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?

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!

How I Get Freebies

Free stuff. Everyone likes free stuff. You know that saying, "If it's free, it's for me"? Well, that is my life motto. Getting free stuff is much easier than you think...once you get the hang of it.

That's what I'm here for.
After many requests over the years, I am here to tell you how to become an expert at getting free stuff in the mail.

First, let me share a picture of a few things I've gotten in the past few weeks:

I know this looks like a lot! But once you start getting the hang of it, this is something that might become the norm for you! Alright, lets begin.

• Vonbeau.com - I want to start by mentioning my FAVORITE freebie website. They are my source for many, many freebies. They are a family-run company who tracks freebies all...day...long. Freebies are always on their radar, and they do most of the work for you so that you are not spending every second of the day searching for free offers. They are 100% trustworthy, and I've been following them for a few years now. Go follow them on Facebook! They also have a Facebook group if you really want to stay on top of every single freebie. I have also signed up for their text alerts, which have gotten me those freebies that tend to go really quick!
• Smiley360 - Smiley360 is a website that sends you free products in return for your review. You take surveys that will put you on "missions" that match your profile. I have completed TONS of missions with Smiley360 and discovered products that I cannot live without! Go sign up now...it's totally free and you get free stuff. Win.
• BzzAgent - Just like Smiley360, BzzAgent sends out free products for you to review. Go set up a profile and make sure you stay on top of all your surveys. If you don't complete your surveys (and stay on top of them because they add more all the time) then it will be hard to get in on any campaigns. I have gotten SOOO much great stuff through BzzAgent. I think my favorite campaign was for the Starbucks Blonde Roast K-Cups. (full size products, people!) Oh, that's where the Silk Cashew Milk and the Quaker Steel Cut Oats came from in the picture above.
• Influenster - Influenster is AWESOME. Just like the sites above, you create a profile and stay on top of surveys and such. They send out what they call "Voxboxes" to those who qualify, based on their profile and surveys. (The Dessange hair products pictured above are from Influenster) Here are just a couple of Voxboxes I have received from them in the past:

• Loreal Consumer Testing - If you think that testing out new makeup, skincare and misc. beauty products is something you would be interested in, go sign up to be a Loreal Consumer Tester. As always, you fill out a profile and they will post pre-qualification tests OFTEN to send out new products to test out. In return for your review on the products, you receive compensation in the mail in the form of BEAUTY PRODUCTS. Yes, you heard that right. The compensation varies depending on the products you test, the amount of time you spend on surveys, etc. The Kiehl's face wash and Lancome eyeliner in the picture above were in a previous compensation package from this program. Make sure you check your account OFTEN (I'm talking several times a day) for any pre-qualifications available for you. Here is another box of goodies they once sent me as compensation:
  
  
  
• PinchMe - Now, let me first start with a little disclaimer about PinchMe. Most people have a love/hate relationship with this company, including me. The biggest peeve I have with them are their "partners". They will send out e-mails for you to go get more freebies from their "partners", to enter some kind of giveaway, etc. I say, as long as you NEVER really open or read their e-mails, you are good. Go fill out your profile, stay on top of surveys, and they will send you a box of free products to test out. (That's where most of the deluxe samples, coffee samples, lotion samples, body wash samples, etc. are from in the above picture) The other thing with them though...you have to be QUICK. They release them once every month or so, and they go out of stock within a couple of minutes. If PinchMe is something you are interested in trying, create your profile, follow them on Facebook and ignore their e-mails. Haha. Harsh, but true. Sometimes they will add links to your profile for other websites, ignore those too. They can be spammy. Just pay attention to their Facebook page (or Vonbeau) and be ready when the free samples go live.
• Brand Facebook Pages: Most of the other freebies that you see online are from giveaways on Facebook pages for different brands. Vonbeau usually stays on top of all of the giveaways that happen, so once again I HIGHLY suggest following them on Facebook and joining their Facebook group so you don't miss anything. I enter giveaways constantly, and I have won a few myself, as you can see above! (Those Bumble and Bumble products pictured above are from a giveaway they had on their Facebook page!) It is the easiest and most rewarding way to get free stuff. Sometimes it takes patience, but I have gotten many freebies this way!

So, there are a few sources that I use for getting freebies. I also want to mention a few tips:

• Create a separate e-mail account for freebies. (To avoid spam and newsletter overload!)
• Once you start signing up for freebies, give it a few weeks. Don't get discouraged if you don't start seeing mail right away. Some freebies take 6-8 weeks to get to your house, some come sooner. But once they start coming in, you will start seeing things on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis! Just be patient. :)
• Avoid spammy links and "freebies". Once again, Vonbeau usually filters these out and also posts warnings on fake freebies that may be floating around.
• Follow a freebie website/tracker. I know I sound like a broken record, but Vonbeau.com is my favorite.
• Have fun! Sometimes you miss out on a freebie, and it can be disappointing. Just remember that you are not losing anything since it's free, and there are always more freebies out there for you! 

Alright...I feel like this was extremely long. Haha. I really hope this helps you all get lots of great freebies! Let me know what you get! 

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

This will be a place where I share all things beauty, how I score FREEBIES (a highly requested topic!), testing and reviewing products, how I use my essential oils, delicious food, music I am loving...and some rambling thrown in!

Hope to see you around! Feel free to say hi!