Tasty Tuesday: Basalmic Chicken

I've decided to expand this blog. Since, my district doesn't seem like it wants to pay me anytime soon, therefore, my subscription box addiction will have to be put on hold until probably... July?

 Then there's my Pokemon addiction, and my quest to get all Eeveeloutions, but I beat Pokemon X, months ago [with a team of all Eevees], and Pokemon's remake of sapphire and ruby aren't going to come out until probably fall... THOUGH I AM EXCITED about that, since ruby/sapphire are two I haven't played... I HAD ruby, but the game cartridge was fucked up and wouldn't save my game, so that never went anymore... Plus, if you're hankering for a pokemon fix, there's always Twitch Plays Pokemon, they're on black and white now.

So what can I blog about?

Let's see...  my new-found interests include cooking recipes my fiance will actually eat that are reasonably healthy for you, therefore  I've decided to post random recipes.

My fiance has the tastes of a five year old. He doesn't like healthy foods or vegetables, and his favorite meals include burgers, grilled cheese, and milkshakes. We used to live entirely on a diet of frozen lean pockets and lean cuisines, but in the past few months, we've decided to venture down the path to cooking, in hopes of eating healthier, especially since we have a wedding in... 270 days!

My goals... to find decently healthy, and EASY recipes that my fiance will eat, and I won't go crazy cooking since I lack talent in the kitchen department. 

So all these recipes are fiance tested and fiance approved.

The first recipe I'm going to post is EASY balsamic chicken, each piece of chicken has 170 calories.

Note: I DID NOT INVENT THIS RECIPE, I don't know where I found it, I literally transfer any recipes I like into a word document entitled: FOODS JUSTIN WILL EAT.  It was from a google search, but I don't know the exact website. 

These are the ingredients needed:

2-3 Skinless and Boneless Chicken Breasts

 [Note: I ONLY buy organic hormone free meat because when I got cancer, the doctor told me to stay away from hormones, and since a lot of meat is hormone-treated, I prefer to buy free range hormone free organic chicken and beef, this is a personal preference though]

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

[Note: I tend to buy organic EVOO, which is extra virgin olive oil, a lot of recipes call for EVOO, though I don't know what the difference between VOO and EVOO is.]

1 and 1/2 teaspoon Italian Spice 

[Note: You can probably use whatever spice you prefer... like oregano or basil, etc, I just use Italian since it mixes everything together]

2 garlic cloves minced

[Note: I just buy minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon is equivalent to 1 clove of garlic. I think it tastes better, and it's less effort than me mincing garlic myself. You can usually find it by the fruits/veggies in a  supermarket. I USE THIS IN EVERYTHING.]

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

cooking spray

[just to spray the pan before you stick it in the oven]

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, put vinegar, oil, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and paper, mix it until it all combines.

2. Put chicken in a Ziploc bag. Pour the vinegar mixture in bag with chicken, seal bag,and spread marinade all over the chicken.

3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to Overnight.

[Note: I find that the longer you refrigerate it for, the stronger the taste it. I have refrigerated it for 30 minutes, 24 hours, and 8ish hours, and I thought the taste was better when it was refrigerated for the longer periods of time, although it is still good after 30 minutes, just the flavor is weaker.]

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the baking dish and pour the marinade all over the chicken. Cover the chicken [I usually don't cover it, I haven't had any issues]. Bake for 35-40 minutes [I tend to go for 40 since it's chicken].

5. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then serve it.

There you go... EASY TO BAKE, Balsamic chicken breast.  It's really delicious, and really simple to make. 

Enjoy.

And, whenever I cook, Gandalf the Gray watches me.

Ipsy: May 2013, Fresh Picks

Since I had been in the hospital and then hadn't been home for about two weeks because I wasn't allowed to climb stairs... and third story apartment, no elevator, made it pretty impossible to get home, I had no idea that my Ipsy bag had even been mailed. I didn't even know any of the spoilers, for once, since I hadn't even really been on facebook or social media, so when this turned up in my mailbox, I was pretty surprised.

Ajani was pretty curious about it too.

Ipsy is a ten dollar a month subscription bag service. They send a mixture of 4-5 products... hair products, skin care, makeup, perfume, etc, in a makeup bag every month, in both full-sizes and sample sizes. 

There's a waiting list to sign up for it, but I think you can skip some of the waiting if you connect Ipsy to your facebook account... at least that's what I did. 

Ipsy is one of two subscription boxes/bags that I decided to keep when I needed to cut down on spending money, when I went on FMLA for my surgery. 

