The Miraculous Benefits of Vitamin E

For me, this past Christmas season came with a trip to my parent's house to spend the holiday with my family. A holiday with my family isn't complete without good food and wine.. yum! Well while I was there, I stumbled across a bottle of vitamin E skin oil in the medicine cabinet. I decided to do a little research on vitamin E oil, and found that it comes complete with a variety of benefits:

• treatment of scars, stretch marks, and burn wounds
• treatment of dry skin and lips
• anti-aging benefits
• cleansing agent
• under-eye treatment
• and even make-up removal

With a list of benefits this long, I decided to experiment with using vitamin E oil as a facial moisturizer. With the benefits of oil being touted seemingly everywhere, why not? What's the worst that could happen?

Those six words seem to be the kiss of death, but I was simply amazed by what this oil has done for my skin. After the first application alone, the small break-out occurring on my chin (thank you unhealthy holiday diets!) began clearing up. Now, just three weeks later, and my skin has become clearer, hydrated, and even has a slight glow to it. After years of using a variety of different skin care products that did little to help my skin, I cannot even begin to describe how amazed I am.

Because vitamin E oil is an oil, it can be too heavy for your skin during the day. I choose to put a heavy layer on my face/neck at night, and a very light layer during the day- if distributed and rubbed into your skin well, it will not cause your skin to be extra oily. However, caution should be exercised with using vitamin E oil on your eyelids/ eye area during the day if you wear eye make-up, as this area doesn't absorb oil as well and your make-up will be more likely to smudge.

If you feel that vitamin E oil could help you, I would strongly encourage its use! While I have only been using this product for three weeks at the current time, I have already experienced a list of benefits, including:

• soft, moisturized, glowing skin
• reduction in facial scars
• healing of acne
• reduction in blackheads 

 These results are from my personal experience, and may not be typical of everyone trying Vitamin E oil as a topical skincare solution. However, if you choose to begin using Vitamin E oil or already do, I would love to hear about your experiences!

If you are looking to buy vitamin E oil, pay careful attention to the ingredients list, as all oils are not created equal. Tocopheryl acetate has gained some negative reviews online, and while I have not had any problems, it appears that those with sensitive skin may have sensitivity issues with this ingredient. Instead, look for oils containing tocopherol, as I will also be testing with my next purchase. 

My Beautiful, Chaotic Life

Over the past few months I have found myself to be extremely lacking in time, which has translated into lack of time for blogging as well. While I may have taken a long hiatus, I am planning to begin frequently updating this blog again. The past few months have helped to give me some new, interesting, and insightful knowledge that I cannot wait to share with all my lovely readers.

Stay tuned!

Xoxo

Wine Bottle Crafts

Everyone loves wine, right? Well maybe not everybody, but I know I certainly do! I actually discovered a new favorite the other day, red moscato! If you enjoy sweet wines, it is definitely a must try! I may or may not have finished an entire bottle to myself just because it was so good... oops!

Anyway, after you're finished enjoying that delicious wine of your choice, it's easy to just throw the bottle in the recycle bin and think nothing more of it. But if you're a crafty person like me, there are so many interesting ways to up-cycle using both the wine bottle and the cork! You can use them as house decorations, wedding centerpieces... the ideas are endless! These ideas below are some of my personal favorites!

Wine Cork Drink Coaster

These are super cute, inexpensive to make, and very practical. What better coaster to use when enjoying wine but one made with wine corks and small picture frames? I will definitely be making some of these soon!

Picture credit to and directions available at: http://www.pincookie.com/diy-rustic-cork-coasters-using-small-picture-frames/#

Glittered Wine Bottles

This website calls for smaller bottles, but glittered wine bottles would also make adorable vases for holiday decorations or anything else you would want to use them for! Again, this craft is both simple and inexpensive!

Photo credit to and directions available at: http://organizeyourstuffnow.com/wordpress/glittered-bottles

Decorated Wine Bottles

Wine bottles painted the color of your choice and chalkboard spray paint can be used in many different ways: as a thank you gift, table settings, the possibilities are endless! The chalkboard paint will allow you to write and erase endlessly, making these bottles easily reusable.

Photo credit to and directions available at: http://www.creativejuicesdecor.com/2011/05/wine-bottles-spray-paint-and-chalkoh-my.html

Twine Wrapped Wine Bottle

Unfortunately the directions on this website are in French, but even if you are too lazy to use a translator (like me) this craft still appears simple to make. Use modge podge as you go, and slowly wrap the bottle in twine. This would make a perfect vase or decoration in a rustic themed home, or as a center piece for a rustic themed wedding. This is one of my personal favorites, and I will definitely be making one soon! It's also so simple to add personal touches such as lace or flowers to the bottle.

Picture credits to and directions (in French) available at: http://aur0re.blogspot.fr/2012/09/do-it-yourself1.html

Wine Cork Candle Holder

Even if you are the least crafty person alive, this is one project that I have complete confidence that you can master. As long as you like wine anyway, because you will need a lot of corks. All you need are two glass cylinders, one smaller for the candle in the center, and a larger cylinder to place the corks in surrounding the smaller cylinder. All you have to do is place the candle and corks in their cylinders, and you're done! Super cute and super easy!

