First Time Mom and Losing It

Thank you DietToGo for sending me a 3 day sample of the Carb30 plan for an honest review. 



The key to staying on track when you are on a weight loss journey is to be prepared! Even though I know that I still find myself unprepared at times. These times are the ones where I have to make choices outside of my home. Although you can go to a restaurant and order something you think is low carb, there can be lots of hidden carbs.

This summer has been busy for my little family as we enjoy the last time my daughter will be home all day. She will be starting kindergarten in late August so we are spending as much quality time as possible. I honestly would rather be at the pool with my daughter than in the kitchen meal prepping for hours. This is when DietToGo came to me at the perfect time.


DietToGo is a meal delivery company that offers three different plans of healthy and clean foods. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is all planned for you within the macros that is right for you. You don't have to think about what to eat, count calories, or cook. All you have to do is look at the menu of the day, pull out the meal, and heat it up.



Since I am following a ketogenic diet I picked the Carb30 plan. DietToGo has perfectly calculated 3 meals every day that equal up to 30 carbs a day. It's that easy and that tasty too. Everything I had was super delicious and fresh tasting. All of the meals tasted like a personal chef came to cook at my place and not like a frozen TV dinner. The ingredient list of each meal was very minimal and full of whole foods. Unlike the frozen diet meals I have purchased at the supermarket, the DietToGo meals kept me satisfied until the next meal.




DietToGo also offers a Balanced menu plan where you get a little bit of everything that is calorie controlled. The Balance-Diabetes plan is perfect for Diabetics and Pre-diabetics to help keep blood sugar under control. There is even a Vegetarian option.

Have you ever tried a meal delivery company? 

I have been compensated by Glucerna for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own. #SteadyIsExciting


Coming from a Latin background I knew that the chances of me getting diagnosed with diabetes was high. I grew up with family members getting diabetes one after the other. First it was both of my grandmothers being diagnosed within months of each other. Then it was my dad being diagnosed and then my sister when she was just 22 years old.

This past summer my husband got the news that he was pre-diabetic. I didn't want another one of my loved ones to become diabetic so it was finally time to do something about it. On August 31st we started our journey of eating a low carb diet and have since lost a combined total of 122 pounds. Last month my husband went back to the doctor to get lab work and we got the news that he was no longer pre-diabetic! It is really amazing how just doing little changes to your diet could reverse something as serious as diabetes.


Now that my husband and I are committed to this way of eating we are working hard to bring our other family members on board. I want to show them that it is easy to change what they eat by substituting little things. One of my favorite family recipes is fried barbecue chicken. Now instead of frying it we are grilling it and instead of slathering it with our favorite barbecue sauce we are just using a little.



While browsing my local Target I took a look through the diabetic aisle. I was pleased to see all of the products Glucerna offered. They had some delicious looking shakes in a variety of flavors. As I was reading the label I saw that they contained CARBSTEADY® which helps lessen blood sugar spikes by allowing the body to slowly digest the carbohydrates. On top of Glucerna being the #1 Doctor recommended brand for people with diabetes, Target was also having a cartwheel of 10% off of their bars and shakes. (Live Jan 10th – 30th)



I decided to make the barbecue chicken and bring my grandma a 6pk of the Glucerna Vanilla Shakes. To make the barbecue chicken I took 3 ounces of boneless skinless chicken and grilled it on my indoor grill. I cooked it for about 5 minutes per side. Then I brushed on 2 teaspoons of my favorite low carb barbecue sauce on top and allowed it to cook for about 30 seconds longer. I packed it up and brought it for my grandmother to enjoy.




What small changes are you making to become healthier? 

Thank you Del Monte for sponsoring today's post.


Now that the holidays are over, it is time to focus on getting healthy and starting the new year right. My family has been on a weight loss journey since August 31 so we ended 2015 with success! We want to continue with losing weight, getting active and giving our preschooler healthy foods. One of the meals we always struggled with was lunch because she is so picky. It is a new year and a new us so I wanted to make her lunches more creative and nutritious with the help of my favorite brands.


Young children are visual little people so it helps to make their lunches fun and colorful. Instead of a boring sandwich I took the Pepperidge Farm® Swirl Bread and made little cream cheese roll ups with them. All you have to do is take a slice of bread and roll is flat with a rolling pin (or cup). Then you spread a thin layer of cream cheese and roll it up.


My daughter loves all kinds of fruit which I am pretty proud of but sometimes it is out of season and really expensive. I am glad I have the option of the high quality fruit cups from Del Monte. Now with the Del Monte® Fruit & Veggie Fusions not only is she getting nutrients from the fruits but she is getting nutrients from the vegetable juice. Since the vegetable juice is infused with the fruit juice she doesn't even know it. To decorate the top of the fruit cup I love to add a special little note attached with a sticker.


