Onward and upward

Hi friends,

 While I have enjoyed writing this blog very much I felt like it wasn't quite fitting me the way I wanted it to. I have regrouped, focused a bit more on living well rather than quite so random and I'm pleased to share my new blog The Pulse. I hope you'll follow me over there to enjoy great business features (with amazing offers for readers), new products, spotlights on foods, books, and other things meant to enrich your day to day life. I'm so excited! :D

There is a new Facebook page for The Pulse too, please drop in and give it a like. :)

Last week's meal plan winners

While everything was pretty tasty last week two meals stood out as real winners. The first was this delicious Sugar Snap Pea and Carrot Soba Noodles. It was so good. The smokiness of the sesame oil combined with all the fresh veg made it a perfect spring/summer meal, nice and light. It's light in calories too as it's mostly veggies.

The second meal that was so tasty was this Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad. Again, heavy on the veg so it doesn't weigh you down and it's low in calories as you can add as much or as little dressing as you like. Really really tasty. Both of these meals will be going into a regular rotation here.

If you try them for yourself let me know what you think!

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask review

Bite Beauty is a company out of Toronto that makes natural lip care products, in fact the ingredients are safe enough that you could eat them....but don't do that. I was excited to pick up this Agave Lip Mask as I wanted something that was going to really hydrate my lips and the idea of a lip mask rather than your regular balms etc... is an interesting idea, and one I hadn't tried before. 

I love this mask, love it. I put it on before I go to bed at night and when I wake up in the morning I can still feel it on my lips and they are so soft and hydrated. If you have been feeling the effects of a long dry winter or you just want awesomely soft and smoochable lips put this on your list.

You only need the very smallest amount, this tube will last you forever.

Have you ever tried a lip mask before? I'm sold.

My dinner menu for the week

I'm focusing on being healthy and one way for me to do that is to plan ahead. I don't want to sabotage myself by getting too hungry (or shopping hungry!) and stuffing the first available food into my mouth, I want to have good choices available to me which means planning ahead and stocking my house. That is exactly what I did this week. :)

I thought I would share my dinner menu with you in case you needed a little inspiration. I know I'm starting on Tuesday and I should have shared this a little earlier in the week but.....better late than never.

Here goes...

Last night I made a skinny version of chicken fried rice, very tasty and both kids ate it up. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook (and I hope you do!) you may have already seen this picture.

Here's a direct link to the recipe on Pinterest. I made a couple of changes, instead of four egg whites I used three whole eggs and I upped the peas to a full cup rather than a half....otherwise the same!

Tonight is all about the crock pot which means easy, and this one is easy even for a crock pot recipe! It's just chicken thighs, salsa, a few spices....and it turns into this delicious chicken which you can then put on top of a salad like in this picture where I got the recipe from, or if you have a daughter who loves all things Mexican then you can have it in tacos which is what we'll be doing tonight.

Here is a link to the recipe on Skinnytaste. I'm looking forward to having the leftovers on top of romaine for my lunch tomorrow.

Wednesday will be this delicious looking quinoa salad and moose steaks (I'm so lucky to have a father who hunts and shares!).

It will be a very protein dense meal between the steaks and the quinoa, I have a feeling we will be full. Here is a link to the recipe.

Thursday will be another one from Skinnytaste, one I've had before and is really tasty. Dirty brown rice with Shrimp....yum!

Here's a link to the recipe, Gina has yet to steer me wrong!

And finally Friday will be pan fried pork chops with these delicious grilled zucchinis.

You can find the recipe here.

Some good stuff coming up this week, and I'm already working on next weeks meals too. Pinterest is great for finding some wonderfully inspired cooking, and a good place to find lower calorie meals too if that's what you're looking for. Feel free to follow me by clicking here.

I am always looking for cooking inspiration so if there is a recipe or recipes you've been enjoying then please share in the comments section.

Five minute hair

Looking for a quick way to tame your unruly locks before heading out the door? Today I'm sharing two quick styles that I've relied on many times. They look polished and pulled together and take hardly any time at all.

Look number 1: 

The 'do on the left side is the quickest of the two. All you need is a brush and one hair elastic. Brush through your hair to remove any knots, gather it over to whichever side you want the braid to be on and start a very loose french braid from the back of your head to the side and fasten with the elastic. If the braid is a bit too tight you can always gently pull on it to loosen it. You can leave it as is or loosen a few hairs from the front to soften the look a bit.

