Cooking Connections Highlights: Healthier Meal Makeovers

Last Wednesday I participated in something I have never done before. I was a co-host of a live web cooking class!  The class was called Healthier Meal Makeovers and many people shared their tips on how they feed their families healthy foods.

We all shared one or more recipes, tricks and tips on everything healthy and “good for you” foods.  One of the recipes I shared was the 2-recipe low-fat chocolate cake. I posted before as one of the easiest recipes to make — and it is!.  In fact, I made that cake just the other day and my kids were none the wiser.  You really do not miss the fattening oil and eggs in the recipe at all.

If you missed the cooking class (which I hope you didn’t), don’t fret.  We were provided with a summary of the whole class. Isn’t that cool?

Below are some highlights I thought would be perfect for you:

1. Don’t say “diet” — Like Vanessa Druckman said, “Diet” is a dirty word.
2. Keep snacking at bay — Julie Van Rosendaal, “I chew gum in the kitchen while I’m cooking – keeps me from nibbling!” – This works wonders!
3. Healthier kids’ snacks — Here’s a great recipe for a popcorn trail mix.
4. Suggestions for healthier appetizers — “I love using Egg Beaters, green onions and salt and pepper to make mini egg muffins,” added host Rachel Matthews. “They’re always a HUGE hit and super easy to make.”
5. Recipes for healthier appetizers — Here were my favorites of the bunch: Fruit dip, Guacamole, and Granola
6. Suggestions for healthier entrees — “Over the last year I’ve lost about 50 pounds and one of the things that has helped me is the organization of the food on my plate,” said host Renee Ross, Cutie Booty Cakes.  “Fill half that plate with veggies and then do a quarter each of starch and protein!”
7. Recipes for healthier entrees — Here were my favorite entrees:
   Shrimp scampi,  Savory slow cooker chicken, and Chicken tortilla soup.
8. Suggestions for healthier desserts — My favorite tips were:
   “You can usually substitute up to 1/3 of the flour with whole wheat flour,” said Wendy O’Neal, and @ArtoftheSpa threw out the idea of partially replacing butter with applesauce, canned pumpkin or mashed sweet potatoes.
9. Recipes for healthier desserts — My top three fave picks were:
   Pumpkin spice Bundt cake, Lower-fat chocolate chip cookie, and Crustless pumpkin pie.

I hope you enjoyed the highlights. You can catch all of the detailed conversations over at The Motherhood.  If you happened to miss out on this cooking class, there’s still 3 more classes to go. Check out The Motherhood for the next three Wednesdays at 1pm EST through March 16th.

You can register for the classes to join the conversation, which only takes a few minutes so don’t forget.  Also, every week is a set of brand new hosts and co-host so you don’t want to miss out!

Disclosure: Huge thanks to TheMotherhood and ConAgra for sponsoring these great and informative classes.