Top Food Swaps & Staple Ingredients for Lower-Calorie Cooking
Unsweetened Almond Milk
There are dozens of fantastic milk swaps out there, but our default is still the unsweetened almond milk in shelf-stable cartons that we've been using for ages. A cup has around 35 calories—less than half the calories of skim milk—and the taste & texture are great. Use it virtually anywhere you’d use traditional milk (except maybe pudding, where it doesn’t always work). We mostly buy the vanilla version, but for savory recipes, you'll want plain unsweetened.Natural No-Calorie Sweeteners
Natural calorie-free sweeteners have come a LONG way. Stevia-based options are tastier and less bitter than they were in the early days. We also LOVE sweeteners made with monk fruit or allulose. Look for products that measure cup-for-cup like sugar for easy recipe adjustments, or be prepared to do some math.Veggie Noodles
Spiralized zucchini is still going strong, but don't discount the power of nature's own veggie noodles: spaghetti squash! You can steam it in the microwave, roast halves in the oven, and even cook it whole in a slow cooker. (Give it a few pokes with a fork first.) And for a shelf-stable pasta swap, check out hearts of palm noodles. Of course, if you want REAL pasta, today’s featured find below is a must: It’s packed with protein, fiber & veggies!Veggie Rice
Cauliflower rice is great (like, REALLY great), and gone are the days of needing to rice a whole head yourself. You can often find it in the produce aisle, as well as in the freezer section. When it comes to recipe swapping, this one’s especially great mixed with real rice, giving you the hearty texture you crave with fewer calories and more fiber.Meatless Crumbles
Whether you're vegetarian, vegan, or omnivorous, ground-beef-style crumbles are an amazing shortcut. The freezer-aisle variety makes it extra easy to scoop out what you need and put back the rest. We also use extra-lean ground beef, turkey, and chicken in place of traditional ground beef: So many smart protein picks!Fat-Free Liquid Egg Substitute or Egg Whites
This swap is another old-school favorite. We still make sure to eat our healthy fats (we’re looking at you, nuts & avocado), but we love this convenient calorie-saving swap. Use this pourable swap in all sorts of recipes: They’ll taste exactly the same as if you used whole eggs. Measure out exactly the amount you need—no egg cracking required!Chew on this:
It’s National Noodle Ring Day, December 11th! The only noodles on our mind today are the quick-cooking and fresh-tasting finds from Taste Republic.
Tell your friends about these healthy ingredient swaps now!
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