Mealtime Magic: Healthy Changes

We all have our comfort foods, our go-to snacks - but they aren't all healthy. There are a lot of ways to make favorite snacks and meals healthier, though, without sacrificing much in terms of taste and quality. Here are a few ways I've changed meals and snacks to make them lighter.

1 - Macaroni and cheese calls for 1/4 c milk and 1/4 c butter (or, at least, it used to). I actually think that makes it pretty soupy, so I tend to use only 1 tablespoon butter and just under 1/4 c milk. This saves about 300 calories per pot, or about 100 calories per serving.
2 - Whenever I'm making anything that calls for cream cheese, like cheesecake, I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese. I've tried using both, and in recipes it's almost impossible to tell the difference.
3 - Try using fresh ingredients instead of prepared ingredients. For example, try topping spaghetti noodles with fresh seasoned tomatoes instead of sauce. It's a great change from processed ingredients.
4 - If the recipe calls for melting cheese, like nachos, consider using Velveeta (or similar products from other brands). Not only does it melt really well, which means you may not need as much, but it has fewer calories per serving (60 vs. 110).
5 - If you're making a recipe that involves ground beef, like meatloaf, swap it for ground turkey, chicken, or pork. Ground turkey has 120 calories per pound, compared to ground beef's 185.
6 - Add vegetables. If you're making hot dishes or casseroles, or even macaroni and cheese, adding vegetables gets those great foods into your diet, plus it makes the dish lighter by causing it to have fewer calories in the same serving size. Corn mixes well in almost any dish.
7 - Try skipping the butter. I love plain popcorn, and it saves me 100 calories for every tablespoon of butter I don't use.
8 - Try alternatives to mayo. I like making sandwiches with a little bit of mustard, or even with vinaigrette salad dressing. It's a fun change.
9 - Top mashed potatoes with plain yogurt. It's almost like sour cream, and saves calories (15 per tablespoon). You can also stir in some veggies.
10 - Whenever I make muffins or cakes from scratch, I also use applesauce or other fruit or vegetable purees. I've used pureed squash or pumpkin in spice muffins before instead of most of the oil or melted butter. Applesauce works in almost any recipe, too.

What are some ways that you make substitutions in your favorite foods to make them healthier? There are lots more ways - share your tips below!

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