You might know Drew Manning from his incredible Fit2Fat2Fit journey or from his appearance on Alyssa’s courageous Extreme Weight Loss episode. You might also know of Drew from his hit book Fit2Fat2Fit, but one the one thing you might NOT know about Drew Manning is that he has one of the most wonderful, beautiful (inside and out), and amazing wives of all time standing right by his side, and lending a helping hand to everything he does.

It is true the behind every great man is a great woman. Please let me introduce you to today’s guest blogger, a good friend, amazing mommy and wife, and fellow fitness and nutrition guru, Lynn Manning.

Ps – if you don’t follow her already, you should start now! (See her links below). She is full of wisdom, tips, and tricks to get even the pickiest eaters to eat. Something all of us parents appreciate!

Sweet Potato Brownie From Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit.
Copyright (c) Lynn Manning

One of my favorite things about Chris and Heidi Powell is that they teach their clients the most important lesson (in my opinion) when it comes to permanent weight-loss… It’s a lifestyle, not a diet! It’s not about fad diets, but instead healthier habits that’ll help you to lose the weight and more importantly, keep it off!

As a “foodie”, I felt nutrition would be the hardest part. My motto has always been “It’s not nutritious if it doesn’t get eaten!” I’m not a plain chicken and broccoli gal and knew I couldn’t lose weight if I had to eat tasteless food every day.

The good news is that nutritious food can taste amazing! One way my clients and I stay on track is by having healthier desserts. This is a great way to trick yourself into feeling like you are still indulging, but without sabotaging your progress.

One of my favorite recipes, that kids love too, is my Sweet Potato Brownie recipe. Hope you love it as much as we do and learn that sometimes you CAN have your cake and eat it too!

Sweet Potato Brownies
Serves 9

What you’ll need:

Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 cup Truvia
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3 eggs, whisked
1 medium sweet potato

How to make it:

1.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Use a knife or a fork to puncture the sweet potato before baking it for 25-30 minutes.
3.  Once your sweet potato is cooked all the way through, peel the skin and mash it up in a bowl.
4.  Turn your oven down to 350 degrees.
5.  Add in the Truvia, vanilla, whisked eggs, and coconut oil. Mix together.
6.  Add in the coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix together.
7.  Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish with coconut oil and pour in the mixture.
8.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until you can poke a toothpick in the middle and have it come out clean.
9.  Let it cool and enjoy.

What’s in it:

Each serving has: 102 calories, 3 g protein, 8 g fat, 113 mg sodium, and 15 g carbs.

Lynn and her husband, Drew

Want to connect with Lynn Manning? Find and follow Lynn here:
Website: women.fit2fat2fit.com

Thanks to the amazing Taylor Young, I was introduced to this tasty, no sugar added, protein carrot cake recipe! Yes, you are understanding correctly – you CAN eat carrot cake on your diet…you’re welcome ;). Now get baking!

Protein Carrot Cake Bars
Makes 16 bars

What you’ll need:

1 cup oat flour
2 scoops vanilla whey protein
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
4 egg whites
3/4 cup Stevia
8 oz baby food carrots
4 oz water

How to make them:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix egg whites, Stevia, baby food carrots and water.
4. Pour the egg/carrot mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together well.
5. Lightly grease a 9×9 baking dish with non-stick butter spray and add mixture, spreading evenly.
6. Bake 20-30 minutes until done. Enjoy!

What’s in them:

Each bar has 47 calories, .75g fat, 5g carbs and 5g of protein.

Originally featured on Self.com

As a celebrity trainer and fitness expert, Heidi Powell knows a thing or two about staying healthy no matter what the season. We turned to Powell, who will join husband Chris on season three of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, for help figuring out the healthiest bets for those of us who want to indulge a bit on Halloween!

“While no candy is necessarily a “healthy” option, we do need to be OK with rewarding ourselves every now and then, guilt-free,” says Powell. “Halloween is a great time to do this. I’ve rounded up a few things to keep in mind when choosing what pieces may satisfy your sweet tooth.”

Keep it small

Fun-size pieces are portion perfect and a clear winner in our family over king-sized or regular-sized candy bars. Portion control is key when rewarding yourself, and these mini treats make it easy. Often, we find it hard to eat only half of a Snickers bar. Thanks to the smaller size options, we can eat an entire portion and cut our calories in half.

Choose Wisely

Chocolate lover? Choose a handful of peanut butter or almond M&M’s over Tootsie Rolls. Tootsie Rolls may be lower in fat, but they’re loaded with sugar, which will leave you craving even more! The fiber and protein in the M&M’s will keep you fuller longer and the fat/fiber combo will actualy slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream, helping you to avoid the spike-crash-craving cycle.

Pick what lasts

If you’re looking for a fruity candy to satisfy your sweet tooth, choose a hard candy over a chewy candy. Chewy candies not only get stuck in your teeth and lead to tooth decay, but they also disappear much quicker in our mouths, leaving us vying for more. One piece of hard candy can last quite a while, satisfying the craving and leaving us less likely to reach for more.