If you want to eat healthy, you could be sabotaging yourself. Sometimes we cook in ways that are counter to eating healthy. For example, I just made Bolognese sauce for pasta. My secret ingredient? Bacon. And I didn’t even use turkey bacon or lean ground beef. Everything has the full fat.

I’m not eating it. It’s for my husband. If I wanted to eat something high in fat, I’d eat chocolate cake. For me, it’s about balancing my calories. Then again, I need to lose weight - not him. And at least I am using high fiber pasta.

This evenings dinner got me thinking about healthy recipes. What should I have for dinner? When this question arises, I have a few places that I look.

• American Heart Association Cookbook . This is my all time favorite healthy cookbook. They have a lot of great bread recipes including an oatmeal bread that’s delicious. Not quit like the classic Fanny Farmer oatmeal bread, but close.

• Epicurious.com - This website features recipes from several magazine. When I want to eat healthy I am most interested in the recipes from Self and Cooking Light. However, Bon Apetit and Gourmet magazines both have healthy selections

• Eating Well . I visit the online version as well as purchase the magazine occasionally. Not only are the recipes healthy but they’re also fun. Eating well also has a cookbook designed to teach you the ins and outs of low fat cooking.

I’ve also learned how to modify my recipes. I use nonstick pans even when the recipe doesn’t say to. I scale back on the butter in recipes - or eliminate altogether in favor of olive oil. I boost the nutrient content of food by adding ground flax, wheat germ, or extra spices where appropriate. I didn’t always have this skill, though. It’s something I learned through trial and error. One healthy recipe leads to another!

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