need a healthy grilled cheese?

hellraisedfire
hellraisedfire Posts: 403 Member
edited October 7 in Recipes
anyone have a "healthy" grilled cheese recipe?? or any ideas to make one better for you? :)
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Replies

  • Fayve
    Fayve Posts: 406 Member
    Moderation. Use less butter and less cheese, and pick a lower cal bread? There might be some way to do away with the butter entirely, by using Pam perhaps, but if I want a grilled cheese - I want it done right :D
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    ive made grilled cheese with pam before - its not bad at all. i agree with fayve, lower cal, whole wheat bread with less cheese. though most of the time when i have grilled cheese i just use as much cheese as usual and either workout harder that day or eat a little less for other meals. or both lol
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
    Sorry, no such thing!
  • JamzPurse
    JamzPurse Posts: 66 Member
    Use some laughing cow babybel cheese and whole grain bread with some I can't believe its not butter spray. Or use a low fat shredded cheese. I like, aldi fit and active mexican blend.
  • jecka31
    jecka31 Posts: 284
    I make grilled cheese a lot. I use SmartBeat (endorsed by the American Heart Association) sliced cheese and whole wheat bread. Spray the pan with light cooking spray instead of using butter. The cheese is fat free, cholesterol free, lactose free and one slice has 25 calories. It melts pretty good compared to other low-fat/non-fat cheeses I've tried. I also will also add sliced turkey sometimes if I need to up my protein for the day.

    Also, you can use a toaster oven. Put the sammie together and stick the whole thing in. It will toast the bread and melt the cheese at the same time without any butter or cooking spray.
  • For_the_Last_Time
    For_the_Last_Time Posts: 136 Member
    You could toast the bread, stick cheese in and nuke for a few seconds to melt the cheese.

    or toast it in the oven with the cheese already in it.


    Not going to be the same but might fill the craving.
  • tmcmillion
    tmcmillion Posts: 3
    yes instead of frying in pan with butter place two pieces of bread iin toaster and then afterwards place cheese on and microwave for 50 seconds
  • paeli
    paeli Posts: 295 Member
    I grew up eating a different kind of grilled cheese than the typical slathered and butter and fried kind.

    We would have them as open faced sandwiches, so 1 slice of bread, cover with slices of cheese (tomatos are good on this too.) and put in the oven on broil until cheese melted and bread was crispy.

    Also I've made regular grilled cheese on my george foreman not long ago without using butter and it definitely worked the same.

    Just use a heartier bread, a heartier cheese (ie: not american processed slices, lol which are 1 chemical away from being plastic) and serve with a veggie soup or salad or something to round out your meal.
  • La_Amazona
    La_Amazona Posts: 4,855 Member
    I use smart balance light (tbs), 2 slices of nature's own 9 grain 40 calorie slice bread and 2 slices of 2% borden cheese. comes out to about 200 calories.
  • hellraisedfire
    hellraisedfire Posts: 403 Member
    thanks everyone! those are pretty epic suggestions :D I have reindeer sausage too, maybe I could add that for extra protein...
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    oven bake a quesadilla instead!

    One whole grain tortilla on a non-stick cookie sheet, top half of it with tons of cooked veggies, protein and some shredded cheese, fold over the other half and bake at 425F until it's crispy and melty delicious :bigsmile: I usually use veggies and protein that are leftover from a previous dinner - like fajitas or a stirfry - and it's a super fast healthy meal!

    :bigsmile:
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,493 Member
    I have used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter with good results. Really cuts down on calories.
  • swimmchick87
    swimmchick87 Posts: 458 Member
    I use whole wheat bread (140 calories total), a half tablespoon of light butter (25 calories), and a slice and a half of good tillamook cheese (165 calories). You could use low fat cheese if you wanted, but personally I don't like to sacrifice on the cheese. Even the way I like it, it's not many calories at all and would easily fit into a regular meal. It's too many calories for a snack IMO, but it's a nice lunch with tomato soup. If you use "diet cheese" you could make it very healthy. With the butter only being 25 calories to begin with, I see no reason to substitute the butter.
  • FitinFiveMonths
    FitinFiveMonths Posts: 63
    If I'm just looking for a snack, I'll use 1/4 tbl of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" which is 25 calories. 1 Slice of low fat cheese, Food Club has a brand that is only 30 calories a slice, and whole wheat bread, which can vary in calories, the type I use is 100 calories a slice. (Total calories would be 155) Otherwise you can double the servings for a meal and it's still fairly healthy and low calorie!
  • plaarveld
    plaarveld Posts: 1
    Grilled cheese made with Pam! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zacJk0eoZec
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    PAM, whole grain bread, choose your cheese wisely and add some greens to it. Used to love opening up a sandwich and adding pickles when I was little, but there is a local restaurant that adds a handful of herbs - I know basil is one, but you could also use mixed salad greens.
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    I like to spray the pan with olive oil cooking spray and each piece of bread with 3 sprays of spray butter and sprinkle on some garlic powder. I then mix fat-free and 2% cheese (it can get rubbery once melted if it's all fat-free cheese) and put a few slices of tomato in there. Cook in the pan and you're ready to go!

