Where have I been??

Sorry I've been MIA for the last few weeks. I'm not really sure if anyone currently 'follows' this blog but I've really been wanting to do this thing consistently and I've just lost my inspiration. 

My husband and I have been SUPER busy lately. We are in the process of building a house and my husband is working about 2-3 doubles a week which really limits our time together as you can imagine.

I've also been working a little extra myself and I feel exhausted by the end of the day. I haven't even been cooking that much so I know I've just hit my limit. 

But now that the weather is getting warmer here in West Virginia I'm hoping my spirits and inspiration will improve as well. 

If anyone does happen to follow this and has ideas for posts I'd love to hear! 

Hopefully something will pop into my head soon! 

Smiley 360 Mission - SweetTARTS Soft & Chewy Ropes

Hello there!! Another quick post for a new candy that I received for free from Smiley 360! 

SweetTARTS Soft & Chewy Ropes in Cherry

I've never met a candy that I don't like. I tend to steer towards chocolate, but there are certain times when I'm in the mood for something sweet and fruity. This candy is a tub like candy with a chewy soft outside and inside is a sweet tart like filling. It's almost like they crushed Sweet Tarts and filled the chewy tube with it. And maybe that was the point. 

This candy is good. I can't say Id go out and buy it. I thought that the texture of the center was a little weird and it didn't have much of a flavor on its own. But if you want a chewy fruity candy this will satisfy that craving. Like I said, I'm more of a chocolate person. I think these would be good if they made these in bite size pieces. 

So overall, I'd give these a B+.  😃



I received this product for free from Smiley 360. All opinions are honest and my own.

http://h5.sml360.com/-/ry4w

My Top 10 ELF Products

Back again for another post! I was going to post last week with what I was hoping would be a delicious cottage potato recipe that I got from my husband's grandmother. I have a Ziploc bag chock full of handwritten recipes containing cryptic directions written on the back of junk mail envelopes and other scraps of paper. It's like stepping back in time when I go through the recipes as I think of my husband's stories about how his grandma would make the best homemade pasta and meatballs this side of the Mississippi. (Unfortunately, that meatball recipe was no where to be found in the bag.) But anywho, I cooked this cottage potato recipe, deciphering through the ingredient list and directions and it turned out o.k., but not how I was hoping. So there is still some tweeking to do with that recipe. 

So I bring to you a different kind of post. My favorite ELF Cosmetics products. I was first introduced to ELF when watching YouTube make-up tutorials for my wedding. And I thought, wait a minute...cheap makeup that's good??? There can't be such a thing. But I will tell you there is in fact such a thing! Now, don't get me wrong, they do carry some products that are less to be desired, BUT when you find their hidden gems you will jump over the sparkling moon into makeup heaven! At least that's what I did. 

Now, forgive the few crappy photos inserted here...still saving up for a decent camera!

1. e.l.f. Studio High Definition Powder in Sheer, $6.00
This is a great setting powder. The powder is so finely milled it seems to just melt into the skin. Just watch that you aren't heavy handed with it, because it could come across powdery. This also comes in a Shimmer and Corrective formula, but I haven't tried or heard much about these too. I use this to set my foundation/concealer and sometime my under eyes if I need it. It seems to give your skin that airbrushed look blending and setting your foundation and concealer. The only downside of this product is that the packaging is so freaking huge!!! I would love if they redesigned the packaging because there's no reason it needs to be so big and bulky! It also comes with a little puff which I've used once or twice. It's nice and soft, but I typically use a brush.

2. e.l.f. Essential Smudge Pot, $3.00
e.l.f. makes these smudge pots in 9 colors , but I currently only own 2, Ain't That Sweet and Cruisin Chic. These are the first cream eye shadows that I've actually enjoyed. You can apply them with either your finger or a brush (e.l.f.'s flat eyeliner brush works nicely. a recommendation from JAMBeauty89 Jessica Murphy). These shadows are shimmery and last ALL day. No creasing, smudging, nothing. I typically wear them alone, but you can also use them as a base to bump up the pigmentation on a powder shadow. For 3 bucks, you can't beat this. 

