Healthy budget meal: Pork Chops, squash, and zucchini

So it's been so hard for me to cook healthy and on a budget here lately, but this week I made this meal and it was a hit. The pork chops only cook for about 3-5 mins on each side so it is quick and easy. Recipe is enough for 5 people but you can make more. You will need a cast iron skillet or other oven proof skillet for this.

Ingredients:
1 family pack pork chops

3-4 med sized yellow squash, sliced thin
4-5 med sized zucchini, sliced thin
1 med onion, halved, then sliced thin
1-2 Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Let your pork chops come to room temp and slice all your veggies. Turn on the oven to heat at 400 deg F. In an oven proof casserole dish, combine veggies, olive oil, salt and pepper, and place in the oven. The veggies will take about 20-30 mins depending on how thin you sliced them. When the veggies are almost done and tender, Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Salt and pepper the room temp pork chops on each side, and when the pan is hot put in the oil. Place pork chops evenly around the large skillet and brown on each side for about 1 min, until carmelized on each side. Place the skillet with all the chops into the oven (move your veggies or if they are done take them out) and let the chops cook about 3-5 mins on each side. Take the chops out and let rest a few mins, then serve with veggies. Searing the chops over high heat first will give great flavor and finishing them in the oven takes no time at all. This was such a hit with my husband, I think this is my new favorite way to cook pork chops, I can't wait to try it with cube steak next! You can def season the veggies with any seasoning you like, even add garlic into the mix.

MAC vs NYX Serengeti : MAC Dupes

I received the NYX trio in Serengeti today and I did some swatches. I quickly got online and had to compare them to some MAC swatches. The NYX shadows come in soooo many colors, and the color payoff is wonderful! What you see in the container is what you get. These are extremely good quality for the price. You can find the trios anywhere from 5-8 dollars. So at less than 3 dollars a color, there is no need to buy anything else! The trios also fit into MAC and Coastal Scents palettes. I am determined to slowly collect all the NYX and Coastal Scent hot pot colors, they are so cheap and you can do about any look at a fraction of the cost for any MAC eyeshadow. You can make the color appear lighter or darker depending on the color you want to achieve. I did all my swatches over a tan/cream jumbo eye pencil, and here are the colors the swatches matched. Sorry I don't have photos, my camera is still broken!!!

MAC color - NYX colors from Serengeti Trio

Gorgeous Gold - yellow color over a white base

Goldmine - yellow color over a nude base

Juxt - middle green color over nude base

Swimming - darkest green color over nude base

Bitter / Lucky Green - middle green and yellow mixed over nude base
*(This matches Lucky Green better because bitter is matte)

Humid - Darkest green over dark base

Inexpensive Mac dupes: Hello Kitty dupes part one

So I have been searching high and low for a website that had more than one 'dupe' color. I mainly searched mineral makeup sites because they often have very inexpensive samples to try out the colors. I do not own the actual hello kitty by MAC items, that is the reason of the 'dupe' searching on my part! I am on such a tight budget, I am hoping to order some of these dupes and post a look with them. I have never had the luxury to buy actual MAC products, I am simply out for the colors. One day I hope to be able to purchase the real deal! These are all mineral makeup sites, but next week or the week after I hope to have dupes up from some online makeup companies and drugstore brands. Using mineral makeup is also good for duping many colors because you can mix the pigments to adjust the shade. I love to dupe because you can go outside the color tone and match the color more for your skin or the look you are trying to create.

I have listed the sites in order for the most 'dupe' colors. If you are saving money it is wise to order multiple items at one site to save on shipping. The first site, Fyrinnae, provides actual swatches of the colors, so it is easier to tell what you are buying. Some of these colors matched actual MAC swatches, some look similar in appearance, and some are just color substitutes. So you can dupe an exact, or just find substitute colors you like.