    Edit: I also use Sara Lee light whole wheat bread, around 45-55 cals/slice
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    Sorry, no such thing!
    That's what I was thinking! If I'm having grilled cheese, I want a regular not healthy grilled cheese. So either I'll have to workout harder or limit my calories during the day.
  • kwjmom
    kwjmom Posts: 51 Member
    Try a little yellow mustard in place of the butter on the outside of the bread. We think it tastes better that way!
  • kg4ulu
    kg4ulu Posts: 39 Member
    Low calorie bread, 1/4 cup of sliced strawberries or 1/4 of blue berries, 2 tbsps of 1/3 fat Cream cheese, packet or two of sweet and low, and spray butter. Spray the pan with PAM,spray the bread with spray butter, mix the cream cheese with the artificial sweetener add to bread, add the berries, and grill it like a regular grilled cheese. Less than 200 calories and OMG! I've had one every day this week for lunch.
  • karajulie
    karajulie Posts: 40 Member
    bump
  • cindywhitley1
    cindywhitley1 Posts: 18
    Try a little yellow mustard in place of the butter on the outside of the bread. We think it tastes better that way!

    That sounds GOOD!!! I'll have to try that. Thanks :)
  • WolowitzTimestwo
    WolowitzTimestwo Posts: 45 Member
    I am no expert., but it's bread.,.,,., and cheese.
    Not great diet food. I agree with those who say make a regular one and exercise it out.
    Good alternative suggestions though. Thanks.
  • CanadianDot
    CanadianDot Posts: 93 Member
    I'm going to second using a contact grill. It makes the outside crispy, cheese melty, and you don't have to use any extra fat. Also, if you use shredded cheese, you get more coverage with less cheese.
  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    Good artisan wheat bread.

    smoked provolone and smoked cheddar.

    dark brown, grainy mustard.

    Thinly sliced onion.
  • 1two3four
    1two3four Posts: 413 Member
    Everything everyone said. Pam, no oil, toaster ovens, grill presses... tried them all, even the toaster and microwave method. It's a trial and error kind of thing, I think everyone has to find their own take on grilled cheese.

    Especially the part about using shredded cheese (I prefer block vs bagged) because you can spread less cheese further.

    I'm particularly found of tomatoes to bulk it up without extra cheese, too. (Plus, no need for the soup that way!)

    And that mustard, thing? OMG... I think I love that poster. Never thought of it and sounds like 1,000 kinds of deliciousness.
  • jazzcat55
    jazzcat55 Posts: 164 Member
    Sara Lee 45-calorie bread, Pam spray, and about 1 oz of grated cheddar. Next time, I might try Parmesan instead.
  • WatchMeSoar
    WatchMeSoar Posts: 14 Member
    Check out hungry girl. She has lots of good recipes here is a link to a few.

    http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/2591 :drinker:
  • GraeKat
    GraeKat Posts: 23 Member
    Use a waffle iron, foreman grill, or panini press. You don't have to use any oil at all. . just bread and cheese. I use my Foreman grill with Sprouted wheat bread and only an ounce of whatever kind of cheese I have. No butter or anything else. Put the cheese on the bread. Sandwich together. . then press. . flip the sandwich (only because I like the lines on mine criss crossing). . and press again. Tastes amazing!! And my kids love it.
  • garnet116
    garnet116 Posts: 144 Member
    Moderation. Use less butter and less cheese, and pick a lower cal bread? There might be some way to do away with the butter entirely, by using Pam perhaps, but if I want a grilled cheese - I want it done right :D

    Exactly. If eaten once in awhile in moderation, I just make them the way that I like, which is with a little butter, good American cheese from the deli, whole wheat bread... yum! I don't want to eat a grilled cheese sprayed with Pam.
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