One SMART cookie

LOVE TO BAKE but feel like all those extra calories you're consuming in butter and flour are slowing your weight loss down?? Here's a great tip to make your cookies, and eat them, too!!When you make your cookie dough, bake off 2 cookies per person and freeze the rest of the dough into a log form. Then "slice and bake" as needed, when desired. OH YES PEOPLE, portion control is YOUR ANSWER. And did you know that those who allow themselves a treat once in a while are more likely to stay on track to a great weight loss in the end? So don't deprive yourself, portion, portion, portion. :)~ FoodieGIRL

 

HONEY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

1 large egg

1/4 cup smooth unsalted almond butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or 1/2 cup each all-purpose and whole-wheat flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Beat the butter, canola oil, honey, egg, almond butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl with a mixer until combined.

In another bowl, whisk the dry milk, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the oats and raisins.

Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in a loosely covered container for up to 3 days.

Per cookie: Calories 100; Fat 5 g (Saturated 1 g); Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 45 mg; Carbohydrate 13 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 2 g

Spinach and Orzo Salad

It's almost the weekend!! Looking for a great go-to salad that will keep you satisfied and still keep you on track to your weight loss? This Spinach and Orzo salad is going to make your tastebuds swoooon with delight! Because listen up! You're not a cliche' and by that we mean, don't wake up monday morning with a food hangover wondering why you fell of the wagon, again on the weekend! No excuses this time! You ate great all week, so keep it up this weekend! It's only 3 days, get your HEALTHY ON!

 

 

Spinach and Orzo Salad

(add chicken or shrimp to this dish for a power-punch of protein or chopped tomato for some great antioxidant power)

 

Ingredients

 

 

• 8 ounces orzo pasta
• Salt
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 6 ounces feta cheese, roughly crumbled
• 2 ounces Kalamata Greek olives pitted, roughly chopped, about 1/2 cup (about 20 olives)
• 4 ounces baby spinach
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion (about half a red onion)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (can substitute white vinegar or lemon juice)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Pinch dried basil
• Pinch dried tarragon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1 Cook the orzo pasta. Bring to a boil a pot with 2 quarts of water in it. Once the water is boiling, salt it with a couple teaspoons of salt. Once the water returns to a boil add the orzo to the pot. Leave uncovered, cook on high heat with a vigorous boil. Put the timer on for 8-10 minutes, or whatever your pasta package says is appropriate for al dente (cooked but still a little firm). Drain. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly.
2 Toast the pine nuts by heating a small skillet on medium heat. Add the pine nuts and stir occasionally until the pine nuts are lightly browned. Pay attention or you'll burn the pine nuts.
3 Take half of the spinach and purée it in a food processor or blender, adding one tablespoon of the olive oil. Roughly chop the other half of the spinach. In a large serving bowl mix the spinach purée olive oil mixture in with cooked orzo until the pasta is well coated with the purée. Then gently mix in the remaining spinach, the red onion, feta cheese, pine nuts, and the Kalamata olives.
3 In a small jar, combine the remaining olive oil (2 Tbsp), balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, mustard, dried basil, and dried tarragon. Put a lid on the jar and shake to combine. (You can also just whisk together these ingredients in a small bowl, but the jar method works great to get a good emulsion.) Pour over orzo spinach mixture and gently mix in until well incorporated.
4 Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Happy Weekend~FoodieGIRL

BEST of SNACKS!

Did you know that "snackers" are less likely to be overweight than "non-snackers"! Yes, pass the chips, please! Ok, maybe not exactly the chips but with so many great healthy snack options out there, what are you waiting for? GET TO SNACKING! You see, snacking can keep your metabolism revved up for optimal weight loss throughout your day and for your workouts. Not to mention, snacking will also keep you from overeating at meals and plain ol' binging at your weakest moment in the day, mid-morning. late afternoon, late night....

BUT you must remember two key things when it comes to snacking

PORTION CONTROL and HEALTHY Choices!

Watch your serving sizes, they are on the packaging, follow them! And look over the ingredients list,. are they wholesome and healthy?

 

Here's our BEST of SNACKS list to get you started!

(**All products are listed by Brand)**

 

Best hummus: Sabra

Best Fitness Bar: Be Kind

Best Popcorn: Smart Pop by Orville Redenbacher

Best Cracker: Triscuits

Best Greek Yogurt: Oikos

Best cheesesticks: Sargento Cheddar

Best English Muffin: Thomas' Honey Wheat Double Fiber muffin

Best Frozen Waffle: Van's

Best Frozen Mac and Cheese: Amy's

Best Gluten Free Cereal: Van's

Best Cereal: Barbara's

Best Chips: PopsChips

Best Tortilla Chips: Garden of Good Eating

Best Nuts: Planters (portion control packs)

Best frozen treat: Skinny Cow or Yoplait Greek Yogurt Frozen Pops

Best Chocolate: Look for Dark Chocolate with 70% Cacao

Happy Snacking!! ~FoodieGIRL

HAPPY place

Finding your HAPPY place in a work week full of chaos can be, well, difficult! RIGHT?  Does it feel like everyone is breathing down your neck all at once, and that deadline is tomorrow and well, how the heck are you going to reach Friday feeling so overly stressed by, well EVERYTHING?! Seriously, sometimes there's just alot of, "wells".....SO JUST STOP! Don't dig yourself so deep into that "well" of busy stress, that you forget to B-FIT4U! Oh, did you forget that YOU'RE in CONTROL of your LIFE! Yep, hard to hear sometimes when everyone is yelling at you at once. BUT really, how you react to the adversities of life is your POWER!