3. e.l.f. Studio Single Eyeshadow in Pebble, $3.00
From a recommendation from emilynoel83, I threw this plain jane single eyeshadow into my cart during one of e.l.f.'s awesome 50% off sales. I use this shadow almost every single day I wear makeup. It is the perfect crease shade. It's a cool tone matte brown that works perfectly for my light skin. 

 1. Ain't That Sweet Smudge Pot 2. Cruisin Chic Smudge Pot 3. Single Eyeshadow in Pebble

4. e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit in light, $3.00
Now, I don't do too much when it comes to my brows. I really only fill in my brows when I'm going out or doing a little more with my makeup and I use the powder in this kit. Sometimes I'll use the wax too. But the reason I love this produce is because this brow powder works great in the crease. On the days I'm not using Pebble, I'm using this one. It's a little lighter than pebble but is just about the same tone. This is kinda a jack of all trades product.

5. e.l.f. Studio Blush, $3.00
I currently own 4 of these blushes in Candid Coral, Berry Merry, Blushing Rose, and Tickled Pink. Tickled Pink is my absolute fave and I've been wearing it everyday straight for the last 2 months. It is the first blush I've hit pan on! These have a nice velvety texture and blend in easily. Be careful though, because they can get a little powder and do kick up some powder when you're dipping your brush in. I find using a stipple brush works best to apply these.

6/7. e.l.f. Studio Moisturizing ($3.00) or Mineral Lipstick ($5.00)
I have a number of these lipsticks mostly in nudey pink colors and they are beautifully moisturizing. Not the most long lasting lipstick, but they are creamy and feel good on the lips. And the number of colors they offer is amazing. Every color you could truly need. And again, for the price, you can't beat the quality.

8. e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Color, $3.00
I a couple of these as well (Natural, Rich Red) but specifically I love Natural. For me, this is a my lips but better color. I use this when I want a little color, but nothing that stands out too much. Any time I put a bright color on my lips, my husband looks at me like I've gone crazy. But I digress. This is a matte formula. Make sure you put on a moisturizing lip balm prior to application so no flakiness shows through. This will need reapplied, but this matte formula is not at all uncomfortable.

1. Studio Mineral Lipstick in Nicely Nude

2. Studio Moisturizing Lipstick in Pink Minx

3. Studio Matte Lip Color in Natural

9. e.l.f. Studio Lip Exfoliator, $3.00

LOVE LOVE LOVE. If you've never tried a lip exfoliator, spring for this one first. At first, it doesn't seem like it's doing anything, but you have to work past the first layer until you get to the gritty exfoliation part. First, wet your lips, rub the exfoliator all over your lips, then wipe off! So easy! It comes in lipstick form so there is no mess! This keeps my lips flake free when used every day.

10. e.l.f. Studio Makeup Remover Pen, $3.00

This has been a lifesaver for me as I am not very good at winged liner. This pen easily removes the darkest of eyeliner with no trouble at all. Just wipe the pen tip when you're finished and it's ready for the next mishap! 

Hope you enjoy this post! You can find all of these products at www.eyeslipsface.com

*All opinions are honest and my own. I've purchased all of these products myself.

"Healthier" Stuffed Peppers

Back again with another easy recipe! 

My husband ALWAYS requests stuffed peppers! I'm not exactly a huge fan of stuffed peppers, so I kind of crafted my own version that my husband now raves about!

Now, I say "Healthier" Stuffed Peppers because this recipe uses ground turkey which is much more lean than ground beef. I actually prefer the taste of ground turkey, but you can substitute whichever meat you prefer. I also added in a few veggies including celery and onions. Really a lot of veggies could be added in. I may add corn and black beans next time. Mushrooms would be a good mix too, but too bad my hubby hates them. You could even make this healthier by using brown/whole grain rice!

