Sample Week Menu Plan

Here are some of my favorites placed in a week format, so you have a sample eating well plan (assuming not using processed foods/versions...)

Every day
Typically I drink lemon water as soon as I wake up, to kick start my digestive system at least 30 minutes before eating. And after dinner I sneak in some dark chocolate or a few dates or prunes. Otherwise, below are other full meal and snack ideas for a healthy week.
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Sunday

Beakfast: quiche (start crockpot chicken--leftovers to be use other meals)

Lunch: tuna salad

Snack: apple slices, rice cakes, granola bar

Dinner: whole chicken, 1/2 mashed potatoes (red with peel, water, butter, salt and garlic), broccoli (braised with splash of water, lemon pepper at end)

Monday

Breakfast: crockpot oatmeal (apples, craisins....started night before)

Lunch:  salmon salad (patties with garlic seasoned kidney beans, spinach and mustard)

Snack: fruit and nuts (trail mix), cucumber sticks, pieces of chicken

Dinner: chicken noodle soup (gluten free noodles, or brown rice dumplings instead)

Tuesday

Breakfast: egg muffins (egg, bacon, toast), and oj/orange slices

Lunch: chicken salad lettuce wraps (using leftover chicken and homemade mayo)
Snack: power balls and guacamole dip with gluten-free crackers (these are not gluten-free)

Dinner: salmon, apple wild rice and green beans

Wednesday

Breakfast: parfait (with berries or other fruit, and homemade yogurt and granola)

Lunch: stackers (red peppers, chicken sausage links, cheese?, olives, etc. with toothpick--kids love!)

Snack: fruit leather and carrot sticks

Dinner: Asian Lettuce Wraps

Thursday

Breakfast: scrambled egg omelette with oat smoothie

Lunch: leftover lettuce wrap salad

Snack: hummus and flax crackers, cucumber sticks, apple

Dinner: quinoa stuffed peppers with steak

Friday

Breakfast: pb and banana toast with power drink

Lunch: leftover soup

Snack: power balls, edamame

Dinner: taco salad

Saturday

Breakfast: Pancakes (lemon, poppyseed; 1/2 white, 1/2 gluten-free)

Lunch: burritos (from taco salad left overs)

Snack: fruit and nuts, red pepper strips

Dinner: mustardy beans (white beans cooked with mustard, ketchup, onion, salt) and cornbread with sautéed greens

Top Healthy Substitutions

Replacing Refined Sugars with Natural Sugars One Step At a Time

I decided last year to stop buying white sugar. Why? Well, I'm not the greatest cook yet, so I'm trying new recipes regularly; but I found that it was too easy for me to use white sugar in things instead of finding substitutes...because I had it on hand. So when I ran out of it one day last year, I decided that was my last day to have it in my house...at least for an experiment.  It has now been about nine months that we have been white-sugar-free in our house.  Do you want to take the challenge? You don't have to go cold turkey, but here is some info to help you make the switch from white sugar to better alternatives. This is an article from westonaprice.com, and for more details on which sweeteners to choose, see our post about your options Replacing Refined Sugars with Natural Sugars One Step At a Time