Frigo® CheeseHeads® Cheese Snacks are one of my daughter's all time favorite snacks. I love that they are packed with calcium and protein and in a single serving package.  I like to wrap the napkin and utensil onto the cheese snack with a couple of pipe cleaners. After she is finished with her lunch she can entertain herself with the pipe cleaners.



What do you do to make your kid's lunch boxes fun? 

Starbucks Unsweetened Cold Brewed Coffee: I tried my first cup of Starbucks coffee a few months ago and it was so good! Then I found out that they use an already sweetened ice coffee base! Since I didn't want to chance my coffee being given to me with hidden sugars I stopped going to Starbucks all together. Then I discovered the Starbucks Unsweetened Cold Brewed coffee. It is so good and tastes just like getting a cup at the coffee store. The best part is that it is unsweetened so you can add your own sweeteners and syrups and know exactly how many carbs you are getting.


Oopsie Rolls: This is my husband and I's go to "bread" on keto. It is so simple to make and because it is made out of eggs and cream cheese we always have the ingredients on hand. I always make a batch of 12 and keep the leftovers in a ziplock bag in the fridge. The Oopsie rolls are perfect for breakfast sandwiches, with tuna fish and are the perfect hamburger buns. I have made them with poppy seeds, sesame seeds and an "everything bagel" seasoning mixture on top of the buns.


Muffin Top Pan: If you want successful and pretty looking oopsie rolls you have to use a muffin top pan. You can also find them by the name of whoopie pie pans. They make such a difference in the shape and thickness of your oopsie rolls by containing the batter and not letting it spread out. I bought my first pan from Amazon for $10.00. I got another similar pan from Michael's called a mini pie pan.At Michael's I used a 50% off coupon and ended up paying 5 dollars and change.


Cream Cheese Pancakes: The easiest and best way to knock out those pancake cravings. I was tired of eating bacon and eggs for breakfast so I was happy to find the cream cheese pancakes All you have to do is make a batter out of 2 ounces of cream cheese, 1 egg, sweetener and cinnamon in a mini blender. Then cook them like you would a regular pancake batter. I enjoy them with sugar-free syrup and sausage or bacon.


Keto Hot Cocoa: My husband and I were craving hot cocoa so this recipe fit the bill. We first tried it with coconut milk like the recipe listed but we didn't like the flavor too much so I substituted unsweetened almond milk the second time. I also boiled a tiny bit of water and dissolved the dry ingredients with it so that I wouldn't have a grainy texture in the final product. This cocoa is rich and chocolately and so warm and comforting that it is the perfect night time snack.


Pecans: This are one of the best nuts to have on keto because they are lower in carb count and are full of healthy fats. I bought a huge bag at Costco and love snacking on them when I feel hungry in between meals or just want something a little sweet. I always take a little ziplock bag of them with me when I go out.


What were your December favorites?

My husband and I have been well into our weight loss journey since August 31. A big part of us wanting to get healthy is to be better role models for our daughter. It makes it easier for us to succeed in our weight loss efforts because she is a great motivator. Since we are making healthier choices for ourselves we started making healthier choices for her too.


We still have a very picky three year old so it's hard to find healthy choices that she will actually eat. I have tried my best to disguise lots of food and sometimes it has actually worked and sometimes it has been epic fails. For now we just keep trying with different recipes and keep track of the nutrients she is consuming with the foods that she does like.


I went to Walmart to pick up her favorite lunch snacks, Del Monte® Fruit Cup® Snacks and Frigo® Cheeseheads® Cheese Snacks. I can't wait to see the new Del Monte® Fruit & Veggie Fusions coming out next month. I think it's cool that they added vegetable juice to the cup. During the month of January and February of 2016 there will be a “Better for You Lunchbox” booklet with $6.25 in instant coupon savings included with the Del Monte® Fruit Cup® Snacks. This booklet will help us make Lunch Box Resolutions and save money at the same time.


Now that the New Year is a couple of days away I wanted to make a goal of giving her healthier lunches. I thought this would also be helpful to all of you mommies who have kids going back to school after the holiday break. The holidays are full of eating parties and celebrations so what better way than to start the new year with healthier foods.


What New Year's Resolutions do you have with your kids? 

Crunchy tacos are one of my family's favorites and we had them at least once a week. Once we went keto those crunchy tacos turned into taco salads. I do love taco salads but missed the crunch from the shell. I found out how to make cheese crunchy tacos from a YouTube video and have been making them like this ever since.


Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of 80% beef
• 1/8 cup tomato sauce
• 1/8 cup sofrito (frozen Spanish aisle)
• 2 tblsp diced green pepper
• salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
• 2 thick slices provolone cheese
• 1/2 small rice Hass avocado
• 1 tblsp green salsa (I use Herdez)
• 1 tblsp sour cream
• 1 tblsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp lemon juice 
• 1 small clove garlic

How do you like to top your tacos?