2019 #YearofYouVoxBox

Is there any better email subject line to see than 🎉 Guess what?! YOU’RE IN! 🎉!!! I was super thrilled to be included in the first round of 2019 Influenster Vox Boxes.

First, What’s a VoxBox?

A VoxBox is a box of free, often full-size products that Influenster delivers directly to its members for testing purposes. These products come directly from some of the biggest brands in the country—beauty brands including L’Oréal, Kat Von D, BECCA Cosmetics, and Maybelline, and food companies such as Pure Leaf, Hershey’s, Sour Patch, and Hellman’s—just to name a few!

I absolutely love the #YearofYouVoxBox hashtag. It is a perfect fit with my self care and growth goals for 2019.

Here’s a pic of my box along with the deets and my thoughts on each item:

1. Gold Bond Ultimate Deep Moisturizing Lotion MRSP $7.99

I was super excited about this because it has been averaging 7 degrees the last few days at my house and the dry winter air does a number on my skin. Not to mention I have a history of eczema that can be severe at times, especially on my hands. I’ve taken lots of measures to keep it at bay, diet has played the biggest role and a good moisturizer the next. On application this lotion is smooth and seems to sink in and really hydrate immediately. It does not have a fragrance which I also appreciate because that can be an irritant as well. It’s a non greasy formula. I wore silky pjs and there was no staining!! Some other creams I have used in the past rubbed off or felt greasy and I can’t stand that.

2. Suave Dry Spray Antiperspirant- MRSP $4.49 (Wild Cherry Blossom Scented).

If I’m being honest on first glance before really looking at this product I thought “YES!!!!!!” -mom win, dry shampoo NOT its deodorant. Glad I looked at the can before I went spraying it into my hair! The scent is a light floral which I can appreciate vs. anything “heavy ” if that makes sense. If not sorry! Just the way I describe things- in my own terms. Anyways, I gave myself a nice spritz under each arm to test out the 48HR protection. I went hard and heavy on the treadmill shortly after with no lingering BO afterwards (or at least that I could tell or that anyone else in my home would comment on!) So the protection was spot on.

3. KISS Lashes MRSP $3.99-6.99

I have been obsessed with lashes since forever. They outline our eyes, the window to the soul. I mean what’s more gorgeous than a big set of beautiful lashes batting at you. I would say that its more of a love hate relationship though. I have tried self application in the past and failed miserably! I did full sets-fail, singles they may be easier-NOPE-fail, moving on to magnetic-try lining those bad boys up evenly on top and under your lashes🤦‍♀️. No YouTube tutorial on this planet could help me. So I had pretty much threw in the towel on them. But here they were this beautiful set of lashes in such pretty packaging just waiting to take me from housewife to Beyoncé! To my surprise they were very easy to apply and remove. I’m not sure how many applications these will last for I would say one to two max. Will be saving these for my VDay date with the hubby perhaps? 🤔 One comment I will make on the packaging while pretty, the application instructions are very limited to three small pics with no real direction. Had I not had previous experience with false lashed it would have been hard for me to figure them out. Also a lash app is promoted on the box but it doesn’t say or hint to why I should download this app. I would suggest maybe a redo for the back of the package. Ease of use and direction is a big thing.

4. Classico Organic Pasta Sauce (Roasted Garlic) MSRP $2.78

This sauce is part of Classico’s new organic line, crafted only from USDA Organic certified  ingredients which I love. My girls are crazy about spaghetti. The garlic smell was delightful. My hubby and kids tend to be very picky but they loved the taste. I was shocked actually– just because of how picky they can be. I can see this being added to my grocery list regularly. (Why didn’t I mention my thoughts on taste? net carbs per serving were 10 so this Keto mama refrained) Everyone else approved that’s all that matters.

That’s it for this box! Want a chance at your own VoxBox?

Click here to get started with Influenster

Much love,

Kim

DIY 100 Days of School Project

Recently in my daughters homework folder we got the “100th day of school” celebration announcement. This year each student is being encouraged to decorate a shirt somehow representing the number 100 and showcase it in a school fashion show.

Like every other mom I went to the crafters holy grail for ideas these days, Pinterest. I found some super cute ideas but nothing that was quite a fit. Buttons, safety pins, pennies, crayons, while all cute, they are not comfortable to wear around school all day.

Time to wing it on our own. She has been true fan of the year of the unicorn 🦄 , so of course that was her first request!

One trip to our local Micheal’s clearance section provided everything we would need for about $12 bucks (and that’s because I got an extra shirt just in case).

See pictures below⬇️

Hope this helps in providing some inspiration for your own DIY 100 days of school T-shirt!

