February 2013 – Makin' it Mo'Betta

CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner

Kim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of for . All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ve decided someone should invent automatic, self-cleaning kitchens and bathrooms. Toilets that automatically clean themselves, sinks that magically wipe out toothpaste, tubs and showers that erase hard water stains and mineral deposits. How about kitchens that automatically clean and put away the dishes?! Ahhhh, we can dream right?

In the meantime, I’ve been looking for products that make my cleaning life easier. With a husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs, hard water, and an older home (1989 doesn’t seem that old…but do you realize that was 24 years ago?! Yikes!) there is a lot of cleaning to be done. And let’s be real, who enjoys cleaning toilets? Especially if you have males in the house. Just sayin’. Well, you have probably heard of the CLR Brand of products that are great for tough stains, lime, rust, etc., and now they have . It won’t put away the dishes or sweep the floor, but it’s for stubborn jobs like calcium, lime, hard water stains and soap scum that are so difficult to clean in kitchen and baths. I don’t know about you, but I am for anything that makes cleaning faster and easier. Less cleaning time means more computer time! Just kidding (not really).

Also, did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency has a “DfE” (Design for the Environment) designation? I wasn’t aware of it until recently, but it means that a product with that seal has a safer chemistry and is not harmful to everyone in your home. CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner has this seal. So not only is it fast acting and powerful, but I can feel comfortable using it in my home.

So what about you, what is your least favorite cleaning chore? I bet CLR brands can help! Follow along on Twitter (@clrcleaners) to find out more about their brand and products available.

Hopefully, someone is out there working on those self-cleaning kitchen and bathrooms, but in the meantime, I guess I’ll leave it to the maid. Oh yeah, I forgot, that’s ME!

Popcorn!

Kim

Is it just me, or are popcorn recipes ‘popping’ up everywhere? (Did you like that little pun there? hahaha Sometimes I’m just so clever. Or not.) Seriously, it seems like everywhere I look…my favorite blogs, on Pinterest, it’s popcorn. Which, of course, has me craving…yep, you guessed it, popcorn! Last night I made a huge bowl of air popped popcorn, and added a little coconut oil, and sprinkled some seasoning similar to one, and it was SO GOOD! My son and I ate the entire bowl, and that was a lot of popcorn.

So anyway, I thought it would be fun to do a little popcorn round up. There are tons of ways to eat popcorn, and just as many ways to prepare it. I love my air popper, but before I had that, I used the brown bag method. Some people swear by using oil and kernels on the stove top, and others love their ! Others rather just stick a bag in the microwave and be done with it.

So, some of my favorite popcorn recipes…

This “Cinnabon” Popcorn is hands down, my all-time favorite (so far) –

This Birthday Cake Batter Popcorn was also pretty addictive

I think I would love this from Pocket Change Gourmet

And this by Everyday Insanity…drool!

How about by Inside BruCrew Life? Nutella..’nuff said!
Nutella_Popcorn

Need a little kick? There is by A Cozy Kitchen

And how cute is this for St. Patrick’s Day from Skip to my Lou? This would be great for my son’s preschool party.

So what about you? Are you a per? Brown bagger? What’s your favorite way to eat popcorn? If you know of a good recipe, feel free to leave me a link in the comments!

*The photos belong to the blogs the recipes are linked to. If you would like to Pin a particular recipe, please pin from the original source, thanks!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. I like popcorn.

Boar’s Head heart-healthy deli meats & best sandwich ever

Kim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of for . All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently had the opportunity to try some of the , and because I love trying new things, when I saw the Boar’s Head Horseradish Cheddar, well…I had to try that too. ohmigaaaa…so good! As a matter of fact, I had two of the best sandwiches I have had in a long time – and they both had one thing in common. Boar’s Head. It’s official, I’m a fan!

The first sandwich I tried was actually from the deli I bought the Boar’s Head meat and cheese. They had a variety of Panini sandwiches, using the Boar’s Head products. I tried one called ‘The Beamer’. It was on wheat rye, had a couple of different cajun and spicy meats and cheeses, red onions, banana peppers, and I don’t even know what else. It was ahhh-mazing.

