How to Modify Grandma’s Best Recipes to Cut Fat and Carbs but Keep the Taste
Three Tips to Making Anything Healthier
Plus Great Sample Recipes
Tip #1 The whiter your bread the quicker your dead
That’s what my great-grandma told me once. That was a long time ago, but it took the USDA until January 2006 to figure it out for themselves. No the Multi-grain trend is sweeping the country. And it is the perfect answer to the questions raised by the low-carb fad of yesterday.
Low-carb diets are terrible for your kidneys, but they do work in terms of losing weight. Why? Because most of us eat BAD carbs. Whole grain breads and pastas provide more protein and more fiber, so we feel full faster and longer and don’t get the huge (and quick) spike in our blood sugar that screws up our metabolism.
Tip #2 Fake it sweetie
They aren’t lying when they say “made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar.” Use Splenda in place of sugar in most anything. When the recipe calls for brown sugar, cut the in half or more by using Splenda’s brown sugar mix. Everything comes in a sugar-free made with Splenda variety these days and your kids won’t know the difference (I’ve tested it). Also, use unsweetened applesauce in place of oil for cookies and diet cola instead of oil in your chocolate cake! Use no-fat versions of sauces, oils, salad dressings, cheese, etc.
Tip #3 Get fresh
Make orange juice and lemonade in your juicer. You won’t need sugar for the orange juice and can use Splenda in the lemonade. If you’d rather sweeten your lemonade a little more naturally, add raspberries or strawberries instead and you won’t need the Splenda. Not only does it remove the need for a lot of sugar, going fresh eliminates preservatives and additives that can deplete nutrients from food and have a negative impact on metabolism. Whenever a recipe calls for produce use fresh not frozen or canned…added bonus: IT TASTES BETTER.
NANNA’S MAC & CHEESE
12 Ounces Non-fat Evaporated Milk
12 Ounces Chicken Broth
1 pound low-fat cheese (any variety or a mixture, depending on your tastes)
1 pound whole wheat Macaroni Elbows or other bite size pasta
Add-ins from the list below if desired
Boil water and add pasta. Cook according to package instructions. Heat mixture of milk and broth until steaming. Do NOT boil. Remove mixture of milk and broth from heat and stir in grated cheese until cheese is melted and throughly mixture with liquids. Drain pasta and stir pasta, cheese sauce and desired add-ins together. Add Salt and pepper to taste.
Add-ins:
Low fat Turkey ham and peas
Low fat Turkey Sausage and Olives
Nacho Mac & Cheese: Add Tomatoes, Olives, Jalepenos and nonfat Sour Cream
MOM’S OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
1/2 cup Oatmeal
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup firmly packed Splenda Brown Sugar Mix
3/4 cup Splenda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 egg whites
3 cups raisins, dried cranberries or dates
Preheat oven to 350�°F.
Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place rolled oats in blender or food processor and process until finely ground. Combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
In another bowl, cream applesauce, sweetners, vanilla and lemon juice together using an electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
Stir the flour mixture into egg mixture, blending well. Add the chocolate covered raisins and pecans to the dough and mix well.
Using 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie, scoop round balls with an ice-cream scoop and place 2 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake until cookies are lightly browned, 16-18 minutes.
Cover wire rack with thin dish towel, place cookies on towel covered rack and cover cookies with a second towel. Let cookies cool in this manner to keep them soft.
Makes 2 dozen cookies
