Cooking for Fun Health at Home

Try these suggestions for how to lower the fat and calories in meals and snacks.

• Cook with low-fat methods such as baking, broiling, boiling, or microwaving rather than frying
• Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products, salad dressings, mayonnaise, and other condiments
• Serve fruit instead of cookies or ice cream for dessert
• Add salsa to baked potatoes instead of butter or sour cream
• Eat fruits canned in their own juice rather than syrup

Use these substitutions when you cook or bake.

Instead of:                                                                         Substitute:
1 cup cream                                                                 1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
1 cup butter, margarine, or oil                                  1/2 cup apple butter or applesauce
1 egg                                                                              2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute
Pastry dough                                                                Graham cracker crumb crust
Butter, margarine, or vegetable oil for sautéing    Cooking spray, chicken broth, or a small amount of
                                                                                        olive oil
Bacon                                                                            Lean turkey bacon
Ground beef                                                                 Extra lean ground beef or ground turkey breast
Sour cream                                                                  Fat-free sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips                                                1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup sugar                                                                  3/4 cup sugar (this works with most everything
                                                                                        except yeast breads)
1 cup mayonnaise                                                      1 cup reduced-fat or fat-free mayonnaise
1 cup whole milk                                                         1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup cream cheese                                                  1/2 cup ricotta cheese pureed with 1/2 cup fat-free
                                                                                        cream cheese
Unsweetened baking chocolate (1 ounce)            3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1
                                                                                        tablespoon vegetable oil or margarine

It is helpful to know how to substitute the ingredients in favorite recipes to lower the amounts of fat, added sugar, and calories. Enjoy this recipe at home with your family. Ask your kids to help you prepare the food!

Lasagna

Ingredients:                                                                               Substitutions:
1 box lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef                                                               1 pound extra lean ground beef (93 percent
                                                                                                      lean) or lean ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 ounces mushrooms, optional
1 jar (about 16 ounces) spaghetti sauce, your favorite      1 jar spaghetti sauce, no added fat
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese                                                         1 1/2 cups part-skin ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese                               2 cups reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese                                          3/4 cup reduced-fat Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large skillet, brown beef, onion, and mushrooms. Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and basil. In a 2-quart buttered baking dish (about 11x7x2 inches), layer 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Bake lasagna for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 6 to 8. Notes: Don't forget to drain the fat from the meat after you brown it. Use cooking spray instead of butter to grease the dish.

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Check out more recipes lower in fat and calories.

More tips to reduce fat or added sugar from your family's meals:

• Remove skin from poultry and discard before cooking
• Cool soups and gravies and skim off fat before reheating to serve
• Cook chicken or fish by immersing it in simmering liquid
• Use the microwave because it's fast and adds no fat or calories

Suggestions for healthy snacks at home:

• Toss sliced apples or berries on top of low-fat plain yogurt
• Put a slice of low-fat or fat-free cheese on whole-grain crackers
• Make a whole-wheat pita pocket with hummus, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber
• Pop some low-fat popcorn
• Sprinkle some dry, whole-grain cereal over low-fat or fat-free yogurt
• Microwave or toast a soft tortilla with low-fat cheese, sliced peppers, and mushrooms to make a mini-burrito or quesadilla
• Drink low-fat chocolate milk; blend it with a banana or strawberries and some ice for a smoothie

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