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Jan 30, 2012

Low Carb Recipe: Cheese Crisps (Imitation Cheese Nips)


When I was on Atkins back in 2003/2004, I lost a lot of weight and had almost no cravings.  I also learned tons of different recipes and snack ideas, this was one of them!  I used to be a member of an Atkins Diet Bulletin Board and found this awesome recipe for imitation cheese nips!  They definitely do taste like them too!


Ingredients:
  • 1 cup hard hand grated cheese. This would be parmesan, asiago, swiss, cheddar, etc...

What to do:


  • Preheat oven to 350 F
* If you use cheddar and other firm but not hard cheeses will work with this recipe, but it won't get as crisp and as crunchy as Parm or Asiago or other hard cheeses.  The oil will separate from the cheddar and you'll have to pat it off before you eat it.
  • (Optional)  You can toss your grated cheese with any seasoning you'd like, or you can just leave the cheese the way it is.  It depends what your favorite flavor is.
  • You can either pile the cheese (2-3 tsp) on parchment paper making little towers or you can spread the cheese the whole size of the baking sheet, making one flat cheese sheet! You will slice these later.
  • Bake 5 to 6 minutes until they are a light golden brown (they will be a little darker at the edges). It happens fast, so watch carefully.
DELICIOUS!

Jan 28, 2012

Saturday Randomness: My diet, Shop and More!


This is just a crapload of random all in one post. :)  I didn't want to make more than one post today -- completely lazy! :)  So let's start with...my diet!  I'm doing so well.  I'm going on week three right now and I've lost a little over 15lbs.  I got to the place where I don't even crave any junk food that's bad for me and that's just perfectly fine with me!  I'm trying my best to get to my goal weight and I feel that with this diet it will happen.  I have the willpower and motivation this time around. Go me!  I feel positive, optimistic and just happy with my results so far.  The bad part is, I haven't had time (or money) to sign up for a gym, so exercising isn't in my plan right now.  I've been searching around for maybe a small piece of exercise equipment to put in the basement near my art studio; that's been a major fail.  Besides, I remember what happened when I bought an elliptical a few years ago.  I thought it was "small" because it said so on the site I bought it from.  Well, this thing ended up being a freaking monster and it took me forever to sell the damn thing. There are times where I regret selling it, but this thing couldn't budge from our living room with just my mom and I carrying it.  

Jan 27, 2012

Gems The Word: Xpress Yourself Collection & Some beautiful new items!

I've been working so hard on my Gems The Word shop as well as our brand new website!  We now have GemsTheWord.com!  Today, I unveiled my Xpress Yourself collection, that I absolutely love.  Each pendant is hand drawn and placed securely in an antique vintage style frame pendant.  It's laminated and has a PVC photo covering on the frame as well.  This is so durable and so adorable! :)  Here is what I posted!









For a limited amount of time, you can get 10% off your entire purchase with Gems The Word -- Just use code THANKYOU


Jan 24, 2012

Sponsored Post: Kevin Frank and Real Estate in Vancouver


Property for Sale Vancouver

In a time when buying and selling homes is extremely difficult, Kevin Frank is here to help you out completely and ease your mind. Kevin is your go to guy on the West Side of Vancouver, which is a beautiful area! One of the great things is that he lives in the area that he works in and shows homes in, so he knows the ins, outs and great places around this area.  You definitely do want a Realtor who is extremely knowledgeable about the area and who can give you an honest opinion about the area in which you're going to be living.

Kevin is approved by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver and has a great track record helping families and first time home buyers find their homes.  He has been in the industry for 10 years and is a very seasoned and successful Realtor.  An important quality in a Realtor is that they love what they do and are passionate about their job.  Frank does love what his career is and he enjoys helping people find their homes and loves to assist them in such an important decision and investment in their lives and futures.

Are you looking to sell your home but not sure how to go about it? Are you anxious about selling your home and need some guidance?  Kevin can definitely do that!  He has a special section on his site just for those selling their homes.  He has many educational articles on the process, how to list and how to stage your home for showings.  The peace of mind and guidance that his site can give to you is incredible, and that's important to someone who is anxious about putting their home on the market.  

If you are looking to buy or sell your home in the West Side of Vancouver, Canada -- Contact Kevin Frank and he will be happy to give you all the assistance you would need!

Property for sale Vancouver

DISCLAIMER:  This is a sponsored post and these are solely my opinions and not opinions persuaded by Kevin Frank.  I was compensated for this post.

Sponsored Post: Accessories Loft Review


Accessories Loft is an accessory lover's heaven!  They have some absolutely beautiful brooches, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and so much more that are fashionable and stylish.  One of my favorite items is the beautiful Classic Rose Brooch/Hair Piece!  This is such a beautiful piece and is also so functional, being a brooch and a hair piece in one!   Another favorite is the Bird and Butterfly necklace.  I love the brass look and the very modern look that's slightly edgy.  It's a piece that would look good with multiple outfits!

