July Favorites 2013

DOVE STYLE + CARE MOUSSE

This mousse is very light weight.  It holds curls and is great to style with.  It has a whipped cream texture .  I purchased it at Shoppers for around $5.

 

MUNCHKIN FRESH FOOD FEEDER

I loved using these with my kids.  I used to put frozen or fresh fruit or cooked vegetables in it.  I liked how the kids could suck on the food without the worry of them choking.  They are easy to use .  I highly recommend trying this product.  I purchased it at ToysRUs for under $10 for two.  I bought them 6 years ago so I'm not sure if you can still get them there but you can order them on amazon.ca.  

 TAKE ALONG TOOL KIT

  

I collect Huggies points.  So I used my points to get this tool kit.  It cost 425 points.  My 2 year old son loved this.  It came with a hammer, screw driver, nails and screws.  If you purchase Huggies diapers I recommend collecting the points.  I have used the points to get a few different things.  I have been happy with everything I received.

STARBUCKS LIGHT VANILLA BEAN FRAPPUCCINO

This is my new favorite drink .  I ask for it light to save on calories.  That means it is made with non fat milk , sugar-free syrup and no whip cream.  According to myfitnesspal.com a grande is only 160 calories.

Jenn

Bottle Your Own Beer

I've bottled wine a couple times now and I was curious about their beer.  For anyone in the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada area I went to a place called Brew Time .  The staff there were very helpful and friendly.  They have over 100 different beer recipes to choose from.  We chose "Budweiser".  Each batch is a keg and you get 6 cases of beer from it and possibly a few extra bottles.  They have bottles there that you can purchase .  The only negative aspect of the whole experience is that the beer must be refrigerated, so we split the keg with a friend and chose larger 1 liter bottles to save on space .  That way we only had to squish 24 1 liter bottles in the fridge .  We paid $65 for 3 cases of beer.  Next time will be even cheaper since I now have the bottles.  This saves money and it was fun to do with the hubby and our friend.

The process to bottle it is very easy.  First you have to rinse out the bottles.

Next you put the bottle on the machine , add a little CO2, and start filling.

When it's done filling up you screw on a cap and you're done .

I also love how you are able to drink your beer/wine while you bottle them.

When we were finished we ended up with 25 1 liter bottles.

Whether you choose this place or any other place I really recommend to bottle either wine or beer.  It's a great way to get some girls together for an afternoon or even a nice date with your significant other.

Jenn

Pre-Scoop Ice Cream For Parties

I found this amazing time saving tip for birthday parties.  Scooping ice cream for over 20 people and serving cake is chaos.  I picked up some cupcake liners and metal tins with lids.  The day before the party I scooped ice cream into the cupcake liners and put them in the tins.  I put them in the freezer until I was ready to serve .  This saved tons of time when serving cake and ice cream.

Jenn

Stuffed Pepper Soup

If you haven't noticed I LOVE the skinnytaste.com website .  I tried this soup and again it's another one of my favorites.  It's very easy to make and is very filling.  This recipe has rice, ground beef, red and green peppers, diced tomatoes, chicken broth and a few other ingredients.  This soup is only 261 calories and the serving size is 1 1/3 cups of soup and 1/2 cup rice . 

If you would like this recipe click here

Enjoy

Jenn

Leopard Print Nail Design

My flower nail design post is being repined like crazy the last few weeks on Pinterest.  So I have decided to to do another nail design.  The leopard nail design is very easy and looks great.

Here's what you need:

- base colour you want all your nails to be (I used Rimmel Long Lasting Pro in Steel Grey)
- white nail polish (I used Maybelline Color Show in Porcelain Party)
- black nail polish (I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Black Out)
- tooth pick
- small piece of tin foil
- clear top coat

STEP 1
Apply 2 coats of your choice of nail polish

STEP 2
Take your white polish and with the brush put a few spots over the nail.

STEP 3
Take the black polish and put a blob of it on the tin foil.  Dip your tooth pick in the polish and make outlines around the white spots.  You want to make some like brackets and some like the letter C.

STEP 4
Use the tooth pick to add some small spots to any open areas on you nail.

STEP 5
Add a top coat to keep your nails from chipping



If you have any questions please comment below
Jenn

Lasagna Cupcakes

These "cupcakes" are so cute and so delicious.  I find them very easy to make and you save on calories instead of eating traditional lasagna.   Theses are made with wonton wrappers which can be found in the refrigerator section with the fruit and veggies in the grocery store.  These are a big hit with my kids.  I found this recipe on emilybites.com.  She has tons of low calorie recipes.  Each "cupcake" is only 165 calories.

If you would like the recipe click here.

When I make these I do a few changes to the recipe .  You can make them either way but I'll share the way I make them.

To make this you use a cupcake pan and layer each ingredient like you would lasagna.  Instead of keeping the meat and sauce separate I make a meat sauce.  When I use a lb of ground beef and one can of pasta sauce I have enough meat sauce left over to freeze so I can make them again.  Which helps on a busy night if the sauce has unthawed I just have to throw it all together and bake for 20 minutes. I substitute the ricotta cheese for fat-free cottage cheese.  No real reason why, I just have cottage cheese on hand more often.  The recipe says it make 8 "cupcakes" but when I make them I get 12.

I hope you enjoy this lasagna substitute as much as my family does.

If you try this recipe please comment below and let me know what you think.

Jenn

How To Store Your Plastic Shopping Bags

I have always been one to have a drawer in my kitchen stuffed with plastic shopping bags.  Since moving I realized I don't have the space to have a "bag" drawer and even if I did I'm sick of opening a cupboard and having bags fly out at you.  While browsing Pinterest, I had come across a pin on how to fold shopping bags.  It shows you step by step on how to fold a shopping bag into a small triangle .  I tried it out and it was really easy. 

This is what my bags looked like before and after.

15 bags before

15 bags after

Here's the step by step tutorial on how to fold a shopping bag

Jenn

June Favorites 2013

PHILADELPHIA CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE

This cream cheese is a nice way to fight the urge to eat chocolate .  My kids think it tastes like icing and I agree .  It is only 50 calories for a tbsp.

STARBUCKS SUGAR-FREE HAZELNUT SYRUP

While in Starbucks one day I discovered you can purchase their syrups.  I figured they would be expensive but they were only $10.   That's the same price if you were to get bottle of syrup at a specialty coffee store .   You can also purchase a pump there for it but I had one already at home .   I usually put one to two pumps in my coffee depending on my mood.  The sugar-free syrups have ZERO calories in it.

HEXAGON GATE

In our new home our living room has a large open entrance way.  With having a crazy 11 month old that loves to climb stairs I had no idea what type of gate to use that was long enough.  Plus here was only one wall that it could attach to.  We purchased the North States Superyard Xt Gate from Toys R Us.  I didn't connect it in the hexagon shape like it was meant for.  I put it across the entrance way so one side was behind the couch and the other side could be pulled over to go in between my computer desk and wall.  When we don't need it we push it back behind the couch.  If you have a gate problem like I did maybe this option could work for you.

view from outside living room

view from inside living room

Jenn

Happy Canada Day

I'd just like to wish all my Canadian readers a Happy Canada Day.
I hope you all are enjoying the day with your family.
Yesterday we spent the day celebrating with great friends for a BBQ and fireworks.
Today we will be relaxing at home with another BBQ and a fun day playing in the backyard.

If you have any Canada Day traditions you do with your kids, family or friends please share .
I'm always looking for new ideas.

Jenn