Lightening Up Old Favorites

There are ways to lighten up many of our higher calorie favorites. Many don't require much more than a few small substitutions.

CHILI is always a favorite during the winter. Use ground turkey instead of hamburger. Tomatoes , onion , chilis , and light on the beans and you've got a great bowl of soup that won't make you feel guilty. I toss in any leftover black bean salsa or throw in a can of corn in the mix from time to time.

TACOS are always a great meal especially during football season. Instead of shells just make a taco salad. Use ground turkey and spice the turkey up with chilli powder , onion powder and garlic powder. Go easy of the cheese and sour cream and you'll be fine. Also , fish tacos can be very tasty.

ENCHILLADAS are my son's all time favorite meal. I make a pan of regular ones for the non-dieters and I make another pan for the dieters. I used grilled chicken on a corn tortilla. I add some form of white cheese , roll them up and cover in homemade salsa verde.

STUFFED PEPPERS: Always good and healthy. Just use brown rice and ground turkey. I jazz it up a bit by tossing in more spices
and extra tomato.

POPCORN: air popped with no butter sound about as appetizing as eating cardboard? Try some of the many popcorn flavorings
out there. Many of them are as little as 5 calories for 2 tablespoons.

BAKED GOODS: Many recipes can be made healthier just by substitution the oil with low-fat plain yogurt or applesauce. Don't
be afraid to experiment.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE: My husband loves going to the Fair to get these. Turkey sausage isn't a very spicey substitute but you can
make it up a bit in the sauce. Grill peppers and onions until tender. Add diced tomatoes and slow cook.
Open up the spice cabinet and go at it! I add salt , pepper , red crushed pepper , celery seed , oregano and
a dash of garlic powder.

OMELETS: I use egg whites instead of the whole egg. Also , if you're not good at making omelets just make it a scramble. Go
heavy on the veggies and light on the cheese. Top with salsa if you like. I've found some great combos strictly
by accident. I tossed together spinach , extra firm tofu (diced small) , mushroom and tomato. I topped it with
bean sprouts.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF TOFU!! Tofu is easy to add to any meal and it takes on the flavor of whatever it is you're eating. I prefer
the extra firm tofu for the texture. Toss it in with grilled veggies , stir-fry or omelets for some
extra nutrition.