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If you want to eat healthy meals, one of the things you are going to have to learn to do is replace ingredients in the recipes that you use. Each month I post a recipe with it's original ingredients, and the changes you can make to it to optimize it's healthiness. At the bottom of the recipe is a summary of what I did. Enjoy!

Carrot Cake

Original Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 t vanilla
21/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 t cinnamon
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1 cup shredded carrot
2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup raisins
1 8oz can crushed pineapple and juice

Frosting:
12oz cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 T vanilla
3-4 cups icing sugar
lemon juice
Healthy Ingredients
1 can of crushed pineapple (reserve juice)
1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil
1/4 cup applesauce
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
3/4 t salt
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground ginger
2 eggs

Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In 2 8x1/2 inch pans, lightly butter using waxed paper. Mix dry indredients and wet seperately. Add dry to wet and moisten if need be with reserved pineapple juice and beat until a wet thick consistency. Pour into pans and bake 25 -35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool. Dust with 2 T sifted icing sugar. Serve.

Taco Salad

Original Ingredients
1 lrg onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
2 T vegetable oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 can (8 oz)tomato sauce
1 t chili powder
1 t each ground cumin, dried oregano, freshly ground pepper
1 head of iceberg lettuce
2 large tomatoes chopped
1 can (14oz) of kidney beans
1/2 cup of black olives, sliced
1 avocado, chopped
2 cups of taco or corn chips
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese

Dressing:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 T wine vinegar
1/4 t each salt, sugar, dry mustard

Healthy Ingredients
1 cup long grain brown rice
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 can of black beans(19 oz)
OPTIONAL FOR MEAT LOVERS: 1/2 lb of extra lean ground beef or low-fat cut, sliced
1 cup of cooked corn kernels
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 head of romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
1/2 bunch of spinach leaves, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Dressing:
1/4-1/2 cup of natural, sugarless (the homemade type) salsa
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup cider vinegar
sprinkling of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Instructions
In saucepan, bring 2 cups of water and the rice to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; cook for 40 minutes, or according to package directions, or until tender and water is absorbed. Meanwhile, bake tortillas on centre rack at 350 degrees F until crisp.

FOR MEAT LOVERS: Sauté meat in a bit of broth or 1 t of olive oil until cooked through. Drain residual fat well. Mix with rice and beans.

Dressing: In large bowl, stir together cilantro, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Add rice, black beans, corn, carrots and tomatoes; toss to coat. Place broken tortilla pieces, greens and rice mixture in bowl. Mix and add avocado and yogurt as needed.

Health Savings

Extra lean cut of meat means less saturated fat. More beans is more protein. Rice and beans complement each other well as between them they provide a complete set of the necessary amino acids that our bodies use as building blocks in our cells.

Yogurt instead of sour cream, again, less fat and still the calcium with the added bonus of yogurt's acidophilus which kills the bad bacteria in our bowels.

Instead of iceberg lettuce (which contains mostly water and relatively no nutrients), romaine is a better choice and the spinach is a cancer fighting green with also the important mineral, iron.

Whole wheat tortillas are far superior than corn or taco chips, baked in the oven without the added hydrogenated oils.

No cheese in the altered recipe, but you could sprinkle a little on your salad and still come out miles ahead with this recipe.

Allowing each person to garnish their salad with the desired amount of avocado means less fat.

Blueberry Pancakes

Original Ingredients
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 cup blueberries
1 egg beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
2 T melted margarine or vegetable oil
1/4 t vanilla
Healthy Ingredients
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup yogurt
3/4 cup water
2 T flaxseed oil

Instructions
Combine dry ingredients. Add berries. Mix until well-coated. Beat eggs, add the remaining wet ingredients. Make a well in centre of dry ingredients and add the wet all at once. Stir well but lightly. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on griddle, cook until bubbles form then turn and cook 2 minutes more.

Serve with pureed fruits such as applesauce or pure maple syrup.

Health Savings

Substituting whole wheat and soy flour adds fibre, protein and nutrients. It also means the pancake will be more substantial as a meal as it becomes a complex carbohydrate.

No sugar or salt is used in this recipe. There are more berries (blueberries are great anti-oxidants and are said to help in cancer prevention) and yogurt for flavour.

Flaxseed oil is used instead of butter or other oils - an excellent source of Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids (the key to a healthy immune system as well as able to reduce cholesterol and protect against heart disease) and with less of the fat we don't need!!