Influenster Review: Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs

I can spend hours in sun and my legs will stay white as white can be. 

That's why I was excited to get the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs VoxBox from Influenster. 

I've used self tanners before and it never usually works out well for me (read: tan zebra). I was happily surprised by the results after I applied this one.

I put on some cute nail polish and applied a quarter size dollop to each leg. It dries pretty quick so you have to work fast. The good thing is that if you over apply or get streaks it comes of easily with soap and water.

I love the color (Airbrush Legs in medium), it gives me that cool summer tan without having to sit in the sun. I definitely recommend this product 

I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All reviews and opinions are my own.

Peanut Butter Lovers Unite!: An Influenster Review

Can I just say that this stuff is amazing. It is essentially a peanut butter cup dropped into a blender and pureed to sweet deliciousness. It's got the gritty texture of the peanut butter and the smoothness of the chocolate wrapped up in a neat little jar.

First, I found a peanut butter dip on Pinterest: Reeses Dip

I substituted the spread for the peanut butter and the result was a-mazing. I diced up some apples for the first go-round, and had it with honey graham crackers the next day. The husband loved it, the kids loved, i'd say it was a success.



The next snack we tried was putting the spread on waffles and topping them with bananas. I was going to use regular mini waffles but I found these:

and I was inspired. Anything with the words "chocolate" and "delight" are bound to be good.

Not the prettiest picture but they were about the disappear off the plate...

Lil miss proceeded to eat the banana first, then lick off the chocolate, and then eat the waffle.

Lil man ate his in two bites.

oh, and chocolate graham crackers...yes please. Just spread it right on and munch away, it's that good.

Pictured: additional banana topping

I totally recommend this to peanut butter lovers, chocolate lovers, and everyone in between. I received this jar of Reese's Spreads complimentary from Influenster and all opinions are entirely my own.

Can it be?

My not so little guy is 3!

Mmmmmmm cake

Happiest happy birthday Caden!

Monday in Review: COPPERTONE® CLEARLYSheer™

I'm a Bzzagent and I received Coppertone Clearly Sheer for free to share and review. Opinions are 100% my own.

Living down in the Florida Keys you NEED sunscreen, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Even during the rainy season, when it's cloudy and overcast you can get a sunburn if you're not careful. If you're on the water you can turn into a human lobster (learned that the hard way). 

I really love this sunscreen (and I've tried quite a few). It comes in a spray and in a lotion, the spray good for when you're in a hurry (or have wriggly kids like mine) and the lotion is light and easy to apply. 

Pictured: wriggly kid on the go

I have really sensitive skin lately and I'm also more prone to breakouts (not to brag but I have the forehead of a teenager!). The lotion doesn't clog my pores, doesn't leave a greasy feeling on my skin, and doesn't have an overpowering "beach" smell. The spray is the same. It's easy to just spray & go and great for sunscreen touch ups and reapplication. You just have to towel dry beforehand if you've been swimming or actively sweating. 

They're both water resistant for 80 minutes. The lotion is SPF 30 and the spray is SPF 50. I'm more likely to use the spray because of the higher SPF (gotta love my Irish skin). I really recommend picking up a few bottles!

Mouthwatering Monday: Crockpot Buffalo Chicken

My husband loves his hot sauce. He puts it on anything and everything, the hotter the better. Meanwhile my tastebuds are sissies, I'm a mild salsa kind of girl.

So for Fathers Day I whipped up some Buffalo Chicken in the crockpot to satisfy his heat-seeking appetite. Here it is, courtesy of Wannabite.com via Pinterest.

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients: 

Note: Genius me picked up the wrong chicken, de-boning = not fun

2 lbs raw boneless skinless chicken breasts

12 oz bottle of Buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank's Wing Sauce)

1 oz packet of dry Ranch mix

2 tbsp light butter

2 cloves garlic minced garlic 

Instructions: 

1. Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker.
2. Pour the bottle of wing sauce over the top of the chicken.
3. Sprinkle the packet of ranch mix over the top of the wing sauce.
4. Add your minced garlic to the slow cooker, making sure to cover it with sauce.
5. Place the lid on your slow cooker.
6. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until meat shreds easily.
7. Remove meat and shred it using two forks.
8. Return shredded meat to the sauce and add the butter.
9. Stir to combine.
10. Continue to cook on low for another hour so the meat can soak up the sauce.

