Comfort Food Alternatives?

Mangopickle

I make chickpea brownies from chickpea flour and no one can tell the difference. No real calorie change but slower carb and higher protein. And as delicious as any Giradelli brownie.

PatsyFitzpatrick

This is my 1st site to use when looking for recipes.It has nutritional & WW info for every recipe,plus most are delicious.

http://www.skinnytaste.com

WOW Great find thanks for sharing.
Patsy

raggiemom

bump to check out recipe sites later

ceciliaruns

I'm a big baker too, I LOVE eating all of my creations and that's why I end up gaining over the winter. I bake for my kids when I'm losing and I honestly can't let myself have one single bit or I'll splurge!! I will sometimes take a bite without thinking, then spit it out in the trash. I do bake "healthier" things, using whole wheat flour, flax seed meal, coconut oil, apple sauce, etc. My go-to sweets now are no-bake raw balls I make with oats, flax, honey, peanut butter, fruit puree (such as dates or figs) I freeze them and allow myself one or two of them. They are satisfying and delicious and I don't think about cookies after I've had one. Some of my family favorites are on my website.

www.readysetyum.com/whats-cookin.html

Here is one ball recipe...I have another that is to die for, I'll get the recipe together and post.
http://www.ziplist.com/recipes/2480480-100_Calorie_Raw_Mocha_Energy_Balls?return_to=/recipes/box

MinnieInMaine

Cant help you with the baked goods as I'm not much of a baker but for the cheesy pasta or other casserole type comfort foods, I make substitutes and/or add in healthier ingredients. In general, you can cut down on the amount of pasta a bit, add lots of veggies to bulk it back up (broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc), use leaner meats or less meat and less or lower fat dairy products. Use more herbs/spices to improve flavor.

If you like alfredo and don't mind using jarred sauces, Classico makes a pretty decent light alfredo. Or you can make your own alfredo substitute with low fat cream soup and a little parmesan.

GBrady43068

I've found that I can control most of my cravings, except my cravings for those things that are so, so delicious and comforting, but are completely bad for you. I'm talkin' potato chips, perogies, chocolate cake, creamy pasta, apple crumble, COOKIES... Basically anything packed with cream, sugar, carbs and FAT!

I'm a big baker, and I love to cook, so I'm wondering if anyone has any health-i-fied comfort food recipes, or ingredient alternatives, that I could add to my arsenal?

Nothing is "completely bad for you"...it's all about moderation. However, I do understand that some foods can just be triggers for us and it's easier to avoid them for the most part so we don't overindulge. There are some easy ways you can make small substitutes that will help lower some of these amounts of cream, sugar, and fat in what you eat.

A pretty simple one is swapping out the oil in brownies with (this will sound completely ridiculous but it actually works well) black beans. You take them out of the can, put in a sieve and completely rinse all the "sauce" from the canning off (helps get rid of the excess sodium), then puree it with approximately a cup of water. Add the puree to the brownie mix and bake as normal. That will save you most of the fat calories and you get the bonus of adding a bunch of fiber to them. The "special" brownies have been eaten undetected by kids so I take that as a good sign of nothing "tasting weird" if you can get picky kids to eat 'em.

I don't have personal experience but I'm told anywhere that sour cream is used, plain Greek yogurt can be substituted. I would imagine you may also be able to substitute it for plain cream if you added some sort of sweetener..either natural but lower calorie (stevia/agave) or artificial (aspartame, sucralose, etc.)

GBrady43068

Also, has anyone tried baking brownies with black beans instead of oil / eggs? I heard you can do it with all kinds of recipes and it really bumps up the protein and fiber, even the moistness! My coworker brought some in and I couldn't taste the beans, they were just nice, moist brownies.

I have...worked well and was easy..see my response above

DeliriumCanBeFun

This is a great lighter version of alfredo, and my husband and kids all love it! I'm not a fan using nutmeg in this and only usually buy 2% yogurt, but it's very open to alterations depending on your taste. I always double it because we have a big family, and the leftovers are great.
http://www.celebrations.com/c/recipe/skinny-chicken-broccoli-alfredo

JohnDowding

My comfort foods are pasta and anything mexican :-) I do okay substituting cashews as a late-night snack (mostly), but once in a while those backfire too.

Athijade

I find that trying to use substitutions does not work for me. I know I have used the sub. I know it tastes different. So it doesn't meet my craving. Then I feel bad because I wasted calories on a meal I didn't really enjoy instead of just eating the real thing, but less of it. I then crave it MORE then before which means I will have trouble watching said portion when I finally give it.

