Your favorite comfort foods made healthy !

yourstrulynancy
yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
edited November 17 in Food and Nutrition
everyone has a comfort food that they will cheat they're diet for I mean after all we are human , we can spend the rest of our lives being healthy and die tommrow and not have had at least a bite of that pizza we love . Don't get all sour on me just yet there is a way to eat your favorite confort food and replace ingriedents with healthy things I'll share my recipie mine is lasanga I love it and my mouth waters of I see it hard to resist lol what are your comfort foods made healthy ?
«1

Replies

  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    Well since no one has replied here it is
    Egg plant zucchini lasnaga 216 calories per serving
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    1 large eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
    3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
    2 teaspoons olive oil
    3/4 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
    3 garlic cloves, chopped
    3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
    1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
    1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
    1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
    1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
    1 cup (8 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
    Cooking spray
    1 (8-ounce) package precooked lasagna noodles
    2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
    2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
    1. Preheat oven to 350°.
    2. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 15 minutes.
    3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, oregano, red pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    4. Combine basil, ricotta, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over tomato mixture; top with half of eggplant and half of zucchini. Spread ricotta mixture over vegetables; cover with 4 noodles. Spread 1 cup tomato mixture over noodles; layer with remaining eggplant and zucchini slices. Arrange remaining 4 noodles over vegetables, and spread remaining tomato mixture over noodles. Top evenly with mozzarella. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until browned. Cool for 5 minutes.
    5. Pair with your favorite salad and enjoy!
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    All of my comfort foods are "healthy".
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    That's very nice of you to share Im learning to eat healthy to its difficult for me to find healthy comfort foods do you have a recipe you would like to share ?
  • theston412
    theston412 Posts: 47 Member
    edited April 2015
    I love tacos. I could have tacos every day. Some people replace the shells with lettuce, or the ground beef with turkey, but nope. I want tacos. ground beef, sour cream, cheese, taco sauce, the whole nine yards.

    I don't " make these healthy," I just make sure I save enough calories to eat them.

    Edited to add: that picture looks delicious, by the way.
  • MsJulesRenee
    MsJulesRenee Posts: 1,180 Member
    edited April 2015
    That looks amazing, will be making it :)
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    edited April 2015
    theston412 wrote: »
    I love tacos. I could have tacos every day. Some people replace the shells with lettuce, or the ground beef with turkey, but nope. I want tacos. ground beef, sour cream, cheese, taco sauce, the whole nine yards.

    I don't " make these healthy," I just make sure I save enough calories to eat them.

    Edited to add: that picture looks delicious, by the way.
    Lol
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    CurvyToFit wrote: »
    That looks amazing, will be making it :)

    It taste amazing too one of my favorites !!
  • crystal8208
    crystal8208 Posts: 284 Member
    I really try to make room in my calories for the yummy things I want. Substitutions just don't do it for me. I need the real gut buster deal. :smile: Like spaghetti squash. I like it for what it is. But it will never replace a big bowl o' pasta goodness. That being said, my healthy recipes are usually gentle subs in cooking. Like using 1% milk in something instead of whole. Or using applesauce in baking instead of so much oil or eggs. My favorite as of late is subbing protein powder in for some of the flour in muffins. Banana nut to be precise. Mine were 150cals each with a good amount of protein.
  • mrvikingman
    mrvikingman Posts: 83 Member
    That lasagna looks seriously amazing!

    One of my comfort foods is breakfast food. To keep it as healthy as possible, I try to (usually) do egg whites instead of whole eggs, and turkey sausage/bacon instead of the regular kind. Also, potatoes aren't a bad food for you if they're not loaded up with oils or cheeses, so a pile of crispy potatoes also!
  • scottacular
    scottacular Posts: 597 Member
    I had a full bar of chocolate recently, one of the big sized ones. I'm part of the 'fit it into your macros' crowd too, it's fun to see what you can fit in whilst eating plenty of fibre along with it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    That's very nice of you to share Im learning to eat healthy to its difficult for me to find healthy comfort foods do you have a recipe you would like to share ?

    I cook using primarily whole food ingredients. "Healthy" is a very subjective and broad term and really requires examining your diet as a whole, not individual food items. For example, I can have a couple of slices of my favorite pizza (sausage and veggie supreme) from my favorite pizzeria...I don't view that as "unhealthy" per sei...it's just some crust, tomato sauce, cheese, and piles of veggies and some sausage...it's some carbs, fat, and protein.

