Are you a Baking fan?
You'll be happy to know that you need to give up your favourite hobby. Here are tips for some healthy substitutes for common baking ingredients

Sugar substitute               Unsweetened Pureed Apple

Best with:            Cakes and baked goods. 

How to:                Cut the sugar amount in half by adding the same amount of pureed cooked apple plus an extra 1/3. Eg. If recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, you can use ½ cup sugar and about ¾ Cup pureed apple (½ cup +1/3).  Keep in mind that you will need to cut down the recipe’s main liquid by about ¼ for every cup of apple sauce added.

 See below for a recipe for a pizza base made of cauliflower that still looks like a pizza and tastes just like a pizza. AMAZING!

Ingredients for crust: (Makes about 3 pizza bases)

1 Medium Sized Cauliflower

1 cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese

2 Whisked Eggs

Garlic seasoning, salt and pepper and a bit of Italian herbs.  (Season to your liking)


Directions:

·         Preheat oven to 180C and ‘Spray and Cook’ a baking sheet / pizza pan

·         Put the cauliflower through the grating attachment on a food processor. Resulting in small pieces like grated cheese. (Roughly makes 6cups)

·         Pour ‘riced’ cauliflower into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients

·         Mix together with your hands, making 3 balls. Dough may be ‘wetter’ than normal, don’t be alarmed.

·         Press dough into a circular shape on baking sheet and bake in oven for about 15min.  You can flip the base after this time and bake for a further 15min to get a crispier base.

·         Take it out and add your pizza toppings (Tomato base, pineapple, mushrooms, peppers etc.)

·         Put back in oven to bake ingredients onto pizza

Can’t seem to look at the menu without looking at the dessert section? Have an uncontrollable sweet-tooth? Try these tips from Kezia first:


1.       Begin with fruit

Fruit is naturally sweet.  It’s also packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but most importantly its low in fat.

Ideas

·         Fruit yoghurt / low fat vanilla yoghurt with fruit added

·         Bananas baked in orange juice, cinnamon and a tsp of honey

·         Poached pears

·         Grilled fruit, especially nectarines, apricots and peaches. (Cut in half, remove the pip. Sprinkle with one tsp brown sugar and place under the grill until sugar has dissolved)

·         BERRIES!!! A 1 and ¼ cup of berries can go a long way.

o        Added to low fat yoghurt

o        Pureed with a splash of orange juice and poured over low fat ice-cream


2.       Eating dessert out tips

·         Order a small portion.  You only need a two to three mouthfuls to satisfy your sweet-tooth

·         Share a dessert between two people

·         Avoiding the biscuit base and only eating the filling


3.       Low fat options

·         Low fat vanilla ice-cream with a sprinkling of cinnamon

·         Low-fat custard

·         Low-fat, low sugar sorbet

·         Low-fat frozen yoghurt

It may be getting colder but in my opinion, it's always the right weather for ice cream!
I have an ice cream machine, which I love to use to make low fat ice creams, but even if you don't have one you can still make your own. This frozen yoghurt is my latest that I've made and it is really lovely, light and refreshing!

Makes approx 2 litres ice cream

1 cup serving =  1 milk + 1/2 fruit + 1/2 starch

Ingredients:

500g watermelon, chopped
1 cup fat-free vanilla yoghurt
375 ml fat-free milk
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
30g flour
½ tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Scald the milk until almost boiling point. 
2. Beat sugar, egg yolks and flour until light and creamy. 
3. Add the milk to the egg mixture then return it to the saucepan and bring to boil, stirring continuously to form a custard. 
4. When thick remove from the heat, add vanilla and set aside to cool to room temperature
5. Blend the watermelon using a food processor or stick blender and then push through a sieve to remove seeds
6. Mix the watermelon puree and the yoghurt into the mixture
7. If you have an ice cream machine put it into the machine and churn as per manufacturer’s instructions.

If you don’t have an ice cream machine, pour the ice cream mixture in a shallow dish and place in the freezer. Then stir the mixture every 30 min and place back in the freezer. Repeat this stirring and freezing process 4 times. Alternatively, click here for more ways to make ice cream without a machine.

Adapted from tasteofhome.com

Serves 4

1 serving = 2 starches + 2 proteins + 1 fat

Ingredients:

1 cup fat-free milk
1 1/4 cup grated reduced-fat cheddar
125g (1/2 tub) fat-free chunky cottage cheese
125g (1/2 tub) fat-free smooth cottage cheese
3 tblsp flour
2 1/2 cups cooked macaroni pasta
3 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 grated onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika

Method:

1. Mix the milk, cheeses, flour and pepper
2. Stir in the macaroni and onion
3. Place half mixture in a baking dish, top with sliced tomatoes.
4. Place the rest of the mixture in and top with the remaining tomatoes
5. Sprinkle with paprika
6. Bake uncovered at 180ºC
7. Serve with a fresh green salad

Get creative with veggies
 
Having a green salad every day or the same steamed broccoli every night can get very boring. Fortunately, there are many interesting ways one can prepare vegetables to create a whole new taste experience: 
 

• Mushroom burger. Try using a large grilled mushroom as a burger patty. Just be sure to use a low GI seed roll rather than a normal white burger bun.
• Grilled vegetable kebabs. Brush a “lite” Italian dressing over baby tomatoes, mushrooms, sliced baby marrow and red peppers. Push the pieces of vegetables onto skewers and grill until the vegetables are tender (i.e. about 6 to 8 minutes).
  

Click here to see Lila's comments on Fair Lady Online as to the health benefits of asparagus

Monique gives us tips on some waistline-friendly breakfasts

Your mother was right- breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A nutritious breakfast is essential in providing the energy you need for a long day ahead of scheduled meetings and never-ending deadlines. Research shows that those who eat breakfast are more likely to lose and maintain weight loss than those who forgo this healthy meal. It is suggested that a healthy breakfast will keep you fuller for longer and prevent reckless overeating throughout the day.