Healthy Cooking Substitutes

Have you ever seen the book Eat This, Not That ?  It's the infamous book that guides readers to the "healthier" fast-food hamburger options and so on... make no mistake, that book has definitely helped tons of people lose weight and lower their caloric intake...but suggesting to someone that they should eat a Big Mac (regardless of what they are comparing it to) is nothing short of irresponsible....I mean COME ON!  CrAzY right?  Well if you have ever seen the book then this is going to look a little familiar except.... it's all about Healthy Cooking Substitutions and reducing the amount of BAD Fats in our diet....and we're calling it Use This, Not That! 


Healthy Cooking Substitutes

1.  Use This: Organic Applesauce

      Not That: Butter or Oil

• When baking Muffins, Quick Breads, or Cakes
• Applesauce can be used to replace butter, oil or margarine
• Most sources recommend a 1:1 ratio....if the recipe calls for 1C of butter then use 1C of applesauce
• Also, make sure not to over bake low-fat recipes....they tend to dry out!

2.  Use This: Organic Marshmallow Creme 

      Not That: Butter

• When making Frosting
• Gives it a creamer & richer texture but it does sweeten it a bit so may not need ot add as much sugar :)

3.  Use This: Organic Almond Cheese or Veggie Cheese

      Not That: Regular Cheese

• This organic almond cheese has NO BAD FATS.  Being that cheese was completely cut out of my husbands diet (pause...can you image hearing the words "No More Cheese"???) b/c of the bad fats, he jumped all over this!! And he absolutely loves it!

4.  Use This: Organic Cooking Spray

      Not That: Butter

• This is great for when you're cooking eggs or pancakes
• If sauteing, add some garlic to add a little flavor to make up for the lack of butter

5.  Use This: Ground Turkey

      Not That: Ground Beef

• When making meat sauces, burgers or tacos
• This will significantly reduce the amount of fat in your recipe

6.  Use This: Organic Fat Free Ricotta

      Not That: Cream Cheese

• Great for Dips
• I also use Ricotta in mashed potatoes...makes it nice and creamy without all the fat

7.  Use This: Organic Fresh Herbs

      Not That: Seasoning Salt

• By subbing in fresh herbs you are cutting out the crazy amount of salt that's in seasoning salt which makes whatever you are preparing better for your heart <3

8.  Use This: Organic Non-Fat Yogurt 

      Not That: Sour Cream

• When making Dips, Sauces or Salad Dressings
• This will again significantly reduce the amount of bad fats

9.  Use This: Organic Fat Free Skim Milk or Almond Milk

      Not That: Organic Whole Milk

• Almond Milk and Skim Milk both have more protein and calcium, less calories and, best of all, NO FAT!
• Skim milk will give you a slightly thinner/lighter consistency while the Almond milk will give you a richer texture

10.  Use This: Organic Whole Wheat Flour

        Not That: White Flour

• You can either go all in and completley swtich to Whole Wheat Flour or you can do a half and half mixture ( 1/2 Wheat, 1/2 White)

11.  Use This: Evaporated Skim Milk

        Not That: Heavy Cream

• When making custards or desserts
• Less fat and calories

12.  Use This: Organic Egg Whites

        Not That: Whole Eggs

• The egg yolk actually contains a lot of cholesterol and saturated fat...egg whites on the other hand do not but still have that protein we are looking for :)

So what are your thoughts? Has anyone tried these substitutions? Let me know what you think!