    Now if that's all I ate day in and day out, that would not be a very healthy and/or balanced diet...but considering I don't do that and I have a couple of slices of pizza once every couple weeks or so...no biggie.

    Also, your lasagna looks great...but there's absolutely nothing inherently unhealthy about a traditional lasagna either...I make lasagna frequently during the winter and I make my own bolognese, etc...I don't find there to be anything inherently unhealthy about it.
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    I really try to make room in my calories for the yummy things I want. Substitutions just don't do it for me. I need the real gut buster deal. :smile: Like spaghetti squash. I like it for what it is. But it will never replace a big bowl o' pasta goodness. That being said, my healthy recipes are usually gentle subs in cooking. Like using 1% milk in something instead of whole. Or using applesauce in baking instead of so much oil or eggs. My favorite as of late is subbing protein powder in for some of the flour in muffins. Banana nut to be precise. Mine were 150cals each with a good amount of protein.

    Yes crystal I also do have my days where I sweat more at a workout for that real deal thing but I can't do it everyday Cuz I'll b gaining weight in no time thank u for your tips will sure be using them
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I love to experiment in cooking so I 'healthy up' a lot of my favorite dishes. I use high fiber pasta instead of regular. Cut the fat or sugar or carbs a little. Add more vegetables. Sometimes I find that I like my altered versions even better than the original, sometimes not.
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    @ mrviking thank u very much for sharing my freezer is loaded wit turkey bacon I usually make wraps with them or add them to my salad for some extra crunch please try my recipe it is awsome ;) @ Scott I will skip lunch every two weeks for a chocloate bar oh the good ness of cheat days lol
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    That's very nice of you to share Im learning to eat healthy to its difficult for me to find healthy comfort foods do you have a recipe you would like to share ?

    I cook using primarily whole food ingredients. "Healthy" is a very subjective and broad term and really requires examining your diet as a whole, not individual food items. For example, I can have a couple of slices of my favorite pizza (sausage and veggie supreme) from my favorite pizzeria...I don't view that as "unhealthy" per sei...it's just some crust, tomato sauce, cheese, and piles of veggies and some sausage...it's some carbs, fat, and protein.

    Now if that's all I ate day in and day out, that would not be a very healthy and/or balanced diet...but considering I don't do that and I have a couple of slices of pizza once every couple weeks or so...no biggie.

    Also, your lasagna looks great...but there's absolutely nothing inherently unhealthy about a traditional lasagna either...I make lasagna frequently during the winter and I make my own bolognese, etc...I don't find there to be anything inherently unhealthy about it.

    Hey you're right but see when you're like me and you're used to eating watever u want however u want and not having to worry about weight that was me before now I had a baby and I was in bed rest for a high risk pregnancy everything I knew about my body changed just liek that so although reg lanasga doesn't have to be unhealthy it also about portions with the eggplant lasnaga I can have two servings and feel full and still not go over my calorie intake as in the reg lasnaga well let's just say two pieces the way I make it organically is just way too much
    Thank u for ur reply though It's nice to see other views
  • noclady1995
    noclady1995 Posts: 452 Member
    I made this chocolate protein bars recipe that I found from someone following the Jamie Eason LiveFit plan and they are amazing....like brownies fresh from the oven. Oh my gosh...oh so good. I have to keep myself from eating the whole pan too quickly.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I love mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. Turns out I can make a damned good gravy out of chicken broth and mushrooms and just a dash of cornstarch; and use mashed cauliflower with just a few tbsp. of potato flakes for a pretty satisfying version. Note the deliberate lack of butter. I have never liked butter in my mashed potatoes.
  • Angiefit4life
    Angiefit4life Posts: 210 Member
    I use egg beaters and unsweetened apple sauce in my baked goods instead of eggs and oil. Can't tell a difference.
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    I love mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. Turns out I can make a damned good gravy out of chicken broth and mushrooms and just a dash of cornstarch; and use mashed cauliflower with just a few tbsp. of potato flakes for a pretty satisfying version. Note the deliberate lack of butter. I have never liked butter in my mashed potatoes.

