Martha Stewart Cakes and Cupcakes Giveaway!

Remember when I was in line at Wal-Mart and Martha talked me into buying her new issue of
Cakes & Cupcakes?  Darn her and her fabulous ideas.

Anyway....I love it so much I decided to get one for you too.
I'm nice like that :)

Here's how you can enter to win:

Mandatory Entry:
Like Me and My Pink Mixer on Facebook and come back here and leave me a comment telling me you did.

For extra entries:
1)  Share the giveaway on your Facebook page and leave me a comment here that you did.
2)  Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway.  Leave a comment here that you did.
3)  Follow me on Pinterest and pin this giveaway.  Leave a comment here that you did.

Entries accepted until Thursday, February 28th.  I'll announce the winner on Friday, March 1st.
Good luck!

Giveaway is now closed.
Congrats to Paula from Sweet Pea!

Skinny Moose Munch

Harry and David's Moose Munch is one of my guilty pleasures.
I LOVE it!
Popcorn and almonds covered in caramel and dark chocolate.
Oh my.

Since beginning the "Show Yourself Some Love" weight loss challenge at work, I have been on a mission to eat light and healthy.  I do however, still need some sweet treats every now and then, so I have lightened up one of my faves.

I give you Skinny Moose Munch.

Sorry Harry and David. 
I have to break up with you...for now :)



















Skinny Moose Munch

2 cups air-popped popcorn
sea salt
1/4 cup whole almonds
2 T dark chocolate chips, melted

Pop popcorn in an air-popper or place kernels in a paper lunch bag and pop in the microwave.
Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.
Spread popcorn and almonds onto the lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt.
Melt dark chocolate chips in microwave.
With a spoon, drizzle chocolate over popcorn and almonds.
Place baking sheet in the refrigerator or freezer a few minutes for the chocolate to harden.

Enjoy your skinny treat!

Linking to:
Tidy Mom's I'm Lovin' It Party
Serenity Now

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cupcakes & Free Printable

One of my friends was trying to put together a Diary of a Wimpy Kid birthday party for her son.
She wasn't having much luck finding party supplies with this theme and asked for my help.

I'm always up for a party challenge, especially when cupcakes are involved :)

I think they turned out pretty cute.

I used a 1 1/2 inch Marvy paper punch (from Michaels) to punch them out and attached them to a wooden toothpick.

Click here to download the cupcake toppers.
For personal use only please.

Linking to:
33 Shades of Green
Pint Size Baker Two Cup Tuesday
Trick or Treat Tuesday
Lil' Luna

Weight Loss Challenge and DIY Snack Size Jell-O

The company I work for is hosting a "Show Yourself Some Love" weight loss challenge, which began last week.  If you lose 5 lbs. and keep it off until April 1st, your name is entered into a drawing for prizes. 
Since swimsuit season will be here before we know it, so I decided this was just the push I needed to lose a few pounds and to get my body moving.

Those of us that signed up to participate received these litte jars.
For every 0.2 pounds you lose, you get to remove a bead from one jar to the other.
Visual motivation.
I keep them on my desk at work to motivate me NOT to snack on the wrong foods.
I've been really good so far, but I still haven't been able to move a bead.
Losing weight is HARD!

I am doing Weight Watchers on my own since it has worked for me in the past.

Now the challenge is staying within my 26 points plus each day!!

Fruits and veggies are zero points, which I love, but I was trying to come up with a few other low point snacks to have in my lunch bag at work.  Sugar-Free Jell-O is 0 points, so I decided to make my own instead of buying the snack size 4 pack for $1.99.  A small box of Sugar-Free Jell-O is .74 cents at Target and all you need to add is water.  I made the Jell-O and poured it into 4 ounce jelly jars that I already had on hand.  One small box of Jell-O filled 6 jars.  Definitely more economical as long as you already have the containers and eco-friendly!

No plastic to recycle :)

Any ideas for me of other low-point snacks or food?

I'd love to hear your weight loss tips or sucess stories, so feel free to comment!

DIY Snack Size Jell-O

1 small box (0.30 oz) Sugar Free Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water

Empty Jell-O into a small bowl.  Pour 1 cup of boiling water of the Jell-O and stir for 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup of cold water and stir to combine.
Pour Jell-O into individual containers (I used 4 oz. jelly jars)
Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Chipotle Inspired Corn Salsa

Do you ever go to Chipotle?
Oh my gosh...I love it.
I always order the same thing.
Burrito bowl with brown rice, black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, corn salsa and lettuce.
The end.
Oh that and a Diet Coke :)



















I was so excited when I found this recipe!
I grabbed all of the ingredients and started chopping.

I will definitely make this again and again.

It will be even better this summer when I steal fresh corn from my parent's garden :)

Chipotle Inspired Corn Salsa

1 12-ounce bag of frozen sweet yellow corn, defrosted and drained
1-2 medium-sized jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 2 limes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. 
Serve with chips or as a topping for your burito bowl.

Recipe from How Sweet Eats

L'Oreal Magic BB Cream Review

Okay, so I'm going to totally change things up on you today and talk about make-up.
You may be saying - what the heck, where are the cupcakes?!?!
Or maybe you're saying it's about time I talked about something besides food :)

Anyway....A couple of weeks ago I was given the opportunity to review L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream.  I understand that BB creams are all the rage right now and since I have never used one I was excited to give it a try.






















Basically BB Cream is an all-in-one cream that is supposed to  hydrate, correct, even and protect, giving you a flawless, bare skin face. To apply, simply dot it on your face and blend with your fingertips. Self-adjusting beads will instantly transform and blend to your skin tone.

