We’ve already established that I love FOOD! (Thank goodness it’s a Graham thing so I’m not alone.) But many may not know one of my nicknames in the family… “the sauce queen.” I wish it had some sort of significant meaning behind it. But unfortunately it doesn’t. It simply means I’m obsessed with sauces. I gotta have a sauce with almost everything I eat – ketchup, bbq sauce, hot sauce – you name it, I’ve got it in my fridge.

But I also try to watch what I eat. And you’d be surprised how many calories, fat, sugar, or carbs are in the extra sauces I enjoy adding to my food. So I set out to find healthier alternatives to many of the sauces I love so much. Here are my  finds…

*Note: Nutrition facts below are based on 1 serving of each… generally about 2 tbsp.

KETCHUP

I love ketchup so much that people joke I could drink it (which I can’t, but close). In fact, Ashley even gave me a ketchup bottle Christmas ornament for my tree a few years ago. I’ve got ketchup packets in my car, in my desk at work, and I’ve considered keeping some in my purse. (Please don’t judge).

But, ketchup also has a TON of sugar in it. Knowing this, Ash and I found a reduced sugar version – still made by Heinz (our fav). As a ketchup connoisseur I can honestly say you can’t even taste a difference!

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BBQ SAUCE

BBQ is a close second to ketchup for me. But sadly, it has even more sugar in it than ketchup does! I recently came across a brand – G Hughes – that is sugar free, gluten free and low carb. I thought it wouldn’t even come close to favorite, but it’s seriously close.

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BUFFALO SAUCE

Now one would think that buffalo sauce is just hot sauce, right? Wrong. Many buffalo sauces actually have butter in them, making them more fattening than others. My fam came across Frank’s RedHot Wings Buffalo Sauce awhile ago. It’s hands down our current fav.

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PEANUT SAUCE

My go-to dinner when I’m tired or limited on time is chicken and brown rice. But of course that needs a sauce over it! I LOVE me some peanut sauce but we all know how fattening those can be for a very small serving. So I went on the hunt for a homemade version that uses PB2 or PBFit. I tried a few and this is my favorite.

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MAYO

I’m not going to lie… I can’t stand mayo. However, I sometimes make recipes that have mayo in it. Like the artichoke and jalapeno dip I made last night for our annual holiday bunco party (stay tuned for a blog post!). The recipes calls for regular mayo and regular cream cheese. But little do my guests know that I swapped out the regular versions for light versions. You couldn’t even tell the difference and I felt totally (okay mostly) guilt free indulging in it!

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RANCH

I don’t care for ranch dressing, so I’m taking my mom’s recommendation on this one. But don’t worry, she won’t lie! She swears by the Bolthouse Farms ranch dressing and has turned many of her friends onto this healthier alternative. It’s made with yogurt and only has 45 calories per serving!

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BLUE CHEESE

Again, I gag when I even smell blue cheese. But my dad is a blue cheese lover so when my mom told me my dad loves this lower fat version (made with greek yogurt) she bought for him (my mom has been trying to find a healthier alternative for it for years!) I knew I had to share it with all of you. If the blue cheese connoisseur eats it, I know it’s good.

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Hope you all feel like now you can still enjoy your favorite sauces without the guilt. Eat up buttercups. I know I will!

Cheers!
Hayley