In the spirit of what is probably the New Year's Resolution uttered more than any other, I have been experimenting with ways to reduce the fat in everything my three children and I eat. Everyone could stand to eat healthier, whatever their own personal motivations. 

The first thing to do is READ the labels ... on everything.  It is often very simple to make something healthier just by omitting the butter or margarine when it is prepared. My kids love to eat stuffing, but it says to add one-fourth cup of butter when you cook it!!  That adds about 40 grams of fat to six servings! If instead of the butter, you add an extra one-eighth cup of water, you remove eight grams of fat and 70 calories from every serving. At 100 calories and only one gram of fat, there is no need to feel guilty for overindulging on this side-dish. Lets face face it, how many of us actually eat only half a cup of stuffing?

Another simple change is to stop adding oil when we bake a cake, muffins or brownies. Instead, add the same amount of unsweetened applesauce. My kids don't even notice the difference, and for cakes, try heating up the frosting you bought and drizzling it on top instead of spreading it on so thick. Often there is a lot more fat in the frosting than in the cake itself. Another take would be to sprinkle powdered sugar over a chocolate cake fresh from the oven.  The sugar almost melts into the cake to form a sweet crust.  Then sprinkle more on each slice when it is served.

Another thing I have stopped doing is "pre-buttering" the pancakes and french toast when I put it on the plate.  It doesn't matter how much I put on, the kids add more later anyway. I have also started buying lower fat snacks like granola bars and frozen yogurt. 

I don't want my children, or me for that matter, to feel that eating healthy tastes bad or just makes food boring. Eating healthy CAN be fun and tasty. With all the choices available today, there is no reason for any of us not to at least try.

Don't forget many local restaurants have healthy options, it's about the choices you make when ordering. Take our local Starbucks for example, they have great pastries to go along with their coffees, but there are fat free options as well. If you decide to take the little ones to the new McDonald's on Lindbergh, remember that there are grilled options and fresh fruit instead of fries.