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Comfort Food Made Healthy: Our Top Ten Low Calorie Comfort Foods Part 1

By: Editors of FaveDiets.com

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We all grew up eating comfort food for dinner, from meatloaf and mashed potatoes to pizza and chicken soup. Comfort foods recipes has a universal appeal because they taste great and remind us of a simpler time. The problem though, as we get older, our top ten comfort foods become less appealing because of health reasons. Often, comfort foods are so comforting and tasty because everyday comfort foods are filled with fat, sugar and calories. Low calorie comfort foods do exist, and we here at FaveDiets.com have compiled a list of our ten favorite comfort foods with tips and suggestions on how to make them healthier. These tips will help you recreate classic tastes of everyday comfort foods with recipes that are actually good for you.

  1. Chocolate Cake - Perhaps the ultimate comfort food, chocolate is sweet, smooth and universally beloved. One bite of a deliciously rich chocolate cake transports you to comfort food heaven. Yet the reason chocolate cake tastes so good because it is full of fat, sugar and calories. If you want to indulge in some classic sweetness without woorying too much about calories, then give this recipe for Chocolate Tofu Cake a try. By using tofu and yogurt, the cake has a creamy softness without the excess fat and calories of butter and heavy cream. Plus, using egg whites as opposed to whole eggs lightens this comfort food made healthy without sacrificing from its flavor or texture.
     
  2. Meatloaf -Whether in a greasy spoon or in your childhood kitchen, meatloaf is a classic comfort food for dinner. Slices of meat flavored with ketchup, eggs and bread crumbs, meatloaf is a comfort food recipe mastered by every home cook. For a healthier take on a diner classic, use this recipe for Quick Turkey Meatloaf. Ground turkey has much less fat than most ground beef, making this recipe leaner than your average meatloaf. Using tomato sauce over ketchup lowers the amount of sugar. For the bread crumbs, substituting whole wheat or multigrain bread over white bread adds additional fiber and nutrients to the mix.
     
  3. Macaroni and Cheese - Ooey, gooey and delicious, this childhood staple is an everyday comfort food enjoyed by even the pickiest eaters. However most of us grew up eating it out of a box, which meant we ate more fat, calories and preservatives than any of us needed. At its essence, this comfort food recipe is just pasta in a cheese sauce. By adding and adjusting a few ingredients, turn macaroni and cheese into a comfort food made healthy with Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken. Adding any vegetable to a simple macaroni and cheese recipe, in this case broccoli, brings nutritional value into an otherwise unhealthy dish. Adding chicken is a great way to have lean protein in this comfort food recipe. Using whole wheat pasta and low fat cheese cuts down on the calories in an otherwise calorie-laden comfort food recipe.
     
  4. Mashed Potatoes -Mashed potatoes are the perfect comfort food recipe for a side dish. Creamy and delicious, mashed potatoes taste great alongside any dish. The problem, though, is that butter and heavy cream often make mashed potatoes so comforting. But mashed potatoes make for a great blank slate for a healthy low calorie comfort food recipe. Try steaming the potatoes over boiling them to  lock in more nutrients. Mash the potatoes with the skins on for more fiber. Use butter substitutes and skim milk over their heavier alternatives. Mashed potatoes also taste great with additional vegetables mixed in. For a new twist on mashed potatoes, try Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes as a low calorie comfort food alternative. Sweet potatoes have more sweetness and nutritional value than regular potatoes. The recipe is a great comfort food dinner idea because it is easy to make, has no fat and only minimal sugar and salt.
     
  5. Fried Chicken - Something magical happens to a piece of chicken once it is breaded and deep fried. Crispy and oily, fried chicken is an irresistable comfort food. For a healthier version of fried chicken, avoid the fryer and use the oven instead. The crispy outer shell of fried chicken is full of empty calories and fat. By baking the chicken, you avoid that. This Healthy Oven-Fried Chicken recipe replicates the crispy shell of fried skin with a healthier baked crust. This low calorie comfort food recipe is great because it is easy to make, unbelievably delicious and much healthier than the original version.
     


For part 2 of the two-part series on healthy comfort foods, click here.

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