YOU have the POWER to turn OFF the NOISE!

SO quit your cranky, and FIND YOUR ZEN. 

Is it in your favorite cup of coffee? Then take a minute to yourself and enjoy that cup!

Is it in that book you've been meaning to read? Then read it!

Find a place in this life for YOU!!!! You know yourself better than anyone else, and if you're looking for the validation of others to know who exactly you are, then you're not tuning out the noise! TUNE IT OUT, look in the mirror, take a long hard look at beautiful, wonderful you, and smile at yourself! Take the time to get to know YOU through the things you LOVE.

See life is not just about eating and exercising right, it's wellness from the inside out.

Isn't it time you started to B-FIT4U?

Snacks on the GO!!

Well, it's BACK TO SCHOOL for lots of folks around the country, and whether you're getting the kids ready for the bus, or still sunning yourself by the pool, the key to a successful day is GOOD NUTRITION!  Everyone, including you, needs some healthy "on the go" snacks to keep your body fresh and fueled throughout the day.So keep this handy dandy list with you and get your healthy snack on TODAY!

 

Lowfat cottage cheese

cheesesticks

lowfat pudding snacks

 dried fruit

nuts

frozen fruit bars

greek yogurt

fresh fruit

tuna salad in a pouch

animal crackers

graham crackers

 pretzels

soy chips

single serving soups

whole wheat crackers

peanut butter

dry cereal in a baggy (great crunchy snack on the go!!)

***AND on your day off, take the time to make these great lowfat muffins, great for breakfast, lunch or snacktime, it's a sure-fire way to get nutrition and satisfy those hunger cravings!

 

LOWFAT OATMEAL APPLE MUFFINS

Ingredients:

• 2 cups apple, peeled and shredded
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick oats
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 2 egg whites

Preparation:

Spoon flour into measuring cups and level with a knife. Place flour in a large mixing bowl and add oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk.Combine milk, oil, vanilla, yogurt and egg whites, stirring until well blended. Add wet ingredients to flour bowl and stir until just moist. Blot shredded apple on kitchen paper to get rid of excess moisture, then add apple to mixture and stir.Spoon batter into a lined 12-cup muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes

 

Energy!

It's almost the weekend! Happy Friday, B-fitters!

Here's a great Energy Bar that is sure to put a power-punch into your Saturday and Sunday and get you revved up to GO GO GO! Take a hike, get out there and enjoy this summer to the fullest! Grab a friend and see the countryside on your bikes, or feel oh so zen with a rooftop yoga session. Whatever you do this weekend, get out there and breathe!

Energy Bars

Cooking spray
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup shelled unsalted raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted dried dates
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place all the ingredients, except the maple syrup and eggs, in a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste.

Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then cut into 20 bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes 20 bars, each about 3 x 1 1/2 inches

Serving size: 1 bar

Per Serving:
Calories 133; Total fat 5g (Sat fat 0.6g, Mono fat 1.8g, Poly fat 2g); Protein 5g; Carb 20g; Fiber 2.5g; Cholesterol 21mg; Sodium 19mg

Panini without bread?

Who doesn't LOVE a Panini? All that chewy, oooey, goodness in between two slice of crunchy, toasted bread! But unless you're super-human, eating those kinds of calorie laden lunch/brunch or dinner treats, can be, well, not so figure friendly. So what's a B-Fitter to do? Well, you can split it with a pal, half the calories, no genius needed to figure that one out. It can be an occassional indulgence, or you could lose the bread all together, every once in awhile and try this incredible PORTOBELLO PANINI that's going to knock your socks right off! Unless you're wearing flip flops, then those will go flying and your swimsuit will thank you too!

Portobello Panini with Gorgonzola and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

4 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
Boiling water
4 portobello mushrooms (2 ounces each)
¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Reconstitute the sun-dried tomatoes by soaking them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the water, pat dry, and chop them.
Slice the stems off the mushrooms so they can lay completely flat. Slice each cap in half so you have 8 round mushroom slices. Top half of the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of the chopped tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the cheese. Top with the remaining mushroom slices. Brush the top side of each “sandwich” with some of the oil.
Preheat a large nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until good and hot. Place the mushroom sandwiches in the hot pan carefully, oiled side down, and cook for 2 minutes. Brush the top half with the remaining oil, flip with a spatula, and cook until the mushroom softens and begins to brown and the cheese is melted, about another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.


Serves 4
Serving size: 1 panini


Per serving: Calories 90; Total Fat 7g (Mono Fat 3.3g, Poly Fat 0.7g, Sat Fat 2g); Protein 3g; Carb 5g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 100mg