10 Simple Food Substitutions to Get Bikini Ready

By Chef Susan Irby, Author of Substitute Yourself Skinny

Bikini season is just around the corner! There's still time to get in  top bikini shape and what tastier way than with these easy, simple,  and delicious substitutions. Great tasting food doesn't have to be  bland, boring, and flavorless. As the Bikini Chef, my food philosophy  is fresh, fresh, fresh. Fresh citrus, fresh herbs, fresh natural  ingredients that wake up your taste buds, are pleasing to your  palette, and give you the satisfying flavors your body craves. In  fact, most people love the lower calorie, lower fat substitutions once  they've tried them and have gotten past their fear of trying what they  perceive will be tasteless food.

The best part to these substitutions, besides achieving your bikini  goal, is that they are simple substitutions you can make every day.  Easy, affordable, and flavorful, these simple tips will help you stay  in bikini shape all year long.

10 Simple Food Substitutions To Get Bikini Ready

  • Using ½ wheat flour and ½ plain flour will make your scones more  bikini but adding fresh wild raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries  will also liven up the flavor, wake up the color, and give a fresh,  flavorful twist to an otherwise boring biscuit.
  • Cream sauces and creamy soups get most of their creaminess from fat  and calorie laden heavy whipping cream. Use ½ nonfat milk and ½ nonfat  sour cream instead for the same creamy texture without the unwanted  creamy fat that will sabotage your bikini body.
  • Eggs vs egg whites. Some people go the extreme and swear off eggs  forever using only egg whites. However, using only egg whites can get  expensive and eggs are necessary as a binding agent for many recipes.  For breakfast, use 2 egg whites for every one egg for a leaner,  lighter breakfast and when baking or making dishes such as burgers,  use ½ whole eggs and ½ egg whites to keep the texture but save on  calories, fat, and cholesterol. As a side note, the majority of  protein in eggs comes from the egg whites, not the yolk, making them a  deliciously healthy option all around.
  • Cut back on the beef. If you crave a hamburger, make your own  lighter, leaner version by using ½ lean ground beef and ½ lean ground  turkey. You'll find you sacrifice nothing on flavor or texture but  save yourself plenty on fat and calories. Enjoy these leaner burgers  as smaller sliders for lunch, dinner, or for tasty bites at summer  pool parties.
  • Nonfat vanilla yogurt is a delicious substitution for mayonnaise.  Use as a healthy substitution in chicken salad, tuna salad, and  dipping sauces such as aioli. It is very flavorful and naturally  creamy so you don't need to use a lot of it.
  • Cut the cheese. Skip the cheese altogether but if you must have  cheese, go for lower fat versions such as reduced fat cream cheese,  reduced fat Monterey jack, reduced fat feta. If you must have your  full fat versions, opt for freshly grated parmesan or parmiggiano  reggiano and cut back on the amount you use. Fresh, good quality  cheese such as this has great flavor so a little goes a long way.
  • Add a little citrus. The rind, or zest, of lemons, oranges, and  limes is edible and adds a refreshing flavor to steamed or grilled  vegetables, sauces, meat dishes, practically everything. Cut back on  salt which causes bloating and add a little fine grate citrus zest for  tons of flavor with no fat or calories.
  • Most people love crispy bacon but it adds loads of fat and calories  that are often an afterthought for many dishes. If you must have crisp  bacon crumbles on your salads or even for breakfast, use leaner turkey  bacon instead. It has great flavor and crisps nicely like traditional  full fat bacon. Or, better yet, skip the bacon all together. If you  are having a luscious salad, add fresh, crisp asparagus tips or diced  fresh zucchini. For breakfast, substitute crispy no-sugar added bran  cereal or fresh berries. Pass on the bacon, it's just not worth it.
  • Watch out for sugary pasta sauces and dipping sauces. Sugar has  empty calories that add up quickly. Instead, use freshly diced  tomatoes with a little freshly chopped basil leaves or cilantro  leaves. Add a hint of lemon zest, drizzle of balsamic vinegar and  extra virgin olive oil (½ tablespoon each) and finish with a small  pinch of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Toss with pasta such  as penne or fettuccini or serve with baked wonton crisps.
  • Wonton wrappers are perfect as crispy crackers instead of crostini  and tortilla chips. Buy the squares and cut into triangles. Brush  lightly with olive oil and bake in a 225º oven for 15 to 20 minutes,  until crisp and golden. Top with salsa, serve with chicken salad or  other dips as you would crostini and chips. As a bonus, they are  inexpensive and unused wonton wrappers keep in the freezer for up to 3  months.

© 2010 Chef Susan Irby, author of Substitute Yourself Skinny: Cut the  Calories, Keep the Flavor with Hundreds of Simple Substitutions!

About the Author

Chef Susan Irby has worked with multiple Master Chefs including George  McNeill, Todd English, and Ming Tsai. Known as the Bikini Chef,  specializing in "figure-flattering flavors," Chef Susan is host of The  Bikini Lifestyle with Susan Irby The Bikini Chef on KFWB News Talk 980  in Los Angeles and author of The $7 a Meal Quick & Easy Cookbook, The  $7 a Meal Healthy Cookbook, and Cooking with Susan. She has cooked for  several celebrities including Patrick Swayze, David Spade, Kate Sagal,  and Bill Handel, and appeared on The Patti Gribow Show and KLAC Los  Angeles and numerous other media outlets. She lives in Orange County,  CA. For more information, please visit www.susanirby.com. Become a fan of the Bikini Chef on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

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By love_glory1 on 08/27/10 at 9:50 am

Cool tips, but let me know that:
I got 2 babies with Caesarean and after ceasarean I got my body bulky and gained weight. How may loos my weight a  ...

By mondaybreaks on 08/22/10 at 7:23 pm

medical spa

By mondaybreaks on 08/22/10 at 7:23 pm

am sure this will not work for me...but i will try it..

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