The average American now consumes 175 pounds of sugar per year! That's 46 teaspoons a day! If we pretend that sugar actually had some benefits, eating one-half pound every day would not seem like such a bad idea. But the truth is that sugar has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. Not only does it totally lack nutrients, but when you eat sugar it actually robs your body of nutrients-- vitamins, minerals and even enzymes. Sure sugar may be temporarily pleasing to the taste buds, but the rest of the body suffers for it. The sad thing is that most people are not aware of the devastating effects that excess sugar consumption has on the body. The cartoon illustrates a typical day for many Americans and how the standard American diet affects our health, especially the way we think and feel. Panel 1. Who has time for breakfast? Eating a typical high carb breakfast or skipping it all together can have a major impact on the rest of your day. Here's why: Blood sugar (glucose) is the fuel for every single cell in your body. So naturally you want your fuel supply to be constant all day long. Eating balanced meals at regular intervals throughout the day is necessary to maintain this balance. Breakfast is important because it lays the foundation for the rest of the day. Typical breakfast foods--cold cereal, bagels, donuts, pancakes, waffles, or even oatmeal with sugar, fruit, toast with jam, and fruit juice--are all high in sugars and simple carbohydrates which cause the blood sugar to spike up and then crash. Panel 2. The morning crash The "crash" actually has a medical word for it--hypoglycemia. It is a state of low blood sugar, not actually a disease. When your blood sugar drops too low (after eating a high sugar, high carb meal) or stays too low (after eating nothing at all) many symptoms can occur. The first symptoms to set in are usually mental difficulties, because the brain requires a lot of fuel to do its job. So you may have trouble concentrating or processing information, being forgetful, or feeling mentally dull. Other symptoms include anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, irritable (especially when hungry), depression, crying spells, addictive behavior and cravings for sweets or starches. And, of course, if your fuel supply drops too low, fatigue will obviously be a factor. Many people rely on caffeine to pick themselves up when they crash, creating a "tired-wired" feeling. Many are not aware that the caffeine creates further problems by weakening the adrenal glands which produce hormones that help your body deal with stress. Panel 3. Lunch on the go It's common for many people to rush through lunch, grabbing something quick and convenient, basically whatever it takes to make the hungry feeling go away. Convenience foods are high in refined carbohydrates, which not only perpetuate the up-and-down cycle of the blood sugar roller coaster, but also weaken the immune system. Studies have shown that the ingestion of 100-gram portions of carbohydrates, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, honey, and orange juice, all significantly reduced the ability of neutrophils to engulf and destroy bacteria. These effects started less that 30 minutes after ingestion and lasted for over five hours.1 Eating sugar throughout the day is a constant assault on the immune system. Even if you don't think you eat a lot of sugar, you'd be surprised at how quickly 100 grams can add up. Just 10 gum drops, three pancakes with syrup, four pretzel rods and a pop, or even a "healthy" meal like oatmeal with raisins, a banana, and a glass of orange juice, are all well over 100 grams each! Panel 4. The afternoon crash Ever feel that slump in the middle of the afternoon? You know, when you're so exhausted the only thing you can think about is taking a nap. This is the time when most people go in search of some caffeine and sugar to pick themselves up quickly--especially at work because falling asleep at your desk doesn't go over really well with your boss! The problem with the quick "pick-me-up" is that in no time your blood sugar crashes down again. "What goes up quickly, comes down quickly" applies to your blood sugar as well as other things in life! These "pick-me-up" convenient snack foods are high in refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and white sugar, which rob the body of enzymes, minerals and vitamins, especially B vitamins. B vitamins are essential for proper brain and nervous system function. A deficiency in B vitamins includes symptoms like depression, anxiety, panic attacks, heart palpitations, and muscle weakness and tenderness, to name a few. Panel 5. Who feels like cooking dinner? I'm sure at one time or another, possibly every day of your life, you have felt like the woman in our cartoon; let's call her Suzie. Suzie has deprived her body of the proper nutrients and fuel it needs to do its job. It's no wonder that she, just like millions of other Americans, feels so exhausted by the end of the day. So when she comes home from work, taking the time to prepare a nourishing meal for herself and her family is probably the last thing on her mind. The problem is that now Suzie's poor eating habits--and all the problems caused by poor eating habits--are being passed on to her children. So after loading up on a convenient high-carb meal, Suzie, as well as the rest of the family, is likely to experience symptoms of low blood sugar, creating an evening full of mood swings, tension and chaos. Panel 6. Why can't I sleep? At the end of a long day of exhausting your body with a poor diet, sleep couldn't come soon enough. But for those who have sugar-handling problems, falling asleep and staying asleep can be quite a challenge. The purpose of sleep is to heal and repair, and the body requires fuel for this work. So if your body doesn't have enough fuel to do its job, chances are you'll find yourself just lying there in bed, unable to fall into a deep sleep no matter how exhausted you may feel. If staying asleep is the problem, you've simply run out of fuel, so you find yourself staring at the clock at 2:57 A.M. unable to go back to sleep. Not only does a lack of sleep further weaken your immune system, but it also causes an even deeper level of fatigue, weakness, anxiety and nervousness. This is an example of what can occur during a typical day in the life of an American who eats the standard American diet. And this is just one day. Over time, this pattern can seriously affect the way that we think and feel, and ultimately our overall health. It's much easier to enjoy life when you're healthy! Before we can build good health, we have to stop doing the things that destroy