Vegan Taco Dip ~ Healthy Mexican Sides & Dips ~ Perfect for Cinco De Mayo ~ Fiesta!

I Can't Believe It's Vegan! Taco Dip 

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

1 - 12 oz container Vegan sour cream (Tofutti brand is delicious!)

3/4 Packet Vegan low-sodium taco season mix

1 ripe avocado, mashed

1 cup black olives, chopped

3 stalks green onion, diced

1 cup chopped tomatoes, Pico De Gallo, or our try Garden Salsa Recipe!

1 package Vegan meat crumbles (about 1 pound)

Directions:

Prepare refried beans by heating on stove. While beans are heating, in a separate pan add frozen meat crumbles in into 1/4 cup water or olive oil. Cook according to package directions. Add Taco Season into cooked meat crumbles and stir. (Don't be afraid to get happy with the Taco mix, it's the season that really is needed to give the crumbles an authentic taco meat flavor. It makes the dish!)

In a serving tray or in individual bowls spread bottom layer of refried beans. Next add a layer of meat crumbles, sour cream, avocado, chopped tomatoes or fresh salsa, black olives, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Delish!

Whole Foods makes some wonderful freshly made tortilla chips that are hardy and great for thick dips! You can find them in their Bakery department and like always, Whole Foods uses quality ingredients. These chips are so good warmed and they don't contain any animal derived ingredients. :)

Enjoy!

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60 Ways to Make Your Marriage or Relationship Rock! A His, Hers & Together List ~ Great Tips!

Here is a great list that is being passed around on Facebook! The Author is 'Brandy' so thank you Brandy for these great tips! A Great relationship is built on a foundation of love and respect, but there are a few more things you can do to take your relationship to the next level. :)

60 Ways to Make Your Marriage/Relationship Rock!

1. Always love each other, even when it's hard to
2. Never go to bed angry.
3. Go on regular date nights
4. Hide notes in secret places
5. Go to bed at the same time
6. Listen to music together-share ear-buds
7. Buy him gifts he will love (see our Gift Guide for Him for ideas!)
8. Revitalize the romance with intimate dates
9. Wear shirts that tell the world you love your spouse
10. Praise your spouse to other people
11. Read a marriage devotional
12. Sleep in his t-shirts
13. Renew your vows privately with whispers and memories
14. Renew them publicly with cake and bubbly
15. Go away together at least once a year

For Women Only
16. Hang pictures of the two of you around your house
17. Make his favorite dessert
18. Make sex a priority
19. Spend time apart occasionally
20. Learn to enjoy something he loves
21. Surprise each other
22. Meet him at the door
23. Text each other from across the room
24. Set reminders on your phone to remember him/her throughout the week
25. Call him right now and tell him you appreciate him

For Men Only
26. Leave work on time and come home early
27. Engage every day in meaningful conversation
28. Compliment each other
29. Take one day a month to make your spouse your total focus
30. Argue fair: avoid these words “you always” and “you never”
31. Kiss every day
32. Find tangible ways to serve your mate without complaining
33. Forgive quickly
34. Be honest.
35. Get on the same page: plan your budget together
36. Look your best as often as you can
37. Guard your marriage
38. Laugh together
39. When you are together-BE TOGETHER (take a break from phones, technology, etc)
40. Tell her she’s pretty, especially when she’s not feeling it

Both
41. Make each other breakfast in bed
42.  Offer to lend a hand in each others Chores
44. Get a couple’s massage or host your own privately
44. Dance together-soft music (both of you alone) or rocking music with the kids
45. Exercise together- hikes, bike riding, etc
46. Choose not to be annoyed by an irritating behavior/disappointment from your spouse
47. Thank your spouse often even for the least reason or gesture
48. Lay in bed together and stare into each other eyes, without talking
49. Learn something new together-take an art class, cooking lessons, etc
50. Leave a sweet comment on the Facebook wall
51. Support each other’s goals
52. Bring her flowers/gifts or him a special dinner (even when she/he says they are too expensive)
53. Wear something your spouse loves
54. Share furniture-sit in his lap
55. Fight for your marriage
56. Make a point to eat dinner together most days of the week.
57. Never let your spouse feel like they come second place to your career or any other thing.
58. Talk about your dreams and aspirations. Be supportive of each other and dream big together!
59. Maintain a united front as your motto: Meaning- “Me and you against the world.
60. Speak well of your spouse.

To a Great Relationship!

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Victoria's Secret Midnight Glamour Temptation Lip Pallete Review & Swatches ~ Pretty!