Fyrinnae is an internet mineral makeup company that has eyeshadow and pigments galore! They also have some lip glosses that are really close to the MAC's hello kitty LipGlass and Dazzleglass. So check out the site and see the colors for yourself! The colors listed on the left are the MAC, the colors on the right are Fyrinnae. The colors listed first are the closest dupes, and the colors listed next are pretty close.

MAC "Lucky Tom" color - Fyrinnae color

Creme Royal - Shinkirou; Finnegan's Wake
Paradisco - Painted Rose; Kimchi; Melty; Macabre
Stylin' - Orca; Neo Universe; Predatory
Lucy Tom - Ultrasuede

Mac "Too Dolly" color - Fyrinnae color

Yogurt - Happy Fun; Titania; Kurisumasu, Snow Bunny
Romping - Kabuki; Kitten in Heels
Too Dolly - Curiouser and Curiouser; Digital Faerie; Shallow Sleep
Stately Black - Karasu; Harlequin

MAC Hello Kitty Lipglass - Fyrinnae Lip Lustre

Nice Kitty - Amplifier
She Loves Candy - Bounce
Mimmy - Ice Cream Party; Megahold (um not really but can be close subs)
Nice to be Nice - Lace Gloves
Sweet Strawberry - Hysteric

MAC Hello Kitty Dazzleglass - Fyrinnae Lip Lustre

Kitty Kouture - Ice Cream Party; Megahold (not really but can be subs)
Dazzlepuss - Lillipop-Pop

Pureluxe Cosmetics is a mineral company with a huge selection of eye colors. Their colors are not as closely matched to MAC as Fyrinnae, but close and they also have lip glosses. The only thing is their stuff looks really glittery, but I am hoping to try some of their stuff to see how they look on. They do not have swatches on the site like Fyrinnae, so these are matched by eye.

Mac "Lucky Tom" color - Pureluxe Cosmetics color

Creme Royal - Susan; Buttercup; Vanilla; Rapture; Promiscuous
Paradisco - Buttered Rum; Fresh; Froufrou; Darling
Stylin' - Bad Girl
Lucky Tom - Cashmere, Solitude

Mac "Too Dolly" color - Pureluxe Cosmetics color

Yogurt - PinkPearls; Innocent; Ballerina; Fairy Wings; Jezebel; Luminous
Romping - Tickle; Retro; Berry
Too Dolly - Shameless; Sassy; Seashore; Trailor Trash; Dream On
Stately Black - Cobalt, Naughty, Black Cat

The lip glosses are not exact matches, but good substitutes

Mac Lipgloss - Pureluxe Lip Wands

Nice Kitty - Lust
Sweet Strawberry - Porno Queen
Nice to be Nice - Tequila Sunrise
Mimmy - Pixie; Centerfold (from the lippie tower)
Kitty Kouture - Deja Vu

Recipe: Egg drop soup

This is the recipe I did using my homemade broth. Whenever I do a recipe that calls for boneless skinless chicken breast, I always buy chicken with the bone still in. Buying chicken this way is more budget friendly. I simply cut away the skin, throw away, and cut meat off of the bone. I then toss all the bones in a crockpot with seasonings, vegetable ends (like carrot ends and celery ends, and even onion ends) I fill up with water and let cook on low all night or all day. When the broth is smelling good with all the flavors, I drain off the liquid and store. This is so simple and you are getting healthy broth from your vegetable ends and chicken bones that you were going to throw out anyway! So anyway, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth
2 egg whites(sometimes I just use whole egg)
1 tbsp cornstarch
2-4 tsp soy sauce
pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth until simmering. Place cornstarch in bowl. Gradually stir in some of the hot broth until blended and no lumps, then add to the broth. Let the mixture thicken. Turn down the heat, so it is not boiling, just barely simmering. Lightly beat eggs with a little water. Gently stir the broth, and pour in the egg. Try not to stir too much, you don't want tiny eggs, but nice strands. But it really doesn't matter, it will still taste the same, just the big strands of egg looks nicer. Season with the soy sauce and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls. A serving is about a cup of soup, but go ahead and eat two, because a cup of this recipe is about 50 cals and 3g fat. You can use low sodium soy sauce or salt substitute if you are cutting down on sodium.

