FitYaf's food hacks that will help you stay healthy

We're about 10 days into our August Challenge Group over here at FitYaf, and everyone is doing AMAZING!  People are losing weight, losing inches but most importantly, FEELING BETTER.  The other day, we were talking about substitutions you can make in your kitchen to help keep your nutrition in check, and everyone had such GREAT ideas!  I couldn't wait to share them with all of you!

Not only for guacamole, avocado works great as a replacement for butter in baked goods such as muffins and breads without altering the flavor.  Use the same amount of pureed avocado as you would butter, and you’ll save about 80 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 7 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. Make the same one-to-one swap for mayo in dressing and sandwiches like tuna fish to eliminate about 70 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 1 gram of saturated per tablespoon.

The mashed cauliflower low-carb fanatics eat instead of mashed potatoes can also be used to make vegan-friendly creamy soups. Add extra of whatever veggie you will be using in the soup at the beginning, then remove some once it’s cooked, puree until smooth, and return it to the pot, adding a cup at a time until the soup thickens.  Cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, potatoes and white beans all work well.  You can even sub the pureed veggies for cream, but be sure to get them to a very smooth consistency by blending with some broth or milk.   

More amazing things to do with cauliflower:
Green Saffron Cauliflower “Risotto” with Roasted Vegetables
Not-So-Fried Rice

An alternate sauce thickener:
How to make cream sauce without cream

When making a veggie dip or even making your guacamole creamer, use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  It gives the same consistency and taste without the added calories and fat - even adds protein.  You can also use it instead of mayonnaise when making chicken or tuna salad!

Flaxseed can be added to baked products as a whole seed, imparting a healthy appearance and increased texture quality. However, flaxseed must be ground (milled) prior to consumption to obtain the potential health benefits from the Omega-3 fatty acids and lignans.

Take any recipe that calls for pasta and substitute with veggie "noodles", cut using a spiralizer.  My challengers love using zucchini!

PB2 is powdered protein from peanut butter - all of the great peanut taste, without any of the fat.  It's great to add to smoothies (I add it to my chocolate shakeology EVERY DAY) or even sauces when making stir fry or pad thai.

What's your favorite food hack?