5 Weight Loss Tips That Work

You have been exercising faithfully for months.  Your have been fueling up on healthy foods.  You get plenty of sleep and your stress levels are low.

But no matter what you do, you just don't seem to be making any progress in your weight loss journey.

As you may know, I prefer to focus on balance and moderation rather than weight loss.  However, I am a realist.  I know that losing fat is a big motivating factor for many of you.

I also know that you have probably have tried every trick in the book to shed those last few pounds.

Well, here are a few weight loss tips that are safe, easy and actually work.
(Just remember to check in with your doc before you make any changes. :)

Friday Favourites: Healthy Makeover Inspiration

I have had baking on the brain.

The past few weeks have been very busy and I haven't been able to spend much time in the kitchen.  As I was surfing the net this week, the only sites I found myself visiting were the ones that pertained to delicious desserts.

Source

Healthy Makeover: Morning Glory Muffins

Morning glory muffins contain everything I love: pineapple, carrots, raisins, cinnamon...the list could go on.  But when I saw a package in the store with a whooping 450 calories and 22g of fat, I could feel a challenge coming on.

I knew I could make a healthier version will all the delicious flavours sans the calories and fat.

Healthy Makeover: Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Oh, how I missed baking.  I am back and with a healthy makeover, no less. :)

I actually came across these bars while searching for a recipe to use up the copious amounts for strawberries I have in my freezer.

They are very similar to the lemon bars I made, but this time I wanted to try to make them everything free (i.e. egg free, dairy free, gluten free, vegan.)

So, what did I change?

• Reduced the sugar by approx. 75% and replaced with maple syrup
• Eliminated the eggs and replaced with flax
• Eliminated the butter, replaced with margarine and reduced by approx. 50%
• Eliminated the all-purpose flour and replaced with oat flour

They turned out rather well considering this was a first attempt.  These bars are not overly sweet and very tangy from the strawberry/lemon juice combo.  They didn't quite gel together as much as they would by using eggs, but overall I am happy with the results.

Next time I may try increasing the amount of filling by about a third so the bars are a bit thicker.

Healthy Makeover: Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I love pound cake.  From its dense, spongy goodness to its lovely sweetness. This is why I don't make it very often.

Until now.

I posted on Facebook how I was itching to give it a makeover and that is exactly what I did over the weekend.  I even used stevia.

I am excited to say that I have finally found the right sugar/stevia balance.  The sweetness is perfect. The texture is too, the smell divine, the taste... not quite there.

There is something missing and I can't quite put my finger on it.  I think it needs to be flavoured a little more strongly.  I have a few ideas that I am going to share at the end of the post.

Friday Favourites: The Best of 2011

Travelling around the blog world, I have seen a lot of "Best of..." posts this past week.

I actually really like these as it reminds me of some great recipes and tips I may have forgotten or introduces me to other posts I may have missed all together. I like them so much, I decided to do one of my own.

2011 has been a slice, but I am looking forward to 2012 and all of the new possibilities that it may bring. (Stay tuned for my new inspiration board next week!)

For now, here are a few of my favourite posts from the blog this year.

Recipe Repeat: Apple-Berry Crumble

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!

I really wanted to dazzle you with a new recipe today.  However, the screen on my camera is broken and I really think that recipes need pictures to do them justice.

So I will put the new recipe in my back pocket and take this opportunity to share with you another one of my favourite recipes from blog posts' past.

If you are celebrating the holiday today, I think this apple-berry crumble would be a perfect addition to your dinner table.  It's delicious, loaded with fibre and super easy to make.

Recipe Repeat: Peanut Butter Balls

I don't have a fabulous new recipe makeover today.

However, following in the footsteps of my friend Lindsay @ Cotter Crunch, I decided to post a recipe that is worth repeating.

I have gotten more comments and feedback about these balls than any other recipe.  They are a fantastic snack, low in fat and have some protein to boot.  They also happen to be vegan.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  (I think it is time for me to make them again. ;)

I'd like to think that my photography skills have improved :)

Crispy Peanut Butter Balls (Makes 30)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup rice cereal
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper.

Mix peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat for 45-60 seconds.  At the same time, combine oat flour, wheat bran, cereal, flax, coconut and chocolate chips.

Remove peanut butter mixture and stir.  If it has not liquefied, heat for another 10-20 seconds.

Pour into dry ingredients and mix with a fork until incorporated.  Take about a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and squeeze in your hand to form into a ball.

Place balls on the cookie sheet and freeze for 15-20 minutes.  Store in the fridge.

