Friday Ramble: Buyer’s Remorse

I am so happy it is Friday I have been looking forward to the weekend all week even though it will be a hot one. I know most of the week was spent finishing up finals and looking forward to reading a good book, and the other half was me wondering if I would make it to the end of the week.
I have been going back and forth on the whole buying a dslr camera or not. I always feel myself getting a little hesitant to make big purchases especially if I feel my pockets running a little low. I know country boy has been begging me to just hurry up and purchase the darn thing (his words).
I am still holding out for a good sale but I guess I will just go with a refurbished one. Most refurbished cameras get good reviews although I have never purchased any refurbished electronics before I hope I have the same experience.
I hope I do not have buyer’s remorse after I make my purchase; I sometimes do get it and it comes very quickly right after. I always end up returning the product if it is a huge amount. I know this is one of my biggest ones for the year. I hope they do not get any bigger because I will go into a state of shock.
Question of the Day: Do any of you get buyer’s remorse if so how do you handle it?

Advertisement

Low Carb Low Fiber

I am not a big fan of low carb diets; they just make me feel so funny especially when I decided that I want to carb cycle. This week I decided to cut my carbs pretty low, I ended up wanting to eat between 150- 200 grams of carbs. Most of the time I ate 230 grams of carbs; I thought it would be easy but it is not, it is one of the hardest things to do since I am not getting enough fiber. I know fiber is a big issue in a diet most of my carb meals consist of high fiber foods (oatmeal) and I still was not able to get 30 grams of fiber.
I found a great fiber that has been helping me with my fiber intake besides vegetables. Psyllium husk, 1 tablespoon is 13 grams of fiber and carbs with only 45 calories. Psyllium husk has kept me full longer which made it hard for me to get in all my daily allowance of calories. I have added it to my blueberries and banana for toppings on my pancakes and it is yummy (especially the banana). What I would not add psyllium husk to would be pancake batter it will not work trust me it will not work. I have a few photos of me trying to make psyllium husk pancakes and let’s just say worse experience ever (sharing soon).
I would recommend it if you are on a low carb diet and have a hard time finding ways to get more fiber in your diet.
Do you ever try low carb diets to lose weight if so how do you get more fiber?

300 calorie breakfast

I am still looking for a camera and this is a lot of work, I am thinking about going with a refurbished one since they are a lot cheaper but I still not have decided which one I should go with.
I know I have been looking forward to my workouts now especially since the weather is a lot warmer and my body has finally not in shock by the cold weather. I am still in my pursuit to make my breakfast 300 calories and I am almost there. When the weather gets hot the meals get lighter and less portions. Thank god for summer.

300 calorie breakfast
½ cup oatmeal: 100
1 boiled egg: 70
1 boil egg white: 17
1 banana: 105
Total Calories: 292
I hope my 300 calorie breakfast has inspired everyone to make right choices that are not time consuming at all and they taste great. Just add water!

Ramble Friday: Cameras, Recipes, and Blogs

I am so happy to finally have made it to the end of the week. I am so excited for the weekend although I do not have anything plan. I am going to try to do some things that I meant to do this spring that never got done.
I wanted to tell you guys that I am thinking about purchasing a new camera pretty soon, I have finally saved up some money that I can finally afford a dslr. I am so excited because that means more recipes that look way better. I know many people believe you can do just fine with a point and shoot camera; I completely disagree I have so many recipes with my point and shoot. I have tried every angle and lighting and nothing compares to a dslr. Maybe an iPhone would be better than a point and shoot, but I have seen some ridiculous amounts people pay for service a month just to use their iPhone. I think I will keep my plan and phone for now.
I am really excited to make more recipes I have been going back and forth should I put more recipes on the blog or should I just keep blogging the way I am right now. I really would love to become an all-out foodie blog, but I also love rambling to you guys about the things I do and how I feel. I am still torn between the two.
I guess I have ramble enough for today, I am so excited about my new purchase. Of course before I buy my camera I will show you guys a couple of cameras I am thinking of going with…
Have a good day
Love

300 Calorie Breakast

This morning I have been debating should I do legs; I decided that I would take it easy today if I have time I will do them later. My arms are killing me from my workout yesterday so I am trying to make sure I do not overdue it this morning. Last week I did my leg work out and I was in pain for three days. I could barely walk the next day each step was painful after the other; I pretty much stayed in bed and studied the whole weekend and didn’t leave it until Monday.
This week I am keeping my calories low in the morning and so far I have been doing a good job of it. I have not gotten to the 300 calorie mark just yet, but with lots of practice and counting I think I will be there pretty soon.

