Skinny Jane Quick Slim Kit Blog Review {Giveaway}

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of the products for review purposes. The opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with the products. Please consult your personal physician or health care practitioner prior to adding any supplements to your regimen.

It is January.  November and December were crazy and fun. A big family cruise.  Thanksgiving. Hanukkah. Christmas Baking. Cooking. Parties. More Parties. Baking. Cooking. Hanukkah Party on Christmas since we were away with more baking and cooking. Oh, by the way, I ate too much alot a little of of my baking and cooking. My workout schedule got a little bit skewed. Okay, a lot skewed.  Time to get it all back together and fast....the question was HOW?

The timing was perfect when Skinny Jane contacted me about their weight loss challenge.
We all know that we feel healthier and happier when we are at a good weight. A healthy weight, right?  Skinny Jane tells me that it helps women lose weight and of course that will most likely translate into healthier and happier too.*  Skinny Jane has two excellent weight loss challenge options available.  Each weight loss challenges comes with the Skinny Jane Quick Slim Kit.

The contents of the Kit include:

Skinny Jane's Skinny Blend 
The company shares with me that this is the best-tasting weight loss shake out there. I thought it tasted pretty darn good.  It has a proprietary blend of 7 proteins that can energize you and curb your appetite for up to 4 hours.*  Each serving has just 100 calories, only 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein.  Skinny Blend will boost your protein intake.  The benefit for you is that your metabolism stays revved up while you are losing weight.

Skinny Burn is a supplement that facilitates fat burn and weight loss according to Skinny Jane.* The 9 ingredients work in synergy to increase your metabolism, boost your energy, and control your appetite.* Raspberry Ketones are a key ingredient in the Skinny Burn.  The company shares with me that this ingredient that has been shown to be an effective fat burner.*

3.  Skinny Cleanse is third component of the system. This helps to remove toxins and impurities from your body by gently cleansing.*  Skinny Jane shares that this action will aid your body to be a more efficient fat burning machine.* This is a gentle cleanse that is very safe and does not cause any stomach discomfort.*

It is always wise to check with your physician prior to starting a new diet or exercise regimen.  You can access a complete list of the ingredients on the Skinny Jane weight loss products on their website too.  I advise you to do that as well and it is something that I always do personally.

I was excited to receive a one week supply of the Skinny Jane Quick Slim Kit.  It really let me get a feel for the program.  I enjoyed the great taste of the Skinny Blend and used it as directed.  I liked all three of the flavors but the Vanilla was my favorite.  There also is a Chocolate and a Strawberry flavor.  I found the kit has definitely helped to curb my sneaky appetite and kept me going all day long so far.  I found the one week cleanse to be very gentle but effective though I am still doing it.  I would definitely recommend giving the Skinny Jane Quick Slim Kit a try if you need a little extra help to get things jump started.  Don't forget to make sure you get moving too....get walking, jogging or hop to the gym for a class. I get to the gym at least 4 days a week with boot camp and cardio.  It all helps keep you in a good frame of mind and keeps everything in its place if you know what I mean.  Let me know your thoughts and experiences with the plan.

Skinny Jane is also sponsoring a giveaway in honor of fresh starts for the New Year.  Here are all the skinny details on how to enter:

1. Like” SkinnyJane on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
2. Submit an email to info@skinnyjane.com explaining why you should win the trial kit. They encourage you to share your weight loss struggles and hardships.
3. You will need to include my name (Glamamama Betsy Tomoson Reviewer) so they know that you were referred by me. Don't forget your own name too! 
4.  Leave me your name in the comments here so I know you entered! Good luck.
5. Deadline for entries will be January 31, 2014.
6. The winner will be given a code so they can purchase the kit on Amazon for free. (You only pay for shipping costs

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Best Ever Easy Peasy Flourless Peanut Butter (or nut-free!) Heathbar Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

I love this easy recipe.  It is fast and easy for kids learning how to cook too since there are minimal things to measure but just enough that it seems adventurous. I made them two different ways above and below so choose your favorite!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup creamy peanut butter (or soy nut or almond butter is fine

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (you can sub white sugar instead too!)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon baking soda  
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) 

1/2 cup milk (or white) chocolate chips   
1/4 cup Heath bar pieces (optional-you can chop up a Heath bar if you can find the bags of chopped Heath)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix all ingredients except chocolate/white/Heath chips.
• When blended, mix in the chocolate chips/white/Heath chips. 
• Dough will be kind of sticky and wet  
• Oil up your hand with a few drops of cooking oil to prevent dough from sticking then use your fingers to form 1 1/2 inch balls  and place onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Trust me, don't make them too big because they spread. One time the babysitter made them with my little one and they ended up the size of dinner plates!
• Bake for about 8-9 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the cookies sheet for about 30 seconds to 1 minute before letting cool on a wire rack.
• Makes about one dozen small and yummy cookies.