Much love,

Kim

7 Keto Friendly Superbowl Foods

Here we are Super Bowl party time has arrived. In two weeks we get to see who will be named the 2019 NFL victors.

Basically, the Super Bowl is a national holiday in America. No seriously, some cities have tried to pass laws so that the day after the Super Bowl would be a non working holiday. I mean screaming at the television, slinging back chicken wings and beer is exhausting who can work after that kind of night. I’m tired just thinking about it.

I used to hate football but my husband has slowly turned me into a major fan. The Super Bowl is different though the half time show, the commercials, and gathering with friends that make it such an event. Which brings me to the food….

I have incorporated a low carb/Keto diet into my lifestyle since 2012. After two babies and multiple failed “diets” I can say it has always yielded the best results for me not just in weight loss but over all health. I don’t feel as fatigued, my skin is better, I’m more active, etc. I will being sharing more about this in the future.

I have created a “Keto-friendly/low carb menu” to feast on during the game that will satisfy my savory and sweet tastes while keeping me in check with my lifestyle. Naturally I wanted to share this with you all.

Keto Loaded “Nachos”

 

Base: 1 pkg  Josephs Lavash Bread, 1 lb Ground Beef, 1 pkg Taco Seasoning of your choice or homemade

Garnish: 1 cup     Shredded lettuce, ½ cup    Mexican Blend Cheese, 1-2 Tbsp Pico de Gallo, 1 Tbsp   Guacamole, 1 Tbsp   Salsa, 1 Tbsp   Sour Cream, 1 tbsp   Ranch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown ground beef and mix with taco seasoning as usual.

Slice one sheet of Josephs Lavash bread into 1-2 squares length and width wise. (Should give you 20-24 strips)

Coat strips lightly with olive oil cooking spray and salt.

Line a bakers sheet with parchment paper and place strips on paper or you can use a baking rack to slightly elevate the strips above the pan.

Bake for 3-4 minutes. Watch VERY carefully these will brown and crisp quickly.

Remove from oven.

Top with ground beef, lettuce, mexican cheese, Pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and drizzle with ranch if you like.  For an added touch give it a spritz of lemon juice for something extra. Enjoy!

Keto Buffalo Wings

Ingredients: 2 pkgs   Chicken Wingettes, 1tbsp     Olive Oil, 2 tbsp   Moore’s Buffalo Wing Sauce, ½ tsp     Salt, ½ tsp     Pepper Optional: 1tsp       Garlic Powder, 1tsp       Onion Powder

In large bowl or freezer bag add everything but chicken and mix. Once that is done wash chicken and add to mixture, shake for coating. Air fry for 20-25 minutes or bake in the oven at 400 for 25-30 mins. Can toss in additional Moore’s sauce for coating to your preference after cooking.

Keto Pizza

Crust Ingredients: 1 ½ cups Shredded Mozzarella, 2 Tbsp Cream Cheese cubed, ¾ cup Almond Flour, 1-2 tsp Italian Seasoning, 1 egg

Toppings: 1lb Cooked Italian Sausage, 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella, ½ cup Chopped Onion, ½ cup Chopped Green pepper, ¾-1 cup Pizza sauce of your choice

Place mozzarella and cream cheese in a medium size microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 min, stir and then microwave for 30 more seconds (will be very hot).

Stir in egg and almond flour.

Wet hands and spread “dough” thin on parchment paper. It should spread evenly with dough like consistency. (Keeping your hands wet is key).

Poke rows of holes with a fork to avoid bubbling.

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Put in 425-degree oven for 8 mins, check for bubbling and poke holes with fork if necessary.

Continue baking for 12-14 mins total or until slightly brown.  Brown Italian sausage while crust is baking.

Top with sauce, cheese, cooked Italian sausage, onion and green pepper.

For an added touch melt some butter and mix with Italian seasoning brush along crust after putting on toppings.

 Bake until golden and crispy.

Veggies and Homemade Ranch

No real recipe just here chop, chop, chop( I usually have cucumber slices, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, green pepper, I also add olives and banana peppers-my favorite. I make my own homemade ranch (recipe below, for dipping which can also be used for the pizza, nachos and wings).

Homemade Ranch: 1tbsp Dill, 1 clove  garlic, 2 tbsp parsley, 2 spring onions, 1 tbsp   apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice, ½ cup    mayonnaise, ¼ tsp Paprika, salt & pepper to your liking, ¼ cup Heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup Sour cream

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Chill.

