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Trader Joe’s Hacks: Low Carb Car Lunches

low carb

Tired of pulling through yet another drive-thru trying to make the best choice? I came up with these four SUPER EASY + HEALTHY lunches from TJ’s all made and eaten in my car ! I call this one… carb-pool kitchen😉

low carb

First up is the Trader Joe’s buffalo chicken wrap. This guy comes in at 54g of carbs! We can do better than that, sister.

 

Low Carb Buffalo chicken wraps
Buffalo chicken Dip
Celery Sticks
Cauliflower Slims

low carb

TJ’s cauliflower slims come in at just 1 carb for two pieces! Our “diy” buffalo chicken wrap is made with 2 cauliflower slims, their buffalo chicken dip, and celery. It comes out to less than 5 carbs. She’s not going to win any beauty pageants, but she’s delicious.

 

low carb

Next up is TJ’s vegetable burrito with 72g of carbs. Why do that when you can make my low carb vegetarian option?

 

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps

Romaine hearts
Egg Salad

My own version comes in at just less than 3 carbs. I added the egg salad to my Romaine hearts and added their famous “everything but the bagel seasoning.” You are going to be keeping that seasoning in your glove compartment, and it has ZERO carbs!

 

low carb

Get this- their tuna salad wrap has 50g of carbs. Here’s my solution.

 

Tuna and Guacamole wraps
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
1 can of solid white albacore tuna
Guacamole to go

Take the cauliflower pizza crust, some guacamole, the tuna, and that delicious bagel seasoning. It tastes incredible!

 

low carb

Instead of their boxed salads, try this. It’s a healthier AND cheaper alternative.

 

Salad in a Bag
Pomodoro Cremoso Salad Kit (toss the crouton packet)
Genoa Salami & Provolone Cheese packet

Grab their cheese and salami packets along with their lettuce kit. This is a lot cheaper than banking on their boxed salads, and it’s a LOT more food. Toss those croutons that come in the kit, and add the extra protein, bagel seasoning, and even the dressing. A serving of this salad is only 8 carbs!

 

Which one sounds the best to you? Comment and LMK! Make sure to check out the linked product for my car steering wheel table- it makes eating in your car even easier when you’re on the go.

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The Best Super Bowl Food Hack

game day

Just in time for the big game! What’s your favorite Super Bowl food? Why choose? I’ve combined 2 of my favorite savory treats into one crazy good handheld appetizer, and I can’t wait for you to try it! This game day snack hack is a winner and great to bring to any party🎉

 

Start by whipping up a batch of my easy Marie Callender’s cornbread copycat.

Marie Callender Copycat Cornbread
1 box yellow cake mix (I use Duncan Hines, any 15.25 oz yellow cake mix will work)
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (8.5 oz)

To make this guy, follow the box recipe for each then combine the batters. Now we are ready to make cornbread cupcakes!

Start by preheating your oven to 350F. After scooping the filling into your muffin tin, try this hack: Place your muffin ban on a baking sheet in the oven to keep from burning. Bake for 18 mins (Baking time will vary based on your oven)

Next, we are dolling up these cupcakes. Start by making the “frosting.”

“Frosting”
2 bricks of cream cheese, brought to room temperature (8 oz. each)
1/4 cup honey
5 -8 drop of Tabasco

Using a mixer, mix until well combined and smooth. When it comes to the hot sauce, do whatever you feel will work for your tastebuds.

This last step is what makes this the greatest game day snack hack EVER! Any wings work here so go with your favorite flavor. I used frozen, but you can make your own or pick up premade. Simply top your cornbread cupcakes with those wings! I added honey on top for an extra touch.

If you had to pick one game day favorite, would you rather have the cornbread cupcake or the chicken wing? Comment and LMK! I’m going with the cornbread and honey cream cheese 🥰

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LORAfied On-the-Go Grocery Store Hacks: Costco vs Sam’s Club Pizza Throwdown

pizza

WHICH ONE WILL WIN? Have you tried the pizza at either store? Both a HUGE DEAL and delicious…but each in their own way! I’ve had so many requests for this challenge I thought I’d better get it up before the Super Bowl so you can start your party planning 🏈🎉 Good news: both places let you call and order in advance 🥳 Who has the best pizza? Time to find out. 🍕❤️🏆

In terms of price, both pizzas are under $10. Sam’s Club comes in at $8.98 while Costco is $9.95. Sam’s Club does not require a membership for purchase, but to get Costco’s pizza, you definitely have to be a member.

