EWG

Hello there!  Today I want to tell you guys about a really cool website called EWG, or Environmental Working Group.  You can find their site at ewg.org.  If you care about using natural products you will really like this site.  I'll walk you through the site so you understand how to use it.

These are the two products I will show you how to look up on the site just because they are the sunscreens I use.  The Alba one on the right is the one I used last year and LOVED and the Coola one on the left is the one I bought for this year.  I couldn't find the Alba one this year which was disappointing because I really liked it :(

Ok, back to the actual site.  The picture above is the Home Page.  This is what you will see as soon as you go to ewg.org.  I know it's kind of hard to see but right under the box that says amazon.com you will see "More Tools and Resources" and the very first one listed is Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database.  That is the one you want.

Once you click on that you should see a screen similar to the one above.  You can see all of the choices above such as sun, makeup, hair, fragrance, etc.  For this post we're going to click on the sun link.

I'm actually sitting in the sun right now while I type this [I'm on vaca :) ] and there is a glare so I can't see my screen well.  But I think it says there are 48 pages of different sunscreens.  That is a lot! You will notice that there is a green circle with a number in it for each product.  That number represents the hazard score.  Basically it tells you how toxic or bad for you a product is or isn't.  A score of 0-2 has a low hazard score, 3-6 moderate, and 7-10 high.  

If you already have a product in mind that you want to try or if you just want to check a product you already have at home you can do that too.  In the picture above you'll see the sunscreen I showed you earlier (the sunscreen I used last year) and you'll see that it has a hazard score of 3 . . . which is pretty good!  When I searched the sunscreen that I bought for this year I didn't find the exact product but I found it in a different scent and it had a pretty low hazard score as well.  So that's good!

I just wanted to share this website with you guys because I thought it was pretty cool and very helpful.  If you're really high tech and have a phone with the internet on it next time you're in the store buying bath/beauty products you can just pull up ewg.org on your phone and check the products hazard score before you buy it!

By the way, I really like the Coola Sunscreen.  It has a nice light beachy smell.  And I've realized that I really like the spray version of sunscreen.  It's really nice to not have to rub it in.  One thing I will say is that you can't get too many uses out of it.  Dave and I brought it with us on vacation and we probably only got about 15 applications out of it.  And it cost around $30.  So it might not be for everyone.  You'll have to decide for yourself!  :)  But hopefully you all find this post helpful!

April Favorites!

This post is a little late.  I meant to put it up on the last day of April or the first day of May.  But better late than never, right?

I thought I would share with you guys my favorite things for the month!  I will probably do this each month unless there really wasn't any new fun products/songs/tv shows, etc. for that month.

This month I have a few products that I've been loving. . . 

I got a sample of LaRocca Champagne and Shimmer Body Polish.  Don't let the word "shimmer" scare you.  It has no shimmer in it what-so-ever.  It's a little misleading.  But regardless, this stuff is amazing! It is a gentle scrub but as you start rubbing it into your skin the little beads or scrubbies melt away and turn into this super, super moisturizing cleanser.  And it's got a cooling sensation to it!  I love it!

I also have been loving nail polish!  The polish that's pictured is I Don't Give A Rotterdam from the Holland collection.  That is one of the colors I've been loving but there are quite a few more.  I didn't think I needed to picture them all.  I will mention one other one though just because it's so pretty (I was too lazy to go down two flights of stairs to fin it for the picture) and that is Butterfly Kisses from L'oreal.  Has anyone seen all the new L'oreal nail polishes??  There are like 30 new colors and they are all SO pretty!

The last product I've been loving is the LaVanilla Deodorant.  It is aluminum free, which is important.  I'm sure you've all heard that aluminum in deodorant supposedly causes breast cancer.  Who knows if that's true or not but I don't mind changing my deodorant - just in case!  I've tried a few aluminum free deodorants and haven't liked any of them until this one!  Most aluminum free deodorants help with smell but don't help with actual sweating - but this one does!  I find that it works just as good as regular deodorant!  I wasn't so sure about the scent at first (I have the vanilla coconut scent) but has grown on me and now I really like it.  It doesn't smell anything like coconut so I think that's why I didn't care for it at first.  Just because it didn't smell like I expected it to.

I also have some songs and a TV show that I've been loving this month!  As far as TV shows, I LOVE Giuliana and Bill!  I've always loved them and I will always love their show!  They seem so real!

