Staying on a Low-Carb Diet When Someone Else is Cooking!

I know there is plenty of information out there regarding the Low-Carb lifestyle, but if you are like me you probably prefer to get information from someone that has been there done that!

Eating at my friends/family home

I'm hispanic (no really?) and it is really rude to say, "no thank you" when you go to someone's home and they offer you some food! If it's family there shouldn't be a problem asking what will be served and you can plan, but if you are going to someone's home for the first time or they are not close friends this is what you can do. 

1. I eat before I go out. 

When I'm not starving I make better choices!

2. Normally there is a protein in the meal...stick to the proteins and get full on them! 

3. Dissect your dish! 

Yes, you read that right. Eat only the items you know are safe on a low-carb diet. Ex: fat, cheese, heavy cream, beef, chicken, salad, seafood, turkey. You get the idea.

4. PASTA DISH! This is a hard one and we all know it. If the pasta has meat, chicken, seafood, etc. eat only the protein! If the dish doesn't have a protein...we are in trouble people!

5. Don't eat any rice, potatoes, bread, tortillas. 

6. Do not eat dessert! I repeat...Do not eat dessert!

Instead, ask for a cup of coffee or hot tea and kindly let them know you are trying to stay away from sweets. Most people are understanding. If they have fresh berries you are in luck my friend!

Eating at a Restaurant

Olive Garden: Check this link for their Gluten-Free/Allergen Menu
The majority of the Gluten-Free menus are Low-Carb. Just watch out for those hidden carbs like Potato flour, Rice Flour, etc.
Did you know that you can ask for vegetables instead of pasta on any pasta dish? I didn't know this but sure am glad I found out!

Chili's This link will take you to their Lighter Choice Menu

Order any protein and vegetables only. They have great burgers. Just make sure you order them lettuce wrapped and with no added ketchup or bar-b-q sauce! Watch out for those hidden carbs! 

Most restaurants allow you to make changes, specially if you are asking them to remove an item from the plate not adding! 

In-N-Out This is their Not So Secret Menu
I know this one is a no brainer but I couldn't not include it! Just remember: Lettuce wrap with no ketchup and no house dressing! You can add mayo and mustard on any burger! Heck, get it animal style, minus their house dressing!

Carl's Jr. Menu and Nutrition

Their $6 dollar burgers lettuce wrapped are amazing! Follow the same recommendations for the In-N-Out burgers.

Cracker Barrel Yes!!!!! 

I have checked their virtual menu and they offer Low-Carb options for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. 

This is one of those places I plan my road trips around and I will confess that I do plan cheats. Just remember that everyday is not a Cracker Barrel day :)

This is what a Cracker Barrel's Low-Carb meals look like. Not bad, right?

Photo taken by Examiner.com

I could go on but for today I'm done... Where do you go and enjoy a Low-Carb meal?

Just remember to plan as much as you can and enjoy!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Lilly's Recipes-Mexican Bunuelos

Today I'm going to be sharing one of those recipes I personally can't eat anymore but that deserve for me to share! I first learned this recipe when I was a little girl from my sister's ex-mother-in-law Dona Juanita and I thought I would share it with My Lilly!

My daughter Lilly has become the baker in our family since I'm still limited in how much work I do around here. It's been a hit anywhere she has taken it and very simple to make.

Recipe:
Large Frying Pan
Enough Vegetable oil to fry food
1 pack of Large Flour Tortillas
1 cup white sugar
1/2-1 TBS Cinnamon (decide how much you would like)
Paper Towels

 Mix Sugar and Cinnamon

 The mix will look like this

I tried using whole wheat flour tortillas but they didn't become crispy. Use regular flour tortillas!

My daughter didn't continue to take pictures to show you the finished product. Here is the recipe pictures from Muy Bueno blog.

Test your oil to make sure it is hot enough to fry food.

Fry each side for about 30 sec. or until nicely browned but not burned!

Remove from oil and place on a plate covered with a Paper Towel. This is done just to remove the excess oil not to dry!

Quickly transfer your fried flour tortilla to the sugar/cinnamon mix and turn on both sides.

Here is the flour tortilla and how it would look before you add the sugar/cinnamon mix

Photo taken from Mexico in my Kitchen.

Here is the finished product. Photo taken from La Cocina de Nathan ...I'm in love with this blog!!!

You could try making them from scratch just click this link or this link.

I'm a Semi-Homemade kinda girl and I'm teaching my daughter to become one too! I prefer to buy the flour tortillas :)

Here is my Lilly, being her silly self!

Enjoy!

This Recipe is link to:

I did something I never thought I would do!

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Lavender.htm

Let me start by giving you a little bit of a background...

7 yrs. ago we moved to our current home and the biggest problem for me back then was the spiders! I was terrified of them. To the point that if my Realtor would have told me how many were around in this city, I would not have moved here! I remember one evening I was talking to my friend back in Kansas and what do I see flying down from my ceiling? A spider!

I thought I would never get used to them, but I have. I thought that was the last of the insect problem...think again!