Nutritional Information (Approx.)
59 calories
3.5 g fat
5.6 g carbs
2 g protein
1 g fibre

Do you have any recipe in your roster that you love?


Stay Healthy,
Tracy

Healthy Makeover: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

I finally did it!  After a few failed attempts, I had a successful recipe makeover. 

Here are the changes I made:

• Replaced the butter with olive oil and reduced it by half
• Replaced the sugar with honey and reduced it by a quarter
• Used whole wheat flour and oats instead of white flour
• Increased the amount of cocoa
• Reduced the amount of chocolate chips by three quarters

I am not usually a huge chocolate cookie/cake fan, but I really liked these.  The result was a cakey cookie that was not to sweet and very chocolatey.   I think they would be perfect to have with a chocolate peppermint latte, but that is just my preference :)

Recipe Makeover: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I heart coffee cake.

Jenna @ Eat, Live Run posted the most scrumptious looking recipe and I knew I had to try to make a lightened up version.

Recipe Makeover: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Brownies

I really had a craving from some brownies over the weekend.  I have madeover brownies before, but I was looking for something different.

I stumbled across a new recipe and truth be told, they are pretty madeover on their own.  Low in fat and under 100 calories per serving so I was ready to make them just the way they were and share them with you.

Recipe Makeover: Peach-Mango Cake Squares with Stevia

One of the things I mentioned in yesterday's post to help you find your inner joy is cooking.

For me, it is baking specifically.

There is just something about it that I find very relaxing and therapeutic.  Especially when I am trying to give some of my favourite desserts a healthy twist.

I decided it was time for me to try my hand at baking with stevia, although I have to admit that I have never been stevia's biggest fan.

I had always found it to be quite bitter and I didn't really like it's licorice taste.  However, lately I have found that in very small quantities (like in a smoothie) it is almost undetectable and adds that bit of sweetness I am looking for.

So with stevia in hand, I tackled this Mango Cake recipe from Food.com.  Here are some of the changes I made:

Recipe Makeover: Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

It has been a few weeks since I was able to give any recipes a "Tracy twist" and I was so happy to get back in the kitchen again.

Remember those butterscotch chips I told you about?  Well, I finally found a home for them!

Healthy Makeover: Gluten Free Vegan Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love cupcakes.

And there are certainly times when I just need a sugary treat, like my Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. 

There are other times when I want a lightened up version like my Strawberry Coconut or my Cinnamon Raisin Cupcakes.

Then there are times when I want something in between:  Enter the carrot cupcake.

Healthy Gluten Free Sesame Butter Bars Makeover

Last week, I decided to use my Magic Bullet to make some sesame butter.

It was an epic fail.  I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture of it.

It was not smooth or creamy, rather clumpy and grainy.  Am I doing something wrong?  If you have any great tips, I am all ears :)

However, all is not lost.  Instead of tossing it, I decided that I could use it in a recipe.  I scoured the Internet and came across these babies:  Chick Pea Flour Cookies.  A perfect vehicle for my botched butter.

Healthy Vanilla Chai Rice Pudding Makeover

I was over at Love Veggies and Yoga the other day and Averie was talking about some delicious and easy rice pudding she had made.

Hmmm, rice pudding?  It has been a really long time since I have made it and I was definitely up for a makeover challenge.

While her version looked super yummy, I am on week two of the detox and have to nix the dairy and sugar, so I decided to give it my own healthy twist.

I have also just discovered my strong liking (I can't commit to love just yet) for chai tea.  I thought it would be fantastic if I could recreate those spicy flavours in this recipe.

Mission accomplished.  This pudding is creamy and satisfying with just a little kick from the spices.  All the things I am looking for in a comfort food.

Healthy Baked Granola Makeover

I have been living off smoothies lately. (This one is still my all time fave).

Healthy Apricot Loaf Makeover and A Sick Day

I had a long list of things I was going to accomplish today. Tackling the laundry, working on some posters for this sale, writing a few articles and the list goes on.

But I woke up today feeling sick.  Achy, tired, hot, just plain yucky.  My first instinct was to feel guilt (like many of us) about the things I wouldn't be able to do today.

Spring Eating and Meal Makeovers

I often find that as the weather shifts from cold, dark and gloomy to sunny, bright and warn, so do my eating habits.

I move from craving this:

Top 5 Healthy Makeovers

I just realized today that I have "madeover" over 30 different desserts.  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself,

Because it is Friday and you might want to have something delicious to make for the weekend, I thought I would share with you my top 5 favourite makeovers.

#5 Gingerbread Cake