Many of the recipes American Profile receives from readers are family favorites passed down from one generation to the next. Many were developed before healthful food products–such as low-fat sour cream, 2% reduced-fat or skim milk, lean cuts of deli meats, and turkey bacon–became available. As a contributing photographer for American Profile, I prepare each recipe that appears in these pages, testing to make sure that measurements are correct, cooking times work and everything actually turns out the way that we say it will. This time, however, instead of just testing, I tinkered with some of my personal favorites, substituting more healthful ingredients wherever possible.
Having recently lost almost 50 pounds, I am very conscious of the meals I prepare for my family. I'm not feeding my three kids rice cakes at every meal or asking them to give up their favorite foods; instead, I've made simple changes like using lower-fat substitutions in recipes and reducing sodium levels–changes like the ones incorporated in these lightened up breakfasts. Try them. You'll see they're still brimming with flavor.