At Sam’s Club, you’ll find 4 different options but just 2 at Costco. Costco’s pizza wins for size, serving 12 slices. Sam’s club is a bit smaller, giving you 10 slices.

Now for the real test, the taste test. Up first is Sam’s club. I talked to costumers who agreed that this pizza was more firm. While they taste pretty similar, the textures are different. Costco has a thinner crust. Costco won for overall flavor!

pizza

But at the end of the day, Scoot and I agreed that both are great. He just needed a beer to go with them😉

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Costco vs Trader Joe’s: War of the Roses ❤️🌹

roses

Would you rather spend money on flowers or chocolates? 💐💝 Honestly, both are way up this year, making Valentine’s Day more expensive than ever! The average cost of 1 dozen roses delivered nationwide is over $80. 😳 Luckily, there is a way to save big wherever you are if you’re willing to pick them up or order online. Here’s where you’ll find the best looking roses and where you’ll find the best price 🥰

For this challenge, I stopped by three popular grocery stores and arranged them all the same way. I stopped at Trader Joe’s, ran to Safeway, and also stopped at Costco. I picked up 24 roses at each location.

Here’s the price breakdown for 24 roses:

Costco: $19

Trader Joe’s: $20

Safeway: $30

When you see ’em together, there’s a HUGE difference. Trader Joe’s gets my rating for “good” because of the short stems and affordable price. Super tight buds and best price makes Costco a better choice. Best in show goes to Safeway, which is also Scooter’s choice!

I found an amazing deal at Costco that Scoot might want to try out. This deal is online only, but you get 50 roses for just $65 and they deliver!

Notes: If you’re not a Costco member, there is a 5% price increase, making them around $68.25 instead of $65. still a huge deal! Make sure to place your order by Feb. 12 for delivery by Valentine’s Day 💕

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STANLEY vs. HYDROFLASK vs. SIMPLE MODERN Tumbler Wars

tumbler

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 😂

tumbler

Bottom line, Simply Modern is a winner for me.

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Perfume Dupes That Will Save You Money

perfume

Have you noticed the price of perfume and cologne lately?! 😳 When Kid 3 casually asked for a bottle of Dior Sauvage for Christmas, I almost passed out when I looked up the price! So I sat out on a journey to find the best dupe I could! Not only did I find an incredible copycat for that one, I uncovered a treasure trove of others you’re going to love as well. Oh, and there is one copycat I suggest you skip 😉

 

First stop is Target. Good Chemistry’s Magnolia Violet is a fantastic dupe for Marc Jacob’s Daisy perfume. While Marc Jacobs costs you $101, you can grab this guy for just $26.99.

 

Dossier Fruity Jasmine is a fantastic dupe for Dior J’Adore. It brings the price down from $100 to just $29! Dossier Aromatic Star Anise is the dupe for Dior Sauvage and brings the price down from $100 to just $29!

I found the Dossier perfumes at Walmart in store. While there are some Dossier perfumes online, at time of posting, the following two were not readily available on the internet, so go grab ‘em in person 😍

 

At Bath & Body Works, grab You’re The One. It smells just like Miss Dior and only costs $19. 80% off sounds like a deal to me!

 

Over at CVS, they have something called “perfect scents.” It truly was a perfume treasure trove! The Patchouli Musk scent is a dupe for Creed. While Creed will cost you $265+, you can grab this guy for $20. What a steal!

 

 

If you’re a fan of Tom Ford’s Black Orchid, try the Perfect Scent in Wood Vanilla. It’s $150 less and a fantastic copycat. And if you are into Baccarat Rouge 540, grab perfect scent’s Cassis Amberwood. You are going to save over $300 with this guy!

 

perfume

Perfect Scent’s dupe for Chanel 5 is one you want to skip. To keep things simple, it smells nothing like my mother-in-law.

 

What’s your favorite perfume? Do you have a signature scent? Or maybe you’re looking for one. Comment and LMK 💝

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Money Saving Grocery Store Hacks: Cereal Edition

cereal

Have you noticed how crazy expensive cereal is?! Captain Crunch alone has gone up by over 40% in the past couple of years 😳 To give you a quick idea of how bad it’s gotten, I decided to compare Americas top selling cereal, Cheerios:

cheerios

When you factor in the shrinkflation AND the price increase over the past 2 years, you’re paying 16% for 7% less cereal = which is equivalent to a 25% price increase! 😮
That means we’re loosing 22.5 bowls a year! Over 3 weeks worth of breakfasts! And that’s just for 1 person!

