Influenster Country Crock

I received a coupon complimentary from Influenster and Country Crock for 1 free product of Country Crock's to try. This was not a hard decision because as long as I can remember I've grown up eating country crock in my house. The dark grayish greenish large tub was always in our fridge as a staple, and of course being from the south....we reused those tubs/bowls to put our left overs in. I know most of you have probably seen the meme about the butter bowls.

Here is a refresher! Except it was our house and any other family member's fridge....

Anyway! I LOVE this company's butter. It's all i've used and all I will ever use. I've always loved the flavor and the ease of spreading it from tub to bread, or whichever you choose.

Today, I had the opportunity to use their butter in a cookie recipe I also received in my VoxBox along with the coupon. I have NEVER made homemade cookies from scratch before. Today, I did. It was AMAZING. I will continue to use that recipe to make many different cookie variations.

the recipe I found HERE

I didn't realize how simple and easy it really was. My daughter and I used Hershey's heath bits as our mix in and omg its so good. It yielded quite a large quantity of cookies too. I really hope that whoever is reading this tries this out. :)

JingleVoxBox full review!

I got chosen for another voxbox, the JingleVoxBox!!

Most voxboxes I do are fun, and I really enjoy the products. This one was no exception and I also got to be creative more so than I usually get to be with the other boxes. It's not that I don't put in a good effort, I've seen how some people reveal their boxes and present their products and it makes me feel sub-par. However, I still give it 100% even if everything I do isn't so flashy or glamorous. Anyway! Let's get on with what was in the box shall we?

Here is the Box itself with all its glorious products!

 Sorry about the hairbrush but hey, here it is!

So, what's in it?

1. Free Coupon for OreIda regular sized tater tots or their mini sized (1 bag) This was to enjoy with a recipe of your own for Totchos. Which allowed me to get creative again

This is my Totcho creation!

Tater tots on the bottom as the base like nacho chips, then added ground cooked chicken seasoned with Adobo, the next layer is a Puerto Rican rice dish called Arroz Con Gandules (I had some left over and thought it would be a great idea to use it) then Banana peppers and shredded cheese. So yummy!

2. Hallmark IttyBittys

I received Rapunzel, these little stuffed toys of joy are so adorable! My daughter already had Elsa!

Aren't they so freaking adorable! They have soo many different ones to choose from and even sets, such as star wars!

3. I am going to pair these two together, because, well, they go together even though they are sold as seperate products or at least I received them as separate products

This is the KISS brand of adhesive eyelash glue, and mine has aloe in it, and the lashes actually look really natural and I REALLY love the fact that these lashes have rounded ends instead of , well, spiky ones. I am a bit intimidated by falsies, I don't really need to wear them because I got blessed with beautiful long thick lashes, so I haven't gotten up the courage to try these yet. I will though today, I hope I don't poke my eye out or glue my eye shut, something!

4. Cetaphil Moisturizer is my next product.

 This is a great product! Especially during these dry, winter months. My skin freaks out and flakes out! It's gross, so finding a good moisturizer that soaks into my skin pretty quickly and doesn't smell weird is a major plus, cetaphil hit the nail on the head with their products! Definitely recommend!

5. NYC 24 hour waterproof eyeliner (Got mine in the shade Dark brown)

I typically don't ever buy brown or dark brown eyeliners, no I don't know why, but I've always been partial to black. This product is amazing! I wear my eyeliner on my water line and it doesn't stay throughout the day, especially since it IS on my waterline of my eye. This product did! Nothing but good reviews for this product and many others they produce.

6. Biscoff cookies, the airlines favorite cookies, oh and Europe's too, hell mine as well!

I absolutely LOVE Biscoff cookies. The first time I ever had them and heard of them was my very first flight in 8th grade on Delta. I wanted to hoard them up like a squirrel saving nuts for winter. No joke! THAT is how good they are! They also have Biscoff cookie butter now in smooth or crunchy....because perfection couldn't get better right? Not much to say but GO GET THIS NOW! Plus you can make recipes with them, I did!

7. PureIce Nail polish (Usually available at Walmart for VERY reasonable prices)

I've used this nail polish before I even received the one in my VoxBox. It is reasonably priced and actually is of very good quality. They have a huge variety of colors from everyday ones to fun and funky ones! The color I received is called French Kiss, I love the deep blue but also the vibrancy of the shade, then again I am partial to ANY shade of blue.

Uhm HELLO?! SO beautiful!!

Oh, wow, we've come to the end of my product reviews.....kind of sad...I was so excited to get this voxbox completely complimentary from Influenster. These opinions are completely my own and in NO way did I get paid for them...I hope you enjoy my reviews and at least pick up one of these products to try yourself!

