healthy

Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegetarian

Cauliflower Pizza

This is one of my favorite recipes. It’s really fun to make, and if you didn’t make it yourself, you would have absolutely no idea that it was made from cauliflower. This pizza is a great low-carb option that doesn’t omit any flavor. Your guests or kids will never know they are eating a pizza made of vegetables!

Cauliflower Pizza
Makes one 9-12in pizza – 6 slices

Crust:
2 cups shredded cauliflower
1 egg
1 cup finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
1/2 cup piza sauce or marinara sauce
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
topping of choice


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. “Rice” or “shred” the cauliflower in a blender until it resembles small crumbled rice/pieces, but not pureed. Using a few pieces of paper towel, ring the excess water out of the cauliflower. Place the cauliflower crumbles in a mixing bowl and combine with egg, mozzarella, oregano, garlic powder, and salt. Mix with a spatula until well combined. Generously coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray spray (this crust is known to stick). Place the dough on the baking sheet and press into a 9 to 12-inch round crust. Lightly spray the crust with nonstick spray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat to broil. Spread the sauce on top of the baked crust, leaving a half inch border around the edge. Sprinkle mozzarella on top of the sauce. Add any extra toppings at this time. Place the pizza back in the oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove pizza from the oven and cut into 6 slices and serve hot.
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Contests & Giveaways, Desserts, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegetarian

Healthy Cookies + Chobani Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to RFFMBT reader: Kimberly, winner of the Chobani Giveaway!

All of the submissions looked so delicious, and I had such a hard time selecting just one winner! Kimberly’s Healthy Beet Cookies were so innovative and creative that I just had to give them a try. I love that her recipe doesn’t contain any added sugar or oil, making them totally rabbit food approved! I have to say that these are probably the prettiest cookies I have ever seen. The bright fuchsia color is absolutely stunning, and I enjoyed the warm flavor with earthy notes. What show stoppers! Thank you for your awesome recipe, Kimberly! Check your email for details about receiving your prize!

Thank you to Chobani and everyone who entered the giveaway, I loved everyone’s fabulous combinations and healthy recipes containing Greek yogurt!
Hopefully I will have the opportunity to host some more giveaways in the future!

Healthy Beet Cookies
Recipe By: Kimberly
Makes 24 cookies 

6 oz 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek Yogurt
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 egg
1 medium beet – peeled and chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp raspberry extract
1 tsp baking powder

Topping
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
10 unsalted roasted almonds – ground
24 dark chocolate covered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine chopped beet, egg, and extracts in a high powered blender or food processor and blend thoroughly until there are no beet bits leftover. Add yogurt and continue blending until completely combined. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder. Pour beet and yogurt mixture into flour mixture, followed by ½ cup raw shredded coconut. Stir until the batter is well combined. Place batter in the freezer for about 15 minutes so it can set and be more manageable. While the batter cools in the freezer, grind almonds in a blender or food processor. After the almonds are ground, combine in a bowl with ¼ cup coconut. Remove batter from the freezer, and spoon dough into 1in wide balls and dip in almond and coconut mixture. Place each ball onto a cookie sheet and lightly flatten with fingers. Bake for 10 minutes. After removing from the oven, instantly push a dark chocolate almond on top of each cookie. Allow cookies to cool before consuming.

| 18 Comments
Desserts, Recipes, Snacks, Treats

Broiled Grapefruit

Grapefruit can be quite tart, but once it is broiled and caramelized to perfection with a pinch of brown sugar, it makes a fabulous dessert!

Everyone gets the urge to cheat once in a while, so instead of going for a fattening slice of pie, this low-fat treat is a much healthier indulgence. If you’re going to cheat, this is the way to do it! Plus your kitchen will smell amazing!

