Naked 2 Swatches

Naked 2 by Urban Decay is the only eye shadow I have been using lately. It's my favorite. It's perfect to create looks for any occasion. I want to try new eye shadows, but I don't because why would I. I can do almost anything with this eye shadow palette.

Looking at the palette, you can tell just how much I have been using it.

1.) Foxy

2.) Half Baked

3.) Booty Call

4.) Chopper

5.) Tease

6.) Snakebite

7.) Suspect

8.) Pistol

9.) Verve

10.) Busted

11.) Suspect

These are my 2 favorite ways I wear this shadow. If I don't feel like wearing a ton of make up I will just cover my eyelid with the color booty call and then use tease in my crease. It looks cute and almost natural.

The next three are styles I don't prefer for the day time, but more for nights out.

I use a blend of the same four shadows mostly. I think you can tell my favorite colors.

Summer is Approaching

 Summer is coming so soon and I'm excited to spend as much time out of the house as possible. It is way too beautiful to waste time stuck inside when it is nice out. April has been a little tricky lately. This past week it has been hot, chilly, rainy and absolutely beautiful outside.  I just can't wait any longer for it to stay nice out. Here's just a little update of what we have been doing with the nice weather.

This little turtle was so cute. I was so excited and sad that I couldn't take him home. It's sad that I wouldn't have seen the little guy if john hadn't pointed him out to me. He was smaller than my thumb nail! 

Rocky has a personality for sure, especially when it is warm out and he doesn't want to take one more step. He will stop right in his tracks with no warning. Guess he was super exhausted.

Jay Robb Egg White & Whey Protein Powders

 Jay Robb offers two types of protein powders: egg white protein and whey protein. 

The egg white protein is available in four different flavors (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and unflavored). Personally, I prefer the vanilla and unflavored because they work well in almost every protein smoothie ever.

At just 120 calories, the egg white powder has 24 grams of protein regardless of the flavor. 

The egg white protein is free from MSG, Acesulfame-K, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, aspartame, sucralose, lactose, cholesterol and sugar.

The whey protein powder is available in six different flavors ( vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pina colada, tropical dreamsicle, and unflavored).

At just 110 calories, the whey powder has 25 grams of protein regardless of the flavor.

Visit www.jayrobb.com for more.

ButcherBox

We got a nice meaty package (pun intended)  in the mail the other day from www.butcherbox.com.

What's inside of the ButcherBox depends on your selection online. In this ButcherBox there were a variety of meats.

3 packs of chicken 

4 pork chops

2 10 oz strip steaks

1 16 oz beef tips

1 pack of bacon

3 packs pf chicken

2 1bs of ground beef

The ButcherBox stays cool for up to 12 hours, so you don't have to be home waiting for it to get to your door. It comes in a cooler tote and in a padded box for extra cooling protection.

The beef from ButcherBox is 100% grass-fed and free from antibiotics and hormones. They only consume other natural grasses like silage and hay when weather prevents grazing. Their cattle are humanely raised and spend their lives on the pasture and not caged. 

The chicken from ButcherBox is free range organic. The chicken is certified humane. The chickens have access to the outdoors and to a shelter, are naturally fed, have plenty of room to move and what chickens naturally do.

The pork from ButcherBox is heritage breed and free of antibiotics and hormones. The pigs are never fed ractopamine -- a groth promoter frequently given to pork. They source pork predominantly with Duro, Bershire and Red Wattle genetics. These pigs have not had the flavor bred out of them. Other breeders, in pursuit of rapid weight gain, cut out the marbling that gives pork its flavor. ButchBox's pork is different. It is rich in color and beautifully marbled. The pork is pastured and raised in open barns with space to engage in natural behaviors and given bedding. There are not physical alterations allowed to the pork that ButcherBox uses.

Check out www.butcherbox.com to learn more and to start ordering your Butcher Boxes!

Olivado Extra Virgin Avocado Oil

 Nutritional Facts:

Serving size: 1 TBS

Calories: 123

Total Fat: 13.7g

-Delicate flavor of Ripe Avocado

-Cold pressed from the world's healthiest fruit

-Use for all high heat cooking, baking, salads, and marinades

Product of New Zealand

Here it is! The best oil to cook with. Seriously. It tastes great. Olivado Avocado oil fries, flavors, dresses and marinades food to perfection. Yes, I'm a sucker for unhealthy food. I'm an even bigger sucker for "unhealthy" food that is tweaked to be healthy! Avocado oil turned these crab cakes into the perfect dinner. Not that all crab cakes are bad, but if you fry them, they can be. Well anyway, John made us dinner tonight using the avocado oil to fry the crab cakes, and they turned out better than ever. Not only because he is exceptional in the kitchen, but also because of the added flavor of avocado to the crab cakes.

They look like the best tasting fried food to me and taste better than a deep fried crab cake! Avocado oil is perfect for making fried "junk" food because it is good for cooking with high heat. So get frying and stop feeling guilty about your fried food. 

Olivado Avocado oil is high in Vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, beta sitosterol and lutein. It is the highest plant source of CoQ10 and contains no trans fats, additives, preservatives or artificial ingredients.

Check out www.olivado.com today and get your fry on.

The Good, the Bad, and the Apple Cider Vinegar

Always, ALWAYS consult your doctor before starting a new diet or workout routine and NEVER believe everything you read on the internet without doing your own research.

