Healthy Recipe Substitutions

Healthy Recipe Substitutions for Your Memorial Day Party

Hosting a Memorial Day Party? Turn Temptation into Victory with These Healthy Recipe Substitutions!

We all love the taste of typical Memorial Day dishes, but we’re not so fond of the calories they contain. Here are four healthy recipes to prepare instead—and no, you won’t have to sacrifice flavor.

If you’re hosting a Memorial Day party, you’re probably planning a gut-busting (and waistline-expanding) menu featuring classics like baked beans, chips, and soda. (And don’t forget the dessert table!)

Sure, you and your guests will love pigging out on these tried-and-true favorites, but you’re painfully aware that no one will enjoy the extra pounds that might result from this calorie-laden spread—especially at the beginning of swimsuit season.

Relax, and stop Googling Arctic vacations that won’t require you to expose any bare skin. Just in time for pre-weekend grocery shopping, I am here with some alternative (waistline- and taste bud-friendly!) options.

If you want to host a great Memorial Day party without all of the calories, think substitutions. And don’t worry; today’s healthy substitutions are the opposite of tasteless and forgettable. Your guests will thank you for serving such nutritious fare even as they’re asking you for the recipes.

Here, are three recipes to make this Memorial Day. A single-serving plate featuring each of these dishes (which includes two desserts) comes to around 395 calories.

Compare that to 1,200 calories for a traditional Memorial Day menu—and that’s a conservative estimate!

#1 Mediterranean Cucumber Salad (56 calories per serving) Makes four servings!
Ingredients:
2 cups (8 fl oz) nonfat plain yogurt
2 cucumbers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp whole pepper, black
1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Small amount of olive oil for drizzling (1 Tbs has 119 calories.)

Directions:
Peel the cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, then into 1/4 inch slices. Add garlic to salt to make a paste. Stir yogurt into the paste. Add pepper, mint, and cilantro. Toss to mix. Drizzle with olive oil.

#2 Calorie-Cheating Cheesecake, Your Way (Total calories: 700 [600 without yogurt topping]; 100 grams of protein)
Cheesecake Ingredients:
16 oz nonfat cottage cheese
(measure out 2 cups with measuring cup if not purchased in 16 oz container)
3/4 cup liquid egg substitute
3 cups Splenda pourable (or Stevia, per your taste preference)
4 oz fat-free cream cheese
3 tsp vanilla extract

Cheesecake Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan with vegetable spray.

Cut cream cheese into small cubes. Combine with cottage cheese, egg substitute, Splenda, and vanilla in food processor and process until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake about 60 minutes (or until edges are slightly brown and contents set).
Prepare yogurt topping. Spread on top, then place on a plate (topping will drip) and refrigerate. When chilled, unclip side of pan and remove. Keep refrigerated.

Yogurt Topping:
2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2/3 cup Splenda (or Stevia, per your taste preference)

Stir together and spread on top of cheesecake.
Variations:
For chocolate cheesecake, add 1/3 cup cocoa and only 1 tsp of vanilla.

For coconut cheesecake, add 6 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut.

Top with about 5 Tbsp of your favorite Smucker’s Simply Fruit or Polaner All Fruit flavor, or fresh strawberries.

(Note: Cocoa adds 80 calories so add or deduct as needed. Vanilla is 12 calories per teaspoon.)

Cranberry Sorbet (45 calories per serving [about 4 oz])
Serves 8
Ingredients:
3 cups low-calorie cranberry juice cocktail, divided
1 cup nonfat canned evaporated milk, cold
1 3-oz sugar-free low-calorie strawberry jello dessert packet

Directions:
Bring 1 1/2 cups of the cranberry juice to boil in saucepan. In large bowl, combine with gelatin. Stir 2 minutes or until dissolved. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups juice and milk. Pour into 13 x 9-inch pan. Freeze 1 1/2 hours or until frozen 1 inch from edges. Spoon into food processor container; cover. Process until smooth. Pour into bowl; cover. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Scoop into dessert dishes.

And remember—not just on Memorial Day but every day—you always have the freedom to choose.