Love With Food Subscription Box - May 2014

Ready to hear all about May's Love With Food box?

Although this month wasn't my favorite, there were definitely some gems in this box. I love that I have the chance to devour so many new tasty treats! Plus Love With Food has started including a spice or condiment in the box as well, which gives you the chance to incorporate your box into a meal!

What is Love With Food you ask? Here's a blurb straight from their website:

Love With Food helps you discover new organic, all-natural snacks delivered to your door every month. Our subscription membership starts as low as $10/month. Every month, Love With Food members will receive a curated box of unique, hard-to-find tasty snacks which varies based on seasonal themes.

For every box sold, we donate a meal to several food banks such as the Feeding America Network and Share Our Strength - No Kid Hungry. Join us to help end child hunger one meal at a time!

Say goodbye to boring grocery selections and start discovering your Love With Food experience!

May's theme was DERBY DAYS, in celebration of the Kentucky Derby!

Once again, credit for photos goes to the Love with Food website :).

Honeybush Caramel, Southern Mint and Tropical Green Tea 

from Revolution Tea

Package Size: 3 teabag sampler - Value: around $2.50

I loved that there was tea in this box again, and that it was a sampler pack! The Honeybush Caramel was perfectly sweet, and I loved it. The Southern Mint was okay, but I think it would have been better iced. I haven't tried the Tropical Green Tea yet, but it smells delicious!

Tarallino Snack by Terre Di Puglia

Package Size: 1.4 oz (2) - Value: $1.25

So these come directly from Italy, and I have to say they were pretty tasty! Apparently tarallos are big snacks in Italy, and these are the mini versions of them. Perfectly crispy little rounds, with a hint of olive oil and salt. I ate the first bag on it's own. The second bag, I paired with some cheese. Delicious! I'd buy these again if they weren't so hard to find.

Tropical Peach Drink Mix by Flavrz

Package Size: 1 oz (2) - Value: $2.25

I wasn't overly impressed with these. The concept is awesome! A flavored drink mix that's liquid, easy to carry, and doesn't contain any of that fake stuff. The problem is, it doesn't taste like it contains any of that delicious fake stuff. The flavor is really subtle and, even when I put it in a small water bottle, it wasn't that good. Maybe a different flavor would be better?

Sweet Potato Chips by One Potato, Two Potato

Package Size: 2 oz - Value: $.99

I only eat sweet potatoes when they are covered with marshmallows, lol. I can't lie. So I didn't actually eat these, and can't actually review them. Instead I gifted them away to someone that I knew would appreciate them more than me. One thing I am excited about though is that this isn't the company's only flavor! I absolutely must find their Sweet Onion chips. They sound delicious.

Sea Salt Caramels by Le Caramel

Package Size: 4 individually wrapped caramels - Value: ???

Honestly I don't care how much these are worth, they were DELICIOUS. I'm a Werther's girl. I love caramels so very much, especially the soft ones. These though? They've converted me to a Le Caramel girl! They are so soft, so sweet, and that perfect amount of salty to offset it all. They melt in your mouth! I need an entire bucket of these. I really, really do.

Key Lime Cookies by J&M

Package Size: 1.5 oz (2) - Value: $4.20

If I had to use one word to describe these cookies? It'd absolutely be decadent. Oh my, yes. If you love key lime, you'll love these delicious little bites of heaven! They have that perfect sweet/sour lime combo on the inside, with the sweetness of the powdered sugar outside to offset it all. I meant to save one of these bags to eat with tea, but gave up. They were just too GOOD.

Giddy Up & Go Granola

Package Size: 1.5 oz (2) - Value: $3.00

Perfect granola. Seriously. Love With Food sent the Seriously Seedy kind and it was so darn good! This is the type of granola that clumps together just perfectly, so you can either eat it right out of the bag or throw it in some yogurt. I ate both of these bags pretty much before anything else came out of the box. SO GOOD, and gluten free!

