Friday Favorites!

I haven't done a Friday Favorites post in a long time, so I'm way overdue! Check out some of my latest favorite things! Note: I've not been compensated in any way for this post. I paid for these items myself. All opinions are my own. 

Up first, our new Klean Kanteen water bottles! I've been wanting to start getting rid of our plastic kids cups. I don't like them one bit. They are super hard to clean, have too many parts, and start to stink after awhile. I love the idea of stainless steel, but let's face it, it's expensive! I've had my eye on these Klean Kanteen water bottles for awhile and finally just ordered some for the boys preschool days. We love them! They're easy to clean, they keep water colder longer than plastic, and the company GIVES BACK, which is huge to me! 

Next, is Shaklee's Instant Soy Protein mix. We started using this a few weeks ago and really like it. Shaklee's soy proteins are all Non-GMO, so there's no need to worry about it being 'bad' for you. What I'm loving about this ISP is that it's so diverse! We've been adding some to our juices, to pancake mix, yogurt...really you can add it to anything and it doesn't alter the taste! Just two tablespoons give you 16g of soy protein!

Do you love skin care products? I do, too! Of course, I adore Shaklee's Enfuselle line, but they don't offer a few specifics that I've been on the lookout for. One of my wonderful clients sent me some samples of L'Bri skin care products. Let me tell you, I fell in LOVE with their Rejuvenating Facial Peel! Love, love, love it! The peel left my face feeling so soft and I had an extra glow! A huge plus for me is L'Bri only uses nontoxic, natural ingredients. Check out Shelley's site to learn more.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Robin with MeY Decals. I needed some cute, but affordable labels for the boys lunch boxes, clothes, backpacks, etc for preschool. I found MeY Decals on etsy and gave them a try. Not only are they affordable, but they're super cute and they really are water resistant and stay on after a washing! Woot!

What are some of YOUR favorite products? I'm always looking for new ways to help support small or local businesses!

Easy Penne Pasta Recipe

I've mentioned many times that I'm not much of a cook. My husband is THE cook in our family...sometimes we call him Masterchef. :) However, the few things I can put together are one dish meals...those are my specialty, if you will. 
Today I'm sharing with you a super yummy, super easy dish!
Let me know if you try it!
Penne with Roasted Corn and Poblano, Beans, and Avocado (adapted from Cooking Light)

• 2 poblano peppers
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 ears shucked corn 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 cup finely chopped onion 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1 chopped peeled avocado 
• 
  
• Preheat broiler.
• Cut poblano and bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Add corn to baking sheet. Broil until peppers are blackened and corn is lightly browned, turning corn occasionally. Place peppers in a brown paper bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop. Cut kernels from ears of corn.
• Combine juice, oil, salt, black pepper, cumin, and garlic in a large bowl; stir. Add peppers, corn, black beans, pasta, and remaining ingredients.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

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A Few of My Favorite Things

I love to read favorite products of all my blogging friends, and I love to share what my favorite products are! Here is a small selection of my latest favs!

1. Burt's Bee's Radiance Facial Cleanser - I love how lightweight this cleanser is! It has a light fragrance and leaves my skin feeling super soft and super clean!
2. O-P-I Cozu-melted in the Sun - There are two reasons why I love this nail color. One is because my four year old picked it out all by himself for me for Christmas (from a selection held by hubby). Secondly, it's because it's so darn pretty and sparkly! The color can be worn year round, even though it's pink!
3. Shaklee's Herbal Blend Multipurpose Cream - This lotion smells so yummy! It has menthol in it so it has that soothing, minty smell. And it really is multipurpose. I use it on my feet at night to help me relax and I just recently discovered it's FANTASTIC for babies bottoms! My baby had some diaper rash recently. I was out of my usual and gave the Herbal Blend a shot...and it worked! Plus his diaper smelled good. Double bonus! :)

What are a few of YOUR favorite things?

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A Few of My Favorite Things - Skin Care

Disclaimer: I am not paid to review these products. I buy them with my own money and have chosen to review them myself. If you'd like me to review your products, then please contact me!

Since my family has joined the green living, get the processed junk out of our homes, being more aware of what we're consuming revolution, I've switched my skin care products from effective, less expensive, but has junk in it, to effective, a little more pricey, but worth every penny not to have the junk in it.

Here are a few of my new favorite skin care products! 

Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes 

L-O-V-E these! See, I'm really lazy when it comes to washing my face at night. After I brush my teeth, I just want to fall into bed because I'm so exhausted. I've been searching for a great wipe that works well and doesn't have parabens, petrolatum, and all that other funk in it. These are fantastic! They smell good, they work, and they are all natural. Another plus is they don't break the bank.





Burt's Bees Radiance Day Lotion

This stuff is awesome! I'd been using Oil of Olay since I was 15 and it worked well, but it has the junk in it. So I tried BB's a few months ago and have been so happy about it. It doesn't break out my face, I can tell it has SPF in it when I miss a spot on my neck, and it's at a great price point. I heart Burt's Bees!






Enfuselle Hydrating Moisture

Of course, you know there had to be a Shaklee product in there :) My sister in-law is actually the one that got me on this moisturizer. It's wonderful, smooth, doesn't clog pores, etc. It's perfect for all seasons and for all skin types. I'm anxious to try the entire line of our Enfuselle products!


So you might be wondering where I'm getting all this information about the 'junk' and 'funk' in various products. Trust me, I'm not just pulling things out of the air. There's a ton of research out there about what we are actually putting on our skin. The site I refer to a lot for information is EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. 
 
Skin Deep contains information and online safety assessments for:
75,125 products | 2,966 brands | 260,676,188 searches since 2004


It's helpful and a little overwhelming at the same time. There's a lot of information on the site. Check it out if you ever want to know what's in your cosmetics!

I hope you found this helpful! Tell me, what are you favorite skin care products?