300 Calorie Breakfast:
½ cup oatmeal: 166 calories
1 cup frozen blueberries: 78 calories
3 boiled egg whites: 48 calories

Total Calories: 291 calories

Pancake Toppings

I have been looking forward to coming up with a few pancake toppings, lately I have been making a lot of protein pancakes. They are so simple and since I have a lot of time in the morning I choose to make them (early wake-up call). I know I should lay off my obsession with pancakes but gosh I just cannot help it. I really would love to eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner. I think I just may do that and just photograph them so you guys can see how dedicated I am to my obsession.

My main concern with my pancakes is I have been running out of toppings. I used to use yogurt but because of my dairy allergy I decided to lay off yogurt for a while. I am using Walden syrup but it is so bland that some flavors taste like cough syrup. Besides I am all about variety.

I know I can just eat them plain but what is the fun in that, besides I love toppings on my pancakes. I know I could add fruit, but I love for my fluffy pancakes to soak up liquids and get sticky they taste so sweet that way. I am thinking about doing a pancake topping series on the blog. It will be fun and challenging but every pancake should have syrup on it…

Question of the day: What is your favorite topping to add to your pancakes?

Banana Gone Black

My dehydrator has not shown up yet, I am so looking forward to making my banana chips. I guess I am going to half to wait another day or two.

The bananas decided they did not want to wait for the dehydrator to get here so they went black pretty quick. I am not one to waste food so I decided to use them today. I wanted to make banana pancakes, then I wanted banana muffins, or maybe freeze them to make banana ice cream. I had a few ideals in my head more than what I listed; I decided to just go with the easy one and make banana bread. They all seemed pretty easy but banana bread seemed to be a classic that I could try to make healthy.

My healthy version of banana bread did not come out looking like the one in the picture that I adapted my recipe from. Instead my loaf fell apart and was tilted to one side; it looked like a big blob of mush once in came out of the loaf pan, it was very sticky and moist (too moist). I guess I will half to work on my healthy alternatives to my favorite classic dishes.

Question of the day: What is your favorite dish you would like a healthy alternative for?

Eating Oats on Saturday

I decided after my bike ride this morning I would have a nice bowl of rolled oats. Gosh it has been a while since I decided to have oatmeal in the morning, I guess I have been indulging in toast and eggs I forgot what oats taste like. The real reason why I decided on oatmeal I did not want to wait almost 20 minutes for eggs to boil. I will have some for lunch instead. I miss oatmeal however one of my favorite meals, it is good to switch up meals it keeps the body guess. I should do it more often but I get so stuck in a routine that it is hard to get unstuck.
I have been thinking about keeping granola bars in my backpack and purse from now on; I know I should not go into the grocery stores hungry but I have been going, and that has led to a lot of processed “healthy” snacks that have kept me feeling bloated. I am thinking about trying to make my own, since I can’t find any good ones, and the ones I do like are not in my budget for every day. I love crunchy snacks so this granola bar recipe seems to be easy enough for me to follow without trying to recreate.…

Question of the day: Do you make your own granola bars or do you just buy them?

Have a good Weekend 🙂

Yogurt Jook

This is a perfect mid-day meal that will keep you full all day long you may not want to eat your last three meals. One of my favorite go to recipes yogurt jook, I am in love with this recipe I cannot begin to tell you how easy the recipe will be. It puts Rachel Rays 30 minutes meals to shame (I love her). One of the perks about this meal there is protein and a carb yay!!!

Yogurt Jook: 6 oz. container of your favorite yogurt, ¼ cup of dried oats cooked in ½ cup of water probably less. Mixed oats and water, put in the microwave for about 5 minutes or less. Watch it carefully it will cook quickly, mine took 3 minutes. Once it is done add the yogurt and enjoy.

Blueberry Smoothie in a Bowl

Not another blueberry smoothie, but I just can’t help myself I am in love with blue berries I would love to eat the whole bag but I am in know mood for brain freeze. I just got home from class and wanted a quick snack that would last me three hours while I hit the books, so I added oats to the bowl.


Blueberry Smoothie in a Bowl Recipe: 1 cup of frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup of rolled oats, 1 cup of greens, and ! cup of almond milk or yogurt of your choice. Blend in your food processor or blender and enjoy…!