I try cooking (or at least prepping) most of the meals I
eat. But at some point, usually during the weekend, I reward myself for all my
hard work by going to a nice restaurant and having a nice, delicious dinner (or
brunch if I’m being naughty). At that point I could not give a flying fuzz
about calories, or fat, or carbs; I don’t care about any of it. I just eat my
heart out and enjoy the food. Of course, it stops being fun when I overdo it
and go into what it feels like a food-induced coma, but that’s beside the
point. My point is that there’s a time and a place for everything; and food is
no exception.
But let’s face it. Many of the foods that we drool over (and
even have some seriously disturbing dreams about) are neither difficult to make,
nor an imminent nutritional disaster. Oh yeah, some of those “once in a while
treats” can easily be turned into everyday healthy items with just a few tweaks.
And you can do it without sacrificing the flavor.
A few days ago, I went to one of my favorite diners with my
best friend and I felt I died and went straight to heaven as I ate their pecan
pancakes. I love them so much, but I never make them at home. NEVER. I’m not
sure why, because I always have pecans around, and I make pancakes often… I
reasoned that the major problem with these pancakes is the fact that they although
they are huge (and therefore have an unknown amount of calories), their lack of
fiber results in me feeling like I’m STARVING just a couple of hours after.
I thought that an easy and simple way to make these pancakes
healthier (so I can eat them more often) is to use whole wheat flour instead of
regular flour. I just followed my pancake
recipe, but I used 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour instead of
1 ½ cups of white flour. Sometimes the mix is a bit too thick so I gradually
add more milk until the consistency is just right (It won’t be much – a tablespoon
at the most). That’s it. Then while they are cooking I add chopped pecans, I
flip them and cook for an additional minute. It’s that simple. Now these
pancakes have the fiber that the regular pancakes lack. Also, the natural
sweetness of the whole wheat flour plays very well with the pecan flavors. As a
bonus, since you are making the pancakes yourselves, you know exactly how much
a serving is (and how many servings you are eating, so you don’t over eat.
Breakfast, checked. But what about dinner? The diner that
makes those amazing pancakes is just a few blocks away from my other weekend-indulgence:
one of the best soul food/southern restaurants in town. I know they have pretty
good food, but I ALWAYS end up eating the same dish: chicken and waffles with a
side of grits. This is THE place that made me like grits to begin with (in the
American sense; I’ve eaten the Puerto Rican equivalents since I was a baby). Turns
out, I never make grits at home. Why? Beats me; but once again, the lack of
fiber is a real deterrent to having grits often. My solution? I bought a 10 grain hot cereal
(Bob’s Red Mill 10 grain hot cereal - free publicity, ha), that is whole wheat along
with other whole grains. I didn’t do anything special; I just followed the
package’s instructions, but I substituted milk for water. It turned out to be
really good, and it went really well with my Puerto
Rican-fried chicken. Yumm!!! I loved it.
These are just two examples (out of MANY) of easy swaps to transform
a not-so-healthy restaurant dish (or side) into a healthier, every day side meal
that will taste great, and will be good for you. I’m pretty sure you all have
examples. Feel free to share them!
