Easy Swaps To Make Baking Healthier

We work out hard all week to keep our bodies looking and feeling great, but remember... sometimes we should still enjoy deserts and foods we love! So when you decide it's time to bake something yummy, don't feel bad, just think about making some healthy substitutions. Here are a few easy swaps from Texas Fit Chicks to make baking delicious deserts and snacks just a little healthier!

1. Use flour alternatives
When baking try using buckwheat flour. What's so good about buckwheat flour?! Well besides being a gluten free alternative, it's a seed, so it's rich in antioxidants and low in starch! Surf the web for some fantastic recipes! What about almond flour?!  It's high in protein, low in carbohydrates and low in sugars. Unlike other alternatives to wheat flour, almond flour is moist and delicious. 1/4 cup of almonds has 45% of your daily value of magnesium. Lastly, check out coconut flour: it packs a whopping 5 grams of fiber per 2 tablespoons (with only 2 grams of total and saturated fat)! Coconut flour has health benefits for people with diabetes, too: adding coconut flour to baked goods lowers the glycemic index (a measure of the rate that a food increases blood sugar. Try using a combination of coconut flour and almond flour it will give you great baking results. Coconut flour gives you very airy light baking results  and almond gives you more dense baking results so the combination is great!

2. Cut the sugar with Stevia
So by now you've all heard of Stevia. Here's why it's such a great alternative to sugar and can be used in your favorite recipes. Even if you only sub in 1/2 of Stevia in the raw when baking think of how many calories you're saving. Stevia is an all natural sweetener derived from the native shrub, Stevia rebaudiana. There are plenty of popular sweeteners that can claim an all-natural origin — including honey, maple syrup, molasses, and even newcomers like agave and xylitol — but none of them can brag about being calorie free. And there are plenty of artificial sweeteners, like Sweet’N Low and NutraSweet, that are low calorie, but because they are synthetic-based, they can't claim to be natural.

3. Double your protein with greek yogurt
Tangy, thick, and lusciously rich, there's a lot to love about Greek yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt has double the protein, half the carbs and half the sodium of the regular variety. Not to mention all of the probiotic action! Greek yogurt can easily be swapped for other fats when baking or cooking. You can use Greek yogurt to cut down on sugar and butter in some recipes.

Here's a quick & delicious treat!

Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt Snack

Ingredients
1 small container of plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp peanut (or other nut) butter
1 tbsp sweetener (like maple syrup, honey, or STEVIA)
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp mini chocolate chips

Directions
Combine the Greek Yogurt with the peanut butter, Stevia, vanilla and sea salt. Mix until smooth.
Top with Mini Chocolate chips. Enjoy!

What is Texas Fit Chicks? 
We create a fun environment for women to lose weight and get FIT! With over 125 camp times and locations across the state of Texas, we are the leader in womens' fitness. Our trainers are all (female) nationally certified and have a true passion for helping other women GET fit or STAY fit! Designed to be modified for all ages and levels of fitness, Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp will change the way you look at fitness and yourself! We think every woman should have access to a trainer, at an affordable price. We believe that there is no need to yell, scream or intimidate women into working out and pushing themselves. Our trainers encourage you to push to the next level in a safe and effective way. You won't ever get bored or do the same workout twice! We have many clients that have been with us since we started, in 2009. Our program is designed to dramatically change the way you look and feel in as little as 4 weeks. Our workouts and female fitness experts can help you reach your goals, in a healthy, sustainable way. Texas Fit Chicks includes a full body composition from your trainer before and after your session, and a free meal plan from a nutritionist to maximize your boot camp results. This plan includes family friendly recipes and printable grocery lists to make healthy eating simple.

For a full list of our locations, please visit our website www.texasfitchicks.com Are you a certified trainer interested in joining our team? Find out more here: www.fitchicktrainers.com