Recipe: Low-Carb Dark Chocolate Truffles

This is another recipe that I got from LowCarb4Life on YouTube. I just had to find  me a way to incorporate chocolate into my low-carb diet, so this was an easy way to do it. Her videos aren't too long and show you how to make the entire recipe, so I {being the non-foodie that I am} really appreciate that. However, she doesn't actually list out her recipes. So I have done you a favor, watched the video, written down the recipe, and counted the carbs for you!! {You're welcome!} Here you go...

Low-Carb Dark Chocolate Truffles 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. sugar-free vanilla syrup
• 1/2 tsp. almond {or vanilla...I chose vanilla} extract
• 2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar-free chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Melt butter & chocolate chips together in microwave, stirring every 30-45 seconds.
2. Add whipping cream, extract, and syrup to your buttery chocolate mixture & stir well.
3. Spoon approx. 1 tbsp. of the mix into mini cupcake liners {I just used regular sized ones}. 
4. Freeze cups for 30-45 minutes.

THE END. SO EASY!

This makes about 10 truffles. I just stuffed the cupcake liners filled with mix anywhere I could sit them in my freezer. I also kind of rolled the liner around until the mix filled the entire bottom of the liner, if that makes any sense. Just make sure that you don't remove from freezer/fridge until you're about to serve them...they melt/soften fairly quickly!! 

They taste like fudge, give you your chocolate kick, and are only ONE net carb per truffle!! Amazing! The entire recipe was 10 net carbs, so divide that into however many truffles you want to make, if you want to make them larger or smaller than 1 tbsp. each. :)

And here's the video if you want to watch...



Enjoy!!

♥,
Nicole

Progress Summary: Low Carb Round 2 - Week 2

Well, week 2 is over! As you can see, in week 1 of  "Low Carb Round 2" I lost five whole pounds. I really tried for a whole two days to continue tracking everything on here, but in pure Nicole fashion, that just did not work out. I have a few minor {and I mean minor} cheats throughout the week, and did not work out as much as I did during week #1. Last week I worked out {cardio & weight lifting each day} for five days. This week it was both for two days, cardio another day, and weight lifting another. I blame that totally on my gym partner leaving town! ;) It really does make a world of difference having someone meet you there & go through the motions with you. She also decided to "do low-carb" with me! What a pal!! 

So, since I didn't track everything like I did last week, let me just tell you what I've been eating and some of my to-go-to low-carb options for the week. 

Basically this week's dinner consisted of whatever concoction of hamburger meat we wanted to eat. It was either a burrito bowl or a low-carb pizza for lunch and/or dinner most nights. Salsarita's burrito bowls were definitely my inspiration and they are so easy and cheaper to make at home! 

I know that is definitely not Pinterest worthy, or appealing to the eye, but YUUUUUM!!!! It's lean hamburger meat with taco seasoning, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. 

And here's a non-Pinterest-worthy pic of our low-carb pizzas....

We use large low-carb tortillas for the crust. Pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, lean hamburger meat (no taco seasoning this time), shredded cheese, onions, and red and green peppers for toppings! Cook for 6ish minutes at 350 degrees and voila!! You have a super yummy low-carb pizza option!! Alex asked for these two nights this week!! Warning when making these: We cut ours into four slices each, then you have to fold and hold each piece because the bottom's kind of flimsy. Either way, YUMMY! 

As always, my Premier Protein shakes came in handy when I was on my way to the gym and hadn't eaten since brunch. 

Premier Protein Shakes (2 net carbs)

EGGS!! Hard boiled, soft boiled, scrambled, you name it! At 0 carbs per egg, I definitely fill up on them about every morning!! 

And every morning I have to have a non-water drink! HAVE TO! My drugs of choice are...

Dr. Pepper really makes the only drink with "diet" in the name that I will drink!

 and...

DEFINITELY better than Diet Coke!! 

I have left these in my car since I always want a snack in the car... About 28 nuts is only 2 net carbs!! 

Nothing super special this week...just keepin' on keepin' on. 