it--eliminating white sugar is a great start! The following program will help you replace refined sugar with natural sugars, one step at a time. Step 1. Eliminate all sugar drinks Avoid all sodas, powdered drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices (basically anything in a can, bottle or drink box). Instead, drink plenty of clean water (reverse osmosis filtration is best). It can be flavored with juice of lemon, orange, or essential oils like cinnamon, tangerine or peppermint. Also, herb teas make tasty drinks and come in many delicious flavors (but avoid those with added "flavorings"). Try serving tea chilled and add a pinch of stevia (a natural low-calorie sweetener available at health food stores). If you have access to some sour lacto-fermented drinks or are willing to make them, these would be great. Step 2. Limit sugar foods to three times per week Even if you don't think you eat a lot of sweets, you might be surprised at how quickly they can add up without your even knowing, especially if you have a habit of "unconscious grazing." Use this step to help you pay close attention to the foods you put in your body. Food journaling can be quite helpful for some people. Most important, pay attention to how you feel after eating sweets. Once you have given up the habit of eating sweets on a daily basis, it is common to experience symptoms like nausea, headache, fatigue, or dizziness after indulging in sweets. After giving up sweets for a while, many people say that they don't even taste that good anymore. Step 3. Make a habit of eating at least three good meals per day One of the best ways to overcome cravings for sweets is to eat balanced meals at regular intervals throughout the day. To build a balanced meal, begin with a protein (complete protein is anything from an animal), include a natural source of carbohydrates (veggies, legumes, properly prepared whole grains, or fruits), and don't forget the good fats (butter, lard, tallow, coconut, oil, palm oil, and olive oil). Don't be afraid to eat lots of good fat at every meal. Fats slow down the entry of sugar into the blood stream and prevent those morning and afternoon crashes. If your breakfast, lunch and dinner are filled with nutritious, high-fat foods, you probably won't even think about snack foods between meals. Step 4. Replace refined sugars with natural sugars Get in the habit of reading labels and avoid products made with white sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, and ALL artificial sweeteners. Instead use natural sweeteners, including pure maple syrup, molasses, stevia, Rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice) or raw unfiltered honey. Many health food stores offer products made with natural sweeteners, like cookies and ice cream, and even licorice, although it is better to make your own. Use this step to help you become acquainted with all the natural alternatives to replace refined sugar products. Step 5. Limit natural sweets to three times per week Blood sugar imbalances occur after eating too many sweets, even the natural ones! So it's important to limit even the natural sweets in your diet. And remember, the best way to prevent sweets from causing a major crash in blood sugar is to avoid eating them by themselves. Instead include dessert as part of a balanced meal. A steak with some steamed veggies, a salad topped with olive oil-based dressing, and a couple of natural cookies made with butter and eggs would be a healthy and balanced way to include dessert. Avoid having dessert with a meal that is high in carbohydrates like pasta, bread, or rice. Eliminating refined sugar can be quite a challenging step, but the incredible impact it will have on your overall health and well-being is definitely worth it! Set a target date for accomplishing each step and be sure to complete one step before moving on to the next one. Be patient with yourself through this process. Many times people try to quit sugar "cold turkey," but end up dreaming about it all day long until eventually they binge on sweets. Then they are right back on the blood-sugar roller coaster. The goal is to stabilize your blood sugar by eating balanced meals at regular intervals throughout the day so that you no longer crave sweets. True success comes when you do eat sweets and they no longer taste good, better yet, they give you a headache, make you nauseous, tired, dizzy and depressed! Sidebar How to Stabilize Your Blood Sugar Blood sugar (glucose) is the fuel for every single cell in your body. Eating balanced meals at regular intervals throughout the day is the most important thing we can do to keep our fuel supply stable. In order to know how to balance a meal, it is necessary to understand how different foods burn. I like to use a simple campfire analogy to explain this to clients. Food burns a lot like a nice campfire. Fats are like the big log in the fire that burns for a long time. Fats are slow-burning fuels that help to stabilize blood sugar and allow you to go between meals without feeling so hungry. Fats also send a signal to your brain to tell you when you're satisfied, so you know when to stop eating. This explains why people on lowfat diets are so hungry all the time. Eating fats at every meal helps to control your appetite. The best fats for consumption are butter, lard, tallow, coconut oil, palm oil or olive oil. Good fats should be included with every meal. Protein is like the teepee which provides the support and structure for the campfire. Protein is the building block for every single cell in the body. It's what the body uses to heal and repair. Protein also supplies the body with amino acids which help to stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings for carbohydrates. Complete protein comes from animal sources and should be the base of every meal. Carbohydrates are quick burning fuels which are like the kindling in the campfire. Carbohydrates that are high in fiber burn a little slower, like little twigs. The processed carbohydrates like white bread, sugared cereals, candy, cakes, cookies, crackers, pasta, and bagels burn up more quickly, like leaves and paper. And what would happen if you threw a bunch of twigs, leaves, and paper in a pile and lit them on fire? You'd get a huge blaze and then it would burn out quickly. The same thing happens when you eat a meal of nothing but carbohydrates, even the natural ones like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. So to keep your blood sugar stable, think of building a nice campfire at each meal. Start with your protein teepee, add some natural carbohydrate kindling, and be sure to include your big fat log to keep your fire burning strong!

