djnicklovee
Shattered Veins, Bloody Walls, & Broken Hearts;
A day in the life of someone just trying to get by; When life knocks you down a hundred times, show it that you have a million more reasons to get back up off the ground and keep fighting;
1612 posts
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Last Seen Blogs
southcitymallkolkata-blog
SOUTH CITY MALL
cesar-diaz
C-sar
rebeccawhite
Rebecca White
rebeccawhite
Rebecca White
Photo
A Little Hard Work And Determination Can Go A Long Way.
24K notes
·
View notes
Photo
Not only have I been transitioning I’ve been losing weight as well.
Currently lost 4 stone (56lbs) and still counting
175 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Shoutout to @ewolski22 for convincing me to buy an adult coloring book. 1st piece is finally finished!
2 notes
·
View notes
Photo
There is no diet that will do what healthy eating does.
7K notes
·
View notes
Photo
A few “bad” days can’t ruin a weight loss plan…only giving up can do that. JUST KEEP GOING AND YOU’LL GET THERE
13K notes
·
View notes
Text
Dominican Style: Beef-filled empanadas
Although fried foods are definitely not the healthiest, every once in a while you have to get your fix of comfort food. Empanadas hit the spot for me every single time. They are relatively simple to make and for me, the taste is all in the perfect filling. I cheat and use the ready-made dough discs. In my experience, for things like this (empanadas, dumplings, wontons…) the ready made dough doesn’t taste much different from the dough made from scratch. Next on my list is Colombian Empanadas, which do require a specific type of dough that I will be making from scratch. Stay Tuned! Click ‘Read More’ for recipe –>
Yield: 10 empanadas
Ingredients:
1 package of frozen empanada discs (package usually includes 10; find it in the frozen food section; look for brands like Goya) *I prefer the ones without the orange food coloring but it really doesn’t affect taste either way
For the filling…
.5 to .75 lbs of beef (I’ve done it with either quantities; it really depends on how beefy you like your empanadas. Okay, really it depends on how hungry you are when cooking and how likely it is you’ll be snacking as you cook! ½ lb is definitely enough)
1 medium sized Vidalia (yellow) onion
½ of a green pepper
½ of a red pepper
A healthy handful of fresh cilantro, chopped finely
2 large garlic cloves, minced (you have to use fresh garlic)
¼ a can of Goya: Tomato Sauce (salsa de tomate)
1 packet of Sazon Goya (found in your spanish isle at the grocery store; orange box)
1 teaspoon of Adobo seasoning (Note: some people use a lot of Adobo as their main seasoning to cook. I prefer to use it in place of salt but let the fresh vegetables and herbs give the seasoning to my food; If you like saltier food, you may want to add more to taste; From my tasters, I gather that this is the perfect amount!)
1 teaspoon of ground Cumin
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (this is really the secret)
Leaves off 1 fresh sprig of Oregano, chopped (or 1 teaspoon of the dry herb)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil if you prefer)
some flour for dusting (This is the secret if you are scared of splattering during frying, like I am!)
vegetable oil for frying
For serving
Lime wedges
Your favorite hot sauce
A beer (optional) ;)
Instructions:
Leave the frozen discs out on the counter to thaw out a bit (they generally do not come frozen solid from the store. You want to be able to separate the discs)
In a mixing bowl, combine: beef, apple cider vinegar, packet of Sazon Goya, cumin, adobo, chopped oregano, fresh ground pepper, half of the minced garlic and the chopped cilantro. Use your hands to really mix the ingredients well; let stand covered while you follow the rest of the steps.
Meanwhile, chop the green and red peppers very finely (I like to do this because it ensures they mix well through out the filling. Some people prefer larger chunks of pepper; your choice). Chop the onions finely.
Heat a non-stick skillet large enough to fit the meat with the 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the the other half of the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the onions, green and red peppers and cook until vegetables are tender (about 5-7 minutes). Add about ¼ of the can of Goya: Tomato Sauce. (Note: things will splatter a bit). Stir. The goal is to make a nice cooking base for the meat.
