The Search for Great Drugstore Mascara

So I'm starting to notice that my trusty MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara is starting to run low. While I really love this stuff, I just don't want to pay $21 for another one. 

There's got to be a great drugstore mascara out there, right?! In the past, I've tried L'Oreal Voluminous, which has always gotten rave reviews, and I've also tried the pink and green tube of Maybelline mascara, which is supposedly a great product as well. However, I thought they were just ok. I ended up with raccoon eyes with both of them by the end of the day, and they were miserable to try to wash off at night.

My MAC mascara has served me well, that's for sure. It has never run or flaked off, and it's easy to remove. But I wonder... do I really have to pay $21 to get a good product? I'd be curious to hear what some of your favorite mascaras are. 

Cranberry, Orange and Pumpkin... Oh, my!

I won't even begin to go into detail about how much I love pumpkin stuff. Anything pumpkin, you name it, and I've probably tried it and loved it! Food, candles, lotion, soap, decorations... my name is Jenna, and yes, I'm a pumpkin addict. With that being said, one of my very favorite items is pumpkin cream cheese. I've been known to clear a shelf of this stuff and buy it in quantities of 10. 

This year, instead of buying regular bagels to have with my cream cheese, I found a new love in the bread aisle. I'm pleased to introduce you to Nature's Own Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Toasters. You can find these bad boys on the bread aisle, and they'd pair deliciously with butter, jam, cream cheese... or anything, really! I'm partial to the pumpkin cream cheese, though!

These little toasters are new and they come in cinnamon raisin flavor, too. They're perfect for breakfast or a snack, and they're also very healthy. I just love finding new yummy products!

Panini Press

I was lucky enough to get a great gift from my parents for my birthday a couple weeks ago... a panini press! They had heard me mention before that I was considering buying one. Especially during the summer when it's just too hot to turn on the stove every night, I like to make sandwiches for dinner. I made several paninis, but didn't have a press. I'd just put a skillet on top of my sandwich and press it down, but my skillet wasn't very heavy and didn't do the best job of pressing it.

I hadn't made any paninis in a little while, and I had convinced myself that I didn't need to buy a panini press because I really don't have room to store it, and I didn't think I'd use it enough to justify the purchase. But, lo and behold, my parents bought me one! However, it's not your typical panini press. It doesn't plug in at all. It's basically just a grill pan with a heavy "lid" on top. The thing I really like about this is that it stores easily with my other pots and pans, it's so simple to clean, and it can be used as a grill pan, as well as a panini press. 

Here is the one I have, and I love it! I broke it in by making my Greek paninis, and I'm sure I'll be making my brie, apple, and caramelized onion sandwich, too! Now I just need to come up with some more sandwich options, and maybe grill some veggies, too!

Country Caviar

Those of you who aren't familiar with Southern traditions might find this post totally boring. I'm sorry. But I'm even more sorry that you've been missing out of one of life's greatest pleasures... boiled peanuts, a.k.a. country caviar!

When I was young, I remember taking road trips to the mountains (usually north Georgia or North Carolina) with my family, and it was always a treat to stop at one of the roadside stands that sold hot boiled peanuts! They are just the most delicious snack ever! They're salty and soft, with just the perfect flavor! 

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Most grocery stores actually sell boiled peanuts in a can. They can usually be sound on the snack aisle. While these will do in a pinch, they're still not quite the same as homemade. To my excitement, I discovered that the produce section of my grocery store carries refrigerated bags of boiled peanuts that are the next best thing to buying them at a roadside stand. All I have to do in pop them in the microwave for a minute or so, and they're warm and ready to enjoy!

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I think each grocery store tends to carry a different brand, but if you can find the refrigerated kind in your produce section, I highly encourage you to try them. My store carries Hardy Farms brand, which can also be purchased online here. If you can't find them in the product section, at least pick up a can of them from the snack aisle!

Back in Action

Sorry I've been a little MIA lately. The past week was a tough one. We had to have our family dog, Molly, put down on my birthday. That was not fun. She was 16, and truly a part of our family. I grew up with her and enjoyed spending time with her, so I'm really missing her. In fact, she and I were roommates for about a year and a half, up until I moved last summer. She kept me company and made me feel protected.

In order to distract myself, I've been spending a lot of time at the gym. It's definitely been much needed anyway. I had gotten out of the habit of exercising regularly, and I just feel so much better when I'm working out! Part of the motivation of going to the gym is in the clothes and shoes you wear, or at least it is for me! I scored these kicks during Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale, and I'm loving them for the gym! I don't think they have enough support for running, especially for people like me who seem to overpronote, but for just wearing on the elliptical and for using the weight machines, they're perfect and lightweight. 

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Another thing I recently discovered, which can also give you energy and motivation for the gym is a great snack/breakfast bar: Whenever Bars by Pamela's. These things are so addicting! My grocery store keeps them in the organic section because they're all natural. They are $4.99 for 5 bars, but they're so worth it. I promise. They're soft, yummy, and nutritious! I actually just found them on Amazon, so I'll definitely have to order them in bulk to save some money. I've only tried the oat chocolate chip coconut, but all the flavors sounds great!

Buy them here:
Pamela's Products Wheat Free & Gluten Free Whenever Bars Oat Choc Chip Coconut, 5 Count Box, 7.05-Ounce (Pack of 6)

One more thing that's making me feel great right now is the fact that the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is back! It just doesn't get any better than that. To my disappointment, I tried my very first pumpkin spice frappuccino the other day, but it just didn't live up to its latte cousin. Or perhaps I'm just more partial to the hot drinks. I have yet to find an iced drink there that I truly love as much as the PSL.

Kellogg's Breakfast To Go

I don't know how time has gotten away from me lately, but it's been tough keeping up with things! I haven't been posting as much lately, but I'm trying to get back on track.

Anyway, in my haste in getting ready for work in the mornings, I often don't allow time to eat breakfast at home. Yes, I could, and I often plan to get up earlier and cook a nice breakfast, but then when that alarm clock goes off, I decide that I'd rather have a little more sleep over food. Enter Kellogg's Breakfast To Go.

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I'd read about these in a magazine or something. I can't remember where exactly I had seen them, but it was somewhere. And then while I was in the grocery store the other day, I spotted them, and it triggered my memory of wanting to try them! They come in chocolate or vanilla flavor. I bought the chocolate. 

I was really excited that these shakes have 10g of protein and 5g of fiber per bottle! They also have lots of other vitamins and minerals. But on top of being nutritious and convenient, they also taste great!! I honestly thought that the chocolate tasted just like chocolate milk. No weird artificial flavors or after tastes. It's really yummy!! I paid around $4.99 for a pack of 4, and I will say that they are also pretty filling. The first day, that's all I had for breakfast, and I was satisfied. The second day I decided I should try to get a little more protein first thing in the morning, so I also ate a Kind bar with added protein (almond, walnut, macadamia... also delish!!). 

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Ok, as I was writing this post, I just discovered that they also make a strawberry flavor! I didn't see those at my grocery store, but I'll check Wal-Mart or someplace like that. I bet it would be equally tasty!