Cheese and “Crackers”

Ingredients: 1 pkg     Josephs Lavash Bread, 1 block  Sharp cheddar Cheese, 1 block Pepper Jack Cheese, 1pkg Pepperonis, 1/3 cup Green Olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice one sheet of Josephs Lavash bread into 1-2 squares length and width wise. J(Should give you 20-24 strips)

Coat strips lightly with olive oil cooking spray and salt.

Line a bakers sheet with parchment paper and place strips on paper or you can use a baking rack to slightly elevate the strips above the pan.

Bake for 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully these will brown and crisp VERY quickly.

Remove from oven.

Pair with cheese, olives and pepperonis and serve.

Keto Fudge Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

Ingredients:  2 Eggs, ½ cup Almond Flour, ½ tsp Baking Powder, ¼ cup Cocoa Powder, 2 oz Dark Chocolate, ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract, 1 tbsp Instant Coffee, 1 cup Powdered erythritol Optional: 1 scoop collagen peptides, 2 scoops PBFit peanut butter powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients to batter like consistency. Line 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper. Pour batter over paper and cook for 30-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or nearly so. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool them for about 15 minutes before cutting. Once the brownies are cool, cover them tightly with plastic. Store at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Keto White Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients: 1 cup Heavy Cream,  8oz Cream Cheese, 1 cup Water, 1 pkg     Sugar free white chocolate pudding

Blend all ingredients until smooth, Chill and enjoy! Garnish with strawberries for added touch.

Regardless of who wins or losses at least the food will be great 👍 . Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on these recipes and please add any you have to share!

Much love,

Kim

Why Walmart Grocery Pickup is a GAME CHANGER!

So we’ve all been this woman or at least have seen this woman in the grocery store with her kid-throwing a temper tantrum in the buggy, another asking “Mom, Can we get this, can we get this” repeatedly. The look of defeat is on her face. Her buggy is packed to the max because she sure isn’t going to have another trip like this anytime soon. You get the picture now?

I cannot count on my hands the amount of times that I’ve had this experience, but I will say that here recently it has all changed for the better.

During one of my daily rants with a friend she mentioned to me how she had been using Walmart’s new grocery pick up option. I have to admit I was a little leery at first and had quite a few questions. I mean I’m not sure I’m OK with a college kid (most Walmart employees in my area) picking out my vegetables and meats. So I decided I would give it one try just to see how it went and if I liked great. If not, no big deal I would just go through the drama of grocery store shopping until the kids get old enough for me to be able to go alone.

I kept an ongoing list on the Walmart grocery app for a week, looking through my cabinets trying to check and see what I would need to keep us fed during the upcoming days. I would add things, remove things, find cheaper options. Think about my upcoming events or meal plan to be sure I had everything in stock. Check on the bathroom necessities (“who needs toothpaste, do we need soap, do we need diapers, oh and what about the formula”).

So after formulating the perfect grocery list I sent it in and chose my pick up time. Then prayed that I would have a decent return.

The next morning I dropped my oldest off at school and proceeded to go to the nearest Walmart that offers grocery pick up (which is about 35 miles out for me) with my little one in the back napping.

I got an email from Walmart the night before stating my order was received and then about 15 minutes prior to my selected pick up time a notification popped up on the app that my order was ready. It was time to check in. After check in the app basically uses your phones GPS to track you until arrival at the store. I pulled in a numbered spot and selected it on the app. From there it was magic!

A very nice young man came out to get my name and asked me if I had gotten an email about substitutions (which I’ll explain later). I had and I accepted the changes. Then a nice cart full of blue containers came out holding all of my groceries!!!! All I had to do was pop the back of my mom mobile. They loaded everything in for me and with the sign of my finger on their digital device my grocery shopping was done in less than 20 minutes !!!!!! I had accomplished in 20 minutes what normally takes me a good hour to an hour and a half depending on my list size. I didn’t have to worry about my little one being cranky in the store. She was asleep in the car seat the entire time. I just sat there drinking my Starbucks (made that stop along the way to because like Walmart the closest one to me is 35 miles) while somebody else loaded my groceries IT WAS HEAVENLY. I mean seriously why did I wait so long to try this. I had been missing out all this time I have so much on my to do list daily, this is such a timesaver and why this service is a true game changer. Yucky weather? Kid sick? You’re sick? Busy holiday shopping season? Guess what you don’t have to go inside!!!!

This service has seriously made a world of difference for me and I would highly encourage anyone, who like me just hates to go in the store and always forgets something on the list or heck even forgets the list itself, to check this out.

To give you a little rundown of how it works I’ll number it out here. Make sure you click the link on the bottom to save some money on your first Walmart grocery pick up order.

1. Download the Walmart grocery app using the link provided at the bottom of this blog.

2. Start making your list for whatever your needs maybe (there is a $30 spending limit) You can scan the UPC of items with the app as well as manual searching for them.

