Skinny Comfort Foods

Aug 11th, 2011

While we all love our comfort foods most are very high in carbohydrates. That’s what makes them so good! Here are a few ways to enjoy your favorite foods without sabotaging your dieting efforts.

PIZZA

Substitute: Portobello mushrooms for pizza crust

Cut the gills out of the inside of the mushroom then place the mushroom on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes so it dries out slightly. Add tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni or other toppings and broil until the cheese begins to melt.

Carbs Eliminated: About 20 g per slice

PANCAKES

Substitute: Oatmeal and cottage cheese for pancake mix

Pancakes are the ultimate morning comfort food. Unfortunately, they are packed full of carbohydrates. To cut the carbs and add protein try this can’t-fail recipe for protein pancakes.

Carbs Eliminated: 45 g per pancake

PASTA SALAD

Substitute: Mixed vegetables or black beans for half the pasta

Try black beans, diced tomatoes, and chunks of ham, tuna, chicken, or hard-boiled eggs. These kinds of salads are a blank slate, so you can top them with a homemade blue cheese vinaigrette, or even lime juice and slices of avocado.

Carbs Eliminated: 10 g per cup

SANDWICHES

Substitute: Napa or Chinese cabbage for bread

Slap your turkey and Swiss onto a leaf of cabbage and roll it up. You can make a great-tasting BLTs using cabbage instead of bread. Dip the roll in low-fat mayonnaise or mustard.

Carbs Eliminated: 29 g per sandwich

SPAGHETTI

Substitute: Spaghetti squash for spaghetti

A cooked spaghetti squash is like Mother Nature’s automatic spaghetti maker—the flesh becomes noodlelike strands. All you have to do is cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Then place each half—cut side down—on a plate with a quarter cup of water. Let it cool, then scrape out the “spaghetti” strands and top with pasta sauce and cheese. Here are a few of my favorite spaghetti squash recipes.

Carbs Eliminated: 30 g per cup