SARITA'S LIFE

I was having a rough day the other day and it made no sense; on the good side, I've lost some weight all thanks to my semi-strict keto dieting, but on the down side, I felt very moody and tired. Nothing seemed to cheer me up either except the thought of sweets; go figure. That's when it hit me that I must be close to starting my period because every time I have these weird and unexplainable mood swings - bam - my period marches in. So, while Dimitar and I were out buying a few things like; hay for the guinea pigs, bathroom cleaner, lighter for the candles, and other things that I can't remember - we decided to make a stop at Krispy Kreme.

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Now, I haven't had Krispy Kreme in so long; probably in over a decade or more. Dimitar also has never tried their doughnuts so even though I was on my keto diet, I couldn't be bothered with the way that I was feeling. As soon as we stepped in, I instantly remembered that Krispy Kreme made their doughnuts on the spot and the customers could watch. The smell of the shop was so amazing that all of my problems were literally left at the door.

As Dimitar and I watched the doughnuts roll on the conveyor belt and get coated with their iconic glaze, it occurred to me that Krispy Kreme has such an inviting experience to offer their customers. Everyone likes doughnuts, but not everyone gets to watch them be made! There are only a few doughnut shops in the area that stick out to me but when it comes to glazed doughnuts, Krispy Kreme always tops it.

Doughnuts made on the spot!

We ordered only glazed doughnuts; with one raspberry filled of course for my boyfriend. Since we were the only ones there, we chatted in their lobby at one of the booth tables. Being there reminded me of when I was little and my dad would take me to this exact location as a nice treat; it was so fun and of course, delicious. As time has progressed, it's really nice to still see Krispy Kreme still thriving and bringing it's vintage vibes along with it!

So many doughnuts!

When we received our order, our doughnuts were right off the conveyor belt; still slightly warm and soft to the touch. How exciting! With everything I eat, I am always mindful now about my carb intake because my body doesn't do well with too many, but for this one, I was proud to let myself indulge.

Yummy

My heart doughnut

I devoured my two doughnuts in an instant; it was great and I have no idea how it happened either. Dimitar and I took some more photos since it was our first time going to Krispy Kreme in so long; at least for me it was. It was a very satisfying experience indeed, even if temporary; that's a ladies period for ya'.

Hot & Fresh indeed

I didn't have plans to make this into a blog post because it's pretty random, but I thought it would be funny to write about the rough patches of a ladies' period and the cravings that consume us afterwards. Plus, I thought I'd share my night adventures with you all at the one and only, Krispy Kreme. Yum.

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

Every Sunday, I wake up early enough to make pancakes for my boyfriend and I. I either make them completely from scratch, or I use a box mix; it really just depends on my mood to be honest! The thing is, since I've started to do keto, that means I have to cut back on some of the most delicious meals yet; some may think it's torture, but in actuality, my body really doesn't enjoy carbs so I have no choice but to make better eating habits. #newme2021.

Since committing to a ketogenic diet roughly a month ago, I have been aiming to bring back my favorite meals with a keto twist; cauliflower fried rice, cauliflower curry with carrots, chocolate mouse pie with almond flour crust, almond flour chocolate chip cookies, and last but not least, almond flour cream cheese pancakes. As daunting as baking all of these new recipes was at first, now it's become really fun finding healthier ways to indulge in my favorite foods without the guilt or extra pounds.

I normally try to cook completely wholesome foods on a ketogenic diet because I don't like relying on packaged goods when it comes to eating right, but when it comes to pancakes on a Sunday morning where I am still half asleep; I need convenience. So, last week I went grocery shopping and picked up a bag of Birch Bender's Pancake & Waffle mix to try for the first time ever.

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The first note I'll mention is that it's a small bag and a bit pricey. One bag at my store was a bit over $5. The bag boasts only 5g of net carbs per serving, with at least 9g of protein as well. On the back, the ingredients list was short and sweet; I love finding products where I recognize the ingredients on the label; anyone else?

