Another Trader Joe's Haul!

Before I share this little grocery "haul" with you, let me make a little disclaimer. I promise we eat more than just carbs. Ha! This was a spontaneous trip to Trader Joe's...after I had already done my regular grocery shopping for the week. Our closest Trader Joe's is about 40 minutes away, so we like to stock up on our favorites while we have the chance. And yes, you will see lots of frozen items. No shame here, folks. Here we go!

• Spizzico Di Pizza - $2.99
• Handsome Cut Potato Fries - $1.99
• Shredded Hash Browns - $1.69
• Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies - $3.99
• Chicken Fried Rice - $2.99
• Mandarin Orange Chicken - $4.99
• Garlic Potatoes with Parmesan Sauce - $2.99
• Roasted Corn - $2.49
• Baconesque White Cheddar Popcorn - $1.99
• Blueberries and Cream Yogurt Cups - $2.99
• White Corn Tortilla Chips - $1.79
• Green Plant Juice - $3.99
• Pomegranate Limeade - $2.69
• Watermelon Cucumber Cooler - $3.49
• Speculoos Cookie Butter - $3.69

Total: $44.75

As you can see, some of these items we purchased on our last trip. They are some of our favorites! We tried a few new things, like the mini pizzas (a new favorite), the green juice (tastes like pineapple and mango), and the popcorn (new guilty pleasure).

Some of these items are cult favorites, like the Cookie Butter and the Mandarin Orange Chicken.

I definitely stocked up on juices this time, which I don't normally do.

The Pomegranate Limeade and the Watermelon Cooler seemed like the perfect summertime drinks, so I had to try them. The Pomegranate Limeade is pretty tangy, you definitely get a lot of lime in this one. I personally have to water it down a tad bit. The Watermelon Cooler is DELICIOUS. I am not a huge cucumber fan, but the cucumber is not overpowering in any way. It has a light, sweet flavor and it is really refreshing. I can see myself repurchasing this one. The Green Plant juice was mainly for my husband, who is the pickiest eater of all time. We have a Nutribullet, and we do make the occasional green drink with that, but I wanted to try this just to have easily available for him. It is actually really good! I know it looks a little scary, but I mainly taste the mango and pineapple in this one. We will probably repurchase.

Oh...and I saw this while I was there:

YOU'RE WELCOME.


What do you like to get at Trader Joe's?

Fortune Cookie Soap "Straight on Till Morning" 2015 Summer Soap Box

I have heard of Fortune Cookie Soap over the years, and I was aware of their quarterly soap boxes, but I had never tried any of their products. I've seen videos on YouTube, read reviews online, and finally I decided to give it a try. What really pulled the trigger for me was when I saw that the theme for this box was Peter Pan. If you know me, I am a HUGE Disney fan, and I especially love Peter Pan...so this was a no-brainer for me.

I'm not typically a "summery scents" kinda girl, I'm more of a fall/winter scents type of person. However, let me just say...this box smells SO GOOD. The minute I opened it up, the magical aroma hit me in the face. I love every single product in this box. I can already see myself going back and ordering full sizes of these products once I use them up! I love them that much.

Here's a shot of everything that came in the box!

If this doesn't look like a box full of happiness, I don't know what does. Heck, they even threw in Peter Pan's red feather. At this point I am already sold.

Here's a list and description of the items in the box:

• Second Star to the Right - Fortune Cookie Soap: Crushed berries and mint leaves with a splash of sparkling pomelo, served over iced sugarcane
• Tink - OCD Hand Sanitizer: Fresh cherries in cream, sprinkled with toasted coconut and a fairy dusting of powdered sugar
• Lost Boys - Whipped Cream: Golden apricot muddled with fresh white peaches
• Mermaid Lagoon - Two Phase Perfume Oil: (no scent description on the card, but it smells like sweet/fruity/amazing goodness)
• Kiss - Lip Balm: Exotic watermelon, juicy pineapple and coconut water, bursting with fresh juices
• The Boy Who Never Grew Up - Salt Scrub: Tropical margarita served with a salted rim
• Wendy Bird - Veggie Protein Deodorant: Bright, green apple with a balmy, tropical twist
• The Captain - Steam Me Up Scotty!: Dewy magnolias and wild berries drenched with fresh cream

As if the scent descriptions aren't tempting enough...wait until you actually SMELL them. 

