You ever have one of those days when no matter how much food you consume you are still hungry? Really stomach? I just fed you and if you didn't get the memo I am on a diet...geeze! Days like this make me get real creative with my food choices as I still wanna make sure I am within my calorie limits which got me thinking I should share my tasty little low calorie snacks with the rest of the world....or at least the very small portion of the world that reads my blog. :)
The key is to snack on filling things that pack the most bang for their buck. Favorite snack numero uno is Green Giant single serving Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce. YUM! It has only 40 calories, 1g of fat and 2g of protein. Fills ya up, you get a serving of vegetables and it actually tastes delicious!
My second favorite and most filling is Emerald Almonds Cocoa Roast 100 calorie packs. They are coated with a dark chocolate powder but, coming from a girl that doesn't like dark chocolate, I can tell ya they are delicious and just the right amount sweet. Only 100 calories, 8g of fat and 3g of protein, they are the perfect mid-afternoon snack.
My favorite indulgent low calorie snack is Mister Salty Yogurt Covered Pretzels 100 calorie pack. So yummy! With only 4g of fat and 1g of protein. This satisfies your salty and sweet craving in one swoop!
The best snack I have found being that I am not eating meat any longer is low fat cottage cheese which can be comboed with all kinds of stuff. A cup of 2% is about 200 calories, 4g of fat and a whopping 31g of protein! I dice up tomato or drizzle honey on it and viola! A delicious, filling protein packed snack.
If you have any other delicious low cal snack ideas, do share....because lately it seems all I do is SNACK!
Until next time,
Busy B
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
18 months already!
Its been awhile since I have given an update on Gianna and she is already 18 1/2 months old! Every stage of her life so far has been my favorite and this stage is no exception. It definitely has more challenges than some of the other stages but its still equally if not more fun.
So let's start with what's the same...she's still tall and skinny. Can't pack a pound on that kid to save my life though she's always eating. She still loves mom in the morning and dad at night. Loves Yo Gabba Gabba and all things Mickey Mouse and would gladly move outside in a tent if we let her. She loves being outside and ever since she learned how to say outside, whenever she can see outside she says it and gets really excited. (Which is why if we have to do stuff inside we keep the blinds close...its just easier that way.) LOL
Nowadays she says more words than we can count which is awesome because I love having conversations with her. Its fun to finally know whats going on in her head! Funny thing is that she's well....funny! She totally has a little sense of humor that keeps us always laughing. She loves to show us her "funny face" which is her, sticking her tongue out. And when she asks for something she knows she can't have like a cookie for breakfast and I tell her no she giggles and says, "I know."
She has a flare for all things dramatic which Daniel claims she gets from me but I don't see and she has learned to roll her eyes which definitely came from Daniel but he doesn't see. :) In fact I asked my friend Elisa, when her first grader started rolling her eyes to which she replied a couple months ago....oh man I thought, we are in for it! She loves to test her limits, which can be a struggle at times but it's a learning experience for all of us. For the most part she is a really good girl but she tends to get frustrated easy and of course there are always the sleepy/hungry melt downs. She has learned all about time out in the last few months and is starting to grasp sorry...and trying to say it although it sounds like "saucy." :) To say she is hard headed is a bit of an understatment but that, I can admit, she gets from me.
All growing pains aside she is absolutely the light of my life. There is nothing better than singing Old McDonald in the car with her on our way home for the day (she loves to do her animal noises and says "i, i, i" instead of "e,i,e,i,o" lol), playing with her foam alphabet in the bubble bath and as Gigi says, "nuggling" and reading books before bed. Every morning she says, "mor-ming" when we walk into get her and if Daniel has already left for work when she wakes up she loves to call him at work to say, "Hi, I yu you." Melts my heart!
Every day she learns so many new and exciting things and is just an absolute little sponge. She LOVES to show us what she knows! She is such a love bug and especially loves her doggies!
She likes to shake their leashes and say "walka, walka?" at which point I have no choice but to go outside for a walk because now her and the dogs are all worked up! She's VERY independent and plays all by herself in her play room and comes out every once in awhile with a book that we read to her and then she says, "all done" and marches back in her room to play with her babies which she wraps and unwraps in blankies and pushes around the house in their stroller and then takes them out to pat their backs and say, "ni, ni."