Urthbox is a fun way to discover some healthy snacks for you and your family

Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of the products for review purposes. The opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with the product.

Urthbox offers healthy snack options for almost everyone on your list including you!  2014 is a new year and you can make a fresh and healthy start every day.
Urthbox makes healthy options easy to choose.  Every single Urthbox product is carefully curated and checked for ingredient, source, calorie, nutrition and manufacturing reviews. You can feel confident you are choosing something good for you and fun!

Select from Classic, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Diet or Snacker Box Options. They offer one month, three month, or six month subscriptions. Think about how excited you will be each month when you open your carefully selected yummy and fresh new snacks, drinks, food & more tucked into your Urthbox.  Don't worry if you find a new favorite either....it is super easy to purchase it easily through the Urthbox online shop. It's January...start right now to make healthy foods a priority in your life. Let Urthbox help you do it every month.

Prices are reasonable as well. You can get one month subscriptions for $25, 3 months for $22 per month and a 6 month subscription for $19 per month.  Clearly the best value is the 6 month subscription and that makes your life easier.  Set it up and no worries. Shipping including in all the plans. Just wait for the mailman to enjoy your goods.  See what is inside and decide for yourself.

I just received the January Classic Urthbox.  I like that each box has a card with a summary of the products in the box and where you can buy them at stores near you.   I was interested to see that you can get credits for future purchases by sharing Urthbox with friends and colleagues through social networks...up to $12 per post! If you don't want to leave the comfort of your home you can log into the Urthbox site and just buy extras of what you like from each month's box.  Be friendly and share and you can get lots of extras too!

There was an interesting variety of healthy items in this box including NEO Organic Energy, Dangs Coconut Chips, Annie Chun's White Sticky Rice, Inka's Giant Corn, Wow Oregon Oatmeal Cookie, Annie's Organic Horseradish Mustar, Justin's Almond Butter, Next by Nature Chocolate Cashews and Tasty Bite Natural Indian Cuisine.  Keep going to get the details.

Have you ever tried toasted coconut chips?  So yummy. Good by themselves or sprinkle them on your granola or on Greek yogurt. Excellent. Love that they are non-GMO, gluten-free and tasty.

Dark chocolate, nuts, what in the world could NOT be perfect about this combination?  Add all natural, gluten free, no artificial colors or flavors and it is totally perfect. Seriously, these are super delicious.

I am funny with Indian....sometimes I am in the mood for it and other times it does not appeal to me so much. My husband was excited about this one.  I liked that it was a fast meal that has no MSG, is gluten free, vegetarian and non-GMO.  You can even microwave it so on those busy days if you enjoy Indian you can have a fast, healthy meal. The ingredient list was very clean looked too. You can't beat the convenience either.

This looked so amazing to me right out of the box!  I kind of remember something like this when I was a kid but I don't think it was all natural and GMO free.  If you have gluten issues there is no problem with this Inka Corn because it is gluten free. They are tasty and have some serious crunch. A good departure from the usual chips and they are available at Costco and Trader Joes.

Have you seen Jason's products before? These are so convenient. I have been buying them for a while now and I was happy to see this in the box. Easy to throw in a lunchbox or bag or keep in the car for when you are having a hunger crash. Squeezes right out and tastes great. All natural and gluten free, vegan too!

Oooh, I love Annie's Natural's but I had never come across their Horseradish Mustard.  We love horseradish and mustard and I had sometimes mixed them on sandwiches in the past to give them some zip. This is much easier. I enjoy Annie's products and like that they are all organic too. Get ready for some serious zip but this tastes so good you will come back for more.

