For the Love of Lists

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10 Healthier Alternatives to Ice Cream

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Healthier Ice Cream

I am always in the mood for ice cream.  Unfortunately, as much as we all wish, it’s not best of food options.  So to kick off summer, here’s a list of my favorite healthier alternatives to ice cream:

  1. Frozen Hot Chocolate – mix diet/no sugar added/fat free hot cocoa mix, skim milk, and ice in a blender until smooth
  2. No Sugar Added Fudge Pops – these are only 40 calories/popsicle and give you your chocolate fix
  3. Homemade Juice Popsicles – fill popsicle molds with orange, grape, or apple juice (or create your own cocktail)
  4. Light Yogurt – mix light vanilla yogurt with granola or a tsp of mini m&ms to simulate a McFlurry
  5. Arctic Zero – this brand provides several flavors of protein-heavy ice cream at only 35-75 calories/serving
  6. Fruit Sorbet – try these recipes for easy peach and watermelon sorbets you can make in a blender
  7. Frozen Banana – sometimes all it takes is a cold banana to beat an ice cream craving (chocolate syrup doesn’t hurt)
  8. Fruit Smoothie – check out Pinterest for thousands of recipes for healthy fruit smoothies (like this banana one)
  9. Sugar-Free Pudding – look in your grocery aisle for tons of options for sugar-free jello pudding
  10. Ice Cream Cups – if nothing else will do, try a mini ice cream cup from the freezer aisle (just stick to one)

I hope this can help your summer cravings!

Quick 10: Healthier Alternatives to Pizza

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Healthier Pizza

My husband would be the first to tell you that, no matter how much I try to eat healthy, I almost always cave to pizza night.  Maybe it’s a New York thing.  If you’re battling pizza cravings as well, here are some healthier alternatives:

  1. Tortilla Pizza
  2. Matzah Pizza
  3. English Muffin Pizza (whole wheat/multigrain muffins are best!)
  4. Pizza Rolls (use reduced fat crescent dough)
  5. Margherita Sandwich
  6. Margherita Pasta
  7. Gourmet Flatbread Pizza
  8. Pizza Stuffed Peppers
  9. Cauliflower/Zucchini Crust Pizza
  10. Sausage Pizza Burger – Pile a turkey sausage patty, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and all the veggie toppings you like on a whole wheat bun

All of these recipes can be made healthier with low fat mozzarella cheese (go light!) and homemade pizza sauce.  They’re great ways to indulge your craving without completely straying from your nutrition goals.  So next time you’re looking to order in, try out one of these recipes instead!

For more ideas on how you can beat food cravings and use them to your advantage, check out my post on the Food Swap Plan!

10 Ways to Organize Your Pinterest Recipes

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One of my favorite things about Pinterest is how easy it is to find new recipes.  I am constantly finding new foods to try and ideas to alter standard meals.  Originally I kept them on one large “Tasty Treats” board, but this quickly turned into the “back closet” of recipes – full of all the ideas I’d toss in there never to be found again.  If that sounds familiar, here are a few ways you can organize your recipe pins to make them a little more handy:

  1. By Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Sides, Dessert…
  2. By Ingredient: Chicken, Potatoes, Apples, Chocolate…
  3. By Category: Soups, Breads, Cakes, Salads…
  4. By Type: Kid’s Food, Work Lunches, Party Appetizers…
  5. By Nutrition: Low-Cal Dinners, Superfoods, Low-Sodium Snacks…
  6. By Diet: Gluten-Free, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Weight Watchers…
  7. By Ethnicity: Italian, Indian, Greek, Korean…
  8. By Time: 30 Min, 60 Min, 2+ Hr…
  9. By Method: Slow Cooker, Grill, Roasting, Pressure Cooker…
  10. By Complexity: Weeknight Meal, Weekend Dinner, Special Occasion…

Here are a few further suggestions:

  • Think about how you search for new recipes – this will help you choose your primary method of organizing.
  • The best way to setup your boards will likely be a mix of the options above – use whatever makes sense.
  • Start each board with the title “Recipes”  or similar to group them together in the list (ex. Recipes – Chicken).
  • Create boards for special events (ex. party planning).
  • Save your favorite recipes with the “like” option or pin copies to a “Favorites” board.  It’ll make your go-to recipes easy to find.
  • Be creative – if you want to organize your pins by chef, by calorie content, or by color, go on ahead – it’s your system.

I hope I’ve given you some new ideas to setup your Pinterest boards for easy access to new recipes.  While it may take extra time at first to redistribute your pins, it’ll be worth it next time you’re planning out your Sunday dinner.  Bon appetite!