some great ways to make your favourite food healthy
Friday, May 11, 2018
Junk food is great right? It’s scrummy and tasty and moreish, but it’s not always so great for our health. The likes of cheesy pizza, crispy fries and ice cream make it difficult to avoid, but don’t worry. In this post Brittnay, from the Nut Butter Hub, provides some healthier alternatives to your favourite comfort foods.
We Scream for Healthy Ice Cream
Everyone loves ice cream and since more and more people are cutting out dairy, alternatives should be very readily available in your local grocery store. But if you would like to make your own ice cream then trying banana nice cream is very fast and easy.
To make banana nice cream all you need to do is freeze 3 to 4 bananas and blend in your blender. The result is a healthy version of ice cream. Use your favourite toppings such as nuts and dark chocolate to make this even more of a special treat.
Everyone Loves Cookie Dough
Cookie dough is pretty delicious however it is not recommended by experts to eat due to the raw egg. So to make cookie dough healthy, try subbing your flour with something like coconut flour and sweetening with agave instead of plain sugar.
If you want something else a little bit different, try using chick peas instead of flour. You will be presently surprised how similar they taste to regular cookies and cookie dough!
DIY Pizza
If a pizza is what you and the family crave then why not make it from scratch at home? All you need to do is make your own pizza dough and just make some changes to topping.
So how do you get started? Have your homemade pizza dough ready – spread it out on a baking pan that has been properly floured – brush the pizza dough with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle on your smoked veggies as well as a moderate amount of your favourite low fat cheese. (If you’re feeling a little fancy, feel free to mix some black pepper, garlic powder and some of your favourite spices in with your veggies beforehand!)
Can’t Give Up Mac and Cheese?
Processed pasta is not a good thing to eat on a regular basis. Get rid of boxed mac and cheese and make some at home. You can make a velvety cheese-based sauce with added butternut squash. This sweet taste on mac and cheese is sure to satisfy that craving!
Take it a step further and replace your high carb noodles with a plant-based pasta made out of chickpeas or legumes. The texture may be a little grainier than regular pasta but it tastes almost the same.
Add Some Smoky Flavours
Smoking food is a simple way of packing loads of flavour into your food. It also adds a great depth to your dishes. You can hot or cold smoke your food to give different depth of flavour. Hot smoking both cooks and flavours your food whereas cold smoking only flavours it
I’m sure we’ve all heard of smoking meat and fish however, using your gas smoker you can also smoke fruit & vegetables. This can open up the world to a new level of tastes! What about smoked garlic or smoked aubergines? You can use different woods to give different smoke flavours or even soak the wood in your wine. You can also add spices and herbs to your smoker to infuse new flavours
Dried Fruit, Nuts and Seeds
If you need some additional sweetness in your food, adding some dried fruit is a great way idea. If you like oats or cereals for breakfast but don’t want to add sugar, throw in some dates or dried strawberries.
Chopped nuts and seeds are also a good way of adding flavour and texture to your breakfast cereal without it being a sacrifice to your health. Dried fruit and nuts can also be tasty additions to savoury meals, such as stews and tagines for a taste sensation. Have you ever tried adding sultanas to your cous cous? Throw those in and your halfway to a Moroccan roast veggie salad!.
Don’t Step Away from The French Fries
The next time you want fries try baking them instead of deep frying them litres of oil. When at home try tossing your sweet potato wedges in a bag with olive oil and semolina. This coating with ensure you get a crispy oven chip every time. You can also try using a healthy oil like coconut to help reduce your cholesterol levels.
Make a Condiment the Star!
Making your own condiments can be an excellent way to give your meals a flavour boost. Have you tried making your own pesto? You can to add to pasta, or as a yummy coasting for chicken.
Are you a fan of that creamy butter? Avocado is a great to spread on toast or a flatbread as it has a similar texture to butter. If you prefer your avocado smashed, you could try hummus as your butter substitute.
Thanks to Brittnay from the Nut Butter Hub for contributing this post. Your comments are welcome below.
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Perfect who has extra roasted butternut squash…and wontons in the old freezer. I did!! Going into lab, aka kitchen!
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. I don’t know who you are but certainly you are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
Wow – this sounds wonderful! I’ve been wanting to try making spaghetti squash at home for a while, and this sounds like the perfect way to try it. Thanks for the cutting tip as well!
thanks for the comment!
Looks so good! Hmmm, I love ramen but this looks too involved for me. I’m too much of a health snob to eat packaged ramen though, although tempting – would rather save my fat for favorite treats. Thanks for helping me get hungry though! ????
I am definitely trying this! That imaginary person at the beginning of your post? Totally me. I work four ten-hour days so I can have 3-day weekends to work on my blog, and by the time I walk in the door at the end of a work day I can hardly think straight, let alone make a time-consuming recipe. This kind of dinner is just what I need!