 

✳️Here’s how and where to save

 

Coming in first is Costco and Sam’s Club. If you’re lucky to have a membership at either of these stores, they have the best deals.

 

Coming in second is Walmart. Walmart has the best selection of all of the stores. Your best buy here is their 2 pound bags! In general, the more you buy the more you are going to save. Buying in bulk is key! The smaller box almost always cost more in the long run.

 

cereal

The best deals might not even be at the grocery store. Surprisingly, drugstores have really good deals on cereal. Especially if you coupon stack, you can have up to 40% off!

 

✳️ How to store

Here’s the rundown: you’ve got 3 months to eat opened cereal and up to a year if you store your unopened bags. Store your bulk bags in a cool, dark spot to make it last.

 

✳️ How to revive stale cereal

If your cereal is past its prime time, here’s a hack to revive it! Spread your stale cereal on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 5-10 minutes. Good as new!

 

✳️ My FAVORITE SECRET CEREAL HACK of all time…just don’t tell the kids this one 🤫

A great hack to save some money is to mix name brand with the generic. Your family is never going to know, and you’ll save around 25%! Generic cereal brands cost 20-25% less.

Always HERE FOR YOU, sister! 🥰 Stick around for more daily tips + tricks 🤩

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LORAfied On-the-Go Grocery Store Hacks: Low Carb Costco Food Court Hack

costco

Have you ever struggled to find a “healthier” option at a food court? With kids usually by my side begging for the ice cream and chicken cheese bake it’s hard to always make the best decision when that new Costco cookie is starting at you from the checkout line 😂 If you’re a carb counter like I am, you’re going to love this! Honestly, it’s so much food you could split it! And it makes the perfect on-the-go lunch! Finally, a way to enjoy the food court once in a while without feeling guilty ❤️

You guys will never believe this, but I made a low carb chicken parmesan at the Costco food court. It’s one of my favorite LORAfied creations- here’s how to make it!

I picked up 1 chicken Caesar salad and 1 slice of their cheese pizza. For the chicken parm base, we are going to use the chicken from the salad. Separate it and place it on a separate plate. And get this, the chicken adds 0 carbs!

Here’s where things get a little crazy. Scrape the cheese and sauce off of the pizza and top the chicken with it. I also topped mine with the shredded cheese from the salad! This entire plate comes out to 8g of carbs, and it’s absolutely delicious.

Now i’s time to hack the salad. First, we are gonna toss the croutons and dressing. Instead we are going to order the free side of onions. They come out at 2-4g carbs and make a great topping. Another free add on is the mustard and adds 0g carbs. It makes a delicious dressing, trust me!

Finally, a way to enjoy the Costco food court once in a while without feeling guilty! Stick around for more easy tips.

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Huge Money Saving Candy Hacks

candy

🍭 2 HOLIDAYS = $20 🤯 Have you noticed how crazy expensive candy is?! Even small bags of kisses are almost $7 😳 I know this might seem a little early, but if you BUY NOW for both Valentine’s 💕 AND St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 you can save at least 75%!! 💰🥳 Plus, I have a super CUTE AND EASY treat you can make in minutes with your bargain bonbons 🥰

So get this sister. While Valentine’s candy is full price, if we run around the corner, Christmas candy is 75% off ! You might be wondering… what are we going to do with Christmas candy now? You can use the red candy for Valentine’s Day, and save the green for St. Patty’s Day. No one’s going to know 😉 After all, it’s the same candy, just different packaging and pricing!

After separating the reds from the greens, we are going to bag ’em up. I found these cute Valentine’s Day baggies for the red candy and stored the green ones in zip lock baggies to save for March. My ziplock baggie stand is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets and worked perfectly for this hack.

Next up, I’m sharing my favorite candy hack. Don’t forget to grab some candy canes at the store! We are gonna turn these guys into hearts. Place them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake at 300F for 3 minutes.

After taking them out of the open, pinch the little ends together to make sure the heart stays in tact. Next, melt down some of your Christmas candy in the microwave and use it to fill the middle of the hearts. I added some extra sprinkles for fun. Aren’t they just darling?! They are so easy to make and SO cute.

Stick around for more money saving hacks!

