Alfredo sauce and tomato bisque.... Dairy free!

Hello dairy freeERS and lactose intolerant loved ones, I hear declare today a miracle for you, me, and all things low fat and calorie eclipsing! B-FIT4U has single handedly come up with some dreamy creamy recipes for you that taste like you are jumping into the dairy pond, but you are NOT! So you save your belly a headache if you are intolerant, and you save your waistline and your cholesterol if you are trying to be healthy....which IS what you are trying to do, or why would you be reading this blog, right? Correct! So first tomato bisque easy peeeeasy: in a large soup pot add 2 tbs spoons olive oil, 1 onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves chopped, 2 tsp sea salt, 2 tsps italian seasoning and 1 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (adds a hint of spicy, yum!). Sauté everything until fragrant and translucent. Add 1 can diced tomatoes-28oz, with its juice, 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth if you are vegan, bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat once boiling. Now add contents in batches to blender to purée, then return to pot. You want a smooth consistency. Now add 1 can of coconut milk ( not the stuff in the milk section to drink, the canned coconut milk) stir until creamy, adjusting salt and cracked black pepper. Now very important, bring back to a boil for about 10-15 minutes until all the liquid contents of pot reduces by half, leaving you with a creamy dreamy bisque! Add croutons and fresh basil to garnish and devour!!! Alfredo: 1 cauliflower head, chopped, 4 garlic cloves, chopped, 1 vidalia onion. Sea salt to taste, 2 cups almond milk, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 cup vegan parmesan, black pepper and olive oil. Drizzle a a pan with olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Boil water and add cauliflower for about 10min, or until fork tender and drain. Transfer garlic, onion and cauliflower to a blender and add almond milk, vegan parmesan,( I like GO Veggie brand), and blend till smooth. Add back into sauté pan to warm through, and add salt, pepper to taste and additional parmesan if needed to thicken and get that Alfredo creamy creaminess we all love. Toss with your favorite whole wheat noodle and a sprinkle of parsley and you have dinner! Happy weekend B-fitters!!

Winter Snacks!

So yesterday's post resonated with alot of you, and your messages have been great!! Sounds like we are all in the same winter sled of hunger! We want to overeat because it's cold, and we are hibernating like bears!! But what is so wonderful is that you are all really trying to get back onto the spring boat to summer and stop the winter eating binge! And good for you!!! I told you that you got this!! So in an effort to curb the major cravings to overeat, here are a list of snacks to help with the munchies, that will still satisfy your salty or sweet (or both!)cravings and not break your calorie bank, or the button on your jeans ;) So instead of those cookies, chips, candy bars and cinnmon buns, let's try some of these B-FIT4U favs: popcorn, granola bars, cereal without milk is a great crunchy affair, multigrain crackers, sorbet, ice pops, pretzels, bananas or apple with almond butter and a bit of cinnamon, applesauce, whole wheat pita crisps, a bit of dark chocolate on a frozen banana, berry smoothies with lowfat yogurt. These simple swaps will satisfy your salty/sweet, feel like a treat and keep you on track! Happy Weekend B-fitters, you got this!!

Beat that winter bulge!

Can we all agree...it is sooooo cold this winter!!! And weather(hee hee)you are stuck in the snow or the freezing cold temps, suffering from cabin fever, you want to eat! Cold weather just does make you want to hibernate and eat, and well, with spring around the corner, you don't need an extra spare tire on anything but your car, ya dig? So what is one to do when will power as flown to the caribbean and left you stuck under your snuggy blanket with netflix and a bag of chips? YOU remember why you started this journey in the first place, and you man up!! First, exercise can be done in your house, if your stuck there cause of the winter weather! Look up a simple routine on your computer to follow, or use an exercise tape, no excuses! And guess what, they still sell vegetables in the winter, yep! Mind blowing right? So get creative with your comfort food, adding more veggies, instead of cheese, cream, and starchy breads, Don't graze all day long!! Monitor your eats by remembering your interval eating every 3 hrs, 3 meals, 2 snacks. And water, water, water, still stay hydrated even in cold weather! And when Old Man Winter wants to taunt you with indulgence too often, save your fun meal for once a week. It's not a time for deprivation, but winter is also not an excuse to overeat around the clock. Remember what is important to you, health, well being and always Being-FIT4U!

A cup a tea.....a moment in time

Exhausted, tired, running ragged....is this your life? Part of your B-FIT4U journey needs to start with a.....deep breath.....ready set go breathe.... Now sit down, for 10 minutes....we all have 10 minutes. Just think about what is most important in your life....is this rat race you're choosing a good thing? These long, hours, no sleep, do you know what this is causing you to do? Overeat, gain weight and just feel, blah! You need sleep, you need to take a break, you need to remember you in all your busy! And if you say, I don't have time, well that is your choice! You need to make the time! I hear ya, we are all busy, BUT busy is what you make yourself, and time is how you spend it. So take that time, even if it is only 10 minutes every few hours to recharge, reboot, with a deep breath, a soothing cup of tea, a mental break with some mediation and remember your blessings. In the end, your busy will never suffer, but your life will if you don't mindfully take a moment for yourself. And in those calm, quiet moments you will start to eat better, sleep better and B-FIT4U :) namaste B-fitters, you got this!

Spice up your life with a little Puttanesca sauce!

So in an effort to UP my veggie intake in more creative ways, I have adopted the spaghetti squash as my new go to happy little vegetable. It is versatile and so easy to make, so don't let it confuse you with its tough exterior. All you gotta do is cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, making sure to leave all the squashy flesh inside. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt and pepper and then place cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Roast at 450 for 30 minutes then remove from oven, careful it is hot!! I like to let it cool for a minute and then hold each half of the squash with an oven mitt, then one at a time I take a fork to the flesh of the squash and pull it out in downward strokes. This will pull the squash into spaghetti like strings! Add a little more salt and pepper and a pat of butter and some parmesan and you have a delicious meal or side dish! BUT if you want to take this creation over the top.....make a robust and spicy puttanesca sauce to go over top of the spaghetti squash. A delightful and delicious way to stay healthy, cut the carbs and still be ever the bit satisfied! Really! This is addicting! So my method for puttanesca is a little bit recipe a little bit taste as I go, cause I love to adjust my seasonings to my tastbuds, so feel free to make this sauce as spicy as you like it! So in a sauté pan, sauté 2 tbs olive oil, 3 garlic cloves and 1/2 of a small onion, all diced up! Once translucent, add tsp basil, tsp oregano, and a generous pinch of crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper (good sprinkle of both). Then add 2 anchovies, or a big squirt of anchovy paste to the pan and let it melt into the ingredients. This is an important step! Puttanesca gets a robust salty flavor from the anchovies, no worries you won't taste anything fishy! Then the important part, chopped green olives, about 8. Of course you can do capers and black olives instead, a traditional favorite, but the green olives are what I had on hand recently, and they played the part deeeeeliciously! Last, add a large can of diced tomatoes, drained. Sauté all ingredients together until hot and spicy, adjust salt and pepper if needed and crushed red pepper if you want it a bit spicier! Right at then end, before serving I like to take my mashed potato masher and squish the tomatoes a bit to make the sauce a little juicy along with the chunks of tomato. And if you need to thin the sauce out a bit, a little water will do the trick, but make sure it gets warmed through with all the saucy ingredients. All there is to do next is pour a generous portion over your spaghetti squash and tada, you got a dinner that will actually taste soooooo good, you wasn't believe it is making you thinner! Lesson learned here, if you're going to cut your carbs, do it deeeeeliciously!