Do you love Banana Bread, but not want the typical 200-300 calories per slice (or even more if it is a large slice).  This modified banana bread recipe is one of my personal favorites.  It is only 120 calories per slice, so you cut down the calories but you don’t cut out any of the flavor.  It uses standard ingredients and is so easy to make, you don’t even need to get out the mixer!

Ingredients

1.5 Cup Flour*

¾ Cup Sugar

1.5 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Cinnamon

1 Cup Bananas (mashed)

¼ Cup Applesauce

2 Egg Whites

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon).  Add wet ingredients (bananas, applesauce and egg whites) and stir until well combined.  The batter will remain lumpy.  Lightly coat loaf pan with cooking spray and then add batter.  Cook for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 Servings.  Nutrition Information per serving: 132 Calories, 0 gm Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 191 mg Sodium, 31 gm Carbohydrate, 1 gm Fiber, 17 gm Sugars.

*For an even healthier version, try using ¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour and ¾ Cup All Purpose Flour.  This will add extra Fiber!

When it comes to portion control, there are few foods that are more confusing than pasta.  Some questions I get frequently are: What is a serving?  Is a serving based on dry or cooked pasta?  How do I know how I measure uncooked pasta, so I get the appropriate amount of cooked pasta?  Today, I will try to answer these questions.

So, what is a serving of pasta? According to the Food Guide Pyramid and the Diabetic Exchange System, a serving of pasta is ½ cup of cooked pasta (this is equivalent to about 2 ounces of cooked pasta).  This would provide approximately 80-100 calories and 15-20 grams of carbohydrate.

How do I measure pasta? Pasta can be measured before or after cooking.  A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that pasta doubles in size and weight when it is cooked.  Here are some guidelines to follow when measuring pasta.

• Cooked pasta can be measured by using a measuring cup or a food scale.
  • 1 serving = ½ cup or 2 ounces of cooked pasta

If you would prefer to measure the pasta before you cook so you are not making too much food, the following tips can be helpful:

• The most accurate way to measure uncooked past is to use a food scale.
  • 1 ounce uncooked pasta = 1 serving
• If you are making strand pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, etc.), they do make tools to measure pasta.  Typically on a pasta measure, there are several holes that are different diameters.  This allows cooks to know that they are making 1-4 servings by filling the holes.  Pasta measures are inexpensive and can be a great way to achieve portion control when making strand pasta!   Take a look at my store to see what a pasta measure looks like.
• Measuring out pasta shapes can be a bit trickier for those who are not using a pasta scale.  Shapes vary in size, so they do differ slightly, but a good rule of thumb is:
  • Approximately ¼ cup of dry pasta shapes = 1 serving for elbow macaroni, shells, rotini, cavatelli, wheels, penne or ziti.

In summary, a good generalization to measure pasta measures is as follows:

1 Serving cooked pasta = 2 ounces or ½ cup

1 Serving uncooked pasta = 1 ounce or ¼ cup

Yes, I know that your thinking…a half-cup of pasta might not be enough to satisfy a hearty appetite.  Remember, the average person needs 6-11 servings from the Grain food group per day.  So, feel free to have more than a half-cup of pasta at a meal, just be sure to count it as more than one serving.  Also, try adding extra vegetables to the sauce, have a side salad or a small chicken breast along with the pasta.  This will help you to fill up while keeping your pasta portions in check.

One way to keep a healthy diet new and exciting is to continue to try new foods and new recipes.  Websites like eatingwell.com can make it easy to find healthy recipes to meet your personal needs.  You can do a basic search if you are just looking for a main ingredient (i.e. poultry, pasta, seafood, soy), or can do a more advanced search which takes into account health considerations.  This can be very helpful, if you have dietary restrictions and are watching calories, sodium or saturated fat.  It also has recipes that are diabetes appropriate, heart healthy recipes and ones that are high in certain nutrients like calcium or potassium.  This website can also help you find kid-friendly meals, make-ahead meals and meals for vegetarians.  An added bonus is that it contains the nutrition facts for each meal, which can help you to know exactly what you’re getting.  Hope you enjoy!  

Tis the season…for baking holiday cookies, making dishes for holiday parties, and the list continues.  There are many traditional foods that are served around the holidays that are loaded with fat and calories. However, with some slight modifications, many of these recipes can be little healthier.  Try the following substitutions to reduce the fat and calories in some of your favorite dishes:    

Saving 50-100 calories here or there, may not seem like a big difference. However, cutting back 100 calories a day can lead to a 10 pound weight loss at the end of the year.  Many of these substitutions can be made with very minimal changes to the flavor or texture of a dish.  Chances are that your family or friends won’t know the difference, but their waistlines may thank you for it.