When the tomato sauce is heated through add the beef and using a wooden (or plastic) spoon, break up the meat into small chunks and cook until brown. It is important to cook the meat all the way through (it will all be an even brown color) but not overcook it until it is dry. This filling should be juicy. You want to reduce some of the tomato sauce but still let the filling have a “squishy” consistency. The beef will also cook some more during frying.
Turn of the heat and let the filling stand for 5 minutes. This will also let it dry out a bit more. Stir the filling well before the next step.
Lay out a flour disc. The amount of filling is really up to you. Anywhere between 1 to 1.5 tablespoons is usually good. Scoop the filling onto the center of the disc. Fold the disc in half and press so that the edges meet all the way around. Using a fork, press the dough closed all around so that you get the ridges pictured above. Make sure the empanadas are fully closed so that they don’t open up again during frying. Repeat for all 10 discs.
Dust the empanadas lightly with flour on both sides.
If you have a deep fryer, excellent (you probably know where to go from here). If not, a large, bottom heavy skillet will work. You want something that heats evenly all the way through. Fill it with vegetable oil enough to fully cover an empanada and heat the oil on medium high. When the oil starts to get “wavy”, you can see it start to ripple, add an empanada. It should start to sizzle right away.
Fry on each side about 2 minutes until golden brown like pictured above. Be careful, these can burn easily. Add as many empanadas that can fit in one layer on the skillet or as many as you think you can handle watching. When they are golden brown on both sides, transfer to a plate with a paper towel.
Now you’re ready to eat! Although these will be hot! Serve with lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce. I like to take a bite off the top to open up a nice hole, squeeze lime into it and a dash of hot sauce: bite and repeat. A nice cold beer doesn’t hurt either.
Variations: You can add raisins or olives (if you like them) to the filling. The raisins do give a nice sweet taste. The olives offer a tangy taste, although I’m not a fan of olives. If you want to add either one, use about ¼ of a cup. You can leave the raisins whole, but chop the olives into quarters. You would add these to the raw meat mixture in step 1.
21 notes
·
View notes
Photo
On June 4th I left a stressful job, started a 6 month break from drinking and decided to focus on eating better. With portion control and proper hydration, as of today I have lost 50 pounds in 6 months.
I’m down 5 dress sizes, feel better, like myself more, and I’m more comfortable in my own skin. It hasn’t been easy (I’ll be honest, November was a HUGE struggle) but it has been 100% worth it. I still have more to go, but I’m really happy with the progress so far. :)
269 notes
·
View notes
Photo
It’s been about a year since I started my weight loss journey. Honestly, it started out as something as simple as wanting to be able to walk into any store of my choice and not wanting to feel ashamed when the largest size in the store was still too small for my body.
The first picture was approximately in March of 2013, right after I moved out of my parent’s house. I was probably weighing in around 330+ pounds, but never felt that big. And still to this day I have no idea how I didn’t. This is what drinking 4-5 days a week and an extremely unhealthy diet did to me. I was still only eating one real meal a day while also snacking on whatever was easy for me to take when I was going to school and work. You don’t have to worry about your jeans not fitting when you are wearing leggings all the time!
The picture in the middle was November 2014. I weighed close to 290, but again never felt that “big.” I was wearing 22/24 pants, 2x and 3x shirts, a 40-42D/DD bra, 3x yoga pants and skirts, etc. I was still drinking and eating whatever I wanted. It wasn’t until reality smacked me in the face when my biggest pair of jeans that I owned were too small, and it was then when I decided that I needed to make a change. I contacted a dear friend of mine who I went to high school with and have known for 10+ years. She was doing a beachbody program and having amazing results. So I asked her to help me set up a meal plan that I could follow while going to school and working 40+ hours a week.
The picture on the right was taken about a week ago. Im more aware and self conscious of my body than I have ever been in my life. I’m currently wearing a size 30 jean in my rock revivals and a 11/12 in regular pants, a 36 D bra, medium and large shirts. I am still so far from my ultimate goal, but making small progress everyday.
Now I focus more on progress, not just perfection. I am eating clean and training mean. I am very thankful to have some special supporters that I can turn to when I need some extra motivation and reassurance.
142 notes
·
View notes