Influenster JingleVoxBox Ore Ida challenge!! #OreIdeaTotchos #contest

So, yes, it has been FOREVER again since I've posted anything here, but I haven't received a VoxBox in a while either. Now I have!

My Ore Ida challenge is for receiving a complimentary coupon to get 1 bag of FREE any sized tater tots (I.E. regular tater tots or their mini sized ones) I chose their regular sized ones for my recipe that I came up with. Our challenge was to come up with our own "Totchos" recipe. Like, nachos but with tater tots hence....well...you get the point.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do as I didn't want my recipe to be like mostly anyone and everyone else's with going with what we all know to be classic nachos. I had some left over Puerto Rican Arroz Con Gandules, which is an amazing rice dish that I LOVE! So, I used the tater tots as my nacho "chips" base topped it with Adobo seasoned ground chicken, the rice mixture, shredded cheese, and banana peppers. Tada!

BEHOLD, TATCHOS!

Looks a hot mess, but its a yummy, ooey gooey, ricey, amazing, hot mess.....just sayin'.

What I did to make this master piece:

Lay out in a single layer your tater tots and cook until crispy and golden. (Basically follow directions on the package, including temperature)

While that's cooking I cooked up my ground chicken (You can use any meat you'd like or none at all!)

I just used a non stick pan so I didn't have to add any residual oils, browned up my chicken and seasoned it with Adobo seasoning. 

After I had done all that, I took the tater tots out of the oven, topped with my cooked chicken, my left over rice mixture, shredded cheese (any kind you like! I used cheddar jack cheese), and banana peppers.

I then put my Totchos back in the oven so everything could heat up and melt and come together in heavenly goodness. I served it as is and had sour cream on the side as well as salsa and Salsa verde.

Great thing about all this is, this dish can be customized to whatever you want. Be creative, do what makes your belly happy and your heart smile!

Recipe for the Puerto Rican rice :

Ingredients

• Olive oil -- 3 tablespoons
• Sofrito -- 1/4 cup
• Sazón -- 1 tablespoon
• Tomato sauce -- 1 cup
• Stock or water -- 3 cups
• Rice -- 2 cups
• Gandules (pigeon peas), drained -- 1 (15-ounce) can
• Pimento-stuffed olives, sliced into rounds -- 1/4 cup
• Capers -- 1 tablespoon (Optional for my recipe as I do not necessarily like the taste of them)
• Salt and pepper -- to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high flame. Add the sofrito and sazón and saute for 3 or 4 minutes, or until cooked down.
2. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook, stirring, for another 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for another 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.

Arroz con Gandules Variations

• Add some chopped ham to the sofrito.
• Most recipes call for medium-grain, or Valencia-style, rice. But you can use long or short-grain rice too. (I used instant brown rice in my recipe!)

I got this recipe from http://www.whats4eats.com/grains/arroz-con-gandules-recipe

To get more ideas for some amazing Totchos look no further than here! http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/appetizers/ORE-IDA-Totchos.aspx?utm_source=influenster

Thank you Influenster for providing me with the complimentary coupon to make my own creation! And thank you Ore Ida for some great Totcho inspiration on your facebook page! This view, and recipe is my original and OWN opinions, I was not endorsed  for this post whatsoever :) #OreIdaTotchos #contest

My whole NurtureVoxBox Review

This voxbox was fun to do, it wasn't bad but there were A LOT of tasks to do and get done, which was more than what I am use to doing. That's okay though because the tasks are never impossible to complete and Influenster always gives you ample time to do them. It's just all about pacing yourself I suppose.

I didn't receive the SkinFix Diaper Rash Balm, because, well I have a 5 year old and we don't have those battles anymore. So I cannot review on that.

RedVines, these are yummy. Not like twizzlers, which are also yummy, but twizzlers are chewier and gummier than red vines and get stuck in my teeth where as the redvines didnt. It's a personal preference really. All in all I really liked them. They retail for about $1.59.

Ore-Ida extra crispy easy golden fries is what I chose when given my free coupon to choose from the easy fries selection. My stores didn't offer much of a selection anyway. I have had these before prior to the voxbox when they first came out. They were okay but nothing spectacular. I still feel the same way. They aren't bad but definitely not something I'd buy often. Maybe for a quick fix if I'm in a pickle but other than that I'll pass. Sorry ore-Ida!