Broiled Grapefruit
Serves 1-2

1 grapefruit
1 tsp butter (optional)
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Arrange the oven rack to the highest shelf, closest to the heat (grapefruit will sit about 2 inches from the heat). Turn the oven to “broil” setting. Cut grapefruit in half and place in an oven-safe pan. Divide the butter and spread along the top of each piece. Then divide and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over each half. Place in the oven and broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the brown sugar melts and edges begin to brown. Remove the grapefruit from the oven to cool and enjoy warm.

Remember, you still have a few hours to enter my Chobani Giveaway for a chance to win a free case of Chobani Greek Yogurt!
You have until 11:59pm PST to enter, and one lucky winner will be announced on Monday, June 4!

| 2 Comments
Breakfast, Desserts, Lunch, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegetarian

My Big Nonfat Greek Yogurt Recipes

Incase you haven’t already seen my Featured Blogger post for Chobani about healthy desserts and Greek yogurt recipes, you can read them below!

As a vegetarian, I find it hardest to get protein into my diet, but Chobani makes it so much easier. I love that I can grab a single serving cup of CHO when I’m on the go, or use it in both sweet and savory recipes. Chobani helps to fill my need for protein, which is necessary to build, repair, and restore muscle, without adding unnecessary fat, sodium, or calories. Not only is it a great low calorie, low carb source of protein, but it also an excellent source of calcium and contains 5 live & active cultures, including 3 probiotics! They are so many pros to CHO, you can’t go wrong!

Don’t forget, you still have a chance to enter my Chobani Giveaway for a chance to win a free case of Cho! The contest ends Friday, June 1st at 11:59pm PST!

Here are my big nonfat Greek yogurt recipes:



Protein Popsicles

Fill popsicle molds with your favorite Chobani flavor. Freeze overnight and enjoy cold.
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Individual Protein Cheesecake
serves 1

Filling
6oz Chobani plain 0% Greek Yogurt
1/2 Tbsp Jell-O sugar-free instant pudding mix – cheesecake

Crust
1/2 cup fiber bran cereal
4 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp unsalted almond butter
1/4 tsp stevia
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Add the cheesecake flavored pudding mix into the yogurt and stir until well combined. Set yogurt mixture aside. In a food processor or blender, grind the bran to a fine texture. In a small mixing bowl, add the ground bran with all dry ingredients, (stevia, cinnamon, and  nutmeg) and mix evenly. Then add the almond butter and water and stir until it becomes moist and sticky. If the batter is still crumbly, add additional water in 1 tsp increments until desired consistency is achieved. Pour the crust mixture into a small 4in circular pan. Pack the crust along the bottom and sides of the dish to create a pie shape. Pour the filling on top of the crust and smooth evenly along the top. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and enjoy cold.
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Honey Wheat Protein Pancakes
makes 4 four inch pancakes

6 oz Chobani 0% Honey Greek Yogurt
2 egg whites
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda

In a mixing bowl, mix the whole-wheat flour and baking soda. Then add the yogurt and egg whites. Stir until a thick batter is formed. Lightly coat a pan with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour the batter into 4in circles. Flip the pancakes once they start to bubble. Cook until both sides are golden brown.
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Apple Pie Parfait
serves 1

1 small fuji apple
6 oz Chobani 0% Honey Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup cooked chilled quinoa
2 Tbsp walnuts
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cook quinoa to package instructions and refrigerate beforehand. Chop the apple into small chunks. Place apple chunks in a microwave safe bowl, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for 1-1.5 minutes until apple becomes soft. Stir and set aside. In a glass jar, layer half of the yogurt along the bottom, followed by half of the quinoa, walnuts, and apple mixture. Repeat layers to create a parfait and store in the refrigerator or enjoy warm.
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Honey Yogurt Covered Grapes

6 oz Chobani 0% Honey Greek Yogurt
Seedless grapes of your choice

Wash and dry grapes, and remove stems. Using a toothpick, pierce a grape and dip in the yogurt until it is evenly coated. Place the grapes in a freezer safe contained lined with wax paper (remove the toothpick after each dip). Repeat until all grapes are covered. Freeze the grapes overnight and enjoy as a frozen treat.
Note: The yogurt will start to melt within 5 minutes, so these are best enjoyed at home or work where a freezer is nearby.

