Pancakes//Low Carb

This morning I decided I didn't want my usual food items: bacon, sausage and/or eggs, so I thought what other things can I have that are low carb? Pancakes? Yea, right. Then I started thinking, how can I make some pancakes that are low carb? I got out my almond flour which is 6 carbs per 1/4 cup. I added in 1 egg, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup water or more if you want, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 TBSP Truvia which is 8 carbs. Mix all these together and the mix makes about 1 Cup. I would say each pancake is about 4 carbs, I separated the 1 cup into 1/4 cup size pancakes. With this mix you will get about 4 pancakes, I ate 2 and that was filling.

I don't know if I did this the correct way for counting carbs, which I'm not really counting my carbs, I'm just trying to element processed foods, bread, pasta and sugars. Okay, so the almond flour is nice because it is low in carbs 1/4 cup = 6g carbs. It will be a bit gritty, if that's the right word, but this doesn't get anymore close to actual flour and that is what you need for pancakes, cakes, and muffins. Anyways, the only other thing I added to the carb total was the Truvia, I used 1 TBSP maybe I could of used less but this was a test run. My 1 TBSP of Truvia = 8g Carbs, added to the almond flour equals a total of 14g carbs. Since the mixture made 1 Cup I separated each pancake into 1/4 cups, I decided to divide 14 by 4 and that came to 3.5 and I rounded to 4. That is how I got my 4g carb per pancake.

I also used sugar free syrup which is very low in carbs and I would say I used no more than 1 1/2 teaspoons if that. The pancakes came out really good, and they satisfy that want for pancakes. The 2 I had filled me up, I don't feel bloated or tired. I plan to try this for my other craving: blueberry muffins. The only thing about that is blueberries are high in carbs, so I will have to figure out how to keep the total carb count lower.

Squash and Zucchini in Marinara

Another dish with squash and zucchini pasta. This time I decided to use the last bit of tomatoes and onions I had, so I chopped them up, let them cook a bit in some E.V.O.O, tossed in some garlic, basil, water, salt, pepper, oregano, red chili pepper flakes, and garlic salt with parsley. After I brought all those ingredients to a boil, I let them simmer for about 45 minutes. I guess you can call that a marinara sauce-ish. I used 1 zucchini and 1 squash this time but I should of made more, because my babe wanted more and there was none left. (lol)

What I loved about this dish was that it was so light and all of the ingredients blended together so nice. It filled me up. The colors on the dish are so bright and vivid and this is all low carb too! The best part about eating low carb (or trying) is that when you eat you don't feel bloated or tired, you feel full, but not bloated and there is a difference! This is also vegetarian and vegan if you don't add the cheese at the end!

Caprese Salad

This is an easy and delicious low carb snack or lunch idea that I love! The only thing that is a little high in carbs is the balsamic glaze (7 per teaspoon) which I doubt I even used that much, but everything else is 0! You can design this any way you want, you can slice them up like I did, you can chop them up into a salad bowl, or you can stack them. The colors are just beautiful as well! It was a while since I'd had one and I love it because it's so light and yummy, yet fills you up! I'm sure most people have had a caprese salad before but if you haven't I don't know what you are waiting for.

For me the hard part is finding things that keep me on track. I can easily fall off the bandwagon if I get too bored or distracted so I've decided to think of more creative snack, lunch and dinner ideas. Stay tuned for more! :)

Spring Outfit

Love me some Target!! Who doesn't? It doesn't help that I live across the street from super Target so I am always there and I always end up spending more money than I should when I go. A couple weeks ago I stopped by to get a couple things and I got these cute shorts, perfect for spring and this great weather we are having. I also picked out this high-low floral print top! I'd pair this outfit with a pair of brown wedges and have the perfect day outfit!

The shorts are really nice because they are soft and comfortable, they also will go with a lot of different color tops: white, black, mint, light blue... A lot so that's nice for me, I can make different outfits from one piece!

      

[The lace in this picture looks black but it's actually a navy blue]

[added another shirt that I thought was cute]

[These wedges are from Charlotte Russe.  I always find a pair I like for a good price]

     

Swimsuits for Spring and Summer

I usually get all my swimsuits from Victoria's Secret, they have a huge selection and it helps that I have a credit card with them too! :) I can't wait to get some new suits to wear to the beach this spring and summer, here are some of my favorites! Also, Victoria's Secret has a bikini mixer where you mix and match a bunch of tops, bottoms and colors!

[Love these colors!]

[Same top as before paired with their new Itsy bottoms <3]

[Love these bottoms with a plain but bright top]

[another one with bright colors!]

[Love how this top looks like a mermaid top!]

