Toni-Lynn
08-11-2008, 10:00 PM
What comes to mind when you think of comfort food? (A) mountains of mashed potatoes soaked in rich, creamy butter and sour cream or (B) a cranberry apple crisp fresh out of the oven? Both choices will no doubt provide comfort, but if you picked B, your heart (and your waistline) will thank you. If you want to indulge and be good to your body, check out our list of five healthy comfort foods.
Craving a rich dessert, but don't want the calories of red velvet cake? Try a sweet dessert bread instead. Make delicious zucchini, pumpkin or cranberry/orange breads and substitute half the oil with applesauce — it's the rich cake experience with fewer calories and less fat.
Tip: If you're making bread already, why not make a few more loaves? A basket of individually wrapped, homemade breads makes the perfect gift for any occasion.
If chocolate is your weakness, try splurging on strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce. You can make your own sauce by melting chocolate chips in a double broiler (adding a teaspoon of shortening if needed to make the sauce silkier). Or cut straight to the chase and use a premade chocolate ice cream topping. You'll satisfy your chocolate cravings, and fill up on the healthier fruit.
Tip: Banana chunks dipped in chocolate are delicious, too!
Mashed potatoes are the quintessential wintertime comfort food. And you can still enjoy them. Just use low-fat sour cream and fat-free butter, or leave them out all together and deepen the flavor with fat-free chicken broth, garlic and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
Tip: Yukon gold potatoes make a great substitution for russet — they're creamier in texture and richer in flavor.
Creamy, homemade macaroni and cheese is wonderful as a side dish or all on its own, but it doesn't have to go straight to your arteries. The ingredients in most macaroni and cheese recipes are a hit list of possibilities for low-fat substitutions: There are heart-healthy varieties of the butter, eggs, milk and cheese most recipes call for.
Tip: Make your main dish meat loaf, and substitute ground turkey for ground beef.
If it's salty snacks you're craving, bypass the mixed nuts and cream-based dips. Pretzels dipped in mustard are much lower in fat, and so are tortilla chips and salsa, and popcorn — they make tasty substitutes for those higher-fat options.
Source (http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/en_US/jsp/EDS_Page.jsp?pageID=ATAAC&id=/current_article_page/archivedarticle_hw_5_Comfort_Foods.xml)
Craving a rich dessert, but don't want the calories of red velvet cake? Try a sweet dessert bread instead. Make delicious zucchini, pumpkin or cranberry/orange breads and substitute half the oil with applesauce — it's the rich cake experience with fewer calories and less fat.
Tip: If you're making bread already, why not make a few more loaves? A basket of individually wrapped, homemade breads makes the perfect gift for any occasion.
If chocolate is your weakness, try splurging on strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce. You can make your own sauce by melting chocolate chips in a double broiler (adding a teaspoon of shortening if needed to make the sauce silkier). Or cut straight to the chase and use a premade chocolate ice cream topping. You'll satisfy your chocolate cravings, and fill up on the healthier fruit.
Tip: Banana chunks dipped in chocolate are delicious, too!
Mashed potatoes are the quintessential wintertime comfort food. And you can still enjoy them. Just use low-fat sour cream and fat-free butter, or leave them out all together and deepen the flavor with fat-free chicken broth, garlic and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
Tip: Yukon gold potatoes make a great substitution for russet — they're creamier in texture and richer in flavor.
Creamy, homemade macaroni and cheese is wonderful as a side dish or all on its own, but it doesn't have to go straight to your arteries. The ingredients in most macaroni and cheese recipes are a hit list of possibilities for low-fat substitutions: There are heart-healthy varieties of the butter, eggs, milk and cheese most recipes call for.
Tip: Make your main dish meat loaf, and substitute ground turkey for ground beef.
If it's salty snacks you're craving, bypass the mixed nuts and cream-based dips. Pretzels dipped in mustard are much lower in fat, and so are tortilla chips and salsa, and popcorn — they make tasty substitutes for those higher-fat options.
Source (http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/en_US/jsp/EDS_Page.jsp?pageID=ATAAC&id=/current_article_page/archivedarticle_hw_5_Comfort_Foods.xml)