LOW FAT COOKING TIPS & RECIPES

LOW FAT COOKING TIPS & RECIPES

Low fat cooking is easy and delicious.  I can make any recipe healthier with less fat.  My simple changes add nutrition, have fewer calories, have more fiber & are very tasty.  Below are a few of my favorite healthy recipe tips that I live my LivFit Lifestyle by…

Note, if you eat saturated or trans fats you will get fat.  That also goes for sugar, even though it’s fat free, don’t let labels stating “fat free” fool you.  Sugar is the nonfat high body fat producing foods that you need to stay away from if you want to be lean, fit and healthy.

Low fat Cooking Tips

·         Always use butter in place of Crisco or oil when baking.

·         Use Pam cooking spray in place of oil or butter

·         Use ½ the fat; ie if the recipe calls for 2 cubes of butter only use 1(only use real butter, not margarine)

·         Use apple sauce in place of butter or Crisco it will make cookies and cakes light & fluffy

·         Replace all white flour for whole wheat flour (white wheat has a lighter taste & texture than red wheat)

·         Replace sugar for either brown sugar or better yet Blue Agave (it’s a low glycemic index food) and you only use half the amount called for.  Blue Agave is a wonderful sugar replacement for any meal.

·         Use cinnamon whenever you can.  It aids in balancing the blood sugar levels and taste great too!

·         Eat your veggies raw, they have more nutrients and fiber that way

·         Use plain low fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream

·         Use fresh herbs when possible, it will add a lot of flavor and added nutrition to any meal

·         Use Wish Bone spray Balsamic Breeze vinaigrette salad dressing

·         Add protein powder to your pancakes, oatmeal and even cookies

·         Buy fat free whenever possible

·         Use spaghetti squash in place of spaghetti, it tastes yummy and it’s high in fiber & beta carotene

·         Use low calorie vanilla almond milk in place of skim milk, it has less sugar and calorie than skim milk and taste great too

·         Replace table salt for sea salt, use sparingly (it adds more flavor and has minerals you body needs)

·         Buy foods that have the least amount of ingredients (the longer the list of ingredients the less healthy it is) 

Best of all have fun with your meal planning and be creative!  Think each meal through and think of how you can cut the fat and calories of any recipe, it’s a lot of fun and is highly rewarding; your body will thank you for it!

Carol’s Famous No-Bake Cookies

3 T of butter
¾ cup Truvia or brown sugar
1 heaping T of cocoa
1/3 cup of light vanilla almond milk

Mix over med-high heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat then mix in 2 T of low sugar or natural peanut butter,1 tsp pure vanilla
1½ to 2 cups of whole oats

Spoon out on a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes or freezer for faster cooling.  Serve & enjoy!  This is a wonderful nutritious after school snack, it’s loaded with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Hot Oatmeal Cereal with Protein (Carol’s favorite breakfast)

¼ cup whole oats
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/8 cup frozen berries (optional)
1 cup water
1/4 cup light vanilla almond milk


Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Add ½ cup almond milk mix in 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder.  Remove from heat and serve.  Pour almond milk over cereal and serve. (Use 1 small packet of Truvia if desired.)

Chicken Salad Pitas

1 can solid white chicken breast or crockpot cooked  chicken breast (rinse off fat with water, drain and put in a mixing bowl)

1 T of low fat Miracle Whip or plain low fat Greek yogurt
2 celery stocks finely chopped
8 chopped red or purple grapes
1 T slivered almonds
½ apple diced
2 tsp of sweet relish
Dash of basil, sea salt, pepper
Alfalfa sprouts

Serve with a fresh spinach salad on the side.

Mix well.  Prepare whole grain pita’s. Toast ½ pita, fill with chicken salad, spouts and spray with Wish Bone Balsamic Breeze vinaigrette salad spray. (This is one of my family’s favorites.)

Zesty BBQ Crock Pot Chicken

1 cup water
1 cup favorite (NO high fructose corn syrup) BBQ sauce
1 T mustard
1 tsp liquid smoke
½ red onion (cut up into bite size pieces)
1 clove garlic minced
Fresh basil
Dash of sea salt
Chicken breasts or chicken tenders (I fill my crock pot ¾ full so I will have leftover’s for my future meals)

Pour all ingredients into crock pot, mix well. Place lean chicken (be sure to cut off all the fat & wash thoroughly)

Pour BBQ sauce over top of chicken. Set on high and let cook approximately 7 to 8 hours. Check occasionally and stir. Serve with a delicious spinach salad and fresh veggies. (Any lean meat can be used in this recipe)

Spinach Salad with Toasted Pecans & Strawberries

3cups of fresh baby spinach

¼ cup cut roasted pecans (roast in frying pan with 2 packets of Trivia & a dash of vanilla)
1/3 sliced red onion
1/4 cup fresh cut strawberries and/or ¼ cup freshly cut orange or apple
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1/8 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
Handful of grape tomatoes
1 grilled chicken breast sliced

Clean baby spinach thoroughly and remove stems. Place Blue Agave or honey in a sauce pan on low medium heat let cook for a couple of minutes, then add pecan halved and toast for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat, pour onto a pan or plate to cool  (be sure to separate them on pan).

In large mixing bowl mix in prepared ingredients, toss well.  Serve w your favorite light salad dressing.

Poppy seed Vinaigrette salad dressing:

2 packets of Truvia or 1 T organic honey
1 1/4 teaspoons grated orange zest
2  tsp water
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon poppy seed
3 T extra virgin olive oil or Now Omega 3-6-9 blend
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
pinch of sea salt
fresh cracked pepper

Mix in blender and serve dressing on the side or pour over salad and serve. (I always have my dressing on the side and just dip my fork into it.)

Enjoy!

Carol Whitaker
Lifestyle Fitness Coach & Consultant
http://carolwhitaker

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