Spring is in the air and many of us are feeling inspired to do some spring cleaning—cleaning out the garage, cleaning out our closets and cleaning out our favorite recipes!
Recently we asked our community to submit some of their favorite recipes for a healthy makeover. We have to hand it to you—based on what we received, you’re already taking steps to cut out excess fat, carbs and calories.
Denise in Yakima, WA tells us that one of her favorite treats is a refreshing ice cream float made with low fat or fat free ice cream and sugar free soda. Making smart choices like these can cut out almost 200 calories and almost six grams of fat per serving, based on a 12-ounce float with four ounces of ice cream per serving.
Amanda in Simpsonville, SC already knows to use skinless chicken breasts in her recipes, which cuts out about 20 calories and 6.5 grams of fat per five-ounce serving.
Dolores in Washington, DC submitted her favorite Sloppy Joes recipe for a healthy makeover. Check out how we cut out over 100 calories and over five grams of fat per serving by making a few quick substitutions:
Original Recipe:
Sloppy Joes
Serves 6
Ingredients:
|
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef 1 clove garlic, minced 1 onion, finely chopped 1 cup ketchup ½ cup barbecue sauce 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar |
2 tablespoons balsamic or cider vinegar 1 tablespoon mustard ½ teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon dried basil A few grounds fresh black pepper Hamburger buns |
Procedure:
- In a large skillet, cook the beef, garlic and onions over medium heat until juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink. Drain the mixture and stir in ketchup, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and seasonings.
- Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Spoon about ½ cup of the filling onto each hamburger bun. Serve.
The Makeover:
The first thing we tackled with this recipe was the meat. Using ground beef means about 215 calories per 3.5 ounces of meat alone, and 15 grams of fat. Simply substituting ground turkey meat will cut out around 66 calories and almost seven grams of fat per serving. You may find it necessary to add a bit more spice to the dish when you make this substitution; experiment with spices like cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg and red pepper flakes.
Our next challenge was to find a substitute for the ketchup and barbecue sauce. Packaged ketchups and sauces hide significant amounts of calories and sugar. One leading commercial brand of barbecue sauce contains 46 calories and almost 10 grams of sugar in a one-ounce serving! Regular ketchups can have about 30 calories and seven grams of sugar in one ounce. These two ingredients add about 71 calories and 14 grams of sugar to each serving of this recipe.
There are a number of low-calorie, low-carb barbecue sauces available. We recommend comparing labels and making an informed choice. We found a sauce that contained just 10 calories per one-ounce serving.
A quick substitute for ketchup is crushed tomato, either canned or made by boiling or microwaving a fresh tomato until it is soupy. One medium sized tomato (yielding about a cup, crushed) has only 18 calories. Season with salt and pepper and you won’t miss the ketchup!
Finally, substitute whole wheat hamburger buns for traditional buns made with white flour and you can add fiber to fill you up sooner and lose calories and carbs.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article or blog are strictly those of the author. The contents of this article or blog and any reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service whether by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement or recommendation by ISI Brands and ISI Brands assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, service or process disclosed or referenced herein. All information is provided on an as-is basis and is provide for information purposes only. Always consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.