Birchbox May 2014

I am always eagerly awaiting my monthly birchbox. It's like a little present for me every month.

Let me tell you what birch box is, just in case you are not familiar with it.

It's a monthly subscription service which is $10.00 a month where you get sent 4-5 high-end samples each month. First you take a little survey so they can find out more about your skin, make up likes and dislikes so they know what to send you.

You then get to try out the products and review them on birchbox.com. For each review you get 10 points. Every 100 points equals $10 you can use in the shop. So if you review your 5 samples each month, thats $5 going back to you to use in the shop. So technically each box costs $5! Now, you can't beat a $5 little present for yourself, now can you? :)

With the birch box, I can try high end products without having to buy full size products. If I love the product, then I can go buy it :)

If you are interested in checking it out, go to Birch Box

Lets see what I got this month:

CoTZ Face Natural Skin Tone SPF 40 (Full Size $20)

What BirchBirch Says:  Free of harsh chemicals, oils, and fragrances, CoTZ FACE Natural Skin Tone deflects damaging UVA-UVB rays without irritating sensitive skin. Best for medium skin tones, the complexion-matching formula blends in seamlessly and masks minor flaws. 

What I Say: I have to say, I was a bit skeptical when I saw how dark this was. I am fairly light. However, it blended nicely and had a matte powdery feeling finish which lasted for hours. It really has no coverage, it just gives you a nice over all finish. So this is great with a bit of concealer for the trouble spots on a hot summer day. 

 I really liked it. You know when you put sunblock on, it tends to have that white cast, well because this one is tinted, it did not have that. I am putting this on my to buy list for summer. 

Balsamic Mushrooms

I love all roasted vegetables, especially mushrooms. This recipe is my absolute favorite. 

So simple and so good. 

Ingredients

2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms

4 garlic cloves (minced)

1/3 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp chopped fresh sage

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 TB balsamic vinegar

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350.

Clean and slice mushrooms into halves or quarters. 

Place mushrooms in large bowl along with olive oil, garlic, salt pepper (to your taste), chopped herbs and balsamic vinegar.

Roast for 15 minutes or until reached your desired texture.

If you have too much water/liquid just use a slotted spoon to spoon mushrooms into a serving bowl. 

CLICK HERE TO PRINT

Enjoy,

Happy Mother's Day!

I just want to take a minute and wish all you mamas a Happy Mothers Day! I hope you got to spend your day with your favorite people, like we did.

I feel so blessed to be the mommy of these little kidos. 

They make my life loud, crazy and chaotic, but they also make my life very wonderful.

I love my kids more then I ever thought possible to love someone. They teach me how to be patient, loving, caring and grateful. 

 I wouldn't trade being their mom for anything in the world. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Ravioli

We love to dine out, and have always eaten out with our kids, however, I have to admit it is a lot harder now with a little baby. So far baby William has yet to "sleep thru" dinner. 

He is fine at first while we are ordering and waiting for the food, but by the time the food finally arrives, he gets tired and cranky. So we end up shoveling the food in as fast as we can, and ask for the check before we are even done. 

Not exactly the best dining experience, now is it? I guess we kind of hope that the next time will go better, and I am sure it will once he can eat food and gets interested with the i phone. 

Any ways,  there is a tiny little Italian restaurant about 45 minutes away from us. They have the most amazing butternut squash ravioli, 

I have been craving some their ravioli for a few weeks now. But the drive, then the wait would really tire the little guy out.  So instead of making the trip down to the little restaurant, I decided to try out the Trader Joes Butternut Squash Ravioli and I fell in love.

I cook it as directed, and then brown some butter with sage and toss the ravioli before serving, It is amazing! Like mouth watering amazing!

In fact, I went and bought more to keep on hand when ever my craving strikes again, because it literally takes minutes to make. 

So I guess the moral of this post is that sometimes it is just easier to bring the food to you instead of going out. Once William gets a little older and can sit in a high chair, I am planning on going back to the Little Italian Restaurant, but for now, I will just enjoy my store bought butter nut squash ravioli.

Thanks for visiting,

Mixed Berry Tart

One of my all time favorite spring and summer desserts is a fruit tart. It is so simple to make and so delicious. I have tried a few recipes and this one is my favorite. 

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

Filling:

1 package cream cheese, at room temperature

6 oz of lemon curd

Mixed Berries for topping

Powdered sugar

Directions

Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine powdered sugar, flour, and butter in the bowl of a food processor, processing until

mixture forms a ball (you can combine dough by hand, if desired). With your fingers, press 

dough into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, taking care to push crust into 

indentations in tart pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until very lightly 

browned. Let cool completely before filling.

Filling: In a large beat the softened cream cheese with the lemon curd. Spoon the

mixture into the cooled pie shell and spread evenly. 

Top it with fresh berries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar is desired. 

CLICK HERE TO PRINT

Enjoy!

April Memories

April went by so fast, it is hard to believe that it is already May.

 We had some beautiful days this month, I tried to grab the camera and capture as much memories as I could. 

Kids are certainly growing so fast. William will be 4 months old this month!

 Just the other day, I got a time hop alert, where we bought Nico a tricycle exactly a year ago and this month we upgraded him to a bike with training wheels. Em grew a whole inch since January! That would explain all of the short pants, lol.