Want to transform your meals and snacks into light, tasty, and nutritious fare? You can make nutrient-packed choices without having to give up the tastes and textures you and your family enjoys, stresses Keri Glassman, RD, author of the The Snack Factor Diet (Three Rivers Press, 2008), a pediatric nutritionist, and the weight-loss expert for Women’s Health magazine. 

Here are five of Glassman’s effortless pointers:  

>>Instead of mayo, use Greek yogurt. It also has a thick, creamy consistency, and for every 2 tablespoons, it’s only 8 calories. Plus, it provides calcium and protein. So go ahead and slather it on your chicken sandwich. Surprise benefit: Marinate your meat in yogurt—it’ll tenderize it. 

>>Purée fruits and vegetables, and use them as spreads or dips. Sweet treat: Freeze peeled bananas, then blend, and put into ½ cup servings. Or first blend the peeled bananas, and freeze the mixture in ice pop molds or in ice cube trays. If you use ice cube trays, don’t forget to add Popsicle sticks (most likely you have them on hand from helping your kids make craft projects for school). Smart idea: Add puréed beans to meatballs to up your fiber and protein in meals. Storage Tip: Take a tip from moms who purée their baby food—make it ahead of time and freeze it in ice cube trays, so you can defrost as much as you need in a pinch.

>>Take a cue from cappuccinos, and steam or blend your milk. Doing this will increase the milk’s volume without adding calories, plus it’ll have a richer taste. (Just think: When your kid is clamoring for chocolate milk, you can satisfy her with less of it. Or if you have a hard time getting your child to drink milk, blending or steaming it might make it more appealing. This twist on a glass of the white stuff is certainly worth a try.) 

>>Use low-sodium chicken stock to replace butter, cream, and oil as much as you can when cooking. For example, you can use it to make mashed potatoes or you can steam veggies in the broth.  

>>Add herbs and spices with abandon to your dishes. They’ll turn up the flavor to make your meals or snacks more flavorful without relying on adding fat. Plus, they’re a source of health-promoting antioxidants. For instance, you can change up cottage cheese by turning it into a dip with added white horseradish. Or turn cottage cheese into an alternative to ice cream by making it sweet with cinnamon—and who doesn’t LOVE cinnamon!

If you try these tips, let me know how they work for you. And if you have some of your own healthful meal-prep strategies or snack ideas to offer, please share them.