Secrets of Success

Mix it half and half!

Too often we get caught up in all-or-nothing. If you want to make things healthier, mix them half and half! Can't stand the taste of whole wheat pasta? Mix it with half a serving of regular pasta! Want to cut the calories on your soda, don't like diet? Mix it half with diet! It's a great way to wean yourself off of unhealthy versions of things and get used to healthier ones!

Stop boilovers

Before filling your pasta pot with water, spray it with nonstick spray. It will prevent the water from boiling over.

Do you love spaghetti (or any pasta)? If so, you have to try this!

If you're like me and you love spaghetti (ANY pasta), and want to enjoy it without sacrificing your healthy eating, whenever possible use spaghetti squash, instead of pasta. If you have never tried it, give it a try! If time allows, I will also make my own sauce to eliminate all the added sugar and/or salt in jarred sauces. Or even just toss the strands of spaghetti squash with a little olive oil then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Wheat Works

I am a HUGE fan of pasta and I know that I could never give it up. I did however, switch to wheat pasta and lost weight by cutting down the amount and switching to wheat.

Cut Your Pasta servings in HALF with NO ONE missing the extra calories!

Make your sauce CHUNKY with LOTS of veggies( tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, spinach, squash etc) It should be like a stew..Don't let it get "runny" . Boil 1oz whole grain pasta per person and when done- use kitchen shears to snip into small pieces. Mix into sauce and divide into servings. The veggies make up for the lower amount of pasta. And because it isn't a mound under the sauce- no one can gage how much( or little) pasta they actually have.!

Easy way to get extra fiber and another veggie serving

I always add 2.5 ounces of fresh spinach per serving to the boiling water the last minute of cooking my pasta. Adds another extra serving of veggies, gives you tons of fiber , and all of the other good stuff that spinach has. Best of all you can't really tell its there or taste it! My kids eat it up!

Sneaking in the veggies

Spaghetti sauce doesn't just have to be plain old tomato, oregano, and garlic. If you throw a bunch of veggies in the Cuisinart and let them stew with the tomato sauce (you may have to add some ketchup--yes, ketchup--to make it more tomato-y), you can add loads more nutrition (and flavor!) to your pasta.

Cook spaghetti in the microwave - quick & easy (click to view all the steps)

Looking for a fast and easy way to cook spaghetti or pasta with little clean up? Now you can use your microwave.
- Add spaghetti to a large plastic container. Break in half if needed.
- Fill box with water so that all of the spaghetti is under water. Add salt or any spices you like, then...

Pasta measuring made simple

I weigh my pasta dry and count the noodles to know my portion size. Once counted, I then add them to the pot with the rest of the noodles I am making for dinner. When I am ready to dish up, I count out the same number of noodles to make sure I have the correct portion size.

How to Eat Healthy and Lose Weight With... Spaghetti?

OK, not truly "spaghetti". But shiritake tofu noodles have a look, texture and taste that are fairly close to pasta noodles -- delicious! And a 4-oz serving is only 20 calories.

Optical Illusion

I use a smaller plate when I am eating pasta, or anything that looks "small" on a dinner plate - I find I am satisfied with the serving size because it doesn't look so small after all!

Substitute Zuccihni for Pasta

1 cup of shredded zuccihni is 20 calories per 8 oz. cup, average past has 105 calories PER OUNCE.