Rather than dieting, I try to find ways to make the things I love in healthier versions. Sometimes this means a change across the board, sometimes it means changing one or two simple ingredients to make the dish a bit more healthy. I’ll give some examples in my ten ways to make my favorite foods healthier.
- Switch types of rice– We eat rice several times a week as a side dish. We used to only eat white rice but brown rice is much healthier for you. Unless there is somethings specific we LOVE white rice with, we use brown.
- Switch types of bread– Same thing goes with bread. I try to always use 100% whole wheat because it is much healthier than white bread. I grew up on WonderBread and luckily my kids have no idea what it is because I’ve always given them something healthier
- Use reduced fat versions– I used canned cream soup in a lot of my recipes. I look for the 98% fat free versions. They taste the same to me but are obviously healthier.
- Use fat-free versions– I also use a lot of sour cream in recipes. I can’t tell the difference when I use fat-free over the full fat version so why not cut it out completely?
- Use reduced salt versions– same thing goes with salt. Often times you can find reduced salt versions of products. I have a dinner recipe that calls for Ritz crackers- I always buy either the reduced sodium or whole wheat version.
- Use wheat flour– I make homemade pizza dough and waffles. For the pizza dough I use half wheat flour, half white flour and this actually gives the crust more flavor. For the waffles I use only wheat flour and they taste delicious! We make a quadruple batch and freeze the leftovers for busy mornings.
- Use less– We LOVE cheese in our house and go through it like water. We really should practice using a little less. For toppings on dishes, just use a bit less than you normally would to cut back your calories and fat intake
- Fat Free cool whip is your friend– topping sugar free jello (with some fruit tossed in) and topping it with fat free cool whip is a delicious treat which won’t go straight to your hips! (P.S. right now you can get if for free at Albertsons!)
- Use applesauce in place of shortening– in my favorite banana bread recipe, I replace shortening with applesauce- it works like a charm and you’ll never notice the difference!
- Just try it– You’ll never know if you don’t at least try it. Try switching out ingredients with healthier ones in your favorite recipes. If it doesn’t work out at least you’ll feel good having made the effort!
How do you make meals, snacks etc. healthier for YOUR family? Leave a comment to share!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and WeightWatchers SmartOnes blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.