Recipe | Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

 

For whatever reason, my husband was craving Swedish meatballs. I'm not sure if he was wanting his mom's version, but I did a little twist.

 



 

Ingredients

• 1 bag of frozen meatballs
• 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 packet of brown gravy mix (or whatever gravy mix you prefer, you can get creative here)
• 1/2 cup of water
• noodles (I used egg noodles)

 

Instructions:

• Mix together everything, except meatballs and noodles, whisk until smooth.

 

• Dump meatballs in slow cooker

• Pour mixture over meatballs
• Cook on low for 6 hours
• Serve over cooked noodles of your choice

While I was preparing it, I wasn't a fan of the smell. I think it was the gravy packet, so I was a little hesitant and pretty convinced I wasn't going to like it. I was regretting trying to get creative. But when I got home to the smell of it cooking it all day, I was excited to give it a whirl. We cooked up some noodles and slapped the meatballs on over them and shoved it in our mouths. It was so good! A went back for seconds, so that's always a great thing! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did! Happy eating!

Books | Ashfall Series by Mike Mullin

 Disclaimer: I will do my very best to avoid spoilers, but I am writing about all 3 books. If you don't want to know what happens, move along please and just check them out from your local library. Thankyouverymuch.

I read the first book back in 2013 and immediately devoured the second book. I then waited rather impatiently for the third book to come out, all the while bothering my little brother to read the first two and wait in anticipation with me. He declined. I loved these books SO much, I bought him the first one for Christmas and I'm pretty sure he hasn't read it yet. Oh well. I just wanted someone to share my love with, and if he won't participate...I nominate you!

 

Ashfall is the first book in the trilogy. Alex, the main character, is a regular teenage boy who has been left alone for the weekend by his parents (and sister, Rebecca). For Alex, this means time to normal teenage boy stuff; video games, hang with his friends, etc. Unfortunately for Alex, the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts leaving his town (and most of the west/Midwest) in darkness, ash and increasing violence as panic increases. Alex decides to venture out and find his family. What he finds is Darla and a world in havoc.

 

My thoughts: I was so hooked. The entire circumstance of Alex and Darla meeting is so entrancing, and heartbreaking that I couldn't put the book down. I guess there is some perverse pleasure in reading about a world falling apart. I am pretty convinced I would just stay in my house and eventually die.

 

 

Ashen Winter picks up six months after the eruption of the supervolcano. Alex and Darla are with Alex's relatives and are trying to adjust to a new, primitive lifestyle in Illinois. During these six months, Alex's parents have not returned from Iowa. Unable to wait for them any longer, Alex and Darla decide to retrace their journey to Iowa to try and find them. But in those six months, the world has turned even more perilous than it was the first time they trekked through it; with communities battling over food and power.

 

My thoughts: While writing the description, I was thinking to myself...why didn't they just stay put? Obviously nothing good is going to come of their leaving and going out into the wild blue yonder. Naturally things have gotten worse. The grid is down. The animals are dead (from ash inhalation). Crops are buried. People are DESPERATE. Alex and Darla, keep your butts in Illinois. When you're reading it though, they make compelling arguments and you just agree with their decision.

 

 

 

Sunrise is the final book and it takes place about a year after the eruption. The human race has nearly been wiped out by the supervolcano and the survivors seem intent on finishing the job. Communities have turned on each other and war is raging, cannibals roam the countryside and what little government survived has collapsed entirely. Alex and Darla have to make the difficult decision to leave their current home and start a community that is entirely self sufficient and begin to focus on long term survival.

 

My Thoughts: I was pretty happy with the way the series ended. Naturally I always want to know exactly what happens forever and ever in their lives but that's just not plausible. Generally, I am sad and upset when a series I love is over but I felt great closure with this one in particular. Obviously, READ THIS SERIES. Let me know your thoughts if you take the plunge into one of the best dystopian series I have read.

 



5 Things Friday

5 things I did:

1. I went to a family baby shower. They are having a baby girl, due in April!

2. My grandma had a heart procedure done, so positive, healing vibes sent her way are appreciated!

3. I am attending a conference in Ann Arbor on Friday. Actually as you are reading this I will be there. Exciting times.

4. I came home the other day to a cleaned house; the couch was vacuumed, the rugs were rotated, the whole nine yards. Felt lots of love towards my husband and it was so incredibly appreciated.