| 34 Comments
Dinner, Tips

Dining Out Guide

Sometimes it can be really tricky to have a social life while losing weight and staying on track with healthy eating. Whenever I get together with friends or family, we end up going out to eat. So many of my social interactions revolve around food. While trying different restaurants and getting dressed up to go out to dinner with friends is always exciting, it can end up being really stressful when you are trying to stay on track with your diet. Since most of our social gatherings are restaurant related in our day and time, you can’t really avoid it all together.

I used to have a really hard time going to restaurants with friends because I had no idea where to begin. Should I not eat all day and then get a “normal” meal with my friends? Should I only order a side salad without any dressing? Should I eat my own meal at home and only order an iced tea at the restaurant? Going out to eat quickly went from one of my favorite events to a stressful and anxiety filled situation. I started to dread going to restaurants with friends and started avoiding birthday dinners, celebrations, and get-togethers because I just couldn’t handle it.

I realized that I was less happy not hanging out with my friends and celebrating their birthdays than going out to dinner and being stressed. I decided that it was time to figure out a realistic approach to reduce stress and anxiety when dining out. I started by checking online menus and nutrition facts online before going to the restaurant. This way I knew exactly what I would be eating and know how to ask the waiter to prepare it. I also started to become more familiar with what portion sizes looked like so that I could easily eyeball how much of my dish to eat. After I started using this approach, dining out with friends finally became fun again and I no longer had to worry about getting off track. Here are some of my tips and tricks to dining out and staying on track!

  • Check restaurant menus online and plan what you will order ahead of time.
  • Take your time and look up nutrition facts beforehand.
  • Don’t skip meals to “save calories” before dining out. If you starve yourself all day you will end up consuming way more than you planned because you are so hungry. Trust me on this one!

  • Say no to bread baskets and chips. If you know you will be too tempted, ask the waiter ahead of time to not bring it. If others dining at your table would like bread and you have no choice but to have it at the table, ask for a side salad with balsamic right away so you have something to nosh on.
  • Remember that you have been through harder things than this.
  • Remember that you are in charge of what you eat.

  • Don’t feel bad or embarrassed to make special requests, like asking for sauces on the side, steamed, no oil, etc. People have elaborate orders all day everyday.
  • Look for foods that are grilled, baked, steamed, roasted, or broiled.
  • Avoid foods that are fried, crunchy, crispy, creamy, breaded, or sautéed.
  • Split an entrée with a friend or order from the appetizer or kids menu.
  • Skip dessert or stick to a 3 bite rule. The first bite you are fully present and excited to taste it, second bite you get to take it in and enjoy it, and third bite you get to savor. After that, it’s alllll the same.
  • Pay close attention to condiments and dressings. Some of them have a lot of fat, sugar, and calories.
  • Get a half order instead of full order when available.
  • Ask for a salad, steamed veggies, or fresh fruit on the side instead of fries.
  • Always opt for water or unsweetened tea instead of soda.

  • Keep portion sizes in mind:
    1 cup= baseball
    ½ cup = yoyo
    2/3 cup= tennis ball
    ¼ cup= egg
    3oz= deck of cards
    1 Tbs = poker chip
    1 tsp = quarter
  • Pace yourself. Your meal is not going to sprout legs and run away. Eat slowly, and put your utensil down between bites.
  • Take sips of your beverage in between bites.
  • Ask for a “to go” container up front and automatically put half of it away before you start to eat.
  • Don’t associate fullness with being overly stuffed or bloated. Eat only what your body needs. Give your stomach at least 15 minutes to tell your brain it’s full.

  • Remember to enjoy the experience and eat what you want. Dining out should be a treat and shouldn’t be stressful.
  • One meal won’t make you fat, skinny, healthy, or unhealthy!
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