Game on Diet!

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com ~ 5 Comments

I love my babies, but looking at myself in the mirror has been very difficult. Not much fits anymore, not to even mention, I still look pregnant, but i would like to change that. Live a healthier and better life with my family. With a busy stressful job it has been a struggle and I have my ups and downs, and I don’t take failure well.

Some of my friends decided to play a game that is called The Game on Diet. There is a book that explains the rules. To summarize, you concentrate on eating 5 meals a day that consist of good carbs, veggies, and good fats. It breaks down how you gain points and how you lose them. Drinking 3 L of water a day and working out minimum of 20 min gives  you points. Snacking and alcohol deducts points. The game in general promotes good habits and gives you a support system of friends. Book can be purchased in many places, but we have ordered ours through amazon.

 

 

First week was pretty successful, but second week I went into the deep end due to high stress week at work. My emotions take over and the eating gets out of control.

What i have learned from this experience that meal planning makes this whole thing so much easier, but finding time is hard.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhWZZonFd3b/

One workday of meals looked something like this for me.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhG2fVllO2K/

Overall it definitely taught me better eating habits and correct portion sizes, but I just couldn’t fully stick with it. I definitely took away the meal planning from this experience and will keep working on trying to set my self up for success by planning meals ahead.

 

Thanks for reading.

Svet.

 

We are a family of four now.

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com

We had our second baby girl a few months ago and I am already very anxious about going back to work. How do I not get caught up in wanting to keep this house clean and organized without compromising my relationship with my kids and my husband?

So in the past two months I have been trying out different subscription services and trying to work them into our budget to hopefully make the load easier on me and our family. In these last few months I tried out Green Bean Delivery service, Shipt service, Dream Dinners, ClickList at Kroger, and Kroger Prep+Pared service. I will write separate posts about each service and how it helped our family and some of the limitations of them.

Along with trying to simplify our life I am trying to find the time of when I will be able to work out and get my pre-baby body back. I am still 30 pounds overweight and it is very depressing, because none of my clothes fit. I have made a pact with myself that I will not buy new clothes till I lose this weight.

So the goal for the end of this year and for the whole 2018 is to figure out a schedule that works for the whole family and also try to simplify some of the chores by using some of these subscription services.

So join me and my family while we figure out a life as a family of four with both working parents and trying to run our own business.

 

Shrimp Alfredo

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com

One of my go to meals is always Shrimp Alfredo. Frozen shrimp is always on my grocery list and it is something that is fast and easy to make. Here is the recipe that I like the most.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound linguine pasta
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled, deveined & tails removed

Alfredo Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup half-n-half (or heavy cream)
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Garnish

  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh or dried parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season liberally with salt. Break the linguine in half and add to the pot. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
  2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant, stir often to prevent burning.
  3. Add the cream cheese to the saucepan and cook until melted, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the half-n-half and parmesan cheese to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer, whisking often to make sure everything melts together and to prevent burning. Cook for 8 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; whisk to combine.
  5. While the sauce is simmering, start the shrimp. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook for 2-4 minutes per side, turning once, until pink and cooked all the way through.
  6. Add the shrimp in with the pasta in the large pot and pour the sauce over everything. Toss to combine and coat the pasta.
  7. Portion the pasta and shrimp into 4 bowls. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and parsley over each plate. Serve immediately. We like ours with some crusty bread!

I add tomatoes, asparagus, and mushrooms to my Alfredo. Sometimes all and sometimes whatever is available in my fridge. Also i season my shrimp with Bay Seasoning while it is cooking in butter.

Here is the blog that the recipe originally came from. It contains a video that is super easy to follow.

Easy Shrimp Alfredo

 

Thanks,

Svet.

 

Lasagna Freezer meal

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com

I love having a freezer meal or two as a back up for those super crazy busy days when you just don’t have any time to cook. Also it helps save money, because if I don’t have time to cook I resort to going out to eat or picking food up from a restaurant.

