Cooking Light

Delicious Ways to Cook Light for Your Family

If fried chicken and deep dish pizza are staples for your family,
cooking light may sound very hard to do. However, the key to cooking
light is not to make a big deal about it. Do not tell your family that
they will never have fast food again or that they can only snack on
carrots while watching television; such drastic announcements will not
help you in any way. The plan to start cooking light will backfire with
grumbles and groans all around.

However, if you make subtle changes slowly and gradually, your
family may actually enjoy the light cooking you prepare without even
noticing it.

Whole Grains

If you are a big pasta fan, start mixing 100 per cent whole grain pasta
such as spaghetti or other shapes into your regular meals. A few
strands of browner colored spaghetti here and there will not throw
your family off. Gradually increase the ratio of brown to white and mix
it with a lot of veggies and they will not be able to tell the difference.
If they do notice, ask them if they feel there is a drastic difference in
taste. When they answer in the negative, you will have won your first
battle.

Sneak in Veggies

There are lots of recipes to be found on the internet and in books on
how you can make zucchini muffins and carrot pancakes and no one is
the wiser. Many popular fruit juices have started including healthy
servings of veggies in their fruit juices so that your children get their
daily recommended amounts without it having to be a big issue.

Switch to Low Fat

In any recipe you make, whether it is for brownies, Alfredo sauce or
meatloaf, you will come across the need for milk, cheese and other
such products. Thankfully today, cooking light is made easier with
reduced fat and fat-free versions of many of the staples. When
mixing milk, cheese and butter for macaroni and cheese, use skim
milk, reduced fat cheddar and vegetable spread instead of the
regular ingredients and your children will barely notice the difference.

Simple Substitutes

Use no calorie sweeteners for your cookies, unsweetened apple
sauce instead of butter or oil when baking and switch to canola or
olive oil and cooking light will neither be a chore for you nor a big
problem for your family.