Healthy Condiments and Sauces

We all have a favorite condiment and chances are it's not the healthiest. Most condiments are loaded with sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fat along with preservatives and processed ingredients. I used to eat mayonnaise on everything and a lot of it. I would even mix it with my ketchup for burgers and fries... all of that indulging eventually caught up with me.

Since I started being more mindful of what I am putting in my body I have found healthy alternatives to some of my favorite condiments. Here's a list of just some of the healthy options that are out there to add some flavor to your meals.

• Sour Cream - I found that plain non-fat greek yogurt is a great alternative to sour cream. It has less ingredients and no fat! You can hardly tell the difference.
• Salad Dressing - Making your own salad dressing is not hard and is an inexpensive option. I found some easy and tasty DIY salad dressings on Wellness Mama. If I decide to buy a salad dressing I try to look for an organic and healthy option. I am a big fan of Annie's salad dressings. The ginger dressing is my favorite. 
• Mayonnaise - Similar to salad dressing, a great option for mayonnaise is to make your own. I never thought about making my own mayonnaise, I just figured I would opt out for the most part. Well I did some research and I found a tasty DIY mayo that is easy and a great alternative to the store bought mayo! You can find the recipe here. 
• BBQ Sauce - I found an easy homemade barbecue sauce recipe that would make for a great alternative to store bought. If I buy BBQ sauce from the store opposed to making my own, I usually get Annie's Organic BBQ Sauce. It has no artificial flavors or preservatives and it only has 4g sugar for every 2 tbsp.
• Ketchup -  I like to watch my sugar intake so I usually buy sugar reduced ketchup, this decreases the sugar per serving to 1g. A lot of these options usually contain an artificial sweetener, if that is something you want to stay away from, Annie's Organic Ketchup would be a good option. It has a little more sugar per serving but no artificial ingredients. As always, you can make it yourself as well. Here's another option I found on Wellness Mama.
• Mustard - There are a lot of great options for store bought mustard. My favorite is Annie's Organic Mustard.
• Whipped Cream - I found a homemade whipped cream recipe when I made my Strawberry Shortcake Protein Pancakes and it was so good! It tasted like the real thing. This is a much healthier option compared to store bought whipped cream. You can find the easy whipped cream recipe here. 
• Salsa - There are a lot of good and organic salsas in the stores but I prefer to make my own. Here are two of my favorite salsa recipes; Nectarine Avocado Salsa and Avocado Tomato Salsa.

Read the ingredients label! If it's a paragraph long and you don't recognize what most of the ingredients are, you should probably put it back. Look for items that are low in sodium, sugar, and have organic ingredients. 

It's always better to make your own condiments and dressings from scratch. You can stay away from preservatives, added sugars, and sodium this way and it usually is a cheaper option!

Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

Who doesn't love chocolate and sweets? I watch my sugar intake and try to not have more than 25g a day so I get creative when I am craving something sweet. I found these gluten free chocolate protein muffins on Savannah Neveux's blog and decided to give them a try. These came out good and they do not taste bland like some protein muffins. I pop a couple of these in the microwave for 20 seconds and enjoy them for my mid-morning snack. The melted chocolate chips prevent the muffins from being too dry.

These muffins contain very little added sugar, however, if you are looking to cut the sugar back you can omit the 1/4 cup sugar all together or use less.

Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 scoops chocolate casein protein powder
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3-2/3 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Blend all wet ingredients in a blender or magic bullet until smooth; add to large bowl and mix well with dry ingredients.
4. Spoon into muffin tins, filling them about 2/3 of the way.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, keeping an eye on them as oven temperatures vary. Toothpick should come out clean when done. Store them in a well sealed container and they will stay good for up to 7 days in the fridge.

Healthy Mahi Mahi Tacos

I was looking for a meal to make for dinner when I found a fish taco recipe similar to this. I changed a few things to make it a healthy recipe and I was happy with how good it came out! The nectarine avocado salsa is delicious and compliments the fish and zesty "sour cream" nicely. These are full of flavor without the added fat and oil.

Healthy Mahi Mahi Tacos

* You will want to prepare the salsa first before you start anything else as this should chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

Nectarine Avocado Salsa Ingredients:                                  
• 2 cups finely diced nectarines (2 to 3)                            
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper                                  
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 avocado, diced

Preparation:
1. Combine first 8 ingredients; cover and chill 30 minutes to 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in diced avocado.

Zesty “Sour Cream” Ingredients:
• 1 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Preparation:
1. Stir all ingredients. Serve slightly chilled.

Mahi Mahi Taco Ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 (4-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
• 8 corn tortillas
• Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients, and sprinkle over all surfaces of the fish. Spray a large skillet with non stick cooking spray and heat on medium. Add fish to pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side until fish becomes opaque and begins to flake. Remove fish, and break into chunks.
2. Lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray, and heat in pan for 1 to 2 minutes each side.
3. Fill each tortilla with fish and top with nectarine salsa and zesty "sour cream". Serve immediately.

Greek Pita Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

My boyfriend decided to make us dinner last night and whipped up these tasty little greek burgers. He found this recipe on Betty Crocker and we changed a few things to make it a healthy meal. I am a big fan of greek food and I love tzatziki sauce. I never thought about making my own sauce but it was really easy! This recipe was a nice change from our usual burgers and it was a fairly simple meal to prepare.

Greek Pita Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

Tzatziki Sauce

• 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and shredded
• 1 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

Burgers

• 1 lb lean grass fed ground beef
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, (thawed) squeezed to drain
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 5 Ezekiel 4:9 Whole Grain Pocket Breads   
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 4 leaves romaine lettuce, torn in half

Directions:

1. Place shredded cucumber in clean dish towel; squeeze to remove any excess liquid. In small bowl, mix cucumber and remaining sauce ingredients. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.
2. Heat gas or charcoal grill. In large bowl, mix all burger ingredients except pocket bread, tomatoes, and lettuce. Shape into 5 patties. Place patties on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 5 to 8 minutes, turning once, until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 160°F.
3. Spoon 2 tbsp sauce on bottom half of each pocket bread. Top with burger, tomato and lettuce. Serve with a side salad or a vegetable. Enjoy :)