Hacks that reduce calories (and other things)

yirara

I don't eat a lot of meat for ethical reasons. Also, the tastiest meat tends to be rather high in calorie here, like pork mince (low fat doesn't exist). For the past two days I made a rice bowl with crisped up pork, lots of spices and my own condiment, plus veg and pickled things. Anyway, the pork mince is super high in calorie, and it's meat. So I only used half of my usual portion and the other half crumbled tofu, mixed both together. I still got the crisped up pork texture and taste, but at a lot less calories and meat content, with still a good amount of protein.

Do you have some similar hacks that you use regularly?

acpgee

I replace 30% of mince with quorn in recipes like bolognese sauce or chilli con carne. I can’t discern the difference in either taste or texture.

Increased resistant starch content by cooling and reheating carbs, or freezing and toasting bread.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cooling-resistant-starch#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2

Alatariel75

I add veggies to everything. Mushrooms chopped and added to any meaty stewed dish double the bulk while adding very few calories. Grated zucchini in bolognaises, blended veg in sauces etc. You can add veg almost anywhere. I also use 50/50 riced cauli with regular rice if I'm having it, and mix 50/50 cauli and pasta for things like pasta bakes.

Corina1143

I make my own sausage with 99% fat free turkey. It's the spices I want and like, along with the protein, not the crispy fat.

9y4qg4b2ph622

I replace a little less than half of the mayonnaise in things like broccoli salad or tuna salad with non fat yogurt. You don’t really notice if it’s less than half. More than half you start to taste the yogurt tangyness.

acpgee

If you are craving a carby crispy snack, a lot of chiplike items sold for deep frying at home can be microwaved to a crisp. Indian poppadoms and Asian shrimp chips, sold in ethnic grocery stores, for example. Photo shows poppadoms that have been microwaved 1 minute each, served to scoop up tuna tartare.

SafariGalNYC

I use to add a lot of calories by frying or sautéing in olive oil or fat… now I poach or bake fish and poultry to save on cals. No oil needed!

Corina1143

I'm not a big dessert eater, but sometimes--
I make a mousse of about half 2% cottage cheese and half baked sweet potato. Add a little vanilla and enough milk (a couple spoonfuls?) So it whips well in the blender. It's better the second or third day. No added sugar. Got some protein. Credit for eating veggies. Win-win.

springlering62

I use a particular frying pan that, if preheated, browns and “sautees” meats with no additional oil. Nonstick and easy to clean, too.

I have a strained that holds a tub of dairy product. I often strain a tub of nonfat Greek yogurt for two or three days. It makes a great low cal cream cheese substitute, and can be used to make a very low cal cheesecake my husband’s fond of, too.

I add diced veggies to dishes as others said above, especially lasagna. I also noticed that there’s very little taste difference using half the noodles called for. I buy ground chicken, mix it well with Italian herbs or herbs de Provence and then brown it. You’d never know it wasn’t Italian sausage.

I sometimes make my own skyr or yogurt. The liquid whey I drain off during the process is like liquid gold. It makes great breads, pancakes, etc. by simply substituting for water. And it adds protein.

Sweet balsamic infused vinegars are very low calorie and can be used 1001 ways - as a stir fry sauce, a marinade, salad dressing, over cottage cheese and fruit. There’s dozens of flavors but my favorites are strawberry, blueberry, espresso, honey ginger, and once in a while I’ll get a bottle of chocolate. Very intense sweet taste without the sugar.

Cinnamon in or on various things. Although it’s not sweet, our tastebuds perceive it as sweet.

Lately, diced apples in green or chicken type salads. Lends a pleasant taste for not a lot of calories, since one apple is usually enough for multiple servings.

My wonderful Ninja hand milk frother. Pour in a quarter cup of skim, pump it for twenty seconds, microwave for 20-30 seconds, and enjoy a cup of light frothy foam.

acpgee

Tip for pancakes when using a nonstick pan. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the microwave and stir it into the batter. No additional fat needed.

springlering62

i was using a big nonstick griddle and didn’t need any oils at all.

But after seeing someone talking about making pancakes on sheet pans, I started doing that to make my giant batches.

With baking paper, they just lift out. No scrubbing or oil necessary. Easy peasy!!!! Genius and I could hug whoever suggested it!

And bonus, the pancakes come out like…..cake, and anything disguised as low cal, high protein sweet moist cake is a win/win/win/win/WIN in my opinion.

yirara

Keep 'em coming! Some good advice here.

Hobartlemagne

Pork loin and shoulder have less fat than mince.

My go-to method for reducing calories is to reduce fat.

Carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram, but fat is 9 calories per gram

nossmf

I used to avoid crock pot meals because of how much work went into cleaning the pot after. But then my sister introduced me to disposable crock pot liners which you put in place before adding any ingredients. Not only is cleaning the pot as simple as simply lifting the liner (plus leftovers) and dropping into the trash, but the contents have been less likely to burn to the sides of the pot.

Tip from my doctor who wanted to put me on blood pressure meds but suggested I try something first: when cooking a meal which includes stirring in seasonings to include salt, continue to add everything as normal but hold off on adding the salt until immediately before serving. (This does not apply to baking, just soups, sauces, skillet meals, etc.) Not only does this cause the flavor of the entire meal to be more intense, but people are far less likely to add additional salt once the food is on the plate/bowl. Less salt, for some people (like me) can impact blood pressure and other health markers, and for everybody else, the greater taste intensity is (usually) welcome.