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Duo 1, estimated to be worth about... $3.00.

I can't really find any comparable prices on their website, there's not really a similar product, but it's a decent size, so I'll estimate it to be about three dollars. Pacifica's products are 100% Vegan and cruelty-free as well.

My picture doesn't do my swatches justice. The color on the right of the palette is a glittery bronze color with sparkle, and the paler color is a beautiful pinkish purple shimmer. They're both completely gorgeous colors and look NOTHING like they do in the container they came in. 

Just goes to show that you can't judge a makeup, by first glance.

I really like these colors, they're nude enough for every day wear, but glittery enough to make a statement. 

Eau Thermal Avene, Thermal Spring Water, worth $9.00,based on an internet search that showed me the same product in the same size for that price. A full-size is twice the size of this, and costs $18.00, so that $9.00 does seem accurate.

But... WHAT THE HELL IS THERMAL SPRING WATER?

These are the directions that came with the product. Apparently it has a lot of uses... makeup removal, after hair removal, razor burn, diaper rash, reducing facial redness, itching, after a surgical procedure, damaged skin, after exercise, during travel, and in summer, and I do like the special illustrations that came with my directions.

I sprayed some on my face, out of curiosity, and it was cooling and refreshing. So, this will probably be something that will go great after being outside in Texas sun during the summer and working up an awful sweat, just walking to and from my car... LOVE THAT 105 DEGREE HUMIDITY!!

Nailtini nailpolish in Bloody Mary, full-size, worth $13.00

I don't like really like bright red and slutty nailpolish, no offense to anyone, who does.  It's just not me, I prefer cooler colors as opposed to warmer colors. It's a very very bright red. I do love nailpolish though. I wish I had gotten one of the other colors offered this month because they're more "me", but then again, you never know when I might want a red nailpolish for some reason, so I am satisfied with this.

Hang-Ten Classic Sport Sunblock, SPF 50, let's estimate it at... $4.00? It's a decent sized sample, but not full-size, which retails at $13.00.

This will go to use. I don't use SPF that high, I have medium skin, and I really like to tan over the summer, but I do tend to use stronger SPF on my face [I'm partial to Coola cucumer scented facial sunscreen in SPF 30, which I got in a birchbox, last summer] just not SPF 50.

However, my fiance is very pale, and burns very easily, and requires a high SPF, so I will pass this on to him, and I'm sure it will be very useful when we take out summer pilgrimage down to New Braufels/San Antonio for Schlitterbahn and Tubing :) 

Pur-lisse hydra balance moisturizer, worth about $13.75. To get this price, I did math. I got about one fourth of the full-size product, and figured out what 25% of the full-size product, which is $55.00 would be. 

I'm slightly excited about this product. It claims it helps with anti-aging and redness, which are two things I like. I also like moisturizers because my face gets awful in Texas heat, and I like any product that makes me look younger than I am, although, most people say I really don't look my age anyways... BUT STILL. 

I plan to try this after my shower later today.

Sorin was watching me the entire time that I wrote this and unbagged my products.

And Gandalf was watching me from behind. 

My cats are so freaking curious whenever I get a subscription box. I should get them like a Cat subscription box. 

Anyhow, my total for Ipsy this month is: approximately $42.75

I paid ten smackers for this bag, and the value was $32.75 over my initial purchase. 

Ipsy always gives you great value for your money. 

I was very happy with this month's bag. I will actually use probably all the products in it... even that weird thermal water.

So... ten dollars, great value, generous samples, check Ipsy out.

Nerd Block: January

Seriously, it seems like January is such a slowpoke month for subscription boxes compared to December. But then again, since I'm a teacher, I was off for about half of December, and time flies by when I can sleep till noon and do whatever I want without worrying about MOY [middle of the year] testing scores, so maybe it's just that.

On the bright side, there's a possible freezing weather warning for Friday, which would mean a possible school warning, but then again, I live in a state, where there's no such thing, as winter, so we shall see what happens.

Introducing Nerdblock.

Nerdblock is similar to Loot Crate, if you've heard of that. It's $20.00 a month, NOT including shipping, and it's aimed for geeks and nerds like my fiance and I. It focuses on things like Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Comic Book Characters, My Little Pony, video games, etc. You get 3 or so items, and tee-shirt, which you can order in your size.

They have a limited number of boxes, if you're a member, you will always get the box, unless otherwise noted, but for newcomers, there's a limit of new subscriptions. 

This was my first Nerdblock box.  I kept on getting emails about them, and I thought I'd check it out because I was curious, and since it's not makeup, and most things are geek-themed, I thought maybe it would have stuff for both my fiance and me.

