Isn’t it amazing how different each kind of olive can taste? For this recipe you could use any olives you wanted or happened to have on hand. This frittata is full of flavor and has almost a pizza taste to it. Oh it would probably be amazing with a marinara dip and you have the extra calories for it!

Okay you know these are good when your kids start begging you to make more of those carrot cookies. I originally created this recipe for me to put into my bento boxes, but now the boys are addicted! I’m wondering if I could convince them to eat zucchini bread ones.

Plain Greek Yogurt for Baking

Plain greek yogurt is a great substitute for oil and butter in your baking. When baking muffins or other breads that call for oil or butter replace the it with plain greek yogurt to lower the calories and the fat!

I still use butter in our diet because I believe in healthy fats. But for baking I use plain greek yogurt as a partial replacement to cut down on calories. Use 1/4 cup greek yogurt + 1/2 cup butter instead of 1 cup of butter.

• 1 cup butter = 1,628 calorie & 184g fat
• Greek Yogurt + Butter = 847 calories & 92g fat

We’ve cut all oil out of our diet, especially vegetable oil. You can use 3/4 cups greek yogurt for every 1 cup of oil in your recipes.

• 1 cup vegetable oil = 1,927 calories & 218g fat
• 3/4 cup greek yogurt = 100 calories & 0 fat

Plain Greek Yogurt for Dips

I also love to use plain greek yogurt in the place of sour cream or mayonnaise in dips.

• 2 tablespoons sour cream = 60 calories
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise = 180 calories
• 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt = 33 calories

Hint: Try it on your tacos or other Mexican dishes instead of sour cream

Use your favorite dip mix and replace the sour cream or mayonnaise with plain greek yogurt. Or make your own dips with your own spices and herbs.

Amazing Light Dilly Dip

• 1 teaspoon fresh dill or dill paste
• 1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt

You will find that some brands of plain greek yogurt are strained more so they have a thicker consistency. Find the perfect brand for you, if you like thick dips use a thick yogurt if you like a dressing like dip use a thinner yogurt.

Hint: Try 1/2 greek yogurt and 1/2 light mayonnaise for your chicken or tuna salads

Spaghetti Squash

Pasta is very high in calories and carbs. I will eat whole wheat pasta every so often, but my favorite substitution that offers no guilt at all is spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is a squash that once you cook it comes out in spaghetti like strings.

• 1 cup whole wheat paste = 174 calories & 37 carb
• 1 cup spaghetti squash = 42 calories & 10 carbs

Extra Lean Ground Meat

Switching from full fat ground meat to only 7% fat will quickly lighten up your meals. You don’t necessarily have to give up ground beef either.

My husband is a big red meat eater and he really doesn’t love the taste of turkey. But after really looking at some labels I realized I could get ground beef with the same percentage of fat as ground turkey.

• 4 ounces ground beef 80/20 = 288 calories & 19g fat
• 4 ounces ground turkey 93/7 = 150 calories & 7g fat
• 4 ounces ground beef 93/7 = 170 calories & 8g fat
• 4 ounces ground chicken 93/7 = 140 calories & 5g fat

We still do eat ground turkey but I let us have one serving of lean red meat a week so that my husband can have his favorite meals.

Sugar Substitutes

My favorite sugar substitute is stevia, it is all natural and no calorie. My favorite brand of stevia is Truvia, mainly because they add another natural sweetner to cut the bitterness stevia can have.

I do also use Splenda for cooking as it is easier for me to get ahold of. I once was able to find a bag of off brand truvia for cooking, but haven’t been able to find it again.

• 1 teaspoon sugar = 15 calories & 4 carbs
• 3/4 teaspoon Truvia = 0 calories & 3 carbs
• 1 teaspoon Splenda = 0 calories & 0 carbs

What do you use to make your recipes lighter?

Posted on the Gathering Spot Link Up

I learned so much from the sugar mini challenge and loved it! So this week we have a new mini challenge!

