Thursday, March 29, 2012

Chicken Enchilada Chilli

I found this recipe in my Betty Crocker So Simple cookbook.   I made it in my Crock Pot for dinner the other night, and it was super easy and tasty!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Chicken Enchilada Chilli -
Prep Time: 10 minutes          Start to Finish: 7 hours 10 minutes               6 Servings

  • 1 1/4lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 1 medium yellow or green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
  • 2 cans (14.5oz each) stewed tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
  • 2 cans (15-16oz each) chilli beans in sauce, undrained
  • 1 can (10oz) enchilada sauce
  • Sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 - Spray 4-5 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.  In cooker, mix all ingredients except sour cream and cilantro.

2 - Cover and cook on LOW heat setting 7-8 hours.

3 - Stir mixture to break up chicken.  Top each serving with cilantro and sour cream.

___________________________________________________________________________________

I used chicken breasts instead of thighs.  The recipe doesn't require that you cut up the chicken, but I cut mine in cubes before putting it in the crock pot.  If I ever make it again, I will try to shred the chicken; I think it would be better that way.  I also skipped out on the cilantro and topped mine with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.  This turned out really yummy, and there was enough flavor in the ingredients that I didn't even need to add a single seasoning to it.  Doesn't get much easier than that!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

New Jergens Product!

Summer is coming, and people, please...... WEAR SUNSCREEN!

I was blessed/cursed with an extremely fair complexion.  Just like everyone else, I want a tan in the summertime.  I've had some nasty sunburns in my life, and spent some time in tanning beds as a teenager.  But I've learned my lesson and hopefully, I didn't change my ways too late.  (Did you know that 40-50% of Americans will, by age 65, have skin cancer at least once?  If you've had more than 5 sunburns, your risk for melanoma is doubled.  Only 15% of  people with advanced melanoma survive.  See www.skincancer.org for the scary statistics). 

There are tons of products out there that offer a tan in a bottle.  Lotions, sprays, wipes, mousse... from dozens of companies.  Some can turn your skin a sickly shade of orange, or leave you blotchy.  But I have found a favorite, and this year it's even better!

If you haven't tried Jergens Natural Glow products for your sunless tan, do it!  It comes in multiple lotions (express, firming, antioxidant, facial), foaming moisturizer (like a mousse),  and new this year, today is LAUNCH DAY for their new lotion with SPF 20.   (I'm really excited about this, since I can wear the daily moisturizer without having to worry about applying sunscreen and making it streaky!)  You apply the product every day until you are as dark as you want to be, and then reapply every few days to keep your color.  Each product comes in 2 shades, for darker vs. lighter complexions, so you don't wind up with a fake-looking color if you're fair, like me. 



Today on Facebook, Jergens is celebrating launch day with some samples (which are unfortunately gone, now) and some other surprises throughout the day. 

Even if you're not into self-tanning products, make sure you're using a good sunscreen, at least SPF 15, and make sure it is "broad spectrum", or blocks UVA and UVB radiation.  Apply it 30 minutes before you go outside, and reapply it every 2 hours, even if you're not swimming.  Store your sunscreen in a cool place (not in your car!) and throw it away when it's expired.  Go HERE for everything you need to know about sunscreen.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Want free glasses?

First freebie post:

First, I just want to make sure you know that I'm not getting anything for posting this.  There's no catch.  It's not a trick.  Just a really awesome deal!

Coastal sells glasses and contact lenses online.  They have a promotion (which seems to be ongoing) where you can get your first pair of glasses, frames and lenses, for free.  You only pay shipping, which is around $10.  For women, there are currently 925 frames to choose from.  The free pair includes the cheapest lenses (which are fine for me) but you can uprade to nicer ones for a really reasonable price, if you want to.  The promo code is: firstpairfree.

I was suspicious of this at first.  You can pay with PayPal, though, so I went ahead and placed an order for a really cute pair of Guess glasses for close to $10.  They shipped fast and were *really* nice.  They even came with a free case, lens cleaner, and a little tool kit.  Truly, no strings attached.  You really can't beat that!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Slow Cooker Chicken

I wanted to share a really tasty, easy chicken recipe I made for dinner last night.  I found this recipe on All Recipes.  I love crock pot recipes for summer!



