Adaptations, Part 2

I've been on the Weight Watchers program for 14 months. It certainly hasn't been easy, but it has further reinforced the idea that for every unhealthy meal, there is a better choice to be made. With this in mind, I headed to my kitchen to start making some of my family's meals healthier.

First off, I want to get rid of the idea that food has to be fat-free or no-carb to lose weight. It's completely ridiculous. In fact, after some experimenting, I've found that in most cases I would rather have a smaller portion of something that tastes good than something full of fat-free products that is awful.

So, on to the adaptations. In my railings against fat-free products, I will start with fat-free condiments. To use an old, cliched saying: Just say no. For salad dressings and mayonnaise, go for the low-fat alternative each time. For some people, however, those options are unacceptable as well. So I have found alternatives to those, too.

I have discovered that unless mayonnaise is slathered on a sandwich, I don't even really notice it. Instead, I use a bit more mustard (yellow is my favorite -- don't laugh!) and omit the mayo altogether. I also add more pickles (another favorite!) and some extra tomatoes. I rarely have a sandwich disappoint me that way.

For salads, I have discovered that I don't need a lot of dressing to make it taste good. At our house, we always have a bottle of Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette in the fridge. And a bottle of low-fat Hidden Valley Ranch. They taste good, and we don't miss what has been taken out. If those don't appeal to you, one trick I've tried in the past is to find a really nice bottle of balsamic vinegar -- one flavored with fruit, if possible (blackberry is my favorite) -- and just drizzle a bit of it over your salad. It's delicious and costs very few calories.

Dairy is another problem for dieters. I prefer skim milk and enjoy fat-free yogurt, but I pretty much draw the line after that on fat-free dairy products. Some, such as fat-free sour cream and half-and-half, don't taste bad. However, they are full of stabilizers and emulsifiers and other chemicals. No thanks. I'd rather go for the low-fat versions of those, too.

Two dairy products I urge anyone to run from immediately are fat-free cheese and light butter. The cheese is closer to rubber than anything edible. And light butter tastes like metal. Again, go for smaller quantities of the real deal. Low-fat cheese is OK, but it too can be rubbery for my tastes.

One suggestion I've seen several times in baking recipes is to substitute applesauce for butter. It, too, is an OK substitution. However, your cookies or other baked goods likely will turn out stickier with a fruity flavor. That's certainly good if you are tackling a banana bread or an apple cookie, but not the best for gingersnaps or brownies.

The best options I can offer for dieters on other foods, such as meats, is stick to the premise leaner is better. I prefer chicken breasts, and we cook with them all the time. Pork tenderloins, while a bit expensive, are incredibly delicious. For ground meats, we almost always use ground turkey. However, 96% lean ground beef is actually pretty tasty. Fish is a fantastic option for dieters -- just not this one. I've grown to prefer chicken sausages to the pork variety. And meatless burgers, especially those made of beans, are great.

One thing I want to emphasize, though, is that I refuse to give up the not-as-healthy options. I love lamb, but I choose to have less of it. Bacon is another favorite, but now I buy the center-cut variety and have only one or two slices. I still love to make cookies; I just focus on having one instead of three or four (or more). And there will always be birthdays or holidays or the snack table at work. But I give myself room to enjoy -- and to remember that I will eat healthier tomorrow.

By making a lot of these switches, and by choosing fruits and vegetables as snacks rather than cookies or chips, I've lost 40 pounds. And to throw in another old cliche (albeit a true one): If I can do it, anyone can.

I want to suggest two resources for anyone looking to eat healthier. First, I subscribe to Cooking Light magazine and have for nearly 10 years. Their recipes get better with each issue, and they subscribe (no pun intended) to many of the same beliefs I do. Secondly, I heartily recommend the cookbook "The Best Light Recipe" from the America's Test Kitchens collection. They, too, espouse many of the same views -- and their recipes are incredible!

I'm including two recipes today that are great for this time of year: one for barbecues, and the other to enjoy the delicious summer produce now available.

This recipe is from a 2006 issue of Cooking Light magazine:

Amber Ale Baked Beans

2 cups water
4 (16 oz.) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
1 (14 oz.) can low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 bacon slices (uncooked), chopped
2 cups chopped yellow onions (about 2 medium)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chili powder
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (12 oz.) bottle amber ale
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine first five ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Drain over a large bowl; reserve cooking liquid. Discard onion and bay leaves.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tbsp. drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add chopped onion to drippings in pan; cook 10 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized, stirring frequently. Add garlic and chili powder; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, ale and 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid to pan; bring to a boil. Add beans and bacon. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thick. Transfer to a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes or until thick.

This recipe is from "The Best Light Recipe." It is one of Emma's very favorites!

Blueberry Muffins

Cooking spray
2 cups (10 oz.) plus 1 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 oz.) cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (7 oz.) plus 1 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp. juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp. grated lemon zest (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
2 cups fresh blueberries

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with the cooking spray. Whisk 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/4 cup of the sugar together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat an additional 3/4 cup sugar and the butter with an electric mixer on the medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon zest (if using) and vanilla until incorporated.

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Beat in one-third of the flour mixture until just incorporated, followed by one-third of the yogurt, scraping down the bowl as needed. Repeat this process twice more, alternating between the remaining flour mixture and yogurt until the ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix!

Toss the blueberries with the remaining flour, then gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula. Using an ice-cream scoop or measuring cup, divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, and sprinkle the tops with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip them out onto a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Cook's notes: I have substituted low-fat sour cream for the yogurt, and it turns out delicious. The cookbook authors say this recipe makes 12 muffins; each time I've made it, the recipe yields 24.