On one early Sunday morning, it was time for pancakes. I followed the back instructions as suggested, using only about 3/4 cup of the mix with 1/2 a cup of water (I use Almond milk because I like the taste) and this would make four pancakes. Since there wasn't much batter in the bowl, I made the assumption that the pancakes were going to have to be small; which was fine for me.

With my previous pancake making skills on my side, I used a 1/4 measuring cup for my pancakes and had my skillet on the lowest heat setting. I poured the batter into the skillet and waited for the bubbles to appear before flipping. Well, apparently I did not wait long enough because as I tried to flip the pancake, it fell apart completely even though the pancake looked well cooked. I was so confused. This was my first attempt and it was upsetting.

In all honesty, it took me three tries to figure out these pancakes. I tried one of the pancakes that I managed to make normally and I loved the taste; I just could not understand how to cook them! The third time was much better though and while I ended up wasting a lot of the pancake mix simply trying, it was worth it.

The trick for these pancakes to come out just right is to make them small so that it's easier to flip them. Next, wait two minutes before trying to flip them; I actually timed myself and it took two minutes and eleven seconds to be exact. It's important to wait long enough because the ingredients in this pancake mix do not cook as fast as a regular pancake mix would. Also, before flipping, I ended up sliding my spatula under the sides of the pancakes just to lift the pancake up so that I could make sure it wasn't stuck to the pan and this helped greatly.

The funny thing is that on the back of the pancake mix bag; it doesn't mention anywhere on how long one should cook these pancakes for. It only mentions how much of the mix you should use for a certain amount of pancakes. I think if the bag included this information on the bag, one can have a better cooking experience.

Yes, the cooking time took much long than I was expecting but I really wanted these pancakes to come out right and it was well worth the wait. The texture similar to regular pancakes and the taste has only a hint of egg - allowing you to really enjoy the taste of butter or other spreads you enjoy your pancakes with; I enjoy mine with strawberry jam. Now that I know how to cook these, I am relieved to find a more convenient method to cooking pancakes for those days where I really just don't feel like baking much.

So, in a nut shell, I overall like this pancake mix and it will definitely be my to go to when it comes to cooking on Sunday mornings. With a little tweaking and patience, these pancakes are perfect for anyone's keto diet, or just a staple for healthier eating habits in general!

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

Confidence is a touchy subject for me. You either have it, or it needs improvement. You either shine despite your fears or you stay in the shadows, letting your potential pass you by. Confidence isn't taught in school - a class I would have really appreciated, along with self-development. Truth is, our confidence actually starts at such a pivotal point in our lives, where we're learning how to take our first baby steps. When our undeveloped bones and muscles bear our weight for the first time; each attempt leading to more strength and less falls.

I believe heavily that our home life as children determines greatly the outcome of a child's mindset and future. If you nurture your child with the right environment and give them opportunities to socialize, introduce them to new activities, having thought provoking conversations with them to develop their critical thinking, love them openly, and listening to them to show that their opinion is valuable - all of this plays an important role in our confidence because I myself didn't have much of that and it was a struggle I endured for majority of my adolescent years.

I've opened up about my home life a bit in my previous post on a mindset for success, where I shared how I needed to reprogram myself completely from my own upbringings so that I could have better odds with success. It's not an easy process for anyone in need of reprograming themselves, but once accomplished, it's absolutely worth it. It wasn't until I was in my early 20's that I worked on my self-development and it took about five years for me to see drastic improvements. This is why our home life from a very young age really matters; it has a domino effect on children like it did for me.

8 year old me

Here's an idea of how bad my confidence was; I ate for comfort - so I became overweight and stayed that way majority of my youth, I was bullied at school because of my weight, I fought a lot with my sister - both physically and verbally, I never made an effort to make friends and when I did - I was too afraid to be myself, I lived in my head a lot because I saw my parent's doing the same which lead to a lot of tension in our household, I didn't care about school because it didn't interest me which made me wonder if I was intellectually impaired, and last but not least, I had no idea how to embrace my feminine side because my mother wasn't around much to give us the love or attention my sisters and I desperately needed.

