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Step 1
Select methods of cooking that provide the fewest additional calories to your dishes. Frying in oil or lard adds unnecessary fat to your dinner. Baking, broiling and microwaving food items do not add extra calories.
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Step 2
Use reduced fat dairy ingredients in your cooking. Many low-fat cheeses taste great when melted in side dishes and entrees. If your recipe calls for an egg, use two egg whites instead. Low-fat ricotta cheese or plain low-fat yogurt can replace sour cream.
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Step 3
Try your recipes with heart-healthy lean turkey instead of higher calorie ground beef. Ground turkey can replace red meat in hamburger patties, meatballs and meatloaf. In addition, turkey bacon has fewer calories and fat than regular pork bacon. Turkey sausage is also available in many grocery stores. Keep a can of non-stick cooking spray handy to replace oil when sauteing.
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Step 4
Go the extra mile to decrease fat in your dinner. Remove the skin from chicken before cooking to reduce unhealthy calories in your meal. You can remove even more fat from soups and gravies by allowing them to cool, causing the fat to rise to the surface and then carefully skimming if off before reheating and serving. Drain and rinse your ground beef. Keep a colander handy to drain off the fat that accumulates when you brown the meat. Then, run the colander under warm water to remove even more fat.
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Step 5
Spice up your dinner menu and add variety with naturally low-fat food items. Side dishes that include fresh vegetables, such as lettuce, cucumber, tomato and celery add crunch to your meal without adding excess calories.
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Step 6
Use spices as part of your cooking light plan to add zip to bland foods. Oregano, basil, parsley, ground pepper and other spices add taste without adding calories. But go easy on the salt.
