My Favorite Health & Beauty Products

A few of my favorite health and beauty items:

1. Conair Infinity Pro Spin: I've sung this tool's praises before and I'll do it again. It's the fastest way to get a salon blowout look without going to the salon. 
2. CeraVe SA Renewing Lotion: This lotion will make your skin baby soft and packs a powerful punch for an over the counter lotion. I noticed results within 48 hours.  
3. EOS Lip Balm: The first of two lip balms that made my list. I LOVE the flavors and the shape of this chapstick. I know it sound silly, but the shape makes it super easy to find in the bottom of your purse. Any of you ladies who struggle to find things in the "abyss" will thank me!                                                               
4. L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow: This eyeshadow Does. Not. Smudge. Put it on in the morning and it's still working hard by dinner time. I love the soft, shimmery colors and inexpensive price! 
5. Trader Joe's Lavender Sea Salt Scrub: Summer is hard on your skin but this is the perfect exfoliant to leave it smooth and moisturized. The fragrance is divine, as well!
   
   
6. Mega Foods Blood Builders : These pretty much saved me during pregnancy. I was very anemic and I could take SIX of them a day, even on an empty stomach, and they never made me sick. I totally give them credit for boosting my energy levels and I still take two a day!
7. Cala Silky Glide Pro Callus Remover: My feet have never felt smoother! Bonus, and this is totally gross, it has a plastic guard underneath to catch all the dead skin it files off! Prepare to be amazed at how much skin will come off your feet... omgosh that is so nasty.
8. Turbie Twist (yes, really): I love being able to wrap my wet hair up securely and easily in this microfiber towel while I get dressed, do my makeup, or dress the babe.  
9. Coola Peppermint +Vanilla Lip Gloss: The second lip balm to make my list, my lips have never felt so smooth! It's 100% natural, has UV protection, is organic and smells incredible. 
10. Trader Joe's Speculoo's Cookie Butter: This has absolutely NOTHING to do with health or beauty but I just discovered it and decided that it needed to be on a list IMMEDIATELY!!! It ranks right up there with Nutella and if you put it on your pancakes, you will never be the same.

Hope you enjoyed my little list! Let me know if you try any of these out and what you think.

XOXO,

Mrs. B

Thai Pizza with Peanut Sauce

Yesterday, I posted a picture of my dinner on my Instagram account (Hey! Follow ME!!! ) and one of my friends requested that I blog the recipe, so here goes!

Dinner time was fast approaching and I was at a loss for ideas. So, I started digging around in my freezer and found some Trader Joe's pizza dough, ground beef and mangos. That was enough to give me an "Ah-ha" moment and a delicious dinner was born!

INGREDIENTS

For the Pizza:

- Pizza Dough (I like TJ's!)
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese (I used cheddar)
- 1/2 Cup Cilantro
- 1/2 Cup Scallions (add these after you cook)
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
- 1 Cup Chopped Mango (if frozen, thaw in hot water for 10 mins)
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Carrots (I didn't have any but if I had, they would have been on there!)

For the Sauce (measurements are a guess, I just tossed things in until I got the right consistency and flavor, so feel free to change the amounts to suit you):

- 3/4 Cup Peanut Butter
- 1/4 Cup Sesame Oil
- 3 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2-3 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Crushed Garlic
- 2 Tbsp Fig Jam (or honey, or agave)
- A Pinch of Chopped Kaffir Lime Leaves (if you don't have these, don't stress)
- Sriracha to Taste
- Salt to Taste

Follow the crust directions, mix up the sauce ingredients, cook the burger in a little sesame oil, slap it all together and then comment below to let me know how you liked it!

Mr. B wanted me to tell you all "This is the best pizza he's ever had." Now, that's saying something!

XOXO,

Mrs. B

Sleep Training: Update

It's been a little over a month since my last sleep training post and I thought I'd let you all know how it's been going.

When I last left you, G had been doing pretty well with the CIO method but still waking up pretty early and then going back to sleep. Well, I am HAPPY to report that within a week of my last post, she began sleeping the WHOLE night through! She now goes to sleep between 7 and 8pm and wakes up around 7am! Every. Single. Night. We even went on vacation about three weeks in and she stayed with my parents. I was worried, to say the least, that being in another environment and away from us would throw her off schedule and we would be back to square one but nope, she never skipped a beat! My parents were amazed at how easy it was to put her to sleep and the four nights they spent with her were a breeze.

It's been so great to get uninterrupted sleep, again. I'm happier and feeling much more rested and G is benefitting from the long sleep stretches too.

I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding CIO and Dr. Ferber's method but I am 100% sold! She sleeps so well now, I wish I would have thought to implement it earlier. I know that every baby (and mom) is different and it's not the right solution for everyone but if you're tired of being tired, it's definitely worth trying!

XOXO,

Mrs. B