Giving into Your Inner Chocoholic Without Blowing Your Diet

For some of us, nothing satisfies quite like chocolate. In fact, surveys show that for women chocolate ranks as the #1 most craved food. With the holiday season right around the corner, can you indulge in chocolatey treats without blowing your diet?

My mentality as a dietitian is not to deny yourself that chocolate, but figure out ways to fit it into your diet in different forms that won’t derail you. Here are some ideas to satisfy your chocolate urge — with real nutritional benefits.

Breakfast:
– make up my protein brownie overnight oats: mix 1/3 cup + 1/3 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt + 1/2 scoop protein powder + 1-2tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder + liquid stevia + 3/4 cup almond milk and refrigerate overnight

– whip up a batch of protein pancakes and add cocoa powder: combine 1 mashed banana + 1/4 cup egg white + 1 scoop protein powder + 1tbsp cocoa for make ahead pancake batter

– combine 1tbsp cocoa + 1/2 scoop protein powder with 1/2 cup egg whites and dip Ezekiel bread in it for Chocolate French Toast

Snacks (or desserts or more breakfast):
– get that cocoa fix with a chocolate variation of protein chia: 3tbsp chia seed + 1/2 cup Greek yogurt + 3/4 cup almond milk + 1tbsp cocoa + stevia

– add cocoa to Greek yogurt with some vanilla & stevia, top with nut butter, hemp seeds or berries **can be frozen for an instant froyo!

– whip up a protein shake with chocolate-flavoured protein powder, ice, unsweetened almond milk, cocoa powder, stevia; optional add in nut butter

– combine your coffee with ice and 1tbsp cocoa powder, splash almond milk & stevia for an iced mocha

– puree 1/2 very ripe avocado, 1 scoop protein powder, 2tbsp cocoa, 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or water, stevia and vanilla in a magic bullet or food processor for an instant chocolate pudding (1P+1F)

So boldly go forth, and enjoy the occasional chocolatey treat… and may Portion Control be with you!

The post Giving into Your Inner Chocoholic Without Blowing Your Diet appeared first on Toronto Boot Camp, Personal Training, Bikini Competition Prep.

source https://www.buildmybodybeautiful.com/giving-inner-chocoholic-without-blowing-diet/

7 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes – Toronto Nutritionist Shares Her Go To Treats

Starbucks has sold more than 200 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the past 10 years. Even the makers of Pringles are getting in on the action. There is definitely something about this amazing fruit (and yes, pumpkin is a fruit) that most people like. So today, I will share with you my go to healthy pumpkin recipes!

Pumpkin: It’s yummy and it’s seasonal.

A quick wander around the grocery store reveals shelves full of the canned stuff on sale. And we’re in the middle of a full-on flavor takeover!! There’s pumpkin in your cookies, coffee and half the products in the store.

While most pumpkin-flavored treats should be added to the once-in-a-while list, pumpkin itself (not to be confused with artificial pumpkin spice flavoring) is actually one of the healthier foods of the season. Check out these benefits:

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

• Feel Fuller: Pumpkin seeds pack about 1.7 grams of dietary fiber per ounce, while mashed pumpkin has only 50 calories per cup and 3 grams of fiber. “Fiber helps keep you fuller longer, which keeps your appetite at bay so you eat less overall.
• Boost Vision: A cup of cubed pumpkin contains almost twice the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which promotes good vision. Bonus: Vitamin A also helps form and maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones.
• Lower Blood Pressure: Pumpkin is loaded with potassium which helps with electrolyte and fluid balance. The perfect post-workout to aid recovery.
• Have a Healthier Heart: All that fiber can also help protect your heart and lower risk of coronary heart disease.

RELATED: PUMPKIN-CINNAMON OVERNIGHT OATS

That means pumpkin-laced desserts won’t quite cut it. For a healthier way to add pumpkin into your diet, and finding a good use for leftovers can sometimes prove challenging. Whether you find yourself with a one tablespoon or one cup of leftover pumpkin puree, here are some smart (and delicious!) ways to use it up.

7 Delicious Healthy Pumpkin Recipes

1. Make your own pumpkin spice latte: For a lot of people this is the drink of fall. I say, why buy it when you can make it yourself! If you find yourself with just a couple leftover tablespoons of pumpkin puree, this drink is the number one reason why you need to save them! Mix 1-3tbsp pumpkin puree with 1tsp pumpkin spice, 1/2tsp vanilla extract, 1tsp instant coffee granules, 1 cup heated almond milk and a bit of your preferred sweetener for your own homemade healthier version.

2. Stir it into oats: This healthy pumpkin recipe is a delicious and cozy way to start any fall morning. Just stir a spoonful of pumpkin puree into a prepared bowl of oatmeal. I also love adding a dash of cinnamon.

RELATED: HOW TO TIME YOUR MEALS TO LOSE WEIGHT FASTER

3. Add it to a smoothie: I’ve discussed adding pumpkin to your coffee, so why not your smoothie! Celebrate autumn and jazz up your smoothie with a little pumpkin puree.

