ShoeDazzle

I remember when ShoeDazzle first started, they had some okay looking shoes for a low price. Now ShoeDazzle has stepped their came up.

I follow Jeannie Mai on IG, she usually post an outfit of the day (OOTD). One day she had on these really cute sandals and stated they were from ShoeDazzle. So of course I had to jump over to their site to see if I could find them. They were sold out but I did come across a few pairs that I wouldn't mind adding to my collection.

When you get a chance head on over to ShoeDazzle! and check out their new collection.

Talk up Thursdays

My girl Candy B formerly of Bashmentlinkup has a new weekly talk show on AblazinRadio.

Talk Up Thursdays is geared towards the DMV dancehall community from all walks of life. They discuss relevant current events, what's going on in the community and of course they play the best dancehall and reggae chunes.

Logon to Talk Up Thursdays every Thursday from 9pm - 11pm. You can also download the app (Ablazin Radio) on your smart phone.  

Check them out and tell me what you think.

Black Girls Workout Too

Before summer started I wanted to find a home work out program for days when I just can't make it to the gym. On InstaGram, I kept seeing people post their results from Black Girls Workout Too. Now these were amazing transformations from real people, so I decided I wanted to check this program out.  I went on Amazon to see how much the DVD would cost, it was $29.99. Now to some that's nothing but to someone as cheap as me that is a lot.  Then I read the reviews and most were saying the quality was not work 30 bucks so I decided not to get it. 

Months later I got the DVD from my sister-in-law. I have to say the quality is very low BUT the workout is GREAT!!! I was sweating harder than when I am in the gym. I have decided that I will use the DVD three times a week and go to the gym three times a week. I am determined to get this body tight and toned!  I'll keep you all posted on the results.

If you've never heard of Black Girls Workout Too check out the mother/daughter duo on InstamGram @VitaminEllen and @lanagem. You can also get more information from their website.

Interviewing 101

I'm still amazed at how many 25 and older people still do not know the proper etiquette when interviewing. This is the age of technology, you can find everything online these days. If you can take the time to check your [insert social media name] then you should be able to search how to dress for an interview, how to respond to interview questions and what questions to ask the interviewee.

Too many times, I've seen folks go on an interview in jeans or looking like they're going to hit the club afterwards. Even if you are applying to be a trash truck driver, you should still dress professionally.  And I don't want to hear "maybe they can't afford a suit" because that is bull. If you can afford a pair of jeans or club clothes you can afford to buy something presentable for an interview.  I have three suits in my closet specific for interviews and I did not pay more than $50 for them. One my mother found in TJMaxx for $4 (yes you read that correct FOUR dollars.) 

There are programs that sell gently worn work clothes at thrift store prices. One program I know of first hand is Dress for Success. They sell professional attire and accessories for the LOW.

When I have some free time, I'm going to create a few interview looks for women and men. I will also give a couple of interview tips like saying YES and NO instead of yeah, naw and the one I hate the most HUH.

Pancakes

Cooking from scratch is not as hard as some make it seem.  If I can do it, anybody can do it.  I don't really like to cook but I love to eat.  However, when you make your food from scratch you know what is in it.  And you don't have to worry about the high sodium intake (you control how much salt goes in) or all the other crap you can not pronounce.

Anyway, I have been making these pancakes for a couple of years now and they never fail me.  Unless, I use old baking soda :)  They are super easy to prepare, you can mix up the ingredients the night before and are ready to go in the morning.  These pancakes are way better than the box stuff and a little better for you too.


Disclaimer: I did not take the picture below.  We ate the pancakes before I thought about making this post, so I had to grab a picture from Google images.

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
3 tbsps of sugar
2 tsps of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
2 eggs
4 tsps of unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1/2 tsps of vanilla (optional)
1 1/2 - 2 cups of buttermilk

Directions:

Melt butter and sit aside.  Combine all the dry ingredients (it is not a requirement for you to sift them).  In another bowl slightly beat the eggs with the vanilla.  Add to dry ingredients, then add the buttermilk and melted butter.  Stir to combine but do not over mix.  The batter should have small lumps.

I usually pour the batter into a measurement cup to make it easier to pour onto the griddle.  You can also use a ladler or ice cream scoop.

Don't forget to oil your pan.

For blueberry pancakes: Fold in fresh or frozen blueberries right after you have combined all the ingredients.
  
 

Sunkissed VoxBox

It's been a few months since I've last received a VoxBox from Influenster. So I was extremely excited when I was selected to receive the Sunkissed VoxBox.

This VoxBox contained:
Dr. Scholl's For Her - $10.99
Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream - $12.99
SinfulShine with Gel Tech - $2.99
Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics - $3.99 - $4.99

This wasn't one of my favorite boxes but hey I'm receiving free products, so I won't complain.  The Dr. Scholl's for Her High Heel Insoles are really comfortable.  They pair well with my heels that are not platform pumps.  I was able to stay in my shoes all evening without my ball of my feet hurting.  I will most likely purchase this product.

I was not able to use the Olay Fresh Effects {BB Cream!}Skin Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 because the shade was way too light for my complexion.  At this time it is only available in fair/light and light/medium.  I've heard great reviews about this product.  If they make Olay Fresh in a darker shade, I will purchase it. 

The SinfulShine with Gel Tech is available in 32 shades.  I received the white shade, which I was excited about.  I have been wanting to get my toes painted white for some time now.  As soon as I opened the box, the polish was the first thing I tried.  The application was smooth but I didn't like the way it looked on my toes, reminded me of whiteout.  I did like the way it looked on my nails.  I do plan on going to Walgreens soon to try out other colors. 

I thought the Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics were wider than they were.  They came in 4 colors; black, grey, purple and pink. The ribbons are really cute!  I used the black ribbon to hold my daughter's ponytail together.  She didn't have any problems with it.  I would probably purchase this product in the future for my daughter.


Thanks again to Influester for sending me these products to test for free!

Sloppy Joe recipe

In my house we try to make our meals from scratch as much as possible.  One day I had a taste for sloppy joes and knew that the can mess would be too high in sodium and calories.  So I went on a search for a sloppy joe recipe.  I found Spencer's Sloppy Joes on the Food Networks website.  I've made a Gina and Pat Neely recipe before, so I decide to give it a try.  This has now my go to recipe for when we want sloppy joe's for dinner.


(Please excuse the picture quality.  I don't have a professional camera, these pictures were taken with my iPhone.)

I pretty much stuck to their recipe with a few tweaks here and there.  I have highlighted the changes I made in red.  If you would like the original recipe click on the link above.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped (I love garlic, you can use the recommended 2 cloves or less depending on your preference)

1 family pack lean ground turkey

Seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder and ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste (you can omit if you don't have it)
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

 

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet with straight sides. Add the bell peppers and garlic. Saute until tender, about 3 minutes. 

 

Season ground turkey with seasoning all, garlic powder, onion powder and ground pepper.  Add the ground turkey to the vegetables. Stir and cook about 8 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and fully cooked.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, into the skillet. Stir. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve on hamburger bun with extra sauce.