Happy Sunday Angel Beauties ;)

Today we're talking about one of my favorite Beauty items from Victoria's Secret, Midnight Glamour! Although the Victoria's Secret Midnight Glamour collection has been out for a few years, I love this line so much I wanted to do a few reviews on them. :)

I'm not sure if they still sell the collection in stores, but I have been finding them on eBay for a great price. They are regularly $18 in store but on eBay they have them for around $10.

The Midnight Glamour Beauty line features a beautiful Eyeshadow Palette, Lip Palette, Blush, Hypergloss Eye Shimmer, and Nail polish. I have all of the items minus the blush so I can't speak for that one, but all of the others are great quality and the colors are so pretty! I especially love the eyshadow palette, I use it everyday and the Silver Hypergloss Eye Shimmer. I will be sure to review those soon as well. :)

Midnight Glamour Lip Palette in Temptation

First thing I love about this Palette, and the entire collection really, is the packaging! Everything from the box to the palette itself is just gorgeous! The outer casing is like a multi-faceted jewel. I do believe that is the biggest selling point for these items. Lust at first sight ;)

I love to carry it in my purse or keep it on my vanity. So sexy! 

The colors inside are really pretty as well. It comes with a sparkly clear gloss, a nude gloss, a berry gloss and a dark plum colored gloss. The pigment is easily light or very dark depending on how much you want to build. 

This cute lil' palette comes with a compact Lip Brush and though the brush isn't great, it will get the job done. Definitely better than using your fingers if you're on the go. 

The Shades:

Swatches under Natural Light:

Kissys:

(Sorry I am by no means a good lip model ;)

this one made me lips look hugeamungous, eek. Love the color though!

and of course Clear but you get the idea ;)

The lipgloss itself has moderate lasting power. The Clear gloss isn't nothing to get excited about. It's average with some shimmer. The texture of the clear is very sticky and the nude gloss is a little sticky which isn't great but it does feel hydrating. The Berry & Plum colors are like a hydrating lip stain. They're more smooth textured, not sticky. The colors look very natural with a hint of shine! Love!

Here is the entire collection:

If you're interested in picking one up I'd definitely suggest checking eBay! I will post a link to eBay here and  Amazon here bearing Midnight Glamour Search results! 

I hope you enjoyed the review! :)

XO. 

:)

Tell us! Have you tried any of  the Victoria's Secret Midnight Glamour beauties?

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The Best Garden Salsa You'll Ever Make Recipe ~ Healthy, Delicious, Low-Cal, Vegetarian

The Best Garden Salsa You'll Ever Make Recipe

(Makes about 6 Cups)

When you live in Arizona, knowing how to make an excellent Salsa is a must! We are Mexican food lovers and eat delicious fresh and Baja style Mexican food many times per week! Our family calls this our "secret recipe", it's been in our family for years. (Although it's not much of a secret we are always sharing this recipe with friends whenever we get a chance! :) Try it!, I think you'll love it! We prepare it for nearly every family party or gathering we have. If you're looking for heat this wouldn't be the ideal recipe, but if you're looking for a seriously tasty tortilla topper or side, this is it! This delicious chunky Garden style salsa recipe is really fresh and is sure to please. It's very simple to make and won't disappoint!

Ingredients:

3 14.5oz Cans Hunt's Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic (Hunts brand is a must)
1 4 oz can diced/chopped green chilies, drained
1 4oz can diced/chopped jalapenos, drained (strain seeds for very mild salsa)
1/4 bunch Cilantro, chopped
1/2 bunch green onions chopped,
1 Medium white onion, diced
1 clove garlic minced
Large pinch of Cumin
Squeeze of Lime & Lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, pour in all 3 cans of tomatoes. Add the garlic, chilies, jalapenos, onion, green onions, and cilantro and stir. Add dash of cumin, lemon or lime juice and salt and pepper to taste and stir. Enjoy immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Tip: Let the salsa refrigerate so the ingredients can marinate. It tastes even better the next day! Each half cup of Salsa only contains about 35 calories, plus you're getting a great serving of raw veggies, onions and garlic. So healthy! If you happen to make this recipe, I'd love to know what you think! :)

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PAC SUN 75% Off Special Clearance ~ Adorable Items! Get Them Here Before They're Gone!

Pac Sun is having a great Sale: Additional 75% Off Clearance Item and FREE shipping on ANY amount! Amazing!

To Find:

 Click the Pac Sun Banner or Link Below & Follow to the SALE section under Clearance!

