Clouds, breezy and another recipe with an ingridient conversion table

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have cloudy skies turning partly cloudy and windy later in the day. High 34 ºF with winds from the WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tonight we’ll have  partly cloudy skies with a low of 19 ºF. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 70%, the dew point is 27ºF, outside it’s 3.4ºC and 38.0ºF.

The wind direction is West between 10.7 MPH and 16.2 MPH, generating a wind chill of 23.0ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 29.70 / HPA 1007.4 and falling with a weather graphic indicating clouds.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 6:01 a.m. Sunset is 5:37 P.M. Moon rise is at 2:38 p.m., Moon set is 4:18 p.m. and the moon phase is Waxing Gibbous.   

The RAW METAR reading from the airport in Augusta, Maine is:

METAR KAUG 091153Z AUTO 24010G18KT 10SM BKN055 OVC080 02/M04 A2970 RMK AO2 SLP059 60000 70013 T00221039 10050 20011 51010

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with mostly cloudy conditions to 5,500 ft / 1,676 m. and overcast to 8,000 ft / 2,438 m.

 We received 0.09   Inches of rain here over the past 24 hours.rain here over the past 24 hours.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 73, the solar wind speed is 529  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Now, when you read the following recipe, remember you can leave the fake sugar etc out by exchanging it with an equivalent amount of the real thing, or you can leave the fake sweeteners in it and pretend you’re being healthy.  It’s your choice.

BLACK FOREST BARS

16 oz sour cherries; pitted

8 oz no-sugar chocolate cake mix

2 tbsp SUGAR REPLACEMENT

Drain cherries very well.  Combine cake mix, cherries and sugar replacement in mixing bowl.  Stir to blend thoroughly.  Spread batter in well-greased 9-inch pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Cut into 1 X 1 1/2 bars.

Food Exchange per serving: ¼ STARCH/BREAD EXCHANGE

Diabetic Exchanges: One serving (prepared with sugar free ice cream and sugar substitute) equals 1 1/2 starch, 1 fat, 1/2 fruit; also, 183 calories, 131 mg sodium, 15 mg cholesterol, 34 gm carbohydrate, 6 gm protein, 4 gm fat.

 

So, let’s take a look as some cooking converstions:

HEALTHY SUBSTITUTIONS

 

Traditional                                                Healthy

Ingredients                 Substitutions         

 

Butter                                                         Canola, mild olive oil, prune puree (used in baking), or apple-

                                                                   Sauce (used in baking), butter spray

 

2 eggs                                                         1 egg + 2 egg whites

1 egg                                                           2 egg whites

                                                                   ¼ cup egg substitution

 

Cream, whole                                             Skim or lowfat (1%)

Milk                                                            milk

                                                                   1/3 cup dry nonfat milk + ¾ cup water

 

Cream cheese                                              Low-fat ricotta +

(in cheesecake)                         fat-free yogurt

                                                                   Light cream cheese

                                                                   Fat-free cream cheese

 

Ricotta cheese with                                     ½ whole milk ricotta

Whole milk                                                 + part-skim ricotta or low-fat (1%) cottage cheese

                                                                   Fat-free ricotta cheese

 

Sour cream                                                 Plain yogurt or

                                                                   1 cup low-fat cottage cheese +2 tbsp. skim milk + 1 tbsp. lemon juice

 

Sweetened                                                   Fat-free sweetened

Condensed milk                                          condensed milk

 

Whipped cream                                          Frozen yogurt, low-

(ice cream)                                                  fat yogurt or whipped topping

1 cup whipped cream                                 3 stiffly beaten egg

(in mousse mixtures)                                  or ¾ to 1 cup yogurt cheese or whipped topping

 

1 cup whipping or                                      1 cup cold evaporated

heavy cream                                               skim milk

                                                                   1 cup whipped topping

 

Sugar                                                          Splenda-measure for measure

1 cup                                                          1 cup firmly packed brown sugar for 1 cup sugar

                                                                   ¾ cup honey (reduce liquid in recipe by ¼ cup)

                                                                   ½ cup corn syrup or molasses (reduce liquid in recipes by ½ cup

                                                                   1 packet of sweetener = 2 tsp. sugar or ½ tsp. sweetener

Brown Sugar                                              Use brown sugar substitute (Sugar Twin—Brown Sugar Spoonable measure for measure

 

Cooking Oils                                              Use cooking sprays (regular, butter, olive oil, lemon and baking)

                                                                   If you use oil, use some of the healthier oils such as olive, canola, vegetable, corn, flaxseed, etc.

                                                                   Applesauce or prune puree used in baking measure for measure

 

Lactose intolerant                                       Use soy products such as milk, mayonnaise, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, tofu and tempeh

                                                                   Tofu and tempeh may be substituted for meats in recipes as stir-fry, spaghetti, lasagna, burgers, etc.

Tofu and tempeh can be baked, broiled, grilled, stir-fry, as scrambled eggs, egg salad, the possibilities are endless.

 

Salt                                                             Use spices and herbs in place of salt; Mrs. Dash; salt substitutes

 

Canned Vegetables        Use homemade for

And soups                                                  significantly less sodium and fat      

                                                                   Utilize the small, ready-to-eat portions of vegetables available in markets.

 

Garlic                                                          Use ½ tsp. minced garlic in a jar for one clove of fresh garlic.

 

Ketchup                                                      Use ready-made or homemade salsa