Dinners that taste indulgent, but are not?

ErynVee

Happy Friday!

My biggest struggle with eating healthy is breaking the mental associations I have with food/beverages. I automatically associate fun/relaxation with going out to eat and grabbing some drinks. Previously, on weekends (and some weekdays, lets be honest) I would often go out, snack on delicious, but horrible foods, and indulge in a few drinks (usually high alcohol, high calorie beers). I'm trying to "retrain my brain," but also to discover healthier versions of recipes that feel like a splurge, but are not. I've been searching pinterest and I have a few that I use over and over, but I was curious as to what others like to make when they feel like eating something that is not so good for you? I'm trying to keep things interesting by adding new recipes and trying some different things.

Any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

pvju

I love roasted vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and brussels sprouts with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and maybe a little lemon. If you roast them long enough they get this caramelized crunchy quality that tastes so rich and satisfying to me. Otherwise stews and soups can really feel hearty - I make lamb stew with these pre marinated lamb tips from trader joe's add carrots, onions, just one chopped potato and water and put it in the crock pot - it's heavenly and feels like a real meal.

I posted earlier about banana ice cream - it's as simple as frozen banana chunks in a food processor - takes a little stopping, starting, re-organizing the chunks but in a no time you have something that you can't tell has no cream in it - it's a creamy frozen indulgent dessert - tastes and feels exactly like ice-cream - you can throw a little chocolate sauce or whip cream on top and it feels as indulgent as any dessert out there.

Need2Exerc1se

Nachos is a big one for me. I load it up with lean meat (usually either shredded chicken or ground turkey), black beans, onion, jalapeno, lots of spice, plus a little avocado and reduced fat cheddar. And I really load up every chip so I don't blow all my calories but still get a nice crunch. This is my go to 'munchy' type cheat.

For a sit down meal type indulgence lasagna is a frequent one for me - I use Fiber Gourmet lasagna to cut the noodle calories in half and use less noodles overall, I use lowfat cottage cheese instead of full fat ricotta (I put it in the blender to make it smooth instead of curds). I can easily eat 2 large portions for the calories in one serving of traditional lasagna.

Francl27

What I do is look up recipes of whatever I'm craving and add 'healthy' when doing my search... You can find pretty much everything. Skinnytaste is a fantastic website for that too, but I've found a lot of recipes thanks to good old Google, lol. I make tasty spaghetti and meatballs, shepherd's pie, chicken tenders, stuffed peppers, fish and chips... And when I can't find something, I ask on MFP.

Oh and after 3 years on MFP I've realized that often, lower calorie dishes are as tasty or even tastier than the high calorie stuff in restaurants... I'm not even tempted by all the fried/sauce stuff anymore... I'll only splurge on the high calorie stuff when it's something I've been craving for a while (and can't easily make a 'lighter' version of.. which is typically dessert at this point).

And always remember that it's ok to have a high calorie dish occasionally... just have a smaller portion.

ErynVee

Thanks so much everyone!!!

dklibert

I like to try to re-create restaurant meals at home. That way I know what is going in them and can use less fat etc. I also cut wine or liquor with carbonated water or flavored carbonated water. Even diet soda like fresca is great. I think red wine and fresca taste like a sparkling sangria. Also I find that garnishes and seasonings make things seem more indulgent. Like a slice of avocado on a homemade taco. I think these tacos a decadent and are great with the wine and fresca. soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2014/07/suiza-rellenos-tacos.html



And here is another drink idea. Wine-a-ritas! Works with white or red wine.

Wine-a-rita
Servings | 4

Ingredients

1 Crystal light Pink lemonade tub
Ice, to fill blender
12 1/2 oz wine, approx. 1/2 of a 750 ml bottle of wine

Instructions

Place wine and lemonade mix in the blender. Fill blender with ice. Process until all ice chunks are gone. Serve in a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Very cool and refreshing! You can use any wine you like in this recipe. White or Red. Red is my favorite.

rontafoya

Not a direct answer but if you like dessert? Slice 1 or 2 ripe bananas about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices, and pan fry in some coconut oil until starting to brown and dust with cinnamon.