Super easy recipe: Skillet Salsa Chicken plus bonus budget tip

I don't know how I came up with this recipe, probably one of those days I was searching and searching through recipes on the internet and combined the ingredients I had on hand into one recipe! This recipe is super easy, you will be serving a healthy dinner in no time. I served mine over brown rice and it was a hit with hubby, and he dislikes 'health food'. Buy chicken breast with the bone in, this will be more friendly on your budget, plus you can use them to make chicken broth for your dinner or lunch the next day, and it won't cost you any extra cooking time, all you need is a crockpot. Stay tuned tomorrow to find out what I did with my broth!

Recipe serves 4

Skillet Salsa Chicken and bonus recipe*
(you do not have to do the bonus recipe, but it will save you money and time
for dinner the next day. Stretch your dollar!! Simply leave out the recipe step marked with the *)
Ingredients:

4 chicken breast, bone in
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 jar salsa (flavor of your choice)
1 tbsp olive oil ( or cooking oil of your choice)

Place your chicken on a cutting board and cut away the bone and skin. Slice the chicken into 4 or 5 long strips. *Toss the chicken bones and some seasonings, as well as some left over veggies (see my vegetable end recipe tip) into a large crockpot. Fill with water, cover, and turn on low. Let cook overnight, and your broth will be ready for tomorrow!* Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle in 1 tbsp of oil. Put chicken strips into the skillet, put in the taco seasoning, and toss to combine. Cook the chicken strips until just a small amount of pink left, about 5-8 mins. Pour in salsa over chicken. Let mixture come to a bubble, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Serve over cooked rice or noodles. Can also be served with sour cream or guacamole on top!

*nutrition is without the rice, facts are approximate, depending on the salsa and seasoning you buy

Nutrition Facts

4 Servings

Amount Per Serving
Calories 294.7
Total Fat 3.3 g
Saturated Fat 0.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Cholesterol 136.9 mg
Sodium 919.5 mg
Potassium 601.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 6.9 g
Dietary Fiber 1.0 g
Sugars 4.3 g
Protein 55.6 g

Budget streatching tip: Save bread ends for bread crumbs!

I came across this tip in a low budget recipe cookbook bye taste of home called 'Dinner on a Dime' It was a gift from my mother-in-law and I love it! There are so many good recipes and tips. This is one of my favorite tips that I have found to be very useful to me. When you get to the last of your bread, save the ends and any other pieces that are broken or just about to go bad. Toss them into a gallon zip top freezer bag and place in your freezer. When your bag is full, or when you need some bread crumbs, thaw out the bread and process for soft bread crumbs, or dry out in a warm oven for dry bread crumbs.

Recipe Review: Whole wheat Pancakes

I found this recipe on allrecipes, and even tho I modified the recipe, they were very good and so so filling! This recipe has many great reviews on allrecipes, and if you read some of them you will find some good variations! There is also a photo posted on the original site. Here is the original recipe, and below is my variation. I believe the nutrition is a little off as well as the servings on allrecipes, because I scaled it down to serve 4 and it served 5 instead, making 10 pancakes, 2 for each person. My nutrition is calculated using sparkrecipes recipe calculator. I tried to be as exact as I could. These are very filling and will keep you going all morning! My recipe contains flax, which is high in fiber and omega-3's. The whole wheat flour will help your body to digest these slowly.

Ingredients

1 c whole wheat flour
2/3 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c rolled oats (I used quick cooking oats)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c flax seeds, ground
1 c skim yogurt, plain
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
2 large eggs


Directions

In a large bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. In a smaller bowl, Combine the yogurt, milk, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add wet mixture. Stir until just combined. If you stir too much they will be tougher. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto a non-stick griddle or skillet, heated to optimal pancake cooking temperature. (When a drop of water 'dances' on the surface, without quickly evaporating) Cook until starts to bubble, and flip, making sure pancake heats through before taking off griddle. These pancakes will be darker than white flour pancakes. Recipe makes 10 pancakes. A serving is 2 pancakes.

