Sweet Potato Pancakes (Half Win)

Hey!!!
So lately I’ve been wanting breakfast breads, like waffles and pancakes. Since I’m dieting I have to find a different way to eat these things. So today after searching Pinterest, I’m trying something new, sweet potato pancakes.

Okay so this is what I use and its nutritional value:
–PB2 with chocolate, 2 tbsp: 45 cal 6 carb 4 g protein
–Cinnamon, to taste: 0 cal 0 carb 0 protein
–Stevia, to taste: 0 cal 2 carb 0 protein
–2 eggs: 140 cal 0 carb 6 protein
-2 medium sweet potatoes: 250 cal 27 carb 4 protein

This all totals: 435 calories, 35 carbs and 14 protein. Now this may sound like a lot, but you will only be eating a small portion of this. After making a large pancake for myself and smaller pancakes for my boyfriend I still have over half of the batter left.

Okay really quick, I want to talk about this peanut butter alternative. It’s called PB2. Basically, it’s peanut butter that’s been pressed to remove the oil which in turn reduces the fat and calories. And it’s still delicious. Look below, the proof is in the nutritional facts.

Now here are pictures of the other ingredients that I used.

First, cook your sweet potatoes either in the microwave or the oven. Then mash them in a bowl.

After mashing the potatoes, at all other ingredients.

Mix until you have sweet potato goop lol

Now cook your sweet potato pancakes just like you would normal pancakes. Flipping the pancakes can be a little tricky though, as they tend to fall apart pretty easily. Plus I suck at flipping pancakes anyway 😕

I meet my boyfriend’s pancakes almost the same way. Instead of stevia, I use plain sugar. And I also made his pancakes smaller. They were a lot easier to flip.

And there you have it, sweet potato pancakes!!!

As mentioned in the title, this was a half win. My pancakes were a little thick, almost like cake texture. But my boyfriend’s pancakes turned out pretty good. I don’t know if it’s because I made his with sugar or if it’s because his were smaller. Next time I’ll add a banana to mine, or maybe more stevia. Give them a try yourself and tell me what worked and did not work for you.
Until next time!

JJ Smith’s 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse: Round 2

Happy Monday everyone!!

Just like last time…I am hesitant to post pics…but I am..and I’m hoping it will inspire someone else.

I just finished round two of the green smoothie cleanse. In the 20 days (took a week break in between the two rounds and am being followed by my doctor) I have lost 18 lbs!!!!! Go me! Go me!

My boyfriend joined me this time and I don’t know how much he has lost yet but he looks noticeably different.

I have to say this cleanse has really changed the way I view what I eat. Since my journey has begun, my blood pressure is down from 130/98 to 110/79. I’m a nurse and I’m on my feet all day and I have noticed a big change in the way I feel after a long day. No more pain!
Again I have to thank my coworker Sandra for inspiring me to try this cleanse; JJ Smith for sharing this wonderful wisdom with me; my family and friends who have supported me every step of the way; and all of YOU on this page that encourage me and inspire me everyday!!

Follow my weight loss journey on Instagram!!

JJ Smith’s 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse

Hello all!

So June 8th I started JJ Smith’s 10 day Green Smoothie Cleanse. It’s a cleanse that focuses on what all cleanses focus on….cleaning out all the toxins. Your day consists of drinking a homemade smoothie (usually spinach based with fruit) and snacking inbetween on fresh fruit and veggies. I downloaded her book off of Amazon.  It was a little rough day one….but after that, I had so much energy, my face cleared up and the inches were coming off. In the 10 days I lost 11 lbs but the difference I noticed was in my waistline. 
I took the before pics(at the top) June 8th and the after pics this morning. I have lost a total of 11 lbs with no gym! I didn’t measure myself but the proof is in the pictures! I will start round two after a 5 day break with just clean eating.

Super Shred Week 2

Hey ya’ll,

So I’m just having a vent session. So I’ve had success with the super shred diet…but for my lifestyle, it’s just not working. At work I NEVER eat on time because I just don’t have time. When I’m off I sleep in which throws the timing off and leaves me eating extremely too late. So now I’m frustrated. I’ve never been able to stick to a program (besides clean eating) for too long. And I have major vacation plans for this summer! I can’t go looking like this! Any suggestions??

Oh and Happy Earth Day!

Super Shred Week 1Results

Good morning ya’ll,

Ok so….today makes one week since I started the super shred diet. I weighed in this morning…and the results are: I lost 9 pounds! This is good and bad, hear me out. 9 lbs in 7 days is great considering I only worked out two days last week. But, Saturday and Sunday I did not eat AT ALL like I should have. It was a rough, emotional week. So all in all I’m satisfied with my results! 9 lbs is great..but all I can think about is how much I would have lost if I ate right over the weekend. Regardless, this is a victory!

It’s the day after Easter, so usually today every year I go get all the discounted candy. Here’s to breaking old habits : ) Happy Monday!

Super Shred Week 1 Day 3-5

Hey ya’ll!