Drinking raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized, and organic apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a great way to improve nearly every aspect of you life. It may be seemingly unrealistic that one drink can offer so many benefits, but research shows the powerful effects of this miracle liquid.

Before we get to the benefits, I'm going to be honest. It's rather horrible tasting at first, but if you just take it like a shot, it goes down way easier than sipping on it. If you can't just throw it back, you can cut the bitter taste with some honey. I always mix my ACV with water and sometimes a little honey if I'm not in the mood for something acidic.

The Top 3 Benefits:

1. Accelerates Weight loss:

Drinking 1 tablespoon of ACV to 16 ounces of water has shown to increase satiety. Scientific studies have shown that people who consumed ACV for 12 weeks lost more weight and stomach fat than those who didn't consume ACV.

2. Improves Heart Health:

ACV contains potassium, which is known to maintain the body's sodium levels and help maintain optimal blood pressure. It also contains magnesium, which helps relax the blood vessels and helps lower blood pressure. This can lesson the risk of heart disease. ACV also can improve HDL (good cholesterol) and help control triglycerides.

3. Regulate Blood Sugar:

ACV, again, increases satiety along with reducing postprandial glycemia, if ingested during meal time. It also helps reduce morning sugar levels, if taken just before bed time.

ACV doesn't only improve health if ingested, it also works wonders if applied topically. It can be used to reduce acne, tone skin, soften dry skin as well as several other common beauty dilemmas. 

Workout Season is Here!

I bought the Squat Challenge guide a few months back and never really used it. I don't really like to follow a workout plan. I kind of just do what I feel like until I'm tired, but now I think I am going to give this plan a try.

It is a 16 week workout guide that is designed to help you gain butt and leg muscle. There are two versions: the home workout guide and the gym guide. Personally, I think the better option is the home guide because you can twist it to be a gym workout. It's a little harder to make a gym equipment inspired workout into a home routine, especially if you don't have the equipment.

I have been running for about two weeks now and I went from 156 pounds back down to 147. I'm pretty excited about that. I can't wait to be back to a healthier weight and feel better about myself. 

If you're interested check out the challenge for yourself!

www.thesquatchallenge.com

Cafe Don Pablo

Look what's here! The best coffee I have ever tasted. Heck, it's the best coffee I've ever smelled, at that.

1.) Cafe Don Pablo Signature Blend

2.) Subtle Earth Organic Coffee

3.) Pablo's Pride Oganic Gourmet coffee

Roast: Medium-Dark 

Notes: Rich, Complex, Medium Body

USDA organic, Non GMO

Roast: Medium-Dark

Notes: Full Body, Deep Chocolatey flavor, honey, caramel, and a clean finish

Origin: Hondoran Marcala

Roast: Dark Roast, Never Bitter

Notes: Dark Chocolate, Well Balanced, Velvet Like Body, Sweet Clean Finish

Pablo's Pride is my new favorite coffee. I am a chocoholic and I can say this curbed any chocolate cravings I was having. The chocolate-y taste is natural and not added. It is a wonderfully smooth coffee and a great addition to your coffee cabinet.

I have a coffee grinder, I just wanted you to see the coffee being ground up.

I don't think I will ever buy another brand of coffee. I honestly don't think I could ever top this coffee.

Surf Sweets

Here's a treat the kids will love and you won't feel guilty about letting them have it!

The candies are made with organic, clean ingredients. They have organic cane sugar and are free of artificial flavors and colors. They are a real treat for your family, without mistreating their bodies.

Melody loves Surf Sweets brand new Organic DelishFish. She said these are the best gummy snacks she's ever tasted. 

I tried the DelishFish and they are definitely "Delish"ious. They're sweet and chewy, just the way a gummy treat should be. 

Surf Sweets are perfect for friends or family with food allergies. They are free of the top 10 food allergens.

Marstin was very excited that they are safe for kids with food allergies. He has a severe peanut allergy, and was excited that he didn't have to worry that his throat would be itchy or swollen because he ate a product that was used on the same machine as a peanut product. He's always asking if something has peanuts in it, and you can never be too sure with some products. It's great that these are 100% free of the top ten food allergens.

You can now find these products in the candy aisle or online at www.surfsweets.com and www.wholesomesweet.com

MAC Eylashes

Before the eyelashes:

After:

                                      

I probably actually look the same in both pictures, but I feel like fake eyelashes just make everyone look 1000x livelier. They're not the most fun part of putting make up on, but sometimes all you need is fake eyelashes to make everything look better.

I've never used any fake eyelashes other than Mac's eyelashes. They're reusable and washable. I use my makeup brush cleaner to wash them off. They also dry rather fast, so they're ready for reapplication almost immediately. Unfortunately, I'm a tad (probably a lot more than a tad) unorganized and always lose them when I take them off, so I've only reused them maybe three times, but they looked good as new after every washing.

I'm also not saying fake is better than natural. They're just fun to try when you're going for a bold makeup look, so give them a try sometime.

Peanut Butter Coconut Protein Bites

Ingredients

1/2 Cup peanut butter

1/3 Cup raw oatmeal

1/4 cup Vanilla whey protein powder

3 Tsp raw honey melted/warm

4 Tbs unsweetened coconut flakes (optional, exterior of bites)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until the oats are moistened. It may seem quite tough to mix at first, but it will come together. I used my hands to "knead" the dough together better.

Divide the dough into about 15 one inch pieces and shape into round bites. Roll the rounded dough into coconut flakes (optional, best to keep them from sticking together).

Store in an air tight container or in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!