A primer on some of the ingredients you’ll see used in many of my recipes, and why I use them.
Everyone has a different definition of what “healthy” means to them. For some it means low-calorie, for others gluten free, still others want to cut out as many processed foods as possible. I fall into the first category. My primary goal is to try to make food that tastes amazing, but doesn’t absolutely blast you with calories. It’s my way of still enjoying the foods I eat (because life wouldn’t be very much fun if I didn’t), but not reverting entirely back to the types of food that have kept me fighting my weight for nearly my entire life.
Many of the recipes I make are set up to significantly reduce the calorie content. One of the primary ways you do that is to significantly reduce the amount of sugar and fat used. That means I use a number of sugar substitutes in my cooking. I use honey and maple syrup as well, but more sparingly. While they are natural and unprocessed, which is wonderful, they still have a higher caloric content. Same goes for things like coconut sugar or flour, and almond flour. More natural? Yes. Low calorie. No.
You’ll also note that there is an “indulgence” section of the site. No weight loss lifestyle change is sustainable if you flat out deny yourselves all of the things you enjoy. That kind of thinking isn’t healthy. As I teach my kids, it’s ok to have a treat every once and awhile, it just can’t be something you have all the time. As Cookie Monster says, “cookies are a sometimes food”. So I do my best to put together recipes that fit “in the box” of a lower calorie lifestyle, but there are some things you just can’t adapt without completely compromising the dish. Hence, the “indulgence” section was born. For those who are not at a stage in their journey where they can indulge and still stay the course the rest of the time, I’d suggest staying away from that section.
Here is some info on my most used ingredients:
Allulose: This is the most common granulated sugar replacement I use. It can be used in a 1:1 ratio to sugar, and it caramelizes beautifully without turning back into granules once it cools (which happens with Swerve and most all other sugar alternatives). It is getting easier to find too. Stores like New Seasons and Whole Foods regularly carry it. In a pinch, you can find it on Amazon, though it is priced higher.
Swerve: The Swerve brand makes granulated, confectioner and brown sugar replacements. They also tend to be broadly available at most major grocery chains. They all work well, with caveats. As I noted above, it will get grainy if it caramelizes and cools (this made a very interesting texture in my first attempt at the orange vanilla curd), so it is best used in things like cookies, quick breads or other baked goods. It bills itself as not having an after-taste (as many sugar replacements have). I’ve found that to be true unless you try to use it in large quantities. I attempted frosting with the confectioners sugar and it was a disaster. My mouth felt oddly cool and my stomach very off. It was just too much and put me off any further attempts. You’ll eventually find my frosting recipe under the indulgences section. As of yet, I haven’t found anything that is a viable replacement for good old powdered sugar, butter and cream where it comes to frosting…so it is firmly in the once in a blue moon category of things I make.
Stevia: Another sweetener that bills itself as having no after-taste. I agree, it really doesn’t, but it also isn’t easily used in a 1:1 ratio with sugar. I don’t know about everyone else, but I don’t really have the time to try to figure out how much of a replacement I should use, and how I would need to adjust other ingredients to do so. I keep Stevia around as there are a few recipes that use it, and I use it in tea and coffee, but not often with baking or cooking.
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: One of the lowest calorie flour options that is still easily found in groceries stores, this is my go to flour. I use it just like all purpose flour, however, if I am using it for baking, I almost always sift it first. Whole wheat flour is more dense than all purpose and if you aren’t careful in adjusting your liquid ingredients, you could end up with dry, tough baked goods. All of my recipes use whole wheat pastry flour unless otherwise noted.
Unsweetened Applesauce: This is an ingredient I always make sure I have on hand. It is the work horse of most every baked good I make. That is because it is a fantastic replacement for oil in baking. In things like quick breads, muffins, cake, etc…it works in a 1:1 ratio with oil. Things like cookies that call for a lot of butter or shortening, or crusts that call for the same aren’t going to be great options for using this substitute as the fat is a crucial part of the recipe’s success, but there are a whole host of recipes where you can sub in the applesauce and no one will ever know the difference.
Lily’s Sugar Free Baking Chips: Sometimes you really just need a cookie and sometimes only a chocolate chip cookie will do. Lily’s baking chips make a great replacement for regular chocolate chips, but do be aware, though they are lower calorie, they are still pretty high up there, so use sparingly.
Xanthan Gum: This is a natural thickener and can be used a variety of ways in a variety of recipes. It can be used to thicken and stabilize dressings without using oil, it can be added to homemade ice cream (particularly if you are making low-fat, low-calorie ice cream to keep it creamy and stop the formation of ice crystals). You can read about the myriad other uses for it here, but it is a good ingredient to keep on hand!
Fat Free Sour Cream: This could be the most used ingredient in my kitchen. I use it in baking, in dressings and sauces and in cooking as a replacement for heavy cream.
Fat Free or Reduced Fat Dairy Products: Much like the sour cream, if I am using dairy, it likely won’t be the full fat variety. Skim milk, reduced or non-fat cottage cheese, reduced fat cream cheese, non-fat Greek yogurt…these are all easy substitutions for their higher fat brethren in a number of recipes.
I’ll update this list as needed, but don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions, or suggestions!