Now, I'm not exactly the healthiest person when it comes to cooking. I live in the South, ya'll! Home of sweet tea, casseroles, and all sorts of concoctions that have made my mouth water since I moved. But there ARE some easy, simple substitutions you can make to make your meals healthy! It's all about give and take. Here are a few good examples:
- Who doesn't love Chinese food? Sometimes I think I should've been born in China. Fried rice is AMAZING, but how can we make it healthier? Well..step one. Use brown rice instead of white rice. You'll get whole grains, more fiber and more vitamins..and in my opinion, more deliciousness! Another thing is to add a lot of vegetables to your fried rice. Peas, carrots, snow peas, onion and broccoli are all deliciously easy things to add to your wok. Mmmm...Chinese food.
- Love Italian? Substitute whole wheat pasta for your regular pasta! Some people say there's a taste difference, but I don't notice a difference...and I love the health benefits!
- Chocolate chip cookies are one of my biggest weaknesses...Especially with a tall glass of milk. One easy, tasty way to add a little fiber and nutrition is to add oats to your cookie batter! About 1/2 cup of oats added to your batch of cookie dough adds a little texture and a whole lot of nutrition. Mmmm...cookies. I may go make a batch right now!
- Another one of my weaknesses is fruit juice. Ya'll, I could probably drink a whole container of orange juice in one day! But who needs all that extra sugar? Instead, fill your glass halfway with ice water, and fill the rest with orange juice. You still get the great orange taste, but with half the calories! Also, if you're buying juice, such as apple juice or cranberry juice, make sure to go for the 100% juice varieties, preferably with no sugar added. Much better for you, less sugar, and in my opinion, it tastes a lot better too!
- And finally, for today, probably my favorite food substitution of all. Butter. How I love butter...But as we all know, too much of a good thing (check that: delicious thing!) is bad for you. Instead of using butter in my baking and cooking, I switched to Smart Balance spread. It has healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and it tastes just as good as butter. Use it in your cookie recipe, when you make a roux, whatever! Deliciousness.
Join me again next Thursday for more healthy substitution tips!
P.S. For more information about Smart Balance, you can check out their website here: http://www.smartbalance.com/ They even have coupons! (And as you'll find out later, I love coupons!)
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