Photo credit to and directions available at: http://www.twotwentyone.net/2011/08/wine-cork-candle-holder/

Hope I've helped to inspire some wine bottle crafting. Has anybody tried any of these ideas or have any other awesome wine bottle crafts? Feel free to share, I'd love to hear about it!

Ramen Noodle Stir-Fry

I'm just going to start out by saying this is probably one of the most simple and delicious things that I have ever made.

I've seen multiple recipes for ramen noodle stir-fry, which gave me the idea to try my own. It ended up being a throw together recipe with a few things that were laying around the house, so this recipe could be easily customized to whatever meats and vegetables you prefer. 

I started out by boiling water for the ramen noodles while I began cooking the chicken, green onion, broccoli, and cauliflower tossed with some canola oil.

Once the water has begun to boil, cook the ramen noodles for about three minutes (until cooked thoroughly). Continue frying the vegetables and meat.

Once the noodles are cooked, partially drain the water until about a cup remains. Stir in the seasoning packet from the ramen noodles, and then pour the noodles and seasoned water in with the rest of the stir-fry.

I used beef flavored ramen along with the chicken. This gave the stir-fry a delicious flavoring.

Continue cooking until the liquid is almost absorbed, let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

 This dish is perfect for a quick dinner or lunch as it requires little prep and cook time.

This recipe makes two servings.

It's also important to note that I didn't measure out ingredients carefully, this is more of a personal preference recipe! 

Ingredients:

One pack of ramen noodles and seasoning packet(I used beef flavored)

Two cups of water (for boiling noodles)

Approximately four ounces of pre-cooked chicken (I used Perdue carved chicken breast)

One cup cauliflower (raw and chopped)

One cup broccoli (raw and chopped)

Two green onions (chopped)

Approximately three tablespoons of canola oil

Recipe:

Boil two cups of water for the ramen noodles, and place the noodles in once boiling.

Place enough oil in a frying pan to cover the bottom, and place in the pre-cooked chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, and green onion. Cook the mix on medium-high heat.

Continue cooking the stir-fry until the vegetables and chicken are cooked and browned. Be sure to stir the mix frequently. (This should take about as long as it does to boil the water and cook the ramen noodles). 

When the ramen noodles are finished cooking (approximately three minutes in boiling water), drain out half the water. Mix in the seasoning packet, and then pour the seasoned water and noodles into the stir-fry pan.

Continue cooking until the water is almost cooked out. Allow to sit for a few minutes to allow the water to completely absorb.

Enjoy!

UPDATE:

Since this recipe was so delicious the first time, I decided to make it again. It turned out even better than the first time, and I didn't even think that was possible. I had different vegetables available this time, so it was also a little different. 

I fried chicken, broccoli stalks (chopped), green onions, and sliced baby bella mushrooms in the pan over medium heat, using a little canola oil and also Pam cooking spray. This worked out better than just using oil because the spray didn't cook into the vegetables, and allowed them to cook without drying out as easily. So basically, the vegetables were perfectly cooked and moist. I also added a few broccoli florets to cook in with the ramen noodles. I added the broccoli while the water was heating up so that it had enough time to cook through. 

When the water began boiling, I added in the ramen noodles (which I broke up first to allow for easier mixing). I also added the seasoning packet at this time after pouring out some extra water. This allowed the seasoning to cook into the noodles and broccoli florets better.

At this time, I also added spinach to the frying pan. Since spinach doesn't need long to cook, this allowed it to remain moist through the rest of the cooking process. 

Once the ramen noodles finished cooking, I poured the mix over the pan and allowed it to finish cooking until the liquid was absorbed. Delicious!

And the best part? It's filling, low calorie, and healthy! The nutritional information varies slightly based on vegetables used and amount of chicken, but by following the original recipe amounts and just changing the vegetables.. here's the nutritional information per serving (approximately 2 per pan)! Simply amazing!

Motivation

Because sometimes you just need a little daily reminder of positivity in your life! I know I sure do!

Photo from: http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/post/17214234134/dance-more-always

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy strawberries. Personally, they are one of my favorites. Especially chocolate covered strawberries. But unfortunately, they can be expensive to buy and difficult to make. So I came up with a simple and fast solution that tastes just as good (if not better!) than regular chocolate covered strawberries.

All you have to do is slice up a bowl of strawberries and cover with chocolate syrup! I'm a huge fan of Hershey's chocolate syrup, so of course that's what I used. Delicious! And the best part is you can use as little or as much chocolate as you want, and you don't have to worry about the chocolate coating falling apart as you take a bite!

I also use whipped cream with mine because it adds that extra little touch of goodness, without adding many calories. If you are looking for a fast, easy, and delicious summer treat, chocolate syrup covered strawberries are definitely the way to go!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake

My newest Pinterest recipe that I've tried out was a delicious buffalo chicken pasta bake. Absolutely delicious. My family and I are quite the buffalo wing fans, so this was a perfect match for us. It was quite simple to throw together as well.