Visit PacSun.com (Opens in New Window)

I had to get this gorgeous jacket for only $24! Regular $99. ♥

Billabong Mad Luv Jacket

Click Below to Visit 

I've been eyeing this Roxy Sweater all last season but for $63 I didn't bite, now $19! Fall will be here before you know it!

Click Below to Visit 

Jeggings & Jeans starting at $9!

Click Below to Visit 

They also have some summer friendly tanks on clearance, so cute ♥

$6!!!!

Click Below to Visit 

Surfing Gansta, Love this top :) $7

Click Below to Visit 

Roxy Best of Tank 

Click Below to Visit 

Hurry and get over there before all the cute stuff is gone! ALSO if you're buying something that is NOT on clearance I have a nifty Promo code for you ladies ♥

Use BACK313 or 15FORYOU to save 15%!! Only works on Non-Clearance items!

Happy Shopping! :)

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My Mini Whole Foods Haul ~ Beauty & Foodie Picks! Perfume, Shampoo, & Gummies Too!

Today I was shopping at Whole Foods and wanted to share my 'mini' Haul. Here a few of my most favorite items I picked up at Whole Foods! If you've never been to a Whole Foods or they don't have one nearby, it's a super nice Organic/Natural gourmet type grocery store. Heavenly! 

First off, if anyone knows me well, probably knows that Gummy Bears are one of my favorite foods ever! Unfortunately I recently discovered I have a Corn allergy and pretty much every Gummy ever made is made with Corn Syrup. :( I have been so sad until I discovered Whole Foods sells Gummy Bears made without Corn! :) 

Behold:

Corn-Free Gummy Panda Naturalness

These Gummy Pandas are so good and are made with awesome ingredients. I picked up Raspberry Yumberry and my favorite Pomegranate White Tea. They also have a really yummy Blueberry and Lemon Ginger flavor. I recommend them all if anyone is looking for all natural Gummys. They're made with Organic ingredients! :) Each bag was about $4.75.

Last night I bleached my hair and I didn't leave the bleach on as long as I should have. This morning when I looked at my hair it was full of yellow and brassiness. I went to go tone my hair with my favorite Wella T18 Toner and found that it wasn't sealed very well and the oxygen must have ruined the toner, because when I used it, it hardly turned purple on my hair so my blonde hair was still yellow after using it. While I was at Whole Foods I purchased some ShiKai Color Reflect purple shampoo for Blonde, Platinum and Silver hair. Normally I buy Shimmer Lights Shampoo or Conditioner but I really love ShiKai's formula. It doesn't smell bad and it actually leaves my hair soft. I think it's much easier on the hair than the Shimmer Lights formula. I'm going to be doing a review with a before and after using this Shampoo so keep an eye out for that if your interested in switching out your Shimmer Lights for something more natural! :)

ShiKai Color Reflect Shampoo was $8.99

I also picked up some Pacifica Solid Perfumes in French Lilac, Hawaiian Ruby Guava, California Star Jasmine, Tahitian Gardenia! I Love Love Love these scents. I'm going to be doing a more detailed review on these but here's a sneak peak at what I might be saying: Go Out and Smell These Right Now! :) Seriously, they're that amazing. So in love with these scents! I can't wait to do a review on these for you! :) Each of these costed $8.99 each.

After strolling the aisles of Heaven...I mean Whole Foods for what seemed like hours, I worked up quite an appetite for one of Whole Foods' Made to Order Awesome Pizzas.

$12.99 will get you this beautiful California Fire Roasted Veggie Thin Crust pizza made in their own fire brick oven. It's so delicious and piled high with vegetables of all kinds including zucchini  tomatoes, eggplant, onions and bell peppers. Pair it with a glass of wine and you are set. Whole Foods only uses the most natural ingredients and I love that! They also have a great Rice crust if you're gluten-free like me.  :) 

I hope you enjoyed my Whole Foods haul! Let me know if you've tried any of these great items! If you don't happen to have a Whole Foods near by, don't worry, you can find a lot of these items at any natural grocer. I will also include some links below to find these products online if you're an eBay or Amazon user. Have a Beautiful day!

Caio for now!

Find It Online

Bissingers Gourmet Gummy Pandas Amazon ($4.99 + Shipping)

Shikai Color Reflect Shampoo Amazon ($7.09 + Shipping)

ShiKai Color Reflect Shampoo eBay! ($10.89 + Free Shipping)

Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava Perfume Amazon ($11 + Shipping)

Pacifica Perfume eBay! ($10.24 + Free Shipping)

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A Customer Service Experience ~ Salley Hansen (Coty Brand) Product Issue ~ Updates!