One item I purchased is this. the . It is one of their certified heart healthy deli meats. Since my mom has recently been in the hospital for dangerously high blood pressure, has high cholesterol, and heart disease has deep roots in my family tree, I realize how important it is to follow a heart healthy diet. It is also nice to know that I don’t have to give up some of my favorite foods.

I love a good sandwich, but a lot of deli meats have very high sodium contents. It’s nice to know that Boar’s Head offers choices that are low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and meet specified limits for sodium. Not only are they great for sammies, but there are all kinds of recipes you can create! For example, I’ve also been incorporating more quinoa into my diet, so this sounds good. I think I will use cranberries in the place of the raisins. Check out for more information on a heart healthy diet, and for more recipes!

My sandwich had the oven roasted chicken breast, horseradish cheddar, spring mix salad, red onion, and an avocado ranch spread. It was delish. Wheat or other whole grain bread would have been a healthier choice, but I happened to have this thick sliced bread so I used that. What can I say, I’m a work in progress.

What about you? Are you taking steps to prevent heart disease and other chronic diseases that plague so many of us? Are you like me, and genetically predisposed to have high blood pressure and cholesterol? I know I need to work harder to fight these things, and I’m trying! I’m also trying to instill the knowledge of making healthier choices into my children, b/c they are swimming in the same genetic pool!

Wordless Wednesday – Nursery Rhyme Day

Kim

Nursery Rhyme Day at Preschool

Can you guess who he is?

{Can you also guess that mama forgot about it until last night, so this is the best I could come up with!}

Ginger Molasses Muffins

Kim

Spring may be coming, but it’s not here yet! Seeing as how I’ve been without heat for 2 weeks, I have been eating warm and cozy comfort foods. (Side note – heat was fixed TODAY! YAY! However, the guy who was installing the new part literally said a prayer before turning the unit back on. I thought he really wanted it to work so he could quit coming out here – this was his 3rd trip I think, and I know he was ready to be done with me. But he actually said to me “I just really don’t want to blow anything up.” Dude. Not inspiring confidence. Yep, true story. I couldn’t make this crap up. Thankfully, it works!) Anyway, back to these comforting muffins…they have the warmth inspiring flavors of cinnamon, ginger and molasses. I am such a molasses fan!

See that SNOW in the background! Yep, snow in Eastern NC…a rarity, but yes, it snowed while my heater was on the blink.

These muffins have healthy wheat bran and coconut oil, but they are not heavy and dense. They are light, moist and delicious.

Ginger Molasses Muffins

adapted from

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup wheat bran (ground flax or wheat germ can also be used)

1/3 cup Stevia in the Raw
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup molasses
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger (can sub 1 ½ tsp dried ginger)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
Combine all of your dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl beat together eggs, coconut oil, milk, molasses and fresh ginger.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling about 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve warm with a little pat of (Smart Balance) butter!

Crockpot Hamburgers in Gravy & Menu Monday

Kim

Recently, I posted how to cook ground beef in the crock pot (aka slow cooker), and it got me to thinking…what about hamburger patties in the crock pot? I wasn’t sure if it would work or not, I was afraid the patties would just fall apart, but they didn’t! It actually worked out well. I started with lean frozen hamburger patties…

Excuse my terrible cell phone picture. The patties look gross and freezer burned, but they weren’t.

I stacked 6 patties in my crock pot (with a liner – completely optional, it just makes clean up so easy!) I added hamburger seasoning, water and beef bouillon. (You could use a cup of beef broth or beef consomme) I would have added onions too, but I was out. I let them cook for 6 hours on high.

If you have a packet of gravy mix, or a can of Cream of Mushroom, you could go ahead and add those too, I would think. I, however, didn’t have either of those (can you tell I needed to go to the store!), so I removed the hamburgers at the end of the cook time and added the liquid to a skillet. To the liquid (basically beef broth, because I used lean ground beef), I added homemade cream of chicken and brought it to a boil so it would thicken up. I then put the hamburger in the skillet with the gravy and let it all simmer together while I got the sides done and table set, etc. It only took a few minutes. As you can tell, I’m not a gravy connoisseur. If you actually know how to make gravy, you may be able to do it all in the crock pot and skip this step, or make the gravy and add to it. This is just what worked for me with the stuff I had on hand.

