The weekend is quickly coming to an end which means 5 more days of work, werk, twerk! BAH. It has been a rainy couple of days up here in the Northeast and looks like we have a few more ugly days ahead of us before it starts to be Springy again! I hope these almost April Shower bring lots and lots of May flowers.

It’s time to do a little product reviewing, these opinions are strictly my own and I was not paid to love or hate anything I am about to mention. Back in January I did my New Year, New You post with my favs. Some items were tried and true where others were new to my collection so I couldn’t necessarily say I loved it or not. So here is a quick update on my likes and dislikes for some of those items as well as some others not mentioned.

1 – Now that I’ve had my Clarisonic for well over three months I can officially say I am loving it! It leaves my skin feeling amazingly smooth and healthy. I was lazy last week and didn’t use it for two days and I could totally tell the difference. I am just so fond of this product. I have the basic model, but I would say ANY of them are well worth the investment. I have Clarisonic Face Wash but I have not yet tried it. It’s difficult to stray from my daily products that are tried and true!

2 – Hope in a Jar Night (not pictured). This was also a new item for me and when used in conjunction with my Clarisonic it does wonders. It’s much thicker than the Hope in a Jar Day, but after being exfoliated, my skin just drinks it up!

3 – BIG Shampoo from LUSH. I saw a few videos on YouTube of girls really loving this stuff to rid their hair of daily gunk and build up. I typically have to use products to ‘tame my main’ so a good clarifying shampoo was on my lookout list. This is quite a splurge with the $26 price tag but man my hair is so healthy after I use it, I am very happy with this purchase.

4 – Noxzema Face Wash is Kevin’s go-to facial cleanser. We used to be able to find this nearly everywhere, but no one is carrying it anymore so we now order from Amazon. He swears by this stuff and is the only wash to not break him out. It does leave his skin a bit dry which causes him to steal my Philosophy. That’s not kosher.

5 – Yes, that Electric Toothbrush is supposed to be in the photo. I asked for one two Christmases ago and I am really happy with this product. It’s easy to use, timed so you brush for the proper amount of time and it’s gentle! Kevin liked it so much (he used to swap the head out) that we ended up purchasing another. It makes the tooth-task much more enjoyable!

6 – Last but not least…Organix Shampoo and Conditioner. Sadly, this is not a winner for me. I always wanted to try this brand so when the drugstore had a sale and I had a coupon it was the perfect time to jump on it. Organix is a Sulfate Free product (uses Sulfate Free Surfactants) which is supposed to help hydrate the hair. I have tried another brand of Sulfate Free Shampoo and it just does not work for me. I have heard others rave about them; however, for me it was a fail. Anyone else have this happen?

7 – …and I lied, this is the last one for today. For Christmas, I enrolled Kevin into the Dollar Shave Club. Every month (or every other) you get a shipment of 4 new blades. They have three levels, $1 Basic 2-blade, $6 Middle 4X and $9 Executive blades. I originally got him the $6 one but this month we upgraded to $9 to see how those work. He is very happy with this and I think it’s great for the price – and you never run out of blades. The Shave Butter and One Wipe Charlies are bonus items you can add on. The video alone is enough to make you want to try!

Hope that helped shed some light on products you want to try or have had questions about. I was in the shower yesterday looking at all of our products and felt so content with what I use and the price you pay vs what you get is usually pretty spot on. I’d love to hear about your staples and what does or doesn’t work!

Lastly, some meal planning! This is going to be an odd week as I planned and bought food for days we aren’t even going to be around! Luckily, I don’t plan for 7 days worth of food so what we don’t use Monday can always be used Friday.

In no particular order…

MONDAY — Lentil Burgers (cooked lentils mashed with frozen-thawed spinach)

TUESDAY — Salmon and Asparagus

WEDNESDAY — Spaghetti and Meatballs – in the crockpot of course!

THURSDAY and FRIDAY — Possibly one of the above meal leftovers or dinner OUT!

Breakfast this week will be a couple days of Tex Mex Tofu Scramble with homemade fried potatoes. Lunch will be alternating leftovers, salad topped with crusted goat cheese and Roast Pork with Spinach. I’m starving just anticipating cooking this week.

Hope your week is full of happiness and full bellies!

(my new Starbucks purchase this morning….shhhh, don’t tell Kevin!!)

Aye Caramba! It has been a minute since I last blogged and I am sorry about that. I feel like life has gotten away from me lately and just been going going going! But I’m back. This is real life, it’s really happening! How about a quick run down of some meal planning??

Last week’s Meatless Monday turned out to be another winner winner chicken chickpea dinner! Falafel Burgers for all. They were SO tasty I was very happy with how they turned out. I have made chickpea burgers in the past and they were ok, but the recipe I used this time knocked it out of the park!

Shut up! Right!?! Topped with the pickled red peppers. AH! So good.

In other news, I have a new favorite beverage I’ve been trying at Starbucks. DUH, the ads all make it look SO delicious, so I sucked it up and ordered a Iced Vanilla Macchiato. I can’t say I was wowed off the planet or anything, the (fake?) caramel flavoring or something throws me for a loop. But other than that and the hefty ($4.5) price tag for a Grande it will not be a daily go to.

Look at that little delicious baby girl! Yummy. These will be killing me (and my waistline) this summer. No doubt.

Which leads me to this weeks shopping trip and menu! DUN-da-daaaa

I totally want(ed) to incorporate more fruits and veggies into our daily routine. Our egg white and bean breakfasts are so good and good for you but the added fruit will be a total benefit too! I didn’t go too nuts on the fruit because I hate to waste…but we got some oranges, pears and apples. Yes those chocolate drizzled rice cakes are TOOOTALLY good for you – and the Greek Yogurt balls.

Kicked off the week with a very tasty, and easy, Spicy Shrimp Pasta dish. You can make pasta sauce taste so different just be changing a few key items. Sauteing the shrimp in oil with some red pepper and also adding that to the diced tomatoes made this one pot wonder a win win!

Tuesday will be another newbie for us, Steak Rolls. Cut and flatten some Flank or Skirt steak and roll with veggies and top with a balsamic reduction…YES!

First I started with a Flank Steak and cut it into thin strips, then hammered the hell out of with a pot to flatten it a little more.

The steak needs to marinate for 30 minutes with Garlic, S+P, Worcestershire and Balsamic Vinegar.

Meanwhile, julienne whatever veggies you want…I used Carrots, Red Pepper and Zucchini. Cook for 2 minutes in olive oil and garlic.

Remove the steak from the marinade and the veggies from their pot. Roll the meat around a handful of veggies and secure with a skewer. While the meat cooks (only 5-6 minutes as the meat is super thin) prepare the Balsamic Glaze – reduce 2T butter, 1/4c Balsamic, 2T Brown Sugar and Shallot in a sauce pan. When the meat is done, top it with the glaze and enjoy.

They were SO delicious I could devour these for days! They are a little messy to make but well worth it! Recipe adapted from here.

Sorry, I don’t really have the most amazing camera for photo shoots.

I’m thinking tonight is Lobsta Ravioli with a Creamy Blue Cheese and Garlic Sauce. If you follow my IG, there will most definitely be some picture taking going on!

Hope everyone is enjoying the Spring even though here in the Northeast we are struggling to get out of the 20’s! I’m hoping another week and it will officially be flip flop season!

Coming soon, Easter Baskets for the Man in your life! <3