Cauliflower pizza crust

Ingredients

• 1 head (Small Head) Cauliflower
• ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese (I omit this as I don't eat dairy but by all means enjoy!!)
• ¼ cups Mozzarella Cheese ( I used vegan cheese and it is delicious)
• ¼ teaspoons Pink Salt
• ½ teaspoons Dried Basil
• ½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
• 1 whole Egg 
• Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

2. Wash cauliflower then trim the off the stems. I mostly just used the heads and left the stems.

3. Place into a food processor and pulse until it is fluffy like snow.

4. Place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 6 - 8 minutes depending on how hot your microwave gets.

5. Place the cauliflower into a dish towel and hold over the sink. Ring out the dish towel to remove all of the moisture from cauliflower. Be careful you need and oven mitt so you don't burn your hands. It's important to drain all of the excess water from the cauliflower as it will make for a crispier turnout.

6. Then place what’s left of the cauliflower into a bowl and mix with the egg, cheese, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano and dried basil. Mix together with your hands. 7. Roll into a firm ball and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza dish.

8. Gradually flatten out the ball into a circle that looks like a pizza. Bake for just a few minutes until it looks golden. I baked for about 15 min. checking it constantly to make sure it didn't burn. I like it very crispy.

9. Take it out and top it like a pizza. I kept it simple and did sauce and cheese. 

10. Put it back into the oven until the cheese is melted. Remove allow to cool and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of: Sarah Griffith

Tips for eating out and getting through the weekend

It's Friday and the weekend is upon us!  If your weekends are anything like mine- then you have to make sure you have a plan in place! With the husband and kids home, my weekend can easily get crazy leaving me little time for myself. If I have my food planned ahead of time I am much more likely to stay on track. Planning is best, when you are out you always need a game plan. You should avoid eating out as much as possible because once you enter a restaurant you surrender control over what is in your food. I am going to dinner on Saturday night with my husband (date night) BUT- I know where we are going and I have already scoped out the menu and know what I am getting. I always ask the waiter to skip the bread- it's a killer every time. Outta sight- outta mind! Follow these tips to help get you through any evenings out, parties or get-togethers. 

1. Develop an "I don't have to eat it all!" Mindset. Make up your mind before you go that you don't have to get the most bang for your buck by cleaning your plate. KEEP YOUR GOAL IN MIND.

2. Satisfy hunger only-Don't Gorge. Eat for the purpose of satisfying your hunger, but no more. 

3. Start small and green. Start your meal with a salad, without dressing. Use a spritz of lemon or some balsamic vinegar. 

4. Broth is best. When there is no salad option have a broth based soup.

5. NO BREAD PLEASE! Remember this is not helping you achieve your 10 pound weight loss goal.

6. Clean Cooking techniques rock! Look for entree options featuring steamed or raw veggies and grilled, baked or roasted meats or fish. If they aren't listed, ask the server to prepare it that way. Oh and don't always trust the low fat or fat free symbols. 

7. Portion control is in. Have a good look at your plate when it arrives. Ask for a doggie bag and split your meal in half.

8. Fletcherize. The practice of chewing each mouthful a min of 25 times. It gives your body a chance to recognize when you are becoming full. (This is very hard to do when you are with kids, because you never know when they have had enough and you will have to leave your meal behind to take the kids out). 

9. Zero Tolerance. You want to avoid alcohol because sugar can derail you in the most powerful way. Have sparkling water with lemon or lime slices.

10. Stop before the end. Think of your plan to shed those pounds, if you can't resist something sweet ask for a dish of fresh fruit and leave it at that!

11. Substitute when possible. I always ask for a veggie instead of a potato and I ask for it to be steamed. Also- ask how the main meal is prepared. There may be tons of hidden butter and oil in the dish that you can omit if you know ahead of time. 

If you doubt your ability to resist restaurant offerings then pre-eat! Then when you go to a restaurant or social event you don't have to worry about what's on the menu and you can focus on socializing. Over the Christmas holiday I brought my shakeology to each party and drank it there. It helped me to not obsess over the app table. 

If you can't resist the dessert table then pack a few clean cookies in a Ziploc bag and pull them out with your coffee while everyone else is eating their sugar laden cookies and cake. I made some 21 day fix approved cookies and brought them to all of my holiday affairs. That way I knew I had an option and didn't feel like I was missing something by not having dessert with my family.  Stay away from fast food and drive throughs! A big no-no!! If you are going out and like to enjoy a glass of wine- limit yourself to 2. You can also ask for a white wine spritzer. That will minimize the amount of alcohol and cut your calories in half. 

One of the most difficult things to manage while following a healthy lifestyle is your social life. So surround yourself with family and friends that support what you are doing and are not sabotaging your efforts. Instead of going out drinking or to a restaurant here are some alternatives.

Get a workout in! 

Have a game night at home with healthy clean snacks

Meet a friend for a play date at the park or go for a walk or bike ride

Try taking a class at your local gym or yoga studio! Meet a friend- you'll feel so much better! 

Eating clean and creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean that you are becoming a boring person. There is so much more to experience than food and drinks! Live outside the box and you will have people wondering what you are doing because your energy and personality are on fire!!!

Late night cravings

Why are cravings so irresistible at night? Nighttime may be the first time you get to relax after a long, structured and stressful day. You’re through with work and the kids are asleep; it’s finally your time. Whether it is behavioral or hormonal, the urge to treat yourself with a decadent or savory food can be an overwhelming response from the body’s need for relaxation. In addition, you may be tired or emotional from the stress of the day, which makes it that much harder to fight the impulse to indulge.  Plus, all those television food commercials don’t help!

