"lightening" your favorite recipes

Tlglose

I just made my zucchini casserole but cut a lot of calories. Instead of sauteeing the veggies I steamed them. I omitted the bacon, and cut the cheese content by approximately...a lot! Sure smells yummy. I hope it is. Please share what you do to cut calories and "heathify" your recipes

Kymmu

I just made brownies out of plantains. No oil at all and no wheat either - lots of nutrients!

AngieM76

I can now eat my chicken salad without guilt by using plain greek yogurt instead of mayo!

supergirl6

I use a lot of recipes from skinnytaste.com which are usually slimmed down versions of awesome recipes. Never had a recipe there I didn't love.

TimeWarp9

I found an incredibly yummy recipe in Southern Living Cookbook for smothered enchiladas. To make it lighter and healthier, I replaced half (you could do all if you like) the ground beef with fat free refried beans for less fat and more fiber; I replaced one can of cream of chicken soup (it called for two...) with enchilada sauce to cut the fat and add a little more flavor; and of course the sour cream got replaced with plain Greek yogurt. There are some wonderful high fiber / low calorie tortilla options which also helped.

Catlady87

I don't use oil for things like back and eggs - I put the bacon in first and then the eggs, so there is enough fat off the bacon to cook the eggs.
I don't use oil for onions if I'm going to add mince or chicken as its not necessary.
I never realise how calorific oil was until I joined here.

KimberlyDCZ

I use ground turkey and ground chicken in a lot for recipes that call for ground beef. I also LOVE Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil. Half the fat of regular mayo. I use whole grain pastas and tortillas in a lot of my recipes and cut back on cheese by measuring instead of choosing low fat versions. Also, I LOVE spaghetti squash! This is the BEST substitute for pasta. YUM!

Tlglose

I use ground turkey and ground chicken in a lot for recipes that call for ground beef. I also LOVE Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil. Half the fat of regular mayo. I use whole grain pastas and tortillas in a lot of my recipes and cut back on cheese by measuring instead of choosing low fat versions. Also, I LOVE spaghetti squash! This is the BEST substitute for pasta. YUM!

Tlglose

I use ground turkey and ground chicken in a lot for recipes that call for ground beef. I also LOVE Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil. Half the fat of regular mayo. I use whole grain pastas and tortillas in a lot of my recipes and cut back on cheese by measuring instead of choosing low fat versions. Also, I LOVE spaghetti squash! This is the BEST substitute for pasta. YUM!

I love the Kraft mayo with olive oil too but it must be Kraft... not Helmans:smokin:

piggydog

Use Fat free organic milk for cooking instead of oil in allot of cases, also use it instead of regular in most recipes...

I use yogurt instead of butter

Tlglose

I use a lot of recipes from skinnytaste.com which are usually slimmed down versions of awesome recipes. Never had a recipe there I didn't love.

thanks for the tip:flowerforyou:

Tlglose

After browning and draining your ground beef.. rinse it with warm water in a colander. This will remove more of the fat that clings to it.