Substitute Yourself Skinny

CanCan, 17 June 2010,
Categories: Eating, Mom stuff, Reviews

In my opinion, the best "diet" method is to look at the foods you already eat on a daily basis and skinny-ize them.

That is the premise of The Substitute Yourself Skinny Cookbook: Cut the Calories, Keep the Flavor with Hundreds of Simple Substitutions!.

If I knew I had to be on a restrictive diet, my first thought would be, "But I want brownies."

The Substitute Yourself Skinny shows you how to cut fat and calories on delicious foods.

There are 175 reduced calorie recipes and tips on how substitute ingredient to turn favorite foods low-cal.

Also included are “Skinny Secret” ways to trim calories throughout the day and serving-size suggestions.

One chapter outlines some basic “skinny” pantry items to keep on hand that can replace high-calorie and high-fat options.

A few examples:

Lean turkey meat	Fresh lemons and oranges
Canned diced tomatoes	Tomato paste
Dijon mustard	Nonfat milk products
Sugar Substitutes	Unsweetened applesauce
Salsa	Low-carb flour and whole-wheat tortillas

Recipes in Substitute Yourself Skinny are for a variety of occassions: Jumpstart-Your-Day Breakfasts; Energizing Lunches; Thinner Dinners; Slimming Sides; Guilt-Free Snacks and Appetizers; and Deliciously Skinny Desserts.

All recipes have an “original” calorie count and the new and improved skinny recipe calorie information and nutritional information.

For example:

- Delectable French Toast – SYS calories per serving: 79 (original recipe: 356)

- Tune-Up Tuna Salad – SYS calories per serving: 57 (original recipe: 504)

- Summer Savoring Mac ‘n’ Cheese – SYS calories per serving: 253 (original recipe: 320)

- Chicken Alfredo – SYS calories per serving: 351 (original recipe: 990)

- Smokin’-Good Bacon Burger – SYS calories per serving: 254 (original recipe: 870)

- Rock ‘n’ Roll Shrimp Risotto – SYS calories per serving: 238 (original recipe: 620)

- Creamiest Creamed Spinach – SYS calories per serving: 82 (original recipe: 248)

- Fry-Me-Not Fried Rice – SYS calories per serving: 266 (original recipe: 377)

- Smitten for Molten Chocolate Cake – SYS calories per serving: 191 (original recipe: 451)

Delicious sample recipe:

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

Coffee has a strong flavor that most people love, even in baked goods. Using it in this recipe is a perfect way to keep flavor high without adding any fat or calories. In addition, applesauce is naturally sweet and can be used to substitute for some or all of the sugar in recipes. Then, the egg whites help balance out the density of the

applesauce, keeping your recipes lighter in texture.

Nonstick cooking spray

? cup unsweetened cocoa

? cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon sea salt

? cup granulated sugar

? cup water

1 teaspoon instant coffee

? cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Mix well.

2.    In a small-quart boiler, bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the coffee; stir to dissolve. In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, vanilla, and egg whites. Mix well. Add the coffee mixture and mix well. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen. When cooled completely, slice into 2-inch squares and serve.

Calories per serving                       Nutritional breakdown

Original recipe 243                           Fat .5g

SYS recipe 63                                      Carbohydrates 14g

Protein 1g

Sodium 66mg

Serving size: 1 brownie