Wellness

Healthier Meals Made Easy

Do you think that healthy food and tasteless go together like peanut butter and jelly? The truth is, you can easily make almost any recipe healthier while maintaining flavor. Modifying recipes without compromising taste doesn't require a lot extra time or effort, just a little kitchen know-how. Try one or two of the tweaks below next time you're in the kitchen.

When Cooking:

• Season foods with herbs and spices, instead of butter, high-fat sauces, or gravies.
• Remove skin from poultry before cooking.
• Trim away visible fat from meats before cooking.
• Broil, grill, roast, poach, or bake foods rather than fry them.
• Skip or limit breading.
• Replace half of the ground beef in a recipe with chopped mushrooms.
• Buy your meat in 4-oz portions.
• Use nonstick pans.
• Use cooking spray instead of fats or oils.
• When stir-frying or sautéing foods, use a small amount of fat and more wine or broth.
• Add extra vegetables to mixed dishes, casseroles, pastas, soups, and stews.
• Roast garlic and use with cooked veggies or as a substitute for mayonnaise in potato, pasta and chicken salads.
• Skim off cooled fat from soups, sauces or gravies.
• Used a pureed potato in place of cream to thicken soup.
• Use low-fat and low -sodium broths in soups
• Use reduced fat and reduced sodium products
• Make vinaigrette dressing with one part oil, one part balsamic vinegar and one part strong black tea or citrus juice.
• Use sharp and aged cheeses. These have a stronger flavor, so you can use less.
• Toast nuts for greater flavor. Heat oven to 350°F and toast the nuts for 5 minutes or until you smell them.
• To add more fiber, add legumes, fruits, or vegetables.

For Baked Products

• Simply reduce the fat in recipes by 1/4 - 1/3.
• Replace half of the fat in recipes with fruit purees such as applesauce, mashed bananas, or pureed prunes.
• Use vegetable oil in place of shortening, butter, or margarine whenever possible.
• Replace 1 whole egg with 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute.
• Use evaporated skim milk instead of whole evaporated skim milk.
• Use 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips instead of 1 cup of regular chocolate chips.
• Replace 1/4 - 1/2 white flour with whole-grain flour
• Simply reduce by 1/4 - 1/3 in baked goods and desserts.
• Use alternative sweeteners in recipes designed for them.

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