 ATTITUDE HairCare. I received the 3 in 1 bottle, which is a shampoo, conditioner, and body wash! I thought that was pretty neat and an easy way to cut down on shower times too!You can get it at Target for about $9.99 There is nothing artificial in it such as colors or smells. I liked this product a lot.

Dramamine Non-Drowsy Naturals

I didn't have to use or test this product due to the fact I haven't done any activities where I've need to use it personally. I like that its all natural and uses ginger to help with nausea. retails anywhere from $4.88 to $7.99

Hada Labo Tokyo Ultimate Anti-aging facial Mask.

You can find this product at Ulta and retails for about $14.99. 1 facial mask gives you the moisture of about a whole bottle of serum! The mask itself is 100% cotton. I also liked that fact that when you're done with the mask, there is no washing your face off of extra product. You just take what you have left over on your face and smooth it into your skin and voila' amazing healthy skin! I loved the way my skin felt and I do have sensitive skin, but this product did not break me out or give me a rash.

Uncle Ben's mew flavored grain rice sides! I also, received a free coupon for this product and there are 6 different flavors to choose from. I chose the basmati blend and added chicken to it to make it a meal for myself. It was SO good and full of LOTS of flavor. I definitely recommend this product.

AND.....Last but certainly not least. I saved it for last on purpose because I LOVE this product so much!

Its called Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen and I got it in sensitive. The amazing thing about this product packaging is that the cap turns blue when harmful UV rays are present. The darker the blue the worse the UV rays. I thought that was amazing! My family had taken a trip for father's day that was going to require us to be outside, so I brought it along for all of us to use. It goes on kind of thick and you have to rub the product in really good, but when its there its there! There is NO sticky residue or smells. I loved it. With most sunscreens you usually feel sticky and nasty and ready to take a shower as soon as you get a chance. This did not have that feel and I completely forgot i had it on. WONDERFUL product. A 3 oz tube retails for $14.99 and they also have a sunscreen sport that retails for $12.99 for a 3 oz tube.

So there you have it! the Nurture VoxBox! :) Hope you enjoyed and remember I DO NOT get paid by these companies or influenster to give my own opinions. I do it because I want to! Plus, you get really neat products to try!

Why I begin with Uncle Ben's new rice sides

I've always liked Uncle Ben's products. They're good for using as a side for a main dish, or if you like to get creative like I do, can be made into a main dish for the whole family. Whichever floats your boat right?

I got a coupon to get a free box of my choice of one of their rice blends. Also known as their Flavored Grains. There are Six to choose from.

I chose this last one, the Basmati  medley and added chicken to make it into a whole meal. I used 1 box because it's just me right now and my daughter is a picky eater so she wouldn't even try it.

So here is my end results.

It was VERY good and VERY flavorful and will definitely be buying this again in the future.

Non Drowsy Dramamine from my Nurture VoxBox

So, I am supposed to give a review on this product.

I don't really have a review because 1. I haven't taken a trip or done anything that would cause me to have motion sickness. 2. I am one of the lucky people who DON'T get motion sickness, unless I am sure I try to do so deep sea fishing, then that may be a different tune to whistle.

Anyway! What do I think I would like about this product? Well, it is made with natural ginger, and ginger is 1 of the best nausea fighters that I know of besides a few others. I drink ginger ale when I'm feeling pretty rough. Canada Dry since I know that is made with real ginger too. I really think all around this product would be good to take with probably no side effects, unless of course you're allergic to ginger or anything else in this product.

I did receive this product complimentary of Influenster. I am keeping it on hand however for maybe future motion sickness issues.

Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen

This product is awesome! I received the sensitive formula of this sunscreen. what I LOVE a lot about this product is the cap indicator, the cap is a clearish white color, but when outside it turns blue when harmful UV rays are present. The darker the blue the worse the UV rays are. Neat huh? And its a great reminder to put on the sunscreen!!

I was worried at first about maybe an off putting usual smell that a lot of sunscreens had, but no, it has a slight scent but not overwhelming. The consistency isn't too thick, nor too watery. When rubbed in it goes on easily, there is no CONSTANT rubbing to try to get the white thickness feeling streaks to rub in fully. That I know can be annoying too. At least to me anyway. Also, it is not sticky or tacky feeling on the skin.

It is paraben free, chemical free, and fragrance free. SPF 30+ is what is stated on my bottle. I also received a small sample sized of the sport sunscreen.

See how the cap is turning a light blue? It was super sunny and unbearably hot earlier. Then we had a surprise thunderstorm come through, but even with the cloud cover it still detected some harmful UV rays. amazing!  I tested Blue Lizard^® Sunscreen for free, but all opinions are my own of course!