Awww, they had to throw in one of my favorites.  We were duking it out over this Oregon Oatmeal wheat and gluten free cookie. Non-GMO and tasty. It was the perfect texture too just soft enough with a bit of chewiness. A good cookie.

One of my friends who is originally from Taiwan always laughs at me because she thinks I am such a nut because I love sticky rice. I always order it in restaurants. I could eat gallons of it but I limit myself. I can only get to the gym 4 or 5 times a week so I leave it as a treat. I like that the Annie Chun's Rice Express White Sticky Rice can be steamed up fast in a minute. You can beat that fast anywhere so at least when I really want the sticky rice I can make it fast and it is in a reasonable portion. All natural, vegan and gluten free too.

I had never seen NEO organic energy plus electrolytes before and I was interested. No artificial ingredients or amplifiers. USDA organic, gluten free and vegan. I am going to try this one before the gym on Monday and I will let you know. Definitely looks like a reasonable option. *

 

The final little extra in the Urthbox was two Reed's Ginger Candies. I love Reed's Ginger Soda which I keep in the house in the event that someone is sick.  I love that these, like Reed's Ginger Ale are all natural, gluten free and vegan. Tasty and good to keep with you especially if you are flying or going on a cruise.  They can relieve some nausea at least it works for me!*

Urthbox has a nice blend of items and looks like a fun subscription box I am such a savvy shopper I was surprised that they even found a bunch of items that I had not seen before.  Urthbox does the work for you so you can enjoy interesting new healthy options every single month.

Flower Duet Team Teaches You the Art of Flower Arranging from A to Z via their DVD {Giveaway}

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of the product for review purposes. The opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with the product.

Have you ever tried flower arranging?  I have and sometimes it has worked and sometimes it has flopped.  It is a challenge when you don't have all the inside tips and tricks that the pros have, right?  What about if you are trying to plan a wedding or another festive event and really want to make it beautiful but not spend thousands on a floral designer?  Is that even possible?  Even if you just want to create beautiful arrangements in your own home or for friends, you really can learn to do it with the inside secrets from the pros at Flower Duet. 

I was pretty impressed.  The DVD was the perfect length, not too long because I am one busy mama and my time is limited. On the other hand, I really need help with flower arranging because I always feel like I can do more but never really know what to do. So I used to just buy a bunch of flowers and stick them in a vase...at least my kitchen or dining room would look a little brighter. But it never really looked professional. I was excited because Casey and Kit showed me that I can take those simple flowers from ShopRite, Whole Foods or Trader Joes and take it to the next level. Easily too.  Trust me, I am no crafty wizard. These two ladies are good at what they do.  

Casey and Kit are two sisters who are the brains behind Flower Duet and they spill their secrets for you!  They even have an amazing monthly newsletter that has some crafty and elegant tricks you can incorporate into your own arrangements and bouquets. You can sign up right on their website.  Take a peek at their past newsletters too...so many amazing ideas these ladies have to share!

The Flower Duet ladies created an easy-to-follow instructional DVD series that is just perfect for beginners like me (and maybe you!) and will give you the confidence to be creative with flowers available daily at your local grocery or farmers' market. 

• Perfect as a gift anytime! 

• Life-saver for brides on a budget who want to create their own wedding flowers . 

• The solution for what to do with those flowers you buy every week at the grocery store - but don't know how to make them look "cool."

Format: DVD 

 

Running Time: 29 minutes 

 

The flower arranging How-to DVD includes: 

First, the sister team of Flower Duet, Casey and Kit, take you on location to their favorite wholesale flower vendor and show you how to choose only the freshest flowers – just like they do for all their clients in person! 

After, you head over  to their design studio where they show you how you can mimic how professional florists prepare flowers to optimize their vase life. They give you easy to follow tips on choosing great colors and long-lasting flowers.  They also teach you the easiest and most adaptable way to create a hand-tied European wrap bouquet using three different sets of flowers.  Sounds fun, right? 

You can follow these crafty floral designing sisters on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Flower Duet is a full service event and wedding design studio based in Los Angeles, California.  They also teach workshops which you can take a peek at on their site. They created this easy to follow DVD for those who could not attend their workshops locally. If you live in the Torrance, CA area you should really check out their classes.  It sounds like so much fun I wish I lived closer!!

Meanwhile, don't forget to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway to win your own copy of the Flower Duet DVD.a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.