will compete on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” at 9 p.m. Sunday.

• Emily Franklin, author of “Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, and 102 new Recipes,” shares recipes and stories at Giant Eagle Market District stores – a 4 p.m. tomorrow at Bethel Park and 10 a.m. Saturday in Shadyside.

• Author Michael Perry will riff on his book “COOP: A Family, a Farm and the Pursuit of one Good Egg” (Harper Perennial, $14.99) at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 13, at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 510 S. 27th St., SouthSide Works.

• Training for a race and need food advice? Former Olympian Chris Carmichael, personal coach to 7-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, will talk about his life and the science of sports performance at Breakfast with Chris Carmichael tomorrow, 7 to 9 a.m. at Carnegie Science Center. Tickets cost $40; register at carnegiesciencecenter.org.

• Dillner Family Farm, 9 old Springhouse Lane, West Deer, will be offering two-hour walking farm tours at 6 p.m. May 14, 15 and 22. E-mail ddillner@consolidated.net to make reservations.

• Head south on May 15 and 16 for the Waynesburg Sheep and Fiber Festival, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Greene County Fairgrounds. Juried crafts, sheep-to-shawl competition, music, Elysian Fields Farm lamb cook-off (with Food & Flavor columnist Miriam Rubin, shepherding dog demos, children’s activities. Contact Waynesburg Prosperous & beautiful, 724-627-8119; msm@waynesburgpa.org.

• Or, experience Taste of Oakland, noon to 3 p.m. May 15. $5 per person, or the donation of a nonperishable food item at the Forbes Avenue/South Bouquet Street parklet or Eureka Bank, 3455 Forbes Ave. Free for Carnegie Museums members. Tour shopping and taste restaurateurs’ specialties at the event; also free admission to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Details: onlyinoakland.org, or call Mary Davidson, 412-683-6243, ext. 19, email mary@oaklandbid.org.

• Food is on the menu, too, at the Spring Fling Craft and Vendor show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Castle Shannon Memorial Hall, Grove Road and Route 88. there also will be raffles. Benefits the Autism Center of Pittsburgh. info@autismcenterofpittsburgh.com.