5. Got accepted for my first Influenster VoxBox, so be on the lookout for that review in the next few weeks!

5 things I ate:

1. I always have a massive weakness for these trail mix thingies at showers. I just sit there and shove them into my mouth. Ugh. My stomach hurt afterward.

2. Got some of my fave Mexican food! Enchilada's suizas, refried beans and Spanish rice.

3. Acai, blueberry and pomegranate sorbet is SO GOOD!

4. Made a super yummy chicken dish in the crockpot, recipe will be forthcoming!

5. My grandma sent home a whole dish of rainbow jello with me. Been eating it for days and feel like I haven't made a dent. #firstworldproblems

5 things I read:

1.Struggles only girls with long hair will understand

2. An adorable video by my fave musical artist

3. Keurig sadness

4. Sunrise by Mike Mullin (Ashfall #3)

5. Kelly Clarkson owns


As per usual, I am going to be linking with Fitting It All In and her Five Things Friday. I am also going to be at the High Five for Friday link up over at Coffee with Caitlin, Cup of Tea, Bright on a budget and Della Devoted

Travel | Blackrocks Brewery | Marquette, Michigan

When we travel we try to visit only local places to eat, drink and hang out. I personally don't see the point in visiting a place and going to a chain restaurant. We want to experience the local flavor, so to speak. So for the next few Thursdays I am going to expound on the places we visited while in Marquette, Michigan. Starting first with the breweries we went to.

 

First up, is Blackrocks Brewery. First off, Black Rocks are a well known Marquette "attraction" located on Presque Isle State Park and you can jump off the cliff into freezing cold Lake Superior. You can view some pictures of people doing just that at this webpage. So already, the brewery has a kick ass name. To learn a little bit more about the founders spirit, I highly recommend watching this video.

 

Anyway, these guys are located right in downtown Marquette and they even have a patio. I am making it a mission to get back there this summer and enjoy a beautiful Marquette night on the patio. They are open Monday-Friday and on Friday and Saturday nights, according to their website, the Dia de des Tacos truck is available in the parking lot. That is a really awesome thing to provide, because they don't offer food in the establishment. We were there on a Saturday morning/early afternoon so we didn't get to try the food truck...maybe next time. Blackrocks also offers local music Sunday-Thursday. So, once again, another thing we missed. Just more and more reasons to go back, eh?

Now onto the real reason we went there: the beers. Blackrocks brews their beers on 3 different systems so they are able to make a larger variety. They put some into cans and the rest go on tap. The cans are sold in most of Michigan, with the exception of the southeastern corner (Detroit + burbs). They have 3 regular beers that they sell in cans year-round: 51K IPA, Grand Rabbits Dry Hopped Cream Ale and Coconut Brown. The IPA is an earthy grapefruit and apricot flavor with pine flavored hops and a nice dry finish. Grand Rabbits is a lemon/orange flavor with a grainy sweetness and Coconut Brown is a chocolate flavored brown ale with a creamy coconut finish. They also have some seasonal beers as well; North Third Stout (winter) and Honey Lav (summer). Then there are the limited ones that kind of flow through and out. The beer I had when I was there was the Kortne Belgian Blonde. 

 

 

 

I had two since I liked it so much. It went down great and was delicious with my pasty. All in all I really loved the casual, friendly vibe of this place and it is definitely a place I will visit every time I go to Marquette. Which is never as often as I want it to be.

Beauty | Amara Organics Total Repair Eye Gel

Here we are again, with another eye gel. This one is from Amara Organics and I was really excited to give it a whirl. This eye gel boasts a whole host of perks such as:

• getting rid of dark circles, puffiness and crow's feet
• soothing and cooling around the eyes to decrease inflammation
• plumps and hydrates to fill in fine lines and wrinkles
• tightens and firms sagging skin
• improves texture and tone

That all sounds ah-mazing, am I right? I always wonder HOW can this product do that? I mean, I can say anything I want but that doesn't mean anything. Amara Total Repair Eye Gel is full of plant stem cells, vitamins, peptides and is all natural and cruelty free. That is always a must in my book. Even better, this product can be used on more than just your eye area. All of those benefits and ingredients are also great for your entire face, neck and the backs of your hands.

