Naked Nuggets!

I just returned from a grueling day at Costco. It is overwhelming and entirely too tempting. I went to stock up on fruit, veggies and a few other staples. I found a 3 pound bag of natural almonds for 9.99. Not too shabby, but my favorite items were entirely new to me. I found unbreaded chicken nuggets!!! I am so excited about my new find. My daughter loves chicken nuggets, but I dread them because of their lack of healthy benefits. These are great.

A serving is 7 nuggets at 140 calories, 3 grams of fat and 25 grams of protein. My kid will have all the fun of a chicken nugget without all of the extras she doesn't need. If you have a love of chicken nuggets, head over to Costco and check these puppies out.

Pancakes

My life would not be worth living if I couldn't eat my pancakes. I eat them almost every weekend. I eat different types of pancakes, but pancakes just the same. I have tried for years to find a good protein pancake that didn't require the use of protein powders and I have finally found one that I really love.

1/2 cup of low fat or fat free cottage cheese
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 cup of oats
3 egg whites
1 TBSP natural sugar
cinammon, vanilla, and any fruit. Depending on the fruit, you may have to add more oats.

In a blender add all of the wet ingredients and then all of the dry. Blend until smooth. Heat skillet or griddle. Spray with nonfat cooking spray and cook just like you would any other pancake.

Add a little syrup, jam, or fresh fruit and serve. You can even top them with a little bit of peanut butter for an extra dose of protein. They are delicious and you have gotten a good serving of protein without all of the extra's you get with protein powders or regular pancakes.

Enjoy!

Postivite thinking vs negative thinking

You will see this subject come up again and again in this blog because I believe that positive and negative thinking influence everything in our lives. Yes, I have read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, but this book only confirmed what I already know. If you believe bad things will happen to you, they will and vice versa.

Let's look at two different scenarios:

Negative Nelly loses her job. She become devastated and depressed. She finds it difficult to find a job even though she sends out hundreds of resumes a month. She goes on interviews and finally settles for a job because she has to.

Positive Polly loses her job. She thinks of this as a turning point. Maybe she will go back to school or find her dream job. She puts all of her effort into looking for new ways to change her life for the better. She lands her dream job and lives happily ever after.

What's the difference between the two? (I shouldn't have to tell you, but I will).

Positive Polly took losing her job as a positive step in her life. She takes some time to re-evaluate her life and decide what she is truly passionate about. Job hunting becomes more focused. Polly looks for people she knows in the industry that she is interested in and begins networking.

Negative Nelly doesn't believe in herself and begins to be afraid that no one will hire her. Employers sense her insecurity and self doubt. She is not creative in her job hunt and finds job hunting scary and exhausting. She applies for everything.

Negative and positive thinking can affect every aspect of your life. Begin to rethink everything that happens to you. Put a new spin on the situation and you may find that it’s like a new door opening to a better life.

Ode to Angel Food cake

I can’t imagine life without dessert and Angel Food cake makes it easy for me to enjoy a little every day if I want. It has around 120-160 calories and 0 fat for one slice. It can be prepared in so many fun ways too. Here are three of my favorite ways to enjoy this fluffy goodness.

1. Simply covered in your favorite fresh fruit and a little low fat whipped cream.

2. Tear the cake into pieces. Mix yellow (or any other flavor) fat free or sugar free pudding and before it has time to set up, pour it all over the pieces. Stick it in the fridge until it has time to set up. Then you can top with low fat whipped cream. If you are really wanting to impress friends or family, crumble a Butterfinger candy bar into little pieces and sprinkle on the top. Delish!

3. Cut the cake in half right through the center of the entire cake cutting the top of the cake off. Place on a cake plate or on cardboard covered with foil. Then take strawberry low fat frozen yogurt and let it soften. Then use the frozen yogurt to ice a layer in between the two halves. Lay the top half back onto the bottom half and ice the outside of the cake. This needs to be done quickly because the frozen yogurt will melt fast. Put a lid over the cake or another layer of foil over the top of the cake. Do this lightly. You do not want the foil sticking to the cake. Put the iced cake back in the fridge and in an hour or so you will have your own low fat ice cream cake. Before serving, add fresh strawberries. This is great for parties and kids love it!

Try it however you like. If you come up with something good, please let me know. I can always use a new way to enjoy an old favorite.

Please don't feed the children!

I know this sounds mean, but let me explain. I have neighborhood children in and out quite a bit to visit my little one. I recently noticed that whenever they visit they all go straight to the fridge to grab juice boxes and often ask for a snack (including my own). It really didn't bother me until I started paying more attention. Are they doing this at everyone's houses?

If so, what are they eating and how much? I have no clue and realized that neither do the parents of the children that I am feeding. One juicebox contains anywhere from 60-110 calories. This can add up over time.

So, please, please, please do not feed the children! Give them a nice glass of water when they are thirsty and if they are truly hungry hand them a nice juicy apple. They really won't mind and neither will their parents.