Since I'm the kind of girl who loves to Blog about anything and everything Beauty I thought It would be helpful to share my current experience with Sally Hansen Brand, also owned by Coty and their Customer Service and the on-going process I've experienced thus far.

A few months ago I purchased a nice Sally Hansen Eyelash Curler (not sure the model but it was a great curler!) after just a few uses the top part of the curler where it comes down to squeeze/press the eyelashes had completely broke off. I had a topless Curler. Not a big deal, however I had already thrown away the packaging and I purchased the item at Wal-Mart which is about a 15 mile drive from my house and since I recently started shopping at Target exclusively, I have no reason to drive back to Wal-Mart anytime soon.

I put my broken curler in a zip lock bag and decided to contact Sally Hansen to inquire about sending the defective curler back for an exchange. I explained to them the situation with the curler and told them It would be more cost convenient for me to ship the item to them for an exchange instead of driving back to Wal-Mart to do a return and that I just needed the correct address to send the item.

Coty Brand replied back to me about 3 days later to let me know that they were sorry for the problem I had with the curler and that they'd be sending out a return shipping label to cover the cost of their inspection.  They were very courteous and I was pleased.

30 days later the curler is still sitting here on my desk and I have received no mail for them at this point.

I contacted them again a few days ago to let them know I still haven't received anything more than a month later. They apologized and said they would be sending out another label.

UPDATE 4-6-13

Finally today I received the label! I am shipping out this baby tomorrow back to Sally Hansen land and we will see if they follow through and if I ever receive anything back. :)

They obviously don't know I'm sharing my experience with you guys.. ;) I will keep you ladies updated! Sally, this is your chance to shine. Time will tell. :)

UPDATE 4-23-13

Miss Sally Hansen aka Coty Brand has finally came through! Yes it took a few weeks but I'm just happy they were kind enough to to send me a replacement. I think the replacement they sent might even be nicer than the first one I bought. They also sent me a few perfume samples (Coty is a big Perfume brand), Reveal by Halle Berry and Just Cavalli. They both smell gorgeous. Check out the goods:

I'd recommend purchasing Sally Hansen products, they are good on their guarantee. Thanks Sally! :) 

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Homemade Banana "Ice Cream"! ~ So Easy, One Ingredient! Make This Treat for Under 200 Cals!

What's the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth and use up some overly ripe Bananas? 

Homemade Banana "Ice Cream"! :) 

Did you know the longer a Banana ripens the more nutrient dense it becomes? Fortunately there are a lot of great things we can make with ripe bananas including smoothies, breads and this delicious ice cream. I make this ice cream often and wanted to share with you just how easy it is to prepare. The best part is, this great dessert is under 200 calories so you can feel good about indulging without over-indulging. A perfect treat just in time for Summer!

What You'll Need:

Ripe Bananas - about 1 per serving (100 Calories Each)

Freezer bags - to freeze slices

A good Blender - I used a Ninja

Optional:
My Favorite Chocolate Sauce Ever! 

Photo Courtesy of Jen's Zen FB

Toppings of your Choice

I used a Newman's Own Oreo Cookie as a topper (65 Calories)

2 tablespoons of Almond milk Blended with Bananas (10 calories)

(Milk isn't necessary to add, just optional)

Jen's Zen Chocolate Sauce for Decor (& for tasty :) (15 calories)

Making the Ice Cream: (4 Servings)

You'll need 4 Ripe Bananas, Some Freezer Bags, and a Plate & Knife for Slicing Bananas

Peel and Slice bananas into med-thin slices. Divide slices into two small freezer bags and freeze for atleast an hour until bananas are frozen.
(Seperating slices into 2 bags instead of one large bag, helps prevent slices from sticking to each other, making them blend smoother and slices freeze faster.)

Blend on High about 1 minute until texture is creamy and smooth.

You can even mix in your favorite ingredients during this process for an even yummier treat. Try Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Toffee Pieces, Candy, Cookie Pieces, Fresh Fruit like Strawberries, Pineapple, Mango. The possibilities are endless. :) 

Stir Ice Cream and Serve!
Kids love this Ice Cream! Serve in bowl or scoop a super cold mixture onto cones for Summer pefect Ice Cream cones!

This banana ice cream is rich and decadent, so a little bit goes a long way. Enjoy! :) 

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