Comfort Food Swaps

Now that the temperatures are dropping (except over here in Miami) it's nice to snuggle up with your loved ones and indulge in a nice bowl of comfort food. There’s just something about cold temperatures and a nice big bowl of Mac n’ cheese or a nice warm cup of chili that brings the whole Netflix n Chill to a whole new level. Winter months also mean a bit more fluff in the trunk.I mean if the bears do it….shouldn’t that be normal?

Although, the whole bear thing is a great argument to justify gaining a couple of those “winter” lbs, it really doesn’t have to be that way. What if I tell you that you can still have your Netflix n chill with your favorite comfort food and still not gain a single pound? The secret is swapping out some of the ingredients to remove some of the calories, but still keep all of the flavor.

My favorite comfort food is a burger. If I could, I would always have burgers. However, that doesn’t always fit into my macros. So what do I do? I swap some ingredients so that it is healthier and fits my macros.

Cheeseburger.

There are a couple options when it comes to this one. You can swap out the beef and go for turkey instead. It's a leaner protein with less fat which means less calories. You can also opt out of the bun and use a lettuce as a bun instead. However, if you feel like the lettuce doesn’t give the burger much justice, opt for an English muffin instead.

Mac n Cheese.

Birdseye has a great option that you can find here. It is made of zucchini lentil but you could never tell the difference. It is absolutely delicious. Just add some chicken to get in your protein.

Shepards Pie.

This is something that you will see a lot of Miami folks eating and I’m not sure why but such is life haha. However, I know that a lot of my northern gals enjoy this baby which is why I wanted to add it to the list. Potatoes are a great source of carbs but sometimes you just don’t have anymore room for them in your macros or you’re in a caloric deficit and can’t squeeze them in. If that is the case you can sub out the potatoes and use cauliflower. Is anyone else amused by how this little vegetable has taken over the diet world. He is just everywhere now a days. Another tip is to sub out the ground beef for lean ground turkey.

Chili.

I love chili. What I don’t love is how it makes me feel after because many places add a lot of crap that doesn’t really need to be there. You don’t need all the excess oil and fat. Just add some ground turkey, kidney beans, corn, chopped veggies, spices and pour in some vegetable stock. You can even make it vegetarian by opting out of meat entirely.

French Fries.

Oh how I love these babies. I actually enjoy my swap version so much that I don’t even crave fries when we go to restaurants. All that grease turns my stomach. All you have to do for these is buy an air fryer. You can buy sweet potato fries or regular ones in the freezer section and cook them in the air fryer or get the actual potato, slice it and cook. I promise you won’t be disappointed. This is one of the greatest gifts that I’ve gotten so you may want to consider adding it to your Christmas list.

I’d love to here if you’ve tried any of these recipes and what you thought of them. Just leave a comment below!