Crock Pot Hamburgers in Gravy

Lean Beef Hamburger Patties (I used 6)

1 cup water

1 tsp beef bouillon

homemade cream of chicken (equivalent to 1 can)

salt and pepper – to taste

Place patties (mine were frozen, I think you would need to reduce cook time if using fresh) in crock pot with water and beef bouillon (or beef broth). Cook on high for 6 hours. Remove patties and use broth to make gravy. Add broth to skillet and add homemade cream of chicken soup, bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until thickened. Add hamburgers, stir, and add salt and pepper as needed. I don’t like to add salt at the beginning of a dish in the crock pot, b/c sometimes it ends up way too salty.

NOTES: As stated above, you could probably make the gravy in the pot with the patties if you have prepared Cream of Chicken, Cream of Mushroom, Golden Mushroom, gravy mix, etc. Also, this is a very basic version of hamburgers in gravy. If your family likes mushrooms, onions, peppers, garlic, etc., have at it!

I served this with Cauliflower Gratin and canned green beans. We love some canned green beans. Exciting, I know.

Something new I am trying to do is MENU PLAN! I don’t know about y’all, but for me, it’s hard and time consuming! However, it really helps me out during the week to have a plan. Granted, it often changes, but at least I have a general idea of what I want to make based on the ingredients I have on hand. I base our meals for the week on what is already in the pantry/freezer and then make a list of things I need to get to finish out a recipe. I’ve been doing menu plans since January, and thought I would begin to post them on the blog. Maybe it will help someone else out! I can also keep up with what I have made, what worked, etc. So here goes…

Monday – Chicken & Dumpling Casserole (I have a rotisserie chicken in the fridge that I am going to use)

Tuesday – Sausage, Egg & Biscuit Breakfast Casserole (We love breakfast for dinner. I have some homemade turkey sausage in the freezer.)

Wednesday – (hopefully I will make homemade buns to put it on, but we’ll see how that goes!)

Thursday – leftovers or pasta

Friday – French Bread Pizzas (loaf of bread in freezer, easy homemade pizza sauce in fridge)

Saturday & Sunday – I’ve left open because I don’t know what our plans are yet.

If you do not have time to menu plan, you should check out Eat at Home’s . She does all the work for you! You get a slow cooker AND traditional menu plan each week, emailed to you, with a grocery list, printable recipes, side dish suggestions and more, for only $4 a MONTH!

So what about you? Do you plan out your meals or just wing it?

I may be linking this recipe up at (Monday) , , , ,, , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , , , , , ,, , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , , (Thursday) , , , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , , ,, (Saturday) , , , , (Sunday)

Pumpkin Pie Quinoa

Kim

I’m sorry, didn’t that Groundhog say something about SPRING coming soon? I think maybe he was wrong. It’s cold. And raining. And I’ve been without heat for ELEVEN days. Yes, 11 – I’m kinda pissed about it. I’m fearful the heat repair man will not even come back since I pretty much went off at the without-heat-for-a-week mark. Thankfully, I live in eastern NC and not Alaska, or Minnesota or places where people have to shovel out of their house. And, at least I can eat stuff like this to help keep me warm…

After I made the Blueberry Pecan Breakfast Quinoa, and realized I actually like quinoa, I started playing around with different variations. Since I have this obsession thing for pumpkin and oats (as evidenced by my Overnight Pumpkin Oats, Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oats, and Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal), this was obviously the next breakfast quinoa to try! Good call. Good call. It’s delicious.

Pumpkin Pie Quinoa adapted from & Blueberry Pecan Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup raw quinoa, rinsed (and toasted if desired)
2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or preferred milk or water)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Topping – anything you like (or plain) I added dried sweet and tart cherries, and pecans

Bring the quinoa, and milk to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer (covered) for about 15 minutes or until tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, spices and chia seeds (if using) and stir until combined. Heat through. Remove from heat, divide into 4 servings. Top as desired.

Verdict – {warm!}comfort food. It’s delish, and healthy! I divided mine up into individual servings, then placed the remaining 3 in the fridge to eat on for the rest of the week. It was nice having breakfast already prepared, and all I had to do was give it a nuke in the microwave. Just add a little milk if it is too thick.

