Everything I like is expensive or fattening!

[Jabberwockey]

Well, I can't help it if my boobs are perky as a teenage girls!!

 

[InsaneCdn]

You two crack me up!

Reducing saturated fat, and fat in general, is a good thing. We still need SOME fat, but most of us go way beyond what is needed.

Suggestion: when replacing saturated fat, try using different kinds of oils. We like butter because it has flavor. Olive oil is fairly bland. We're finding that a bit of walnut oil or sesame oil really adds flavor and makes up for the loss of "butter" and other saturated fats in a LOT of recipes. If the recipe uses melted butter... oil can be substituted.

 

[Jabberwockey]

Walnut oil? Didn't know that was even available. Yeah, the whole butter versus oil thing gets confusing.

And what's so funny about me having perky boobs????

 

[InsaneCdn]

There's all SORTS of designer oils out there. They are NOT cheap, I'll warn you. But they are worth it. You don't use these as the primary fat in the recipe, but add for flavor. A little goes a long way. Walnut oil just happens to be what is on my counter today

 

[Jabberwockey]

Now that I think about it, we have...grape seed oil maybe?... that we bought a while ago. It was more expensive that four times the amount of olive oil.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Yes, that's another one. And you use it in about that ratio: 4 of olive to 1 of designer oil...
Except as a salad dressing... oil and vinegar, made using designer oil and designer vinegar... is REALLY good.

 

[Jabberwockey]

Huh, will have to try that.

 

[Lil]

Suggestion: when replacing saturated fat, try using different kinds of oils. We like butter because it has flavor. Olive oil is fairly bland. We're finding that a bit of walnut oil or sesame oil really adds flavor and makes up for the loss of "butter" and other saturated fats in a LOT of recipes. If the recipe uses melted butter... oil can be substituted.

Yeah...I really like butter. I use it pretty much exclusively for baking and was just reading recently about butter being better for you than margarine because of all the chemicals. For instance, Blue Bonnet Light:

Water , Soybeans Oil Liquid , Soybeans Oil Partially Hydrogenated , Maltodextrin , Salt , Vegetables Monoglycerides , An Emulsifier , Soy Lecithin , An Emulsifier , Potassium Sorbate , To Preserve Freshness , Sodium Benzoate , To Preserve Freshness , Calcium Disodium EDTA , To Preserve Freshness , Citric Acid , Flavors Artificial , Vitamin A Palmitate , Colored With , Beta Carotene

And in fact, that one has partially hydrogenated oil which is a trans-fat! That's sticks, not tub. Tub doesn't have trans-fat. But still!

Butter = cream. Maybe cream and salt. That's it.

But cream = saturated fat...so I guess margarine it is. Especially since I'm reduced to 15 grams of saturated fat a day. 1 tablespoon of butter has 7. 1 tablespoon of margarine has 1.5.

Now that I think about it, we have...grape seed oil maybe?... that we bought a while ago

We have garlic flavored grape seed oil. Have used a tiny, tiny bit. Might have to try it for things like sautéing chicken and mushrooms and such if it hasn't gone rancid. It's pretty old. We tend to buy things and then never use them.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Do NOT just switch from butter to margarine. Trans fats are WORSE than saturated fat. And solid margarine has trans fats.

You have to change how you cook. It's hard. I know. We had to do it.
We STILL use butter for baking. Sorry, no other way to make shortbread.
We just do it less often and make it last longer - and make our cookies smaller. I'd rather have one small cookie every day, than a big one every third or fourth day.

Anything that uses MELTED butter, you can substitute oil.
For spreading on bread... soft margarine works. I still use butter, because I don't eat a lot of bread. Bread and butter is a treat for me - and it's still better than cookies and candy.

Check labels on high end oils... for example. walnut oil is to be stored in the fridge once opened.

Maybe just cut out baking for a while. Use fruit for desert. Or fruit and yogurt, or a smoothie. It works better to prepare a different menu than you have used in the past, than to just try to modify recipes. (I tried that, too...)

By the way... the fastest, easiest desert ever is... a banana. Peel and eat.

 

[SuZir]

If you like the taste of butter, you can make your own margarine:

1 part of butter
1 part of veggie oil
1 part of cold water.

Mix in the blender (let butter get little soft, after that mix butter and oil and then add water little by little.) It stays good in fridge for couple weeks in closed container. You can change the amounts of different ingredients to find the combo you like the most.

Tastes much better than margarine and doesn't have all the bad stuff od margarine and still much less saturated fat than butter.

 

[Jabberwockey]

Anything that uses MELTED butter, you can substitute oil.

Hmmmm....may have to try the peanut butter balls with this. Not that they are the healthiest thing in the world but they do freeze well!

By the way... the fastest, easiest desert ever is... a banana. Peel and eat.

Yeah, she likes her banana's almost brown, I like them so green they're almost crunchy!!

 

[InsaneCdn]

That's neat, @SuZir.

We used to make whipped butter: beat really soft butter, adding skim milk. Not as much fat reduction as your recipe, but still better than pure butter. And still tastes like butter.

 

[Lil]

Do NOT just switch from butter to margarine. Trans fats are WORSE than saturated fat. And solid margarine has trans fats.

