NTTCALR: Healthy Alternatives

blackbird818

I know many of us are or are trying to be healthier & watch what we eat. So I thought we could share some of our wins & fails for healthy food alternatives.



Because some days it just feels like



So lets help each other out with healthy things to try and some to possibly avoid.

blackbird818

Win: Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon. No it's not as good as regular bacon; I prefer to think of it as it's own thing rather than compare it to pork bacon. I really like it bc it gets super crispy.


Fail: I tried Silk Almond unsweetened Vanilla Milk yesterday for the first time. ^#(^  :-& no bueno. I hope it's better in the low-carb recipes I bought it to try in. Definitely not good for drinking!

blackbird818

@sarcaztic10 I'm not a big fan of coconut so I don't know about that. Although I guess I did order some coconut flour online yesterday (again for some low carb recipes). I guess I could give it a whirl. I really think the almond milk will be fine for cooking or at least I'm hoping. FX

@ktlovess I really like the Mission carb balance tortillas. I can't really tell a difference between them and regular ones. H says they taste different, but honestly I think he wouldn't know in a blind taste test. When I don't tell him something is healthy or that I subbed in healthy alternatives, he never notices. But if I tell him beforehand, he usually side-eyes it.

blackbird818

@mrandmrsk91011 I have found other recipes I liked on that website. I'm definitely going to try these cupcakes.  :-bd

MrsKush1014

Win - Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free bread products.  I don't eat completely gluten free, but I do avoid wheat, and these bread products are the best wheat-free products I have found.  

Fail - Fat Free Half n' Half.  Gross.  Should just be called Half Milk n' Half Corn Syrup.  :-&

MrsKush1014

@ktlovess I have never heard that about quinoa!  It makes me a little sad as I love quinoa.    

meredithcarole

@Megdowntheshore‌ you stole my tip Greek yogurt is a fantastic substitute.

blackbird818

@Megdowntheshore I sub in FF greek yogurt ( I prefer Fage) for mayo or sour cream all the time. It works great.
:-bd

I actually prefer tuna with yogurt over mayo and use it on tacos/fajitas just like sour cream.

jlworden710

Win: Dry roasted soybeans instead of chips, la Croix vs. Cokes, and cooking veggies in sodium free chicken broth so they don't need any butter..

I can't think of any fails really. @ktlovess‌ I had heard quinoa can be high maintenance... so I try to stick to the "heat and eat" packets

dawnstar898

Not necessarily healthy, but the lesser of two evils!  You can get any coffee coolatta from Dunkin Donuts made with skim milk instead of cream and it cuts out fat completely (unless you get whipped cream on top) and it still tastes the same.  Still a lot of sugar, but it helps if you want a cool treat that's not too horrible for you

MrsG80inTN

I have more wins than fails... most of mine are in the form of recipes...  I acually like almond milk, but only use it in my coffee - I don't drink it.  

WINS:

- KIND bars (I'm loving them and they have good fiber and good fat in them)

- Cauliflower Rice from Skinnytaste - so good and a great alternative if you're cutting down on carbs

- Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt - it's my favorite option for an evening sweet snack.  

MrsKush1014

MrsG80inTN said:

I have more wins than fails... most of mine are in the form of recipes...  I acually like almond milk, but only use it in my coffee - I don't drink it.  

WINS:

- KIND bars (I'm loving them and they have good fiber and good fat in them)

- Cauliflower Rice from Skinnytaste - so good and a great alternative if you're cutting down on carbs

- Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt - it's my favorite option for an evening sweet snack.  

LOVE Skinnytaste!  And I'm really in love with the Almond and Coconut KIND bars.  Yummy!

rslh10

@blackbird818 when you cook with it, you can't even tell! Sorry you hated it:(

MrsG80inTN

MrsKush1014 said:

MrsG80inTN said:

I have more wins than fails... most of mine are in the form of recipes...  I acually like almond milk, but only use it in my coffee - I don't drink it.  

WINS:

- KIND bars (I'm loving them and they have good fiber and good fat in them)

- Cauliflower Rice from Skinnytaste - so good and a great alternative if you're cutting down on carbs

- Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt - it's my favorite option for an evening sweet snack.  

LOVE Skinnytaste!  And I'm really in love with the Almond and Coconut KIND bars.  Yummy!

Have you tried the cranberry cashew bar?  Holy awesomeness!