Its weird to think what we ever did before Gianna came along because she is the source of endless entertainment, love, learning experiences, joys and blessings. I feel so grateful to be Gianna's mom and while I am constantly trying to hold on to every amazing moment, I do look forward to watching her continue to grow and learn in the years to come. Of course there will always be those times when I wish she was a little baby again but I wouldn't trade each new day for anything...it is such a blessing. I definitely look forward to watching each day as she evolves into the little person she has become. I love my Gigi Leigh. xoxo
Lots of love,
Busy B
So let's start with what's the same...she's still tall and skinny. Can't pack a pound on that kid to save my life though she's always eating. She still loves mom in the morning and dad at night. Loves Yo Gabba Gabba and all things Mickey Mouse and would gladly move outside in a tent if we let her. She loves being outside and ever since she learned how to say outside, whenever she can see outside she says it and gets really excited. (Which is why if we have to do stuff inside we keep the blinds close...its just easier that way.) LOL
Nowadays she says more words than we can count which is awesome because I love having conversations with her. Its fun to finally know whats going on in her head! Funny thing is that she's well....funny! She totally has a little sense of humor that keeps us always laughing. She loves to show us her "funny face" which is her, sticking her tongue out. And when she asks for something she knows she can't have like a cookie for breakfast and I tell her no she giggles and says, "I know."
She has a flare for all things dramatic which Daniel claims she gets from me but I don't see and she has learned to roll her eyes which definitely came from Daniel but he doesn't see. :) In fact I asked my friend Elisa, when her first grader started rolling her eyes to which she replied a couple months ago....oh man I thought, we are in for it! She loves to test her limits, which can be a struggle at times but it's a learning experience for all of us. For the most part she is a really good girl but she tends to get frustrated easy and of course there are always the sleepy/hungry melt downs. She has learned all about time out in the last few months and is starting to grasp sorry...and trying to say it although it sounds like "saucy." :) To say she is hard headed is a bit of an understatment but that, I can admit, she gets from me.
All growing pains aside she is absolutely the light of my life. There is nothing better than singing Old McDonald in the car with her on our way home for the day (she loves to do her animal noises and says "i, i, i" instead of "e,i,e,i,o" lol), playing with her foam alphabet in the bubble bath and as Gigi says, "nuggling" and reading books before bed. Every morning she says, "mor-ming" when we walk into get her and if Daniel has already left for work when she wakes up she loves to call him at work to say, "Hi, I yu you." Melts my heart!
Every day she learns so many new and exciting things and is just an absolute little sponge. She LOVES to show us what she knows! She is such a love bug and especially loves her doggies!
She likes to shake their leashes and say "walka, walka?" at which point I have no choice but to go outside for a walk because now her and the dogs are all worked up! She's VERY independent and plays all by herself in her play room and comes out every once in awhile with a book that we read to her and then she says, "all done" and marches back in her room to play with her babies which she wraps and unwraps in blankies and pushes around the house in their stroller and then takes them out to pat their backs and say, "ni, ni."
Its weird to think what we ever did before Gianna came along because she is the source of endless entertainment, love, learning experiences, joys and blessings. I feel so grateful to be Gianna's mom and while I am constantly trying to hold on to every amazing moment, I do look forward to watching her continue to grow and learn in the years to come. Of course there will always be those times when I wish she was a little baby again but I wouldn't trade each new day for anything...it is such a blessing. I definitely look forward to watching each day as she evolves into the little person she has become. I love my Gigi Leigh. xoxo
Lots of love,
Busy B
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Going Vegetarian
As I mentioned in my last post, I stopped eating meat a little over 3 weeks ago and I must say I haven't really missed it. Just to give you a bit of background, I didn't grow up eating a lot of meat. In fact I haven't ever really liked meat that much. I'll eat chicken with no bones or skin and red meat if there is no pink etc. I absolutely never eat seafood...I have tried and hated it all. When I met Daniel I hadn't really eaten any meat in years. Being with Daniel I slowly incorporated meat back into my diet and I don't really mind it but to be honest I could do without it.
A few weeks ago Daniel mentioned that he had been reading about the health benefits of being a vegetarian and I told him how I feel better all around when I am not eating meat and tend to eat more fruits and vegetables. He said he liked meat too much to be a vegetarian but that he wanted to try it for at least two weeks so I said I would do it with him. He made it to two weeks but, even though he felt better, he missed meat. I on the other hand, like I said, haven't missed it at all and so I just decided to keep going.