The songs I've been loving this month . . . I should warn you - most of these songs are probably also favorites of every middle school girl right now!  Haha!  I can't help it!  I LOVE Justin Bieber's song Boyfriend.  I also LOVE Taylor Swifts Eyes Open!  (I can't believe I'm saying that because until this song I have highly disliked anything related to Taylor Swift)  I also like One Direction's song Beautiful and that new song Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.

That's pretty much it!  Do any of you have any favorites you would like to share?

Summer Series: Fun Nails!

Remember this picture from my last post?

I already showed you what project I used the nail polish for and today I'll show you what those little Martha Stewart beads are for.  

Have you guys seen the new Caviar Nails trend?  The brand Ciate came up with the concept.  The Ciate Caviar Nails set just became available at Sephora a couple weeks ago.  The set costs $25.00 but you can create this look on your own for $15.00 or less!  A girl on YT suggested using micro beads that you get at craft stores.  (the set I got was $15.00 and I just used nail polish that I already had) And that's where those colorful little Martha Stewart micro beads come into play!

I wanted to use ocean colored beads but I wasn't sure which nail color to use underneath so I swatched a few on a piece of scrap paper.

I ended up going with the one on the far right . . . Revlon's Pure Pearl.

The first little piggy is painted!  Doesn't it remind you of cupcakes?!?

I painted one nail with the polish then took a little handful of the mixed beads and just dropped them on the nail.  Repeat this process until your nail is covered.  Then gently press the beads down onto the nail just to make sure the beads stick pretty well to the polish. Then move onto the next nail.

Ta Da!

I think it turned out really cute!  The girl (MissJenFabulous) from YT did it on her fingernails and said it only lasted for about 3 or 4 days before the beads started to fall off.  I thought it would probably last a little longer on my toes.  Plus, I wasn't really sure I wanted to wear my fingernails like that to work.  Not sure if my boss would like that?!  Haha!  I will let you guys know how long the beads last on my toes.  I put a layer of clear top coat on top as well so that might help it last a little longer.

Penne, Pasta, Pine Nuts, Peppers, and Parmesan! Say that 5 times fast! :)

I'm not sure what's gotten into me but I've been feeling crafty lately. So I went to Michaels and Target and picked up a few things.  I'll do a few future blogs showing you the crafts with the beads and yarn but for now I will show you what the nail polish was for.

I ordered some earrings from Jewelmint (Jewelmint is kinda like another monthly subscription but kinda different.  Each month they come out with around 12 new pieces of jewelry.  Each month you pick which piece you want.  Each piece costs 29.99 and each piece is (supposedly) worth at least $90.  If you don't see a piece you don't like you can "skip the month" and your credit card will not be charged.)

Anyway, I ordered some earrings from Jewelmint and they were kind of bland.  I thought they would be a lot more fun if they were a different color.  I imagined wearing the earrings with jeans and a white t-shirt with some other jewelry in silver and turquoise.  So I picked up this Sally Hansen polish and went to work!

I put a piece of tape across the bottom of the triangle so I wouldn't get any polish on the silver part.  Here's a picture after one earring was painted.

And here is the bracelet (in the middle) that gave me the color inspiration.  Now sure why I put the other bracelet in the picture?  Just got carried away I guess?!

On to the recipe . . . 

This is a recipe Dave and I have made many, many times.  It's basically pasta, vegetables, nuts, and cheese!  Pretty simple . . . although there is a LOT of chopping involved.  So it's a little time consuming.  If your husband is home to help the preparation time goes way quicker ;)

Start by roasting some pine nuts over the stove top on low heat.  We usually put it on number 3 on the setting knob and just let them slowly roast the entire time we're cooking the pasta and chopping the veggies.

Chop up 1 medium (or 2 small) zucchini, 3 sweet peppers (I usually use a mix of red and yellow), a big handful or shitake mushrooms, and about 10 - 15 grape or cherry tomatoes. 

You'll need about 8 oz of pasta and prepare it as directed on package.  While the pasta is cooking, place some olive oil and a skillet set to medium heat.  Place the peppers and shitake mushrooms in the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes.  Along with the peppers and mushrooms you should also add onions to the skillet.  I'm not a huge onion fan so I usually don't add much at all.  You can add however much you want.

