Your favorite yummy food tricks?

I'm new to this community. I was wondering if any of you would please share tricks you use to prepare yummy food that someone on a diet might be interested in.

I'll start: you can make a comparatively low calorie potatoes o'brien by using 1/2 turnips 1/2 potatoes instead of all potatoes. Edit: it's the use of spices that tend to make the turnip substitution less noticeable, in our case we use parsley, garlic powder, chipotle powder and salt.

Replies

  • Salmon-coated in olive oil, sprinkled with garlic powder, fresh black pepper, and salt, grilled = mega delicious and full of amazingly healthy fat!

    Oh wait, that's not a trick. Sorry, I don't have any of those.
  • cupcakekate28
    cupcakekate28 Posts: 31 Member
    1 egg white, 2tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp sweetener and a little water. Mix, microwave for 1.5 mins, and you have a gooey chocolate cake! Found that on this forum a few weeks ago. Also visit chocolate covered Katie's website. Some great stuff on there :)
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    I don't substitute everything with cauliflower and I eat real pasta.
  • mel4bee
    mel4bee Posts: 225 Member
    I substitute apple sauce for oil
    Almond milk for milk
    almond butter instead of peanut butter
    egg whites instead of whole eggs
    spaghetti squash vs pasta
    i don't add sugar in my recipes, i add vanilla extract or like, cocoa powder
  • d6melanie
    d6melanie Posts: 84 Member
    I have some great recipes that I eat while losing weight, but I'm not sure they are what you are looking for... Is your goal that it is low calorie, low fat, high protein? Is your goal that it prepared healthfully? Is your goal that it tastes good and has a high nutritional value?

    The salmon suggestion is a good one. Also check out skinnytaste.com I love her Asian Turkey Meatballs, Pork Chops w/ Mushroom & Shallots, and several of her crockpot recipes.
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    200 calorie bed time snack was awesome last night.

    Mini fatboy ice cream sandwich, cut open to put trader joes Cookie Butter inside. Put sandwich back together. Enjoy. It was amazing to say the least.
  • sepulchura
    sepulchura Posts: 95 Member
    I have some great recipes that I eat while losing weight, but I'm not sure they are what you are looking for... Is your goal that it is low calorie, low fat, high protein? Is your goal that it prepared healthfully? Is your goal that it tastes good and has a high nutritional value?

    The salmon suggestion is a good one. Also check out skinnytaste.com I love her Asian Turkey Meatballs, Pork Chops w/ Mushroom & Shallots, and several of her crockpot recipes.

    Melanie I think all of the above. I'm not focused on any one approach to my weight loss, health and fitness. Anything that helps along these lines is welcome to me. I believe in a balanced approach to my health and fitness, and have found MFP and its community to be very helpful all around.

    Personally I'm not trying to avoid any particular item, I just want to avoid over-doing it. In other words, an idea of how to make a very fatty snack less fatty, how to make a high-calorie yummy less calories, etc.

    I would say: I do avoid processed foods and I do avoid artificial sweeteners or flavor enhancers, personal choice of mine.
  • Gonnabeatyall
    Gonnabeatyall Posts: 4 Member
    Try out some labneh as a substitute for cream cheese or sour cream, best "trick" I've found.

    You can make a great tzatziki with it, which can be used as a salad dressing.

    Rye toast with smoked salmon, labneh, tomato, red onion, capers is pretty convincing and not a bagel.
  • Mutant13
    Mutant13 Posts: 2,485 Member
    Try this out.

    Take a zuchinni, some brocolli, spinach and capsicum and get a fry pan nice and hot.

    Put those vegetables back in the fridge.

    Get some bacon out.

    Fry bacon.

    Serve with more bacon.


    But for reals vegetables are great.
  • There's something about the "I just want to replace all FOOD with low calorie alternatives" approach that really irks me. What's wrong with eating an EGG...in its ENTIRETY? What's wrong with using coconut oil, olive oil, or actual fat instead of taking it all out only to replace it with artificial sweeteners and sub-par substitutes?

    Maybe you'd be more satisfied by making healthier (not low calorie/low fat) foods. Example, sauteed veggies (25) in olive oil (1 tsp-40), add 2 whisked eggs (140), cook. Have an apple (100) with a tbsp of nut butter (95) on the side. That's 400 calories and you'll likely be more satisfied than having a few egg whites, artificially sweetened-fat free yogurt, and black coffee.

    Just sayin' that maybe it's not always about finding a "trick."
  • I add a spoon of cocoa powder to plain oatmeal if I don't feel like adding fruits to it. Chocolate oatmeal, and not terribly unhealthy.
  • mel4bee
    mel4bee Posts: 225 Member
    I don't like the yellow in the egg but that's just me, always been like that

    I use applesauce in recipes but I cook in oil...
  • Instead of butter or peanut butter or cream cheese, I smoosh up banana to spread on toast. It's tasty! Also, when you do treat yourself to some ice cream, slice about half a banana, mix in with your serving of ice cream, refreeze. You'll never know where the ice cream stops and the banana begins, so more bang for your caloric buck!
  • TerraGirl17
    TerraGirl17 Posts: 275 Member
    Frank's Red Hot Sauce......I put that **** on everything ;-)
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I'm new to this community. I was wondering if any of you would please share tricks you use to prepare yummy food that someone on a diet might be interested in.

    I'll start: you can make a comparatively low calorie potatoes o'brien by using 1/2 turnips 1/2 potatoes instead of all potatoes. Edit: it's the use of spices that tend to make the turnip substitution less noticeable, in our case we use parsley, garlic powder, chipotle powder and salt.

    Cook whatever you want, portion it out to fit in your cals. No need for subs in a recipe
  • sepulchura
    sepulchura Posts: 95 Member
    Instead of butter or peanut butter or cream cheese, I smoosh up banana to spread on toast. It's tasty! Also, when you do treat yourself to some ice cream, slice about half a banana, mix in with your serving of ice cream, refreeze. You'll never know where the ice cream stops and the banana begins, so more bang for your caloric buck!

    sneeky!