Day 21

"Eating is really one of your indoor sports. You play three times a day, and it's well worth while to make the game as pleasant as possible."

Dorothy Draper

(Zucchini pasta with homemade romesco sauce and almond crusted tilapia. What?!)

I love food. I love to cook it, love to eat it, love to arrange it beautifully on the plate...love to take pictures of my creations. Love it. Did I mention I love food? It really is an art form to me. Not only that, the beauty of it...but the fun! Mike and I have a blast in our kitchen.

I changed my diet several years ago...made a commitment to myself to eat healthy, to take care of my body. Sometimes my love of food and my commitment to eating healthy don't get a long too well. That is...until I realized that there were so many creative chefs out there making healthy choices fun and delicious! (I'm starting to sound like an infomercial again...I can hear it every time I write like that! Anyway...)

I'd have a craving for something...like pizza...and my brain would say "Umm...Sue...you know that's not the best choice." And I always hear that line from Steel Magnolias...."Calories, calories!" Now...its not that I'm running myself into the ground with worry over how many calories are in this or that....I'm just more aware now. Plus...when you sit down to a greasy pizza, you know what you're putting in to your body. Its a choice. And sometimes...like on the glorious once-a-week cheat day...I make that choice...and love every second of it!! But what about every other day? 

So I started googling "healthy alternatives to _____". Fill in the blank with whatever you're craving. And I discovered that there are so many wonderfully creative chefs out there! Not necessarily famous chefs...not all Food Network stars...but everyday people in their kitchens figuring out how to make a better way for themselves, for their children, and luckily...for all of us!. There are blogs and recipe share cites. So many ideas that I never would've though of!

A few of my favorites.....

1. Zuchinni Pasta - Mike and I have this at least once a week...twice this week!

Using a mandolin (or other gadget), Julienne a couple zucchini on each side just until you get to the seeds. They should come out looking like little green spaghetti noodles. Toss them in a pan with a tad of olive oil and sautee. We add a little salt, pepper and lemon juice. Once they are to you desired texture (we like about 10 minutes for a big batch)...remove from heat. Add your favorite sauce and...TADA!!! You have a much healthier alternative to spaghetti.

We've tried a little romesco and some chicken for a lighter chicken parm....we've also tried it with alfredo sauce or marinara...and all of them have been spectacular. Plus...by not using regular pasta, you have removed unnecessary starch and excess calories. It's pretty rad. Just sayin'.

2. Cauliflower Crust Pizza....yes. Cauliflower.

Now this is not pizza with cauliflower on it...but rather a pizza in which you make the "dough" out of cauliflower instead of bread. I've tried it about 3 or 4 times....and it is a learning process...sometimes its perfect and sometimes its mush...but...its delicious either way. 

Get the recipe here: http://www.eat-drink-smile.com/2011/04/cauliflower-crust-pizza.html

Thank you to Beth @ Eat. Drink. Smile. for that one!!

3. Cauliflower Mash...in place of mashed potatoes

Now...this one has been around for a while....but it was also the inspiration for this post as I just finished eating it for lunch!

Just chop up and steam a head of cauliflower. Then add a bit of Smart Balance, salt/pepper, and bit of milk (or fat free half and half to make it creamy). Then all you have to do is mix it up! I use an immersion blender. You can also use a food processor. If you don't have either, you can mash by hand, you just may end up with a lumpier finished product....but who minds that! And I'm telling you....practice makes perfect...we've gotten ours down to where you can barely even tell that they're not real mashed potatoes! Oh! You can also add garlic to make them into a garlic mash....yum. 

And there are so many more! I've learned how to make my own baked french fries and chips, homemade Banana soft serve (two ingredients and you have an incredible healthy dessert), portobello burgers, guilt free casseroles (you know how southern girls love their casseroles!), breakfast ideas, dinners, desserts, and so on...

Its made my kitchen so much fun...and so healthy. I don't feel like I am missing out on anything and that is key. I'd love to get to a point where I can maybe start creating some of these healthy alternative dishes on my own...but I'm not quite there yet. So, in the mean time....

Day 21: I am grateful to all the creative kitchen chefs out there....the men and women who have taken control of their health...and shared it with the rest of us. Who have tried (possibly failed at first) and tried again to find healthier but still scrumptious ways to make our favorite dishes....and a few dishes we may never have heard of. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for helping me satisfy some pretty killer cravings and have a blast while doing it.