The last few days have been crazy…but I’m still sticking to super shred. I didn’t have time to take pictures. I’m a nurse at a trauma hospital, so the time schedule has been rough to keep up with. All in all I’m still hanging on!

Now I’ve got to work on this exercise part! Because of work the only exercise I’ve really done is yard work. Time to get back in the gym!

Super Shred: Week 1 Day 2

Hey ya’ll!

It’s day 2!!!!! Day one was kind of rough…I’m not even going to lie. But it was a mind thing. At the end of the night I tend to get snacky…but I didn’t want to mess up a whole day of good eating! So I ate my dinner, had a nice hot bath, and went to bed (hey if you’re sleeping, you’re not eating lol)

Today is a lot easier

Breakfast: orange, two whole grain waffles (it says pancakes, but same thing), one slice of bacon, a little syrup and water and green tea.
Snack 1: Quaker s’mores granola bar
Snack 2: Kroger caramel mini rice cakes
Meal 2: chicken noodle soup and milk
Meal 3: Big salad with grilled chicken and fat free dressing

And you have to drink a cup of water before every meal….oh yea and green tea is disgusting!

Super Shred Diet

Hey hey hey!

Starting the Super Shred diet tomorrow. We are having a work competition (I love competing lol). Super SHRED is a 4-week very rapid weight loss diet, written by Dr. Ian Smith of The Doctors and Celebrity Fit Club.

Tomorrow’s grub (clockwise)
Meal 1: oatmeal & banana
Snack 1: mango peach applesauce
Snack 2: berry rice cakes
Meal 2: chicken noodle soup
Meal 3: Salad with lite raspberry vinaigrette

Why I’ve failed at losing weight (and keeping it off)

Hey there!!

So this post is going to be filled with reasons and problems I have with losing weight lately. If you are one of those people who thinks valid reasons are actually excuses to not do something….this post ain’t for you! Because these aren’t excuses! These are real problems that I face on a daily basis. Anyway….

I was reading an article about food addiction and self control and it asked the reader questions…3 of which struck a nerve with me.

“1. Are you making poor food choices during moments when your willpower tank is low?”

This is often a problem for me. After working a 12 hour shift as a nurse on a trauma unit…my will power is pretty damn low when I get home. I don’t care about making good choices as much as I care about eating anything…RIGHT NOW! Lol The article suggests that at these times you should have your environment set up so that you have to make a good choice. If there are nothing but good healthy foods available in my kitchen when I get home…it lowers the chance of me picking something awful. My problem with this?? I’m not the only one in my household…so I can’t have only the foods I need to eat in my home. Good thought though…

“2. Did you binge because you got too hungry?”

Uh yeahhhhh! Everybody knows the shaky feeling of their sugar getting low because they waited to long to eat. When that happens to me…I go into panic/binge mode!

“3. Is having “forbidden foods” causing you to binge?”

This is my BIGGEST problem. Because when I’m dieting I don’t allow myself to have certain things. According to the article there are two types of restricting that lead to bingeing: physiological restricting (restricting calories) and psychological restruction (forbidding certain foods). For example: imagine that if you were only allowed to eat orange foods. You would soon develop intense cravings for foods that aren’t orange. Simply because you have told yourself you can’t have them. The article suggests eating the “can’t have” foods in moderation when you aren’t at risk of overeating. So have a little ice cream after your dinner…not when you are starving because if you are starving….you won’t eat JUST a little ice cream.

All of these suggestions from the article are nice…but it still takes some strength and motivation on your end. Encourage yourself!

How To Cook Ribs in the Oven

Hey ya’ll!

Ok so everyone knows I’m a country girl! And us country folks love a barbeque. I wanted to grill because it’s so beautiful and pleasant outside today in Atlanta. Well the mosquitos must of thought so too because they bit me up just from walking into and out of the grocery store. Anyway, I have never cooked ribs before and decided to give it a try today…but uhhh indoors. So I cooked them in the oven.

I got spare ribs (from Kroger for $11!!!!), Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, and used seasoning that I already had.

Preheat the oven to 350°. So there’s this white stuff one the back of ribs that you need to remove because apparently when it’s cooked the texture is horrible. So I took that off, and that was the hardest part off the process because it don’t wanna work with me.

After that clean your meat. Then season it with whatever you like. I used salt, pepper, seasoning salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Rub the seasoning on both sides.

Put your meat in a pan bone side up. I had to cut my slab in half and use two pans because it needs to fit. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Cook im the oven for 1 hour. Then take the ribs out, pour off the juices, cover them in whatever BBQ sauce you like and put them back in the oven uncovered for 1 hour. Take them out when done and let them sit for about 5 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!!

I paired my ribs with red potatoes (mashed) and cabbage. The ribs were SO tender and juicy and flavorful!

For those of you trying to lose weight like me…remember, this is all about portion control. The picture above was not my actual plate. That was before I cut the ribs. Eat 3-4 ribs max, and load up on veggies! Who says getting in shape had to be bland!? : )