What Can You Substitute?

BPRKEY

Find a good substitute for a food or ingredient? Examples, "zuddles", cheese crisps instead of crackers...

BPRKEY

I actually really spaghetti squash. Also, I love pasta. But I really try not to have it often. My husband and I made lasagna without the noodles when we were doing keto. Basically just the good stuff :-).

seltzermint555

I don't know if this counts at all since there's not really an item being substituted, but I've found in the past few years that when I omit cheese from a lot of things, I don't miss it at all. Obviously certain things like nachos, pizza, lasagna, need cheese. But I never put it on sandwiches or in salads that call for cheese as an ingredient...stuff like that. The exception is feta in my eggs now and then which is amazing and always will be

BPRKEY

I cannot live without cheese. That was one of the things that made keto tolerable. I don't really need a lot of it. Like tonight for example I made a simple chicken salad- chicken breast, some chopped onion, celery, parsley, pepper, and some dried herbs. I put it on a low-carb tortilla with basically just what I could pinch in my thumb and forefinger of shredded cheddar. I can either go sweets or cheese. If I have one or the other I'm good. But forget about cutting them both lol.

seltzermint555

What brand of low-carb tortillas do you like best? We get Mama Lupe's and they're awesome. Three times the price of regular tortillas but worth it

BPRKEY

I've never seen Mama Lupe's! We just get the Mission brand. We can get AMAZING local tortillas, but honestly we both like the texture of these better for wraps and stuff. They don't tear as easily.

kristen8000

I rarely eat sandwich buns any more. If I make a sandwich at home I'll use a sandwich thin, if I order one in a restaurant I won't eat the bun. I enjoy what's in it more than the bread.

I'd say the only things I can't really live without are real potato chips (if I really want them, I eat a snack bag, never buying the full size ones) and real mayo or sour cream. Light versions or subs aren't gonna work with this girl. Oh, and coffee. I've adapted to black coffee if I want a second cup through the day (I allow myself one a day with flavored creamer), but I can't cut it out.

BPRKEY

I feel you. I will only eat full fat dairy. I don't crave it if I just have the full fat yogurt or sour cream or whatever. You're totally right the light subs aren't the same. Their actually higher in sugar to make up for lack of flavor in most cases. No one is taking my coffee. Non-negotiable :-).

kristen8000 wrote: »

I rarely eat sandwich buns any more. If I make a sandwich at home I'll use a sandwich thin, if I order one in a restaurant I won't eat the bun. I enjoy what's in it more than the bread.

I'd say the only things I can't really live without are real potato chips (if I really want them, I eat a snack bag, never buying the full size ones) and real mayo or sour cream. Light versions or subs aren't gonna work with this girl. Oh, and coffee. I've adapted to black coffee if I want a second cup through the day (I allow myself one a day with flavored creamer), but I can't cut it out.

tinkerbellang83

The first thing I did when I started was log my normal intake for a couple of days to see where the extra calories were coming into the equation. For me it's mostly been reducing portion size by weighing out things like pasta, rice, etc.

One of the few substitutions I've made is switching Olive/Vegetable Oil to Spray Oil (Frylight here in the UK/Ireland or Pam I think in the US). That has made a massive difference to the calorie counts in my evening meals almost 200 calories difference in most cases.

clicketykeys

One substitution I've made is egg whites instead of eggs. Taking out the yolks reduces the fat and thus the calories. And they're a great way to add some protein to soups and casseroles. And inexpensive! It stretches a recipe quite easily.

ccruz985

@seltzermint555 I'm obsessed with Mission's whole wheat low carb wraps. They're delicious and wonderfully soft.

luckywizard

Pizza! I got this idea from SeriousEats blog. Basically you heat up an oven-safe skillet (9-10") until it's screaming hot then turn off the heat. Drop a skillet-sized tortilla in (the heat will make it conform to the bottom), then we load it up with healthy pizza goodies like tomato sauce or pesto, turkey sausage, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, chicken, tomato slices, olives, etc. Sprinkle with cheese then toast in a 450 degree oven for 7 minutes. Then you have a super thin crispy crust pizza and it can be easily shared with someone (I suppose you could use a smaller pan and smaller tortilla too)