I lost another 1.8 this week!! 

I know 1.8 isn't a lot, but five last week was, and was honestly surprising. I am okay with just going continuing to go down every week, even if it's in small increments. 

Today was my cheat day & by the end of the day I was ready to vomit. :( Eating low-carb has made me feel better for sure!! I also think I'm gaining energy while staying full, which is always a plus!! Maybe it's sleeping in a little, but I haven't wanted to nap at all this week, except today when I was in a carb coma. :/ 

So tomorrow starts week 3, kinda. Today should have started week 3, and I should have cheated yesterday, but that just means I waited even longer to really cheat. And it was really hard when my mother-in-law made this Oreo dessert for dinner on Sunday. She graciously gave me a piece to-go for my cheat day the next day though, don't you worry! ;) 

So "week 3" starts tomorrow. I guess my weeks will be 6 days long instead of seven and I plan to cheat a little one day per week, just to keep myself from feeling deprived. I definitely am going to try to avoid this carb-induced yuckiness feeling though...a feeling I think I am thankful for!! 

Have a great week!

♥,

Nicole

Progress Summary: Low Carb Round 2 - Week 1

Okay, here's the deal. I thought I was going to totally going to track these carbs like a pro this week. I tried really hard and did alright. I am not eating a ton of times so it's kind of easy to remember what I had yesterday. The real kicker was recipes, which is totally normal, right? It wasn't until the week was over that I really counted the carbs in my three recipes I made, and, well, that was a no-no. Thank goodness my chocolate torte {pie} was only 3 carbs per piece, but my two others could get a little high in carbs if I didn't watch it. And I didn't watch it. Totally my fault. Lesson learned. Will do better next time!!

Now, here ya go! My week. My carb intake. As well as what I did for exercise. My goal was 15ish carbs per day. You can see that some days were spot on, some better than I expected, and some, well, went a little pretty overboard {by accident}.

Day 1: Total Net Carbs: 15 12
Breakfast:
3 eggs (scrambled) - 3 carbs total* 0 carbs
1/4 cup of Kraft Three Cheese shredded cheese - 1 carb.
1 tbsp. of "Real Bacon Bits" - 0 carbs
1/2 a can of Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry - 0 carbs

**Depending on your resource, eggs vary in their number of carbs, anywhere from 0.4 to 1 each. I know that's not a HUGE difference, but it's the difference in 2 for 1! To be fair, I just said each egg was 1 carb and called it a day. 

Edit: I have no idea where I got 1 carb per egg for these eggs. The nutritional facts under the carton lid & My Fitness Pal both clearly say 0 carbs per egg. So... I guess I did better than I thought!! :)

Late Lunch/Pre-Workout Snack:
1 Chocolate Premier Protein Shake - 2 net carbs

Exercise:
30 minutes on the elliptical at levels 5 and 10
Biceps and Abs for another hour, rotating with my new gym buddy, Whitney :)

Dinner:
Small-sized Low Carb Wrap - 5 net carbs
with Ham, Mustard, & Mayo - 2 carbs
Salad: sliced almonds, bacon bits, shredded cheese, EVOO, & red wine vinegar - approx. 2 carbs?

Day 2: Total Net Carbs: 15 11
Breakfast:
3 eggs (scrambled) - 3 carbs total* 0 carbs
1 Slice of American cheese {tasted better than the shredded cheese yesterday} - 2 carbs
1 tbsp. of "Real Bacon Bits" - 0 carbs
1/2 a can of Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry - 0 carbs

Lunch:
1 pack of Starkist single-serve Light tuna....add mayo - 0 carbs

Pre-Workout Snack:
1 Chocolate Premier Protein Shake - 2 net carbs

Dinner:
Texas Roadhouse's grilled chicken salad {chicken, cheese, eggs, & bacon**} - MAYBE 7 carbs {I would have said 4 before I added the ranch dressing but I do enjoy me some salad dressing!}