I love shopping but in a one income family this is not something we can do all the time. When I am able to go shopping I like to buy pieces that would match pretty much everything else I already own. One morning as I was getting ready for church I put on a blouse I had only used once before and my husband notice I had some holes on the bottom front! I was like, "no way right?!"

This continued to happen with one blouse after another. At first we thought it could be my seatbelt. All the holes are around the bottom part of my blouses. It was so hard to have to throw a way a piece of clothing I had just bought! I started to do some google search and I came up with the reason for the holes on my clothing...

As you all have probably realized I have moths in my closet! Yes, these are more annoying than scary, but just as bad! 

I've tried Cedar wood, Moth balls, Homemade Carpet powders, etc, etc, etc! Nothing! One of my new blouses I bought at Anne Taylor was just ruined and I am mad!

Now, back to "I did something I never thought I would." I went to the super market and bought Vodka! Yes, you read it right my friends, I bought a bottle of Vodka! It was so embarrassing trying to figure out what to buy and praying no one I knew would see me! I felt like I had to give an explanation to anyone that saw me on why I had a bottle of Vodka on my hands! When I went to pay for it I was asked for an ID...funny I thought since I'm 41, looks like this is what's suppose to be done by law. I even asked the guy checker, how to open the bottle. He looked at me like, "you are kidding me lady." No I was not kidding!

Anyways, I'm sure you are thinking, "what's the big deal!" It's probably something others do much, but for this church going girl, it was a big deal!

As many of you, I too am addicted to Pinterest and after my last blouse got bitten I had, had enough! I went looking for a solution that would help me prevent this horrible murder on my clothing. Yes, I am also addicted to homemade solutions.

I found this blog  http://www.brownpaperpackagesep.blogspot.ca/2012/05/add-some-summer-freshness-to-your.html this was actually a post about a Linen Spray with Lavendar. 

One of the things I found out about preventing Moths is the use of Lavender sprays and so I went ahead and wrote down the ingredients for this Linen Spray.

This is what you need:

2 Cups Distilled Water

4 oz. Vodka

40 Drops of Essential Oil (I used Lavendar)

Check out the blog above for the instructions.

The spray smells divine and I am spraying my clothes with it as I iron it and have also sprayed my closet. I pray this helps! If not, I went to buy Vodka for nothing!

What one will do to save her clothing, I tell ya!

Do any of you know of any other solutions for my problem?

Linked to these great blogs:

Beautify My Home with a Sunday Fun Project..on Monday

Ever since I came back from my trip I've been wanting to go to the Nursery and pick up some Indoor Plants. During my stay in El Salvador I learned how to appreciate plants and how much beauty they bring to the home. Normally I stay clear of them because I have what my family calls a "black thumb". I kill every plant I buy and our inside joke is that I have found a way to even kill flake plants!
What I believe now is that I just didn't appreciate them and never really cared for them the way they deserve to be taken care of!

During my stay in El Salvador, I was amazed on how the women go out of their way to find new plants and share them with another family member (maybe this is just my family thing, I don't know) and take pride on how many they have and enjoy them! I stayed during the month of June and July and everything is green. They have very tropical weather and just about everything grows there!

Here is one of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen, it's called Midnight flower. It blooms normally in the night and by next day it's dead. This grows in my Aunts back yard.

I live in a very hot and dry area, it's very hard to keep nice plants unless you have an aggregation system that can be costly. My husband has promised to install them  as soon as we can and I plan to enjoy my new beautiful plants. Before this happens I want to start buying Indooor plants and so I went online to find out what the best ones are. Here are my favorites:

Moth Orchid

Moth orchid is not only extremely beautiful but has got air-purifying qualities too. It is considered as one of the best air-purifying house plants. They bear a minimum of five buds and they open one by one, from the bottom of the stem to its tip. And this creates a riot of colors. Along with the already mentioned qualities, one more point to rejoice is the fact that they bloom for two to three months once or twice a year. (gardening clan.com)

They're the most house-friendly variety, and the one most gardeners recommend anyone new to caring for orchids start out on. Orchids are relatively low maintenance and fairly easy to find in most Lowe's or at Home Depot. (theattractionforums.com)

Clivia Miniatas

Clivia Miniatas have a well-earned reputation as rugged houseplants that demand very little attention. (Love this!)

They grow best where they receive bright daylight but little or no direct sunlight. (whiteflowerfarm.com)

Peace Lily

The Peace Lily are shaded loving plants in their native habitat, and in the home they prefer light to moderate shade. (about.com)

Now going back to my Beautify My Home with a Sunday project. I went to my local Target to see if I could find any of these beauties and to my surprise the Gardening Dept. had been removed to make room for the Groceries they now carry. I love my new Super Target but I hated the fact that this dept. had been removed! Now I have to Beautify My Home on a Monday because it was to late to go to a Nursery.

Here is what I have chosen: The Moth Orchid!!!!!

I ended up going to Home Depot and I was disappointed on their selection for Indoor Plants, next time I am going to my local nursery. That said, I was very glad this beauty was there just waiting for me. 

What do you think of my choice?
What is your Favorite Indoor Plant?

It's been a while!

It sure has been a while since I blogged and even though I feel bad I must say I had a very good excuse, or so she says!