Meal Prepping

If you are trying to stick with eating healthy or to a diet the best thing you can do for yourself is to prep your meals ahead of time. I like to start on a Monday, I go shopping and get all my foods I want to have for the week. I usually only prep for dinner and lunches (such as salads) because usually for breakfast I'll just have some eggs, sausage and/or bacon. I eat a lot of chicken, for me it is easy to make and it goes with everything (almost). I bake my chicken at 375 for about 30-40 minutes and I season it with different stuff, such as; salt and pepper, sometimes Mrs. Dash, lemon & pepper, and anything that gives it some added flavor.

For veggies I pick asparagus and broccoli and every once in a while squash and zucchini. If I do asparagus and broccoli I will boil them, but if I decide on Zucchini and Squash I saute them up. With the chicken in the oven I might bake some sweet potatoes for the week too, I just wash them off, poke a bunch of holes in them with a fork and then wrap them in aluminum foil.

I work nights so I just make sure I eat before I go into work. This makes it much easier to stick with doing my low carb diet. I make sure I drink a ton of water (that and coffee is all I drink) and I like to bring a snack like raw almonds to help with hunger.

It is easier to go for something that is already made and ready to go, rather than think of something to make and all that goes with it. It took me a long time to finally do this and ever since I did I am so happy because it really saves time and helps keep you on the right path!

Always By My Side

Rocco. Our first cat together when we first moved in and ever since he was a kitten he has always been attatched to me. The cats don't sleep in our room at night and every morning when I wake up Rocco is right there by the door running up to me and greeting me, yes it could be he is ready for breakfast but after he eats he comes and finds me. When I get ready for work or to go somewhere he sits on my counter and watches me get ready. After a long day at work or out running errands he greets me at the door, rolls onto his back and waits for me to come and pet him!

I know some people aren't "cat people" but Rocco is the sweetest cat and he has quite the personality. He loves to cuddle and Peroni does NOT, it is so funny how they are so different but both of them hold a special place in my heart! As well as, my first cat ever Lucky whom I have had since I was in 3rd grade. Lucky lives with my parents and my little sister takes excellent care of him!

Spring Style Outfit

All the colors of spring are so beautiful! One of the colors that sticks out to me is Violet Tulip. Now I have this perfect button down blouse that is a little bit darker but it's close enough and paired with a nice pair of white pants really makes it pop! Here is a picture of the items pieced together to make the perfect birthday dinner or spring outfit!

Whenever I am having trouble deciding what to wear or if different pieces will go together, I look on Polyvore and piece together different items on a board and see how I feel about the outfit then! You can download the app on your phone or tablet. If you have the app, what do you think? Do you use it often?

M&Ms

Okay, so I'm very lucky and hardly ever have a craving for sweets but when I do I never know what to do because I don't want to eat something that isn't good for me. Another thing that I love about trying to eat a low carb diet is the fact that Atkins has a bunch of great products that help you stay on tract. They have things for people who have sweet cravings, can't eat a big breakfast or need an easy snack or shake for their mid day pick up.

I just recently discovered M&Ms (well they call them chocolate candies) from Atkins and I thought why not give it a shot! This is perfect for me, nice and light little chocolate snack, just what I need when I randomly want something sweet! Surprise they are amazing! So amazing I had to stop myself from having a second bag! Either way these are definitely worth it and they really help to curb that sweet tooth! Try them out! ;-)

Salmon and Peppers

Still trying to eat healthy and low carb, my babe made us this amazing lunch. Grilled salmon with green and yellow peppers! It was perfect! The peppers weren't spicy and really paired great with the salmon! He added a lemon slice on the plate which was an added bonus, really added to the flavor of the salmon and peppers!

Something like this is so simple, not too many ingredients and it doesn't take long to make! That is the key, when you start adding in other ingredients, making it complicated you get turned off and aggravated. You don't want to do that to yourself because it will lead you to taking the easy, quick way out and eating something not good for you. Another tip is don't wait until you are starving to make yourself something, prep ahead to help or have a healthy snack first.

 I can't wait for him to make this again! A meal that is so easy and light it is just a perfect lunch that fills you up without making you feel bloated or blah!

Kitty Caps

We have two cats that are inside cats. The two things that we constantly struggle with is the hair and the fact that they like to claw at the furniture. I've read that cats need to claw at things because it helps to stretch their arms and it is also a way for them to mark their territory. We have tried everything; spray bottles, tape, scratch off spray and nothing works until I discovered Kitty Caps. 

Kitty Caps are these caps that go over your cat's nails, you glue them on and in about 2-3 weeks they grow out and fall off. It doesn't hurt them or anything, it is perfectly safe and our cats don't even know they are on. So far, so good! This also helps preventing them from accidentally scratching us or the kids when we are playing with them. I really think this way is a lot better than getting them declawed and the product comes with enough caps to last about 4-5 times if you have one cat or 2-3 times if you have two cats. I only put them on their front paws too. 

They have different color caps too, they have clear, which is what I chose, blue and pink!