**I took off the tomatoes due to preference, and the onions and croutons to lessen the carbs. However, the amount of onions I would have had on there would have been "low carb," since 1 "medium slice" (1/8 inch thick) is 1.3 carbs and I don't douse my salad in onions. Nonetheless, the hubby was thankful! ;) 

Day 3: Total Net Carbs: 21 {higher than I'd wish}
Breakfast:
1 Chocolate Premier Protein Shake - 2 net carbs

Lunch:
Salad: Lettuce, cheese, ham, turkey, chicken, tomatoes & ranch dressing. - Maybe 4 carbs?
Coke Zero- 0 carbs
1 single "Everything" flavored Pretzel Chip - 2 carbs... had to try just one, and I promised I would count it in my total....not worth it.

Exercise:
30 mins on the elliptical, at levels 5 and 1
30 mins on the treadmill at level 10 incline

Dinner:
Creamy Salsa Chicken Breast - 4 carbs guesstimate
Salad: cheese, bacon bits, almond slices, & leftover "cream" from the chicken recipe as my dressing - 6 carbs guesstimate
1 slice of my new Low Carb Sugar-Free Chocolate Truffle Torte - 3 carbs

Day 4: Total Net Carbs: 28 25 {Oops!!}
Breakfast:
3 fried eggs with bacon - 3 carbs 0 carbs
Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry - 0 carbs

I think I was full from my late breakfast, or forgot to eat lunch or something...

Snack:

1 slice of my new Low Carb Sugar-Free Chocolate Truffle Torte - 3 carbs

Exercise:

30 mins of elliptical, primarily on level 1... I was beat! 

30 mins of biceps

Dinner:
Shredded Buffalo Chicken w/ Mexican Cheese & sour cream - 14 carbs guesstimate {total low-carb mistake}

Brocolli & Cheese - approx. 5 net carbs

1 slice of my new Low Carb Sugar-Free Chocolate Truffle Torte - 3 carbs

Day 5: Total Net Carbs: 21 {dang it!}
Breakfast:

6 sausage with maple syrup links with mustard- 4 carbs

Coke Zero - 0 carbs

Lunch:

1 slice of my new Low Carb Sugar-Free Chocolate Truffle Torte - 3 carbs

Exercise: 30 mins of cardio, then weight lifting {abs & legs}

Dinner: some more of that buffalo chicken from Thursday night... - Guessing another 14 carbs :(

Day 6: Total Net Carbs: 39 {toooo many!}
Breakfast:
Leftover buffalo chicken {don't judge me...it was brunch!} - Guessing another 14 carbs :(

Lunch:
A burrito bowl from Salsarita's {beef, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream} - approx. 5 carbs?

Exercise:
NONE

Dinner: Outback Steakhouse: 
A side salad with honey mustard dressing {no croutons} - probably 15 carbs? Honey Mustard dressing will get ya!!
9 oz. sirloin - 0 carbs
& the best broccoli & cheese I've EVER had. So sad that they quit selling green beans.. :'( Those were my favorite!! - 5 carbs?

Day 7: Total Net Carbs: 7
Breakfast: 1 Chocolate Premier Protein Shake - 2 net carbs
Lunch: Salmon & mayo mix {not my best idea} - 1 carb
Snack: Smokehouse flavored almonds - 2 net carbs
Exercise: NONE
Dinner: 2 bacon & cheddar-filled burgers {YUM!!} - 2 carbs

It will be a miracle if I can keep this up, the logging. I am not handing out false promises today, so, I will just try to do a summary of what I ate...and you trust that it's low carb. How's that sound? I'll try to guestimate the number of net carbs I eat in a day. Sometimes it's hard with recipes you're making with ingredients and serving sizes and blah blah. But I WILL TRY. But if I don't, don't judge me. But as you can see, I did not starve. And I'll be honest, I didn't really miss carbs that much. Until I passed Cold Stone Creamery, and a pizza restaurant. That is mostly thanks to my new love, Coke Zero. It makes me temporarily forget Mello Yello exists.