Crush cravings with the following strategies:

• Control late-night hunger Eat breakfast within 90 minutes of waking and every five hours throughout day.  This keeps blood sugar level, which in turn keeps you from overeating or binging at night.
• Eat a fiber-rich dinner The soluble fiber keeps your blood sugars stable, and the insoluble fiber keeps you full through those evening hours so you don’t have an intense urge to snack. Start your dinner with either a hearty  non-starchy vegetable soup or large tossed vegetable salad, and drink plenty of water throughout the meal.
• Push dinner back an hour If you regularly overeat later in the evening, consider starting dinner at 7 instead of 6. This leaves you less awake time to snack. 
• Out of house, out of mouth No matter how amazing your will power and determination may be, surrounding yourself with lots of tempting treats could lead to disaster. Keep problematic goodies out of your house.  If it’s unavailable, you can’t eat it.
• Pre-plan and stretch your p.m. snack
  People often “crave” what they’ve planned for.  Plan for something healthy and you’re likely to crave it.
• And if you’re a volume eater, pre-plan snacks that last a while. For example, a lollipop, four cups air popped popcorn, one to two sliced cucumbers with spicy salsa, a handful of pistachio nuts in the shell, or a low-fat fudge bar.
• Keep yourself busy,  in and out of the house Downtime tends to be “craving central.” Knitting, drawing, solving a puzzle and exercising are some things you can engage in that will squash your desire to munch. If you’re watching TV at night, find ways to distract yourself during commercials, particularly food commercials.  Check your e-mail, do crunches or pushups, jump rope, plan your calendar for the rest of the week, make that call to your mother-in-law, etc. It’s also a great idea to get out of the house a few nights each week. Taking a nighttime yoga, dance or spin class will get you moving and allow you to be part of something. Find a local book club or card game to join. Being social can be a real mood elevator, replacing that need to munch.

Coffee options

Good morning! It's coffee time! Before I head downstairs to get my workout in on this super cold morning I wanted to write a quick blog about coffee as I always get this question from my challengers that join my group and decide to make the change! "What can I use in place of half and half in my coffee?". Well- that was a struggle for me too in the beginning! Coffee with half and half was my THING!!! How could I let this go?? After trying so many different things, I finally found something that worked for me and I want to share it! So instead of using half and half I now use unsweetened cashew milk! It's creamy and gives it that nice rich color that half and half would BUT it's good for you and dairy free! With cashew milk coming in at only 25 calories and 2 grams of fat per cup it's a great substitute! Try and make the switch- you will find that after a while you will get used to it and now I really enjoy it! I don't miss the half and half at all. Give it a try!

Yours truly,
Fit Mom Of Three

Clean eating overnight crock pot apple oatmeal

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

 

Print

Cook time

6 hours

Total time

6 hours

 

Warm and delicious apple cinnamon steel-cut oatmeal made using your slow cooker.

Author: Eatingbirdfood.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• cooking spray, butter or coconut oil (for coating the slow cooker)
• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 2½ cups water
• 1½ cups Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 cup chopped apple pieces
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup + 5 drops of liquid stevia (or other sweetener of choice)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• chopped nuts, nut butter, coconut sugar and/or dried fruit for serving

Instructions

1. Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray, butter or coconut oil. Add all the ingredients into slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. Place in a bowl to serve and top with nuts, dried fruit and sweetener of choice.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 bowl without toppings Calories: 158 Fat: 4g Carbohydrates: 26gSugar: 3g Fiber: 4g Protein: 5g

Clean, Veggie Lasagna

Cheesy, filling, and packed with veggies, this vegetarian lasagna is the real deal. It’s bursting with fresh flavors from herbs and three different kinds of cheese, and it’s sure to please adults and children alike. The casserole makes 12 servings! It’s perfect for meal prep, or freeze leftovers in individual portions and reheat for an easy dinner when there’s no time to cook.

Total Time: 2 hrs. 7 min.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 1 hr. 47 min.
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb. dry whole grain lasagna pasta
Hot water
1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups + 2 Tbsp. tomato sauce, no sugar added, divided use
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
Sea salt (or Himalayan salt) and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Nonstick cooking spray

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Cook pasta in water according to package directions. Drain. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
4. Add onion, bell pepper, and carrot; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
5. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
6. Add 3 cups tomato sauce and basil. Season with salt and pepper if desired; cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
7. Combine spinach and ricotta cheese in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside.
8. Combine mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
9. Lightly coat a 4-quart (or 13 x 9-inch) rectangular baking dish with spray; place remaining 2 Tbsp. tomato sauce in the bottom. Top with a layer of pasta, one fourth vegetable mixture, one third spinach mixture, and one fourth cheese mixture. Repeat twice. Top with pasta, vegetable mixture, and cheese mixture. Cover with aluminum foil.
10. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
11. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

Tips:
• No-boil lasagna pasta is available in many markets, and can make preparation really easy.
• Add ½ cup water with 3 cups tomato sauce if using no-boil pasta.

Ground chicken crock pot chile

Ground Chicken Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients:

Fit Mom Of Three

1 T. olive oil

1 c. finely chopped onion

1 c. chopped bell pepper

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 15 oz cans red kidney beans

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 c. frozen corn

1/2 c. tomato paste

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. dried basil 

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 tsp black pepper 

*a bit of minced jalapeño pepper, if  red pepper flakes if you like spice!

plain greek yogurt, chives, cheddar…for garnish- I use vegan cheddar and it's delicious!

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeño (if using) and garlic. Cook and stir until tender. Add ground chicken and cook until no longer pink. Drain excess fat. Transfer to slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients, with exception of the garnishes. Mix and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours. Enjoy!