Recipe makeovers - changing from high-carb to healthy
It’s that time of year when comfort food is the order of the day but if you want to squeeze back into those summer clothes later this year, it’s a good idea to start dialing back on the carbs over winter and get into some healthy eating.
But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the foods you love. Here we show you how you can have your comfort food and eat it too – with just a few simple changes these low carb recipes will get you set for summer!
Macaroni cheese
Is Macaroni Cheese the ultimate comfort food? Nothing beats sitting back with a plateful of cheesie ouziness but it’s super high in carbs. You can create your own healthy recipe by adding lots of vegies into the mix. You still get to enjoy the pasta and the rich cheese sauce but broccoli, cauliflower, peas and spinach will bulk it out so you eat less of the carbs and more of the good stuff. Trust us, no one will even notice.
Spaghetti and meatballs
To lower the carbs in your favourite spaghetti dish try substituting the spaghetti for a lower carb version. Slendier have a good range of pasta substitutes that are completely carb-free and come in at just 10 calories per serve. At around $18 a packet though, it’s not cheap. Spiralised zucchini works well and if you haven’t tried using it yet, now’s the time to give it a whirl.
You can also up the healthiness of your favourite meatballs by mixing in some veggies and using turkey mince instead of beef mince.
While we’re on the subject of zucchini...
OK so zucchini may not be your idea of comfort food but check out these awesome recipes from Huffington Post. Some of these are positively drool-worthy – like the zucchini noodles with basil-pumpkin seed pesto and the zucchini noodle bake that’s packed with mozzarella cheese and herbs.
Mashed potatoes
The classic mashed spuds are packed full of carbs but you can create a healthier, low carb version that has the same texture and is full of flavour. Use a mix of canned cannellini beans and cooked cauliflower - just mash together with a little butter, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, this one is super-yum.
Fried rice
Want to sit down to a yummy plate of fried rice without consuming all those carbs? The answer’s simple – just substitute cauliflower that’s been blitzed in the food processor for a few seconds until it looks about the size of rice grains. Throw in the wok just as you would do with rice and get cooking! Family Fresh Meals has a great option to try out.
Pizza
Cauliflower is your go to standby for making low-carb pizza bases. Checkout 8 of the best cauliflower pizza crust recipes (just make sure you wipe the drool off your chin before you head out anywhere). Or if you’re lucky enough to own a Thermomix (no kitchen should be without one!) you can make this easy peasy cauliflower pizza base in next to no time.
No time to make a cauliflower pizza base? That’s no excuse – Woolworths stock the Picasso Kitchen Cauliflower Pizza Base. At 70 calories and 13 grams of carbs per serve that’s a heck of a lot better than a standard pizza base that comes in at around 320 calories and 54 grams of carbs per serve.
Get the gadgets
Want to start cooking healthier but need some new gadgets in the kitchen? Been hankering after a thermomix but can’t get the finances to stretch that far? No need to worry, we can help! Just take a look at our cash loans from $1,000-$2,000 or our $2,000-$5,000 loans to find out how quick and easy it is to get your hands on some extra funds. Once a loan is approved, we can usually deposit the cash into your bank account within a few hours - so you can start shopping for your new gadgets today!