Soy Sauce Alternative: Liquid Aminos

So I've heard of Liquid Aminos for awhile now, but never knew what it was, nor looked into it. Until my mom showed it to me. And funny thing is that I just started my detox diet (sort of): dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, soy-free. Basically no processed foods! Crazy, but so far I haven't gotten sick yet and all the other members in my family have....

Anyway, so I bought some liquid aminos at the health food store (or aisle in grocery stoee...they're both places). I like having the small spray bottle and then buying a big bottle to refill the small one (they have gallon size). And it seriously tastes just like soy sauce, but it's healthy and has both essential and non-essential aminos in it (derived from soy, but is non-gmo--genetically modified--unlike 80% of soy products). It's all natural and a great alternative. I just try put it on things at the end, instead of beginning of cooking, so it doesn't damage the aminos. Braggs is a great brand. I get their organic Apple Cider vinegar too.

Get some and try it!
It's great to flavor meat with along with sweet chili sauce--try yummy lettuce wraps.
Or to flavor rice or broccoli and beef.
Or even in salad dressing...whatever you typically use soy sauce for.
Mom sprays it on her apple slices and that tastes great too!

Egg Substitutions Chart

This is a super helpful chart from a website if you either are missing eggs or don't want them!
http://chefinyou.com/egg-substitutes-cooking/

