What can you do when your favorite recipe is not so healthy? Tweak it, of course! I often refer to this list of healthy recipe substitutions.  And this week, as I continue the American Heart Association’s BetterU program, I learned three simple things to remember to healthify those recipes: add, delete, or replace.

  • Add healthy ingredients to recipes: Use frozen vegetables, beans and brown or wild rice in soups and casseroles; top pizza with fresh vegetables; and add frozen or fresh fruit to cereal and baked goods.
  • Delete or cut down on less healthy ingredients in recipes: Remove skin from chicken; use less cheese and butter in casseroles, pasta and salads; and cut back on the amount of salt you add to dishes. You probably won’t even notice the changes.
  • Replace less healthy ingredients with more healthy ones:. Top baked potatoes with salsa instead of butter and sour cream; sauté with a little olive oil instead of butter; use low-sodium chicken broth to make mashed potatoes creamy.

Why is it so much easier to remember things in “threes” anyway? Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of adding frozen veggies to my meals. It’s so easy, good, and healthy. Another set of threes…

How do you make your meals healthier?