I've been using the product for about 2 weeks and can honestly say that I am pretty impressed. 
I used the BB cream as a moisturizer/primer and topped it with my normal Bare Minerals powder foundation. It gave me enough coverage that I would feel comfortable wearing it alone on the weekends, as long as I wasn't going out somewhere special :) It goes on nice and smooth and evens out my skintone.

Bottom line…it works much like a tinted moisturizer and primer all-in-one.  Would I buy it?  Probably not since I already have a primer I really like, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to try it and I will definitely continue to use it until I finish the tube. 

L'Oreal Magic BB Cream retails for $10.95 for 1 fluid ounce and is available in four shades at mass food and drugs stores nationwide .  For more information about L’Oréal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream, check out their website HERE and follow them on Twitter.

Have you tried any BB Creams?  If so, what brand do you like?

Disclaimer - I received a full size tube of L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream
to review from She Speaks. All opinions are my own.

Valentine Cheesecake Pops

Cheesecake pops have been on my list of things I want to try for about 3 years.
Well I finally had some leftover cheesecake AND I had all of the other ingredients on hand.
It was meant to be :)






















Since Valentines Day is this week, I decided to decorate them with pink candy melts,
sprinkles and candy hearts.

Aren't they sweet.

Valentine Cheesecake Pops

Leftover cheesecake or bake your own without the crust (try this recipe)
Pink Candy Melts
Lollipop sticks
Assorted sprinkles
Graham Cracker crumbs
Wax paper
Styrofoam block

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out round balls of cheesecake. 
I found that rolling them into some graham cracker crumbs helped to shape them better. 
Place them onto a wax paper lined baking sheet.
Freeze until firm, 20-30 minutes.

Melt candy coating in microwave, using directions on package. 
Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the candy coating and insert it into the cheesecake. 
Using the stick as your handle, dip the cheesecake ball into the melted candy coating.
Swirl to completely coat.  Tap off any excess and add sprinkles immediately if desired.
Place pops into a syrofoam block to dry and then store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Store any leftover pops in the fridge.

Birthday Cake Oreo Cupcakes

Have you tried Birthday Cake Oreo cookies?
The filling tastes just like birthday cake!

I spotted these a week or so ago while on one of my many Target shopping trips :)
I knew they would come in handy one day soon.
My Dad's birthday celebration seemed like a good time to give them a try.

Chopped oreo cookies baked into chocolate cake batter - yum!

My Dad's 75th birthday is today!

Happy Birthday Dad.

We celebrated on Sunday with a huge dinner at the farm.

I brought the cupcakes.

That's just the kind of daughter I am :)

I think he liked them.

Birthday Cake Oreo Cupcakes

1 box Devil's Food chocolate cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
8 Birthday Cake Oreo cookies, chopped
12 Birthday Cake Oreo cookies, halved for garnish
sprinkles for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place cupcake liners into cupcake pan.
In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and canola oil with an electric mixer.
Beat for 2 minutes; occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl.
Fold in chopped oreo cookies.
Using a large cookie scoop, drop batter into liners.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Place cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.

While cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 cups confectioners sugar

1 T milk or heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In the bowl of your stand mixer add butter and beat for about 1 minute.

Add confectioners sugar one cup at a time.

Add milk and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.

Place frosting into a piping bag.  I use a Wilton 1M tip.

Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. 

Top with sprinkles and a cookie half.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Linking to:

I {Heart} Naptime Sundae Scoop

Made By You Monday

Pint Sized Baker Two Cup Tuesday

Chicken Florentine Pasta

I have been planning out our evening meals for the past few months and I can't believe how much time and money this has saved.
Not to mention my sanity!
Why have I not been doing this for years??

It is SO nice coming home from work and actually have a plan of what I am making and have all of the ingredients I need :)
It's about time I got my act together!!

This chicken and pasta dish comes together in no time and it is SO good and healthy too.
I usually cut the recipe in half since there are only two of us most of the time and I still have some leftover for lunch the next day.






















Chicken Florentine Pasta

1 lb. whole wheat pasta (I like Bow Ties)
4 boneless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 bag baby spinach
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

Cook pasta in lightly salted water; drain and set aside.
Cut chicken breasts into chunks and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil over high heat in a large skillet.  Add chicken, but do not stir for a couple of minutes, allowing it to brown on one side.  Turn the chicken and brown the other side.  Cook until done, then remove from skillet.

Turn heat to medium and add garlic; stirring quickly to avoid burning.  After about 30 seconds, pour in wine and broth, stirring to deglaze the pan.  Allow the liquid to bubble up, then continue cooking until reduced by half.
Turn off heat.  Add spinach, tomatoes, chicken and cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss to combine; the spinach will wilt as you do this.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and toss again.

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

Follow Me and My Pink Mixer on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  It's more fun if you're there too!

Hello Monday

Hello favorite new snack.
Clementines dipped in dark chocolate.
So good.

Hello pretty tea cup.

I have a new fascination with tea cups now that I am watching Downton Abbey and having my own tea time :)

Hello new Chobani flavors and awesome new spoon.

Thanks for the special delivery super nice Chobani people!! #tastereal

Hello new KitchenAid 5 Speed Hand Blender!

Remember the Mixed Food Bloggers Conference I went to in December?

Well KitchenAid sponsored another giveaway for attendees and I won a new blender - YAY ME!

Hello pretty cakes and cupcakes.

Darn you Martha Stewart for temping me with your magazine while I waited in line at

Wal-Mart.

You always win.

Hello fresh cilantro.
I made corn salsa for the Super Bowl.
I'll share the recipe later this week.

Hello February.
Wishing you all a fabulous week!

Linking up to Hello Monday with Lisa Leonard.