This is a nerd block box.

The unveiling of my first ever Nerd Block box.

Gandalf the Gray was quite curious about my Nerd Block Box

A Pop! Marvel Iron Man 3, War Machine figurine. They're about $12.00. I recently bought an Alice in Wonderland Pop! for my desk at school from Barnes & Noble that I use to teach directional words with [Put Alice above your head, put Alice behind your back, hold Alice in your hands, put Alice far from the table, etc] that my Pre-k Students adore. They get so excited whenever I take out Alice. But anyways, that cost me $12.00, when I bought it. 

I'm meh about the War Machine. I did like Iron Man 3, it was the only Iron Man movie I enjoyed, so I'm indifferent to this particular figurine. I don't think fiance is a big Iron Man fan either, but it's cute. Maybe I can use him in school to teach directional and positional words as well. 

Edit: Fiance thought it was pretty cool, and it is now sitting on his computer desk. 

A My Little Pony Mystery Mini Vinyl Figurine. Not going to lie, I was pretty excited when I saw a my little pony box in the Nerd Block Box. I love My Little Pony. It's worth about $8.00

It was in this bag.

Woot, I GOT A RAINBOW DASH, I LOVE RAINBOW DASH, her and Twilight Sparkle are my favorite. Though Dr. Whooves would have been awesome too. I'm dying to go to Build a Bear so I can build a giant Rainbow Dash and/or Twilight Sparkle, and get tons of Mii Street Passes from the mall so I can plant my garden in that damn Mii Plaza game.

The figure is a nice size too. This is it next to one of the Rainbow Dash figurines I bought on a random after midnight trip to Walmart, not too long ago. 

A Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Splat Flyer. They seem to go from $11.00 to $15.00 on the internet. My fiance, who is a high school math teacher, and teaches Algebra Two [yes he is evil], and his three co-teachers have coined themselves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So, I think he'll get a hit out of this. My only wish was that it was Michelangelo, instead of Raphael since that's who my fiance is, but he was happy with it. 

A Huger Games Figurine, probably worth about 2.00, if that. I found a case of 24 for $50.00, so I assume it's about two dollars, but don't quote me.

It's tiny, and cheap, and the details are horrible, I can't even make out, who it's supposed to be.

It's so tiny, and the details are so craptacular that I can't even tell who it is, I think either Johanna or Wiress, but I could be wrong, it's definitely NOT Katniss.

The tee-shirt this month was Batman themed. I think it's worth about $10.00 because I got referred to nerblock from Shirtpunch, when I ordered a tee over the summer, and their shirts go for ten dollars, for their shirt of the day. I like Batman, I'm indifferent though to the shirt, but I can never have too many tee-shirts, so I'll take it.

Overall, my nerdblock was worth: approximately $43.00, or so.

So I did get double what I paid for the box. And I do think it's a nice collection of random nerdy things, and fiance seemed happy with the random things he inherited from the box. It was only my first box, so I'll be interested to see what kind of stuff we get next month.

I also like getting a random nerdy shirt every month, it's like a Tee Fury grab bag every month.

So check out Nerdblock if you're so inclined.

Shiro Cosmetics: There and Back Again: A Hobbit Collection

It should be no surprise to anyone, who knows me, that I like Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit. Granted, I struggled through reading them. I managed to read all of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, but was so bored, that I said frak it to Return of the King  and waited for the movie to come out. I've been attempting to read The Hobbit, since my fiance says it's awesome, and he doesn't read, so if he's actually recommending a book that he read, I want to do my best to get through it, I'm on Chapter four, it's just a slow process...

But, I love the movies, I have many happy memories of watching them with my dad and shipping Legolas/Gimili, and Sam/Frodo, and whenever I am home, and they're on, we make it a habit to watch them together.

I've also named all my Eevee's after the characters of the fellowship and characters in the movies... Jolteon is Gimli, Legolas is Vaporeon, Elrond is Glaceon, Arwen is Sylveon, and Boromir is Flareon. I'm working on evolving Aragorn into Umbreon, Frodo into Leafeon, and Galadriel into Espeon.

Oh I also have a cat named Gandalf the Gray:

So anyhow when I found There and Back Again: A Hobbit Collection by Shiro Cosmetics I couldn't resist.

Disclaimer: I am a poor pre-k teacher. I spent my hard-earned monies to buy this makeup. I am not affiliated with the website, and this is just my honest opinion.

