Let’s face it, when we are trying to be healthy it can be a difficult balance so I do indulge in the protein bar/snack bar on a fairly regular basis. I know that eating whole foods – fruits and veggies is best, but being a mom, working and blogging I just don’t have the discipline to always have fruits and veggies with me. Plus, truth be told, sometimes I just don’t feel like eating a fruit or a veggie and want something with some chocolate in it!
A few things I look for in my bars is that it be tasty , healthy, have a decent amount of fiber, some protein (the more, the better) and be under or right around 200 calories. So here are my favorites:
1. Kind Bars: These bars are all natural, gluten free, wheat free and have a low glycemic index. While all flavors are tasty, my absolute favorites are:
Dark Chocolate and Cherry with Cashews + Protein: 180 calories, 9 g. fat, 4 g. protein, 22 g. carbs and 3 g. fiber
Almond and Coconut (if you aren’t a coconut lover, you will HATE these): 190 calories, 14 g. fat, 4 g. protein, 14 g. carbs and 4 g. fiber
2. Cliff Bar Kidz: These are as the name implies designed for kids, but I love the brownie flavor and so do my boys.
Chocolate Brownie: 120 calories, 3 g. fat, 3 g. protein, 22 g. carbs and 3 g. fiber
3. thinkThin Bites 100 Calorie Bars: These are the perfect little snack when you are trying to lose weight and are craving something sweet to hold you over. Sugar and gluten free, these are the perfect little bar to keep in your desk drawer or purse.
Toffee Nut: 100 calories, 4 g. fat, 6 g. protein, 12 g. carbs and 1 g. fiber
4. Lara Bar: This bar is all natural and when I am trying to eat clean this one is my go to. Unlike the other bars, the ingredient list on this one is minimal. My favorite flavor, peanut butter & chocolate chip only has 4 ingredients – dates, peanuts, chocolate chips (ok, there is more ingredient in here) and salt. The taste is delicious, although not like a peanut butter and chocolate cookie you will be extremely satisfied after eating this one.
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip: 230 calories, 12 g. fat, 5 g. protein, 26 g. carbs and 4 g. fiber
I hope you enjoy this, please share your favorites with me – I am always on the hunt for something yummy!
Take care!
Catherine
I have an unhealthy obsession with nude-pink lipsticks. I have so many from different brands that resemble one another, however my favorite without question is Tom Ford’s Spanish Pink.
I stumbled upon this color by total accident. I was racing through Nordstrom and was sidetracked by the gorgeous display of Tom Ford lipsticks. I swatched several shades but was instantly enchanted with Spanish Pink. I told the gal at the makeup counter I would take it and proceeded to fork over my credit card. I didn’t think to ask the price but was expecting to spend anywhere from $25 to $35. Imagine my shock when, with tax the total came to $54 and change. OMG, I was stunned, but rather than part with this stick of pink perfection I paid and went on my way.
Truth be told if I knew the cost I am not certain I would have made the purchase. I mean $49 before tax is outrageous for a lipstick. However, since I do have it I must admit that I really love it. The color is creamy, opaque and the perfect shade of pink. This stuff is also super moisturizing. My lips tend to flake quite a bit and get very dry and I have no bleeding or feathering with this stuff. Yes, for this much I do expect perfection and I will say this stuff definitely delivers, but I have been looking for a dupe and until recently I was not able to find one.
Fast forward several months later…I am in Wal-Mart and come across the Milani lipstick in #26, Nude Creme. This is almost an exact color match for the Tom Ford Spanish Pink. In terms of creaminess and opaqueness they are a replica. As much as I love my Spanish Pink now that I have a great dupe and can save myself close to $50 I am going to stick with my Milani Nude Creme.
I recently posted some fabulous looks featuring women wearing this nude-pink lip on Glaamspot. Here are some of my favorite celebrity makeup looks featuring this lip:
I changed my stuffed peppers from using beef to ground turkey. I also used brown rice instead of white rice for the added nutrition and fiber. For my two boys I gave them the filling minus the peppers and they loved it. A few carrots on the side and they also have a complete meal.
