healthy versions of food from your childhood

mommy2robert

I get the whole ‘everything in moderation’ and all that but seriously how do you train your taste buds to like, and crave healthy food? I have eaten crap for 33 years of my life. Yeah I had fruits, vegetables and things that were ‘healthy’ when I was a kid. But what I always want and have the biggest weekness for is my parents home cooking... which is far from healthy. I never crave a large salad or fruit bowl.

How do you make things like mac and cheese, fried chicken, any sort of casserole smothered with mashed potatoes and cheese healthy? Once you have mastered the ability to change your foods from your childhood to a healthy version how you train your taste buds to enjoy them.

dragonbug300

Look into the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious"
It includes ways to 'healthify' a lot of favorite comfort foods with vegetables.
You can train yourself, with time and dedication, to love the things you hate. I used to only eat white bread, and now I can't stand it. I've grown to love all things whole grain, all things fruit, and all things veggie (except maybe raw celery). I did it by forcing myself to eat what I knew was good for me and reminding myself that anything that didn't work FOR my body worked AGAINST it.

tararocks

You have to do baby steps....even in 6 short months i crave vegetables that i would turn my nose up at this time last year, the flavors are so much different now that i am used to eating things that are good for me.

sc1572

i LOVE www.skinnytaste.com

c2sky

Start putting more veggies in your casseroles, and change the cheeses you use.
For instance, I have a lasane I make (often in a dutch oven outside during the summer) I use Italian seasoned ground turkey, non fat cottage cheese, 1/2 the amount of lasagne noodles called for, and 1/2 the amount of mozarella cheese. I also use pamresan cheese. Then I add fresh tomatoes, zuchinni and spinach for extra flavor, texture and nutrition. Everyone loves it!

I also changed my mom's pumpkin bread recipe. I replaced the sugar with splenda, and replaced the oil with applesauce. I don't make it often, but when I do it's great.

Potatoes are healthy, if you leave the gravy and butter out of it. Start by just changing using chicken broth instead of butter, or skim milk when making mashed potatoes. Make some gravy with broth instead of fat, and use corn starch to thicken it up. Keep the seasonings the same.

Just a couple ideas I have tried.

c2sky

oh, and try roasting vegetables.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm good.