It was hard.

I truly felt like a character out of the book, A Series of Unfortunate Events, where everything kept falling apart and happiness was only brief. Despite everything though, I kept my head up and recalled many times where I persevered. Deep down, I always had a feeling within me that refused to give into the chaos around me. I refused to become a victim or let life beat me down. I had no idea what confidence was for the longest, but looking back now, I'm starting to think that it's a mixture of strength and hope; the best remedy yet.

Lost 25 lbs doing keto for 2 months

As I matured and began to live independently, I began to see what confidence really meant to me. Confidence helped me fly to another state and live in an hotel until I found my first apartment; from there I waited months before I finally found a decent job. Confidence was me reaching out to try online dating when I had no idea what to expect, yet it led me to finding my life partner. Confidence was starting my own YouTube channel when my art skills weren't the best, where I became a great artist after five years of pure dedication. Confidence was trying special diets like juicing and keto for months, losing more weight than I had ever done before, leaving me looking and feeling my best.

The more I put myself into the world, the more the world gave back to me. The more I faced my fears, the more I was willing to try. The harder life became, the easier it became for me to stand tall with my head held high. As I grew up, my ability to believe in myself became more obvious and the more I tuned into what my heart really wanted, the more love I began to feel for myself. It felt like true freedom, it just took me so long to realize the power was in my hand's.

Maybe that's confidence after all; loving yourself enough to always do what's right for you, even if you don't know the outcome.

Dyed my hair blonde for the first time!

The power of confidence is real. It frees you from the limitations that your mind creates before they manifest. You're able to recognize the negative habits that keep your progress stalled, helping you make better decisions. A new world opens up to you when you simply believe in yourself wholeheartedly; a world that is completely dedicated to you; as long as you can commit to it in return.

The best thing about confidence is that everyone has it; it just needs to be used.

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

People are a product of their environment; they are either nurtured or conditioned being molded by society and those around them. A little psychology and philosophy on this matter will confirm this. This leads me to todays article, one I am very passionate about; a mindset for success.

I grew up in a chaotic and unpredictable household. There was often tension between my parents or my sister and I would fight because of this. As a child with little to say or do about the circumstances that were thrown at me, I often had a lot of pent up frustration that only carried on with me as I grew up.

When I became an adult, I knew better to completely reprogram myself because I knew I had many beliefs that just weren't mine. I was insecure, overweight (at least I thought I was even when I wasn't), not use to my own feminism, unsure about building relationships, and overall lived a good amount of time in my head. As I grew into my independence though and put myself into situations where I had to back myself up, I realized there was so much for me to work on and even more to learn.

Instagram photo 2013

My self-development journey officially started after I met my partner, Dimitar. I was going through a tough time of not finding a job and just moving in with my boyfriend's parents that it led me to do a lot of soul searching. In the time of me looking for a job, I read a lot of books to take my mind off of my worries and focused heavily on new age concepts such as the law of attraction.

I even read books on scientific studies that were done on patients who exhibited optimistic attitudes of their overall health condition versus those who were more negative. I watched documentaries on energy and water and how the two went hand in hand to determine our own mental and physical well-being. I even read empowering books such as Viktor Frankl famous book, "Man Searching For Meaning," which greatly shaped my mindset.

Within two years or so of being dedicated to my self-development, I was able to filter out my negative thoughts and even recognize self-sabotage acts before they kicked in. Here is what I learned in the process:

1. Attitude Is Everything

You can't change the world but your can change how you respond to it. You are in control.

2. Be Your Own Friend

Take the time to listen to yourself, care for yourself, and love yourself. Be your own friend because the child in you is counting on you.

3. Reprogram Yourself

Release yourself from past beliefs and feelings that others or yourself, threw onto you. Read self-help books, watch documentaries, meet new people, try new activities, develop a new routine, eat healthier or workout more, etc. Make an effort to find out who you really are without the extra baggage.