After 4 minutes add the zucchini and tomatoes and cook for an additional 4 minutes, or until soft.  Then add 2 cloves of garlic and stir for 1 minute.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the pasta is finished drain it (reserve 1/4 cup of the water that the pasta was cooked in) and then place the noodles back into the pot.  Add the veggies to the pot.

Add a handful of chopped basil and stir it all together.  If the pasta seems dry at all you can add the water that you saved from cooking the pasta.

Now for the fun part . . .

Nuts!!!

And cheese!!!

The pine nuts and parmesan cheese totally make this meal!  Dave and I just top ours with however much nuts and cheese we want.  We don't measure it out.

You know I always forget to take a picture of the VERY final presentation.  Halfway through Dave's dinner I was like "Can I take a picture?"  So you'll have to pardon the hairy arm in this pic!  It's very good, but like I said, the nuts and cheese totally make the meal.  It's like and refreshing!  We usually get about 3 or 4 servings out of it.

I made a few changes to it but the original recipe came from here:

http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2010/10/penne-with-mixed-vegetables-parmesan.html

Dinner and Dessert: 2 new recipes!

Why is the weekend over already?!? Is it just me or does it seem like this weekend flew by? I think it's just because I was so busy! I feel like I got a lot done. . . including a trying out a couple new recipes.

Here's one of the recipes. It's Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Spring Peas. I found it over at Skinnytaste.com

Start by mixing 1 large tomato, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup of cilantro in your magic bullet (food processor, etc.)

Then brown your ground turkey (about 20 oz.) over the stove top in a skillet. Add in your chopped scallions. I think the original recipe called for 4 scallions. I honestly didn't pay attention to that at all. I just used the whole bundle of scallions which was probably more like 7. Whoops! Between that and the extra cilantro (the original recipe only called for 1/4 cup) this dish was super flavorful and tasty!

Add in one 8 oz can of tomato sauce.

Then add in 2 medium potatoes, chopped.

Add in the sauce that we made at the beginning (the tomato, cilantro, and garlic).

Finish off by adding in 1 cup of peas, 1/2 cup water, cumin and salt, to taste. Turn heat down the medium/low and cover for around 30 minutes. Possibly longer depending on how you cut the potatoes. We thought it would only take about 25 minutes to cook but our potatoes were still not finished. We let it cook for an additional 5 - 8 minutes.

Don't hate me. . . I forgot to take a picture of the end product! I tend to do that alot! I think because I'm always so hungry and so antsy to try it that I just dive right in before I think to snap a pic! But it really didn't look all that different when it was finished!

Dave and I both really liked this meal! Dave said it was really flavorful and gave me a fist bump in between bites! Haha! Seriously though!

*This meal is about 4 servings.

Ok, onto the next recipe! Remember those yummy cookie dough balls from the other week? Well, I created a another version! I actually like these even more! They're so good!

So this version is Peanut Butter! :) I got the idea to do this from another recipe I made FOREVER ago! It was actually the first recipe I ever made on my own and it was way back in the summer after my senior year of High School. I was working at the YMCA and we would always have these pot luck lunches and I made these peanut butter and honey balls. I remember that I loved them and I have always wanted to try to find that recipe again but . . . no luck.

So anyway, between the previous post with the chocolate chip cookie dough balls and the vague memory of the peanut butter balls from about 10 years ago I came up with these babies. . .

I always make a half batch just because my magic bullet is small. If you want to make more at a time just double the recipe. Start with a 1/3 cup oats, a 1/3 cup of walnuts, and 1/3 cup of peanuts. Blend together!

add an 1/8 of a cup of honey . . .

(these pics are so out of order!)

Here are some of the ingredients . . . anyway, back to the recipe . . .

add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. I've been using the vanilla my sister brought back from Haiti! It is awesome! You can also add a dash of salt if you wish. Mix everything together and roll into balls.

And you're done! YUM! Here's a pic of the peanut butter balls next to the chocolate chip balls. Since the peanut butter balls are less chunky (maybe because there are no chips in in them?) it seems like they make a lot more than the others.

Here's a more close up pic so you can see the size comparison. Both recipes are great but I think I like the peanut butter kind just a wee bit more! They're good as both a dessert and a snack! I definitely recommend making these babies! :)

Enjoy!

A delicious Mediterranean Dinner and some super yummy cookie dough balls!

Hello there!

