Tips + Tricks

Cooking

  • Egg Substitutes - Luckily, there are a number of good alternatives to using eggs in cooking and baking.

    • Flax Egg: 1 tbsp ground flax, 2.5 tbsps water, mix together and let sit for 5 minutes. Great for baking and/or when eggs are used as binders (or glue) like in veggie burgers.

    • Applesauce: 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce equals 1 egg in most recipes.

    • Banana: 1/4 cup mashed banana equals 1 egg. The downside or upside depending on your banana stance, is that your recipe will end up with a bit of a banana flavor.

    • Aquafaba aka the liquid from a can of chickpeas: 3 tablespoons equals 1 egg. Great egg white replacement.

    • A ton of other options here: 13 Effective Substitutes for Eggs

  • Water Sauteing - this is a healthy alternative to oil sauteing. Simply heat your pan like normal, add ingredients, and stir - adding a couple tablespoons of water at a time to prevent sticking. The key is to stir often and only add water as needed so you are not simmering the food. Using oil may be second nature when sauteing comes to mind, but we have found that once you add the rest of the ingredients, more often than not, you can't tell if oil or water was used. Check out this site for more info: How to Cook Without Oil

  • Vegetable Broth - broth is the main base in most soups. You may find on occasion that you don't have enough on hand. No need to make a trip to the store. Water is a suitable substitute. You may have to up the spices in the recipes a bit, but otherwise it's a great alternative in a pinch.

Meal Prep

  • Double recipes for more leftovers.

  • Wash and cut up fruits and veggies on Sunday to get ready for the week.

  • Make a big batch of whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, etc.) to be used throughout the week.

  • Freeze leftovers in containers with the right portion sizes so they will be easy to warm up.

Grocery Shopping

  • For the most part, stick to the perimeter of the grocery store. Stock up on produce first and then venture to the aisles for canned goods and whole grains.

  • Look at nutrition labels and the ingredients list, especially during the trials. You will be surprised at how often sugar and all of its forms of the word will appear on unexpected items.

  • Buy pre-cut veggies when you are in a time crunch (e.g. chopped onions, carrots, celery, minced garlic, butternut squash cubes). You pay more, but the convenience might be worth it.

  • Frozen veggie burgers are good to have on hand when you aren't in the cooking mood.

  • Keep spinach in the freezer. You don't have to worry about it going bad and it is easy to throw into a smoothie or soups.

  • See Real Food for recommended items to have on hand all the time.

Surviving the trials

  • Eating is a social activity. Encourage your friends and family to join you and gather your support system.

  • Tell people, write it down, sign a contract...do whatever you need to in order to make quitting not an option.

  • Clean out your fridge and pantry to remove all temptation.

  • Always have plenty of healthy snacks ready in the house and in your purse/bag/car just in case. You never know when hunger will strike, e.g. nuts/seeds, fruit, veggies ready to eat, whole wheat bread/nut butter.

  • Eating out: non-American places are very easy (Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, Mediterranean, etc.) and in general, most places will have at least a couple options. When in doubt, look at side dishes and salads. Research menus ahead of time.