Mom fashion: new make up? #MagicBBCream

I tried out the new MAGIC Skin Beautifier  B.B. Cream from LOREAL Paris courtesy of SheSpeaks.  I don't use a lot of make-up, but I am always on the look out for something to use as a basic tone and something that will give me an even color with out looking obvious and without looking too caked one..

 L'OREAL's new MAGIC Skin Beautifier  B.B. Cream says it is a 4 in 1 product that primes, perfects, hydrates, and corrects. Retailing for $10.95 for a 1.0 FL. OZ.

Armed with the idea that this could realistically be the answer to my search , I used the product for a little over 2 weeks I tried the product.

Day one

Day 16

After 2 weeks I noticed my skin was drier than before causing the make to look caked on although skin an even color even my husband said it looked like I was wearing make-up which is not the goal. I want it to look natural.  I did find that the coverage of certain issue spots was effective while not making it obvious that I was trying to cover something up.  I've spent most of my make-up years searching for a good color and I have to say that L'OREAL provided a good color with this product, a basic color. I will continue to use MAGIC Skin Beautifier  B.B. Cream  on occasion but will be adding a stronger moisturizer before applying. 

For daily wear though,  I think I will stick to the my more basic option, a little moisturizer, lips and eyes and leave it at that. 

1 week later back to the basics, no foundation other than moisturizer

I received the above mentioned product in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are that of this blogger, no monetary compensation was received.

Steakhouse dinner at home

Lately if and when we have gone out to dinner, I have been less then impressed.
So I decided to do a steakhouse dinner at home.

Broccoli with cheese sauce, brown rice cooked in beef broth, and a Top Sirloin steak medium grilled on a hot BBQ topped with shitaki mushrooms and red onions in a balsamic reduction. It was pure heaven and since the broccoli and onions came from a gleaning project, the rice was given to us, etc.... the total meal for all 4 of use was less than $20. (steaks priced out at around $8.00) (beef broth was made from neck bone this past fall and stored in the pantry and the cheese sauce was a simple sauce of milk, butter and a small bit of cheese, not super heavy).

It had all the flavor of a steakhouse meal with out the huge price tag.

Valentine's Day

For the last 8 years my husband has brought home a card and a cute little stuffed animal for Valentine's Day. This year he stepped up and added a dozen red roses to the trip.  I'm pretty blessed to have him in my life.

It was a Meatless Monday

 Quick and easy was the key to this lunch.
I warmed up 2 Spicy Black Bean Burgers to create a simple healthy lunch wrap.

A layer of loosely chopped lettuce, a couple grape tomatoes, 2 Spicy Black Bean Burgers , a bit of crumbled feta cheese , and a squeeze of fresh lime.

A quick and easy lunch wrap. Next time I think I will chop up the burgers a bit before I add them to the wrap.

It was really that easy.



 I'm a BzzAgent and that I received a product sample, coupon, collateral or other special premium from BzzAgent.

Family Favorites: Enchiladas made simple

A couple of years ago I came across a recipe in a Sunday Coupon slick using Campbell's Cream of mushroom soup to make enchiladas, my family loved it. Since then I have modified the recipe and it has become a family favorite.

6 large tortillas
2 cups shredded chicken (I used frozen chicken I had packaged earlier this month from a rotisiery chicken I bought)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated  cheddar cheese  divided
1 small can green chilies (mild for family)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup salsa (I used homemade but you can use your favorite)
1 1/2 cups salsa or enchilada sauce

Nathan helped me make dinner tonight to show of the recipe

I love my old school grater especially for cheese. This bowl is the other half of the cheese from the recipe , it will be used for topping.

Combine everything except half the cheese and the salsa or enchilada sauce

Fill each tortilla with about 2/3 cup of filling, roll each into a long casserole pan (I think this is a 9 x 13)

I usually end up with 6 enchiladas, I will often double the batch and freeze one tray for later.

Top with salsa or enchilada sauce

Cover enchiladas with the other half shredded cheese.

Place in a 350' oven and bake for 20 minutes (mostly just to heat everything up and melt the cheese)

Each of the boys will eat 1 , Mike will eat 2 1/2 and I will eat 1 1/2. When the boys get older I'm sure it will be a double batch when I make them.

Serve with salad for a complete meal!

Enjoy!

Looking ahead to a Meatless Monday

Are you reading to go meatless on Monday?  Since we have a few days left this week and then the weekend, start thinking about all the fun meal options with a Meatless Monday.
Monday the boys and I will go meatless with MorningStar Farms Grillers. I am going for some spice with Spicy Black Bean Grillers.  My favorite way to make them up is to create a griller wrap with a soft tortilla , some salad, a little cheese and a griller warmed up and cut in half., top it all with some sour cream or ranch dressing and you are ready with an easy Meatless meal on Monday or any day of the week.

Stay tuned as I share our Meatless Monday with you next week  featuring Spicy Black Bean Burgers.

MORNINGSTAR FARMS® SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGERS

With black beans, roasted corn, brown rice, and chili peppers, these burgers definitely have a whoa-that-was-good-now-give-me-some-more kick to them.

• 120 calories, 4g fiber, 11g protein and 73% less fat*

*MorningStar Farms® Spicy Black Bean Burger (67g) contains 4g fat per serving, compared with regular ground beef (67g) containing 15g fat per serving.

***** I'm a BzzAgent and that I received a product sample, coupon, collateral or other special premium from BzzAgent.****

Be My Valentine Marriage Challenge ~Week 1

I am so excited to share this awesome Marriage Challenge from WomenLivingWell.org
Week 1 is simple Take the Initiative and praise your husband.
Courtney suggests simple things such as praise your husband in front of the kids, send him encouraging text messages, offer to say prayer at dinner and praise God for your wonderful husband, if your husband is on Facebook post a public praise on his wall or post a status update praising him.
After I thought about that a little more, I would like to suggest Twitter as another way to praise him publicly  While my husband is not on social media, I can still praise him on social media and on my blog.

I love this man, he has known me for more than 20 years, and stuck with me for the last 10 years of a crazy roller coaster ride we call marriage.

He was there beside me the entire time bringing our first child into this world.

He was beside me and acted as my voice when it came to bringing our second son into this world.

He holds me together when I seem to be falling apart at the seams and he lifts me up when I step out of my comfort zone knowing that it will bring us closer as a family.

He even tags along and drives so I can attend blogging events, I don't know many guys willing to go stand around and listen to a bunch of bloggers talk about food.