Number of Servings: 5

Nutritional Info

* Servings Per Recipe: 5
* Amount Per Serving
* Calories: 375.5
* Total Fat: 11.5 g
* Cholesterol: 91.8 mg
* Sodium: 537.4 mg
* Total Carbs: 52.9 g
* Dietary Fiber: 8.1 g
* Protein: 17.7 g

Recipe: Spicy V8 filler

I found a recipe like this and it sounded too good, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it at. I never get my daily intake of vegetables, and to tell you the truth, when your on a budget it is hard to buy a whole lot of veggies. I usually buy v8, or store brand tomato juice cocktail to get more veggies, plus it is really filling for a snack! This recipe is like drinking a thick gazpacho shake, and it's so good and filling, and just under 100 calories and less than 1g of fat. If you are watching your sodium as well, you will need to substitute some ingredients, they are included in parenthesis. I hope you enjoy this drink as much as I do!

Spicy V8 filler, makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
8 oz of V8 (or use v8 low sodium)
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 tsp soy sauce (or low sodium soy sauce)
1-2 tsp hot sauce

Blend all ingredients until smooth and poor into a cold glass or mug. Drink and enjoy!

Sorry no pictures, of course, my camera is still broken, but hey, we all know what v8 looks like right?

Especially for cysters Product review: Lane Bryant's Cacique Bra's

Ok, so if you are uncomfortable talking about bra's, please don't read on, ha ha. I have never shelled out a whole lot of money for bra's before. I delusion myself all the time that I can find a good supportive bra for my big bust with bra's from Wal-Mart. Last year with our tax money, I finally went clothes shopping and bought me two really good bra's, I am a DD, nearly DDD, but I didn't know where to start! I had gotten one bra from Victoria secrets a few months before, it was good, but to tell ya the truth, the straps were just too thin to be any good. I decided to go into Lane Bryant, and I tried on this brand called 'Cacique' It has been a whole year and to tell you the truth, it is well time to buy some more! I am in love with these bra's. My girls were finally up where they should be, and the straps are wide and don't stretch out as fast. I bought a padded one, and a non-padded one. They have a variety of styles, colors, and Lane Bryant carries a variety of other brands as well. I have done a google search, and you can find Cacique in most plus size stores, and many sellers on ebay as well. I don't think I will be buying my bras from anywhere else, even if I lose weight, I will still go to Lane Bryant for bra's, as they come in smaller cup sizes as well. I had been a C all through high school, and even then you still need good support. If you have never paid a whole lot for bra's before, I would suggest doing so, you will never go back to cheap undergarments again!

Vinegar for Insulin Resistance/ vinegar tea recipe

So I have been reading so many articles how vinegar has been proven to help diabetics process sugars and such, so I decided to try eating more vinegar. The main article I read was this post found at soulcysters.com Had some good information. I hear about so many people taking a shot of apple cidar vinegar in some water every morning or before meals, but this just didn't sound too good to me, but I like sour things and love salad dressing made from apple cidar vinegar, so I found this recipe and gave it a try. It was sweet yet tangy, and I found it to be pretty good. It wasn't bad at all and I actually enjoyed the tangy, warm taste as I sipped my morning 'tea'. I think next time I will reduce the vinegar by half, it was pretty tangy. I have had good results eating low gi, so I figured, why not add some vinegar to my routine, if it helps my body to absorb sugars so I can lose weight easier, than I would give it a try.

Hot Vinegar Tea:

1 cup or mug of hot water
1-2 pkgs Splenda or other sugar sub.
1 Tbsp vinegar

Stir in the sugar substitute into the hot water, then stir in the vinegar. Sip and enjoy!