This meal is super filling and since you have all food groups represented, you can be in and out of the kitchen in no time. Enjoy!
Ground Turkey and Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1.5 – 2 cups cooked brown rice
6 green bell peppers
1 3 oz. can tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cloved garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1 T. fresh basil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 T. half & Half
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook the turkey until evenly browned. Once browned, drain and add the turkey back into the skillet. Add rice, tomato paste, worcestire sauce, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes and half & half. Simmer on medium for about five minutes. (If necessary add water if the mixture looks a bit dry. I added about a 1/4 cup to moisten the mixture up a bit. This will depend on the fat content of your turkey as well.) Add salt & pepper to taste.
Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange peppers in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. (Slice the bottoms of the peppers if necessary so that they will stand upright.)
Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper.
Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!
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I love false eyelashes. These magical strips can transform anyone’s look from pretty to gorgeous in a lash adhesive applied hot second.
When I first started wearing false eyelashes I used to head to the MAC counter to have them applied for me. The makeup artists there are very talented and will usually add a little liner and shadow at no additional cost, but at $16 a set, in my opinion, they are a bit pricey. Yes, lashes can be used more than once but the first time is generally the best. Since I am a YouTube junkie I found several videos on how to apply false lashes. They are informative and give great tips on application. Here are links to a couple of my favorites from stillGLAMORUS and nurberxo both who provide detailed instructions and helpful tips. Thanks to beauties like these gals I have become a bit of a lash junkie and regularly use false lashes to add a little something extra to my look.
I kept hearing about Red Cherry lashes and how amazing they were. Not only do they have a ton of styles, they are reasonably priced. I did have one major problem though, I couldn’t seem to find them in any of the regular stores I was going to. By regular, I mean Rite Aid, Walgreen’s, Target…you get the picture. I googled Red Cherry DW (my personal favorite) and a listing came up on ebay for a lot of 15 lashes for $28.70. I had the opportunity to choose from 77 different types of Red Cherry lashes and at less than $2/pair, this was significantly less than I spent on my MAC lashes and still less than the Ardell lashes I find at my drug store. Here is a picture of my loot:
On Glaamspot, I find that almost every celebrity makeup look utilizes fake eyelashes. They instantly take a glamorous look from hot to mega hot and just because I am a mom of two crazy boys, that doesn’t mean I am not going to “glam” it up whenever I can. Here are some of my favorite celebrity makeup looks from Olivia Wilde, Kim Kardashian, Carrie Underwood and Ivanka Trump:
1. Olivia Wilde 2. Ivanka Trump 3. Kim Kardashian 4. Carrie Underwood
Hopefully you will try using some false eyelashes if you haven’t already. Don’t forget to check out all the great celebrity makeup looks on Glaamspot!
I was at my neighborhood Rite Aid and saw these pretty glosses in gold tubes and was super excited to try them. They had three pluses right away: pretty colors, pretty packaging and the were from L’Oreal whose makeup I tend to think is consistently above average in terms of quality. Rite Aid was having a BOGO deal on all L’Oreal products so I picked up three of these new glosses and one of my tried and true favorite felt tip L’Oreal eyeliners.
I have to say since swatching these and trying these on once, I haven’t used them any more. I am not impressed with anything regarding these glosses. Unfortunately they are one giant disappointment. The two things I was looking for in these glosses – pigmentation and smooth feel, they just don’t have.
Let’s start with pigmentation. I love me some Carmex and if I need a slightly glossy look my natural lip color is pigmented enough where with a bit of Carmex I am good to go. If I see a lip gloss that looks to have a pigmented color I want some color payoff. The coral color does give a bit of a color, but the two pinks are hopeless. They will blend right into your lips and basically be unnoticable. See here (the color I had on is Rose On and On):
The product claims are as follows, “Colour Riche Caresse Liquid Lip Lacquer by L’Oreal is a water based stain formula with high shine. The luminous lip color is more comparable to a traditional lipstick, although this product too is lighter weight than a traditional lipstick.”
Unfortunately I found these to be nothing like a true lipstick, just a watery, slightly sticky mess that did not apply with much pigmentation or last very long at all.
In case you were curious, here are the colors I tried on:
