FREE Birthday Items for You: 2025 Edition

Sugar: Hacked!

🍯🤩 SUGAR: HACKED!

Am I the only one or did you also think honey and molasses were exponentially better for you than a plain old white sugar? While both honey and molasses contain some form of micronutrients, they are both still sugars! But when it comes to plain old calories and carbs you may be shocked at which sugar comes out on top 🤯

The truth is, your body can’t tell the difference between sugar. Added sugar is… added sugar!

Here’s the kicker, though. White sugar actually has fewer carbs and calories than honey. Turns out a teaspoon of the white, brown, and the raw basically have the same amount of calories (around 15 per 1 teaspoon) and carbs (around 4 per 1 teaspoon).

BUT, when you move over to the molasses and honey, they actually have higher calories (around 20 per 1 teaspoon) and carbs (around 5 per 1 teaspoon).

The bottom line? Use the one you want! It’s really the amount, not the kind.

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LORAfied On-the-Go: Low Carb Diet Fast Food Hacks Pt. 1

Sharing the best low carb hacks to help guide you the next time you’re ordering at your favorite fast food chain!

LORAfied List to Low Carb Fast Food??

Low Carb KFC Order?

Buttermilk Ranch (2 g net carbs)
Buffalo (2 g net carbs)
Hot sauce (1 g net carbs)
Chicken Wing and Drumstick (3 g net carbs each)
Green beans, add butter spread (2g net carbs, 0 carbs for butter spread)

Low Carb at Taco Bell?

Chicken Power Bowl (21 g protein, 4 net carbs (with no sauce), 240 calories)
Nacho cheese sauce (and most sauces)
Lettuce wrap or bowl option

*SKIP: bread, wraps, biscuits, anything fried (chicken, fries, desserts), rice, beans, chips

McDonald’s?

Double quarter pounder with cheese, no bun, and no ketchup (42 g protein, 4 net carbs (with no sauce), 540 calories)
Mix buffalo and ranch (low carb and tasty)

*SKIP: sauces can be tricky and add unnecessary carbs. The sweet & sour, hot mustard, tangy bbq, and ketchups are not low carb friendly!

Chick Fil A?

12 count grilled nuggets (38 g protein, 2 net carbs (with no sauce), 200 calories)
Mix their zesty buffalo sauce with their house sauce for a delicious low carb hack
Cool wrap in a bowl (42 g protein, 5 net carbs (with no sauce), 350 calories)

*SKIP: the spicy chicken sandwich, and sauces can add up the carbs here again…2 Polynesian sauces have as many carbs as a bun!

Starbucks☕️

Low carb latte hack: large cup of ice with 2 shots of espresso, then I add my own low carb, high protein shake to the cup. The regular way Starbucks makes it has 49 net carbs! Adding your own shake will make it so it only has 5 carbs (and my shakes have 20g of protein!)

***Click HERE to shop my favorite Low Carb Snack Bars and Shakes?

LORAfied On-the-Go: Low Carb Diet Fast Food Hacks Pt. 2

?? DIET HACK: LOW CARB FAST FOOD ORDERS Pt. 2 ?

How often do you find yourself ordering on the run? With my work schedule and an unpaid job as a personal chauffeur to my teens I find myself in the drive-thru more often than I’d like, so I had to figure out some better choices. Here’s my latest edition of TASTY LOW CARB ORDERS ✅

McDonald’s

If you are craving a Big Mac, this is the way to do it! Guilt free, and it’s absolutely delicious. Plus, it’s only 6 net carbs!

I ordered a Big Mac with NO bun and extra lettuce. You can include the sauce on this guy… it only has 1 carb! She’s not going to win any beauty pageants but it tastes SO good. This order has 6 carbs, 18g protein and only 330 calories.

Starbucks

My lowcarb starbucks order only has 6 carbs! I order a grande shaken espresso with almond milk, blonde espresso, 1/2 caramel syrup, 1/2 cinnamon dolce syrup, and 1 stevia. The key to this guy is NO classic syrup, meaning no surgar. It has 6 carbs and only 45 calories.

Chick-fil-A

Here, I ordered their cobb salad but flipped out the crispy chicken for grilled. I opted for the light italian dressing and tossed the cripsy bell peppers, which are fried and full of carbs. My order comes in at just 10 net carbs, 42g of proten and 465 calories.

Did you know many Starbucks drinks include what they call “classic” which is simple syrup whether you want it or not? Comment and LMK! I make sure to always say “no classic” when ordering anything at Starbucks, even the most simple drinks come with it which adds carbs and calories ?

