A Healthier Version of a "Traditional" Comfort Food....Tator Tot Hot Dish

As you know, we have been trying to eat very healthy over the past year or so because our goal is to get, and to keep Kevin's cholesterol down at "normal" levels. The other day I was really craving a "comfort food" so I decided to investigate the ingredients for Tator Tot Hot Dish to see how I could make it healthier. Here is what I did....

I took very lean ground beef (93% or higher), skim milk, "Healthy Request" cream of mushroom soup (low in fat and cholesterol), tator tots (which don't have fat or cholesterol), low-fat cheddar cheese, and a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix "Beefy Onion."

Now I know that this is, as a rule, not the healthiest casserole, but I took something a bit unhealthy and made is just a little bit better for us. I think that is the key. Trying to incorporate healthy habits into every meal eventually just becomes a part of you. It at one point seems "sinful" to not try and eat healthier!

Here is the recipe...

Crockpot Lasagna

Sorry that I have not written for so long, but I have been pretty busy. Just recently I was looking at the Healthy Eating section of books at the library and I found one about the thoughts behind belly fat. After reading the book a bit I was not completely "sold" on the author's theory that sugar is one of the main culprits of belly fat. However, the author brought to my attention that there are tons of foods with "hidden" sugars.

Before reading the book I never had taken the time to see how much sugar was actually in every day foods like spaghetti sauces etc... I always thought that sugar was for desserts! What I learned is that there really are "hidden" sugars in just about everything. The spaghetti sauce that I used to buy...blew my mind when I realized that there are actually 21 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup (serving). WOW!!!!

Breads, even the ones that are considered "healthy" because they have whole grains have corn syrup in them. I started to see why the author of the belly fat book thinks that sugar is a main cause for being overweight. So, my mission now is to try and either make my own or buy products with the littles amount of sugar possible.

I recently found this crockpot recipe online for lasagna. I made it a bit healthier by using ground turkey instead of sausage, fat free cottage cheese instead of ricotta (because I don't like the texture of ricotta cheese), and low fat mozzarella cheese. And of course I found tomato sauce that only had 5 grams of sugar per serving...however, I still think that is too much for spaghetti sauce! Another way to make this dish even more healthy would be to use multi-grain or whole wheat noodles.

The Next Step...

Now that Kevin has lowered his cholesterol, I've noticed that people keep complimenting him and asking him if he's lost any weight. We've explained to people that we've changed our eating habits and have improved his cholesterol health. I guess that I assumed that he did not lose any weight because I did not lose any weight on this new healthy eating lifestyle. However, I found out yesterday that he has lost almost 10 pounds.

After talking with some friends, I think that I have possibly discovered why I might not have lost any weight. I think I eat too many carbs and not enough protein, especially in the mornings. My new goal with this healthy lifestyle change is to try and lose a half to a full pound a week but lowering my carbs, increasing my protein, and lowering my overall caloric intake.

I found a really cool calculator that estimates how many calories you should eat if you want to lose, maintain, or gain weight. It also breaks down the calories per category. It will say that if you are supposed to eat 1500 calories, for example, you should eat so many grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The link is: weight calculator,. Try out the calculator and let me know what you think!

Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins....Can be even healthier?

I really like making everything from scratch, especially when it comes to dinners. However, I am not always a "from scratch" kind of gal when it comes to baked goods. 


My daughter is two and loves helping with everything. I occasionally buy Better Crocker's Wild Blueberry muffins and we bake them together. She pours in the blueberries, stirs, etc... 


The other day I was reading the Betty Crocker recipe box and learned that on the side of the box there are directions for making low-fat, no cholesterol muffins. Add skim milk instead of regular, add apple sauce instead of oil, add egg substitute instead of regular eggs. One muffin is 140 calories (15 calories come from fat). 

Free Cookbooks in PDF format!

Wow, I ran across two free cookbooks today. Remember when trying to eat healthy, look for recipes that are low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium. An example of one to AVOID would be beef stroganoff that has cream cheese, sour cream etc...a healthy alternative would be chili with beans, spices, tomatoes etc... Let me know if you try any of the recipes out!

Better Homes and Garden cookbook
Best of 2011 Betty Crocker recipes (to get this recipe book you have to signup but it is free...lower left hand side of screen)

Favorite Frozen Fruit Treat!

I just wanted to share with everyone my favorite sweet treat. A little background about me...I've always been someone who loves eating ice cream every day, regardless of how cold it is outside. January in Minnesota and you'll still find me eating ice cream. I've discovered Edy's Fruit Bars, and they are amazing. My favorite is strawberry. The tangarine and lime are a bit tart but still good. The strawberry is the best and the sweetest. Trader Joe's has some fruit bars, but they are not quite as good as Edy's. If you've never tried them, it is worth checking them out. Here is the link for the bars.... Edy's fruit bars....YUMMY!!!!

Dedication has Paid Off!

As you may know the original intent of this blog was to teach me healthy eating habits so that we could lower Kevin's cholesterol and to model a healthy lifestyle for our children. We'll my dedication to the blog and to my family has paid off!!!!!