Extremely frugal Cooking tip: Saving veggi scraps

I am on an extreme budget for groceries, so I never buy more vegetables than what I need, and I am always looking for ways to stretch my food for recipes. I came up with this tip:

Save your vegetable scraps. Save the tops and ends of carrots, save the tops of onions or bell peppers, and save the tops of celery, and those tiny soft sticks in the center you never eat. Keep them in a zip top bag through the week or two weeks, if your veggies will keep that long. At the end of the week, toss this bag in some water to make a veggie broth for soups. Broths are so low maintenance! I through mine in a crock pot over night with some chicken bones (from chicken breast that I took the bones out myself) add seasonings, and tada! You have a broth to freeze for later or use for a healthy lunch or dinner. Broths don't have to be just for soup! Use them in the place of water when making rice or other savory recipes.

I also like to save the tops of my tomatoes for an at home tomato scrub I saw on youtube!

Recipe Review: Lime and Garlic Chicken Fajitas

This is my own recipe as well. I made my own corn tortillas too, but that was frustrating ha ha, but they turned out yummy! You can just buy any healthy flour tortillas as well, which is what I will do next time cause I'm not too fond of corn tortillas, I am more of a bread person. If you need a recipe for simplicity and taste, this will saute up quick. Pre-marinading the chicken is the key to the flavor, so you can simply chop and saute. This made enough to fill 10-12 6in tortillas, and the left overs were just as good!

Ingredients:
Corn or flour tortillas
2 chicken breast, cubed
2 onions, sliced thin
6-8 button mushrooms, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 c marinade with lime and garlic
(optional: 1/2 tsp of cumin and 1 tbsp lime juice)

Marinade the cubed chicken either overnight, or at least 1-3 hours. Just place the chicken with the marinade (doesn't have to be lime and garlic, pic something you like) in a ziplock bag in the fridge. When you are ready to cook, place a large skillet and turn on the stove to medium heat. Chop your veggies while the skillet is heating up. Toss in the chicken and cook until no longer pink, tossing with a spatula or spoon occationally. Add in your onions first. Let them saute for about 3-5 mins, then add in your mushrooms. When the mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 mins, add in your tomato, and if desired, season with additional lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper. When the tomatoes look good and roasted and yummy, serve over warm tortillas! To finish off serve with sour cream or guacamole. I have pictures of the whole process below if you want to see!

And the last two photos are my pain-in-the-rear tortillas! Hope you enjoyed the recipe, I had fun with this one!

Recipe Review, Crockpot onion soup

I just kinda winged this one after reading several recipes, so here we go! This recipe fits in a large crockpot, but I am sure you could scale it down. I made mine with tons of onions, so reduce the amount to have more broth and less onions. Sorry the photo of this one is not so good, but it was delicious I promise! It is really low budget, you can buy a bag of onions and beef broth, add seasonings, and tada!

Ingredients:
2 lbs of onions (about 5-6?)
6-8 cups of beef broth
1 stick butter or margarine
(or 6-8 c water with 6-8 beef bouillon cubes)
1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
minced garlic or garlic pwdr, to taste
Salt, pepper to taste
(Tip: the best bouillon I have ever tried is called better than bouillon
and it is way better than using beef broth or bouillon cubes, I love it!

Directions:
Slice onions thinly to make nice rings, and place in crock pot on top of butter. Add broth and seasonings and stir lightly just to combine. Cook all day on low heat or for 4-5 hours on high heat, until the onions are soft.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with garlic bread or to really wow the crowd, place soup in an oven proof bowl. Place a thick slice of bread on top, and cover with shredded cheese. Place in an oven on 250-300 deg F just until the cheese melts. This way is delicious, and my favorite way to serve this! If you are worried about health, use whole grain bread and low fat cheese.

