Quick and Healthy Dinner Recipes and Menus

Healthy Cooking

Some basic tips for making your favorite recipes healthier include:

 

• Decrease the meat and increase the vegetables called for in stews and casseroles.
  
• Choose whole-grain versions of pasta and bread; substitute whole-wheat flour for bleached white flour when you bake.
  
• Serve imaginative whole-grain side dishes like bulgur or kasha instead of white rice or pasta.
  Cook with less fat by using non-stick skillets.
  
• Blot all fried meats on paper towels. Or better yet, try baking instead of frying.
  
• Avoid cooking with soy or Worcestershire sauce and products that contain monosodium glutamate (MSG).
  
• Use garlic or onion powder instead of garlic or onion salt, and use unsalted or low-salt vegetable broths and products.
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
• Buy reduced-fat cheese or use mozzarella, which is naturally lower in fat.
  
• In recipes calling for milk or cream, substitute reduced fat versions or try using other “milks” such as rice milk, nut milks or soy milk. Also use low-fat cream cheese, yogurt, and mayo.
  
• Unhealthy fats like certain oils, butter, or margarines can usually be cut by 1/3 to 1/2 in recipes. At first try a small cut-back and then use less and less over time; you'll hardly notice the difference.
  
• You can also use fat substitutes like prune purees and applesauce in baked goods.
  
• Use fresh-frozen fruit without added sugar if fresh is unavailable.
  
• Cut the sugar called for in most recipes by 1/3 to 1/2.
  
• Sweeten waffles and quick breads with cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla or almond extracts in order to cut the sugar content.
  
• Try salsa on a baked potato or salad rather than high-fat dressing or butter.