I have been SLOWLY losing weight for awhile but since I stopped eating meat I have been losing weight much faster and feel like I have more energy and all around feel better. Many people have asked me how I get enough protein and its really not a problem. I eat lots of low fat dairy, spinach, eggs, nuts and beans and get more than enough protein in a day. Now, I must say I could NEVER be a vegan...I would shrivel up and die without dairy and eggs for sure.
At this point I can't say I will be vegetarian forever or won't eat meat here and there ever again but I must say I love being a vegetarian and the effect it has on my body so why change a good thing.
I have had a few people ask me what I have been eating so here are some of the things I have been making...
Breakfast:
Spinach, mushroom omelet with low fat Jack cheese and salsa or
Granola and low fat yogurt
Lunch:
Salad with kidney beans or feta sprinkled on top and low fat vinagrette or
Veggie Sandwhich with Dijon
Dinner:
Angel hair pasta, olive oil, spinach, zucchini and tomatoes and garlic or
Veggie stew over white rice
Snacks: 100 Calorie Almond Packs, carrots and hummus, and lots of fruit!
Clearly, I am eating better over all but removing meat from my diet makes me focus on what I need to eat more. I also realize that its easiest to turn to carbs and starch when you aren't eating meat so I try to be conscience of that. Its clear that the more you eat healthy the more you crave healthy things and if you don't eat meat you eventually stop craving it. For me that happened pretty quick.
I'm really looking forward to seeing if this is something I can keep as a permanent lifestyle change because I love the results I am getting. :)
xoxo,
Busy B
A few weeks ago Daniel mentioned that he had been reading about the health benefits of being a vegetarian and I told him how I feel better all around when I am not eating meat and tend to eat more fruits and vegetables. He said he liked meat too much to be a vegetarian but that he wanted to try it for at least two weeks so I said I would do it with him. He made it to two weeks but, even though he felt better, he missed meat. I on the other hand, like I said, haven't missed it at all and so I just decided to keep going.
I have been SLOWLY losing weight for awhile but since I stopped eating meat I have been losing weight much faster and feel like I have more energy and all around feel better. Many people have asked me how I get enough protein and its really not a problem. I eat lots of low fat dairy, spinach, eggs, nuts and beans and get more than enough protein in a day. Now, I must say I could NEVER be a vegan...I would shrivel up and die without dairy and eggs for sure.
At this point I can't say I will be vegetarian forever or won't eat meat here and there ever again but I must say I love being a vegetarian and the effect it has on my body so why change a good thing.
I have had a few people ask me what I have been eating so here are some of the things I have been making...
Breakfast:
Spinach, mushroom omelet with low fat Jack cheese and salsa or
Granola and low fat yogurt
Lunch:
Salad with kidney beans or feta sprinkled on top and low fat vinagrette or
Veggie Sandwhich with Dijon
Dinner:
Angel hair pasta, olive oil, spinach, zucchini and tomatoes and garlic or
Veggie stew over white rice
Snacks: 100 Calorie Almond Packs, carrots and hummus, and lots of fruit!
Clearly, I am eating better over all but removing meat from my diet makes me focus on what I need to eat more. I also realize that its easiest to turn to carbs and starch when you aren't eating meat so I try to be conscience of that. Its clear that the more you eat healthy the more you crave healthy things and if you don't eat meat you eventually stop craving it. For me that happened pretty quick.
I'm really looking forward to seeing if this is something I can keep as a permanent lifestyle change because I love the results I am getting. :)
xoxo,
Busy B
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Where does the time go?
Okay, so I guess an update is in order since its been 2 1/2 months since my last blog! So much for staying on top of it! :) So, here's what's new....
I am happy to say that my "word" for the year, HAPPY, has more than defined the last couple of months. I have made a lot of efforts to do what I said I would do and man has it made a difference. A few changes that I have made include, starting a "life group" with me and my closest girlfriends that meets twice a month for girl time, bible study, eating and catching up. It has been awesome for more than one reason. First, we are all married and busy with work or family and what not, so to have it on the calendar, set in stone, ahead of time that we are going to take the time to get together has made a huge difference. (Special shout out to our amazing husbands for watching the kids to let us have a couple hours to get a way.)