DIY: Make your own makeup kit or palette

So I stumbled across this on youtube, I watched several different videos for this, so I decided to do a photo tutorial on the whole process! Here are the main two videos I used to do this, if you want to view them. (depot eyeshadows) (cd eyeshadow palette)

These are the supplies you will need to depot your eyeshadows
a large plate
an old wash rag (a clean one!)
eyeshadows, blushes, any makeup in compacts or kits
rubbing alcohol (70% is good, but if you can find higher, go ahead)
a skinny knife or metal nail file



First step, fill your plate with a shallow layer of alcohol, shown above



Then, carefully take your knife and place in between the metal container holding the eyeshadow, and the plastic compact. Try prying from the edge or a corner, but pry carefully, try not to break the eyeshadow or stab it with the knife!



If you are successful, you will be able to take out the little metal plate and the eyeshadow, yay! Depending on the brand and what glue they use, this will be either easy, or not, lol.



Now place all of your depotted products into the plate. Be sure the alcohol is shallow, we don't want to soak the eyeshadow and make it soft. It's ok if you get a little on it, it will evaporate. Let all of these soak for 5-10 mins, to soften up the glue. You may need to soak them longer, depending on the glue used.



Next we wipe off all the glue, ewww, and get glue buggers on your fingers and wash rag!



You now have clean bottoms to make your own makeup palette!

Supplies you will need to make your custom palette:

depotted eyeshadow, blush, etc
cd case (I used an old aol case as well)
magnet sheet or strips with peel off sticky backing
optional: photo paper or printer paper

***NOTE*** Some cheaper products will store the makeup in aluminum, which is not magnetic,
so you will need to omit the magnet and use double sided tape or glue or whatever, be creative!

First we need to measure our cd case (or box, or whatever) OR, if you are feeling froggy, just wing it (not recommended for perfectionist)





Now we cut the magnet to size, peel off the sticky back, and stick it onto the bottom
(if your makeup isn't in magnetic metal, just use glue or double sticky tape and nevermind the magnet) Soooo now we have a magnet lined box, as shown above.





Now we arrange the makeup like so, one is a cd case, the other is an old aol case (yes, I got my eyeshadow wet, we can't all be perfect, he he)








Next we take a photo of our arrangement and write the names of the colors and brand if you desire. You can print it out and write it on the paper or use a photoshop type program to type over the picture, like I did!








And here you have your finished product! Make sure you print your picture out the same size as your cover so it fits inside. I didn't do one for the aol box but you could glue it on the inside and decorate the outside, fun fun!

Money Saving tip: Don't throw away those broken eyeshadows!!!

Ok, so I saw this video on youtube. (clicky to view) I was so ready to try this. I had two broken eyeshadows that I picked up for like $1.00 each at a bent can store. They are pretty pricy eyeshadows, one is a HIP Duo by L'oreal and the other is a single eyeshadow by Prestige. They were broken, but I liked the colors and was determined to use them. Thanks to this video, they are pressed back into the containers like new! (or almost, anyway) So here is a video, I did a pretty crazy job, I was holding the camera and fixing the eyeshadow, lol. But I am sure you can do a nicer job. View the original video, this gurl does a great job and has other good videos too! My videos have no sound because I have a playlist on my blog, just click on the play botton, find something you like!

Here are the supplies you will need:
broken eyeshadow
old scrap material or old shirt cut up into small squares (one square for each eyeshadow)
rubbing alcohol (70% or above is best)
eye dropper or small measuring spoon
small bowl or container (to put alcohol in)
a quarter for pressing, or just use your fingers!

Whole Wheat Pita Pockets, Recipe Review

I made these pita pockets the other day for dinner, and my husband said it was a keeper. I only had one that didn't puff up enough for me to cut open, but it was only because I rolled it out too thin. I filled mine with chicken breast that I marinated, cut into cubes, and sauted until done. Then I chopped up tomatoes, bell pepper, and cucumber, green onion, and tossed together with the chicken. I tossed mine with mayo, but my hubby chose to toss his with some lime and garlic dressing, the same that I marinated the chicken with. I think ranch would be the best for the chicken and veggies, but anything will do. Sometimes I just want a nice filling sandwhich for dinner, but these would be great for lunch too! It would be easier to just buy pitas, but making them is fun, plus the whole wheat is a bonus for those who are Insulin Resistant. So here is the recipe, I found this one on about.com. Go to the link to find the original recipe and reviews. I did not have any honey so I just used sugar, and I added more salt, cause it seems to me every time I make bread it is bland to my taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Preparation:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine white flour, wheat flour, and salt in large bowl.

Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast water in depression.

Slowly add warm yeast water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until dough becomes elastic.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated with oil. Allow to sit, covered, in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.

Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes.

Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.

Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags.

Storing Pita Bread

Pita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer.

Pita bread dough can also be refrigerated for up to one week in the refrigerator.

Face of the week: All natural look with everyday minerals

Ok, this is my new favorite look that I have been wearing this week. I mixed in some of my favorite products with my new everyday minerals samples that I got. These are my steps, I hate taking videos of myself, so if you would rather this be in video form let me know!

* First I of course cleansed and moisturized! Make sure your hands and makeup brushes or sponges are clean too! If you have pcos you have bad skin and acne that comes with it so try to be nice to your skin. I have found using your fingers to wash your face is the most gentle.

* I primed my face with Rimmel's fix and perfect. It's not my all time fav, but it's good for the price and I love the little bit of tint it has.

* Next I brushed on em (everyday minerals) start to finish powder in 'sunlight'

* Then I concealed with my all time fav liquid concealer, clear complexion by almay in 'light', it has a tiny bit of salicylic acid to dry up those blemishes.

* Second goes on my em intensive base in 'fawn', which has great coverage for mineral makeup, I am in love with this formula!

* Thirdly, I apply my blush to my cheeks, and dust just a tiny bit on my forhead, nose, and chin for a more natural look. I used em blush in 'tea time', it is the best shade for bronzer on light skin. Other bronzers make me look so fake because I am so light.

* Finally, I apply the finishing powder in 'sunlight' one more time, but this is optional if you don't like too much makeup.

* My eye lids are dusted with alittle of the 'tea time' blush, and I lined my upper and lower lashes using em eyeshadow in 'postcards' I am so in love with this shade. Black eyeliner is too dark and fake for me, and I get so tired of using brown. This is a perfect shade, with just enough smokey charcoal black and a little bit of green undertone. It just wakes up brown eyes, it would be good for anyone with light skin tones I think.

* I shaded my eyebrows with em 'medium brown' brow color. I think this brown is a little reddish for me, since my eyebrows are almost black. I will probably try out another color!

* My all time fav plain black mascara, rimmel extra super lash in 'black' My eyelashes curl so good with this stuff. It's not waterproof, but it's cheap and gets the job done! I apply to my top lashline only.

* Finally!!! the end, I moisturized my lips with the em natural lip gloss in 'bamboo' and on top I applied bath and body works liplicious tasty lip color in 'caramel latte' This stuff comes in tones of shades and flavors. They are the perfect gloss to go over all your lip sticks.

I get all of my basic makeup stuff at wal-mart and target. You can find the everyday minerals makeup here ---> (Everyday Minerals) and of corse the lip gloss came from bath and body works like I stated earlier. You can also order stuff from drugstore.com if you don't feel like going to wal-mart or target, lol.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe Review

Recipe review on whole wheat pizza crust

Ok, so I found this recipe on allrecipes and I loved it! The recipe has gotten 4 1/2 stars out of 5, and been reviewed by 313 people. This recipe will make 2 thin crust pizzas, or 1 thick crust. I made the two thin crust. The less bread I eat the better, because I love love bread and it does dangers to my diet, lol. The recipe is as follows, and here -->(pizza crust) is the original link so you can see all the nutrition and reviews

Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
submitted by: Marla

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.
5. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