I found this recipe on pinterest.com and just made a few modifications that fit our family.

EASY LASAGNA FREEZER MEAL RECIPE

Recipe yields 4 to 5 (8 inch) square aluminum pans. A perfect meal for 2 or 3 people. I have made this in 8 inch pans and in a bigger pan.

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground turkey
1 pound Italian sausage
2 (24 ounce) jars marinara sauce
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
15 no-boil lasagna noodles (1-2 packages should be good.)
2 (15 ounce) containers Ricotta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
5-6 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
In a large saucepan or pot, combine ground turkey, sausage, onion, salt and garlic powder. Cook on medium-high heat until browned, crumbled and cooked through. Drain off any excess fat. Add marinara sauce, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium size bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Stir to combine.

Lightly spray pans with cooking spray. For each pan of lasagna, spread a little sauce into the bottom of each pan. Top with a layer of 2 lasagna noodles. Spoon more sauce over the noodles. Top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat.

Bake (thawed) lasagna, covered in foil, on 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking an additional 15 minutes. Enjoy!

I also use traditional ragu sauce on top of these lasagnas, because my family loves extra sauce.

My substitution from original recipe as the ground turkey instead of ground beef and ragu sauce. The original recipe could be found https://www.aboutamom.com/lasagna-freezer-meal-recipe/

 

Thanks for reading,

Svet.

Younique starter kit

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com ~ 18 Comments

Recently I have purchased a Younique starter kit from youniqueproducts.com. I wanted to try the products that have been blowing up my facebook feed lately. Also by buying the kit it gives me the option to try it out as a business if I decide to go that route. For $99 I received:

  • Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes+
  • Moodstruck Addiction Shadow Palette 4
  • Angled Shadow/Sponge Brush
  • Splurge Cream Shadow – Extravagant
  • Cream Shadow Brush
  • Splash Liquid Lipstick – Sentimental
  • Moisturizing face wash
  • Moodstruck Lip Exfoliator
  • Royalty Time Correcting Night Cream
  • Royalty Detoxifying Mask Sample Sachet (3)
  • Royalty Shine Cleansing Cloths
  • Lip stain sample pack
  • Moodstruck Precision Lip Liner Pencil – Peachy
  • Moodstruck Precision Eyeliner Pencil – Proper
  • Younique branded, purple faux-leather make-up organizer bag
  • White Status Presenter Charm
  • Touch Foundation Sample Card
  • Presenter Guide
  • Younique Catalog
  • Zen Print Promotion Card
  • Tablet

I have tried most of the products out of my package. Compared to the full price of Younique products the starter kit was definitely a steal. I love all their makeup products that I had in my kit, except for the lashes. Skin care products on the other hand could be better. I am a Clinique or Neutrogena type of gal and maybe a little biased when tried to compare Younique to them, but by price I expected similar quality if not better.

I tried the moisturizing face wash from Younique and it instantly broke my face out in hives. There was a second face wash that came in my kit, but I didn’t have the strength in me to try that product. I have never experienced these kinds of problems with Clinique.com or Neutrogena.com.

The mascara with fibers is a good idea, but those little fibers continually got into my eyes through out the day. I tried multiple times and watched multiple tutorial videos and still no progress.

Overall I would rate my kit as 3 out of 5. I got some really good products along with products that i most likely will never use.

Thanks for reading,

Svet.

Slow Cooker Creamy Beef Stroganoff

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com

This recipe is perfect for a busy day. Throw everything into a slow cooker in the morning and by dinner time you have an amazing meal.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1/4 cup Swanson® Beef Broth or Swanson® Beef Stock
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)
  • 3 medium onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 pounds boneless beef round steak, cut into thin strips
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 12 ounces (about 7 cups) medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

How to Make It

Step 1

Stir the soup, broth, Worcestershire, garlic and black pepper in a medium bowl.