I changed my recipe a little from the one I found on Pinterest, but I will provide a link to the original recipe at the end of this post.

This made approximately 6 servings.

Ingredients:

16 oz. of penne, cooked and drained

4 cups of chicken, cooked and diced

1/2-1 cup of hot sauce (depends on your spiceness preference. I used about 1/2 cup of Longaberger Buffalo Wing Dip instead)

1 cup of ranch dressing

4 green onions, chopped

2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

After cooking and preparing the penne and chicken, mix together in a baking dish along with 1 cup of cheese.

Separately mix together the hot sauce, ranch, and green onions. Once well mixed, pour over the pasta, chicken, and cheese and mix again.

Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top of the mix (or more if you wish!) and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Enjoy the finished results!

 

The original recipe credits go to http://lentzedlife.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/freezer-for-matt-buffalo-chicken-pasta-bake/

Meatballs Stroganoff

This recipe was absolutely delicious. I made it for dinner for my family one night and had absolutely no complaints.. which in my family, almost never happens (aka extremely picky younger siblings).

I pretty much just followed the recipe from Pinterest, using nearly a whole bag of meatballs and a bag of egg noodles (which gave plenty of yummy leftovers). I also added larger amounts of the ingredients from the recipe because of the larger amounts, especially spices. If you like a lot of flavor like me, feel free to go a little overboard with the spices! Since I didn't change the recipe ingredients or process, I'll just provide a link for you to check out for yourself!

http://menumusings.blogspot.com/2011/06/meatballs-stroganoff.html

Picture credits also go to http://menumusings.blogspot.com/2011/06/meatballs-stroganoff.html.

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa

Another new favorite I've found is Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa. It's very similar to one of my favorite side dishes, broccoli rice au gratin by Uncle Ben's. I had recently bought some quinoa to try for the first time, and this seemed like the perfect recipe to test it out. 

I was very pleasantly surprised by how this recipe turned out. I made a few adjustments to my version of the recipe to add some extra nutrition and flavor. My quinoa didn't turn out nearly as yellow as the picture above, but it was certainly delicious. 

This recipe makes approximately four servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa (I used Mediterranean flavored.. delicious!)

1 1/2 cups of water (for cooking)

2 cups of broccoli, well chopped

1 cup of cauliflower, well chopped

1 cup of cheddar or Mexican cheese

Salt and pepper as needed

Recipe:

Bring the quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, and water to a boil over medium heat.

Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer about 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

Mix in the cheese until well melted and season as needed.

Enjoy!

Original recipe and photo credits go to: http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/11/cheesy-broccoli-quinoa.html

Chocolate Molten Cakes

Everybody loves lava cakes. But they're much too difficult/ time consuming to make at home, right?

That's what I thought too, until I found an awesome recipe on Pinterest. This recipe is pure genius.

Okay, so I didn't end up making mine as pretty as the picture above, but they were definitely delicious. And even better- they were super easy to make! All you need are a few simple ingredients and a muffin pan, and you can enjoy your own lava cakes at home!


The recipe is easy to follow. The batter is made from butter, chocolate chips, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, and flour. After mixing the ingredients properly and preparing the muffin tins, you'll pour the mixture in the tins and place the tray in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Then you'll put the muffin tray in the oven for 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of the tins) and voila! Delicious chocolate molten cakes are waiting for you!

Now after your lava cakes are done cooking, the recipe calls for you to flip the lava cakes over by inverting the pan using a baking sheet. This didn't work well for me, as the runny middles just ended up leaking over the pan. Maybe I didn't cook them quite long enough, but some were more done than others and I didn't want to the middle through. I would suggest just scooping out the lava cakes individually with a spoon.

I would suggest eating these fresh out of the oven, hot and with ice cream. Absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

For coating the muffin tins:

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

2 tablespoons of cocoa

For the molten cakes:

3/4 cup of butter
12 ounce of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of heavy cream
5 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup of flour

Recipe:

Prepare cupcake pans by coating the inside of each with melted butter by swirling it around.  Then sprinkle the insides with cocoa, coating completely.

To make the batter, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, then top it with butter and cream.  Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth.  When chocolate has cooled slightly, stir in eggs, sugar and flour.  Pour into prepared cupcake pans.  Refrigerate for 1 hour (at least) and up to a couple of days.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes for regular 12/pan size and 15-18 for jumbo 6/pan size, just until the outsides and most of the top have set, and the centers are still slightly runny.  You can insert the tip of a knife to test.   You just want a bit of the very center to be a thick pudding like texture.   Let them cool for 5 minutes, then place a sheet pan on top of the muffin pan and invert them. 

And here's the link to the original recipe as well!

http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2013/04/chocolate-molten-cakes-in-cupcake-pan.html

I also credit the first picture to this website, the rest are personal photos. Clearly I'm not the best food photographer, but I was more excited about eating them! Definitely a must try!

All credit for this recipe goes to http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com