Linking this recipe up at , and the

L’oreal Paris B.B. Cream Review

Kim

We are deviating from food today to talk about a new product I have had the opportunity to try. I don’t usually get excited about new skin care products b/c I have such wacky skin. It’s super sensitive and there are SO many things on the market that I can not use. However, I always like to try new things, b/c I feel like the fountain of youth is around here somewhere. ‘Cuz I ain’t gettin’ any younger. Partly b/c of my skin sensitivity, and partly b/c I’m just lazy, I don’t like to use a bunch of different products on my skin. My make up routine is very basic….foundation, blush, eyeliner, lip gloss, mascara. And now, !

I am now sold on this product, and plan on continuing to use it after my free sample runs out. This one tube does the work of FOUR different products. It primes and smooths to hide flaws, hydrates, and corrects by evening skin tone. The product has such skincare ingredients as Panthenol, Vitamin E and Glycerin for 24-hour moisturization. The best part is IT DOESN’T BREAK OUT MY SKIN! I can wear a primer and moisturizer (in one) that doesn’t make my skin go berserk This is awesome! I have tried primers in the past, to help my makeup stay on longer (since it’s oily), but the one I tried was chalky and didn’t go on well. This one is so light, you think it isn’t doing anything, but it is! It helps cover imperfections (like some of my dark spots, and fine lines), it goes on completely smooth – no chalkiness, and it hydrates.

I can’t believe I am posting these, but I am hoping you can see that the product really does help. The lighting in my bathroom at 7AM is pretty terrible, but here goes. The top pic is no makeup. The second, is after applying BB cream, and the last is with a light dusting of my mineral foundation. That is another reason I am loving this product…it takes much less time to apply foundation than before, and I use a lot less. I like that my already simple routine, is even faster! No more standing there blending and adding more powder and blending some more. The BB Cream has a tint to it, and all I need is a little foundation now. It covers up most of my sun spots and evens out my reddish skin tone. I am using the Light, but it comes in 4 different shades and retails for $10.95 for 1 fl oz. Also, it is sold at mass food and drug retailers nationwide, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding it.

So, that’s my review. As you can see, I’m pretty fond of it!

I received a complimentary product from SheSpeaks/L’Oréal to facilitate this review.

Wordless Wednesday – Valentine’s Re-cap

Kim

Anyone know what this is about?!

I love it when kids really get into the spirit 🙂

Purex Crystals for Baby and a GIVEAWAY!

Kim

Last month I posted about laundry detergent, and how it smelled so awesome, and how I couldn’t wait to try . Well, as a , I had the opportunity to try it. They sent me a bottle, and I have already purchased another one, b/c it is that awesome. I kid you not, it smells amazing! It literally smells….delicious. Like I want to eat it. (So, maybe keep it out of reach of little ones – because it really does smell good enough to eat!)

Now, if some of you are saying “well, I don’t have a baby, so I don’t need baby detergent or baby softener”, I’m here to tell you, you will want to wash your own clothes with this stuff! I wash the entire family’s laundry in it (and my “baby” is four) b/c I love the smell so much.

Not only does it smell great right out of the bottle, but it has a lasting freshness that is infused in your clothes that last a good while, and leaves them nice and soft. AND it is safe for my sensitive skin kids. I have been using unscented stuff for a long time b/c my kids have sensitive skin, so I am super excited that they can now have incredible scented laundry, without any rash or itching. Seriously, it is hypoallergenic and dye free. It’s also safe for high efficiency washing machines. My only complaint is I want it to come in bigger bottles, which is coming soon! (and that Wal-Mart has been selling out as fast as they can get it in, but hopefully that will get better).

So, because I am so in love with these products, and I don’t want you to think I’m just trying to promote a product (I don’t get paid for this btw), I am giving away a coupon for a FREE full size bottle of Purex Crystals for Baby AND a coupon for a FREE bottle of Purex Baby Detergent. (One winner will get both coupons!) I want you to try this for yourself, b/c I think you will agree that it smells incredible.

Just enter via the Rafflecopter form. If you are viewing this in email, the form may not come up, just click through to the actual blog post and it should load.

Purex provided me with a sample of the above products in exchange for a product review. All opinions expressed are my own. They have also provided me with coupons to use as I please, and I will be mailing them to the winner with my own stamps, b/c you guys are awesome. And so am I 🙂