5 Recipe Substitutions to Slim Down Your Meals

By: Liz Kennedy

1. Half- and-Half -- It's Not Just for Your Coffee
Recipe calls for: Heavy Cream
Substitute with: Half-and-Half

Love creamy soups but hate the calories that come with them? Me too. Instead of using heavy cream for your soups and sauces, try using half-and-half. If you want to go even lighter, use fat-free half-and-half. You'll get the same creaminess, but won't be loading up your soup with extra calories. And Grandma will still think you used her original recipe
Try this substitution in our creamy turkey vegetable soup. Perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers!

2. Hold the Mayo
Recipe calls for: Mayonnaise
Substitute with: Fat-Free, Plain Greek Yogurt

We all like to slather mayonnaise on our over-stuffed sandwiches, but all that slathering really adds up on the scales. Try replacing mayo or sour cream with fat-free, plain Greek yogurt in your recipes. It's thick and creamy, just like mayonnaise, but with no fat and more protein. I promise you won't be able to tell the difference, and you will probably write me a thank-you note.
Learn more about the Greek yogurt craze.

3. Creamy Corn for Cheese
Recipe calls for: Cheese
Substitute with: Pureed Corn

In my opinion, cheese makes everything taste better, but it also makes my pants fit tighter. Pureed corn extends the creaminess of cheese in casseroles and lasagnas, allowing you to get the same gooey goodness while using less high-fat cheese.
Try it in our easy one-step spinach lasagna tonight!

4. Don’t Be an Egghead
Recipe calls for: Whole eggs
Substitute with: Egg Whites

This is a standard swap for me. I can't even tell you the last time I used a whole egg in a recipe. Two egg whites or ¼ cup of egg substitute should cover you for each egg in the recipe. No one will be the wiser while eating your homemade cookies, but they will be healthier.
Try it in this year’s Christmas cookies!

5. Moooove over Red Meat
Recipe calls for: Ground Beef
Substitute with: Lean, ground turkey

While I indulge in a hamburger every once in awhile, you know as well as I do that we can't be downing greasy hamburgers every time we get the craving. My healthy alternative for any recipe that calls for ground beef is lean, ground turkey meat. That goes for burgers, tacos, meat sauce, stir-fry, meatballs, you name it. Just be sure to get the lean version, otherwise you aren't saving yourself much.
Test it out in our Basil Turkey Burgers.

Plus:
Check out 10 more healthy recipes!
And take our health survey and enter to win $30,000!