Chipotle Veggie Tacos

I struck gold when I created these Chipotle Veggie Tacos. They have the perfect amount of spice, taste fresh, and are so easy to throw together! The ingredient that makes the biggest difference in flavor is the Chipotle Cheddar Cheese- that stuff is divine. I found mine at +SproutsFarmersMarket with the specialty cheeses.

For the "meat" I use the Morning Star Spicy Black Bean veggie burgers. Let me tell you, I don't even miss traditional ground beef with taco seasoning. I slice a frozen patty in half, put it in the micro for 30 seconds, then break it up with my fork. It's the perfect portion! Alfalfa sprouts are a nice change from traditional lettuce, and it doesn't overtake the size of the tortilla that lettuce sometimes does. One note: don't use a traditional tortilla, you need the fresh ones that you cook on the stove. It really does great things for the overall quality and taste. Enjoy!

CHIPOTLE VEGGIE TACOS

INGREDIENTS:
Fresh Tortillas
Chipotle Cheddar Cheese
Veggie Burger patty
Tomato
Avocado
Green Pepper
Alfalfa Sprouts
Sour Cream
Frank's Red Hot Sauce

DIRECTIONS: Warm a skillet over low-medium heat while chopping the fresh veggies. Cook tortilla on both sides, then add cheese, veggie burger, and other toppings. Enjoy!

My Latest Playlist

Here are the latest tunes making an appearance on my iPod. I'm an avid workout playlister and need to have something to keep my mind off the fact I'm running on a treadmill for 30+ minutes. Aside from exercise, I answer emails for work, do laundry, write blog posts, and make lunch to these tunes. It's an anytime list, really. Go on, get down with your bad self (spoken like a true white girl).

Sing, Ed Sheeran
The Story of My Life, One Direction
Runaway Baby, Bruno Mars
It's Time, Imagine Dragons
Safe & Sound, Capital Cities
One Last Kiss, Pink
Lights, Ellie Goulding
Raging Fire, Philip Phillips
Counting Stars, OneRepublic
Tokyo, Imagine Dragons
Pompeii, Bastille
The Walker, Fitz and the Tantrums

3 Barrel Curling Iron Styles

One of my favorite hair tools is my 3 barrel curling iron. I rely on it to give me the extra oomph I need for certain hairstyles, like braids. If you have medium length to long hair you should consider investing in one of these bad boys if you you want to add some variety to your hair routine.

The 3 barrels give your locks a nice wave, slightly reminiscent of the crimping style of the early '90's, but way classier. YouTube has tutorials on how to use the 3 barrel curling iron if you need some extra help figuring it out. It can be a little awkward to handle at first, but becomes easier with practice. Plus, if you're looking for just a few waves it's quick to use! It's a simple technique and gives a different look than a standard curling iron.

Purchase from Amazon here.

Birchbox: June & July

June and July didn't disappoint with my monthly Birchbox! You can't beat the value at $10/month for $25+ worth of products (and makes a great gift, btw)! I've run into a few duds along the way, but I've also found some great products I wouldn't want to live without like Stainiac and Davines shampoo. Aside from finding new favorites, getting free products isn't bad either (earn points for writing reviews and redeem for free products). Here's the link for more info.

Favorites from June:
Harvey Prince Hello purfume
Davines Love Shampoo/Conditioner

Favorites from July:
LAQA & Co. Lip Lube
Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser

Mens Casual Work Shoes

Is there anything worse than dressing up for work? I say unto you, "Nay!" Casual work shoes for men are difficult to find. I've posted about this before (see this link), but I just got my grubby little hands on another pair of Ben Sherman Nick Textile Oxford sneakers. That's right, they wear like a sneaker. No heel, no stiff exterior, no discomfort. They're pretty sleek. This is a train all guys need to get on. Check 'em out.

-Scratch

Juicing vs. Blending

If you missed the first post about juicing, you can catch up here. What's the difference between juicing and blending, you ask? In a nutshell juicers extract liquid from the vegetable or fruit removing the pulp, and blenders mix the whole food, retaining the fiber. Simple enough, but is juicing better than blending? They both have awesome health benenfits, and complement each other well. You can get results from both methods, but figuring out your goals will help to determine which will be most beneficial.

Here's a quick, basic breakdown on the benefits of each.

I like juicing because I'm getting more nutrients in one glass of juice vs. one smoothie since a larger quantity of vegetables are needed to make up a glass of juice. However, if you're looking to get full fast without a whole meal a blended drink might be the way to go. Here's a great site that shares more information on juicing than you may want to know! Click here.

Romaine Summer Salad with Mozzarella Ciligene

This summer salad is fresh, tasty, and beautiful! I threw it together when I had some ingredients that needed used up in my fridge and it has quickly become a favorite in our house. One of the best things about this salad is it doesn't need dressing. Just use a lemon wedge to squeeze over the romaine and it has the perfect kick of flavor! Let's talk about Mozzarella Ciliegine. Don't know what that is? You do, it's just small mozzarella balls. It's a classy, yummy addition to the salad (and fancy names make anything taste better).

Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 lemon wedge
cucumber, sliced
red pepper, chopped
red grapes, halved
avacado, sliced
hard boiled eggs, sliced
goat cheese, crumbled
fresh mozzarella ciligene
sunflower seeds

Wash and chop romain lettuce and stack on plate. Squeeze lemon over lettuce. Top with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

8 Products for Healthy, Shiny Hair

Here's a list of products I keep in my hair care arsenal to help my mane stay shiny, healthy, growing, and manageable. These work great for me, but experiment with different brands to see what you like best! Aside from these products, read my post about six hair habits (here) to keep your hair strong and healthy.

1. Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo. I've used this for years. First, because it's like $1.97. Score! Second, it's a good clarifying shampoo to use every couple weeks. Tip: Also use this to wash your face occasionally. I've been doing it for years with respectable results.

2. Davines OI Shampoo. Holy smells amazing! I was first introduced to Davines in my Birchbox. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Smooth, sleek, and awesome. It's not the cheapest, but it sure is nice.

3. Davines OI Conditioner. See number 2. Duos are best: Captain and Tenille, Salt and Pepper, Left and Right, Shampoo and Conditioner. 

4. Biosilk Silk Therapy. A friend gave me a sample of this stuff 5 years ago and I fell in love. The smell is wonderful and it smoothes my hair like nothing else. I've tried lots of "frizz ease" type products but this takes the cake. Tip: Only use it on the mid-end section of your hair, not on your scalp. And use sparingly, just a dime size amount.

5. Dove Dry Shampoo. I wash my hair about two-three times per week. For those of you with bangs, those probably need to be washed everyday, but the rest of your hair can manage to wait. This dry shampoo, or any dry shampoo, can work wonders with hair that is looking a little bleh. It's a spray powder that absorbs the excess oils. Try it out. It really does help! 

6. Creaseless Hair Ties. Better than regular elastics because they don't leave crimps in your hair (which helps with the less washing thing), are less likely to get stuck and pull hair out, and they double as a cute bracelet. Remember scrunchies in the early 90's? These are the latest not-so-in-your-face version of that hair accessory. 

7. Biotin. B complex vitamin that helps with hair, skin, and nails. This is a great supplement to go along with a healthy diet. I have noticed improvements with my nails and hair, but not so much with my skin. 

8. Prenatal Vitamins. The claims that prenatal vitamins grow hair and nails is unproven, but of all the products I use this has made the biggest difference in length. Some articles advise against these vitamins if you're not trying to get pregnant or if you aren't pregnant, but I say talk to your doctor for a second opinion rather than relying on the internet. 

Review: Ryobi Hybrid 18-Volt Weed Eater

Say goodbye to gas and cords forever ... unless the battery dies. Yes, this is a review for the ONE+ 18-Volt Lithium Hybrid Cordless or Electric String Trimmer/Edger, but let's just call it a weed eater.  After calling some landscaping companies and exploring other economical lawn care options, we decided to man-up and purchase a weed eater. Because our yard isn't large, we wanted something light-weight and inexpensive. Most gas weed eaters are long and heavy (that's what she said), so we started researching battery-powered tools.

That's when we found the Ryobi Hybrid 18-Volt Weed Eater/Trimmer/Edger or whatever it's called. Seriously though, can tools have more concise names, please?

Reliability: It's been 6 months and everything is working fine. The battery lasts for an entire trim (about .25 acres) and hasn't lost any juice. It charges in less than an hour. And guess what, even if it does run out, this little dandy doubles as an electric tool. Plug it in, plug it in! Oops, wrong tagline, different product.

Ease of Use: OK, we have some issues with it here. First, the edger option isn't great, but we don't use it to edge much. It's the stock string that sucks. It's too thin and the auto-feed doesn't work well. As a result, the string sucks into the spool and gets lost. It's an easy fix, however. Just get some thicker gauge string, viola!

Overall, we like it! In fact, we just ordered the Ryobi 18-Volt Hedger. Stay tuned for that review. As far as the weed eater: 4 out of 5 stars.

-Scratch

Fresh Lips

Being a +Sephora Beauty Insider member has a ton of perks. (No, this post isn't sponsored by Sephora. They don't know me, but they should!) By racking up points on purchases you qualify for a variety of gifts, get a free birthday surprise, and they send you emails with free bonuses you can add on to your online order.

I stockpile Sephora's emails to keep track of all the great bonuses so that when I'm ready to place an order I remember my options of what to redeem (too bad you can only pick one). Just recently they offered a Fresh Sugar bonus that included 3 mini products: Sugar Shine Lip Treatment, Sugar Advanced Therapy, and Sugar Lip Polish. I already tried and love the Sugar Advanced Therapy balm (read original  review here), but the other two products are great as well! The Lip Polish is a nice scrub to exfoliate dryness and the Lip Shine isn't just a gloss, it moisturizes, too.

If you were to buy these products full-size, it would cost about $65. The mini samples I received were probably worth about $25 retail, but I received them FREE with an order of items I already needed to purchase. If you're not a rewards member at your beauty store you should seriously consider it. You could be missing out on some great swag!