First Food Frenzy Friday

Try saying that 5 times fast!

I'm excited to introduce my very first "Food Frenzy Friday" post. I am constantly trying to find new skinny recipes to try and give my own twist to. Even more so, I am always looking for new foods to try in the grocery store. I love to snack so finding healthy ways to cut out the sugary snacks to find healthier, more filling snack options are super important to me.

My very first feature recipe is a Pinterest discovery: Cauliflower Pizza. Yes, you read that right. This pizza doesn't have cauliflower on it... The crust is actually comprised on cauliflower, a little bit of cheese, and an egg. I need to credit Skinny Mom for this as it was her recipe and the reviews on her amazing blog that convinced me this recipe was worth a try... And was it ever!!

Let me start off with telling you... I love pizza. I grew up in Connecticut so if it wasn't authentic New Haven or New York style pizza, it just couldn't be any good. I didn't have any weird cravings when I was pregnant, but I probably could have eaten pizza every day if I thought it was actually a good idea. Since the start of 2013, we haven't really had much pizza. Even when we were visiting family last month, they ordered pizzas and I ordered a salad for myself. Tough to do but while I am working toward my goal, I am trying to keep my splurging to the absolute minimum.

I am not a fan of cauliflower. However, this pizza is absolutely delicious. My husband even said if he hasn't seen the recipe on the counter, he wouldn't have known the difference. It tasted a lot like pizza dough, though I think next time I need to try to blend the crust better together since it was pizza we had to eat with a fork and knife. I know this sounds impossible but it really was fantastic and I encourage you to try it! Skinny mom made hers with turkey pepperoni, but you can use whatever toppings you like!

Photo Source: Skinny Mom

Onto my grocery store finds. I have been poking around the protein bar section of the grocery store. I would never eat one of those bars for a meal so the calorie allowance for one full bar is too much. However, Zone came out with a line of bars for kids called Kidz Zone Perfect. I decided to buy a box of the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. I am hooked! Only 150 calories, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein... And the bar is a perfect snack size! I also picked up the Yellow Cupcake flavor this week. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed, but I think I was expecting it to literally taste just like a Yellow Cupcake. It did have the right flavors but it just wasn't what I was expecting, something about it tasted too artificial for me. They also come in Caramel Crunch which are on my grocery list to pick up!

Photo Source: Kidz ZonePerfect

While I love peanut butter, I am not a big fan of nuts in general. Something about the textures I think. I keep reading how the right nuts can be a healthy snack option. I found Emerald Cinnamon Roasted Almonds. I love cinnamon! And they sell a box of 100 calorie packs too (which is actually what I purchased... helps to make sure you don't eat too many!!) I remember reading that cinnamon helps lower blood sugar and cholesterol as well as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Mmm now I want some cinnamon roasted almonds. Emerald also has cocoa roasted almonds in the 100 calorie packs amongst other varieties that they sell in canisters. I may need to try those too!

Photo Source: Amazon.com

I've been trying to get on the Greek Yogurt bandwagon. I have been an Activia advocate for years. Too many sugars, not enough protein. I had tried a few of the "big" brands of Greek Yogurt on the market but just didn't like them. My sister recently tried Yoplait Greek 100 and said she enjoyed that the most of all the brands. I bought a few different flavors and agreed with her --- if was the best! Vanilla has always been my favorite flavor, but I've also has the Mixed Berry, Peach, and Key Lime. All are great. Plus there are 10 grams of protein per serving (in the Vanilla - not sure if that varies based on the flavor). And if you're following Weight Watchers, these yogurts are WW approved with the points noted in the container.

Photo Source:  Yoplait Greek 100

I hope you've enjoyed my first Food Frenzy Friday, and that you have found that one of these foods might work in your diet. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me!