Clever Ways to Make Your Favourite Food Healthy

Clever Ways to Make your favourite food healthy is is a great guest post from Brittany Sharman, one of my fellow bloggers. Britt somehow manages to get her kids to eat crispy cauliflower bites, she is that good at this healthy eating business. I am so far away from that with our family that I will take whatever advice I can get from Britt. 

When we discussed topics, I jumped at the idea of a post about ways to make junk food healthy because this family loves its junk food. Here are Brittany’s  suggestions.

This post has such great recipes linked in, I love it! 

Thanks so much Britt for sharing your ideas with me and the AllThingsMomSydney readers. 

 

Clever Ways to Make

Your Favourite Food Healthy

 

Can’t give up some bad habits? Do you love a sneaky soda or do you get the tub of ice-cream out for one scoop (and finish it all in one night)? Well what if you could still enjoy them, guilt-free? You just have to be a little inventive and make some small changes. Have you ever tried frozen banana in the blender? Well it is a game changer, tastes exactly like ice-cream! You’re going to learn to make some simple changes that will have you eating healthy in no time.

 

1.    Start by Spicing Up Your Life

You can add some really punchy flavours by creating your own spice mixes. You can use these to season your dishes, and you can even use them to marinade meat in (by combining with a little oil).

It’s super easy to make your own curry powder for a tasty chicken, lamb or vegetarian curry or your own Mexican inspired seasoning for tacos and fajitas.

 

 2.  You Don’t Have to Give Up Mac And Cheese

With so many cheese alternatives now available at the supermarkets, taking the cheese out of mac and cheese is super easy! Try grinding up cashews to get that creamy sauce texture that you usually get in mac and cheese. Or you can also try roasting pumpkin then blending it until silky.

Now the only thing really missing is the colour. Try adding some tumeric, not does does tumeric give it the right colour, it is also beneficial to your health. You will find that turmeric fights inflammation in the body and helps with digestion.

 

3.    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.

Making your favourite naughty meals healthy might not be so tricky after all, there are loads of tricks and tips for reducing the fat and calories, whilst still being able to enjoy your food.

 

 

4.   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!)

To really add some flavour to your pizza whip up some smoked veggies. Putting the veggies in a gas smoker will ensure you don’t have to load up on cheese or fatty meats to add flavour. Try using eggplant or mushroom as they hold a lot of flavour and texture.

 

 

5.   Use More Vegetables in Your Meals

On top of simply eating more vegetables, you can sneak extra veg into your meals to make them healthier. You can make fries out of sweet potato, fried rice out of cauliflower or you can make spaghetti out of courgette. How about making a pizza base out of cauliflower? Or what about these cauliflower popcorn bites, they taste just like KFC!

 

 

6.   Want a Sweet Alternative?

Homemade baked apple chips are also a great alternative!

Thinly slice your apples and leave them to soak in a bowl of salt water for a few minutes. (This will  prevent them from oxidizing!) Lightly rinse the apple slices before patting them dry with a kitchen  paper towel and placing them in the oven to bake until crispy!

There are so many switches and swaps you can make to create healthier versions of your classic comfort foods. Making simple changes to your usual junk food items can keep you feeling light on your feet, whilst still feeling like a treat when you eat.

 

 

7.   Go Cheese-less

If you can’t resist pizza then try cutting or changing the cheese.  You might be surprised how yummy a pizza is without any cheese – just make sure you add a little extra something to make up for it. That could be herbs, likes basil or add some extra veggies like sun-dried tomatoes roasted pumpkin.

If you can’t go without cheese, try using goats’ cheese, it is much more flavourful so you need a lot less. You could also try a spoonful or two of ricotta for a fresh tasting pizza. You can also try reducing the amount of cheese you are using and keep working until you are down to nothing!

Adding flavour doesn’t have to be too tricky. Once you have done it a few times it will become a habit. So next time in Instead of reaching for the premade salad dressing loaded with sugar you will be whipping up your own.

 

 

♦

 

More about the Brittany

If like me you enjoyed  Clever Ways to Make your favourite food healthy and want to learn more about healthier eating, you can find Britt sharing healthy and delicious recipes on The Nut Butter Hub. You can also follow Britt on her social media channels at Instagram or Facebook Given that she’s an Aussie living in London with a load of travel under the belt, she is  quite a cool person to follow.