Don't be afraid to Substitute!

I've been cooking a lot, like a lot a lot, since my husband came back from Hawaii in last May. Before I didn't have much motivation to cook just for myself, but since he'd rather have a home-cooked meal than go out I've been cooking out the wazoo. The biggest lesson I've learned so far is to not be afraid to substitute ingredients for lower fat/calorie options. While there are of course some recipes that should be kept sacred (the amazing from-scratch cookies you only make a couple times a year, great-grandma's famous pie), most everyday recipes can and SHOULD have low-fat ingredients in them. It's a simple and easy way to make food healthier. 


Examples anyone?
~ dip call for cream cheese or sour cream? use fat-free! still creamy and delicious
~ casserole need ground beef? use ground turkey! it's cheaper in most cases and low-fat
~ baked good use oil and/or butter? use applesauce! it's sweet and still yummy
~ using milk in your recipe? use skim! even if you don't drink skim, you won't be able to tell in a recipe that it's fat-free
~ making taco meat? add a can of black beans after cooking the meat and before adding the seasoning. it won't change the taste, secretly add a vegetable serving (plus fiber!), and stretch the taco filling further for only a dollar. 


My husband was raised and still is a "meat and potatoes" man, and generally called my "diet food" that he recognizes "tasteless". But the substitutions I listed above, well he can never tell that it's low-fat/fat-free and that I added a vegetable serving.  Voila ~ healthy hubby ;-)


xoxo