Sep 2, 2010

10 Ways of Making Your Favorite Foods Healthier!




There are days when you want to indulge yourself in something delicious and sinful. Especially when you're trying to watch your weight and trying to eat healthy! Isn't that always when the cravings come knocking? Don't deprive yourself! There are ways to make your sinful guilty pleasures guiltless and healthy! You can add a healthy twist to almost anything, and here are some great suggestions.



  1. Burger King Whopper – I absolutely love BK Whoppers, but I don't like the 1000+ calorie count that they carry along with them. There is a way to substitute the ingredients to be delicious as well as guilt free. You can use either a Morning Star Farms meatless griller burger or a Boca Flame Grilled burger. They're both veggie burgers but taste delicious! Get a slice of Fat Free Kraft Singles and melt that on top. For the “special sauce” use either Miracle Whip or Fat Free Mayo mixed with a little bit of Ketchup. It tastes the same as the high fat and high calorie sauce that BK uses! You can get some buns that are wheat and about 80 calories at the grocery store. Just garnish with lettuce, a slice of pickle, tomato and onions and you're good to go! Now you have a fake Whopper that tastes almost as good as the calorie and fat packed original!



  2. Spaghetti and Meat Sauce - My kids and I love spaghetti, but the regular version is full of carbs and calories. Since my family and I are trying to eat healthy, we love to make a low carb and calorie version of this. It's quick and easy! Use wheat noodles that you can buy at the grocery store. I use the Healthy Hearvest noodles because they taste the best. Pick up some Ragu Light No Salt Added sauce and some lean beef to add to it. It tastes just as good and the kids won't even notice.



  3. Craving something salty? This is an old low carb trick that I learned years ago. If you're craving something salty such as chips there are two options that are also very creative and very delicious! Take some turkey pepperoni and put them on wax paper in the microwave. (This will smell a little crazy while it's cooking, but it tastes delicious!) You will microwave them for approx 40 seconds to a minute depending on your microwave and the wattage. When you take them out they will be crisp, salty and delicious. You can keep them in plastic snack bags in the refrigerator for portion control.



  4. Another great idea would be to take hard cheese such as parm, cheddar, white cheddar, jack, etc... and grate some. (You can also use the shredded cheese as well.) Put about 1-3 tbsps (depending on how big you want it) onto an oiled piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet. You can make as many little piles as you want of cheese. Season with garlic powder, some salt or whatever seasonings you would like to use. Bake approx 4-6 minutes on 350 degrees. They will be darker at the edges, but taste like cheese its. They're absolutely delicious and satisfy that craving!



  5. Delicious breakfast - Here is an idea for a delicious breakfast that will replace the norm! As we all know bacon is fatty as is sausage! Replace eggs with Egg Beaters. It's just as delicious as eggs but less calories. You can also scramble them so much easier or make omelets! As for bacon, turkey bacon that is flavored maple is delicious! It's half the fat but when you cook it you can't even tell the difference. What about sausage? There are two options. You can get Banquet Light Maple Sausage that is 80 calories in 3 links or get Boca veggie sausage. Boca veggie sausage doesn't taste too much different than regular sausage. It's absolutely delicious! Combine those together to make a delicious breakfast. If you'd like, you can also throw some Eggo Low Fat Nutrigrain waffles in the toaster and top with Reddi Whip and Cary's Light syrup. Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.



  6. Substituting your lettuce? When you're making a delicious salad, substitute iceburg lettuce with romaine. Why? Romaine lettuce has more fiber, more vitamins and less calories. Can you believe lettuce has calories? Even though Iceburg Lettuce is crisp and delicious, Romaine lettuce can be just as good.



  7. Avacado Spread - Instead of using high fat mayo, use mashed up avacado on a sandwich instead! While fat isn't always great, the fats in avacado are healthy fats. They're good for you and your heart. Avacado adds a rich flavor and the same texture as mayo to your sandwich. Delicious!



  8. Craving Pizza? I actually have this recipe in the “Recipes” section of my blog. It's absolutely delicious and something that you can trick people into thinking is regular pizza! The crust is made with Bisquick Heart Smart and Egg Beaters and the calorie count is low on this entree! Your whole family will enjoy this delicious low fat, low calorie pizza!



  9. Love toast? So do I... I use wheat toast (40 calories) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray. It's delicious, buttery and less than HALF the calories of using butter or margarine! As I said before, there is still fat in the spray, but it's good fat that is healthy for you. The butter spray also has trace calories in it! Less than 0!



  10. Dips? Instead of using sour cream in dips for baked chips or baked tortillas, use plain not fat yogurt! While it has a different taste, it's sweet and delicious. You can mix in whatever you would mix into the sour cream for a dip and it will have a great and different taste. It will also be healthier!

There are so many ways that you can be healthy while still indulging in foods that you love. Be smart and think healthy when you want to make something sinful. Keep in mind that there are substitutes for almost anything! Happy Healthy Eating!




From breakfast to lunch, dinner, desserts and snacks, Weight Watchers® Smart Ones® has a variety of great tasting, good-for-you meal options to help you manage your weight. So start eating smart, today.

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“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and WeightWatchers SmartOnes blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” 

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