After eating clean for a number of months, making simple recipe swaps becomes second nature. You don’t keep wheat and dairy in the house. Dessert becomes a special treat and not a course that follows dinner. But most importantly, you learn to how to turn just about any recipe into a paleo friendly recipe.
Here are a few easy swaps I have learned that can help you adapt your go-to “pre-paleo” meals into paleo masterpieces!
Use coconut oil instead of butter. I use this easy substitute when frying almond meal chicken tenders on the stove or baking blueberry muffins in the oven!
Use spaghetti squash instead of pasta. While this may seem like a no brainer to many paleo eaters, spaghetti squash can be very intimidating to first time paleo cooks. Other great pasta alternatives include thinly sliced zucchini and raw spinach. (Check out some of my recipes using zucchini here, here and here.)
Use coconut milk, almond milk or cashew milk instead of cow’s milk. There are so many great nut milks out there that I promise you won’t want to go back! Once you become a paleo pro, you can even make your own!
Use mashed cauliflower instead of pizza crust. Cauliflower is one of the most versatile foods I have discovered since beginning my paleo journey. It makes great pizza crust substitute, rice substitute and even mashed potato substitute!
Use avocado instead of mayonnaise.
Use lettuce wraps instead of a bun. This one is pretty easy and most restaurants will even make this substitute for you. Another great paleo friendly bun? Portobello mushrooms.
Use almond meal instead of bread crumbs. Whether you are frying chicken tenders or baking chicken parmesan, almond meal offers the same crunch as bread crumbs, without all the gluten.
Use natural honey instead of sugar. This is one you may have to play with since honey, like liquid sugar, has a different consistency than granulated sugar. It works great in my paleo chocolate chip cookies.
Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. A little known paleo secret, coconut aminos offer a great alternative to soy sauce when cooking an Asian dish, without skimping on flavor. Try them out in this Asian Fusion dish!
Use almond or cashew butter instead of peanut butter. Pre-paleo my all time favorite snack was a spoonful of peanut butter. Since going paleo I swap my peanut butter for almond or cashew butter on apple slices and banana bites!
Do you have any nifty substitute tricks to make your meals healthier? Please share below!