It has definitely added to the HAPPY factor by giving me time to talk with other people going through the same things that I am, take time to give each other support and get closer to God in the process. We have also decided to do the March of Dimes walk in April so fundraising for a good cause definitely makes you feel good.
Another change is, Daniel and I have been making working out and eating well a priority and I can totally feel the changes. I really don't care that the changes haven't been drastic because we are working on an overall lifestyle change. (Me especially) Most of you have heard me rave about Lysa TerKeurst's book "Made to Crave" but it was exactly what I needed at this phase in my life and it has really changed my perspective on health for the better. And, just because, I have been a vegetarian for about 2 weeks now (mostly because I don't like that meat that much anyways) and I feel so much better and weight has been coming off a lot quicker. Weird, I don't even miss it! I'm not dead set on being a vegetarian but if I don't miss it and I have been eating a ton more fruits and vegetables than I figure, why not?
What else? Oh yeah....I AM GOING TO SPAIN!!!! Woohoo! If you don't know this by now than you probably don't know me because the whole world has been notified (a few times) of our trip to Spain in April that I won through my company. I CANNOT wait! An all expense paid trip to Spain for me and Daniel for a week....trip of a lifetime! I have been to Europe before but never Spain and I have always wanted to! I will definitely post lots of pics and details of our trip when we get back.
Overall, I think the last few months have really shown me that when you make a conscious effort to be happy and make the neccessary changes in your life, good things inevitably happen. I have decided to let the day to day stress of life and work just not penetrate my soul and effect me the way it once did. And there are always those things that you can't change but I really try and change the way I think about them as in more positively and what do you know, they don't bother me as much. It seems like such a simple philosophy but as I said before it wasn't that simple. I was just letting the everyday stress pile up on me, not taking time for me, and not making the best of the time I did have.
So far I can honestly say that my word for 2011 is ultimately shaping my 2011 and I am loving the changes it has brought into my life.
xoxo,
Happy Busy B
I am happy to say that my "word" for the year, HAPPY, has more than defined the last couple of months. I have made a lot of efforts to do what I said I would do and man has it made a difference. A few changes that I have made include, starting a "life group" with me and my closest girlfriends that meets twice a month for girl time, bible study, eating and catching up. It has been awesome for more than one reason. First, we are all married and busy with work or family and what not, so to have it on the calendar, set in stone, ahead of time that we are going to take the time to get together has made a huge difference. (Special shout out to our amazing husbands for watching the kids to let us have a couple hours to get a way.)
It has definitely added to the HAPPY factor by giving me time to talk with other people going through the same things that I am, take time to give each other support and get closer to God in the process. We have also decided to do the March of Dimes walk in April so fundraising for a good cause definitely makes you feel good.
Another change is, Daniel and I have been making working out and eating well a priority and I can totally feel the changes. I really don't care that the changes haven't been drastic because we are working on an overall lifestyle change. (Me especially) Most of you have heard me rave about Lysa TerKeurst's book "Made to Crave" but it was exactly what I needed at this phase in my life and it has really changed my perspective on health for the better. And, just because, I have been a vegetarian for about 2 weeks now (mostly because I don't like that meat that much anyways) and I feel so much better and weight has been coming off a lot quicker. Weird, I don't even miss it! I'm not dead set on being a vegetarian but if I don't miss it and I have been eating a ton more fruits and vegetables than I figure, why not?
What else? Oh yeah....I AM GOING TO SPAIN!!!! Woohoo! If you don't know this by now than you probably don't know me because the whole world has been notified (a few times) of our trip to Spain in April that I won through my company. I CANNOT wait! An all expense paid trip to Spain for me and Daniel for a week....trip of a lifetime! I have been to Europe before but never Spain and I have always wanted to! I will definitely post lots of pics and details of our trip when we get back.
Overall, I think the last few months have really shown me that when you make a conscious effort to be happy and make the neccessary changes in your life, good things inevitably happen. I have decided to let the day to day stress of life and work just not penetrate my soul and effect me the way it once did. And there are always those things that you can't change but I really try and change the way I think about them as in more positively and what do you know, they don't bother me as much. It seems like such a simple philosophy but as I said before it wasn't that simple. I was just letting the everyday stress pile up on me, not taking time for me, and not making the best of the time I did have.
So far I can honestly say that my word for 2011 is ultimately shaping my 2011 and I am loving the changes it has brought into my life.
xoxo,
Happy Busy B
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