Step 2

Place the mushrooms and onions into a 6-quart slow cooker.  Top with the beef.  Pour the soup mixture over the beef.

Step 3

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or until the beef is fork-tender.  Stir the sour cream in the cooker.  Serve the beef mixture with the noodles.  Sprinkle with the parsley, if desired.

Recipe Tips

  • Time-Saving: You may also cook this recipe on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

The only adjustment I did to this recipe was substituting venison (deer steaks) for the meat. The meat comes out very tender and delicious. Steaks are really hard to cook sometimes, but this way it comes out very tender with little to no effort.

Thanks,
Sveta

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com ~ 8 Comments

So my job was off for MLK day and I took the time to meal prep for a few days. I figured out if I only meal prep for a few days at a time I waste less food and I don’t get sick of the same food and go out and spend money. So i made a big batch of chicken alfredo lasagna. I found the recipe from one of the tasty videos. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/6Ehqyrw0eD4

I didn’t alter anything in the recipe and it turned out amazing. I had bacon in the freezer and I baked it in the oven (375) till it  was crispy. I like to bake bacon, because it one last thing I need to worry about while I am prepping other things. Plus I would rather always make my own bacon bits vs. fake premade bacon bits. For our family of 3 this gave us 6 meals.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as well.

 

Thanks,

Svet.

Slow cooker french dip

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com

Every time it comes time to dinner I am either at a loss on what to cook or I can’t ever place the exact recipe. There are so many means of getting recipes now and i can’t ever remember which one I liked or used. So I decided to create a spot in my blog for all the recipes I know my family loved and that I made. I will start this page with a slow cooker french dip sandwich recipe. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

Easy Slow Cooker French Dip

Easy Slow Cooker French Dip

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds rump roast
  • 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
  • 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
  • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
  • 6 French rolls
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

  1. Trim excess fat from the rump roast, and place in a slow cooker. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  3. Split French rolls, and spread with butter. Bake 10 minutes, or until heated through.
  4. Slice the meat on the diagonal, and place on the rolls. Serve the sauce for dipping.

The only changes i made was on the bread. I used ciabatta bread with swiss cheese.

This recipe was super simple and yummy!!!

Hope your family enjoys it as much as ours did!!

Thanks,

Svet.

Our Home Chef experience.

~ sviatlana.haubner@gmail.com

We are a super busy family so I am always in search of better ways to simplify our evenings. I decided to give home chef a try. After reading many reviews from other bloggers, difference between home delivery meals, I thought home chef was the way to go. In another blog it stated that the portions for home chef were a pretty good size and were more family friendly. I thought some help with my meal planning or taking out the actual planning and grocery shopping on my part would simplify our evenings just a tad.

I will go off topic a little bit on how I went about ordering my home chef. I used my swagbucks.com browser to search for home chef in the first place and noticed that if I signed up that day it would give me $30 off and 3000 swagbucks. 3000 swagbucks equals about $30 in amazon gift cards. Therefore making my first order free. So in the end the first order of home chef was free for our family.

Our first box finally arrived and i was so excited!!! I opened it up and started to put all my ingredients away. As I was putting away ingredients I  thought two of our meats were missing. Turns out in one tiny package they have two chickens, so there was no meat missing, but that told me right away that those portions were not going to work for a family of 3. Since the previous blog that i read said that the food was a good size and they had leftovers I thought there was no way we would need more than two meals.

The making process… Everything was spelled out and the instructions were pretty easy to follow.

In the end this is not something that would work out for our family. If we were two single adults, but the toddler was not very fond of some of the ingredients on the menu. One week over 60% of the choices were spicy and that is just not something I could give my child so in the end I ended up cooking two separate meals, which created more work for me. However, this is a perfect option for two young adults. So to sign up check out homechef.com and don’t forget to find a code for your first delivery. I have seen discount codes on swagbucks.com and facebook.com.

Thanks for reading,

Svet.