My husband likes his peppers nice and soft so I start off by slicing my peppers in half, cleaning them out, and boiling them in water for about 10-15 minutes til they're soft. While that's boiling, you can chop up your veggies. I had celery and a red onion on hand so that's what I used.

 

Once your peppers are done, drain the pot and set them aside.  Now's time for the ground turkey. With a little olive oil, cook your ground turkey in a large skillet til brown. Add in the veggies, diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.

 

Cook your rice and add that to the skillet. Now, it's starting to look good. Truly, I'd rather just eat the filling and do without the pepper.

 

Place your peppers in a 9X13 pan with a little sauce underneath. The fill 'em up! 

Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool for a couple minutes (if you can) and then dig in! This is one easy dinner that doesn't really need a side dish. I think it can be eaten as a whole meal alone.

Ingredients:

4-6 green peppers (depending on how many people you are feeding)

olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

1 cup cooked rice

1 can 14.5oz diced tomatoes

1 jar (25 oz) spaghetti sauce (split)

assorted veggies

salt & pepper to taste

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

mozzarella cheese

Steps:

 *Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

1. Slice peppers in half, clean them out and place in a boiling pot of water for 10-15 minutes.

2. Chop veggies and set aside.

3. Cook ground turkey in large skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil until browned. Add veggies and cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Add diced tomatoes, 1/4 jar spaghetti sauce, salt & pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.

5. While that is all simmering together, get your rice cooked and then add that to the mixture.

6. Put a spoonful of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 dish. Place peppers in the pan (make sure they are drained) and fill them with the turkey/rice mixture. 

7. Spoon the remaining spaghetti sauce over the peppers, sprinkle with cheese.

8. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until everything is heated through and the cheese is nice and melty.

Now enjoy in this guilt free full flavor dinner! I hope you like it!!

 

Shrimp and Veggie Teriyaki Over Seven Whole Grain Rice

I recently received a coupon for a FREE package of Seeds of Change rice product from Smiley 360. At first I was a little skeptical because I feel that a lot of organic or healthier food items don't have much flavor. And I've had those microwaveable rice products and to tell you the truth they taste awful. But I'm up to try anything and the coupon came with a nice little recipe book that had suggested ways to use the rice products. 

The recipe that most appealed to my meat and potatoes husband was a shrimp and veggie dish over their Seven Whole Grain rice. Their recipe basically consisted of shrimp and veggies sautéed with some olive oil and put over the rice. Sounds good right? But I knew that wouldn't fly with hubby so I had to think of a way to jazz it up a bit. It needed a sauce. And I had some teriyaki in the fridge. This ended up tasting so good!! I was shocked by how much flavor the rice had and it paired nicely with the shrimp and veggies! I will definitely pick up some more of that rice! So here's my shrimp and veggie teriyaki over rice.

Ingredients:

1 lb large cooked shrimp

1 16oz bag frozen stir fry veggies (I used one with peppers, water chestnuts, broccoli, squash, and onions)

2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic

1 pkg Seeds Of Change Seven Whole Grains rice

Salt & Pepper

Teriyaki sauce

Step 1: Heat olive oil in large pan over medium high heat. Add in bag of veggies and cook til soft and heated through.
Step 2: Once veggies are cooked to your liking, add your garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
Step 3: Add your shrimp and cook til it is heated through. Be sure not to over cook.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 4: While your shrimp is cooking, make your rice. You can cook it in the microwave for 90 seconds. Easy, right?
Step 5: Once the shrimp is heated through, add your teriyaki sauce. The amount really depends on how saucy you want it. I added about 2 tbs.

Lay down the rice on your plate. Top with the shrimp/veggie mix. Enjoy!

For a coupon on the Seeds of Change products follow this link:
 http://h5.sml360.com/-/o4lr

Disclaminer*
I've received this Seeds of Change rice produce for free compliments of Smiley 36o. All opinions are honest and my own.