Recipe | Pad Thai

So a few weeks ago, we decided that ordering in Pad Thai was ridiculous because of the cost. I assured my husband that I could find a recipe and we could make it at home way cheaper. I did just that, modified it for our preferences and shared a photo on facebook. I made it again recently, and have deemed it worthy of sharing. So here we go, some homemade Pad Thai!

 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz rice noodles, cooked according to package
• 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces and cooked with salt and pepper.
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1/3 cup sliced green onion
• peanuts (optional)

Ingredients for sauce:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 4 tbsp. fish sauce
• 4 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. garlic
• 2 tsp. peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
• juice of 1 lime (I just used lime juice)
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp. soy sauce

Instructions:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Cook chicken in a large wok or pan over medium heat, stirring until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.
• Begin cooking noodles, in a separate pot, according to package directions.
• Whisk together all sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Crack eggs over preheated pan that you cooked chicken in, and allow to fry for about a minute. Then break it up with a spoon and add the bean sprouts.
• Add in chicken, cooked noodles and sauce.
• Toss to coat the noodles in sauce. Stir in green onions.
• Garnish with peanuts if desired.

 

And that is the finished product, so good and tastes pretty darn close to our favorite takeout Thai place. Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Five Things Friday

 

5 things I did:

1. The weather has been positively spring like! So, I am getting in the last of the snow pictures this week I believe! We went on a walk, and spotted this crane in the pond.

2. I got sick. Like, really sick. So that kind of took over my life for a few days.

3. We went on another field trip! This time to a butterfly garden. It was awesome, and I'm going to be doing a post on that next week.

4. I got two ribs out of place, from my being sick. So now I can't lift anything over 10 lbs and no "excessive bending" which is complicated when I work in a place where everyone and everything is below my waist. Good grief.

5. That was really pretty much it, I mean I was sick for the majority of the week. Sad face.

5 things I ate:

1. Alan took me out to dinner to Zoup, which is a fantastic soup place. I got a lobster bisque and a salad. Perfection.

2. Chicken noodle soup (because I was sick. I actually don't like chicken noodle soup, but sometimes it's all you can have.)

3. I made some Chicken and barley soup, just to spice things up.

4. Strawberry sorbet

5. Crackers. Oh so many crackers.

5 things I read:

1. Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella
I really don't like these books and I am not sure why I continue to read them. This is like the 7th one and they are SO BAD. The main character is such a terrible, self-absorbed person I can hardly handle it. This is my last one. Hold me to it, okay?

2. Cut Me Loose: Sin and Salvation after my ultra-orthodox girlhood by Leah Vincent
This was a really interesting read, to hear about the super orthodox Judaism and the affects that it had on this woman in particular. I recognize that it is one persons point of view, worth the read. But don't expect lightening bolts, it won't change your life -- it's just interesting. 

3. The Summer Wind (Lowcountry Summer #2)
These books are just nice, easy reads for me. I like the characters and I care about what happens to them. Plus, I like the "nature" aspect and learning a little bit more about the lowcountry and the sea life. I'm a sucker for some dolphins.

4. March Madness has begun, I am watching my bracket like a nut. Go green! (If this even counts as reading!)

5. IUGR Awareness - my newest niece, that is currently still living inside of my sister, is suffering from this. I had never heard of it before this, and it's crazy to think about.

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 | Impression 5 Science Center | Lansing, Michigan

So here in the grand city of Lansing, Michigan we have TONS of things to do all year round. But one of my favorite things to do is go to Impression 5. Located right in the heart of downtown Lansing, it is a children's science center full of fun, hands on, interactive exhibits such as:

 

• Chew on This - This exhibit looks at the mouth, it has giant dental tools and a giant mouth. It also allows for you to see teeth up close through a microscope and see how certain foods affect your teeth. They even encourage everyone to take a digital picture and upload it to a digital smile wall!
• Spectrum - This allows you to explore the electromagnetic spectrum and compare different light sources, lenses, prisms and mirrors. They also have a life size Light Mosiac so you can create, along with a Shadow Wall.
• Nano - This exhibit allows you to immerse yourself in nanoscale science, engineering and technology by allowing you to explore with magnetic materials, building a giant carbon nanotube and static electricity.
• Build Zone - This area features large tinker toys, pipes, tubing and giant blocks. This a favorite of my preschoolers whenever we go for a field trip.