 

So, what did I think? I used this diligently every morning and every night for about two weeks before I sat down to write this review. I have learned recently I much prefer an eye gel in the evening, as I find it difficult to apply my makeup after using an eye gel. I think I am going to try using an eye cream in the morning instead, and an eye gel at night. But I digress. I did notice that my eye area seemed brighter and more hydrated. It was definitely cooling and soothing when applied; which is why I really prefer this formula for the night time when I can slather it on and let is soak in with my night cream. I don't have a ton of wrinkles in my eye area (yet) and my skin is not sagging (yet) and maybe this is because of the tons of eye products I use, or just good genetics, but I can't really speak to how it would affect those issues. It seems as though every eye repair product say they can firm and dissipate wrinkles, so who knows which really do make a difference?

 

My final thoughts are that I will definitely continue to use this total repair eye gel in the evenings before bed. I really did enjoy this product and if you're interested in purchasing you can do so here.

 This review is sponsored by Tomoson.com and I received this product free of charge from Amara Organics in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Recipe | Crockpot White Chicken Chili

This is another delicious and incredibly simple crockpot meal. We made it and had leftovers for probably about 2-3 meals, and that is always a bonus so that  A can take the leftovers for lunch. 

Ingredients 

• 2 uncooked chicken breasts

• 2 cans Great Northern Beans (or any other type of white bean)

• 2 cans kidney beans (I used dark red, but again, whatever you prefer)

• 1 package taco seasoning

• 1 can chopped green chilies 

• 1 can cream of chicken soup

• 1 can of chicken broth

• Tortilla chips 

Instructions

• Place chicken on bottom of crockpot.

• Throw in beans, soups and chilies.

• Add in taco seasoning and mix in.

• Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

• Before serving use a potato masher to break up the chicken. Do this quickly and alternating directions until chicken is adequately shredded and mixed in. Don't worry about mashing up some beans while you are doing this. It just helps to make the broth thicker.

• Serve with crumbled tortilla chips on top.

This is a great wintery meal and we loved it! Happy eating!

Books | On My Nightstand | March 2015

 

Another edition of the books that are currently residing on my nightstand waiting to be read. It's quite a mixed bag this month, and I'm pretty sure I didn't do it for the month of February...sorry 'bout that. Let's see what I'm going to be reading (I will go from top to bottom).

 

 

 

 

 

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

So I have apparently never read a book by David Mitchell before, although I thought I had. Anyways, this book follows Holly Sykes; a fifteen year old runaway with psychic phenomena. As she goes deeper into the English countryside, she has visions and coincidences that alter her reality. This book sounds kind of weird honestly. I'm not really sure I understand what exactly it is about, but then again, isn't that part of the fun?

 

Sunrise by Mike Mullin (Ashfall #3)

This book has much anticipated for me. I absolutely LOVED the previous two books in the Ashfall series. I'm going to try to not reveal any spoilers. Almost a year after the eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano, the few survivors are battling it out; groups of cannibals roam the countryside and the little government that survived has collapsed entirely. The main characters from the previous two books, Alex and Darla, are facing the reality that their home is no longer safe. This just sucks me in so hard. I want to stop living my life and just sit and inhale this book. I am irrationally excited.

 

Cut Me Loose: Sin and Salvation After My Ultra-Orthodox Girlhood By Leah Vincent

This a memoir about a woman's promiscuous and self-destructing spiral after being cast out of her Orthodox Jewish family. I enjoy memoir's and for some reason I really enjoy memoir's that involve self-destructing behavior. This seems like an interesting read, and I know very little about Orthodox Jews so I look forward to perhaps gaining a little insight on their beliefs. Hopefully it's not too prejudiced based on her experiences.

 

The List by Joanna Bolouri

From reading the synopsis on Goodreads, this is basically about a woman who makes a bucket list of things she wants to do in bed. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this, but I have it (somehow?) and will read it.

 

 The Summer Wind by Mary Alice Monroe (Lowcountry Summer #2) 

I recently read the first one in the series (it might actually only be a trilogy...) and I thought it would just be a fluffy read, something easy to get through. But it was surprisingly SO GOOD. There were fluffy bits, but it also a really insightful and touching plot line. I am eager to read this one and see how it goes.

 

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

This book takes place in Stalin's Soviet Union, and it follows officer Leo Demidov who is a war hero. It follows him as he fights to uncover a murderer in a country where "crime" doesn't really exist. This is the first book in the Leo Demidov series, so if it's good I definitely look forward to having more to read.

 

What books are currently on your nightstand? Happy March!