  

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a ring... Accessories Loft has some great rings on their site such as this beautiful and unique Angel Wings Ring and the Double Ended Ring.  Both of those rings have such a unique look, I've never seen anything like it before.

So definitely check out Accessories Loft

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  All opinions in this post are mine and mine alone, not the opinions persuaded by Accessories Loft.  I was compensated for this post. 

Jan 21, 2012

Zeiss Lenses and their Educational Tools


Your eyes and your eyesight is nothing to joke around with, this is why Zeiss Lenses has a full educational community with many tools to help you learn to protect your eyes and take care of them.  They have full information on how to choose an eye doctor and this is very important information.  There are some eye doctors, and trust me I have been to them, who don't give you the proper instructions for care with your eyes, glasses and lenses.  You want a reputable eye doctor who has the reputation of being knowledgeable and assisting their patients fully with their eyes and eye care.

Jan 17, 2012

Home Decor added to Gems The Word Shop & COUPON CODE!


I absolutely love to make these yarn wrapped wreaths and actually find the tedious process of wrapping the wreaths in yarn very therapeutic and calming! lol  I do it while I'm watching TV or a movie.  The wreath pictured above is a yarn wrapped Valentines Day wreath!  The best part?  The hearts are removable so you can use this wreath even after Valentines Day!  The felt rosettes on the bottom are completely handmade.  (Another tedious process!)  You can view this here >> Valentines Day Yarn Wrapped Wreath.  This is added to my shop and the price for this is $28!  


This one is a 12" wreath and is wrapped in multi color yarn.  I so love this wreath because of it's bright and cheery colors.  We have the purple, pink and blue colors in this wreath. Again, the felt rosettes are handmade and in varying sizes.  I love the colors of the rosettes; pink, black, purple and blue.  The embellishments are a beautiful sparkle blue spray on the top and hand-sparkled white leaves on the bottom.  Just beautiful!  You can view this here! >> Multi Color Yarn Wrapped Wreath. This is priced at $32.

We also have some beautiful jewelry that is in our shop as well.  I'd appreciate it if you checked it out!  Right now we are having a hard time with my not having a job yet and I really would like to make some income from this shop to help us out.  For everyone who visits our shop from my blog, I'm offering a 10% discount on your ENTIRE purchase!  Enter - THANKYOU at check out on Etsy!




Jan 10, 2012

Duane Reade VIP Blogger 2012 Entry Blog


Since most New Jersey locations discontinued their Duane Reade stores, I travel 10 minutes to Staten Island, NY to shop at the stores.  Why?  I think their stores are a lot more organized than most drug stores of their type and I feel that they have the best prices on some of the items I need; especially with the Duane Reade card! Their stores are absolutely affordable on even the most expensive products and their employees are always kind, even in their always busy Manhattan stores.  Duane Reade has absolutely everything you'll need when you go there to shop!  

Why should I be chosen to be a 2012 Duane Reade VIP Blogger?  I absolutely love the store and always have great things to say about them.  I love to use my coupons there so I can get the best deals and would definitely be willing to post some posts about my shopping trips at Duane Reade and how to get the best bang out of your buck at the store.  I also feel that I have a great following and loyal readers that would love to hear about Duane Reade and their amazing deals.  I feel that I have the writing skills to come up with well thought out posts and I feel that Duane Reade would not be disappointed with the way that I present their stores! 

Jan 9, 2012

Almost 7lbs down. :D


I'm almost 7lbs down and I'm extremely excited to have lost (close) to 10 lbs.  My ultimate goal is quite a ways away, but every 10 pounds is a celebration for me.  Feeling that I have the willpower and determination to do this is actually very comforting; Maybe because I know I have no choice.  There's no way I can live the way I was before dieting or I would never believe in myself.

By cooking more, I'm learning that you can eat food that's very delicious and still lose weight.  I really will have to start posting more of my recipes on here to share the awesome food that I make with all of you.  The fact that I'm making my food fresh and know that I'm making my family something nutritious is very important to me and makes me extremely proud of myself.  

Like I said, I have a long way to go -- but seeing my weight go lower makes me happy every single time I weigh in.  I will definitely keep the blog updated as I lose more and more weight, hopefully getting to my ultimate goal.

Jan 4, 2012

New Years Dieting...


How many people say that they are making a New Years Resolution to lose weight?  Probably millions, but I really do mean it.  I can't believe how I let my depression get a hold of me and let myself eat so much that I am now at my highest weight ever.  I have a family history of diabetes and I know I'll be on that track if I don't fix myself and don't get on the right track, I know that we also have a history of high blood pressure and heart disease as well.  My goal in life is to be happy and healthy for my kids and also to feel good about myself for once.  That's all I have wanted for years.  Now, I am making that happen.  I made a promise to myself and my girls that I would stick to this diet until I get to my goal weight.  It's going to take a while and it is going to be difficult to overcome my cravings and weaknesses, but I know that I can do it.