(ARA) – Many favorite comfort foods are chock-full of fat and calories. But a few simple tweaks can transform familiar favorites into delicious and nutritious meals your family will ask for time and time again.

The nutrition experts at Mayo Clinic share their top five tips for healthy recipe makeovers that cut the calories, boost the nutrition, and keep the taste:

1. Cut the fat and sugar
When you cut sugar and fat out of your favorite recipes, you reduce the calories. Most recipes can be altered without making the food taste different. Reduce the amount of sugar by one-third to one-half and play up the other flavors in the dish by increasing the amount of spice, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, the recipe calls for. Replace half the fat (like butter or shortening) in baked goods with applesauce or mashed banana.

2. Swap out
Make whole wheat French toast instead of using white bread. Add fiber to family spaghetti night by using whole wheat pasta. Replace whole milk with 1 percent or fat-free milk and you’ll cut fat and calories without anyone even noticing.

3. When in doubt, leave it out
Do you really need extra cheese on top of your pasta? Or frosting and nuts on that brownie? While items like mayonnaise, butter and syrup might seem like a delicious bonus, leaving them out can reduce sugar, fat and calories. And, in most cases, you won’t even miss them.

4. Small plates mean a smaller waistline
You should eat enough food to be satisfied, but not enough to give you that uncomfortably full and bloated feeling. Strive for a variety of foods and reasonable portion sizes. If you’re served a huge portion of food at a restaurant, immediately ask them to box up half of it. It’s like getting two meals for the price of one.

5. Change techniques
Instead of frying, try baking, broiling or grilling. Instead of sauteing, try steaming. Use nonstick cooking spray instead of butter or oil and baste food with wine or vegetable broth instead of oil or fatty meat juices.

Making a few simple substitutions and changing your method of preparation can result in mouthwatering new versions of your family’s favorite foods. The next time you are looking for a delicious and nutritious meal without all the fat and calories, try these simple recipes from the Fix-it and Enjoy-it Healthy Cookbook.

Herb Marinated Steak

Makes four servings.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: six to eight hours (or overnight)
Cooking/baking time: 12 to 18 minutes
Standing time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound London broil or chuck steak

1. Combine onion, parsley, vinegar, oil, mustard and garlic in a bowl.
2. Place meat in a sturdy plastic bag. Add onion mixture, spreading it on both sides of the meat. Close bag securely.
3. Place filled bag in a long dish in case of leaks. Marinate in refrigerator six to eight hours, or overnight. Turn over at least once while marinating.
4. Pour off marinade. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so meat is about 5 inches from heat source. Broil about six to eight minutes on each side for rare; nine minutes on each side for medium. You can also grill the steak instead of broiling it.
5. After broiling, allow meat to stand for 10 minutes.
6. Carve diagonally across the grain into thin slices.

210 calories, 10 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat per serving.

Guilt-free Golden Mashed Potatoes

Makes eight servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking/baking time: 40 to 45 minutes

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
2 reduced-sodium chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup skim milk
Half an 8-ounce package fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

1. Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes. Place in 4-quart saucepan with bouillon and water to cover.
2. Cover pan. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Drain and return potatoes to pan.
4. Preheat oven to 425.
5. Mash potatoes with electric mixer or hand-held ricer.
6. Add all remaining ingredients to potatoes except parsley. Mix well.
7. Place six oval-shaped mounds of potatoes on baking sheet, lightly covered with vegetable spray.
8. Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Garnish with parsley just before serving.

118 calories, .5 grams total fat, .3 grams saturated fat per serving.

Recipes reprinted from “Fix-it and Enjoy-it Healthy Cookbook.” Copyright by Good Books. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

For more healthy cooking tips and recipes, visit MayoClinic.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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(ARA) – Megan Johnson did something at 33 that she’d dreamed of since college — she entered a bodybuilding, figure and fitness competition and placed a respectable seventh in the figure category.

What’s the big deal? In addition to her age — the average female figure contestant is about 28 — she’s a mom of four: Max, 7, and triplets Hank, Sam, and Sophia, 6. She also employed a rather unusual workout regimen for a competitive figure contestant.

“I gained 25 pounds in college,” says Johnson, “mostly because I’ve always hated cardio. Weights I would do, but I just wouldn’t do anything aerobic.”

When Max arrived, Johnson knew it was going to be even harder to lose weight unless she faced her cardio phobia. That’s when she found a local women’s-only fitness center whose philosophy combined strength training and cardio.

“I belonged to a serious weight-lifting gym and I had doubts,” says Johnson, “But I knew I would never realize my dream unless I changed tactics, so I quit my gym and jumped right in.”

Johnson checked her progress against a friend who was training for the same event. “She lifted weights and did cardio two to three hours a day, six days a week. I did my 30-minute workout, three to five days a week, and nothing else. Our results were comparable.”

Research supports Johnson’s experience. Addressing the American College of Sports Medicine recently, Dr. Richard Kreider presented the results of the 2008 Curves/Avon Fitness Study, which tracked 43,000 women through the 30-day challenge. Participants worked out at Curves three times a week and were encouraged to walk an additional 120 minutes a week. The women saw considerable decreases in weight, body fat, inches, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. “It’s possible to make significant improvements with this type of program,” says Kreider.

Johnson took multivitamins and followed her gym’s eating plan. She loved the flexibility, meal plans and recipes. “I make the chili all the time,” she says.

“People think you have to work out for hours a day to get really fit,” says Johnson, “but I’ve proven to myself that’s not true. As a mom of four, I don’t have time even if I wanted to. And the good news is, if I give it my all during those 30 minutes, I don’t have to.”