Now when it finished cooking it did have a bit of sauce left. I let it sit and the chicken did indeed soak up the remaining sauce. I also read some of the reviews saying that it came out too salty. I used Kraft ranch dressing mix but you can also make your own (which can be found on Allrecipes: Dry Ranch Mix).

We put it on rolls with a little ranch dressing, husband had 3 sandwiches. It's safe to say he liked it. Believe it or not Lil Man loved it, looks like he inherited his Daddys tastebuds. 

Mouthwatering Monday: Crockpot Cobbler

I love this recipe because it's entirely flexible and it can be tweaked to suit your personal palate. It's not quite a cobbler, it somewhere between that and a dump cake I think.

I've seen this recipe floating around Facebook and Pinterest so I'm not sure of the exact source. If you do know feel free to message me!

The first time I tried this it was apple pie filling and yellow cake mix...not a success (it wasn't quite a failure either since the hubby had a few bowls of it).

My second try was Duncan Hines Devils Food cake mix and cherry pie filling. 

I had to taste test it...yea that's it, taste test

Its not a great picture but oh my word is it good. The cake isn't solid like a regular cake but it is just right amount of gooey deliciousness. I should've added chocolate chips but that's just because I'm a chocoholic.

Pictured: ooey gooey sweetness

The difference between my first try and my second try was the butter. 

The recipe above calls for 1 stick butter melted and poured over the cake mix (which is what I did the first time). 

This time I cut the solid butter into the cake mix and then added it to the crockpot. 

I also let it cook closer to 4 hours in low instead of 3. 

I just wish I had vanilla ice cream because it is sweet and decadent. I would've liked to used chocolate cake but believe it or not they were sold out! Who sells out of chocolate cake mix?

I think my next try for this particular recipe should be lemon cake and blueberry pie filling...sounds good doesn't it?

Foodie Friday: Homemade Mac & Cheese

I'm back!

After a little hiatus and a trip through a wormhole I've returned with some delicious comfort food!

Who doesn't love mac & cheese? There's so many ways you can make it and many different things you can add to it. Sure the easiest way would be straight from the box or the faster microwave cups (add water, microwave, add cheese) but a good homemade meal is hard to beat.

So here it is Homemade Mac & Cheese courtesy of Intentional by Grace (who has some fantastic picture guides) and Creative Christian Mama (with my own twists and changes of course).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb freshly cooked pasta (I used rotini but whatever kind of pasta floats your boat)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp flour (or 2 Tbsp cornstarch if you're out of flour*)
• 2 C cold milk (anything from half and half to whole, whatever you prefer)
• 10 oz of shredded cheese (I used a block of mild cheddar and cut it up very small)

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it starts to foam; then whisk in the flour. Continue whisking until the mixture turns golden-brown and smells “cooked”. (The fancy term is making "roux"**)
2. Whisk in a few ounces of the cold milk, until there are no lumps. Keep adding and whisking until all the milk is added.
3. Simmer on medium-low, whisking often, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 5-10 minutes), then remove from heat.
4. Add the cheese by handfuls and whisk until each addition is melted. Taste, and add any salt, pepper or seasonings.
5. Stir the sauce into cooked pasta and add any other additions.

I also added about a cup of shredded Mexican blend from Publix to give it a bit more flavor. It made a lot and came out super cheesy, just how I like it! Along with different flavors of shredded cheese, some other good options would be salsa, hot sauce, bacon, hot dogs, peas, chicken, or even chili. It was a big hit with Lil Man and  Lil Miss who are mac & cheese connoisseurs.

"Mmmmmm"

"Mom I'm trying to eat!"

"Sooo good" face

* Cornstarch thickens twice as fast as flour so only use half the amount required (ex: 4 Tbsp flour = 2 Tbsp cornstarch). It also means there will be less in the pan so keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.

** Roux (pronounced "roo") is a thickening agent for soups and sauces with roots dating back more than 300 years in French cuisine. Made by mixing oil and flour.