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LORAfied On-the-Go Grocery Store Hacks: Costco vs Crumbl Cookie Throwdown

cookie

Have you tried Costco’s NEW Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie? It just replaced their long running food court churro (much to the dismay of Kid 2, but to the delight of Kid 3). When I first saw it, I immediately thought of Crumbl cookie, which is just around the corner from my Costco. Here’s the thing, the Crumbl cookies are 5 bucks each 😳while Costco is charging half that💰 I grabbed a few at each place and conducted my own, non scientific study, which includes Scooter and someone on the street 🤓 Is the Crumbl cookie worth the price? Or has Costco just turned the cookie world upside down?! Let’s find out.

First up is the price. A single Crumbl cookie goes at 5 bucks a piece. But at Costco, it’s half the price at $2.49. For that price, we can pick up our own pink box!

cookie

These cookie are both super similar in size. And they both have some good lookin bottoms 😉

Lookswise, the Crumbl cookie is more uniform. It’s basically picture perfect! The Costco cookie on the other hand looks more homemade. Crumbl wins for softness, but Costco takes the cake on the chocolate pull. Costco also wins best-smelling cookie!

Let’s talk about the chocolate chips. Costco almost has twice the amount of chocolate chips! It also tastes more homemade. Bottom line? Crumbl is a darn good-lookin’ cookie, but for half the price and the smell, Costco is a winner!

 

Which one looks and sounds better to you? You know how I feel about chocolate AND saving money 😉💕

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Kitchen Hacks: Free + Easy Game Changers

kitchen hacks

Do you have a dishwasher? If yes, then how often do you find a flipped over item full of water in the top rack? My answer used to be ALL THE TIME! It’s so annoying, right? We’re going to fix that once a for all! And if you’re a fan of having fewer dust collectors taking up valuable cabinet space, you’ll love what happens with a cookie sheet and some scotch tape 😉 Oh, and I toss in one you don’t need to waste your time on 🪡🧵😂

kitchen hacks

Let’s start with the hack we can all use… the dry dish hack! Are you tired of finding water in your clean dishes? Here’s an easy hack to fix that.

 

Take your baking rack and place it on top of your dishes. This guy will weigh your dishes down so they don’t flip around and fill with water.

  kitchen hacks

This next hack is my personal favorite. We are making a DIY cupcake holder. And the only things you need? A cookie sheet and some scotch tape. With kids still at home, I find myself still needing a way to transport them from time to time, but honestly, not enough to store an oversized cupcake holder. This is a great alternative.

We are going to make a grid on the cookie sheet with your scotch tape. By the way, the tape won’t hurt your cookie sheet. Making a grid will create a square for each cupcake to sit inside of. The best part? This hack saves you from the hassle of buying and storing those store-bought cupcake holders.

kitchen hacks

And now… for my fail. I was SO excited about this threat the needle hack using a toothbrush. The bottom line? Skip out on this one. The only good news was that the toothbrush was clean.

2 out of 3 successful kitchen hacks is a win for me! Stay turned for more easy and helpful hacks.

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As Seen on the Today Show: Rotisserie Chicken Hacks to Debone FAST

rotisserie chicken

Have you ever struggled to get all the meat off a rotisserie chicken? Raise your hand if you’ve thrown some of it away because you just couldn’t get it off the bone after it had set in the fridge🙋‍♀️ Good news, sister, those days are over! Here’s one of the fastest hacks out there that will have you saying “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” 🏆🐓

Tip #1: Go through the chickens and compare the weight. Some guys will be a lot heavier than others! The heavier chickens stay more moist under those heat lamps and will be the juiciest. Head home and get ready for a hack that’s going to blow your mind! Fastest way to debone a chicken EVER.

All you need is an extra-large baggie. Stick your warm chicken inside, zip up the bag, and just start squishing.  That’s right! That chicken will slide right off, with none going to waste.

Then, remove the bones into a pot. Divide the chicken into containers and refrigerate for the easiest meal prep ever.

See below for how to use those bones to make bone broth!

Easy Bone Broth
Bones from 1 chicken
12 cups of water
4-6 celery stocks
Large handful of carrots
Bunch of parsley (either flat or curly works)
1 onion (just remove the skin, you can leave it whole)
10-15 garlic cloves
Salt (to taste)
1 Tbsp Peppercorns

Put everything in a large pot, bring to a boil then simmer for 1-2 hours, until it reduces down by about 1/3 or so. Strain before storing in the fridge 😘

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