Trying to derail the weight gain train...

Yea.  Here I go again.  All of us here with the exception of Einstein need to lose weight.  Don't let them tell you it doesn't cost more to eat healthy.  They would be lying.  So in this endeavor it is with the knowledge that my grocery bill will go up.  My job is to keep it from going up too much.  Right now I am trying to reduce calories and fat in the items I normally make.  There are some good ways to do this.  I will share some things I have learned over the years of "dieting".
1)  You can reduce some of the fat in your bakes goods by substituting items like fruit /veggie purees or yogurt.  This only works in things like muffins, quick breads, pancakes, cakes, and corn bread.  I have tried to do it with cookies and you end up with cookies like muffins.  I have learned not to substitute all the fat.  I will usually leave a little bit, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of the fat called for in the recipe.  It helps with texture, taste and over all enjoyments of the product you are baking.  Total removal of the fat makes your end product a little tough.  If you are removing some of the fat, make sure you cut the eggs used in your recipe in half as well.  I will use applesauce or pumpkin puree in my quick breads like pumpkin bread.  I use pumpkin puree in chocolate cake. I use zucchini puree in yellow cake.  Corn bread gets yogurt.  Just go by your tastes.
2) Ever heard of the boiling water trick?  Well if you have to get the higher fat versions of ground beef, brown it well then put it in a strainer and pour boiling water over it.  It will remove the majority of the fat and leave you with lean ground beef.  Ta Da!
3)  Try to substitute lower fat alternatives in all of your cooking.  Use chicken breast in place of dark meat chicken, use shoulder roast, pork loin, or other types of lean meats in your recipes.  In addition to that, re trim your meats before cooking.  Other substitutes in cooking would be using skim milk, or leave out the butter when making sauces.  I thicken after everything is together and slowly boiling.  I will add milk to my flour and whisk it all together.  Then pour it into the stew etc that is slowing boiling on the stove.  Turn the heat down, and let it thicken.  If you miss that buttery taste in your pot pies etc, you can use low fat buttermilk instead of regular skim milk.

I am by no means an expert when it comes to eating healthy because I am not consistent.  That being said, throughout the years of dieting and gaining, I have become a semi expert at cooking healthy.  I just don't consistently use it.  Nothing is a good as sure nough unmessed around with home cookin.  Unfortunately that tends to settle on my waist line.  Not good for my wardrobe.  It is the age old question. Which costs more, groceries or clothing.  Hmmmmm everyone must answer that on their own.  So I hope that helps out someone today.