But, nonetheless, my low-carb diet was well worth week #1. I will definitely be keeping up the good work. Why, you ask? Because the scale was at onenumber on Monday when I was chatting with Whitney at the gym, and on the morning of day #8, the number of the scale was onenumber minus FIVE POUNDS!! Not even joking. I think it was a low-carb miracle.

So, wish me luck in week #2. At the end of week #2 I am having me a cheat day of all cheat days. Not that I think of it often or anything... :)

Have a great week!

♥,
Nicole

Here I go again...

personal thinspiration from our honeymoon
(April 2013) 

Last year, for a solid 5+ months, I "did low carb." Of course, getting married will kick any undisciplined person into high gear & the result of my dedication and sacrifice was a much needed 25 lb. weight loss. After the wedding & honeymoon, Alex and I kind of climbed off the carb crazy train, just tried to "eat better" and continued to exercise-- a.k.a. we introduced carbs back into our life. Please hear me when I say that introducing carbs back into our diet did NOT backfire. I often hear people say, "You can't go on a low carb diet successfully because when you stop you will gain all the weight back," and then some people finish that sentence with a, "Plus more." Yes, I kept exercising. No, I didn't gorge myself in sweets. I maintained a 20 lb. weight loss. But it wasn't until I went back to work, which was extremely stressful, and ate like straight up crap for weeks and did not exercise one time that I gained not only a few lbs. back, but every single pound that I had lost.

LESSON LEARNED. 

It's high time I get back some discipline. I did it before and I can do it again. I know the efforts will be worth it, I just need to get to work. And by get to work, I mean plan, and track, and avoid, and tell myself no. And pray for God to help me find the strength to not have Mello Yello or sugar. Sounds like a drag but I know I can still have foods I love, and I know I will see some results. I won't have to worry about calorie-counting, or SUPER restricting myself. So.... I am thinking positive thoughts! :)

In the mean time, I will be looking for new low-carb recipes. If you have any suggestions, or websites that give some *easy* (y'all know I'm no pro in the kitchen) options, please send them to me! And wish me luck!!

PS: I realize I said I was starting "Round 2" last August, but that's when I started my new position at work and started hating life SO- like I said... It's high time I get back some discipline. For real this time. I had an xL Mello Yello last night, and I am READY. Get ready for some #lowcarb all over the place.

3 things...2012/2013

I heard of a great idea* & it totally inspired a blog post. Hooray!
{Can you tell I'm avoiding working from home?}

Here are 3 good things about 2012:

1. Alex & I got engaged! {DUH! You knew that was going to be #1... ten years is a long time, people!} No but really, I OFFICIALLY get to begin planning my future with my best friend & that was amazing news! 
2. All my grandparents ended the year in good health. 2012 was a hard year that included a lot of serious health scares. I want to thank the Lord that my grandparents are "home" and healthy. 
3. I made new friends & reunited with old ones. My girlfriends mean a great, great deal to me. I love how we can spend however long apart & when we're back together it's like no time passed. 

And 3 things I am looking forward to in 2013:

1. Being a bride! Marrying the love of my life and making him my roommate! ;) 
2. Having the summer off work. {Sorry, I'm not sorry!} My brain requires a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's temporary, for me to somewhat function properly. I am so thankful my job is allowing me this opportunity! 
3. Seeing the benefits continue of my new low-carb diet. :) Christmas break reminded me why I need to remain focused & how multiple {and by multiple, I mean 12}cheat days in a row can backfire on you. But even after Christmas break, I was still 8 lbs lighter so I am just going to keep on keepin' on! I might even work out in 2013 ;) You never know....

Doesn't it feel great to reminisce? And doesn't it feel great to have something to look forward to?

♥,

Nicole

*I completely stole this idea from my friend, Winter.

Going Low-Carb!

So I'm going to let it all out there! It's my blog & I'll do what I want! Sometimes I share personal things, sometimes I talk about my favorite TV shows. Sometimes I talk about 9/11. There's no common theme up in here... it's just what I want, when I want, and that's how I like it! :)

I'm gonna get a little more personal right now, and share with you "my new thing." I say this, knowing how I am... I start things and I never finish them. I admit it! BUT- this new ADHD medication something inside me has got me motivated. MAYBE it's the fact I'm getting married in less than six months {Eek!} but I don't care what it is, as long as this "thing" sticks!!

