Scalloped potatoes are one of my favorite fall and winter dishes. Just the smell of them transports me back to my Granny’s kitchen where she used to sit constantly slicing or grating something fresh for her home-cooked meals.

Everyone loves soup and sandwich – but making it yourself can be inexpensive and a lot healthier. Make a low-cal tomato soup 1-2-3 with canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and a spoonful of sour cream – you can even make this in a blender. Homemade tomato soup doesn’t have all that corn syrup, preservative and sodium that comes in the pre-made canned soup – it’s also ¼ the price.

I love Parmesan but if you’re on a tight budget tangy Romano cheese is an ideal substitute at half the price. I use reduced fat cream cheese in place of heavy cream that usually appears in the traditional version.

An American classic that hits the waistline and hips pretty hard! My version softens the blow of cheese by mixing in 2% cheddar.

Make your taco meat ground turkey and add grated carrot and tomato for extra flavor and nutrition. Buy grated part-skim mozzarella in bulk – it is the most versatile cheese and you can use in almost any recipe and is several grams lower in fat than cheddar. Great way to use up left over cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and extra salsa that lingers at the bottom of the jar.

This fruity pops are sweet since they combine two antioxidant rich foods, blueberries and spinach.

Salty olives and refreshing pink grapefruit make a summery salsa. Serve it with homemade crab cakes, salmon cakes, tortilla chips, or toasted whole wheat pita.

Artichokes make this creamy spinach dip chunky and satisfying without adding loads of extra fat that the traditional versions has. Artichokes are also high in fiber and make for an excellent salad dressing.

Traditionally, enchiladas are soft tortillas dipped in salsa, filled, and then baked. In my version, chopped tomatoes mix with spinach and jalapeño to make a savory “salsa” on the inside. Enchiladas are a great dish to make-ahead dish that can be gently warmed before serving

Rice pudding is a world famous dessert and almost every culture has their version. I add coconut milk to mine for creaminess, but the core flavor of this pudding is vanilla. Even people who aren’t coconut fans still dig in.