Oh I know...I was just pointing out why butter is actually healthier. I don't know if ALL solid margarine has trans -fat. I'll have to let the cold air out of the store fridges and read labels...If so, it'll remain butter for baking.

Maybe just cut out baking for a while.

I actually don't bake that often. I enjoy it and I so totally love baked goods...but I seldom actually get to it short of just tossing a box of brownies into the oven. I do like to make homemade breads. Soft, warm, homemade bread, straight from the oven, slathered with ... BUTTER!!!

sdfghjkl;/; - Sorry, wiped a little drool off the keyboard. LOL

Our oven's top element is going wonky anyway.

If you like the taste of butter, you can make your own margarine:

1 part of butter
1 part of veggie oil
1 part of cold water.

Mix in the blender (let butter get little soft, after that mix butter and oil and then add water little by little.) It stays good in fridge for couple weeks in closed container. You can change the amounts of different ingredients to find the combo you like the most.

I've been seeing "spreadable butter" in the stores and they seem to basically be this...butter with canola or other oil added. I may have to try this. I could use it for baking, though solid is usually better than soft, but it might be worth a try. Light margarines aren't good for high heat as a general rule.

 

[Jabberwockey]

I've been seeing "spreadable butter" in the stores and they seem to basically be this...butter with canola or other oil added

You mean like that stuff we bought that was harder than stick butter???

 

[InsaneCdn]

Soft butter doesn't work for baking either... not unless the recipe is designed for it.

There is a way (haven't done it for years so have forgotten the details) to use applesauce to replace some or all of the butter in recipes where butter isn't the main ingredient - things like muffins (obviously, isn't going to work for shortbread LOL) You might try looking that up. I'm pretty sure I figured out at one point how to make brownies with half the butter.

Try nice fresh home-made bread with....... peanut butter! YUM. Better yet, peanut butter and banana. Or apple butter (which doesn't contain any butter).

 

[Lil]

You mean like that stuff we bought that was harder than stick butter???

No, that was whipped butter...but only spreadable if it sat out for hours.

There is a way (haven't done it for years so have forgotten the details) to use applesauce to replace some or all of the butter in recipes where butter isn't the main ingredient - things like muffins (obviously, isn't going to work for shortbread LOL) You might try looking that up. I'm pretty sure I figured out at one point how to make brownies with half the butter.

I've done this for years - or did before I went back to old habits. Some things applesauce is great in - spice cakes and carrot cakes for instance. Others not so much.

I actually know most of this stuff....I just have to go back to doing it.

 

[InsaneCdn]

I actually know most of this stuff....I just have to go back to doing it.

Now there's a profound statement. And it applies to a LOT more than just cooking!

 

[SuZir]

Now there's a profound statement. And it applies to a LOT more than just cooking!

Is that not the epitome of gfgdom? Are we sure that those kids of ours didn't actually inherit it from us? [emoji15]
[emoji2]

 

[Lil]

UPDATE!

Went back to the dietician today, two weeks and I've lost a bit over 5 lbs! My scale at work shows 8...but I'll take 5. She was quite pleased with my progress and my numbers from Myfitnesspal records.

We had a long talk about trans fats. Here's a nifty factoid. Eating only 2 grams of trans fat a day increases your chance of a heart attack by 70%! (According to some Harvard or Yale or something, study.) So, I'll definitely be watching that.

So, all in all, going well. We've managed to eat out a few times, even had movie-theater popcorn (hold the butter) and it's all good. Just got to keep it up.

I still need to make that modified Korma recipe. Maybe this weekend.

 

[susiestar]

Grapeseed oil is not even close to 4 times the cost of olive oil if you are a careful shopper. I never pay that much. If you shop at Sams, check out theirs. As for other oils, check whole foods, sprouts, etc... for them. I find that the generic/house brands there are cheaper than buying it anywhere else.

One really great benefit from buying oils like walnut, macadamia, pumpkin seed, grape seed etc... is that they are amazing for your skin and hair too. You can use them for oil cleansing, moisturizer, etc... Be careful with the darker colored oils if you have light colored skin or hair as the oils could add color if you are not careful. I generally use a mix of oils for oil cleansing and straight rice bran, avocado or grapeseed for skin. I do not like coconut oil for skin. Many like the smell but I don't, and it is much more harsh on skin and hair than the other oils. I greatly prefer the rice bran oil for my skin.

If you have salad, try using the fancier oils in a vinaigrette. Use about 1 part oil to 2-4 parts vinegar and add whatever seasonings/herbs you like. Try substituting lemon or lime or grapefruit juice for some of the vinegar for more flavor. If you like the Olive Garden salad dressing (one of my favorites), Top Secret Recipes has a low fat cookbook with a low fat version of the Olive Garden salad dressing that we like better than the regular recipe in his books.

Be careful with fat free products. Studies show that we humans tend to eat more, up to half as much more, if we are eating fat free instead of full fat foods. The fat free products don't trigger satiation the way fats do. One way to help get around this is to have a bit of full fat dressing or sauce on top of the item so that our tongue gets the fat on top of it rather than incorporated into a dish. More bang for your buck, so you need less fat to trigger satiation (the feeling you have had enough). Fat free products tend to have more sugars in them also, or so I have read.