Useful extras
Find a healthy substitute
Sugar, refined white flour, and saturated fats – what do they all have in common? They’re probably ingredients in recipes you make regularly. More importantly, they also have natural, minimally processed substitutes like evaporated cane sugar, unrefined wheat flour, and canola oil or olive oil. Today, challenge yourself to analyze some of your recipes and see if you can find natural options.

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I make healthy, low fat smoothies with natural ingredients and I always have Kashi cereal. I like my veggies without anything, just steamed!
Costco has a large bag of mixed berries. Raspberries, blue berries, marion berries. They are frozen. But I take a cup of frozen berries and let them thaw partially and put a dollop of cool whip or redi whip on and enjoy that instead of a bowl of ice cream. yummy and good for me.
I started baking with soy flour instead of regular white flour, and no one seems to have noticed the difference!
amyers: I’ve tried the Canola Butter Blend for toast, on veggies, etc & I really like it! That is great, when you consider Canola oil is an Antioxidant high in Vitamin E. The real test comes whem I start baking for the Holidays. I’ll keep you all posted…
Hey sjssoccer: Thank you Much! Reading your 09/22 comment inspired me to finally make my own version of a well known coffee shop’s Green Tea Latte. I used 6-8oz very warm soy milk (upon reviewing the ingredients, I find the W—M—- brand to be better than the S—- brand I had been using) > Brewed a stromg cup off green tea (6oz of water/brewed 4 minutes, longer brew time can make tea bitter) > some honey or agave & a dash of vanilla after I tried it w/o. Both versions are very good. Now I’m looking for gree tea powder. Try it & let me know what you think.
I went online yesterday searching for butter substitutes for baking. I have baby food prune puree on my grocery list for next time I bake.
I always consider what I am cooking and I have learned how to substitute healthy grains/sweeteners for almost anything! It takes time and patience, but it can be done. I even switched to an organic Mayonnaise that uses honey instead of sugar to sweeten it…
As for the coffee… if it doesn’t make you feel bad, they say one cup a day (for a healthy person) is great for the liver! I got my mom to drink hers with organic half and half creamer and agave instead of sugar and corn-syrup laden flavored creamers (if you want flavor try some flavored coffee!).
I have baked with Stevia. I ordered some online and it came with a cookbook. But it’s not easy, you have to combine fruit juices, etc with it. But I have a wonderful muffin recipe from the book. I have heard that Stevia affects reproductive organs and the kidneys, but have not verified it. My favorite breakfast is a breakfast sundae – slice some banana in a bowl, put a few dollops of fat free vanilla yougurt on top (I like Stonyfield farms), and then a quarter cup of Kashi Cocoa Beach granola on top….yummy!!!!
sjssoccer:
Oh, I have the same problem with coffee. I have tried several types of tea (green, white, black), all flavored and I sweetened them with Stevia. Somehow though, I just can’t get away from coffee. My suggestion to everyone is to just not start drinking it (even though it’s wonderful)
I made this wonderful dish where you saute green, yellow, and red bell peppers in olive oil and vinegar. After the peppers were tender, I added them, and the sauce mixture that they made to spelt noodles. It was soooo good, and simple.
Instead of fruit juice from the store, i make my own with real fruits and water, THAT”S IT!
Instead of my cup of coffee with non-dairy creamer and Splenda, I drank green tea (sweetened with honey). It’s going to take a while to stop craving the richness of coffee, but the tea is incredibly refreshing!
I made my own whole wheat crackers instead of buying from the store. This way I can know without a doubt what’s actually the ingredients. They taste like delicious wheat thins!
I made Buckwheat pancakes today because they were the only whole wheat option in my grocery store. I paired it with some sugar free syrup, and threw a couple blueberries on top. It was delicious and filling!
i no longer use regular oil and no longer use fat and oil saturated butter its better for me and my daughter.i also use splenda now i dont know if that is bad or not they say its better for you than regular sugar
I try to eliminate all white, processed foods from my meals. But at the same time, I struggle with portion control with brown rice and whole wheat pastas. As I’m learning to eat healthy, I feel good about myself! And that’s major for me – trust me.
I use coconut oil to cook with instead of regular oil because of the health benifits the coconut oil provides…. I also make homemade brown sugar with raw sugar instead of the process stuff they sell in the market…. i am always looking into ways to make thing homemade so i can keep my family healthy and I know what they are eating…....
hi, substitute for a plain choc cake with a freshly made apple or fruit pie….add some mixed nuts for more fiber and some low sugar jam for sweeter taste and serve it warm with some plain yoghurt instead of panna cream….
we love it xx
I MIX KASHI’S PUFFED CEREAL WITH 1 TABLESPOON OF CINNAMON AND A SMALL BAG OF SLICED ALMONDS, OR WHATEVER OLD NUTS I HAVE ON HAND, STEVIA, OR SWEET N LOW TO MAKE IT SWEET. DRIED CRANBERRIES OR RAISINS OR GRANOLA I SOMETIMES ADD TOO.
Instead of a full fat/full sugar milk shake:
Sugar free & frozen yogurt
frozen or fresh blueberries, razberries, or any fruit of choice
a little soy milk or fat free milk
and ice
*blend together…and VUALA!! :)DELICIOUS