Jennie's Heavenly Slow Cooker Chicken:

Ingredients:
2 tbs. butter
1 0.7oz package of dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 10.75oz can of condensed golden mushroom soup
1 8oz. container of chive and onion sour cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Melt the butter in a pan and add the salad dressing mix, soup, sour cream, and wine.  Allow to cook on low-medium heat until contents are well mixed and the sour cream is melted.  Place the chicken breasts into the crock pot and pour the mixture on top.  Cook on low for about 4 hours, or until chicken is tender. 



I served mine with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  The extra sauce would be wonderful on pasta.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Venus & Olay Razor

My second favorite product that I received in my Love Vox Box from Influenster is the new Gillette Venus & Olay razor.  This product was just released into stores today!



The razor comes in a wonderful easy-to-open package.  Included is a suction up mount to hang in your shower.  This is one of those razors where you don't have to use shaving cream.  When it gets wet, the two Olay moisture bars (above and below the 5 blades) create a slippery surface for shaving. 

While I wasn't SUPER impressed with the feel of the razor against my skin, I thought it did a pretty good job - at least as good as my regular disposable razors with shaving cream.  It was easy to shave the knee area, and I didn't feel like I was going to cut myself in that spot.  I could feel it drag across the skin a little bit, but it wasn't really uncomfortable.  I also like the suction cup idea.  The refill cartridges cost about $14.99 - $19.49 (for a 3 pack).  I probably won't buy them for everyday use.  I will, however, use this for traveling, especially if I'm flying or trying to pack light, since I won't need shaving cream.  It would be perfect to take to the beach!

I received this for FREE from Influenster through their Vox Box program to try and review.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Kiss Nail Dress

So my very favorite product that I received in my Love Vox Box was the Kiss Nail Dress applications.  This style is called 'Sexy':
 

There are 28 of these in a package, which may not seem like much, but I was able to do my fingernails and toenails and STILL have enough left over to use for some fun designs on a future manicure and possibly do my toes again.  They are basically a sticker that you apply to your nail, no glue required to apply and no polish remover required to take off.  I was skeptical.  I didn't think they would stay on at all.  But I was wrong!  I work with animals and I am constantly washing my hands.  I put these on my fingers and toes on Monday, and by Friday, I was tired of them and took them off.  They would have lasted a lot longer, though.  Over a week later, they're still on my toes and I've only had to replace one.  They are extremely cute and come in a bunch of different designs.  I got several compliments on my Cheetah Print nails!

There are other brands that make similar products to this, but they are more expensive (these cost $6.99 at WalMart).  Also, these don't dry out after you open them like some other ones do, so you can save them and use them later instead of wasting them.  I will definitely buy more of these!

I received these for FREE from Influenster to test and review.  Check them out!

Influenster

The first thing I want to share is a fun website I ran across called Influenster (www.influenster.com). 

By being an active member of Influenster, and a person who likes to try new things and share them with friends, you can get the chance to receive Vox Boxes.  A Vox Box contains lots of goodies for you to try and review, at no cost.  There are lots of websites where you can subscribe to receive boxes of products to try, for a fee.  With Influenster, your only payment is your honest feedback on the products you try.

After creating an account on Influenster, there are several quizzes to take about yourself, so Influenster can match you up with the programs that fit you best.  Sometimes, they also post surveys and things so check back often and eventually, you might get a chance to review some products.

It seems like they do boxes pretty frequently.  I signed up in December and in February I qualified to receive the Love Vox Box, which was Valentine's Day themed.  In the box were 5 items that I was able to try and review:
-Gilette Venus & Olay's new razor
-A full sized package of Kiss Nail Dress nail stickers
-A sample sized box of Truvia sweetener
-A full sized package of Stash herbal teas, in different flavors
-A (large!) bar of Ghirardelli chocolate

I think this is really worthwhile, and so far a lot of fun.  I will post reviews on some of the products in my Love Vox Box while you're signing up ;)
As you can tell from the description, I plan to share a mixture of things that interest me here.  Whatever comes to mind, whether it's a good book I'm reading, a new lipstick I tried, a website you just have to check out, or a yummy recipe.  This is my first attempt at a blog, so please be kind :)