 

• MI Nature - This exhibit is full of natural environments that are found in Michigan, including an aquarium-like tank full of fish!
• First Impression Room - This room is for birth to 4 years. It is completely enclosed, so it's a great place to take the kids when they just need to roam around without you for a bit. There is a section for the younger toddlers, with mats and a texture board. There is also a water room and a smart board. This room is usually where we end our field trips.
• POP! A Bubble Experience - This is a room full of bubbles. Ways to make bubbles, different shapes of bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. This is kid favorite, being inside of a bubble!

 

There at least another 5-7 exhibits on top of those I have named. Plus they have workshops and programs, summer activities and a membership program. If you live in the Lansing area, or are ever visiting you should definitely check this place out!

Impression 5 has no idea who I am, outside of scheduling field trips for my class. I just truly love this place and wanted to share the information. Also, children's face are hidden for obvious reasons...

Beauty | Body Merry Products

The weather for the first part of 2015 was bitterly cold and all around just terrible for my skin. I generally have more oily skin, but I was completely dried out and flaky which was a new issue for me. I was given an opportunity to review Body Merry's Retinol Surge Moisturizer and their Dew Serum, and I was immediately intrigued by the Dew Serum. I have tried a few Vitamin C serum's and they can be a bit sticky, but Dew Serum?! That sounded amazing, light and like it might give a glowing dewy complexion. I immediately jumped on board.

First, up the Retinol Surge Moisturizer contains 2.5% Retinol  which is known to help aging skin preserve a youth-like quality, but Retinol can also be quite drying on the skin. Needless to say, I was hesitant because of that factor. But this moisturizer is THICK. In a good way. When I slathered (yes, slathered) it on my face and neck, it immediately felt soothed and hydrated. It also soaked in quickly, without any sort of greasy residue. I was incredibly surprised by that. The formula used to help hydrate, even with the retinol, is shea butter, green tea, organic jojoba oil, Vitamin E and Vitamin B5. I imagine the shea butter is the reason for the thick texture, but let me tell you that it feels great when applied. Plus, it is a huge size at 3.4 oz.

 

The magical mysterious dew serum. When I first opened it, I was so happy it was clear. A lot of the Vitamin C serum's have a orange/yellow tint to it and I feel like when I apply that to my super pale skin it tints it that color. So this was clear, and a lot less runny. The texture was almost gel-like. That got me irrationally excited. It was super cooling on the skin and dried pretty quickly. I gave it a few minutes to soak in before applying the Surge Moisturizer, just to make sure. This serum has vitamin c, jojoba oil and green tea all of which are great for your skin and help to promote anti-aging effects. I love this serum, I never once felt shiny or sticky or orange.

So there you have it, I am pretty happy with these recent finds and I will definitely continue to use them. Have you ever tried a dew serum? What were your thoughts?





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

Recipe | Creamy Crockpot Chicken

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone! In college March 17 was my favorite, but nowadays it's just another regular day. Have a green beer for me, if that's your scene.

 

Alright, I won't lie, I was hesitant upon making this. I don't like ranch, and then adding the noodles was a risk indeed. It ended up tasting AWESOME, so I thought I would share. I didn't take pictures, sorry.

 

Ingredients

• 2 boneless/skinless chicken breast
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 packet dry Italian dressing 
• 1 packet dry Ranch dressing
• 1 brick of cream cheese 
• noodles (I used spaghetti, but use whatever you have on hand) 

 

Instructions:

• Put chicken breasts in crockpot. I threw mine in frozen solid still.
• Mix soups and packets in a mixing bowl.
• Pour over chicken in crockpot.
• Cook on low 8 hours.
• About an hour before add the cream cheese and give everything a good mix. Use a potato masher to break up the chicken.
• Then, if you're lazy like me, throw in about 6 oz of noodles and a cup of boiling water and mix around.

 

There you go, serve with some veggies on the side and a yummy quick and easy dinner. Happy eating!

5 Things Friday

5 things I did:

1. I attended the last day of the Michigan Head Start Association Conference. It was only a half day, but I got to attend two breakout sessions. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend, and hope to be able to go to more in the future.

2. We finally finished the WHOLE SERIES of Parks and Rec. SO GOOD. Definitely one of my favorite all time shows and I look forward to re-watching it again and again.

3. We had Family Fun Night at school, and we had this adorable hedgehog come by. For whatever reason I thought it was hilarious.