Egg Substitutions

1 Whole Egg = 2 Egg whites

Replacement In	With Ingredients like	How to Replace
Brownies	Silken Tofu/ Tofu( 1/4 cup blended silken tofu = 1 egg )	Process in a blender until completely smooth and creamy, leaving no graininess or chunks. You will want to attach other wet ingredients to this mixture to return with it to blend properly.
	Applesauce(1/3 cup applesauce = 1 egg or ¼ cup Applesauce + 1 tsp Baking Powder )	If chocolate in the brownies overpowers the flavor of applesauce so it can be safely used, and is in fact, one of the best egg substitute in brownie mix.
	Soy Yogurt/Plain Yogurt( ¼ cup Yogurt= 1 EGG )	If you are a vegan, you may opt for soy yogurt. Otherwise plain yogurt will do the trick. Just beat it well and add it to the brownie mix.
	Flax seeds(1 tbsp ground Flax seeds +3 tbsp Water =1 egg	Grind the flax seeds in a coffee grinder, and mix with water. Allow it to rest till it becomes gelatinous, then use.
	Bananas(½ pureed Banana, abt 1/4 cup = 1 egg)	Just mash it smooth, and use it but the addition of banana will alter the flavor of the brownies
	Commercial Egg Substitute	Use as per instructions on pack. Many people who have used this find it to leave behind a peculiar taste. However, there have been exceptions to this case.
Breads	Bananas (½ pureed Banana, abt 1/4 cup = 1 egg)	Recipes: Banana Blueberry Bread
	Soy yogurt(1/4 cup soy yogurt = 1egg)	Soy yogurt works deeply like whiz tofu as an egg replacer.Helps to make it moist
	Water(one egg with 1/4 cup water.	Recipe:Vegan Banana Nut Bread
	Flax seeds(1 tbsp ground Flax seeds +3 tbsp Water =1 egg	Adding ground flax seeds to any recipe add Omega-3′s to the recipe! You can buy ground flax seeds in the health section of most grocery stores. Recipe: Whole Wheat Honey Walnut Pumpkin Bread
Cakes (eggs mostly serve as leavening agents in cakes, helping to make the end product light and fluffy)	Applesauce (1/3 cup applesauce = 1 egg or ¼ cup Applesauce + 1 tsp Baking Powder )
	Bananas (½ pureed Banana, abt 1/4 cup = 1 egg)	Recipe: Wholegrain Banana Cake
	Soy yogurt/Yogurt(1/4 cup soy yogurt = 1 egg)	Soy yogurt works deeply like whiz tofu as an egg replacer. It makes things moist. Recipes: Blueberry Boy Bait; Strawberry Yogurt Cake
	Water(one egg with 1/4 cup water.)
	Vegetable Oil(1/4 cup = 1 egg)	Recipes: Banana Cupcake
	Buttermilk	Buttermilk is one of the preferred egg substitute used for eggless cake recipes. What you need to do is add half a cup of buttermilk (instead of one egg) and follow the same directions as you did for baking regular cakes. The only thing is to add less amount of water for making the dough. With buttermilk, the resultant cake will be very soft and tasty.
	Pureed Fruits(3 tablespoons of pureed fruit = one egg )	In cases when you don’t like using eggs and buttermilk in cakes then a good egg substitute for baking cakes is, adding pureed fruits. Use 3 tablespoons of pureed banana (for one egg) and follow the same tips for baking cake. Even without eggs, you will surely serve a soft and delicious cake with pureed fruits.
	Gelatin (Non Vegetarian)(1 tablespoon gelatin + 3 tablespoons lukewarm water = 1 egg)	Another popularly used egg substitute in baking is unsweetened and unflavored gelatin. Most vegetarians prefer adding Agar Agar instead of Gelatin as a substitute in cake, instead of the other options. For using gelatin in baking cake, mix together one tablespoon gelatin with three tablespoons lukewarm water. Add this mixture for making the cake dough.