So I followed the recipe how it said, and even set my timer for 10 mins to make sure it was kneaded enough. I let it rise and all that, and it was easy enough to work with that I rolled it with a rolling pin, and rolled up the edges a little to make an outside lip. The only thing is I think it needed more salt or seasonings, because it was a little bland for my taste. I baked it on some aluminum foil, because I have no pizza stone, and when it was set and halfway through I shoud have baked it on the rack to make the bottom more crisp. So, do that or use a pizza stone, or the bottom will not be crisp like it is supposed to. I topped mine with cheese, lean hamburger, onions, and green bell pepper, but use whatever you like! This recipe was easy enough for a beginner I think. Just make sure your yeast is not out of date and it froths when you let it sit for the 10 mins or it will not rise. Other than that I have no more tips! OH and hubby liked it enough for me to keep this as my main pizza crust recipe, he didn't even mind that it had wheat flour in it.

I am making whole wheat pitta bread tonight so of course that will be my next review, along with some french onion soup I made the other day that was awesome!!

Video Tutorial, applying Signature Minerals, start to finish

My video tutorial / makeup review on signature minerals!

Ok, so I have been using Signature Minerals for about a year now, and I have never had probs with it breaking me out more. My mom tells me all the time "You look like your face is clearing up today" when I wear it, but in fact, my face could be the same as the last week she saw me, lol. I really love this stuff. The only thing is you may still need a liquid foundation or concealer for the big nasties, but you may find the coverage to be suitable for you. The samples are free, you just pay shipping and handling. I have yet to buy their full sized products, I have ordered three samples kits from them, just to try different stuff out, and the samples last for a long time! They recently came out with a face wash, I want to buy that and do a review, but I just bought some other face wash last week, so I will have to wait :( So anyway, hope ya enjoy, I will put a video soon on my Everyday Minerals stuff too, so stay tuned! My face is a little crazy right now, so I don't wanna show a video just yet, lol. This video does not have sound, so click on the playlist at the right top corner to listen to some tunes!

Everyday Minerals Makeup Review

Got my everyday minerals makeup in today, makeup review time yay!

I decided to keep a blog on my pcos journey. From makeup to 'healthier' recipes, I'm trying to slim down and be healthy. So here we go, my first entry, a review an experience with my Everday Minerals order.

So today I got in my order from Everyday Minerals, and I was so excited! They packed the box so neatly with paper, so that nothing could jiggle around in there. It was nice to see the natural looking brown tissue paper, it appears to be Eco friendly, nothing like those annoying, static, cling-to-you-everywhere peanuts or foam.

The packaging is so cute, brown and pink, much nicer looking than my signature minerals. They had so many more colors to choose from than signature minerals so I figured, what they heck, free samples. I ordered their wet wipes and a sponge too. The sponge was great to put my ponds cold cream on and my thick body lotion. They are both in tubs and I hate dipping my hands in them! I used the wet wipes to dampen my brushes and take off excess color from used brushes, and they smelled so nice too! Best thing is they are biodegradable and natural.

The make up was great! I ordered the foundation in the intensive formula, and ordered a concealer as well. It was the very first time that I used a powder that I did not need to use a liquid foundation with it to hid all of my many blemishes. I finished my face off with one of their start to finish powders and my face was not as shiny today. I am usually blotting with blotting sheets every few hours to get rid of shine.

My all time favorite item in the whole order was this eyeshadow called 'postcards'. I used it as an eye liner and it was so soft and smokey, I loved it! I also loved the 'tea time' blush that I ordered. You can apply it as a blush or all over color for a sun-kissed look for light or medium light skin tones, and I noticed it was the same exact color as my bare minerals tinted mineral veil. I was so excited because the only reason why I got the bare minerals is I bought it for an ok price on ebay.

Over all I think I will be considering using this makeup line for most of my makeup needs. They have a nice color range to choose from, and you can order mineral makeup for cheap, and also not have to go to another company to order cheap brushes and supplies. I can't wait to order and try more colors! I am hopeing that I don't break out with this. I have had good luck with signature minerals and I am so glad to have found two good mineral companies that are not expensive and affordable!