4. We had dinner with some friends at their house, and I got to hold their baby and he was so adorable. 

5. We took a field trip to a local children's science museum, impression 5. I plan on doing a whole post on the awesome that is I5.

5 things I ate:

1. I had my first Boston Cooler this week. If you've never heard of one, it's ginger ale (preferably Vernor's) with vanilla ice cream. So good and I can't believe that I was born and raised in Michigan and never had one. So many wasted years...

2. Alan made breakfast. It was so good and so appreciated.

3. I met my bestie for dinner. I hadn't seen her since the wedding, so it was great to catch up with her. It doesn't happen often enough, unfortunately.

4. These cornbread muffin-cake-loaf things are my favorite. We get them at school, like 2 times a year and it's the best day ever.

5. I made Pad Thai again, and I am going to share the recipe on the blog soon!

5 things I read:

1. The List by Joanna Bolouri
This book was so...dirty? I guess I just wasn't expecting it when I began reading so I was surprised. It was alright, but a lot of the usual lack of character development. I just didn't care for anyone in the book. They were all so one dimensional and so incredibly selfish. I gave it two stars on goodreads.

2. Burial Pods - If this is a real thing than I am totally on board and this is what I want to have happen to me.

3. Girl scout cookies  - I never knew this!

4. BookPage - Finally made it to the library to grab the March version!

5. Yes please by Amy Poehler - I really enjoyed this book. I giggled out loud of couple of times, but I can understand how people may not like it. It's kind of all over the place and spastic, which is appealing to me because it feels like a conversation.

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

Beauty | Empties

I figure sharing products that I have used up will be kind of like giving a bunch of mini-reviews on products in one nice sitting. I plan on keeping a bag of items that I have used up, when it gets full (or I need something to talk about) I can bust them out and share my thoughts with you. A fair amount of them will be samples, especially from Birchbox, so it could (maybe?) be helpful to see what I thought of them after/during using them.

 

 

So there is my current situation. As you can see some of them are not actually empty products, but products that I deemed unworthy of keeping.

 

1. Borghese Superiore State of the Art Mascara (sample)

This was alright. I feel like I have yet to find the mascara that changes my life. This was not it, but I appreciate the chance to try it out. It was the perfect shade of black, but it tended to smear around my eyes. That may be because my eyes water constantly and have been really irritated, so that probably didn't help matters.

 

2. Starlet Intense Eyeliner

I just didn't like this color. It was too light of a brown for my skin tone. I need a richer brown color or else I kind of look like I have pink eye. That's not the look I am EVER going for.

 

3. The Body Shop Tea Tree Concealer

This was just a no. The color was off, the consistency was weird, it smelled strange. Will not be repurchasing.

 

4. Maybelline Volum' Express The Colossal Mascara

This my go-to mascara, even though I am kind of so-so on it. It lasts for the day, doesn't smear and it goes on really smooth and not clumpy. So, it works.

 

5. Harvey Prince Hello Liquid Loofah

I would rather just use a scrub. This smelled really good, but I didn't feel like it really exfoliated and scrubbed.

 

6. Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Supreme Mascara

I actually quite enjoyed this mascara, but I can't justify spending a lot of mascaras. I may one day use Birchbox points to purchase, but let's be real...I probably won't.

 

 

 

• Suave Professionals Dry Conditioner Spray

I am not sure why I wanted to try a dry conditioner. But I did, and I didn't like it. It smelled kind of like citrusy baby powder and it just kind of rested on the top of my head. Even if I worked it into my hair/roots I just felt like it just got weighed down.

 

• Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Conditioner

So while the previous dry conditioner was a massive fail, this one was really great. I'm still not entirely sure I understand the point of a dry conditioner and I am still on the hunt for the PERFECT dry shampoo because that I can get behind.

• Yes to Blueberries Softening Facial Exfoliator

This is my absolute favorite exfoliator. It is so gentle and it kind of smells like sunscreen. I really like the Yes to products, and I will continue to use this product for the foreseeable future.

• Up & Up Pomegranate and Lemon Verbana Body Wash

This is actually a pretty summery body wash, but I absolute loved the scent of it. As far as body wash goes, it got me clean? It's the Target brand, so it's not life changing, but it got the job done and it smelled realllly good.

• Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream

I LOVE this product! It was so moisturizing and it absorbed so quickly and it was amazing. It was super cooling too because of the gel-cream formula. This will be a definite repurchase once I finish up the current stash that I have.