Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells

 I started out on my own 12 years ago. I barely cooked hamburger helper good enough to eat. Which is odd because my mom always cooked. I grew up on home cooked meals and talent in the kitchen.  I quickly stopped trying to be perfect with a recipe and started thinking outside the box and became more comfortable in the kitchen.

 A few months ago I made Chicken Parmesan for the first time. I have to admit it has never really sounded good to me. My other half on the other hand loves it. I made it and it was a hit among my family but a whole piece of chicken on a pile of pasta was just not my thing. I let it go,thinking I will have to cook it on occasion for my boyfriend. 

Then one day recently I was feeling that overwhelming feeling of insecurity in my own kitchen. I had a few ideas of what I wanted for dinner that night but couldn't choose or I didn't have the food on hand I needed.I started to get slightly moody.  Then after opening my pasta cabinet and seeing jumbo/large shells. I thought, "Hm, I haven't made stuffed shells before.." problem was the recipes I found,and don't get me wrong I didn't look into a gazillion recipes. I did a Pinterest sweep,didn't in-cooperate what I had here in the house. I had chicken out, meaning the hamburg ones were out of the equation;that meant half the recipes I found were eliminated. I am not a fly to the store type person.
  Continuing on, the chicken ones seemed to all involve spinach or broccoli. The TWO things my boyfriend REALLY does not like. Don't even get me started on what my kids would say if I tried serving that. (Although they eat a bigger list of vegetables then Mr.Boyfriend).


 This is the part in the story where I tell you that my little light bulb went off and I got creative in a simple fast easy way!

 I decided to combine both things. Leading to Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells. Now again there could be a better recipe of this out there. I am not saying I created it. But I didn't find any in the 15 seconds of browsing,I didn't follow a recipe and I'm a little proud. 

                                         
                              What you need: Round 1

4-5 small-Medium chicken breast (This is based on filling one box of large shells)
1 cup of Chicken broth
Dash of salt
Pinch of Pepper

 Put all that into your crock pot,yes that easy. Cook on low for 6-7 hrs. Life keeps moving and dinner is on its way to perfection.

When its close to dinner and the chicken is done,shred it right in the crock pot. Add a cup of diced tomato's and a jar of spaghetti sauce.(Keep in mind you might not need the whole jar) I used Ragu Garden Combination.  Mix until all the chicken is covered.

Now cook your Large shells. I used 1 box. I made sure to keep a close eye on them so they didn't over cook. I didn't want them to break apart.

While they cook,take a 13x9 pan and cover the bottom with any flavor spaghetti sauce you want. I once again used the Garden Combination flavor Ragu has. You can use any size pan you need. Then place your oven on 350*.

 Once cooked,drain and run under cold water so they are easier to handle. Then take the chicken mixture and place into each shell. Mine were pretty full. You can be the judge on how you want to stuff them.

I placed them in the sauce covered 13x9 dish. Once they were all in the pan,I spooned more sauce over the shells.

 Next step was to cover with shredded cheese. I used a Parmesan mixed with other cheeses. I forgot the kind,but I bought it at Market Basket if that helps! I do believe I used almost 3 cups of cheese. You might want less or more. For the final bit, I topped them with Italian bread crumbs and tossed into the oven. 12 minutes later,it was dinner time!

                     Once the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly hot. Serve. 
  This is where a fantastic blogger has a finished product photo, I how ever served the food to my "starving" family and never got the photo! They were delicious! You could do this a number of different ways. Which is what I love. Enjoy Dinner!

Jergens WET SKIN Moisturizer (With refreshing coconut oil) REVIEW

Just when I think I have seen it all,something new hits the shelves and I am blown away with what it offers. I then get to think to myself "Where has this been!?" & "Why didn't I think of this!?". 

Thanks to Jergens and Crowdtap who teamed up to send samples out to us tappers. I got to try the new Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer. Nothing here is paid. I got the sample for free. My opinion is my own.

I used this wrong the first time. I doubted it. Yes,your reading this right. I was chosen to give a review on this and I screwed up the first time using it. I rubbed it on bare dry skin. Although I clearly can read, I was in a hurry and went "Oooo I'll try my new stuff!". Nothing went wrong but I knew it didn't feel right. Not my brightest moment. But....

   Next evening I showered and was beyond ready for bed and was going to skip my nightly beauty ways but I glanced to my sink and the first thing I read was "Get ready in 1/2 the time!" which was on my Jergens.  See let me fill in the details of this product for you. 
   Jergens says apply when skin is wet because the oil infused moisturizer will lock with the water to create a lock in hydration effect. Jergens also states that our skin is most receptive to moisture when wet. I thought that was super interesting and kind of a duh moment. It makes complete sense.

