Pinspiration- Dinner style

I know I posted a while ago about how great of a motivator pinterest can be, since you can pin gadgets you want, or sayings that help remind you that you don't really want to eat that cake.

It can also be home of drool worthy cupcake photos, so when using pinterest one must tread lightly.

However what I want to focus on today are all the healthy ideas you can find on pinterest!

One of our major downfalls is pizza. It is quick, and cheap and convenient, and delicious. Even if it isn't quick or convenient, it is so delicious that- well who cares! It is also LOADED with calories, which is why this onetime staple of weekends has been forced to be an occasional treat.

But here are some ways to help keep pizza in our rotation, without busting the calorie budget (and since they are recipes that you make at home they are easy on the dollars budget too)

I have not tried this one yet, but I am thinking it just might need to pop up on the menu for the week:
Cauliflower Crust Pizza: 
There is a whole blog post, that is totally worth reading, but here is the gist:
CRUST:
1/2 LARGE head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (or try another kind!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt


(click the link for the step by step how to) 

I just love this idea! 

In a time pinch, I also love the crust alternative of zucchini! 

No recipe needed, since you just use zucchini in place of a pizza crust! It would be super easy to cut the zucchini in to circles and make pizza bites out of this too, perfect for a sports party in a calorie conscious way! 

So don't get too distracted by all the cupcake pins, there are healthy ideas too! 

I challenge you to a Dual Challenge Duel

From now on I am going to post a 2 part weekly challenge on Thursday or Friday. The weekend portion will be focused on activity, and the weekday portion will be focused on diet. I think that a little peer pressure goes a long way, and that if I feel like my blog readers expect me to do something, then I am more likely to do it.

So for the inaugural weekly challenge:

Weekend challenge: This weekend I challenge everyone to do a "slow burn" type of activity in addition to whatever they were planning on doing for exercise. To me a "slow burn" is something where you are marginally more active for a long time, like a nice long walk, or a slow swim, or even the extra calories you burn from cleaning the house. (See how I'm trying not to interfere with the stuff you have to get done?) Add one extra hour of slow burn activity to your weekend each day.

The week challenge is to add something healthy to your meals this week, that is not a part of your diet. If you don't like lentils, try a lentil curry, if you don't typically go for zucchini, try some broiled with a hint of pepper. Add something that is on my super healthy foods list to your diet, even just one night this week. It doesn't have to be something you don't like, just something you rarely eat!

Here are some ideas:
Lentils
Oats
Quinoa
Acorn Squash
Walnuts
Blueberries
Bran
Flax
Eggplant
Bell Peppers

These are just a few ideas for things that some people don't eat on a regular basis. Try adding walnuts or blueberries to your pancakes, replace cold cereal with oatmeal, or try adding lentils to a soup.

I hope this inspires someone to join me in trying to add one little thing per week, to help get in shape!