Posts Tagged ‘food’

Yuzen September 2012 edition

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Alright, I know I’m totally late to the game with this one, but I still want to put it out there for posterity. It’s still useful to go through the treats that came in previous Yuzen boxes and who knows, maybe you’re looking for a review of a specific product that was included.

Yuzen is $26 per month and comes with around 5 or 6 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.

[Update: the collage below was featured on Yuzen’s Facebook page! How exciting. :)]

collage of unwrapping of september 2012 yuzen box

Even my cat was eager to check out the box this time!

I got so excited to try out this box that I completely forgot to take a shot of all the products together! Oh well…

Click on the pictures for the full sizes so you can enjoy all the details of each product!  You can even zoom in to read all the messaging.

collage of cowgirl ranch hand cream included in the september 2012 yuzen boxCowgirl Skincare – Ranch Hand Cream: My very first reaction to this was of stunned surprise, because the packaging is the exact kind I was looking to use for a product I was working on launching (different dimensions though). What a coincidence! I was happy to get another Cowgirl product, after enjoying the cleanser that had come in the previous Yuzen box. When I first opened this, the flower pattern was just too pretty to ruin! I let it sit around for a couple of weeks as I used up my current solid lotion and then I couldn’t resist anymore. Now this is my go-to lotion whenever my hands feel dry from too much washing. It’s wonderfully hydrating and really fun to apply.

collage of st. clarie's organics spearmints included in the september 2012 yuzen boxSt. Claire’s Organics – Spearmints: I wasn’t expecting brown mints when I opened the tin, so that was kind of cool. It makes these mints feel more natural, as if they’re straight from the earth. I also love the quote inside the tin, which is totally random. The mints themselves are great and not only taste good, but have a good texture. If I ever need more mints, I’d definitely look at St. Claire’s. It’ll probably take me ages to get through just this tin though! I love that Yuzen started adding discount codes so you can save when you do decide to buy more.

collage of la fresh instant body soother, oil-free face cleanser, acetone-free nail polish remover, and waterproof makeup remover wipes included in the september 2012 yuzen boxLa FreshInstant Body Soother, Oil-Free Face Cleanser, Acetone-Free Nail Polish Remover, & Waterproof Makeup Remover: Wow, wow, WOW! I mean, I am just in love with La Fresh. I had heard of them, was intrigued, but couldn’t make the plunge. Thank you Yuzen for completely converting me into a fan. I was amazed at how effective the nail polish remover was (and how wonderful it smells) – all without acetone! The face cleanser was lightly scented and very soothing. My skin felt so good afterwards I didn’t even apply lotion. The body soother is a great refresher to your skin after a workout or time out in the sun. Its peppermint scent is totally relaxing too. Finally, the makeup remover was gentle and effective for the one time I’ve used makeup since I got it! Thank goodness I had that wipe, so I didn’t have to wash my face multiple times or rub my eyes like crazy. I’ve since bought a ton of things from La Fresh, taking advantage of their free shipping for orders over $50 and 10% discount code for first-timers (8LFFSW5)!

collage of pangea organics japanese matcha tea with acai and goji berry facial mask and nigerian ginger with lavender and thyme facial cream included in the september 2012 yuzen boxPangea Organics – Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask & Nigerian Ginger with Lavender & Thyme Facial Cream: Ok, I admit, the hype around this brand has intimidated me. So much so that I have actually yet to open these bottles to try! I just want to really enjoy them and right now I’ve got all this facial stuff that I want to use first. I promise I will try them and update, if you ever come back again… I have tried another product that I got in a later Yuzen box, which I like so far.

collage of honey stinger pomegranate passion organic energy chews included in the september 2012 yuzen boxHoney StingerPomegranate Passion organic energy chews: These gummies are fun! I’ve got to be careful not to treat them like normal candy, or else I might just down the entire bag. I think this is a great way to get energy, especially since I don’t drink coffee or energy drinks. I haven’t gotten to test how effective the energy boost is though, so that has yet to be seen. At least the taste and texture is good! The energy boost wouldn’t be worth it if they weren’t.

Adventures in cooking

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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For a period, my cousin and I had to fend for ourselves, so we got into cooking rather than eating out or microwaving. This is what we ate that week…

meal consisting of chicken & snow peas, tomatoes & eggs, rice

Day 1: chicken & snow peas, tomatoes & eggs, rice. The chicken was leftover from my mom’s previous dish.

meal consisting of potato strips, sausage with carrot & snow peas, mung bean jelly, rice

Day 2: potato strips, sausage with carrot & snow peas, mung bean jelly, rice. The jelly is a cold dish.

meal consisting of potato strips, sausage with carrot & peas, tomatoes & eggs, brownie, rice

Day 3: potato strips, sausage with carrot & peas, tomatoes & eggs, brownie, rice. Rice not pictured.

meal consisting of chicken noodle soup, sausage with carrot & spinach, mini quiches, tomatoes & eggs, rice

Day 4: chicken noodle soup, sausage with carrot & spinach, mini quiches, tomatoes & eggs, rice. Soup & quiches from store.

meal consisting of chicken noodle soup, spinach & eggs, mini quiches, rice

Day 5: chicken noodle soup, spinach & eggs, mini quiches, rice. Soup & quiches from store.