	Flaxseed(1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil+ 3 tablespoons water = 1 egg)	Stir the flaxseed mixture well and allow it to thicken for a few minutes. Strain the seeds by using a muslin cloth and use the filtrate for baking cake.
	Vinegar and Baking Powder	Use this egg substitute in cake, only when you require more than one egg for baking. Mix one tablespoon each of white vinegar and water in a glass. To this, add one teaspoon of baking powder and stir well until the mixture blends well. Now, use this egg substitute for your cake recipe.
	Potato Starch(2 heaped tbsp potato starch = 1 egg)
	Arrowroot Powder(2 heaped tbsp arrowroot powder = 1 egg)
	Soy flour(1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour + 2 tbsp water = 1egg)
	Soda Pop	A regular-sized (12 oz.) can of soda pop can be used as a substitution for 3 eggs in your baking recipes. Additionally, one regular-sized (12 oz.) can of soda pop can be substituted for the oil/egg combo required by most boxed cake mixes.
Cookies (eggs mostly act as binding agents in cookies and adding moisture)	Vegetable Oil(1/4 cup = 1 egg)
	Cornstarch(1 tablespoon of Cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons of Water = 1 egg)
	Soy flour(1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg)
	Ener-G Egg Replacer(follow package instructions)	It seems to work best surrounded by cookies, or things that are supposed to be a little crispy.Otherwise, there have been complaints that it tends to add certain aftertaste noticeable more in other bakes like a chalky taste.
Muffins (eggs mostly act as binding agents in Muffins and adding moisture )	Applesauce(1/3 cup applesauce = 1 egg or ¼ cup Applesauce + 1 tsp Baking Powder )
	Pumpkin(1/3 cup of cooked pumpkin = 1 egg)	This works almost for all baked goods but especially for muffins leaving a subtle Pumpkin flavor in the muffins (depending upon the eggs substituted)
	Soy yogurt/Yogurt(1/4 cup soy yogurt = 1 egg)	Soy yogurt works deeply like whiz tofu as an egg replacer. It makes things moist Recipes: Cranberry Walnut Muffins
	Water(one egg with 1/4 cup water.
	Vegetable Oil(1/4 cup = 1 egg)
	Soy flour (1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg)
	Banana(½ pureed Banana, abt 1/4 cup = 1 egg)	Recipe:Strawberry Banana Quinoa Muffins
	Flaxseed(1 tbsp ground Flax seeds + 3 tbsp Water = 1 egg)	Recipes: Vegan Pear Walnut Muffins
Pancakes	Flax seeds(1 tbsp ground Flax seeds + 3 tbsp Water = 1 egg	Adding ground flax seeds to any recipe add Omega-3′s to the recipe! You can buy ground flax seeds in the health section of most grocery stores.
	Soy flour (1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg)
	Banana(½ pureed Banana, abt 1/4 cup = 1 egg)
Savory Dishes(as binders/ coating)	Mashed Potatoes	When a recipe in any savory dish like Vegetable Loaves or Burgers calls for eggs as a binding agent, then any of these will work as an substitute for eggs. When used for Frying (as an coating of eggs and flour), you can use a mix of all purpose flour + water to form into a paste and apply that as coating instead of beaten eggs.
	Bread Crumbs
	Cooked Oatmeal
	Cooked Rice
	Tomato Paste
Chocolate pies, Quiches, pudding	Tofu	Tofu is great for egg substitutions in recipes that call for a lot of egg. To substitute for only one egg in a recipe, whip or blend 1/4 cup soft tofu and add to your cooking.
Salads/ Sandwiches/Omelet	Tofu	Diced or mashed tofu can replace chopped hard-boiled eggs in some salad and sandwich recipes. Scrambled tofu makes a delicious alternative to scrambled eggs.