3.Once your list is complete, you will select a pick up time and then send your order in.

4. The payment is automatically debited to whatever card you use to check out. If there is any change in price when you pick up your items up (for example, if they had to substitute something and it’s cheaper then your banking institution will reimburse you whatever the difference is usually within 3 to 5 days). I’ve never had an instance so far where I’ve paid more on pick up than what I initially sent in. The store has always made the price cheaper or even sometimes substituted store brand items I had selected that weren’t available with the name brand equivalent for no difference in price. This is what I meant by substitutions above.

5.Once you send in your order you will get an email confirmation from the store saying it has been received. I do recommend sending it in the day before you want to do pick up versus the same day. You will have more check in times slot available to you.

6. Next, You will get a notification from the app stating that your order is ready. I’ve had this happen anywhere from 15 minutes prior to my selected time to 15 to 30 minutes after my time. You will click check in and your phones GPS will track you to the store. Once there you pull into the allotted slots ( the app should show a store map and there are signs for pickup in the parking lot usually pointing you to the correct place). Just pick the space number you park in on your app and wait for someone to come out.

I will say that have also gotten complimentary goody bags as a thank you for using the pick up service. One on my initial order which had all kinds of samples and some full-size grocery items to try along with a coupon book. I got another at the beginning of the new year that was more health based and had full size health and beauty products along with coupons.

I have fallen in LOVE (strong word choice I know) with this service and could not think of having to physically grocery shop anymore.

I’ve only had one instance where I had an item left off of my order. I just went to the app and called the 1-800 number, explained the situation and they immediately refunded me for the amount of the item and they also gave me a $15 off coupon to use in the future. Their customer service was on spot.

Its so much more than a service for busy moms. This is the perfect thing for ANYONE ….. It is comforting to know you can just you pick up your stuff when you get off from work and are drained.

PLUS, I have found this is a great way to save money because I’m only buying what I need and NOT impulse shopping in the store. I’m the type of person who will literally go in for one thing and come out with $100 worth of stuff. (I just need toilet paper, oh look at all this pretty new Pioneer Woman stuff haha) So really what I’m saying is, if anyone appreciates this service it’s probably my husband haha!

Here is the link for you to check it out yourself and I really would love to hear some feedback from you in the comments once you’ve tried the service. Hope you enjoyed this insight.

Save $$$ on your first Walmart Grocery Pickup

Much love,

Kim

*As a note this is not endorsed by Walmart in anyway just sharing something I truly enjoy. However, I’m not opposed to a collaboration if the powers that be stumble across my ramblings, just saying. 😃

New year, New You?

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

My goal for 2019: to accomplish the goals of 2018, which I should have done in 2017, because I promised myself in 2016 and planned in 2015. Sound familiar?

For my first blog I want to talk resolutions? Did you make one and if so why? Is it the same thing each year with never any real change? By definition resolution means to make a firm decision to do or not to do something.

According to U.S. News, approximately 80%  of resolutions fail by the second week of February, the odds are against you my friend. 

So I’ve come up with a few tips to help you successfully accomplish your goals.

-Write them down!!!! – Don’t just have a mental list of things you would like to accomplish! Write your goals down and keep them somewhere that will be a constant presence. For me, this was putting the list on a shelf  beside my bed. Every morning when I wake up and look to my left they are there, present and living, in my face every….single….day!

-Commit to making time! Let s face it these days we are all busy. Everyone has 10 million things on their plate to accomplish RIGHT NOW! We make the time for the things that matter the most to us. Correct? Everyone has 24 hours in each day you get to allocate to whichever place and for how long you want. If something is truly important to you, you will find the time. Wake up an hour earlier than everyone else, stay up an hour later, use your lunchtime…. whatever you have to do, do it. You will reap the harvest of utilizing your time to the max.

-Have an accountability partner- I may have saved this for last but it is certainly not least and in my opinion may be the most important piece. There  is power in having to be accountable. Ask someone you trust, and above all supports you, to be your check in partner every few days or week to make sure you are staying on target. If you are not doing so hot figure out the “why” and formulate a plan to get back on track. If you are progressing, rejoice in the progress with that person. (Make sure this person is someone you look to as having a positive outlook in all situations and is encouraging at all times, do not have it be someone who will deliver a negative blow on your goals, this may do more harm then good. So really think this one out.)

….and there you have it I kept it short and simple and believe me I wouldn’t put in print what I am not utilizing myself. I look forward to keeping you updated. I have my goals listed in sections for 2019… faith, family, business, health, and finances. I will be sharing my progress in the future stay tuned!

Much Love 

Kim