Okay, there are some foods that need added fat to it. Like toast or mashed sweet potatoes. What is a healthy alternative that isn't fake stuff? Or do I need to get over the buttered vegie/toast mindset?

Or

Is this moderation and use the real thing like butter?

The other thing...do you go the non fat route or light or regular when it comes to things like sour cream or yogurt?

What about fake burgers? Boca? Morninstar Farms? Or does anyone have a recipe to make their own.

I like to roast my veggies and I do use a little olive oil (1-2t for an entire head of cauliflower for instance.) I've never put butter on sweet potatoes, I like them plain, so I can't help you on that one.

As far as toast, I put jam, PB, or a poached egg on toast. I do have unsalted butter in the house, but we use it very sparingly and not very often either (it'll take months for us to go through a pound of butter.)

I like avocado, hummus, tahini or a blend of coconut oil (extra virgin raw) and olive oil (kept in the refrigerator and spiced up as desired) to spread on things you mentioned.

Earth Balance makes healthier margarine spreads.

If you like butter, you can mix butter with olive oil and refrigerate for a "spread".

I tend to use olive oil or canola oil. Sometimes I add a dash of butter buds to get the buttery taste, although I know those aren't considered "whole". Balsamic vinegar can also be tasty on some veggies with olive oil.

I do admit to use fat free sour cream. I use it in recipes rather than it's own most of the time.

As far as burgers, I make my own a lot of the time. If you look on allrecipes.com for a recipe called brocco burgers, you'll find one. My review is there too. brown rice, beans, broccoli slaw, seasonings and a little oatmeal. I quite like them.

Tempeh Veggie Burgers

1/4 cup each chopped onion, shredded carrot and brown rice or 1 slice bread crumbs (you can use more veggies too, like shredded zucchini or minced celery, but adjust the other ingredients so as to not be too crumbly)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. ground flax and ground wheat germ
8 ounces tempeh, crumbled and marinated overnight in your favorite spice blend (I like garlic and onion powder, cracked papper, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke and lemon juice)

Mix all together with 2 tablespoons liquid: veggie broth, water, tomato sauce, salsa or marinara sauce (optional, depending on flavor desired).

Form into patties and brown in a pan or bake into loaves.

Ooh I love tempeh!

I forgot to comment of the sour cream question. I don't use it enough to buy it, so I just use low-fat plain yogurt (greek or homemade) in place of sour cream. Non-fat yogurt comes out grainy when it's homemade.

I love sweet potatoes just baked very well and nothing added to it. They're so soft that way and full of flavor. Maybe you would like a little cinnamon sprinkled on it for more flavor. Veggies, I either steam them in a little chicken broth or most often roast them with fresh garlic using cooking spray. They're fabulous that way. Sour cream I've always hated and wouldn't dream of using. I eat fat free yogurt.

I eat the Morning Star Farms Chick Pattie (just finished one a minute ago) and Spicy Bean Burger. That's about as processed as my food gets. It makes for a nutrious and quick and tasty lunch. I eat it with roasted or steamed vegetables about 5 or 6 times a week.

Soulbliss, your recipe for tempeh burgers sounds QUITE good. I will definitely give those a try. Do they freeze well, so that I could make a bunch at a time?

Mals1, it's all a matter of personal preference. We all have things that we are willing to eat in moderation - and somethings we just won't. It varies from person to person. You need to find your happy medium - YOUR balance. But if I were you I would experiment with doing without those additives to your veggies - lots of unneeded (obviously IMO, maybe not yours) calories. You just may be pleasantly surprised as to how much you really will enjoy them.

Experiment.

I had a BBQ this past weekend for my inlaws, DH and I. I made a variety of grilled veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, onions and asparagus) as well as roasted corn. I didn't add any fat to the veggies. My MIL wants to lose weight so we were talking before dinner about various things. She said something about butter on corn and I told her I've never had butter on corn. She seemed surprised and said she always thought corn required butter. Anyway at dinner, she didn't put any butter on the corn and was surprised how good it tasted.

My recommendation would really be to try things without certain things or try them with less and see what happens. You'd be surprised how well your taste buds can change if you use less oils and less sweeteners.

I would agree with what robin and nelie are saying -- I do eat and ENJOY my foods very differently now than I used to!

A little olive oil and herbs before roasting asparagus or zucchini...

I'm now putting roasted red peppers on sandwiches instead of light cheese (and it used to be full fat cheese).

You don't have to make changes all at once, either. Play around with different flavors -- the experimenting is fun!

When I bake, I use applesauce instead of part of the butter or oil, and I make my toast with just jelly instead of jelly and butter. Sweet potatoes, yum! I make baked "fries" - slice them up, toss with a little olive oil and a little salt, and bake at 375 til they're browned a little. They are sooooo good that way.

Dear Mals1,

sometimes i do just use old fashioned butter or margarine, mostly when i'm a guest,
but for my own cooking i use olive oil on veggies, or corn-on-the-cob.
but another oil to splurge on for cooking potatoes or reheating rice in a skillet is coconut oil. It's supposed to be one of the good oils.

as far as mashed potatoes, I'm kind of getting into fresh herbs. like chopped parsley or sage or chives, or what ever ones you like. they're loaded in antioxidents and give you a sence of balance and well being. okay, i made up that last part, but that is the feeling they give to me.

happy meals!
kb.

Great advice!

I am trying to wrap my head around the changes I need to make. LOL

Not a whole food, but when we use an alternative, we use this:
http://www.earthbalance.net/product.html#p4

My son had a severe dairy allergy, so we needed an alternative. Once he was only mildly allergic, we could have switched, but we like this better than dairy products.

Yeah, as I said, we use it too, the organic one.

Hey, all the ingredients are recognizable and natural!

Ingredients:
Expeller-pressed natural oil blend (organic palm fruit, organic soybean, organic canola seed, organic olive), filtered water, pure salt, natural flavor (derived from corn), organic crushed soybeans, organic soy lecithin, and lactic acid (colored with beta-carotene from natural sources).

They DO freeze well IF you food process them (at least 1/2 the ingredients to "bind" and mix the flax and wheat germ with the liquid first to "gel" before making) and then cook them in oil afterwards.