Flax Seeds- An Egg Substitute

So, for those of you who don't like eating too many eggs, or if you've run out and it's baking time....just use flax seeds. IF you don't have flax seeds in your house, then now's the time to get some. They're loaded with omega 3's, like fish and such. Good source of soluble fiber and especially good for those with high cholesterol. Eating 1 T a day is a recommendation from the mayo-clinic.


Use 1 T ground flax seed with 3 T water as an egg substitute for baking. Just mix that in with the liquid ingredients and it starts to form a type of gel (I've heard you can use this gel for hair gel, but haven't tried it). I've had success with cookies and muffins so far.

When you don't need it for a substitute, get your extra omega-3's by sprinkling flax on your hot morning cereals or your cottage cheese, or on your sandwich, etc. Or even add it to your homemade granola.

Tip: store flax seeds in your fridge or freezer. And it's best to grind them when you use them, so as to maximize the nutrients (which diminish more quickly if stored ground). You can use a coffee grinder to grind them, but they are hard on pepper mills and too oily for many wheat grinders, so be careful. (If you don't have any of these, you can just buy the pre-ground...but remember to store in your fridge.)

Corn Syrup Substitute

In most cases, you should be able to replace corn syrup with sugar. The usual rule is as follows:

1 cup corn syrup can often be replaced by 1 1/4 granulated sugar (or light brown sugar) plus 1/4 of liquid (use water or whatever liquid is specified in the recipe you’re using). (there are homemade recipes out there that include cream of tartar and boiling to soft ball stage...but that breaks down the sugars and ends up not being a healthier alternative to store bought corn syrup.)

Other possibilities:
Lyle’s Golden Syrup (use in same quantity as corn syrup) -- Lyle’s Golden Syrup is widely available in the UK, but possibly harder to find in the United States. Decent sized supermarkets may stock it in the British section of the International aisles, I suspect.

Honey (use in same quantity as corn syrup) -- honey is quite a bit sweeter than corn syrup, but if the recipe doesn’t call for a lot of it, this may be an effective substitute.

Molasses (use in same quantity as corn syrup) -- molasses is darker, obviously, and also stronger in flavor. It’s also less sweet than corn syrup, so is probably your last resort.

If you’re baking something like cookies or bread, I’d suggest you try the honey substitute. Honey, like corn syrup, is hygroscopic. Hygroscopic substances attract water molecules from the air. What this means for baking is that cookies and bread baked with honey rather than sugar will tend to stay softer longer.

Substitutes for Cooking with Alcohol

Alcoholic Ingredient Description
Substitution


Amaretto Italian almond-flavored liqueur
Almond extract.

Beer or ale Various types.
For light beers, substitute chicken broth, ginger ale or white grape juice.
For heavier beers, use a stronger beef, chicken or mushroom broth or stock.

Brandy Liquor made of distilled wine or fruit juice.
If a particular flavor is specified, use the corresponding fruit juice, such as apple, apricot, cherry, peach, raspberry etc. or grape juice. Corresponding flavored extracts can be used for small amounts.

Champagne Sparkling white wine.
Sparkling white grape juice, ginger ale, white wine.

Creme de menthe Thick and syrupy, sweetened mint liqueur.
Comes both clear and green.Mix spearmint extract or oil with a little water or grapefruit juice. Use a drop of food coloring if you need the green color.

Red Burgundy Dry French wine.
Red wine vinegar, grape juice.

Red wine Sweet or dry wine.
Beef or chicken broth or stock, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, tomato juice, liquid from canned mushrooms, plain water.

Rum Liquor distilled from molasses or sugar syrup.
For light rum, use pineapple juice flavored with almond extract. For dark rum, use molasses thinned with pineapple juice and flavored with almond extract.

Sherry Fortified dessert wine, sweet or dry, some with a slightly nutty flavor.
Orange or pineapple juice.

White Burgundy Dry French wine.
White grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar.

White wine Sweet or dry wine.
Chicken broth or stock, diluted white wine vinegar or cider vinegar, white grape juice diluted with white wine vinegar, ginger ale, canned mushroom liquid, water. For marinades, substitute 1/4 cup vinegar plus 1 Tbsp sugar plus 1/4 cup water.

20 Recipe Makeover Ideas

1. Use low-fat and no-fat cooking methods such as steaming, poaching, stir-frying, broiling, grilling, baking and roasting as alternatives to frying.

2. Get a good-quality set of non-stick saucepans, skillets and baking pans so you can sauté and bake without adding fat.

3. Use nonstick vegetable sprays or 1-2 T defatted broth, water, or juice to replace cooking oil.

4. Be aware that fat-free and reduced-fat cheeses have slightly different cooking characteristics than their fattier counterparts (don’t tend to melt as smoothly). To overcome this, shred the cheeses finely. When making sauces and soups, toss the cheese with a small amt of flour, cornstarch or arrowroot.

5. Trim all visible fat from steaks, chops, roasts and other meat cuts before preparing them.

6. Replace one quarter to one half of ground meat or poultry in a casserole or meal sauce with cooked brown rice, bulgur, couscous, or cooked and chopped dried beans to skim the fat and add fiber.

