I am not doing too hot on eatin' right this week. I say this as a fresh piece of pumpkin pie is digesting in my full tummy... darn those Grays Brothers and their pies and the new local IGA that sells them at my convenience and my debit card that buys them and the car that drove me there and...)
As I flipped over the box to read the instructions and I accidentally saw the nutrition label... Holy COW, I about fell over as the tidal wave of calories and fat came jumping out and immediately stuck themselves to my thighs. Darn those reality labels taking me from my blissful denial that those pies really belong in the 100 calorie aisle...
So, in an effort to get myself back on track, I thought I might share some of my weightloss food tips and tricks in an effort to inspire you and hopefully ME to eat better. Now a bit of a disclaimer for all of you health nuts out there... I am not claiming to be a nutritionist or dietician or any form of expert. People always ask me how I lost the weight, and that is all this is... what has worked for me... nothing more. Nothing less.
Most of the tips and tricks aren't rocket science... because if they were buddy I wouldn't be bloggin' about them for free. I would promptly develop a business plan and you would have to buy my secret powders and meal plans...all with the disclaimer that weightloss is not typical.
So back to tips and tricks. Let's do a top ten list...
10. Lowfat Dairy: Not much of a milk drinker but love to cook/bake with skim milk and Addie and I are TOTAL cheese girls. So I go 2 % with all my cheeses. Fat-free cheese creeps me out... such an imposter cannot be tolerated around these parts. But we LOVE the 2% stuff. Kraft please:)
We also love yogurt around here... which truth be told had to be an acquired taste for Mommy since I didn't grow up with it. Addie on the other-hand LOVES her DHA yogurt and has one every night mixed into her milk.
I often use lowfat dairy to alter my full-fat recipes and make them healthier. A favorite would be my mama's mac and cheese from scratch...mmm comfort food!
9. Egg Whites Only Please: When baking I always opt for the egg white only version of the recipe. Most times you can get away without the yolk. When cooking, I often use one yolk and several whites to make up the difference.
8. Applesauce & Splenda: Much like the egg white tip, applesauce for oil cuts the fat big time and splenda helps cut sugar. Applesauce is especially goode:) for chocolate baked goods. It does change up the texture, but the taste stays on point. BONUS TIP: Add cinnamon to chocolate recipes for an interesting spin. BONUS, BONUS TIP: Applesauce itself is pretty darn yummy with some cinnamon sprinkled on top.
7. Fresh Herbs: You can grow them yourself or buy them in the refrigerated fresh veggie section. Regardless, fresh herbs can add that perfect punch to a healthy meal. I LOVE fresh Rosemary. I use it to cook one of my favorite healthy meals Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken. Crockpot and healthy...lol yep. I love Fresh Parsley, Chives, Thyme and Basil.
6. Lawry's Season Salt: Ok, probably not the healthiest thing on this list, but defintely a must around here. I use Lawry's on about every kind of meat and just throw it on the grill. No oil. Less fat. Comes out juicy and delicious every time.
5. Lean cuts of meat: Check out the labels in your meat section and you might be really surprised. We do chicken breasts of course. I buy the frozen bag and keep them on hand, they are a staple. We also regularly get boneless, skinless chicken thighs to mix it up. We grill those puppies up and I dare you to find a skin-on/full fat version you would rather have.
Beef-wise we love sirloin and extra lean ground beef. I make all my hamburger recipes with this version of ground beef. Everything from casseroles to chili to homemade deep-dish pizza. It cuts out tons of fat and we can't tell the difference.
Pork-wise we love to cook-up a tenderloin with some lawry's and rosemary in the crockpot or slice it up and grill it. We also love getting pork cube steak which is super cheap and lean. We grill them up and dress them up like pork burgers. Those are one of Mike's favorites!
4. Canola & Olive Oils: I don't cook with Crisco or any other fat other than canola or olive oil and very reduced amounts at that. I grill a lot to get around this step. I also have a grill-like skillet that helps me indoors. I occassionally use a light margarine for flavor but that is it. BONUS TIP: Another way around adding fat is chicken broth (in lieu of butter--think mashed taters). I often use chicken broth instead of water in many recipes to give it a boost without added fat (chili, stuffing, soups, etc.)
3. High Fiber Pastas & Breads: I am a carbs girl and so is my Add. So we use Smart-Taste pasta for all of our pasta dishes (including before mentioned Mac and Cheese). We also get Aunt Millie's Potato Bread which is full of fiber, yet stays soft for sandwiches and such. When making French Toast, I buy a 35 calorie bread (or Aunt Millie's Potato Light if I can find it) and make my batch with it. You can't tell the difference and it sure cuts the calories.
2. Forget lowfat/weightloss cookbooks: Most are complete crap and have you buy tons of ingredients that turn into a mediocre dish. Take your favorite recipes and cookbooks and lighten the ingredients up yourself. Most of my favorite light dishes are my favorite dishes from before I tried to lose weight--just lightened up.
1. Don't deny myself: There are tons of yummy healthy choices out there and for the most part I can "be good" and not miss much of anything. But when there are times where I REALLY want a donut or some yummy dessert, I have it. I typically take one day a week and eat whatever I want. But the rest of the week, I try to stay on track. But not to the point of feeling like I am on a special diet and can't be a normal human being. Flexibility is key... but also can't be made into an excuse to eat myself into weight gain... it's about balance baby... Some days I am a steady eddy... other days, not so much... thus the pie.
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