"My new thing" is a low-carb diet. I went to the doctor, primarily to tell him that all I want to do is sleep, and I've been eating better, even exercising more, and still- nothing! I didn't feel right and I knew this wasn't  the way I was supposed to feel, and quite frankly, I just didn't like it. I diagnose people every day with ADHD, so I knew I had that. Like knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. But this was something different. Well, he blamed my not sleeping well and no energy and yada yada to my diet. Go figure!! If I would have walked in there with a bloody arm he probably would have blamed it on my morning Mello Yello. But, I had to finally put my tail between my legs and realize... he went to medical school and I. did. not. I'm sure he knew what he was talking about, and if he didn't, I could say "I told you so" to him, but only after I tried things his way. He suggested a low-carb diet and ditching my morning Mello Yello the sugary drinks. I told him there's no way I'm cutting out the soft drinks cold turkey again. Last time I had MAJOR headaches. He suggested cutting however much I drink now in half, and keep cutting in half every week until I'm completely off of them. Well it didn't take me long to realize he wants me off them in two weeks!! I will try low-carb, but my Mello Yello is my baby and I just didn't know how I was going to feel about getting rid of it altogether.

I talked to a couple friends who have had great success with low-carb diets. One suggested staying under 20 carbs a day.

Do you know how many carbs are in my morning Mello Yello???

Forty! Seven! 

And still. I couldn't fathom my life without it. 

But, for the past four days, I have been successful!! I am not drinking two soft drinks a day. I'm opening up a can in the morning and if I don't finish it, I don't finish it. I think only one of the four days so far I've finished it. The medication really makes my mouth dry, so I'm drinking more water than ever!  I've been eating a protein bar in the morning, which, really isn't low-carb, but I might still have to find something low-carb I can eat on the go. No time for fixing breakfast...I love to sleep too much!! I've been eating boiled eggs for lunch. And I've made the BEST quesadillas for dinner. I've been switching it up between that, grilled chicken salads, and steaks the past four days.

After dinner tonight with my new friend Laura :) I learned that I have been eating less carbs than I thought!! I obviously had no idea what I was doing, and had been counting the total carbs on all my nutrition facts! Well, come to find out, with a low-carb diet, you subtract the Dietary Fiber and the Sugar ALCOHOLS (not the sugar) from the Total Carbohydrates to give you what they call "net carbs!" Who knew?!?! I probably would if I'd read info on the Atkins diet, everyone tells me. But anyways... so those tortillas I had been using on my low-carb quesadillas that I thought were 10g of carbs each are only 3!!!!!!!!!! Woohooo!! So I've been limiting my carbs, and still eating less than what I thought!! And, a little birdy told me I can eat bacon on a low-carb diet, so, I'm basically sold.

I'm now on a mission to find low-carb everything. I know it's possible! I want to do this so bad!! I know things will come up.. like my Christmas bridal shower, and, you know, the holidays. But if I give myself something to look forward to, and limit my "cheat days" to a cheat meal, or not three cheat days in a row, I think I'll be okay. It's for sure better than what I've been doing!!

And Laura told me something else that you probably already knew but I didn't... I can trade my morning Mello Yello in for an ice cold Diet Dr Pepper and save myself the 47 carbs!! Diet soft drinks have 0 carbs. I am not a diet drink fan, and I'm sure they're equally as bad for you but just in other ways, BUT... it will satisfy my craving for yummy liquid tasting drink in the morning {a.k.a. not water or black coffee} and will work on weaning me off caffeine as well!! I know I won't be finishing the cans, but it'll be a much better substitute! So now I will for sure be staying under my goal of 20ish carbs a day!! I'm excited!!

I'm really going to try to track what I'm doing. I'll try harder to share with y'all as well. :)