   I then rubbed it on,first on my legs where I get the most dryest skin. I,no joke thought I was in a spa. The feeling was soft and inviting. You could feel it blending and locking. I know that sounds funny and maybe I am just not use to being spoiled. Truth be told I am a person who almost never buys products solely for me. But this was a dreamy feeling of clean,calm heaven for me.

  Quick run down; I loved the smell, coconut is one of my favorite smells. The bottle is a good shape to grip. I loved the way things were placed and wrote on the bottle.

I now keep it near my shower. I think the way it goes on is smooth and makes me feel like a girl getting ready for a date. I really like it. I never would have thought that this is something people could benefit from. Its faster. You can dry off after,its a simple add in to your day that won't tie you down. Plus you get gorgeous skin! I'm very impressed,I learned something plus found something I won't mind buying for myself!

RoC Multi Correxion 5 in 1 Restoring Night Cream and RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream REVIEW!!!

 I'm going to dive right into this post. But first. Remember,these products were given to me for free so I could test and give my honest raw opinion. I'm not paid for my opinion. No lying or false statements are being given.

Now right into it. 

I'm 28 years old and frankly forgot about parts of me. OK,Forgot is harsh. I got lazy. I just assumed that body parts that don't always get my attention would stay vibrant through the years. SILLY! I repeat, that was down right silly of of me. The first area recently;and I'm talking before I signed up for RoC product sampling/testing on Crowdtap, that I noticed going older on me was my neck/chest area. Not kidding. I love my body always have. Except I forgot to take care of areas. My chest/neck area has some sun damage,wrinkles and is not as firm as I thought it was. 

There I was staring into my mirror in shock. 2 weeks later RoC set up on Crowdtap saying it had samples for people with problem areas of the Neck,chest etc to try out Multi Corrextion (yes with a X) 5 in 1 Restoring Night Cream. I was seriously jumping around going "ME!" I couldn't believe I had just shamefully noticed after years of not noticing that my little ol neck area needed help. Thankfully I got in!!!

Now the Retinol Corrextion Eye cream was something I wanted to try after reading and learning about it through Crowdtap and the RoC brand. Again. I hadn't noticed my eyes till I looked real closely. 
Sure, I see them when I'm plucking those ol eyebrows and putting on my make up but I never studied them. I learned a lot. I feel through all of this,not only did I find amazing products but I want to tell everyone to study yourself. Love yourself. Take care of yourself. Even those areas we have forgotten about. 

I got both in the mail together and started right in on using them. Let me explain more on using them and what the products say. 

First I tried the Eye cream; it states you can apply by putting small dots around your eye (easy!) and rubbing in until absorbed.  You may use alone or under make up (which is awesome) and in the morning or evening. 

Now it states it "visibly" reduces the following "Wrinkles around the eyes,Crow's feet,Dark circles and puffiness". RoC brand has the motto "We keep our Promises" So I was ready to see if I saw any improvement in the following days.

 Dots around the eye.

Boom! There it was,not even 20 mins later I could see my dark circles seemed to be lighter. I had no make up on so that wasn't it. It was also the same mirror. I was beyond excited!


I've been using the cream for 2 weeks now,including on vacation and I am in love. It works, its not slimy or greasy. It takes about 3 rubs before its fully absorbed which is awesome for mornings I am behind. The smell is casual and great. Everything just works with this product.
Roc Retinol Corrextion Eye Cream-Buy on Amazon.

That evening I got to try the Night Cream. It states to apply at night when your skin is more receptive to being repaired and renewed. I applied to my face and neck,and like I stated above I did also do my upper chest area,just below the neck. It also has a cool option of being used alone or under your moisturizer. I use mine alone. 
       I didn't see right away results which is fine. I'm a mom,without patience I would be in the loony bin! Day 5 though!; I started seeing less blotchy. Less wrinkles around my neck.It was a nice change of pace for my skin!

I took mine on vacation with me just like the Eye cream. I used it while in Maine! Loved it. Didn't hurt my sun burn. Was easy to apply before bed. Didn't take up that much room in my bag or on the sink! I loved what this did to my skin. I felt silly at 28 for needing these products but really I should have used them all this time. I don't want to say my eyes and neck are forgotten areas but I definitely didn't realize the worn down look was going on. Way to go RoC!


Amazon available-RoC Multi Corrextion Restoring Night Cream


Overall both products had a good smell,good consistency and texture to them.  Although I was thrilled to try both, I am not a cream person. I always feel like its heavy and the smell is strong. These both shut me up about creams. I'm very pleased!

Tide Odor Rescue Review

Let me introduce you to Tide Odor Rescue Pods, they can go in any washer and be used with any detergent! The reason for this cute little pod? It eliminates odors and unlocks Freshness within your laundry. Those pesky smells that even the best detergent can't eliminate,this comes in and helps give it a boost. Its has Febreze Odor defense as well.

