Does holiday eating always have to ruin your health and waistline? Absolutely not! If you are the cook, there are plenty of ways to plan your meal to be not just healthy, but tasty too. Here are a few tricks of the trade to sneak in better nutrition when no one is looking. (I won't tell!)
Substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream
To cut down on the saturated fat, substitute sour cream in any recipe for plain, nonfat Greek yogurt. This will also add protein. Note that if the dish should be especially creamy, this may not be a good swap - or you might instead try a low-fat Greek yogurt.
So many people are going gluten-free. Luckily, eating gluten-free is not as difficult as it was in the past. More and more products are available that meet the standards for gluten-free. But simply buying packaged gluten-free items can get quite expensive. So how do you toss out the gluten without losing all your cash too? Here are some tips.
1. Start with the basics
Go for naturally gluten-free grains instead of buying specialty mixes. Try quinoa (buy in bulk for best price) or buckwheat....both available in most grocery stores. Remember too that rice and potatoes are gluten-free! Also look for gluten-free oatmeal.
2. Look for substitutes
In place of regular or expensive gluten-free bread, look for gluten-free crackers or breadsticks (you get more servings per package). Or use corn tortillas as a wrap or make a grain-based salad using quinoa or rice.
3. Create your own
How about baking your own gluten-free items? Here are some ideas:
- Rice pilaf: brown rice and quinoa mix
- Baking flour: half brown rice + half garbanzo bean flour
- Use chickpea flour in place of pricey gluten-free baking mix. One use would be to make breakfast/snack cookies instead of buying expensive gluten-free packaged cookies
4. Choose wisely
Many of the larger grocery store chains and some of the local health food stores are often less expensive than buying online. However, check online for specials and look in specialty magazines for coupons.
5. Round out your plate
Fill your plate with plenty of fresh, whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean (unprocessed) meats, low-fat dairy and healthy fats (i.e. avocado, nuts, fresh salmon and tuna). All of these foods are naturally gluten-free to begin with. So start with these groups and then add the specialty gluten-free options as an after-thought. This way you will fill up on the less expensive options first.
Be Extraordinary,
RDKate
