For some reason McDonalds is a huge motivator for eight year old little girls. I love to give my daughter a nice treat every once in a while. We're not a family that eats out more than once a week and usually it's something other than fast food. But, this time, my daughter wanted a Happy Meal and I was happy to take her. I've been doing very well with my eating lately, so I planned on making something at home.
As I pulled up to the menu board, I started thinking about how much I love some of the items they offer. I looked and saw "Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese." Mmmm, that used to be one of my favorites, but now that I'm working out and eating right I had to pass. That's when it struck me
What if I made that exact same burger at home, but I substituted some healthy alternatives? I've been doing up restaurant recipes for quite some time and I always try to duplicate exactly what the restaurants make. What if I reduced the cream in Outback Steakhouse's Walkabout Soup? What if I replaced the Italian sausage in Olive Gardens Zuppa Toscana Soup with turkey sausage? Could I make it into something healthy?
Of course, I know it's probably not going to taste EXACTLY the same, but I'm willing to sacrifice a little to save on the scale each morning. I also know Splenda isn't a duplicate for sugar and low fat cheese doesn't always melt exactly the same way regular cheese does, but that's OK.
I've put together a list of things you can do to change up your favorite top secret recipes to help them fit into a healthier lifestyle.
Drop the Fat - The next time you're buying eggs, look around the shelf and you'll probably see a low fat real egg substitute you can use for cook and baking. You'll find the same thing in the cheese section and the other parts of the dairy aisle.
Turkey Everything - It does seem like every kind of meat imaginable has a turkey based alternative these days. I don't know if anyone loves bacon as much as I do, but I've made the switch to turkey bacon. It's not exactly the same, but the payoff in my waistline is worth the sacrifice. Sausage, patties, bacon, ham and more is all available and make great replacements.
Low Fat Oil? - Well, it's not really low fat oil, but it does reduce the amount of oil you use. What is it? Spray on oil. It's the same oil you pour into a pan, but when you spray it you can coat a pan with considerably less oil than you would pouring. It can even be sprayed on food you would normally deep fry, but want to bake instead. It puts a nice crispy coating on the food.
Sugar Substitutes - Splenda is one of my favorite substitutes. Consider using it instead of sugar anytime you need it. It measures one for one with sugar, so you don't have to do any of the math. It's simple, easy and tastes pretty good.
Low fat cheese on the top of your copy cat Pizza Hut pizza isn't going to taste exactly the same. It's not. But, if staying in shape is important to you, it's worth a few minor modifications. If you follow the rest of the recipe correctly, you'll end up with a good substitute.
I have plenty of top secret recipes on my website that are waiting for your modifications. Don't be afraid to experiment a little and see what you come up with. You never know, you might end up liking the new healthy version better than the one at the restaurant.
As I pulled up to the menu board, I started thinking about how much I love some of the items they offer. I looked and saw "Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese." Mmmm, that used to be one of my favorites, but now that I'm working out and eating right I had to pass. That's when it struck me
What if I made that exact same burger at home, but I substituted some healthy alternatives? I've been doing up restaurant recipes for quite some time and I always try to duplicate exactly what the restaurants make. What if I reduced the cream in Outback Steakhouse's Walkabout Soup? What if I replaced the Italian sausage in Olive Gardens Zuppa Toscana Soup with turkey sausage? Could I make it into something healthy?
Of course, I know it's probably not going to taste EXACTLY the same, but I'm willing to sacrifice a little to save on the scale each morning. I also know Splenda isn't a duplicate for sugar and low fat cheese doesn't always melt exactly the same way regular cheese does, but that's OK.
I've put together a list of things you can do to change up your favorite top secret recipes to help them fit into a healthier lifestyle.
Drop the Fat - The next time you're buying eggs, look around the shelf and you'll probably see a low fat real egg substitute you can use for cook and baking. You'll find the same thing in the cheese section and the other parts of the dairy aisle.
Turkey Everything - It does seem like every kind of meat imaginable has a turkey based alternative these days. I don't know if anyone loves bacon as much as I do, but I've made the switch to turkey bacon. It's not exactly the same, but the payoff in my waistline is worth the sacrifice. Sausage, patties, bacon, ham and more is all available and make great replacements.
Low Fat Oil? - Well, it's not really low fat oil, but it does reduce the amount of oil you use. What is it? Spray on oil. It's the same oil you pour into a pan, but when you spray it you can coat a pan with considerably less oil than you would pouring. It can even be sprayed on food you would normally deep fry, but want to bake instead. It puts a nice crispy coating on the food.
Sugar Substitutes - Splenda is one of my favorite substitutes. Consider using it instead of sugar anytime you need it. It measures one for one with sugar, so you don't have to do any of the math. It's simple, easy and tastes pretty good.
Low fat cheese on the top of your copy cat Pizza Hut pizza isn't going to taste exactly the same. It's not. But, if staying in shape is important to you, it's worth a few minor modifications. If you follow the rest of the recipe correctly, you'll end up with a good substitute.
I have plenty of top secret recipes on my website that are waiting for your modifications. Don't be afraid to experiment a little and see what you come up with. You never know, you might end up liking the new healthy version better than the one at the restaurant.
About the Author:
Chef Pablo loves cooking. Whether it's his favorite restaurant recipes or authentic Mexican foods from his days growing up in San Diego, he's always excited to teach others how to please their guests in the kitchen with Outback Steakhouse recipes, The Olive Garden, The Cheesecake Factory or Red Lobster.
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