Friday Favorites!

Friday Favorites time!

with Andrea, Erika, Narci

1) My Uggs

Need I elaborate? I doubt it. Everybody big puffy hearts Uggs. 

I wear mine folded down a lot. I like it, but is it weird? I'll probably still do it even if everybody tells me it's awful, but I like to be well informed. 

2) My "Must Have" leggings!

One of my very favorite blogs is Pinterest Told Me To, and Sheaffer is my never-fail go-to for advice on great clothing basics. I have her "Must Have" shirt (but in white even though she recommends black), watch (but it's broken), jeans, and now leggings. I didn't really think I would love these leggings as much as she does, but by golly, I sure do! In fact, I wear them, and can't wait for them to get out of the wash so I can wear them again! Here's the weird "magical" thing about them: Every time I put them on, I think they're going to be way too long (I'm 5'6" for reference). But somehow, SOMEHOW, they magically fit once I wear them a minute or two. They're never baggy or bunchy. Where does that fabric go? Does it just somehow conform to my body? Some fashion mysteries will never be solved...

{imagine great pics here... my iPhoto is uncooperative today}

3) My new favorite "fast food" meal

I don't eat out for lunch much anymore (or any meal, for that matter), but they other day I had some time to kill right at lunchtime, so I decided to head to Panera. I rarely go there, because I think it's crazy expensive for what you get (and I just prefer McAlister's Deli), but for whatever reason, Panera was calling my name that day. I looked up some nutritional information online to pick out what I could eat before I even went in there to order. I decided on the Choose Two option, and got the Thai Chicken salad and the Turkey and Avocado BLT, with an apple as a side item (though they gave me an apple AND chips. I ended up bringing both home). This meal was delicious! The salad was very flavorful and not overly dressed (but definitely on the spicy side, just as a warning), and the sandwich was very good! I had some Acai Berry tea to go with it, and I can't wait to have it again! The whole meal was $13, which I still think is expensive for a one person, non-table service meal, but it was cheaper than I expected it to be, truthfully. 

4) My protein pancakes

My go-to breakfast for eons has been 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites, and a slice of toast with sugar free jelly on it. Plus a cup of coffee, obvs. I like that breakfast, and I've made it for so long that it's quick and easy. I have it down to an art form. But I'm just sick to death of it. I can do without eggs for quite some time, though I know that's not going to happen. 

#oldhabitsdiehard

In an effort to mix things up, I decided to try protein pancakes. I've tried them with very little success in the past, but then I saw a Nikki Blackketter video that mentioned using cottage cheese in the mix to fluff it up. 

BAM! 

That was the ticket! I've been making them ever since. 

The basic recipe is this:

1 scoop Cellucor Cor-Fetti Cake Batter Whey Protein

1 serving Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Pancake & Waffle Mix

1/2 serving low fat cottage cheese

Mix these ingredients with enough water to make a cake batter consistency (I didn't measure). Pour into a sprayed waffle maker and cook until done. Err on the quick side if your waffle iron doesn't have a timer. You don't want to overcook these; it makes them tough. I topped this one with Walden Farms syrup and some Redi-Whip! 

Nutritional Information: 

285cals, 16 carbs, 7 fat (mostly from the Redi-Whip!), 43 protein

In an effort to boost the protein a little more (as if it wasn't already protein packed!), I wanted to add an egg white to it. Every time I did that, though, they came out dry and dense. This time, I added the egg white with the cottage cheese, and made two thinner waffles instead of one thick one. That worked! And you know I had to make a pumpkin one!

Pumpkin Spice Protein Waffles: 

1 Scoop Syntrax Nectar Vanilla Torte Protein Powder

1 serving Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Pancake & Waffle Mix

1 serving egg whites (such as All Whites) 

1/2 serving low fat cottage cheese

1/2 serving pure pumpkin purée 

1/2tsp (or 1tsp) of pumpkin pie spice

1/2tsp pure vanilla extract

Enough water to make a cake batter consistency 

Pour into sprayed waffle iron, and remember to make 2 waffles from this mix! Cook until done. 

Nutritional Information: 

314cals, 18 carbs, 5 fat, 53 protein. 

I use the lowest calorie syrup I can find, which usually is from Walden Farms, but my grocery store didn't have it last time I was there, so I bought a syrup with Splenda from Vermont. The brand, not the state. Or maybe both. 

5) My "Fun Fridays" with my girls!

I can remember on most Fridays, my Daddy would pick me up from school and take me for an ice cream cone. Normally I rode the school bus to and from school, which I hated, so him picking me up was treat enough, but that ice cream was the, well, ice cream on the cake! I'm not sure what made me think of it a while back, but I remembered those Fridays fondly and decided to do something like that for my girls. It's been too cold here for after school ice cream, so I decided to start making an effort to get up earlier and take the girls to Dunkin Donuts for doughnuts every Friday morning. I'm not sure they have picked up on the "tradition" quite yet, but I'm hoping one day when they're getting their little girls ready for school that they'll remember these Fridays as fondly as I remember mine.