The most awesome thing about Shiro Cosmetics is they're nerd themed. There's a Pokemon eyeshadow collection, a game of thrones makeup collection, a Link collection, and all sorts of fun nerd-themed makeup for geeks like me.

Also, they're 100% Vegan and Cruelty free, which makes this crazy cat lady happy.

AND THEY SEND CANDY WITH EVERY ORDER AND I LOVE CANDY.

Shipping was fast, and the best part was, the envelope is small enough that it fit into my tiny apartment mailbox, and I didn't need to go into the office to get it. YAY!

The candy may or may not have disappeared immediately after I took this picture.

These are all my Hobbit eye-shadows. There are three different sizes you can get. You can get a sample size, which is about 1/4th of a teaspoon, mini jars, which are 1.0 grams each, that's the size I got, or you can get jars that are 2.0 grams each. If you get a whole collection, it's 10% off. I chose jars because with my cats and my klutziness, I figured those were less likely to make a mess of my apartment. 

Each color is labeled with the name of the shadow, and the ingredients in the shadow.

I attempted to swatch the colors... Word of advice, DON'T USE MR CLEAN MAGIC ERASER TO CLEAN THE MAKEUP OFF YOUR ARMS, I thought it was just a normal sponge, I washed the swatches off, and about ten minutes later, my arms were covered in a chemical burn. I asked my fiance what happened, and that's when he told me it was a Magic Eraser NOT a sponge. 

from l to r: War of Five Armies, When the Thrush Knocks, Fifteen Birds in Five Fir Trees, There and Back Again, Chiefest of Calamities, Lingered in Twilight.

War of Five Armies is the color of dried blood. It's a brown that's a cross between coffee grounds and a sword stained with old blood. It's sort of rust colored. I don't think my swatch gives much justice to it, to be honest. I really like brown colors because I can do semi-neutral looks with them. 

When the Thrush Knocks is a pretty coppery color. It shimmers much more then my pathetic attempt at a swatch shows. 

Fifteen Birds in Five Fir Trees is GORGEOUS!!!  It's a dark forest green with reddish and silver sparkles, and I can't wait to wear it. 

There and Back Again is a pretty emerald green color. Think Emerald City in Wicked or the Wizard or Oz.

Chiefest of Calamities is Gryffindor colors. Think Gryffindor scarlet.. It's very much an orange-red color, I normally don't like orange. It's one of the colors my mother insists upon having in my wedding, and I refuse. But this eyeshadow color has a nice pop. I think it goes on more red than orange.

Lingered in Twilight make me happy. It's an amazing dark teal color with shimmer... think a starry Rivendell night, and that's the color. I cannot wait to wear it. 

from l to r: King Under the Mountain, Attercop Attercop, Riddles in the Dark, and Farewell wherever you Fare.

King Under the Mountain is a silver sparkly color, and I did an awful job trying to make a swatch of it. I apologize. It's a dark gray earth color with silver sparkles. 

Attercop Attercop is a black base shadow with loads of blue shimmer and glitter. It will look awesome on me with my blue eyes... and it sparkles.

Riddles in the Dark is a greenish black with gold sparkles.

Farewell Wherever You May Roam is a brownish gray and perfect for a neutral base.

from l to r: A Regular Bears Meeting, The Wandering Wizard, The Last Homely House, An Unexpected Party, and Not Drawing Room Fashion.

A Regular Bears Meeting is a dark reddish brown.

The Wandering Wizard is a light grayish blue, although I think it's more blue than gray, at least that's what it looked like when I attempted to swatch it. It will make a nice highlighter color :)

The Last Homely House is brownish with a slight shimmer of green. I like the color, but would think that a color invoking Elrond and Rivendell would be more of a light gray/white/blue color with silver sparkle like the waterfalls of Rivendell.

[I've just gotten to the part in The Hobbit, where they got captured by Goblins]

An Unexpected Party is a tan color with a slight greenish shimmer.

Not Drawing Room Fashion is an awesome gray color. I freaking love gray eyeshadow, I have silver in my eyes, and gray eyeshadows really bring out the silver, and it almost matches my Oil Slick 24/7 eyeliner pencil perfectly.

Sorry my swatches SUCKED!! I'll get better, I promise. And these were just color on my arm, no primer or anything, so I'm sure the colors would look brighter with primer.

I really like these colors. A lot of them I can use for neutral looks that may even be school acceptable, and the other half are all beautiful shimmery and glittery colors. I'm excited to see what sorts of looks I can come up with.

And I highly recommend Shiro Comsetics, they have some really awesome colors, and they have great service, and the stuff gets here fast!!!!