4. Grow Your Passions

What do you think about the most? What makes you feel like a child again? What makes you lose track of time? Find your hidden passion and bring it to life; there are more answers there than you realize.

5. Smile

Let your smile be your strength and let it shine wherever you go.

6. Develop A Routine

Fill your day with small tasks that will empower you. As you bring your passions to life, work your daily routine around it so your day is fulfilling. Make your routine fun and personalized to fit your needs.

7. Journal Often

Every week or month make time to journal about your experiences. It will be a time where you can release any emotions weighing you down or gain more perspective. One day, years later, you can read your journals and realize how much you've grown.

8. Listen To Your Intuition - Not Your Emotions

Emotions can be misleading but truth will always stand tall. Be honest with yourself and follow your gut instincts first. Pursue what you want and let go of what no longer serves you.

9. It's Okay To Cry

If you need to cry, cry. Don't hold the pain in just for it to grow even more. Release your pain naturally and then move on with confidence.

10. Pamper Yourself

Spoil yourself every month and make time to do it regularly. You really do deserve the finer things in life.

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah

November is here and do you know what that means? That's right; it's time to decorate the tree. Of course, as I've mentioned before in my previous post on why Holidays are important, I intend on having the Christmas tree up all year round; it's great décor honestly, like having a big artificial plant in your living-room.

So one late night, Dimitar and I went to our local Walmart to see if their aisles were already stocked for Christmas. To our surprise, they were and Halloween was just around the corner. They had a whole warehouse completely dedicated to everything Christmas and it felt like I was in paradise. There were so many beautiful ornaments to look and choose from that our trip to only get garland, turned into a trip to get everything!

Since it was late, we had the whole warehouse to ourselves which was nice since both Dimitar were both acting like little children in a candy shop; going from aisle to aisle and showing each other ornaments we wanted to get. It was so exciting but also overwhelming. I had a color theme that I wanted the tree to have, silver and white, yet there were so many interesting ornament colors to choose from. As you all know, I love colorful things, especially shining things, so I was really torn.

Walmart Christmas department - so organized!

Our shopping cart was full by the time we left and when we got home to put everything on the tree; we realized that we didn't have enough garland or lights...So we went back, then came back home, and began decorating the tree. It was fun, it was late, but it was worth it.

Silver & Gold themed tree with red accents

Sun reflecting off of tree <3

With the tree now decorated, the living room felt completed. Every morning it's such a joy to see the tree greet us with it's colors as we set out to start our day. Towards the end of October, I ended up baking for a party; it wasn't going to be a keto-friendly desert since majority of the guests weren't into keto, but also because I didn't have ingredients to even make legit keto cookies (beef gelatin to be exact - bakers swear by it!). I made chocolate Reese cookies and while they were good, they were too sweet for me!

Double Chocolate Reese Cookies

Also, I'm not sure if I wrote about it, but I also bought some more furniture for the flat. We really needed to tidy up our space besides the TV in the Livingroom so we bought a small end table to lift everything that was previously on the floor, off of it. I personally wanted a Victorian piece, but I ended up liking the table we got instead; It's good for now.

The printer corner

Much better than it was before!

We also bought a buffet table for the kitchen because we have little counter space to work with. I always struggle to bake in such a narrow kitchen as I mentioned in my baking in a small kitchen post, so buying extra counter space and storage was a must. We found this piece on Wayfair which was everything we needed.

Dimitar adding the doors - I built 80% of this - so proud of myself

Looks so pretty with the wooden top finish!

Also, on a walk around town I stumbled across a neighbor giving away a free book called Circe. I almost walked past it but then I turned back to read it's description and found it interesting so I took it home with me. I ended up reading in that afternoon and could not put it down! I've never delved into Greek Mythology but this book was so well written and fascinating that I spent a whole day reading it. It's packed with drama, love, and empowers women energy; so inspiring. Check it out!

Circe by Madeline Miller

Half-way through it

Well, I'm going to end this post here with some photos I took around town. This time of year becomes really beautiful as the seasons change and I always have to stop and take as many pictures as possible. Thanks for reading!