Edit my recipe

I agree with Jacqueline...and the other thing to look for would be a spaghetti sauce with natural ingredients, no added sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

My suggestion is instead of using jar or canned premade sauce use pastene kitchen ready tomatoes no salt added. That will remove alot of sodium from your dish. Also the taco seasoning is propably has the most sodium in it...try looking at the ingredients and adding your own salt free versions of those spices like powers and fresh herbs. Good luck

Those are all good ideas. :happy:

If you are looking for a substitute for the potato to reduce the calorie and carb count, you could try these (all values are 100g and boiled, drained without salt):

Jicama / Yambean - 38 kcals, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 1g protein, 4 mg sodium, 9g carbs.
Turnips - 22 kcals, 0g fat, 2g fiber, 1g protein, 16mg sodium, 5g carbs.
Chayote - 24 kcals, 0g fat, 3g fiber, 1g protein, 1 mg sodium, 5g carbs.

Potatoes - 86 kcals, 0g fat, 2g fiber, 2g protein, 5mg sodium, 20g carbs.

-ash

I agree with all the previous suggestions (careful with ground turkey breast if you use it though, the lack of fat makes it liable to burn faster). Also you can do your own taco seasoning with no salt:

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
(and if your feeling spicy - as much cayenne as you dare)
My husband likes it with some onion powder, but he just sprinkles it in when he thinks I am not looking so use it to taste.

Okay, because I am bored and would rather not do any housework... I entered the following recipie into http://caloriecount.about.com/ for nutritional info:

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 c. tomato sauce
2 c. low sodium vegetable broth
6 medium potatoes
1 cup low fat cheddar cheese

Set at six servings it gave me:
345 calories, 7.6 g fat (2.5 saturated), 60mg cholesterol, 534mg Sodium, 38.7 g Carbs, 6.3g fiber, 4.8g sugar, 30.7g protein

I see a lot of recommendations I agree with above, but I'm just gonna say what I would do, if it contains repeats!

As someone who has to cook bulk meals that satisfy vegans and omnivores alike, I've learned some sneaky ways to make things "vegan", and even if that's not how you want to go, you can still use some of it to make it a lot healthier!


1 lb. ground beef -- Use ground turkey instead or even boca burger.
1 packet taco seasoning -- Look for low sodium alternatives
1 c. spaghetti sauce -- Check labels! Not really any alternatives, just look for low sodium and natural goodness!
2 c. beef broth -- Try chicken or vegetable broth. It will change the flavor a little, though. Onion based broths is frequently a good alternative for beef, though! If you can't find it, it's easy to make at home! "For a rich onion broth, you can caramelize the onions, deglaze the pan with some sherry or white wine, and add stock. Simmer until the onions are falling apart and the broth is flavorful."
6 medium potatoes (peeled, cubed) - See if you can sneak in some cauliflower in place of some of the potato. The taste is pretty similar, and healthier!
Water
1 c. Cheddar cheese -- Perhaps not the best advice, but I say just go for the cheese!


Good luck!

(Oh, ps--- Cook with water instead of oils or butter wherever you can. If you can't it's usually safe to cut the recipes' recommended amount in half!)

Hi everyone. I have this tex-mex style stew that I love to make for my family, but it is very high in sodium and fat. I was just wondering if you could look over the recipe and suggest ways of making it a little healthier.

P.S. Can't really add veggies because my picky eaters will no longer enjoy it :grumble:

Meat and Potatoes (it's like chili with potatoes)

1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 c. spaghetti sauce
2 c. beef broth
6 medium potatoes (peeled, cubed)
Water
1 c. Cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef;drain. Lightly saute potatoes w/ cooking spray to soften in large stew pot (or crock pot). Add back the ground beef and remaining ingredients and enough water to cover all potatoes. Boil for about 30 min. or cook on high in crock pot for about 3 hours. Top with cheese just before serving.

Now this makes a good size serving (about 6-8 bowlfuls), but I estimate nutritional values at: 660 cal, 26 g fat (with cheese), 69 g carb, 38 g protein and 1779 mg sodium


If you have any suggestions please post them

Replace the beef with either 93 % lean 7% fat beef or ground bison... you could switch it to ground turkey or chicken but those can both get dry or chewy and picky eaters may notice.

cut the taco seasoning out, pre-packaged seasonings can pack a lot of extra salt try to find a low sodium version, use a Mrs Dash blend(the southwest chipolte one would be good for a taco seasoning) or read the back of the taco seasoning and try to use the seasonings it lists in their natural state, so like paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, etc

low sodium spaghetti sauce or make your own at home or buy organic to cut out the funky preservatives and chemicals mass produced porducts get.

Same thing for the broth, low sodium and organic would be best

low fat cheese for sure!!