Open Door Retreat

If we make just a few small healthy changes to our diets on a daily basis, think of how much healthier our bodies and minds would be. Some tips might not work for everyone, but they are worth a try if it can make a difference in your health. Read the full article here.I just read a great article in Women’s Health Magazine by Sari Botton full of tips on how to cut calories out of your home cooking. Here are some highlights:

Cook twice

For crispy chicken or fish without all the fat of frying, use your oven, says dietician and nutritionist Molly Morgan. Coat a pan with a tablespoon of flavorless canola oil and fry the meat for 10 minutes per side. Blot up extra grease with paper towels, then transfer to the oven and bake on low heat (200 to 250
degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes. Calories cut 2,767

Bring on the broth

“Stir-fry your vegetables in a wok with a half-cup of broth,” says Sal Scognamillo, co-owner and chef at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in New York City. “Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock give broccoli, zucchini, peppers, and carrots great flavor, and really cut down on the fat.” At 41 calories per half-cup (most oils have nearly 1,000 calories per half-cup), broth can save the caloric equivalent of three whole avocados.
Calories cut 959

Hit the sauce

When baking replace oil with sweetened applesauce (97 calories per half-cup) or canned pumpkin (42 calories per half-cup). You lower your fat and calories but still keep your muffins and cakes moist. To add more berry flavor to berry muffins, try blackberry-flavored applesauce. Calories cut 922

Carb Unload

Steamed, shredded cauliflower is a great starchy-tasting stand-in for potatoes and rice. “I put the cauliflower through the shredding blade of my food processor and season it with whatever goes with the rest of the meal, like soup stock, or curry powder and chopped pistachios,” says Dana Carpender, author of eight books, including 500 Low-Carb Recipes. “It tastes great, and not only is it low in carbs, it’s low in calories, too.” One cup of cauliflower weighs in at just 29 calories, compared with 205 for a cup of white rice. Calories cut 176

Coat with care

If you like the satisfying crunch of breaded chicken or fish, swap your usual breadcrumbs (460 calories per cup) for cornflakes (101 calories). Crush them and make them stick to your protein by dunking those fillets in water instead of beaten eggs or milk; you’ll save about 289 more calories. Calories cut 648

At the Open Door Center for Women in Addiction Recovery, we offer a variety of programs - including cooking classes - to women live a more purposeful, healthy, life in sobriety. To see a full list of program activities, visit our women’s addiction recovery retreat page.