Whether you are battling a food allergy or intolerance, or overall would like to substitute ingredients in your diet or recipe, we at Farrell’s have got your back!
When you’re kickboxing and strength training as hard as we do, it is super important to make sure you are fueling your body properly. Part of fueling your body properly is to eliminate as many processed and refined foods out of your diet. Some of the best ways to do that is to get really creative in the kitchen, become a master of meal prep, and even DIY your own protein bars, protein pancakes, and more!
Some of the ways we like to create a better version of these tasty treats at home is by utilizing ingredient alternatives and substituting the not so nutritionally dense stuff, for something a bit better and easier on your system, so-let’s dive right in.
Non-dairy milks
In most people, dairy can cause a lot of inflammation and other undesirable outcomes. Use the following plant based alternatives interchangeably in recipes using a 1:1 ratio:
Oat milk
Cashew milk
Unsweetened almond milk
Unsweetened soy milk
Eggs
Plant based and vegan eaters will tell you, the best way to mimic an egg is either with a flax “egg”, or by using a product like JustEgg. For one egg: mix 1 tablespoon ground flax with 3 tbs water, and let it sit for 5 minutes until a gelled mixture forms. You can also substitute ground chia or hemp hearts if flaxseed is not available to you.
Baking Flours
Use the following flours interchangeably in recipes using a 1:1 ratio instead of plain, white baking flour:
Oat Flour: substitute any all-purpose baking flour
Almond Flour: substitute sunflower seed flour, or hazelnut flour
And if you don’t have oat or almond flour on hand, you can absolutely create your own by throwing your oats of almonds into a food processor or high-speed blender until it turns into a fine powder.
Thickening Agents
Cornstarch: swap out for arrowroot starch using a 1:1 ratio
Dry sweeteners to use in a 1:1 ratio:
Coconut sugar
Stevia
Sweeteners
Liquid sweeteners to use in a 1:1 ratio instead of sugar:
Date Paste
Low calorie maple syrup
Coconut nectar
Stevia
Monk fruit
Nuts & Seeds
Try utilizing the following nut and seed butters interchangeably in a 1:1 ratio:
Hemp hearts: substitute chia seeds or ground flaxseed
Sunflower seeds: substitute pumpkin seeds
Cashews: substitute almonds, peanuts, or walnuts
Almond butter: substitute sunflower seed butter, cashew butter
Peanut butter: substitute any nut or seed butter
Binders:
Use the following purees interchangeably in recipes using a 1:1 ratio:
Mashed avocado
Mashed banana
Unsweetened applesauce
Pumpkin puree: butternut squash puree, winter squash or sweet potato puree
Oils
Use the following oils interchangeably in recipes using a 1:1 ratio:
Coconut oil: substitute for any low-heat cooking or baking oil
Avocado oil: substitute for any high-heat cooking or baking oil
Olive oil: substitute for any medium-heat cooking or baking oil
Oil replacement for baking
Unsweetened almond milk
Yogurt
Avocado
Any nut or seed butter
Tahini
Legumes
Use the following beans interchangeably in recipes using a 1:1 ratio:
Red beans to use interchangeably-adzuki beans, pinto beans, small red beans, etc.
White beans to use interchangeably in recipes-cannellini beans, navy beans, chickpeas, etc.
Black beans to use interchangeably in recipes-black beans, kidney beans, lentils, etc.
Grains
Use the following grains interchangeably in recipes using a 1:1 ratio:
Millet
Rice
Quinoa
Soy
Use tofu and tempeh interchangeably as a meat alternative.
Herbs
If you don’t have fresh herbs at home, you can easily swap out for their dried counterparts using a 1:3 ratio. Dried herbs are incredibly concentrated, so use ⅓ of the amount you typically would.
