Buttermilk, where are you?

The need for buttermilk in my kitchen is rare. How about you?

I have a favorite recipe that calls for a 1/4 cup of the thick, bitter milk, but I've never used that ingredient in it. Luckily my mom taught me a substitution for buttermilk way back, and so I thought I'd share it today.

You see, I found another recipe calling for it today and did the substitution thing again, and thought, hey, I should share this. After all, how many of you have purchased a carton of this rarely-used milk only to have the majority of it go to waste? With this substitution you can use skim milk, so even the health benefit is reason enough to try it out. If the waste factor, expense, and inconvenience of purchasing it isn't enough reason, that is.

So, to make your own buttermilk, mix a little vinegar in with skim, 1%, or 2% milk, whatever you regularly stock your refrigerator with, to equal the amount of buttermilk called for. For 1/4 cup of buttermilk, I measure my milk just to below the 1/4 mark, then add a tablespoon or so of vinegar until it reaches the 1/4 mark exactly. Stir it. See the curdling happen before your eyes, and there you have it, a no fuss, easy-to-make substitution for buttermilk. Hope this helps!

Blessings,

Eileen

Sorry, It's been a while.

How is everyone doing? Battling the junk food desire, I hope. Working out efficiently, I trust.

As for me, I haven't been getting near the amount of vege's into me as I ought to be. So I made popcorn tonight. Hey, does popcorn count as a vege? I don't think so, but I sure enjoyed it, anyway. Our farmer's market up the road is open again and I love their gourmet white popping corn. Hardly needs any butter to season it, certainly no salt. It just a nice light snack and I quite enjoyed it.

Salsa is another great snack I've been enjoying lately. You just have to watch the amount of tortilla chips or crackers that you use for dipping when eating this healthy snack.

So, tell me, what healthy snacks are you eating lately? I would love to know.

Blessings,

Eileen

Skim Milk

For those of us old enough to remember, do you recall way back when skim milk had a blue'sh hue to it? Enough to set you running from it at once. I do. But where did that tint go?

I started drinking 1% milk a few years back to cut back on fat intake and found I liked it. Then, last year I decided I'd give the blue milk a try again, in order to cut back even more fat. To my surprise, skim milk is no longer blue'sh in color and it tastes every bit as good as 1%, at least to me it does. I really don't notice the difference, at all.

By cutting back to the lowest fat milk you can possible handle, you'll save mega calories throughout the year, even if you are not a straight milk drinker. Consider how much milk you use in your cooking. Scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, white sauces, cheese sauces, creamed soups, casseroles, etc. Even when you don't gravitate to a glass of milk, we probably consume a lot more than we think we do of the milky way substance and chosing to buy only skim or 1% will help cut back calories while still benefiting from milk's nutritional value.

So if you haven't already cut back on the fat content in your milk, consider working your way down, one level at a time.

Blessings,

Eileen

Salsa vs. Sour Cream

Sorry, guys.

I'm behind in getting my Monday post up. Aren't I? Sorry!

I've been recovering from my weekend away which included way too much food despite a bad stomach ache that assaulted me Saturday evening. On second thought, maybe it was the fact that I ate so much that I got the stomach ache in the first place. But, really, the buffet style meals were wonderful and I loved their fruit salad each morning.

Anyway, on with my first tip of the week.

Sour cream is high in fat and thus we should minimize the use of it. However, doesn't it taste grand on a good baked potato? Mmmm, I'm salivating just thinking of it. BBQ season is upon us and those potatoes are bound to be baked more than mashed for the next several months, so I thought I'd offer an alternative. Give it a try and see what you think.

Pick up some low-fat salsa and instead of dipping your tortilla chips into it, try dabbing a tablespoon of the salsa on top of your baked potato. Forgo the butter and sour cream this time and try this new thing out. You'll save unwanted calories and get a whole new taste from your potato! Remember, it's good to mix things up and this is a simple way to do that.

Happy barbecuing everyone!

Blessings,

Eileen

Pizza

Every one loves pizza. Right? I know I do.

While I was losing weight I refrained from enjoying the traditional pizza one orders in, though.

As my family downed a couple boxes of greasy, and oh so tasty pizza, I pulled out a Weight Watcher's pita, spread a tablespoon of diet spaghetti sauce on it and sprinkled on my measured 1 oz of low-fat mozzarella cheese, then topped it with an array of fresh vegetables and grilled chicken. Next, I slid it into the oven and let it roast until the cheese melted and the veges softened some. Amazingly enough, I really enjoy this style of pizza and it contains far less fat and calories than the tradition pizza does.

Now that I'm at goal, I must admit I will now join my family for the odd slice of traditional pizza and my body does handle it well. But that's because I practice control. I don't eat more than a slice or two as my whole meal and I round it out with fresh veges or fruit to get some healthier food into me at the same time.

I still make those lower calorie pizza's on pita's from time to time and quite enjoy them, too. So, do yourself a favour and try creating your own personal pizza the healthy way the next time your family orders in. You may discover that you like them even better. Your body will sure appreciate the alternative, anyway!

Blessings,

Eileen

Granola

If you're like me you enjoy those wonderful yogurt, fruit, and granola parfaits. There's nothing wrong with that, really, especially if you use low-fat yogurt, and fruit, well all fruit is great for you. It's that last ingredient that can cause us some trouble.

Many granola products are high in sugar, in fact most are. If you're really trying to cut sugar intake and calories, then a better choice would be to substitute Kashi cereal for the granola. You'll still get the crunch, but with a whole lot less sugar.

That's my tip for today. Kashi verses granola. Try it and see what you think. Remember, you can still add a couple almonds to your parfait to get that nutty flavour.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. May the sky be shining in your part of the world!

Blessings,

Eileen