No Fat Products and Recipes

[DottyG]

Nope, I'm going to revise that Subject Line.....make that GOOD No Fat Products and Recipes.

I'm trying to eat less fat.  But, I'm not sure how to do that.  What are your favorite NO fat foods and recipes?

A lot of the products in the store labelled "Low Fat" are deceptive.  What ones have you found to be actually very low to no fat?

What recipes do you have in your arsenal that are TASTY but low to no fat?

Give me some ideas.

[Saki_Fiz]

I will have to search my recipe box for recipes and get back to you.  As for products though:

-Yoplait low-fat yogurt is pretty tasty for breakfast and snacks.
-If you need a dessert, the Dreyer's slowed churned ice cream is awesome.  Skinny Cow ice-cream products are also pretty good.
-Hillshire Farm Deli Select lunch meats are 97% fat free and I love their ham.  Low-fat Oscar Mayer bologna and hot dogs are also good, but avoid the fat free ones and stick to all beef.
-Paul Newan Lighten Up! salad dressings are really tasty.
-Rosarita Refried Beans make a great side to many things are are usually at least 95% fat free.  We really like the refried black beans.
-I don't know if they still have it, but Parkay have a calcium enriched margarine out for awhile that contained less calories per serving.  Plus the calcium is a bonus.

The key to low fat products is making sure that they didn't replace the fat with something equally bad.  Especially sweet stuff.  They will pile in extra sugar pretty often to supplement the flavor. 

[veryfluffy]

Meringues.

[BettyP]

No Pudge Brownie mix. Use two tablespoons of the mix and one tablespoon of lite / low fat  yogurt and microwave for a minute (or two, I can't remember exactly...they have the directions on the package). Low fat, low cal, and very good.

AnnaB

[ITSJUSTME]

I have a lasagne recipe that uses cottage cheese, eggs and mozzarella.  I find that using fat free egg sutstitutes and low fat or no fat cottage and mozzarella cheese makes no difference in the tast of the finished dish.  I also make the sauce with no meat (okay so I open a jar of sauce) and the dish doesn't need any.

Basically, make a white "sauce" with a 16 oz. container of cottage cheese and two eggs (or egg substitute) and add a 10 oz package frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry.  Season with red pepper flakes, italian seasoning, S&P.

Layer no-boil lasagne noodles with a jar of low fat red sauce and the cottage cheese mixture, sprinkling low or no fat mozzarella between layers.  Bake at 350 about 45 minutes and let stand a while before serving.

(edited to add recipe notes)

[aline]

One of my best healthy cookbooks is from the Mayo Clinic. Most all of the recipes are on their website as well:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RE99999 (ftp://http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RE99999)

At the bottom of each recipe they list the total fat, cholesterol, etc. so you know what you're getting. Two of my favorites are:

Turkey Pot Pie with Baby Vegetables:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RE00013

Black bean burgers with Chipotle Ketchup:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00301

I posted a recipe to the Cookbook Project folder for a spicy cabbage soup. It's very tasty (no strong cabbage taste, I promise) and healthy.

I also have a quick and easy recipe for a 3-4 pound roast chicken:

Ingredients:
1 small (3-4 pound) chicken, rinsed
1 small lemon, cut into wedges
1 small cube of fresh ginger (about an inch) cut into slivers
5 cloves of garlic, whole
1 Tablespoon rosemary
1 Tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Heat oven to 425. Stuff chicken with lemon wedges, ginger and garlic. Mix together rosemary, basil, sea salt and olive oil in small bowl until well combined. Rub mixture under the skin directly on to the breast (and thighs if you can get to them easily). Roast chicken for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 375. Cook until thigh temp reaches 160, about one more hour.

Hope some of that helps!

[DottyG]

Helps a lot - thanks!!!

The Mayo Clinic link won't work for me.  I want to see it!  Help!

[aline]

Apparently I should test these links before posting them! I'm not sure why it isn't working (doesn't work for me from here either, but everything looks correct with the actual url).

Here's the other way to get to the recipes:

Go to www.mayoclinic.com. Click on "Healthy Living" in the menu at the top. Click on "Healthy Recipes". 

[cicero]

I don't use any mass produced low fat products, i think that they are all bad for us, and you end up eating more because they just don't taste good or give you that 'good' feeling, that's what i felt.

I eat healthy foods  that i make myself: oatmeal from scratch,  lots of soups with lentils, quinoa and vegetables, fresh salads, fruits, rice crackers. i stay FAR away from baked goods - even crackers are bad (except the said rice cakes). it works for me (well, most of the time )

[Mikayla]

One of my favorite low low fat recipes is sort of a take-off on spinach-artichoke dip.  But I make it as a veggie.

This is how it basically goes.  For 2 frozen pkgs of spinach, use one bar of non-fat cream cheese.  I usually cook and sqeeze the spinach and return to the pan.  Then I add the cream cheese, salt, pepper, a bit of nutmeg and just a hint of garlic.   Stir.

Then add artichoke hearts and stir.  Voila!

It has almost no calories at all and it's really yummy. 


Another one I like is taking strips of portobello and sauteeing them in a little olive oil.  Reduce the oil and let them start browning.  When the get brown, add your favorite red wine and Worstershire sauce and cook over high heat until the broth reduced a bit.  It kind of tastes like a fancy beef dish and - again - almost no calories.

[Mikayla]

Oops, I forgot to say those mushrooms are also fine as a side dish if you use regular button mushrooms.

The thicker strips and meaty flavor of the Portobello makes it seem more like a main dish and you can serve it with brown rice.

[ZipTheWonder]

SALSA!

Salsa is my favorite fat-free food.  Everything tastes better with salsa. 

You can cut some fat-free tortillas or pita bread into triangles and bake them in the oven, then dip them in salsa for a low-fat snack.