12 Recipe Substitutions that Save Mega Calories

When we think of potato salad, fried food, cookies, and cakes, we think of those as high calorie, fattening foods.

But, what if you could easily make a lower calorie and tasty food with a simple recipe substitution?

Greek yogurt for mayonnaise: I recommend using half the mayonnaise needed in a recipe, and the other half substitute with Greek yogurt. Ex: Recipe calls for ½ cup total, so use ¼ cup yogurt and ¼ cup mayonnaise. This is a great way to make a lighter potato salad.Greek yogurt for sour creamGreek yogurt for butter: Substitute ¼ of the butter amount with yogurt. Ex: Recipe calls for 1 cup butter, so use ¾ cup butter and ¼ cup yogurt.Applesauce for butter: This works for baking recipes like cookies or vanilla cakes only.Pureed prunes for butter in chocolate cake or chocolate cookie recipes. You can puree your own prunes, or buy a jar of prune baby food!Pumpkin for oil in a baking recipe.Whole wheat bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, or crushed whole wheat crackers for breading and baking instead of frying foods.Olive oil spray instead of vegetable oils or butters. You can make your own olive oil mister with a clean spray bottle filled with ¾ cup water and ¼ cup oil.Flaxseed (1 tsp) and water (1/4 cup) to substitute 1 egg in a baking recipe.Ground oats or almond meal for flour in a recipe. This can help to add fiber, a healthy fat, and a small amount of protein to the recipe!Stevia for half of the sugar.Avocado can replace most of the oil, butter, or shortening in recipes.

If you feel like you know your way around the kitchen, you can use your judgment to scale back on some of the higher calorie ingredients.

Use your smarts to swap out white flour, and use wheat flour, or use less olive oil than the recipe calls for. Also try adding extra herbs and spices to enhance the flavor of the recipe.

See Also: A Great Collection of Healthier Makeover Recipes.

Do you have an ingredient swaps that you use?