Also, when I make stuff like pizza and lasagna, I make sure to have some sort of vegetable with it to fill out my meal. This helps with portions.

I also make sure I plan to have these meals ahead of time. Knowing I have it to look forward to helps with those cravings. I also don't plane a meal like that on a daily or weekly basis. For example, tonight is breaded pork chops and mashed potatoes with gravy. Mmmmmm

RobertHButler

I will substitute a meal for some peanut butter and ritz crackers, and cave into Mallomars on occasion.

kbradford26

I've found that I can control most of my cravings, except my cravings for those things that are so, so delicious and comforting, but are completely bad for you. I'm talkin' potato chips, perogies, chocolate cake, creamy pasta, apple crumble, COOKIES... Basically anything packed with cream, sugar, carbs and FAT!

I'm a big baker, and I love to cook, so I'm wondering if anyone has any health-i-fied comfort food recipes, or ingredient alternatives, that I could add to my arsenal?

Nothing is "completely bad for you"...it's all about moderation. However, I do understand that some foods can just be triggers for us and it's easier to avoid them for the most part so we don't overindulge. There are some easy ways you can make small substitutes that will help lower some of these amounts of cream, sugar, and fat in what you eat.

A pretty simple one is swapping out the oil in brownies with (this will sound completely ridiculous but it actually works well) black beans. You take them out of the can, put in a sieve and completely rinse all the "sauce" from the canning off (helps get rid of the excess sodium), then puree it with approximately a cup of water. Add the puree to the brownie mix and bake as normal. That will save you most of the fat calories and you get the bonus of adding a bunch of fiber to them. The "special" brownies have been eaten undetected by kids so I take that as a good sign of nothing "tasting weird" if you can get picky kids to eat 'em.

I don't have personal experience but I'm told anywhere that sour cream is used, plain Greek yogurt can be substituted. I would imagine you may also be able to substitute it for plain cream if you added some sort of sweetener..either natural but lower calorie (stevia/agave) or artificial (aspartame, sucralose, etc.)

So many people have suggested the black bean brownies to me, I'm VERY excited to give that a try Thanks for the tip!

votkuhr

Chunky peanut butter is my comfort food; but instead of completely avoiding it, I just have a teeny tiny bit (1/4 teaspoon) and savour it. The craving usually goes away after 5 minutes.

BeckZombie

For pasta dishes, I like to replace the pasta with spaghetti squash or barley. The barley is really quite satisfying and I happen to like it already, which helps.

I agree with the person who said the spaghetti squash mac and cheese from skinnytaste is delicious. Even my family loved it, and they're not big on eating healthy.

seltzermint555

I love sugar/chocolate but honestly my biggest comfort food has always been scrambled/fried eggs and toast. I used to enjoy it with chocolate milk or Ovaltine, from my teens all the way up to the recent past. I still enjoy an egg and toast but usually with a nice cup of coffee instead of the milk.

FTR I do still like and enjoy milk, but I can fit one egg and one piece of 100% wheat Ozark Hearth toast into almost any day (under 200 cal for the snack).

kbradford26

I love sugar/chocolate but honestly my biggest comfort food has always been scrambled/fried eggs and toast. I used to enjoy it with chocolate milk or Ovaltine, from my teens all the way up to the recent past. I still enjoy an egg and toast but usually with a nice cup of coffee instead of the milk.

FTR I do still like and enjoy milk, but I can fit one egg and one piece of 100% wheat Ozark Hearth toast into almost any day (under 200 cal for the snack).

Egg on Toast is my absolute FAVOURITE. I started making Egg in a Nest (where you cut a hole in the middle of the bread and fry the egg inside it). It cuts down on the amount of carbs and calories, but I still get the awesome taste that I love. Plus, it's super easy

mortuseon

http://honeyandfigskitchen.com/2014/01/50-comfort-food-healthy-makeovers.html

MyChocolateDiet

so..UNcomfortable foods? Okay too much walnuts, mouth goes pucker. Lemons straight makes my jaw twinge. Piping hot pizza burns the roof of my mouth. Jalapeno's make my nose run. Wasabe gives my sinus a wake up call. Too much bread makes my belly painfully bloated. Raw almonds make my temples swell and tight. I think that's it.

cicisiam

Great info. ty