I was down right ecstatic to try these. I have 5 reasons that made this product a must try for me. We will get to those but first please understand everything in this post is raw real and honest. I was not paid to say anything and I received Tide Odor Rescue free from Crowdtap and Tide.  Now I get to be open and honest.

Lets talk life now. I'm not sure if I ever did a introduction,since my blog started off as one thing and is now another.  I have 4 cats,2 medium-large dogs,2 kids, a saw mill working boyfriend,2 rabbits,a pool to clean,a backyard to keep poop free,a garden that is slowly dying and I stay home so I can control all of this. =)
Pretty basic. Although I don't have to many grass stains and my dogs don't have long hair, it still gets messy in the laundry department.

 I just recently in the last year changed to Tide Pods. My other brand was just not cutting the stains as well as I needed. Although I have always loved Tide the price got me. Finally I found too much good in the Pods to not squeeze out extra. Now I find out Tide has Tide Odor Rescue a little extra thing. Its easy to throw in the wash with the Tide pod or pods and walk away. 

 Going to admit here I am a list person so in list form here are the reasons I needed (really badly) to try out this product and hopefully fall in love!

Reason 1: We just got a pool this year. My kids have never had one so they have no idea how to put their damp towels in the hamper or even hang up their bathing suit. Instead I find them in some dark corner,ravishing in the lovely smells of damn wetness that has a hint of mold to it. Blah. 

Reason 2: My cats. I love them dearly but I sadly have a naughty cat that thinks its okay to roll around in the clean clothes. They lay on anything which can sometimes cause a pet smell. They also are spoiled and between canned cat food face, cat nip all over them and being allowed outside to kill small animals. The smell of cat is a bit much. Although I wouldn't change anything, I know I needed something extra in my laundry.

Reason 3: I'm dating a sawmill worker. Now I know fresh wood smells good and why wouldn't his clothes smell good. Well mix that with sweat,grease and other manly things and we have a disastrous smell. Its hard enough getting the saw dust off his clothing let alone the smell.

Reason 4: Our dogs. There is so many smells that come from the dogs. Wet dog. The fur. Dirt. And so on. We have two dog beds,but they are also allowed up on couches. I can't believe how a day outside can make these two smell so bad. It has taken a few washes to get the smell out of blankets,dog beds and pillows.

Reason 5: I'm not a every day work out gyro but I do work out and when I do I sweat pretty impressively. Not sure why I just admitted to that...Hm.

Now that you have hopefully thought up of reasons why your wash needs a extra boost, I have a bonus and I'm sure a most parents can relate problem that I needed Tide Odor Rescue for. 
  My son whom I love dearly...has no aim in the bathroom. Yup I said it. So I wash my bathroom rugs,way more often then I want to admit. Sadly recently the smell has been harder to get out. 
The rugs were my first test run with Tide Odor Rescue.

I used both Tide pods and the odor Rescue. You don't need too,its guarantee freshness no matter what.  My rugs were like new! 

I understand that laundry isn't fun and its easier to just keep doing it the way you are but I highly recommend trying Tide Odor Rescue. There's no extra work, just pop it in before your laundry. I saw a difference,no I smelled a difference. I will be buying more.

Thumbs up from the Mom with 3 load of laundry a day. 

Always radiant with flex Foam regular pads review

This is hard to admit, but I am 28. =)

I have had my period since I was 14, and have used Always since day one. 

I will admit I have tried other products due to heavy flow and a huge confidence issue.
     I use to hate that time of the month. Needing leak protection, the loud wrapper in public stalls,the blah packaging that added to the blah mood of bleeding for 6 days. But that never stopped me from returning to my brand, Always. My mom always had it on hand and still does to this day for all us girls in her life.

I love seeing the product and brand evolve. This time its with Flex Foam and absorbs 10x its weight. Can you imagine that? I can. That's me at any BBQ.... Anyway staying on topic... =) Being able to move and have the confidence that I'm wearing a 100% leak free pad is beautiful for the confidence. I also need wings which this provides! 

Thanks to Crowdtap, I got for free a sample of Always radiant with Flex Foam and I get to give my honest opinion. 

First thing was reading the outside and feeling my confidence grow. Second was the amazing wrapper! Like I said the bland wrappers almost seemed like I was being punished for my period. It matched my mood. I would never hate on a company with dull packaging as thats what we know but man when I saw Always new color and designs, I couldn't wait to have them out for the ladies in my life. I was happy to carry some in my purse and even had a friend think it was a change purse when I went to giver her one to try.

Feminine and flashy. Lets talk about the feel as well as the sight. So soft. Very flexible. 