4. Use it up in a baking recipe: From cakes to muffins, cookies and bars, there’s no shortage of tasty fall desserts that use less than 1 cup of pumpkin puree. You can also use pumpkin pureed in place of butter/oil in muffin and cake recipes to decrease the fat content.

5. Turn it into a dip: With football taking over the weekends, fall is the perfect time for dip. Pumpkin puree works especially well with hummus. Make your next batch more seasonal with a few tablespoons of pumpkin puree blended in!

6. Stir it into your favorite chili or curry: One of the great things about chili is how versatile it is. You can add just about anything. So, whether it’s one tablespoon or one can, I recommend adding pumpkin puree to your next pot of chili. The flavor isn’t very noticeable, but just knowing it’s in there is enough for us. Pumpkin puree also plays well with so many of the flavors commonly found in curries! You can make a whole recipe centered on squash, or just add a few tablespoons to a finished curry.

7. Pancakes: Fall mornings just got a whole lot tastier! Pumpkin pancakes just might be the most delicious thing to hit your breakfast table. Out of all healthy pumpkin recipes this is my favorite: mix an equal amount of oat flour and pumpkin. Once you achieve a nice consistency, pan fry it on coconut oil.

When you don’t have a healthy pumpkin recipes in mind – freeze it! Simply spoon the leftover puree into an ice cube tray and place it in the freezer. After the cubes are frozen, remove them from the tray and store in a freezer container or Ziploc bag.

These women were following my diet plans.

BOOK A FREE DIET CONSULTATION WITH ME

 

The post 7 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes – Toronto Nutritionist Shares Her Go To Treats appeared first on Toronto Boot Camp, Personal Training, Bikini Competition Prep.

source https://www.buildmybodybeautiful.com/healthy-pumpkin-recipes/

Sugar Free Cake: Chocolate Chip that Will Keep You Fit

This sugar free cake will not only blast your cravings for sweets, but will also help you build some lean muscle!

Many of my clients ask me to help them with cooking healthy meals and share some recipes. And I never mind it! Sticking to a healthy plan is tough, if all you eat is plain food all the time.

I always loved to cook and even have a culinary degree, so coming up with delicious and healthy recipes for my clients is a no brainer.

Now I do have to warn you that even though this sugar free cake, is also lactose and gluten free, it doesn’t mean that it is calorie free. We will use some ingredients that are a bit calorie heavy, so I recommend having this cake sparingly and only if you are craving sweets. Have a slice here in there, but otherwise, stick to your Body Beautiful diet plan.

Chocolate Chip, Sugar Free Cake Recipe

Serves 8 – maintenance phase

Ingredients

• 2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 egg whites
• 1 whole egg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce OR pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup baking stevia
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips OR cocoa nibs

RELATED: CINNAMON BUN OVERNIGHT OATS RECIPE

ICING (Optional)

• 1 tablespoon baking stevia
• 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
• 6oz fat free cream cheese

LOAF

• Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips in blender.
• Add chocolate chips and fold into mix after.
• Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes

RELATED: GRILLED CHIPOTLE TEMPEH RECIPE

ICING

• Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
• Add to loaf cake once cool

My passion is to help women to achieve their best. And you simply can’t achieve your best if you are not eating right. No matter how much your push yourself at the gym, at the end of the day, it’s what you eat outside of it that matters the most.

Need help getting your diet in order? Book a free consultation with me and let’s start putting together a sensible meal plan that will take you to your goals and beyond!

The post Sugar Free Cake: Chocolate Chip that Will Keep You Fit appeared first on Toronto Boot Camp, Personal Training, Bikini Competition Prep.

source https://www.buildmybodybeautiful.com/sugar-free-cake/

Thanks for Voting Us Best Toronto Bootcamp and Weight Loss Plans for Women

We want to thank all of you who have taken the time to vote for us  and a very special thanks to our loyal clients for giving us a rather wonderful opportunity to work with you. The fantastic people of Toronto chose us to be the city’s top dogs in fitness and voted us in the Best of Toronto Bootcamp Classes and Weight Loss Programs category in NOW Magazine!

I launched Build My Body Beautiful in 2010. I’d never imagined to be amongst the city’s top weight loss programs for women! All I wanted is to help women be comfortable with their bodies and teach them to lead a healthy lifestyle. It was one class twice a week, and a couple of personal training clients.

Today, we are hosting bootcamp classes multiple times a day and have helped literally hundreds of women get in the best shape of their life! I couldn’t be happier!!!

NOW Magazine said this about our services and I think it’s the best description of what we do:

“At the heart of its individualized programs is an understanding of women’s emotions, needs and the obstacles they face. BMBB’s philosophy is not just about building better bodies; it’s also about motivating women in a supportive, social atmosphere to achieve a more positive self-image.”

They say “Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life” and I can truly say that we have the best team @BMBB and we all LOVE what we do!

So… we are the best Toronto bootcamp this year (according to Torontonians). And most of all, we are pleased, honored and humbled to accept this award on behalf of Build My Body Beautiful, our dedicated team and our amazing clients!

Thank you!!!

Ana & Ivan

PS

Juuust a reminder that you can experience one of our workouts completely free of charge! Click here, choose your workout and claim your free class!!!

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source https://www.buildmybodybeautiful.com/toronto-bootcamp/