Nutrition/Culinary Tip O' The Day

April 26, 2011

After much careful thought and consideration (does 5 minutes count?), I have decided to post nutrition tips of the day/week/month/whenever I feel inspired.  Wow, that sounds incredibly boring, doesn't it?  Yes, but I would be an  irresponsible dietitian if I couldn't find ways to inspire you to eat a healthier diet, right???

After even more thought and consideration (does 1 minute count?), I have also decided to post culinary related tips.  This one doesn't sound as boring, right?  Heck, I might even decide to combine the two!  I know, I am getting a little crazy, but I just can't help myself.

My first tip is eat more vegetables.  Ok, just kidding (don't you love a little dietitian humor?)!  No, my first tip is... Don't always follow the recipe.  What?  Haven't I already posted recipes on this blog?  Yes, I have.  However, I will be the first to tell you that recipes aren't always good or right.  It's true.  Many times I find recipes are missing key ingredients.  Not only that, but I know better, even healthier ways to cook foods instead of basting them in fat and salt. 

I find that so many people have a hard time cooking because they fall victim to the recipe.  They don't seem to understand that the recipe and ingredients are just merely a suggestion.  For instance, if a recipe calls for butter and you don't have any or you're watching your saturated fat intake, what else could you use?  Nothing?  Wrong!  If it's a savory recipe (meaning one that isn't a baked good), you can usually swap olive oil for butter.  Maybe you've got a quesadilla recipe, but it just tastes like melted cheese?  Why not add some spice?  Sure, the recipe didn't call for cumin, cayenne or Mexican oregano, but who cares!!!  Throw caution to the wind and give it a shot. 

Be creative and put some thought into your next meal.  Research and find healthy swaps for high fat/high calorie ingredients.  Ever tried mayo made with olive oil instead of the traditional mayo?  It's delicious and you can't taste the difference.  It's an easy swap and you'll save yourself some fat, calories and even get some heart-healthy omega 3 fats too.  See how easy that was??? 

I hope you enjoyed my first intallment of Tip O' The Day.  Remember, there is a little chef in all of us!  Get in the kitchen and experiment!