7. Deciding to remove poultry skin before or after depends on your cooking method. Skin prevents roasted or baked cuts from drying out, and studies show that the skin’s fat doesn’t penetrate while cooking. However, if you leave the skin on, make sure any seasonings applied go under the skin, or flavor will be lost.

8. Skim and discard fat from soups and stews, or chill the soup or stew and skim the solid fat off the top.

9. Use pureed cooked vegetable such as carrots, potatoes, and cauliflower, to thicken soups and sauces instead of cream, egg yolks or butter/flour roux. Also use soft tofu to thicken sauces.

10. Select “healthier” fats when you need to add fat to a recipe. That means replacing butter, lard, or other highly saturated fats with oils such as canola, olive, safflower, sunflower, corn, and other low in saturates. Remember, it takes just a few drops of a very flavorful oil, such as extra-virgin olive oil, dark sesame, walnut, or garlic oil, to really perk up a dish.

11. Skim the fat when you won’t miss it, but keep the characteristic flavor of fatty ingredients such as nuts, coconut, chocolate chips and bacon by reducing the quantity you use by 50%. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of walnuts, use ½ cup instead.

12. Toast nuts and spices to enhance their flavor and then chop them finely so they can be more fully distributed through the food.

13. If sugar is the primary sweetener in a fruit sauce, beverage, or other dish that is not baked, scale the amt down by 25%. Instead of 1 cup sugar, use ¾ cup. If you add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice, you’ll increase the perception of sweetness without adding calories.

14. In baked goods, add pureed fruit instead of fat. One of the reasons fat is included in baked products is to make them moist. The high concentration of natural sweetness in pureed fruit will actually help hold on to the moisture during the baking process. When making this substitution, switch equal amt of pureed fruit for same amt of fat. Use applesauce in bran muffins or cake, or even crushed pineapple.
a. Dark-colored fruits, such as blueberries or prunes, are best used in dark-colored batters. You can add lighter-colored fruits, such as pears or applesauce, to almost any batter without changing it’s color. Adding yellow-orange fruits, such as pureed peaches or apricots, can often add an appetizing yellowish crumb.
b. You can use pears or apples nearly universally in baking because their taste is mild and unnoticeable. Apricots, prunes, and pineapple add a much stronger flavor. Bananas and peaches are somewhere in the middle, adding a little flavor, but never overwhelming. Here’s a secret: if you don’t have a food processor to puree your own fruit, use baby food (already pureed, mild flavor, and usually without sugar.

15. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, for baked goods. This increases volume and tenderness.

16. Make a simple fat-free “frosting” for cakes or bar cookies by sprinkling tops with powered sugar.

17. Increase fiber content and nutritional value of dishes by using whole-wheat flours for at least half of the all-purpose white flours (don’t use bleached flour).

18. Vegetables can be fat-replacements:
a. Carrot puree, roasted red bell pepper puree, or mashed potatoes to your pasta sauce to replace the oil
b. Replace some fat in nut breads or cakes with vegetable purees or juices, such as carrot juice or pumpkin puree.
c. Substitute pureed green peas for half the amt of mashed avocado in guacamole or other dips.
d. Replace fat in soups, sauces, muffins or cakes with mashed yams/sweet potatoes.
e. Use white potatoes to thicken lower-fat milks in cream soups and bisques.
f. Substitute a layer of vegetables in lasagna to replace meat or sausage.
g. Top pizza with vegetables instead of meat.

19. Choose whole grains, instead of white breads and pastas. Whole grains allow the nutrients your body needs, while white or refined flours are generally stripped of nutritional value and bleached in a harsh preparation process. (The difference between being fed vs. nourished) Examples include: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Bulgur (cracked wheat), Millet, Oatmeal, Popcorn, Whole-wheat bread, pasta or crackers, Wild rice

20. Choose healthier meat options. Instead of regular hamburger, buy lean ground turkeyburger. Or use turkeyroni, turkey sausage or turkey bacon instead of their counterparts. Or opt for a vegetable burger.