Look number 2: 

This one looks difficult but is actually very easy, all you need is a brush, one elastic and several bobby pins. Brush through your hair to remove any knots and then bend over at the waist and brush your hair forward. Start french braiding from the back of your head forward and once all the hair is in the braid (don't braid to the very end of the hair, only to the top of your head) secure the hair with the elastic but don't pull all the hair through on the final pull through, bring it about 3/4 of the way so it looks like a big bump. Spread the bump out into a big bun and start pinning it with bobby pins. Once the bun looks how you like give it a light mist of hair spray and you're good to go.

I hope you enjoyed these two looks, please let me know in the comments section which one is your favourite and if you'd like to see more posts like this one.

Happy Monday!

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara review

I know I know....its been a looooong time since I've posted, but a recent haul from Sephora meant that I just had to blog.

I bought quite a few things but what sparked the trip itself was Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara, you know with a name like that I had to try it.

I love the packaging, the soft rose gold colour is so pretty and thanks to the popularity of things like the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay this colour is everywhere.

The wand is shaped like an hourglass in homage to the sexy screen sirens of the past, but the middle part doesn't tuck in so far that you can't get the wand to reach your lashes.....a pet peeve of mine.

 I tried it the same night I got it home (excited much?) and was really happy to find that it not only gives you big lashes (and it does) but that it is very buildable, you can do several coats without it clumping up. I have been wearing it every day for the last week now and have found that it does get a little smudgy so I make sure and wear a primer around my eyes which really helps as it keeps the oil in your skin away from the mascara, and I also don't use it on my bottom lashes. I use a Sephora brand mascara on my bottom lashes that has some good staying power.

Look at the difference here, this is only one eye done (two coats):

And then both (three coats):

This is top lashes only as stated above. Look at the size of them...pretty amazing don't you think? Please don't judge the rest of me...I went make up free other than the mascara so you could see it in all it's glory. 

Overall I really like this mascara and would purchase it again. It doesn't make your lashes feel hard and brittle and it's easy to remove. I had purchased Benefit's They're Real mascara last year and hardly wore it because it was so hard to get off.

How about you? Have you tried this mascara? Thoughts? What is your very favourite mascara these days?

A few of my favourite things...

A few of my favourite things….I can't help but have the Sound of Music tune run through my head… "raindrops on roses…and whiskers on kittens..".

 Anyway..

Here are a few of my very favourite products for the last couple of months.

My hair was having a hard time this winter..getting dry and frizzy looking and this Nourishing Oil Care shampoo and Treatment Conditioner from Dove has made my hair so soft and silky. So if you're looking for a great shampoo/conditioner combo on a budget don't hesitate to get this one. I think it works easily as well as many high end shampoos and conditioners so save your money and go with this one instead. 

Next is an old product that I somehow didn't know about before but is freaking awesome. I use this after curling my hair….just a little dot, rub my hands together and then run my fingers gently through my hair. It really is a secret weapon…I get beautiful curls/waves with no frizz at all, and it lasts. I will always have this product in my arsenal from now on.

Frizz Ease Secret Weapon Finishing Creme

And when I'm done styling I use this Garnier Fructis Hold and Flex hairspray. I don't like crunchy hairspray whatsoever so this is perfect for me. It holds the style but doesn't feel like you really have anything in your hair…no crunch, no build up….and it smells GREAT!

 And this might be a little random but I love this new Coconut Water Hydrating Body Wash from Dial. It smells great and doesn't dry my skin out at all, also lathers really well. Big thumbs up!

 The next couple of things are on the pricier side, but I think they are worth the splurge. This GlamGlow Exfoliating Treatment is awesome, truly…I use it once a week and my skin is smooooooth. They call it YouthMud and it really does make a difference, unclogs and tightens pores and makes your skin youthfully smooth. Try it, you'll love it.

The face cream I have been using is very pricy, more than I would normally spend but wow what a difference. As you can see it is a sample size, and if I hadn't had it given to me as a sample I probably would never have tried it but this Renergie Lift Multi Action creme from Lancome makes my skin soft like a babies, I kid you not. Haha…see what I did there? Baby..kid…yeah. It does tighten and tone too and having had a birthday this month I'm all about the tightening, toning, and anti aging.

A little does go a long way but I'm coming to the end of this sample so once I figure out which kidney I'm going to sell then I'll head out to pick up a full size one.

I only use this at night as I like a very light moisturizer during the day, and I love my Philosophy Hope in a Jar for that.

While my go to shadow palette will probably always be the Naked Palette from Urban Decay I do occasionally (ok, more than occasionally) like to try out some new stuff and I have really been enjoying this Designer Chocolates quad from Maybelline. The colours are pretty, as well as complimentary to almost anyone as they are nice set of neutrals.

And I had to add in this watch my sister got me for my birthday, isn't it cute??

So what have you been loving lately, anything I should be trying??