Skinny Copycat Recipes that Shave Off Calories and Fat

Inspired by Starbucks Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte

Big fan of Starbucks? According to a report from ConsumerAffairs, you would have to climb 102 flights of stairs, or jog 4.5 miles, or do 54 minutes of burpees in order to burn off the 510 calories and 21 grams of fat in a Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte with whole milk and whipped cream. (I detest doing 1 minute of burpees, let alone 54!) The good news is that Taste of Home has healthy copycat recipes for chain restaurant favorites that cut the calories and fat to a reasonable level. So if you’re craving that pumpkin spice flavor, try our Spiced Pumpkin Coffee Shakes at only 262 calories and 12 grams of fat.

Inspired by Chipotle's Chicken Burrito

You can customize your food at Chipotle, so let’s say you want a flour tortilla with chicken, brown rice, black beans, queso, tomatillo-red chili salsa and sour cream. According to ConsumerAffairs, you would need to head out on a 9.5-mile jog to burn off the 1,105 calories and 40.5 grams of fat. Save your tennis shoes for a grocery run. Our healthy copycat recipe for Green Chili Beef Burrito has only 262 calories and 5 grams of fat.

Inspired by Panera's Lentil Quinoa Bowl with Chicken

As healthy as the Lentil Quinoa Bowl with Chicken from Panera sounds, it still clocks in at 400 calories and 9 grams of fat. ConsumerAffairs says you’re looking at a 4.5-mile jog or 42.5 minutes of burpees. Give yourself a break by making our Spicy Lentil & Chickpea Stew at only 266 calories and 4 grams of fat.

Inspired by McDonald's Southwest Grilled Salad

You can feel good about yourself by eating salad, but there are ways to cut calories there, too. McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad has only 350 calories and 11 grams of fat. Not bad, but Consumer Affairs says you’d still have to climb 70 flights of stairs to burn it off. Save yourself a few flights with our Southwest Chicken & Rice Salad at 238 calories and 12 grams of fat (avocados=the good kind of fat.)

Inspired by Cheesecake Factory's Outrageous Cheesecake

This hits me where it hurts most. I’m a cheesecake fanatic. I could eat it for breakfast. But if I ate just one piece of The Cheesecake Factory’s Outrageous Cheesecake, I’d be consuming about 1,530 calories and 85 grams of fat! According to ConsumerAffairs, that’s equivalent to a 13-mile jog, or climbing 306 flights of stairs, or doing 162 minutes of burpees. I’ll satisfy my cravings with our Family-Favorite Cheesecake at 414 calories and 23 grams of fat. Now, how many minutes of burpees would that be … ?