Cake pops

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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collage of cake pops from bake you happyMy newest obsession (and almost addiction) is cake pops.  They are just SO fantastic!  While cupcakes may dry out, you can count on cake pops to remain moist in that wonderful chocolate shell.  Plus, they’re a great-sized portion just enough to pick you up without weighing you down.  I also like that they’re easily portable and less prone to getting messed up/smushed.  I was able to bring some on a plane with me recently and while one of them got crushed, it still held together decently and I was still able to eat it with no problems.  Meanwhile, cupcakes are so delicate I’m afraid to tilt them or crush them even in their boxes.  Granted, cake pops don’t have frosting, but I actually prefer the hard chocolate shell to the soft and messy frosting of cupcakes.

Seriously, what’s not to love?  One of these days, I’ve got to try making some myself since they’re pricey little fellows.  I don’t even need to bother with the sticks; I just bite straight into them like a piece of chocolate.

Hungry cats

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Around dinnertime, the cats are sure to let you know they’re ready to be fed. Listen to the forlorn little meow that Missy uses to guilt you into feeding her early!

cats waiting for food from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

An experiment in meatless

laelene Posted in reviews,Tags: , , ,
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I got involved with BzzAgent towards the end of last year and recently started getting some offers through it!  It’s been pretty exciting and I wanted to share my first FREE product: MorningStar Farms veggie burgers. I was sent a coupon for a free box and I opted for a very delicious-looking Grillers Chick’n Veggie Patties.  Since my mom was home, it took me awhile to finally getting around to cooking for myself and it turned out great!

collage of cooking up morningstar farms grillers chick'n veggie pattyI made a quick and easy stir fry with two Grillers Chick’n patties, some bean sprouts, and some wood ears (so very Chinese of me).  I liked that the packaging was split up into two separate plastic bags so I don’t have to worry about the other two patties getting frosty.  When I first opened the plastic bag, the smell of the patties made my mouth water!  It doesn’t really need any extra seasoning at all.  When I got to cutting, I realized that I probably needed a sharper knife since I got a bit of mush as the patty defrosted.  Apparently butter knives don’t cut it (haha).

So here’s my oh so simple recipe, Chinese style (aka no exact measurements)…

Ingredients:

1-2 MorningStar Farms Veggie Patties in the flavor of your choice (depends on your appetite – one is plenty for lunch and two is great for dinner or to share)

2 handfuls of veggies chopped up and ready to stir fry

1 dollop of soy sauce (if you must add some stronger flavor)

Instructions:

1. Chop up the patties & veggies into bite-size pieces.

2. Heat up a wok or stir fry pan and dump in all ingredients.

3. Stir around so nothing burns and turn down heat low if needed.

4. After stirring for awhile, throw on the extra sauce as desired.

5. Turn off burner and enjoy with rice, rice porridge, or alone!

Yup, and that’s how cooking goes in my household.  It came out pretty well, though with the strong flavor, I didn’t need the soy sauce.  I definitely want to try it as a burger next time.  You should give it a try sometime too! 🙂

Sprinkles Ice Cream

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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I’ve always appreciated Sprinkles for starting the whole cupcakery craze, so I was definitely interested when they opened their ice cream shop. So far I’ve been twice and tried their ice cream sandwich (using cupcake instead of cookies) and ice cream sundae. I love the triple chocolate ice cream and the sundae I chose. The red velvet cupcake used in the sandwich was a bit more dry than I would have liked. Still, fun times trying out their different designs. I’ve always wanted to have ice cream and cake bits in one!

sprinkles ice cream sandwich made of triple chocolate ice cream and red velvet cupcake

On my first visit, I tried a Sprinkles Ice Cream Sandwich with triple chocolate ice cream and red velvet cupcake as the sandwich.

sprinkles ice cream sundae made of cookie dough ice cream and s'mores cupcake

On my second visit, I tried a Sprinkles Ice Cream Sundae with cookie dough ice cream and a s’mores cupcake.

a look inside the layers of a sprinkles ice cream sundae made of ice cream and a cupcake

Inside, you can see the ice cream sandwiched between the cupcake.

Self-serve waffles

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At the Hilton Garden Inn, they let you make your own waffles so they’re nice and fresh!

waffle batter portions in individual cups and strawberry slices

Waffle batter comes in pre-measured portions poured in small cups. Add strawberries once you’re done!

pouring waffle batter into waffle maker

Pour the batter in and let the waffle maker do its magic. Yippee!