Hickory Smoked Sea Salt and Italian Black Truffle Salt

by The Spice Lab

Package Size: One packet each - Value: ???

Again, something I can't find the value of. These two spices are sitting up in my cabinet, waiting to make their debut. I already have plans to make truffle fries with the Truffle Salt. It smells heavenly right through the bag. I think the Sea Salt will make it's home on a nice salmon steak soon too :). 

Praline Pecans by South Georgia Pecan Company

Package Size: 2 oz - Value: $1.25

HOLY NOM, my friends. These were scrumptious! I love pralines, I love pecans, but praline pecans? Get out of town. These were so darn good! Another perfect sweet snack for that moment when you've just got to have something a bit decadent. The hubby suggested we buy more to throw in our popcorn next time. I'm in!

Malabar Black Pepper Pork Clouds by Bacon's Heir

Package Size: .07 oz (2) - Value: $4.00

These babies aren't cheap. The hubby loved the flavor of these so much that I went online to see about buying more. It's sad how expensive one bag of these are, because they are honestly delicious! This is the perfect pork rind. Not too crunchy, not too soft, and the flavor of the Malabar Black Pepper was to die for!

So there you have it!

I can't express enough though that Love With Food is all about curation. It's about getting you to try new snacks, from all over the world, that are healthier alternatives! So if you're looking at trying this? Go for it. You can even get your first tasting box for free right now. All you pay is shipping :).

Happy snacking!

Climbing Uphill

Well, it's been a battle the last few weeks. I can't lie. I haven't wanted to blog on here because I didn't want to sound whiny and cranky, even though I totally was. It's funny. When I had a paper journal I'd write whatever the hell I wanted. I mean, who was going to read it besides me? If I was whiny, it'd only be to myself. Now though? This is out there. Like out there. So I think a lot harder about what I write. That way you don't all think I'm just a complainer. Seriously, I'm not. I'm just in a funk.

I've been learning to deal better with it though. Work is still tough, still full of negativity, but we're pushing forward. I've been trying to find happiness in the little things. In the stuff that I love doing that, for a small moment, started to feel like work. I took a break from my book blog, but I missed it so much I went right back. I still have my nail art that I love doing. I still have my book club. And you know what? I'm still going to do subscription box and product reviews on here. Because it's fun, and I can. So there.

It's an uphill battle right now, but I'm making it. Slow going yes, but progress all the same.

In defense of healthy meals!

One thing that drives me completely bonkers when I'm talking to people about healthy eating is the phrase, "Oh I know, but it's so expensive!". Is it? Let's dive deeper into this, shall we?

For those of you who've been following this blog, you know that the hubby and I have been dedicated to healthy eating since the beginning of the year. For the last five months we've been filling our fridge with delicious and nutritious foods. We're both handling it a bit differently, which makes for interesting grocery shopping and actually slightly increased the amount we used to spend because we aren't buying pre-made junk anymore, but I'll get to that later.

For me, groceries consist of chicken breasts, frozen shrimp, ample amounts of vegetables and healthy snacks for work. I pick up yogurt, raisins, granola, and all manner of other little yummy bites. For the hubby, who is on a ketogenic diet, groceries are just meat, vegetables, and cheese. So our diets do overlap a little bit. The difference is that now we are buying better cuts of meat for him. Steaks, pork chops, and even the occasional smoked sausage or two :).

When we used to buy pre-packaged and frozen food, our monthly food bill generally came out to around $120. Not too shabby, right? Now that we're eating healthier, our monthly food bill comes out to around $160. See that? Only a $40 increase per month my friends. Maybe $170 if we go the Farmer's Market a weekend or two. I'm betting to guess you have $40-$50 sitting around somewhere in your budget. Perhaps you're spending it on eating out or buying coffee every morning? Hmmm?