Alright, so let's go through the unboxing together:

When you get the box, it has a cute little spoiler on the outside.

Look at the card! And the smell....ahhhhh....

And the feather guys...the FEATHER. Look at this presentation. I'm sold.

It comes with a full description of all the products, which I love.

Look at this whipped perfection....(and the smell...oh my)

Perfection.

And this green bottle of sweet and juicy goodness....

Look at this scrubby green goodness.

I love the actual fortune cookie soap with the galaxy theme! The soap is what I think made the box smell so good. I want to take it with me everywhere and never use it...

So basically, this box turned me into a giddy 13 year old, and I have no shame. It is a quarterly box that comes out each season, and the cost is $19.99 per box. I cannot wait for the fall box. Oh! I forgot to mention...every box that you get comes with a $10 off coupon code to use in their online store! Go check out their website and look at all the products and themes! I love it.

Do you subscribe to Fortune Cookie Soap Box? Have you tried any of their products? I would love to hear what you think! 

Recipe: Meatballs Over Buttered Noodles

I love my slow cooker. You can make pretty impressive meals with very little effort. That's what I'm all about. Ha! Not really. Well, sometimes.

Let me just say that we LOVE this recipe in my house. My husband is a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy, so this is right up his alley. Comfort food at its best...and it literally could not be easier. Whenever we make this, we always have plenty of leftovers so I like to freeze some and keep some for lunches throughout the week.

I originally found this recipe here a few years ago, and it has been a favorite ever since.
Here we go!


Ingredients:

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
3 pounds frozen Italian-style meatballs
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles
1/4 cup butter
Salt to taste (for noodles)

I will say that this brand of meatballs were not my favorite (they were BOGO at the time)...you can use any brand you like!

First you want to mix together the cream of celery soup, french onion soup and sour cream in your slow cooker.

Next, stir in the meatballs. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

When the meatballs have finished cooking, go ahead and boil your noodles according to the directions on the package. Add butter and salt to taste.

That's it! It is such an easy recipe prepare on days where you need something easy, but impressive.
Throw in a salad or a veggie or two, and you've got yourself a meal! Bam.

Let me know if you decide to try this recipe out! I would love to hear how you like it!

Review: SweeTARTS Soft & Chewy Ropes

I have always loved fruity/chewy/sour/tangy candy. This has been a long-time love of mine ever since I was in elementary school. So when Smiley360 gave me the opportunity to test and review this product from SweeTARTS, I was STOKED. They sent me these products for free to test out and give my honest review on, so here it is!

Here's what I received:

First of all...that smaller pack was gone in less than five minutes. Of course I couldn't wait to try these, so I opened them and had one....then two.....and then my husband walked in and had one...or two....next thing I knew, they were gone. Sooooo, when I go to buy more, I will DEFINITELY be purchasing the larger packs. 

The texture and flavor of these are extremely tasty. They have a very soft/non-sticky texture that I appreciate. They do not stick in your teeth at all (which is something I HATE), and you don't feel like you are going to jack up your jaw by chewing them, either. 

I received the flavor "Cherry Punch", which I was very happy about. Those flavors appeal to me very much. I am a huge cherry lover...even the fake/sour/gummy candy version of cherry. The center of the rope has a unique texture...almost like softer version of a SweeTART. It almost seems to melt in your mouth. As for the sour/tart aspect of things, I find it very enjoyable. It is not over-the-top sour, and there is just enough tart to make you crave more. 

Overall, these are extremely tasty and I am 100% going to buy more. I currently have ONE rope left in the larger pack and after writing this review, I need to eat it NOW.

I hope this review was helpful and enjoyable to read. Have you tried these? Let me know what you think!

Oh, and go like The Peppermint Heart on Facebook to make sure you don't miss out on more reviews like this one!