Magic Mountain cupcake

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , ,
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Ever since the first time I stepped foot in the new cupcakery in my town, I had my eye on the Magic Mountain cupcake.  I’ve had poor timing with my visits though, and never managed to show up on a day when they offered the Magic Mountain flavor, so I decided to check in every now and then on their Facebook to see when they’d be offering it.  Recently, one of my cupcake cravings finally coincided with a day that my flavor of choice was being served!

magic mountain confetti cupcake with sprinkles from bake you happy in valencia

I’ve been waiting a long time to try this Magic Mountain flavor!

side view of magic mountain confetti cupcake with sprinkles from bake you happy in valencia

It’s like a party in a wrapper – so colorful and fun. 🙂

spoonful and half-eaten magic mountain confetti cupcake with sprinkles from bake you happy in valencia

For some reason I’ve taken to eating cupcakes with a spoon – it’s much more enjoyable that way.

Mealtime browsing

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , ,
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Panda has this habit of people-watching (actually more like people-staring) whenever we’re out and about.  This is especially evident at restaurants, when he’s looking just about anywhere but at me.  Whether it’s a cute kid gurgling on mom’s lap, a rowdy bunch having a blast, or just a couple sitting quietly, Panda will observe every little thing – staring and sometimes even gawking.  It’s painfully obvious to me and I wonder if others notice it too.

Since this seems to be so distracting for him, I’ve taken to making sure that he sits on the side facing the wall, or the least interesting part of the restaurant.  This seems to have helped a bit but I still find myself competing for attention over meals.  I guess that should encourage us to eat in more often, eh?

Blissmobox: Anniversary special

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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Ah, the anniversary box.  This is what got me into this whole subscription box thing – a fateful email that I received telling me that if I subscribed for a year, I’d get free shipping on the boxes AND a bonus 13th special edition box.

blissmobox is just under $25 per month with shipping (or as discounted as just under $120 for 6 months – as you can see, they used to offer an annual subscription but that is gone) and comes with eco-friendly products in themes like beauty, snacks, home, pets, and more. Each month you choose from two or three themes, or skip if none of them appeal to you. They do not offer a referral program.

email from blissmo announcing blissmobox anniversary offer

I just couldn’t resist so I decided to sign up for a subscription.  Here’s what ultimately came in that anniversary box:

contents of blissmobox anniversary edition including eco logical sunscreen, peeled snacks apple-2-the-core, bates water filtration bottle with blissmo logo, all terrain insect repellent, and neutrogena naturals night cream

Not pictured: ecover dishwasher tablets

collage of peeled snacks apple-2-the-core dried fruit snackPeeled Snacks gently dried fruit, Apple-2-the-core – I’m not usually a huge fan of apples, but I ate these up pretty fast!  I love that they’re just apples, plain and simple.  They’re slightly sweet and so light that they’re really the perfect snack when you want a little something but don’t want too much sugar.

collage of all terrain herbal armor insect repellentAll Terrain insect repellent, Herbal Armor spray – As you can see, it comes out a rich milky white, but rubs on clear.  There’s a strong herbal, almost medicinal scent that’s sure to keep bugs away.  Maybe I just haven’t used it enough to loosen up the nozzle, but it always comes out more liquidy than misty for me.

collage of bates water filtration bottle with blissmo brandingBayes water filtration bottle, blissmo branded – This is a fun water bottle with filter built into the cap.  The nice thing is when you’re on the go, you just put tap water in and by the time it reaches your lips, the water has been filtered for you.  That way you can bring an empty bottle wherever you go and just get water from any restroom sink.  Or if you’re particularly impatient, you don’t have to wait and watch as the water trickles through your normal filter – just start gulping!

eco logical skin care sunscreen, for body – I didn’t realize it at first, but this product was actually on my “to try someday” list after I learned about it through Daily Grommet.  I’m looking forward to using it on my day out or vacation since I don’t really get much sun otherwise.  I haven’t opened it yet since I want to preserve it until I’m ready to use it, but I’d imagine its consistency to be something like toothpaste.

collage of neutrogena naturals multi-vitamin night creamNeutrogena Naturals skincare, multi-vitamin nourishing night cream – I’ve been using this every night after I shower.  It’s definitely a thick, creamy face cream that hydrates my skin.  I also love the light, slightly sweet smell it has, which is soothing and relaxing.  I had no idea that Neutrogena had a new line of natural products, so it was cool to be introduced to that and hopefully they’ll expand the line to take over the original products eventually.

collage of ecover dishwasher tablets sampleecover natural cleaning products, automatic dishwasher tablets – I don’t actually use the dishwasher to wash dishes, so I’m still trying to figure out what to do with these samples.  I guess I could use the dishwasher just to try them out, but I’m not sure I even know how to operate the thing.  Maybe I’ll just try dissolving them into the water I use to wash the dishes.

 

Overall this was a random box with no real theme, but it provided a nice introduction to more eco-friendly products in many categories.

 

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