My whole point is that eating healthy isn't necessarily as expensive as you think it is. Perhaps it might cost more if you're going out to have a salad made for you that costs $8, instead of making it at home for $2. It's all about time. It's all about planning. Healthy eating is in your grasp. So stop making excuses :). You've got this!

It's technology, yo!

As I'm sitting here today, paying bills and getting caught up with everything social media, I can't help but realize how reliant my life has become on technology. I mean, think about it. It's how I check my finances, make purchases, talk to people who live far away, write book reviews, and oh so much more! Now before you freak out and think  "Oh, Jessica is about to go off on an anti-technology ran of some sort. Head for the hills!", let me assure you that I'm not. I'm just amazed at how much I don't even think about it anymore. How all this technology is such an integral part of my life that I don't even notice.

Food for thought my friends. I'd never give it up, I'm just thankful it exists.

Montagne Jeunesse Creamy Coconut Face Mask Review

Yes, I meant to write this review days ago! Ha. Things got so busy this week that I really do wish I had another one of these face masks for tonight. Sitting back and giving myself a spa facial sounds AMAZING. Sadly, I've already used it up. 

First off I must announce that I received this product for free from Influenster and Montagne Jeunesse for review purposes. Although this doesn't affect my opinion in the slightest, I still want to be honest. On to the review!

First of all, I'm fairly certain that this package is how all the face masks come when you purchase them. That's pretty standard for a lot of face masks, as I've tried other brands before, but I was a little disappointed at how difficult it was to squeeze the entire mask out of this blister pack. If you choose to do one of these, I highly suggest squeezing it all out before you start putting on the mask. Trust me, it will make things a ton easier.

Once I was able to spread this mask evenly across my whole face, which was a little challenging because it started to absorb into my skin, the next thing I noticed was the scent. It's very strong, but in a pleasant way! I'd say it smells like a mix between coconut and shea butter. It doesn't have the exact same scent as sunscreen, but it is pretty close. Honestly? I thought it smelled good enough to eat! (Then I giggled that there is a tagline that specifically states not to eat this.)

The mask is supposed to sit for 10 minutes. I've done other masks before, and I don't mind the wait time. This mask was tough to ignore though because it tingled like crazy. I don't know why honestly, but I'll admit that I had a moment of panic where I was afraid it would give me a rash. The face you see in this picture may or may not have to do with that sensation mixed with the fact that this mask smelled so good.

I have very sensitive skin, so I do get a little paranoid. Luckily I washed this off with no issue, and no rash. Instead it left behind smooth, and very hydrated skin that was soft to the touch. As an added bonus, the scent stayed around for a bit! Nice!

So would I try another Montagne Jeunesse Cream Face Mask? Absolutely! Although I do wish it came in an easier to dispense format, and was a little thicker when it went on. 

Thank you Influenster for the opportunity to try this product!

Find Montagne Jeunesse products on:

Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

Viva! VoxBox Review

It's time for another VoxBox Review! This time it's all about the Viva! VoxBox and its amazing goodies. I'm always thrilled with Influenster deigns to send me one of these! So many new products to try, and fall in love with. *swoon* The least I can do is thank them with some reviews for the free products that they send me. So, let's get to it!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Creamy Coconut Face Mask by Montagne Jeunesse

I'll be doing an individual review on this tomorrow, but for now I'll say that this mask had both its pros and cons. While peeking around at what other Influensters received, I'm glad I got a cream mask. Montagne Jeunesse makes quite a few different types of masks, and I'm a little afraid of peel of ones. A cream mask on the other hand? Bring it on! This mask definitely gets points for the amazing way it smelled. A little like shea butter, and a lot like coconut, it was reminiscent of the beach.

* CityProof Twistable Intense Lip Color in "South Ferry Berry" by NYC

First of all, massive kudos to NYC for creating such a buttery soft lip color! It goes on so amazingly smooth, and leaves your lips feeling moisturized without being sticky. If there's one thing I can't stand about lip products, it's stickiness. So that already made this a win in my book! Add in the fact that the color actually lasts through moderate eating and drinking, and you have my heart. The only downside for me was that these are very pigmented colors which in itself isn't a bad thing, but South Ferry Berry is very red. It's not my type of color. I'd probably choose something a little less bold :).

