Tips

This is a collection of things I do to save calories while still getting good flavors. I've also included products here, as the use of these products also either saves calories or adds good value for the calories you get.

Stir Fry Trick - to cut oils I do my stir fry in a non-stick Wok, I coat the Wok lightly with Olive Oil (in a Misto), then spray a little Sesame Oil (in a Misto). This adds a minimal amount of fats to your dish.

Grilling Trick - rub the grill itself with oil instead of using oil directly on what is being grilled. This adds negligible amounts of fats to your grilled foods while keeping the foods from getting stuck to the grill.

Oils when Grilling Vegetables - you'll want to use a measurable amount, but try

cutting back on your oils to see if you can reduce how much you use.  See my Grilled Vegetables recipe for ideas.

Egg Beaters - can be used to replace eggs in recipes, usually 1/4 cup replaces an egg.  This cuts down on both calories and cholesterol.

Pam Butter Flavored Spray - this is a Canola oil (good oil) spray that can be used to cook many different items, lending them a buttery flavor without the calories. I find this especially useful when cooking eggs.

Baker's Joy - non-stick spray for baking (has flour in the spray). This saves both time

and calories for recipes that call for greasing & flouring bakeware.

Better Than Bouillon - quick way to make broths, comes in many flavors (Beef, Chicken, Lobster, Mushroom, Vegetable, etc). Look for it in the soup aisle, it comes in a glass jar

that would remind you of a baby-food jar. For broth the mix is 1 tsp to 1 cup of boiling water. I no longer purchase either canned broth or bouillon since discovering this wonderful product. See my Fresh Tomato & Basil Soup recipe.

Walden Farms 0 Calorie products - I've been pleasantly surprised by some of these products.  I've used both the Bacon Ranch & Honey Dijon Salad Dressings both on salads and as condiments on wrap sandwiches.  Some of their products I’m not crazy about, but they’re worth checking out for yourself.

Cool Whip Free - It tastes good and can be used for a variety of things... I especially

like it mixed with fresh fruit.

Oblaten - Crispy thin cookie wedges that are low in calories, I found these in my local grocery store. I like to have them with fruit, sorbet, and such to make my dessert a bit more polished in appearance and crunchy in nature. I’ve found them in 4 flavors: Vanilla, Caramel, Lemon, & Chocolate. I'm not crazy about the Chocolate ones, but I love the rest.

Sausage Substitute #1 - Portobello Mushrooms diced small, saute in pan sprayed with cooking spray with some Sausage Spice.


Sausage Substitute #2 - 99% Fat Free Ground Chicken Breast (Smart Chicken is the brand available in my local store), cooked in a pan sprayed with Olive Oil with some Sausage Spice. Make sure to use this one when the meat texture is needed.

Spaghetti Squash - can be baked & then shredded to be used in place of spaghetti

noodles. It doesn't taste like spaghetti, it tastes like squash, so if you don't like squash don't bother. It can be mixed in with noodles to get the flavor of pasta back (still cutting down your calories from pasta alone) or used by itself. I use it in place of pasta because I go for flavor with my pasta toppings.

Acorn or Butternut Squash - can be steamed or baked & then mashed up (or perhaps Riced) and used as a base for stir fry (instead of rice). Again it tastes like squash, so use your own judgement; however, if you're more into the flavor of what goes on top you'll likely find it satisfying (and filling).