My goal is going to be to try and get 7500 steps in a day. I want to build up to 10,000, but my work is pretty sedentary so I’m working on figuring out how to get those extra steps in.

This challenge is running on facebook and on Google+. Come by, join us, and check in each day!

AT&T Accessories

I’ve had a Fitbit on my wishlist for 3 Christmas’ now. AT&T then offered me a FitBit One I jumped at the chance. At first I was surprised because I didn’t even realize AT&T sold FitBit products. I went down to the local mall and stepped into the AT&T store for the first time. I found that they carried a lot of accessories for their phones, and since the FitBit One syncs to the newest phones they offer them in their stores. I liked being able to check out the FitBit and a couple other devices in person. I had only seen them online before.

FitBit One

One reason I picked the FitBit One is because not only does it track your activity, it tracks your sleep as well. If you have read my blog before you know that I battle sleep apnea.

Put it On & Keep it On

One reason I haven’t invested in a FitBit was I was concerned that, just like my pedometers, I would be really bad about putting it on. That I would wear it for a few days but then it would be forgotten.

I’m in love with my little FitBit and it goes with me everyday. I don’t know if it’s how accurate it is or if its extra functionality makes it so much better, but I’m in love with it. Also I don’t have to worry about it falling off (like some of my pedometers) and losing it because the silicon case and tight metal clip holds it on so well!

Track It

I think one of the things that I love about the FitBit One is that it tracks everything! You can track:

• Your Steps
• Your Stairs
• Your Distance
• Your Calories Burned
• Your Goal Progress (the growing flower)

You can also track your sleep with a night wristband you can place your FitBit into. When you enter when you went to sleep and when you woke up on their website or app it will show you how well you slept.

Sync It

To Sync your FitBit you have a couple choices your phone or your computer.

Your Phone

If you have an iPhone 4s, iPhone5, iPod Touch (5th Gen), iPad Mini, iPad 3 (Retina), Samsung Galaxy III, or Samsung Galaxy Note II you can sync to your device. Basically you have to have the newest generation in bluetooth to sync to your device.

Your Computer

Download their program to your computer, connect your wireless sync dongle, and anytime your are within 20 fit your FitBit will sync.

Sync it with My Fitness Pal

You can actually sync your FitBit to a few different apps, but if you know me I’m in love with My Fitness Pal. This option is one reason I picked FitBit over a few different devices out on the market. My Fitness Pal has the best food database than any other fitness app, plus you can enter your food with a quick scan of the barcode.

I was really happily surprised when I found the sync works both ways. You can use My Fitness Pal to track your food and when you go to FitBit.com or their app your calories are already entered for you.

I’m In Love

It has been a month since I received my FitBit One and I have not missed one day wearing it. I would say this is one of my favorite tools now to help me monitor my activity and help me lose weight!

This week I have a mini challenge for you. This is only a one week challenge! Let’s look and see how much sugar we are eating in a day. You don’t have to count exact numbers, but be conscious of what you are eating.

The goal is to try and stay under 40 grams of sugar for each day.

This challenge is running on facebook and on Google+. Come by, say hi, and join us!

I loved having the bentos for dinners. It was so easy to have my dinner ready for me at the end of the day. All I have to do is grab it out and eat. I also found that I didn’t stress as much at dinner, I got to enjoy my boys more. A few nights I ate a little later than them and just enjoyed socializing with them.