And yes, skinnytaste is my fave... another great one from her is the banging good shrimp recipe!

blackbird818

MrsKush1014 said:

Fail - Fat Free Half n' Half.  Gross.  Should just be called Half Milk n' Half Corn Syrup.  :-&

I've used FF half n half in recipes with no issues.

blackbird818

@MrsG80inTN omg thank for the link to The Suburban Girl Gone Country! I've found a few recipes I want to try out!!


edit bc typing is hard

MrsG80inTN

blackbird818 said:

@MrsG80inTN omg thank for the link to The Suburban Girl Gone Country! I've found a few recipes I want to try out!!


edit bc typing is hard

My pleasure.  I haven't tried anything else from her except the cookie dough yogurt, but I eat that nearly every night.

MrsG80inTN

WIN - (on a recommendation not personal knowledge, but sounds great!)... A "Blendicano" from starbucks... Acording to her:   It is a venti americano with sugar free vanilla syrup, sugar free caramel syrup and a Splenda then double blended with ice. They don't use any milk or any frap base so it's only 25 calories. It's not slushie like a frap but it's good!

alm288

Win: Clif Z Bars (chocolate chip) - I really enjoy them. I've been loving all the fresh summer fruit too!

Fail: another diet yogurt hater - watery and has a funny flavor. I love my thick creamy yogurts - especially Greek yogurt (fage).

Edit - geez I wanted to say that I cut out 25-35% of the sugar in most recipes when I bake. I don't even notice it (although I don't like things super sugary sweet).

Denise91980

I think the fact that I stuck with this gluten and dairy free diet since the end of April is a big win. I lost 24lbs so far.

Another win is the grilled veggies I made this week. I have been incorporating more fruits and veggies and staying away from sweets.

I turned a mashed potato fail into a win because the first recipe I tried called for chicken broth and they were awful. I used Earth's Balance spread and plain almond milk and they came out so much better.

The plain almond milk actually tasted better than the unsweetened vanilla.

A big fail is that something is causing cystic acne on my chin and a herp on my lip . Not sure if it is he DHEA but I was fine until a few weeks ago.

Denise91980

Megdowntheshore said:

@Denise91980‌, wow, 24 pounds! Way to go! You have some amazing willpower!

Thanks! I am used to the diet now although out Mexico vacation will probably be a bit difficult. The no dairy is harder than no gluten though.

BackstreetPixie

Win: I replace any "oil" in baking recipes with apple sauce. (You can google for how much depending on amount of oil required.)  So that way no more of that nasty hydrogenated vegetable oil.  I also really like turkey bacon. regular bacon always hurt my tummy anyway.

Fail: can't think of any at the moment but if I think of one (or if hubby does cuz i asked him) I'll edit it in later. 

mflowers929

blackbird818 said:

@sarcaztic10 I'm not a big fan of coconut so I don't know about that. Although I guess I did order some coconut flour online yesterday (again for some low carb recipes). I guess I could give it a whirl. I really think the almond milk will be fine for cooking or at least I'm hoping. FX

Okay, so, I was on a partial paleo diet for a while. I loaded myself up with all the stuff that my recipe book called for, including coconut flour. BE CAREFUL WITH THIS STUFF! I made muffins with it, and followed the recipe exactly - they came out as bricks! Seriously! It just soaks up liquid like crazy. I've found good success in mixing it half and half with regular flour, but I would never again use it on it's own. And this coming from someone who is a self professed baker.

I had a little win this past week - while shopping with my mom and aunt, we noticed that all the rice, coconut, and almond milks were on sale. I picked up some regular coconut milk, and it's awesome in smoothies and oatmeal (that's all I've tried it in so far). I also tried a swig of it, and I think I could probably drink it straight up, though of course, I very much like coconut

jenn0021

@blackbird818 - I only use almond milk and love it. Having said that, it definitely took some getting used to. I didn't feel like I had many dairy free options since I've heard bad things about rice milk and I hate coconut and have been trying to avoid soy. For me, I just slowly started adding it into recipes or eating it on cereal. I usually get the Silk Unsweetened Original and it is my favourite. I have yet to learn to like it straight up (I save the chugging for the chocolate almond milk, so good!) and I'm not sure if I ever will. Hopefully it works well in your baking.

@MrsKush1014 - Canyon Bakehouse bread is the best! I found out about it this spring and have been devouring loaves of it. After not really eating anything that tasted like bread for almost 2 years, this stuff is a life saver.


AFM, I need to jump on the wagon for the wins of nutritional yeast and Earth Balance butter, they have worked well for me. I also like my almond milk. Coconut milk yogurt is only good in baking. Coconut sugar has worked decently for me in replacing white sugar in muffin recipes. That's all I can think of right now.

Fails: Almond flour. I just can't do it.