In the month of June I went back to my country El Salvador to receive medical treatment. I have been sick for 2 1/2 yrs and all the doctors here in the USA couldn't find what was wrong with me. It was very frustrating when I would go from one specialist to another and they each had their own opinion! As time passed I got worse and the seizures that were mild were now big ones! I couldn't have anything with Gluten because it would trigger an episode and so it was my family and I decided I would give this new treatment a try.

What is this treatment you ask? It's called Biological Medicine and it originates in Germany. If you would like more information go Here. If I try to explain it to you I won't give it justice.

When the doctor first saw me it was a pretty scary situation. He found out all of my organs were about to collapse and I was very close to seeing by Father in Heaven! He told me the reason why the doctors in the USA were not able to diagnose me was because everything was basically wrong with me. We immediately started treatment and I started to see results almost that first week, it was incredible!
(Disclaimer: I am not paid to promote this treatment, just sharing my experience).
My treatment consisted of injections that would be injected on my stomach and daily pills and IV treatment.
As time passed we found out the main problem I was having was with my Pancreas ( My pancreas creates too much insulin and so I can't have sugars) and my Thyroid.  If these were fixed many of the problems I had been having for years (even before I got sick) would be gone!
Remember I mentioned I couldn't have Gluten? Well I started to have gluten again and no more problems! I've also had a very serious allergy to Sesame Seeds for over 20yrs...Gone! Who would have thought that by healing my pancreas I would be somewhat normal!
The last time I had a seizure was eight days after I arrived in El Salvador. I was having them almost on a daily basis! My doctor explained that I was having them because my body was deteriorating very fast and it was working like that of a person that is 90yrs old.

I now am living a pretty healthy and peaceful life. I have sugars once in a while and I am fine. I mostly have to follow the South Beach Diet to keep my insulin levels normal. Who would have thought that going to such a small country out in the boonies would bring my healing.
I know it was God's time and His perfect time!

My goal is to go back to doing things I haven't done in months or years! All slowly I know since I am still in recuperation mode but I know my days have been ordained by the Lord and He is in complete control.

I plan to start blogging about everything I love! Stay tuned!
Blessings!

Here is a link to my doctor. It's all in spanish but I thought it would be good to add anyways :)

This Post is linked to these Great Blogs

http://www.serenitynowblog.com/2012/08/weekend-bloggy-reading-link-up_10.html

Spring is in the Air! Spring Fashion that is...

As many of you were celebrating St. Patricks day yesterday, I was busy looking at all the Spring Fashion I could find! It was a very rainy day here in Southern California but we know Spring is just around the corner and I love it when I'm able to put away all the dark colors that come with the Fall and Winter season and bring out all the bright colors out of the closet!

As I've been window shopping, I've noticed a lot of Tangerine colors along with Peaches. It came to no surprise to me when I found out that it was the #1 color of the season but it has his own name...Tangerine Tango!  I like Peach best because it is a softer color but when Tangerine is combined with other softer colors it looks great!

There are other colors to this Spring Season and I think like most of them. Do you want to know what the colors of the season are going to be? Here they are! Listed in order of Popularity from top to bottom!

Tangerine Tango, Solar Power, Sodalite Blue, Cabaret, Starfish, Margarita, Sweet Lilac, Driftwood, Bellflower and Cockatoo.
What do you think???

I thought I would go further than just show you the colors of the season, I am going to give you a few ideas on how to put these colors together in a nice modest way. All the following pictures were taken from www.pinterest.com

Tangerine Tango/Peach

Solar Power

This is a combination of all the other colors

As you can see, the colors are just beautiful and if we know how to combine them, I'm sure we can work some of the clothes we already have with some of the new ones we will buy. It's all about accessories and the right combinations!

and Remember...Modest is Best! 1Peter 3:3-4

http://imwyourexcuse.blogspot.com/2011/11/lets-not-forgetmodest-is-best-11211.html

What do you think of these Fashion ideas? Do you like the New Spring Colors for 2012?

It would've been better that you'd skip a day!

I know it's been a while since I've been in touch with you all and I honestly feel bad. It's not that I haven't felt like blogging, on the contrary. Many times through out the day I've said, "I'm blogging this!" And I just never get to it or realize it was just not blogging material. I also follow the rule of, "If you ain't got nothing good to say well, say nothing at all!" I know of blogs that have something new and exciting every day and I say to myself, "Wow, those are some creative Women!" Sometimes though I read some of their post and I'm like, "It would've been better that you'd skip a day!"

I've been very busy leading a Bible study group in my church and I've got to tell you it is a wonderful group of ladies. Each one unique and wonderfully made by the Lord.

Now that I've started blogging I'm hoping to have more time and praying that my creative juices will once more flow again.

Life as we know it has continued and I am now fully a Gluten-Free girl, not by choice but by design :) I've been trying many recipes and I hope to share them with you!

One thing I must confess,  I'm totally and completely hooked on Pinterest!  if you haven't yet joined, send me your email and I will send you an invitation. You can also follow me on Pinterest!
If you are wondering What is Pinterest?  Go to the link and it will give you a full detail.

Ta-Ta for now!