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Costco Food Court Diet Hacks

🤩🍕COSTCO FOOD COURT: DIET HACKS 🌭🍪

Have you ever grabbed something from the Costco Food Court? Their food is a deal and it’s delicious! While it’s tricky to find options that aren’t “cheat day status”, there are some delicious workarounds. In fact, there’s one item on their menu that’s a low carb standout…and I’m not talking about their chicken salad 🥗😉 The big question is… how do we eat at Costco on a diet? I’m here to help ya out!

Between the pepperoni and cheese pizza, the cheese pizza has fewer carbs and calories. However, both are super high in carbs! My hack? Cut out all the carbs and just eat the toppings!

Is the chicken bake or the fully loaded hot dog the way to go? The chicken bake comes in at 840 calories and 80g of carbs! The hot dog comes in at 621 calories and 51+ carbs. Both are not great, but the absolute best thing to do on this menu is make yourself a fully loaded hot dog with no bun. This brings it down to 411 calories and only 14g carbs!

Now, onto the desserts. The cookie comes in at 69g carbs compared to 84g of carbs in the sundae. The sundae however does come in with a little less calories. While the cookie has 11g of protein, it’s not worth it if you are dieting!

In regards to the drinks, you will want to avoid these if dieting! The cold brew mocha freeze comes in at a whopping 115g of carbs!

Skip the drinks and try my low carb creation instead: a bite of the no bun hot dog with some of the pizza toppings on top! It’s the perfect low carb bite at the Costco food court.

What’s your favorite thing at the Costco food court? Comment and LMK! Mine is the pizza without the crust 🤭

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Cutting Board Kitchen Hack!

🤩👩‍🍳 KITCHEN HACK: CUTTING BOARD TRICK 🤯

How many times have you chopped up something only for it land on the counter or worse, the floor when you’re trying to put it your bowl, the sink or compost? Here’s a handy kitchen hack that will give you a slam dunk every time 🎉

Have you ever wondered what the hole in your cutting board is for? Let me tell ya sis- it’s for an easy transfer from the board to the bowl!

Not only is this trick handy and keeps you from spilling, but it’s also fun! How great is this hack?!

Follow along for more handy hacks!

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My Story: 3 Jobs, 1 Dream

❤️ MY STORY: 3 JOBS = 1 DREAM 🍔✈️📺

Struggles are real! But so are DREAMS 💭 There is something to be learned in every job, even if it’s not your ultimate goal, there’s a takeaway from every experience. I spent my time working the McDonald’s drive-thru practicing my news live shots 🎤😂 and that was only the beginning 😉

1st Job: McDonald’s

When I was a senior, I used to work at McDonald’s. I loved it because I got to work the drive-through. It was my first real job, and it came with a microphone!

2nd Job: Flight Attendant

In my 20s, I was a flight attendant… for five seconds. I flew for Delta and although it was fun, my ultimate dream was to work in TV news. Just two weeks into my job, a very popular news anchor here in Los Angeles walks onto my flight. When I’m taking his order, I say to him… I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’m really a journalist. He said call me Tuesday at 2:30! I landed myself an internship at NBC sports. Being a flight attended ended up landing me on TV. The moral of that story? You are going to miss 100% of the chances you don’t take!

3rd Job: The Side Hustle

Flash forward to when I’m in my 30’s. I’m a divorced single mom trying to make it, working in TV news as a reporter. There’s not a lot of money being made in TV news! I took this job on Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Dean Cain was the host, and I would write segments that Dean Cain would track. Then, I would go into the news station at night and work to 3-11 going live! And now… I’m here with LORAfied!

✅ Start visualizing WHAT YOU WANT, no matter how out of reach it may seem, no matter how crazy others tell you it is.
✍️ Write it down! See yourself doing it and block out the negative “noise” from others.
🥰 Always remember: YOU are special, you are here for a reason, you deserve to be happy!
💪 Let’s do this, sister 👯‍♀️

I’m so glad you’re here, YOU make LORAfied possible and I’m beyond grateful 🙏

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Genius Kitchen Hack!

🤩👩‍🍳 GENIUS KITCHEN HACK: BAKING SECRET 🤫

It’s not your recipe, it’s the temp of your oven 🤯 What’s the average baking temperature called for when making baked goods? Around 350F right? Kid 2 and I always joke “when in doubt add a teaspoon of vanilla and preheat the oven to 350F” 😂 While your muffins will look fine at that temp, if you want bakery worthy muffins there’s a SUPER EASY TRICK that will forever change your muffin game and it’s FREE + EASY!

What if I told you these muffins came from the same batch? One looks so much better than the other! This trick I’m about to share with you works with any recipe- your batter doesn’t matter whatsoever… it’s how you bake ’em!

Instead of 350 degrees F, we are going to start one batch at 425 F. Then, at the 5 minute mark, we are going to lower the temp back to 350F to finish. The high heat actually gives them a head start.