Body forming.

Smells feminine and fresh. I just can't talk enough about how these just make you feel clean and ready to take on your period.

Bottom line is I am beyond impressed,between the light refreshing scent, 8 hr protection,thin enough to wear with any favorite outfit but sturdy enough to be leak free is amazing for woman. For girls and their first experience with Always. These are under my sink ready for any period. 

5 Stars.

Please remember all statements were made on my own. I was not made to lie for receiving this product free.

Hawaiin Tropic Silk Hydration lotion sunscreen review!

This review was so fun. 

Lets go in depth here. I got to try Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion Sunscreen with a weightless feature. It was SPF 30. Now most of you know us and maybe you don't. Either way, here's the hard core facts. We are white. We are pale. Casper relatives type white.

Imagine my excitement when a sunscreen wants me to try them! Well thanks to Crowdtap!

The product!!  


Test day! Last week we went to the river. It was sunny,it was hot and my kids were exposed to it in their bathing suits. Perfect time to see what this sunscreen can do!

Kid one. The other didn't want pictures taken.

The first thing we noticed was how airy the lotion was. It was non greasy,lightweight and you could still see where you were applying it which is always a must for me.

The smell also was just dreamy and fresh. Not your typical smelling sunscreen.

Lets go back about 12 years ago when I would be on the beach in Maine. I hated having people smell me or see the lotion on me or even the greasy after math. This stuff was so up to date on what people want. Its texture and smell were great but it also blended so smoothly into the skin.

Another neat little fact, I didn't feel like a dried out prune wearing it. It added a nice tough of hydration. That part I doubted, not going to lie. But it went up and beyond what I thought it would.

Although we should have applied this before being in the sun,we took to some shade and waited. We also didn't dive right into the water to give it a chance to work in.

Before I continue on my rant of how great this stuff is. Please remember these opinions are my own. No one paid me for them. No one endorsed what I am saying.

I give this over all a B. I would like the SPF to be higher. I would love the price of it to be in my budget. But in the end I would buy this again. I am telling people to try it. I love the weightless feel. I adore the smell and it makes me feel like sunscreen has come a long way since I was a kid.

Have never trying this type, I was overall impressed. 

L'oreal Paris Extraordinary Oil Curls Review

         I am so excited to share with you my experience and opinions about L'oreal paris Extraordinary Oil Curls Shampoo,Conditioner and mask. 
As normal these products were given to me for free to talk about and bring this product to peoples homes. I am not paid or asked to say things. All you read is my thoughts and my doings.

Let me fill you in on what these have to offer and are for. Its all about nourishing curls. The oil complex is amazing. As it states on the bottle it has Amla,Coconut,Soja,Flax,Rose and Sunflower. Using nature and the natural earthy ingredients has me passionate from the start.

L'oreal Paris used an advanced formula so that the oil system which is oils,botanical extracts in oil is to help the fiber and replenish curls with nourishment and elasticity. I read the back of these bottles quite a bit, can you tell? lol I love learning about the newness in products and what elements they bring to the table.

As you can see in the photo, I received the Shampoo,conditioner and Mask. This was the only flaw I had. I was confused as when to use the mask. The mask directions stated using it with the shampoo. I didn't know if that meant not using the conditioner. Then I read the conditioner bottle and it said that I could use the mask after the conditioner for extra nourishment for my curls. That's how I used it, I put in after I was done with the shampoo and conditioner and let set for about 1-3 mins. It was a lovely add on to the normal routine. 

My hair has two sides. I call it Dr Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Some days my hair has loads of curls and others its taken over by frizz and my hair looks wavy. The first day I tried these products my hair was pretty lifeless. Frizzy and very little curl.

The first thing I noticed was how the shampoo smelled. It was a great start to my shower. Then the conditioner made my hair feel light and wonderful right away. I was sold then. Only thing is I have been a fan of another brand for years. Just recently though someone told me that being a fan of one product is loyal and easy but buying and using other brands and types at different times or for different types of conditions is the way to go. So I started falling in love with this shampoo and conditioner.

When it dried, my hair felt much smoother and you could see my curls starting to form in a better more rejuvenated way.

 One wash and you could see my curls coming back alive. I know in most cases people expect perfect curls but my hair needs a lot of help. Dying it so many times and just not caring the way I should I knew my hair would need more help then just one use. 

All I am currently using is L'oreal paris Extraordinary Curls. 

The fact that this is for very dry hair and curly hair it was like it was made for me. I love it. Honestly, its hard to admit I have loved another brand for so long then boom I love these. 

They also have a oil in cream you can also use along with the products I have talked about here.

Over all I am beyond impressed and think L'oreal has out done themselves again. My hair thanks you!