* Pure Ice Nail Polish in "It's Complicated" and "Afterhours"

Here's the manicure that I rocked with these colors! Let me tell you, this nail polish is super addictive. 

Pros: 

* It's only $1.99 a bottle!

* The colors are vivid

* The formula is smooth

Cons:

* It's only sold at Walmart

That gorgeous pink is "Afterhours" and that fun glitter is "It's Complicated". Don't they pair together great? Two days after I received these colors, I went out and bought "Silver Star" and "Sexy Mama". I was only bummed that our Walmart didn't have a bigger selection. I'd love to see these for sale other places! 

* Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths

As you've probably realized from following my reviews of skin care products, I have pretty sensitive skin. One wrong move and I've either got a huge breakout on my hands, or dry skin that itches like mad. So when these Cetaphil cleansing clothes said they were gentle, I was hopeful! I am always looking for something to take my tinted moisturizer off with at the end of the day, without all the harsh makeup removing chemicals. These do the trick! They have little to no scent, are very soft, and work effectively at cleaning your skin. I use them on my feet now too, to wipe them down after a day of wearing sandals.

* Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer Cocoa Radiant

I was a little jealous last voxbox because my husband got a Spray & Go Moisturizer. I fell in love with the idea that, like my favorite new sunscreen, you were able to just spray it on, rub it in, and go. Of course his smelled like cologne, so I didn't want to use it :). Imagine my happiness when I opened my box to find one of my very own! This has a really pleasant shea butter and cocoa smell to it, and goes on so smooth. Be warned, it does dry really quickly! So if you don't want build up, do an arm at a time and make sure to rub it in right after you spray.

* The Fuel Rewards Network at Shell

Truthfully, this was the only thing in the box I didn't get excited about. We don't usually buy gas at Shell, as it's much pricier than the other gas stations around us, and this rewards card doesn't really make much of a difference. You do save about $.03 per gallon at the pump, but in order to actually earn rewards you have to shop at their online mall, or sign up for a MasterCard Rewards Card. I like the idea of this, but it would make way more sense if you were just rewarded points for each time that you use the card at the pump. I don't see the hubby and I using this very often at all.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bottom line?

I loved the majority of this box! The Viva! VoxBox has me hooked on Pure Ice nail polish for sure, and I plan on going out to get more Cetaphil Cleansing Cloths once I run through mine. So this box was a ton of fun for me, and I can't wait to try more! Thanks Influenster for the fun products, and thank you for reading my review!

So it's like that, huh?

You know what inspirational quote pic? You're right. In theory. But what happens when half of your 24 hours is spent getting ready for, spending time at, and coming home from work? Didn't take that into consideration did you? HUH? 

I'm being silly, but yes, this post is all about time management, which I'll fully admit I'm still struggling with to this day! It's been about four months since the hubby and I joined our new gym. We drag our behinds there at least 3-4 times a week, and I actually do love going most days. The struggle? It eats into the very limited amount of time I have in the evenings before I head to bed. When you get home at 6:30, and go to bed at 8:45, that two hours is at a premium. How do you fit in all the things you want to do?

I've started implementing little things to keep myself sane. I do all my reading going to/coming from work now, and audio books are my new best friend. I write blog posts/book club posts from my phone whenever I have down time. I prep things I might need for weekly meals on the weekend, and try to make big enough portions of dinner that I can take for the week as lunch. Still? I'm struggling. Mainly because I'll get lazy, and then buy lunch, or eat a crappy dinner. I'm only human.

I admire the people out there who seem so put together. The stress of all this is really getting to me, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Which is why, of course, you all get to read this rambling post. *wink*

I'll live, and I know it. Sometimes hashing it out just helps. You know?