Although both batches are great, the kitchen trick makes them turn out so much prettier! Since we eat with our eyes first, I love using this trick for my baked goods. Follow along for more kitchen tips and tricks.

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Save Big: Food that Never Expires!

🤩💰SAVE BIG: FOOD THAT NEVER EXPIRES 🚫🗑️

How tied to expiration dates are you? I used to think the milk magical knew to go bad by the date printed on the top 🤭 Boy was I wrong! While milk is an easy read when it takes a turn, there are some things in your kitchen cabinets that NEVER GO BAD! Here are the things that LAST FOREVER! Forward this to someone who needs it 💕

There are probably a dozen things in your cabinets that never go bad. No more tossing these items sis, and it will save you so much money! Check out this list and see what you have right now.

XO,
Lora

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Williams Sonoma Copycat Secret Simmer Pot Recipe

Have you ever noticed how INCREDIBLE Williams Sonoma smells? 😌 That’s because they constantly have a simmer pot going! While they tweak the recipe depending on the season, THIS RECIPE is their SIGNATURE SMELL that’s on the stove more than any other! And you won’t believe what the SURPRISE INGREDIENT is 🤯

🚨🤩 WILLIAMS SONOMA COPYCAT 👯‍♀️ SECRET SIMMER POT RECIPE REVEALED 🤫

Although they don’t let you get close enough to figure out exactly what’s in the pot, I cracked the code! It’s just 4 simple ingredients, and yes, PEPPERCORNS are in the mix! Definitely unexpected, right?🤯 I’ve got a recipe below, but feel free to measure with your heart ❤️

Ingredients:

8 cups of water

1 lemon, cut into slices

1 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. black peppercorns

3 sprigs of rosemary

This simmer pot recipe will make your house smell like you’ve just cleaned it—even if you haven’t! 🤗 Click here to check out my favorite simmer pot ingredients, plus the slow cooker I use to make it (spoiler alert: it’s my favorite method 😉).

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Genius Rice Hacks: Does Washing It Matter?!

Do you wash your rice before you use it? If yes, how many times? And do you soak your rice? Is any of this really necessary? And is brown rice better for you than white? What’s the best way to cook it? 🤔 SO many questions, luckily, I have the answers 😉

🤩🍚 RICE HACKS: DOES WASHING IT MATTER?! 🍽️

Did you know all rice contains ARSENIC? That means rinsing is a MUST! The absolute bet way to remove arsenic from rice is to soak it. Soaking it overnight is the best way! The most effective way to cook it is like pasta because the extra water allows the arsenic to escape!

Pasta Rice Method:
To cook your rice like pasta, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, approximately 6 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. Pour rice into boiling water and cook until desired texture. Start checking at around 7 mins…may take much longer, like 20-25 mins depending on the type of rice you use. Drain, rinse with cool water and let it sit for a few minutes to let the steam escape. Eat immediately or refrigerate for later.

TIPS: Not all rice is created equal. Long grain rice tends to have more arsenic than short or medium and white rice has less than brown because white rice is basically brown rice with the husk removed. If you’re looking for the lowest arsenic in your rice, look for rice coming out of California, India or Pakistan!

Do you prefer white or brown rice? Comment and LMK! I’m a sticky white rice gal 🤍Click here to check out my favorite rice cooking essentials & other kitchen picks! 👩‍🍳

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Stanley Tumbler Dupes!

💦🥤STANLEY DUPES 👯‍♀️🥊 TUMBLER WARS 🏆

Do you own at least one of these guys? Kid 2 and her buddies are obsessed with these things! If I’m being honest, I don’t really understand the hype surrounding them. I thought I could get away with just ignoring this trend while I kept using what my teens call “an embarrassing knockoff!” But after we missed the special Valentine’s Day edition release at Target and found out they were being resold on eBay for over $200 each, I knew I had to see if this barbell of a water bottle was really worth it… What I found was SHOCKING!

In terms of price, Stanley and Hydro Flask tumblers cost over 50% more than Simply Modern! Simply Modern wins best price.

Next, I conducted a 5 second water test to see which tumbler has the least spillage. 5 seconds upside down and Stanley loses an entire cup of water! Hydro Flask lost 1/4 of a cup, and Simply Modern? Less than 2 tablespoons! Simply Modern wins again.

Now for the temperature test. I filled each tumbler with ice and let them sit for 13 hours. Stanley and Simply Modern both tied at here at 33 degrees. While the Hydro Flask didn’t have any ice left, it was almost 40 degrees.

Of course, none of this really matters unless it works in your car. I’m not gonna lie to you… none of these were home runs in the cup holder department. Plus, all of them are so heavy! We could definitely use these guys at the gym ?

Bottom line, Simply Modern is a winner for me.

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