Review | It Works

If you're on facebook I am sure you know of someone who is selling It Works! products. I feel like every other person I know is selling them and telling me all about the crazy goodness that comes from them. So when a good friend of mine approached me about trying out some samples and then writing about them on here, I figured - sure, why not? I'm curious to see if they are really as great as everyone says.

She sent me some packets of the Greens on the Go and WOW (wipe out wrinkles).

She also sent me a wrap and defining gel, but I'm not going to be able to use that on my stomach (which is where I want to use it!) for awhile because of a surgery and the incisions and all that, so I'm holding onto that for another day.

First up, these little greens packets. She sent me berry and orange, stating that she liked berry best and just mixed that one with water whereas she wasn't as big of a fan of the orange and mixed that one with juice or iced tea. Solid advice. I mixed the orange in with a peach mango juice and it was top notch. Couldn't even tell it was there. The greens on the go provide multiple servings of fruits and vegetables, along with 30 plus herbs and nutrients. If I can get all of that from a drink, I'm sold. If it tastes good, even better. It's super easy, I keep some in my desk and when I need a little pick me up I just add a packet to my water and I'm good for the afternoon. I definitely recommend.

Lastly is the wipe out wrinkles. I obviously don't want wrinkles, and I'm hitting that age where they are starting to sprout up everywhere. I'm willing to try just about anything once, so I used this as directed. On the website it says that it will take 45 seconds to feel it working and in another 45 seconds all  you'll be able to say is WOW. This is not true. I literally noticed no difference. That doesn't mean it doesn't work using it daily forever or at least more than three times. It just means that in 3 minutes, I did not say WOW and I did not notice a difference as all. But it was cooling and felt nice and my skin didn't have a funky reaction. So that's good.

Honestly, this brand sells TONS of stuff so at least check out what they sell here and see if anything peeks your interest. Especially with this whole new year, new you thing that is probably happening.

Recipe | Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• Double pie crust
• 1 or 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can mixed vegetables

Instructions

• Combine chicken, soup and vegetables.
• Line a pie plate with one pie crust.
• Dump chicken mixture in plate.
• Place second pie crust over top.
• Bake at 365 degrees for 45 minutes.

Another recipe I didn't take a picture of, but it looked like a homemade pot pie. This recipe is nothing fancy, but I promise it's delicious. Seriously. It's perfect for a chilly fall dinner. 

FOTD #1

So I'm thinking of doing a little post, probably monthly, called FOTD - which stands for Face Of The Day. I talk a lot about products, but don't really show them being used very often. Mainly because, I don't have a professional camera or photographer to take pictures for me and I don't care for being photographed. But, I figured I will give it a whirl. Just for you guys. Please keep in mind that I'm pretty much taking selfies on my iphone so let's bear that in mind, alright? 

So there is the before and after - I know the lighting is super different. But it's the best I can manage. Our apartment only has 4 windows total, so natural light is hard to come by. Now onto the products that I used to complete this look.

Covergirl The Super Sizer by LashBlast Mascara

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Concealer

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner (in Lionfish)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics

Rimmel Exaggerate Automatic Lip Liner (in Eastend Snob)

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick (in Fiore)

W3ll People Bio Brightener Stick

L'oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

Benefit posiebalm (used as blush)

Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Metal (in Barely Branded)

Covergirl Clean Pressed Powder

I know it seems like a lot, but I promise I did this in like 15 minutes. I'm not a take an hour to get ready in the morning kind of girl. So there you go, my first face of the day! Hope it was helpful or at least interesting?

Recipe | Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey (I used venison)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup cooked red lentils (or green)
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp chopped thyme
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne
• 1/2 cup chili sauce

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• Place turkey, oats, lentils, garlic, egg, thyme, cayenne and half of the chili sauce in a large bowl.
• Mix well with your hands until the mixture is smooth and even.
• Coat a 1 pound loaf pan with cooking spray. 
• Add turkey mixture and form into a loaf.
• Using a rubber spatula, spread the remaining chili sauce over top.
• Bake about 45 minutes.

I didn't get any pictures, but it looks like a meatloaf. Meatloaf all looks the same right? It's really good, I promise. Even if it sounds weird because it has lentils in it. 

Recipe | Lentil Nachos

I posted this picture on facebook and got a few comments about how good it looked and a request to blog the recipe. So here we are.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed well under cold water
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup Colby Jack cheese
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• Pita chips
• jalapeno is optional, for a bit of added spice

Instructions

• Put the lentils in a pot, with the water, on medium.
• Once boiling, reduce temp to low.
• Add in the taco seasoning.
• Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the liquid is absorbed. 
• Turn off the heat.
• Add in the cheese and cover for an additional minute or so, or until the cheese is melted.
• Serve over pita chips.

Book Review | A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride

 

A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing is Eimear McBride's debut novel, and I'm not going to lie to you, it's hard to get through. It's written in a kind of "stream of consciousness" style, and it's really choppy and hard to follow. It's from the point of view of a young woman and the relationship with her brother, and the shadow cast by his childhood brain tumor. It took my reading the description to figure that out though, it was hard to decipher from the text. The book is really intimate, it gives way to the inner thoughts, feelings and sexuality of an incredibly vulnerable and isolated main character. It's definitely not comfortable, it will feel awkward and that is something I really like about this book. It makes you feel something, even if it's uncomfortable. This novel touches on domestic violence, sexual promiscuity and even an incredibly unhealthy relationship with a family member. It covers the struggle of trying to remain intact after an intense trauma. 

This book is intense and really quite beautiful, in an almost unbearable way. The writing has a lot to do with that, and the beginning is quite hard to get through. I imagine that's because the main character is younger, so her thoughts are less cohesive. But as the book goes on it gets easier to understand what is happening around her, and therefore makes it easier to read. 

I gave this book 3 stars and if you read it - i'm incredibly interested in knowing your thoughts. This book left me kind of confused and a bit disturbed, so I want to know others thoughts. I've spent a substantial amount of time reading other reviews on Goodreads, which I don't do on the regular.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

Five Things Friday

Five Things I Did:

1. MSU vs UM football game
It was a great game, with an outcome in favor of the spartans. I jumped around like a crazy person, shouting at the top of my lungs - alone in our house. I'm sure the people downtown were probably concerned, and it certainly didn't help my sore throat. Worth it.

2. A was out of town, so since I didn't have anyone to talk to i watched a lot of television. Caught up on Dancing with the stars, the mindy project, Americas next top model and code black. I've been real busy. 

3. My low tire pressure light came on, but I figured it out. It only took 3 days but it was my spare. Duh.

4. A was in Michigan and now he is back. He's a quick traveler that one.

5. The Mexican restaurant reopened downstairs!

Five Things I Ate:

1. Made some spaghetti. It was delicious.

2. Been really obsessed with mango peach juice lately. 

3. Ate an M & M cookie this week. It was pretty good.

4. Apple Cinnamon oatmeal is pretty top notch.

5. Dried mango is amazing.

Five Things I Read:

1. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

2. Awesome football game, if you're a Spartan

3. Anna Kendrick is great

4. Still Life by Louise Penny

5. I just started a new book that will be reviewed on her in a few weeks, hopefully. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

I am linking up over at High Five for Friday with Coffee with Caitlin, Cup of Tea, Bright on a budget and Della Devoted.