Megan’s Favorite Cozy Comfort Chili

“I make this in batches of 25 servings and freeze in one-cup portions,” says Johnson. “Take one out, reheat, top with cheese and enjoy.”

Ingredients:

Garlic, to taste
Onion, to taste
Celery, to taste
Bell Pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon oil
3 ounces 95 percent lean ground beef
1/2 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup black beans, cooked
1/4 cup pinto beans, cooked
1/4 cup kidney beans, cooked
1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese

Directions:

Saute your favorite vegetables and spices (you can use unlimited amounts of them) in oil. Add lean ground beef and cook through. Stir in diced tomatoes with juice, black, pinto and kidney beans. Stir and cook until bubbly. Top with 1 ounce (1/4 cup) shredded low fat cheese.

Recipe from the “Curves Fitness & Weight Management Plan.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Red Pepper & Zucchini Lemon Halibut Packets

2 1/2 cups each julienned pieces of

red pepper and zucchini (625 mL)

2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced (2)

1/2 cup bottled Knorr Lemon & Black

Pepper marinade (125 mL)

6 halibut fillets, 6 oz (175 g) each (6)

1/4 cup finely diced sun-dried tomatoes

(50 mL)

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or parsley

(30 mL)

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Lay out 6 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place an equal amount of red pepper, zucchini and garlic on each. Drizzle the vegetables with equal amounts of the marinade. Top each with a piece of fish. Sprinkle each with some sun-dried tomatoes and dill. Fold up the foil and fold over twice to seal. Place the packets (seam side up) on the grate. Grill, without turning, for 7 minutes. Remove from the grill and let stand for 5 minutes. Serves 4.

Credit: www.newscanada.com

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Awareness of sugar’s caloric impact has fueled demands for sweeping reforms – including the recent trend of removing regular soda and sugary fruit juices from school vending machines. For health-conscious consumers looking to cut calories, reducing their sugar consumption can be a good start. Just one level teaspoon of sugar contains about 15 calories.

Unfortunately, concerns over the long-term health impact of non-sugar sweeteners have kept some consumers from replacing the added sugar in their diet with healthier alternatives. “Controlling calorie consumption is critical to weight maintenance,” says Chef Stephanie Green, a registered dietitian and owner of Nutrition Studios, a nutritional consulting firm. “Erythritol, which is used in the new zero-calorie sweetener Sweet Simplicity, gives Americans an all-natural way to guiltlessly indulge in the foods they love.”

Part of the human diet for thousands of years and found in grapes, melons, mushrooms and fermented foods such as wine, soy sauce and cheese, erythritol has been used in foods and beverages in Japan since the late 1980s. It was recently approved for use in both the U.S. and Canada.

Chef Green offers the following tips to lower daily caloric intake with zero-calorie sweeteners that won’t compromise taste:

* Homemade salad dressing can pack a lot of calories. Replace the sugar in your secret recipe with an all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener.

* When you barbecue, use an all-natural sugar alternative instead of brown sugar in your baked beans or barbecue rub.

* The sugar on the rim of a cocktail glass can add 15 calories or more. Instead, sweeten your favorite summer cocktail by rubbing a wedge of lemon, lime or orange around the rim of the glass, then dipping the rim onto a plate of all-natural sweetener.

For a natural way to indulge, Chef Green recommends the following recipe:

Pomegranate Peach Spritzer

Makes 4

4 small ripe peaches (about 1/2 pound)
14 packets Sweet Simplicity sweetener
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4cup 100 percent pomegranate juice, chilled
24 ounces club soda, chilled
6 packets Sweet Simplicity sweetener for garnish

Directions:
1. Wash and peel the peaches. Cut in half, remove the pit and discard.
2. Transfer peaches, 10 packets of Sweet Simplicity sweetener, orange zest, and lemon zest to a food processor or blender and puree for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Pour peach puree into an ice cube tray. Distribute evenly into 12 ice cubes and freeze until hard.
4. Rub the rim of each serving glass with an orange. Turn the glass upside down; dip the moist rim onto a plate of Sweet Simplicity sweetener for garnish.
5. To each glass add 1 packet of Sweet Simplicity, 1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice, 3 peach ice cubes and 6 ounces of club soda.

Nutritional Analysis Per serving:

Calories: 35
Fat: 0
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbohydrates: 29 grams
Protein: 1 gram
Fiber: 1 gram

Erythritol-based sugar replacements such as Sweet Simplicity sweetener are now available at stores such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats, and online at www.sweetsimplicitysweetener.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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f you are resolved to the task of losing a few pounds now that the extra holiday calories have taken their toll, consider how foods like low-fat, high calcium-and-protein cottage cheese can help you quickly – and better still, deliciously lose weight. The entire Nordica line (www.gaylea.com) has now received the coveted Health Check from the Heart & Stroke Foundation, so here’s a recipe for creamy dressing that will turn any winter salad into a wonderful taste of spring:

Sunkissed Salad Dressing

3/4 cup (175 mL) Nordica Cottage Cheese

1 tsp (5 mL) grated lime rind

3 tbsp (45 mL) lime juice

1/4 cup (50 mL) extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp (2 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 tsp (1 mL) chili powder

1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper

10 cups (2.5 L) mixed greens

2 cups (500 mL) fresh raspberries

1 cup (250 mL) halved grape tomatoes

3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped fresh basil

In blender, puree cottage cheese, lime rind, juice and oil until smooth. Pulse in sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add additional oil or milk if necessary. In large bowl, combine greens, raspberries, tomatoes and basil. Pour dressing over top and toss to coat evenly. Makes 6 servings.

Credit: www.newscanada.com

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