I tried two new recipes last night and they were both very good! The first one was a little bit time consuming. I'm glad Dave was home to help me with it. I could have made it alone but it went quicker with his help.

I changed the recipe a bit . . . mainly because I didn't have two of the correct ingredients but it actually was really good and really flavorful anyway!

The first recipe is a Mediterranean Chicken Spinach and Rice Bake. Here is where the original recipe came from:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/mediterranean-chicken-and-spinach-rice-bake?ecd=wnl_dab_032212

*Note: Use the biggest baking dish you have! I think I used a 13x9 and that was too small. I had to skimp on some of the ingredients to make it all fit.

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. You'll need 2 pounds of frozen spinach. Let it partly thaw and then lay 1 pound of it on the bottom of a greased baking pan.

The recipe called for 2-3 plum tomatoes but my Kroger was out of plum tomatoes so I bought cherry instead. It said to de-seed them . . . which is a lot more tedious to do to about 30 little cherry tomatoes then to 2-3 big plum tomatoes! But I didn't mind. I find that kind of thing a little therapeutic.

The recipe also called for 2-3 tomatillos . . . again, my Kroger was out of them so I just used 3 Green Tomatoes. I got online and searched the difference between the two and I didn't really find an answer about the difference between their taste. All I learned was that the taste of the two are very different from each other. I have no idea what the dish would have tasted like if I used tomatillos but I know I loved the green tomatoes! They were sweet and so good!

Layer half the spinach, half the green tomatoes, half the cherry tomatoes, half the garlic (the recipe calls for 6 cloves of garlic which is equal to 6 teaspoons of garlic. So at this point you spread 3 teaspoons of it on this layer), and sprinkle on some sea salt and lemon pepper seasoning.

Spread 2 or 3 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 oz of crumbled goat cheese across the vegetables. Then scatter the chopped up grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 of them) over the cheese.

Then spread 2 cups of cooked brown rice on top. I use the Minute rice that comes in two 1 cup servings that you just pop in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. You can kind of see the mushrooms in this pic too. I forgot to take a picture before I poured the rice on top. Saute 2 large portebello mushrooms (sliced) in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and a about a table spoon or two of balsamic vinegar until tender.

Next your supposed to layer the other half of the spinach, cherry tomatoes, green tomatoes, and lemon pepper seasoning again. I wasn't able to use the full amount of vegetables because it was already overflowing out of the pan! Then sprinkle with the remaining 2-3 oz of mozzarella cheese and 2 oz of goat cheese and bake in the oven for 25 - 35 minutes.

The final product! It was SO good! I'm excited to have the leftovers tomorrow! The original recipe said it made 6 servings, which it did but since we had to leave out a decent amount of the second layer of veggies I think it would have probably made 7 or 8 servings if I used a bigger pan and was able to use the full amount of everything. This a good meal to make for a get-together.

. . . you thought this post was done! Oh no! There is still dessert! Mmmmmm! Raw Cookie Dough Bites. These pictures might be kind of odd. Half of the pics are in the Magic Bullet and the other half are in a bowl. I didn't think my Magic Bullet would be able to hold all of the ingredients so I divided the recipe into two batches. So some pictures are from the first batch and some the second.

First, process 2/3 cup raw almonds, 2/3 cup raw walnuts and 2/3 cup oats into a fine meal.

Than add a dash (about a 1/4 of a teaspoon) of cinnamon, and a dash (about an 1/8th of a teaspoon) to the fine meal and and just pulse a few times to mix it in or just use a spoon to mix it in good.

Then add a 1/4 cup raw agave nectar and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract. I used my vanilla from Haiti again :) Pulse a few times (or use a spoon) to mix the wet and dry ingredients.

Add in 3 tablespoons of mini dark chocolate chips. Of course you can use more than that if you want! Hee hee!

Mmmmmm! So good! now roll the "dough" into balls. Place in the freezer to harden. Keep them stored in the freezer.

These things are seriously so good! I think they taste exactly like Samoas! You know what I'm talking about? The Girl Scout cookie with chocolate, coconut, and caramel. They don't have caramel or coconut in them but somehow they taste exactly like Samoas to me! They are awesome! And I really don't feel guilty about eating them!

Here's where the original recipe came from:

http://www.adashofcompassion.com/2011/01/raw-cookie-dough-bites/

Hope you enjoy the recipes! :)