Morningstar Farms Veggie Burgers

I get to bzz about Morningstar Farms Veggie Burgers.  I just made griller's prime for my daughter and myself.  I wasn't expecting much, maybe a weird textured flavorless thing.  But boy was I wrong!  I cooked this much like I would a regular burger.  I added some olive oil to the pan because there is virtually no fat in this burger.  It cooked up nicely in about 7 minutes, turned it over a few times to make sure it was browned.  I added some cheddar cheese (not lowfat), toasted some sourdough bread, added mayo, mustard and tomato.  This was the best burger I've had in a long time!  I'm not kidding!  I could hardly tell it wasn't real meat.  I didn't feel deprived at all.  I feel good afterwards too, not bogged down from a greasy meal.  I am a convert!  I will be buying these again.  My daughter who is 9 LOVED it too, she ate the entire thing and oohed and awed the entire time.  She put some pickled jalepenos on hers.  :) 

I want to try to fool my husband this weekend and give him one of these.  He's a burger guy.  I bet he won't notice the difference! 

Here's my burger from my phone camera, not the best picture, but notice how good this looks, with some orange and apples, I can feel my body thanking me now:

COVERGIRL blast flipstick

I am a bzz agent for Covergirl Blast Flipstick.  I got the most awesome bzz kit:




I got 3 flipsticks, each has 2 colors, each has 2 shades that go from bright to brilliant or soft to sexy or day to night.  I am loving the Vixen Seductress, it's rosy shimmer pink on the day side and darker pinkish plum for night..  You can mix and match or just use one or the other.  A fun product.  I got Stunner and Minx also in my kit, which will be fun to play with and mix and mingle with other shades.  The lipstick itself is creamy and light, doesn't go on too thick, color is long lasting. 

Private Selection Holiday

I'm a bzz agent for Kroger's Private Selection Holday Campaign.  In the box of goodies I got some coupons to try Private Selection Past Sauce, Olives, presliced Deli Cheese and some Classic Water Crisp crackers and Costa Rican Tarrazu Coffee. 

I'm super impressed with everything we have tried!  The pasta sauce was so rich and fresh tasting.  We tried Organic Tomato Basil.  I served it over whole wheat pasta I had on hand.  Seriously good.

We also tried the Buffalo Monterey Jack presliced cheese, served atop the Classic Water Crisps.  The cheese was a total hit and the cracker was the perfect vehicle to serve it on. 

The Costa Rican Tarrazu Coffee is really good as well.  Rich bold flavor.  I like this a lot. 

Oh and last but NOT least, we got the blue cheese stuffed olives.  Now I haven't tried these yet but I'm planning on making martini's soon.

I am very happy with not only the Private Selection products but also the prices, they are premium in quality, packaging, flavor, great for parties, gift baskets and just for everyday and they are easy to find at your local Kroger store. 

Pork, Be Inspired

I am a bzz agent and I'm currently bzzing about pork.  I had a $5 coupon to purchase a pork moist and tender product.  I am not one to buy pork regularly so I had no idea what to get.  I normally buy ground turkey, beef and chicken products.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how economical pork is!  I ended up getting a pork roast, it was $5.75 or something like that for almost a 3 pound roast.  I got it almost free with my coupon.  I found a recipe on allrecipes.com:  This one:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tangy-Slow-Cooker-Pork-Roast/  and I had all the ingredients on hand which was nice.  I put it in the slow cooker and let it go all day.  My house smelled wonderful.  The best part was that it was done after about 6 hours on low.  I served it to my family and looked like a rock star.  A wholesome, nourishing meal that was delicious.  The pork was impressive, for tender, moist, fall apart and the potatoes and carrots and onions were wonderful as well.  Here's a picture of it, now it's not the best picture, but gives you an idea.  Pork is a very versatile meat and I will be buying it more often now that I am not afraid of it anymore.  It's really easy to cook and so many recipes are out there to try. 

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration

I am a bzzagent for Burt's Bees Intense Hydration.  That means I get to try the products and tell others about them.  This is what I got in the mail:

I got 3 full sized products:  Burt's Bees - Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser, Intense Hydration Treatment Mask, and Intense Hydration Night Cream.  I also got several samples with coupons so that I can pass these out and also Intense Hydration Day Cream. 

The Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Cleanser is a mild white cream, you apply to the face, wash and rinse.  It goes on smooth, doesn't sud a ton, smells mildly herbal and felt really good on my face.  It rinsed off easily.  So 1st step is done, my face already feels fantastic.  Then I tried the Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Mask, this is also a mild white cream, you don't need much as it spreads nicely.  I applied about a tablespoon (which was probably a bit too much) or so on my face and neck.  Then I let soak in for 10 minutes, after 10 minutes I wiped it off with a towel as it says.  My face feels hydrated and not irritated at all, just feels clean.  Then I tried some day lotion.  Now after the mask, this was overkill.  I don't think I needed it.  So I will try this again on a non mask using day.  I'd say use the mask 1-2 times a week.  Anyway, still regardless it went on smooth and is currently under my makeup and my face and eyes are not irritated at all.  Believe me when I say using Avon, Lancome products get in my eyes and burn and make my face feel irritated beyond belief, so much so that I would only use soap and water.  But I may just become a convert to Burt's Bees because I really feel a difference. 

I'm in my early 40's, mostly been a soap and water girl.  But frankly that isn't what is best for me.  I have tried Avon regimes in the past but the chemicals irritated my skin, got in my eyes and made them irritated too.  What I like about Burt's Bees is that it is totally non irritating, it smells good but not overpowering, it is easy to use and economical, a full sized product will last a long time if you use it wisely because a little goes a long way. 

Plus, Burt's Bees is a responsible company that cares about the earth.  They use natural ingredients, their facilities achieved 0 waste to landfills in 2010 by being innovative in efficient packaging, recycling and composting, using more sustainable materials.  They are also pro Bees, which Bees are in danger and even though bees can sting and hurt us, they are valuable to our earth, they make honey, beeswax, pollinating plants, etc.  Burt's Bees also doesn't do animal testing.  Hello?  I'm an animal lover.  So that is just plain awesome and can make you feel good about using their products. 

Green Mountain Coffee

I'm a bzzagent and I get to bzz about Green Mountain (fair trade) Coffee.  This was very exciting to me because I'm a BIG coffee lover.  I enjoy coffee, even look forward to waking up in the morning so I can have my coffee. 

So I got my bzz kit, it contained 3 -8-cup sample packs and several coupons and literature about Green Mountain Coffee.  So immediately I went and cleaned up my coffee pot, got rid of the stale old Maxwell House that was leftover and made a pot of Green Mountain. 

On first sip, it was bold, it was rich, it was full bodied.  Just the way I like it because I enjoy half and half to mellow it out.  No sugar needed, this stuff isn't bitter, it's smooth. 

Oh and the best thing is that it's a fair trade coffee.  I had heard of fair trade before but didn't really understand what it meant.  In a nutshell it means it helps farmers get a fair price for their beans, improves working conditions, protects the environment and helps communities.  So not only is it good coffee, it's responsible coffee. 

Here's my first but not last cup, in my favorite mug:

Glade Expressions Collection

I was very fortunate to be asked to be part of the Glade Expressions Collection Bzz Campaign recently.  In my buzz kit I got several coupons.  I was able to get a free Glade Fragrance Oil Infuser and also a Fragrance Mist. 

It was hard to choose but I picked Lavender Juniper Berry for the Fragrance Oil infuser.  This was very easy to assemble, no mess and very attractive, easily fit into my bathroom decor.  I have had that for several weeks now.  I move it around to the laundry room and bathrooms, wherever I want to add fragrance.  It's still working great!  It's not an obnoxious smell at all which I'm sensitive to some perfumes.  I really love it! 

The Fragrance Mist I got in Pineapple and Mangosteen.  It's got a tropical scent to it.  According to the description it's got some coconut and passion flower as well.  The mist is straightforward, squeeze the canister and you get a mist.  It's for instant gratification.  Great to put in the bathroom.  It's also quite attractive, minimalist in appearance and sort of fun to operate. 

I would love to try the other fragrances - Fuji Apple and Cardamom Spice and the Cotton and Italian Mandarin as well.  I think I will be buying 2 more of the oil infusers since they are so pretty and would be nice in my other 2 bathrooms.