1. Use Your Bean
It might seem hard to replace high-fat meats with healthy alternatives, but one easy way to do it is to replace fatty ground beef with high protein beans. Not only are canned beans a convenient replacement for some or even all of the ground beef in a recipe, they also cut the preparation time of the meal and the cost as well as the saturated fat content. Take the ground beef called for in the recipe and cut it in half. Brown it, or prepare it in the way the recipe calls for and add an equal amount of pinto or black beans. Canned pinto beans have the added benefit of being the same color as cooked ground beef, so if you are trying to sneak this healthy food into a casserole, your family might not even notice.
2. Catch Some Healthy Protein
Another way to replace high-fat meats with healthy alternatives is to try adding fish to your diet. If your family is not used to eating fish, select a day of the week that is not too hectic. This means you won't be eager to get the kids to wolf down the food as quickly as possible so you can whisk them off to soccer or Girl Scouts. Tell the family that you have prepared a special meal for them and then have a special treat afterward. Take few frozen salmon steaks and throw them in a glass 9-by-13 pan with a can of olives and a few other veggie favorites. You might want to toss on some spices as well. Add some balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top and bake for about a half hour. This makes a tasty easy dish, which is literally done in less time than it takes to call out for pizza. Plus, Salmon has the good fats we all need more of!
3. Now That's a Healthy Pizza
Speaking of pizza, what about pepperoni and sausage? This is definitely where we need to replace high-fat meats with healthy alternatives. Most pizza shops don't have these healthy alternatives, so if you want to get healthy pizza, you'll have to make it yourself. Don't despair though, it's less work than you think. Buy a frozen pizza shell, or frozen pizza dough and thaw according to directions. Stretch the dough out on your pizza stone, which makes pizza crust come out wonderful, or baking sheet if you don't have one. Top with pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce or olive oil with lots of basil, garlic and other Italian spices in it. Next top with cheese, or to stay a bit lower in fat, skip the cheese and put on fresh or frozen veggies. Open a can of canned chicken, sprinkle it on the top and viola! Healthy pizza!
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