Substitutions for your favorite recipes......

Don't give up on your favorite recipes. Find ways to make subtle changes to make them healthier. This was a suggestion from my dear friend Betsy.....who likes use her favorite Greek Yogurt instead of mayo and sour cream. I agree that is a great substitution, it will reduce fat/saturated fat & calories.  Just remember to read labels and buy plain nonfat Greek yogurt.

There are many other great cooking substitutions you can do to recipes to help make your meals healthier. Here are a some that I do routinely.

Ingredient                     Substitution                                                      
Bread crumbs               whole wheat bread crumbs &/or wheat germ
Oil in baking                 1/2 oil & 1/2 applesauce
Regular dairy                Low fat cheese/lot fat dairy
Pasta or rice                 100% whole grain pasta or brown rice
Ground beef                 extra lean ground beef or lean ground turkey/chicken (read labels!)

Other thoughts:

• Fat free yogurt/ Greek  yogurt is fine. For other dairy products, 2% tastes better and usually also "does" better in recipes. 
• Always look for whole grains to substitute for refined grains. 
• When cooking with oil or salt,  you can use less oil/salt and increase the amount of spices you use instead. Salt is a flavor enhancer and oil/fat is a great flavor carrier. When you reduce the amounts of these ingredients, increasing the spices will help compensate for decrease in flavor intensity. 
• The mayo clinic also has some great suggestions: 

              http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00584

              http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00585

If you have a recipe that you love but can't figure out how to make it more healthy...send it to me and I will try to come up with some suggestions.

Have a great holiday weekend!!