Alyssa Milano's resume is as varied as they come. Sure, she starred in Who's The Boss? and Charmed, but in the years since, she's been dabbling in all sorts of areas, starring in Project Runway All Stars, designing a line of luxe paper towels for Viva, and even launching her own hacking-meets-social-activism comic book series, Hacktivist.
But her true hidden superpower is her knowledge of low-carb food that doesn't suck. She's become a connoisseur of cutting out starches after getting on the Atkins diet a while ago, when she struggled to lose the last 20 pounds of baby weight. The diet worked so well that she decided to stick with it, adopting it as a lifestyle, rather than a way to quickly drop pounds. Here are some of her tried-and-true techniques.
1. Taco 'Bout A Great Tortilla Substitute.
Taco nights are especially popular at Milano's house. "I love any sort of meal I can cook for my kids," she explains. While she puts out regular taco shells for the kids, she'll use lettuce or cabbage to wrap up hers.
The same goes for sandwiches. "I find that it's just satisfying to wrap any kind of sandwich in a good piece of sturdy lettuce, like iceberg or butter lettuce," she says. "It give it a nice crunch."
2. Dough Not Use Traditional Pizza Crust.
Milano loves making homemade pizza, and if she's having a slice, she'll often make it with a cauliflower crust. To save time, she buys the dough pre-made, but you could try this recipe.
She'll often go for a plain cheese slice, but she'll splurge on one topping: ranch dressing. "I love ranch dressing on anything, really," she says.
3. Choose Plenty of Protein for Breakfast.
The actress skips toast or cereal, preferring scrambled eggs and turkey bacon most mornings. The protein helps you feel fuller longer. (She often follows that up with salad and fish for lunch, getting in a hearty dose of veggies to round things out.)
4. Get Saucy, Not Starchy.
The Brooklyn native grew up in an Italian family, where her mom made "Sunday sauce" every weekend (AKA tomato sauce). "I'm really good at making pasta dishes, but unfortunately, I can't have them right now," Milano says. But she has found some alternatives, like using thinly sliced zucchini in place of noodles in her lasagna.
5. Chip in For Healthier Snacks.
Milano has an organic vegetable garden in her backyard, which makes it easier for her to throw together a salad—or whip up a healthier alternative to potato chips when she's craving something salty. "I make kale and spinach chips that the kids love," she says. "I just drizzle them with olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon, then cook them over low heat for 15 minutes or so."
You know you've got a crowd pleaser when even toddlers give it the seal of approval.
Another favorite carb-free snack? Flavored almonds. "I really love wasabi pepper almonds," she says.
6. Go Ahead and Be Cheesy.
Just in case Milano's parents come to visit over the weekend—and, admittedly, just because it's so undeniably good—the actress always keeps a bunch of cheese on hand, to throw together a quick cheese platter. "There's nothing like a good cheese plate," Milano says, who's a big fan of bleu cheese and aged gouda. Here's one she put together for us, which also includes strawberries, grapes, cherries, cured meat and pickles (and, in case you're curious, that paper towel is from her Viva line):
7. When Life Hands You Lemons, Squeeze Them on Everything.
So many of the most crave-worthy toppings on meals add a ton of flavor—and calories. (Ahem, cheese, bacon, ranch dressing.) Milano adds fresh lemon or lime juice to "just about everything," to give a dish a citrusy kick without turning it into a calorie-bomb.
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