The Menu:

Lunches:

• Monday: Bacon & Eggs Crepes
  

• Tuesday: Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce
  

• Wednesday: Eggs in a Basket
  

• Thursday: Recipe Experiment
• Friday: Light Jamba Juice with Protein
• Saturday: Walking Lunch
• Sunday:  Eat Out

Dinners:

Monday: Meat & Cheese Roll Ups

2 ounces of ham deli meat wrapped around 2 slices pepper jack cheese, served with strawberries, broccoli and mushrooms and light ranch

Tuesday: Crepe Roll Ups

1 crepe wrapped around 2 ounces chicken deli meat and 1 tablespoon light blue cheese, served with asparagus, grapes, and grape tomatoes

Wednesday: Southwest Chicken with Dill Greek Yogurt Dip

3 ounces southwest chicken with 1 ounces plain greek yogurt with 3/4 teaspoon dill, served with buffalo pretzel chips, broccoli, mushrooms, and strawberries

Thursday: Imitation Crab

1/2 cup imitation crab, served with 1 grapes, asparagus, 1/2 serving buffalo pretzel chips and grape tomatoes

Friday: Daddy Brings Dinner Home

Saturday: Enchilada Chicken

Sunday: Church Potluck

 What’s on your Menu this week?

This week I’ve decided to battle dinner in a new way! I am going to try and pre-pack bentos for my dinners this week. I am just really struggling with the desire to cook of late. On Sunday I pulled out my handy dandy Ziploc Divided Container (aff link) and started creating bentos with exactly how many calories I needed for a meal. That way I could just pull them

Bentos for Healthy Eating

Bentos can be anything from works of art, to just making something cute, to a meal packed with lots of colorful fresh food.

When I pack my bento I try to fill the largest section with protein and then fill in with veggies and fruit. As I pack the food into the different sections I use a dry erase pen to keep track of calories.

The Menu:

Lunches:

• Monday: Walking Lunch
• Tuesday: Strawberry Goat Cheese Grilled Sandwich
  
• Wednesday: Easy Tuna Melt
  
• Thursday:
• Friday: Light Jamba Juice with Protein
• Saturday:
• Sunday:  Eat Out

Dinners:

Monday: Hummus & Feta Stuffed Meat Wraps

2 ounces of chicken deli meat wrapped around 2 tablespoons of red pepper hummus and 2 tablespoons of feta. Served with apples, Buffalo Pretzel Chips, and snow peas with French Onion Snow Peas (348 calories)

Tuesday: Meat & Cheese Rolls with Hummus Dip

2 ounces of chicken deli meat wrapped with 2 slices of pepper jack cheese. Served with strawberries, snow peas and 1/4 cup red pepper hummus. (357 calories)

Wednesday: Pepper’s Antipasto

17 slices turkey pepperoni, 3 kalamata olives, 5 green olives, 5 black olives, and 1 light cheese stick. Served with strawberries and snow peas with French Onion Laughing Cow (312 calories)

Thursday: Imitation Crab with Wasabi Almonds

1/2 cup imitation crab and 1 ounce wasabi almonds. Served with green beans and apples. (340 calories)

Friday: Daddy Brings Dinner Home

Saturday: Chicken & Beef with Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce (+ Snack)

3 ounces Southwestern Chicken, 3 ounces Tyson Steak, 1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt mixed with 1 teaspoon mustard. Served with hard boiled egg, green beans, and strawberries. (400 calories)

Sunday: Church Potluck

 What’s on your Menu this week?

Being healthy doesn’t always mean watching what you are eating and exercising, sometimes it is about taking time for yourself or spending time with your family. Taking some time to have fun and just enjoy yourself will help you with stress. Finding healthy ways to relax are important for you to battle overeating and emotional eating. If your mind is wanting you to eat, but you are not hungry find something else enjoyable to do.

Play Together!

One thing that can really help brighten your day is taking time with your kids. Stop and just enjoy them. Here is one fun way to do that. Make something together and play! Zarek and I decided to try making koolaid play dough and it was tons of fun.

What you will need:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons cream of tarter
• 1 package koolaid

Step 1: Add all your ingredients into a saucepan

Step 2: Place over medium heat and stir till forms a ball

Step 3: Let cool for a few minutes on the counter, then kneed till smooth

Tip: Set up your little one “cleaning” the dishes while you wait

Step 4: Play!

How do you take time with your kids?