    Mashed cauliflower that's sounds yummy have u tried baked cauliflower with milk butter and skin mozzarella it's like a casserole very yummy will try your version thank u!!
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    I made this chocolate protein bars recipe that I found from someone following the Jamie Eason LiveFit plan and they are amazing....like brownies fresh from the oven. Oh my gosh...oh so good. I have to keep myself from eating the whole pan too quickly.
    You should sooo make a thread and post this recipe sounds like a wonderful alternative to us chocloate lovers !! Looking forward to that recipie on a thread
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    OP you lost me when you said you love turkey bacon. Next thing you will be trying to tell me that mashed frozen bananas taste better than ice cream.

    I'm with the "find ways to fit in the foods you love without making radical substitutions" crowd. The doesn't mean eat it all day every day - it just means that I see nothing wrong or unhealthy with regular lasagna, regular bacon, regular ice cream.

    There are some people who have trigger foods that cause them to binge. I've never been one of those people, so for me, portion control and making choices to allow me to still eat all the same foods I did previously was a fairly obvious solution.

    Good luck.

  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    OP you lost me when you said you love turkey bacon. Next thing you will be trying to tell me that mashed frozen bananas taste better than ice cream.

    I'm with the "find ways to fit in the foods you love without making radical substitutions" crowd. The doesn't mean eat it all day every day - it just means that I see nothing wrong or unhealthy with regular lasagna, regular bacon, regular ice cream.

    There are some people who have trigger foods that cause them to binge. I've never been one of those people, so for me, portion control and making choices to allow me to still eat all the same foods I did previously was a fairly obvious solution.

    Good luck.
    Umm nooo I won't b telling u frozen bannannas will replace ice cream me sharing that I like turkey bacon doesn't mean much one strip or two in a salad doesn't hurt that just my opinion as u surely are entitled to yours and yea I am one of those ppl that will stress eat or over eat which is why I look to substitute things but to each its own thanks for sharing :-)
  • kgmcgee
    kgmcgee Posts: 34 Member
    I love mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. Turns out I can make a damned good gravy out of chicken broth and mushrooms and just a dash of cornstarch; and use mashed cauliflower with just a few tbsp. of potato flakes for a pretty satisfying version. Note the deliberate lack of butter. I have never liked butter in my mashed potatoes.

    Mashed cauliflower that's sounds yummy have u tried baked cauliflower with milk butter and skin mozzarella it's like a casserole very yummy will try your version thank u!!

    Have you tried the cauliflower "rice". It is similar to rice but it is yummy in it's own right. I like it because it's very filling and has very few calories. I just put some in my food processor and then cook it with a little bit of coconut oil. Nummers!

  • CandiceMcD
    CandiceMcD Posts: 115 Member
    I tried the turkey bacon thing, but for just a few more calories (and less sodium!) you can have low sodium or center cut bacon. Which is still bacon! Just without the super fatty parts that I generally don't eat anyway. I don't like that wobbly texture.

    I will still eat things like ice cream - but I never keep it in the house. We will go for an extra long walk on Saturday, then go out and get a cone.

    That zucchini lasagna looks awesome, I am going to make that. Zucchini is one of the veggies my boyfriend will actually eat.
  • keelyjrs
    keelyjrs Posts: 62 Member
    edited April 2015
    My favourite snack at the moment which I have for breakfast too is ryvita crispbread with almond butter and chopped banana on top. Omg it's heaven!!
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    keelyjrs wrote: »
    My favourite snack at the moment which I have for breakfast too is ryvita crispbread with almond butter and chopped banana on top. Omg it's heaven!!

    Sound yummy will try
  • yourstrulynancy
    yourstrulynancy Posts: 77 Member
    CandiceMcD wrote: »
    I tried the turkey bacon thing, but for just a few more calories (and less sodium!) you can have low sodium or center cut bacon. Which is still bacon! Just without the super fatty parts that I generally don't eat anyway. I don't like that wobbly texture.

    I will still eat things like ice cream - but I never keep it in the house. We will go for an extra long walk on Saturday, then go out and get a cone.

    That zucchini lasagna looks awesome, I am going to make that. Zucchini is one of the veggies my boyfriend will actually eat.
    Please do try mayb add your own spin on it maybe different veggies and post please when u make
  • keelyjrs
    keelyjrs Posts: 62 Member
    I gotta try those brownies and the lasagne yum!
This discussion has been closed.