New Cosmetic Spot Treatment option: Vitamin K1 8% Intensive Serum Review

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.

Every year it seems like those skin changes appear like some science experiment gone way wrong. Those odd bruises, spider veins, eczema, varicose veins and other not funny skin problems.  Now you all know by now that I eat super healthy and really work it out hard several times a week....regularly. No yo-yo diets here. Regardless, I still see those skin issues.  Some things are just not avoidable completely as you age.  Now when you grumble about the belly pooch I am not going to listen because that is all about a good diet and exercise regimen but funny skin stuff, ahhh, we need some outside help there.

That is where an elegant new skin care product from Bioque can really help.  I recently heard about the benefits of Vitamin K1 Serum.  This is a effective cosmetic spot treatment that can be used anywhere on your face or body.  Don't you love that?  The perfect solution for a busy mama since we can use it for double duty!  Vitamin K1 can be used to reduce the appearance of bruises, spider veins, eczema, varicose veins, or any of those annoying skin problems that plague us.

Vitamin K1 has very simple list of active and powerful ingredients*:

• Vitamin K1 

• Vitamins A, B and E

• Jojoba Oil
• Aloe

• Sweet Almond 

• Arnica Flower Extract

• Horse Chestnut

*Please see website for additional information and ingredients.

Bioque shared with me that many men and women find Vitamin K1 very useful after surgery to aid in the reduction of swelling and scarring.*  Even better news--Vitamin K1 can even help reduce the appearance of older scars.  You do need to apply it twice daily to clean, dry skin. I like applying it first thing in the morning and right before I go to sleep.  I have been using it for about 5 days now.  It is easy to apply and has a very light, pleasant scent.  My big bruise on my right calf looks a lot better than it did a few days ago.  For some conditions it can take 2-3 weeks to notice improvement so you need to be patient and keep using it.  If you have a simple bruise, improvement can be pretty speedy in 2-4 days.

Vitamin K1 can really work wonders in lots of areas....think about it:  diminishes the appearance of bruising, swelling, scars, spider veins, varicose veins, eczema, acne and other pesky skin issues.*  Think about how it can help to reduce those dark circles and puffiness under the eyes that really age me a lot some of us too.*  Okay, it even happens to me when I don't get enough sleep. I will be trying out Vitamin K1 for that issue too.  I like that I can look forward to brighter, clearer and fresher skin tone and faster healing of bruises with this new product.* It seems like I am always bruising from my hard workouts and weights.  It is good to have a natural solution.  Let me know how it works for you.
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.

 *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.

Easy Carrot, Ginger and Orange Soup (milk and dairy free)

I have seen so many variations of carrot, ginger and orange soups. I played around with a few and added my own special touches.  I like to keep the protein high so I added the chickpeas. You can also use white beans as a substitute. Either will work fine. 

Easy Carrot Ginger and Orange Soup

4 cups low salt vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup low fat coconut milk

1 1/2 cup chopped onions 

2 cups chopped carrots

2 15oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 1/2 teaspoons Ginger Paste or equal amount of chopped fresh ginger
3 oranges, peeled, halved or 4 mandarins

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1 pinch of ground nutmeg

1 pinch of ground coriander
Sea salt and pepper to taste

4-6 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted 
(I added a small piece of orange peel but I think it tastes better without it!)

Directions

Heat a skillet pan over medium heat.  Add 1/2 cup of your chosen broth and sauté carrots, onions and ginger for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk.

 

1. 
   

   
   
   

Add 2 cups (480 ml) of broth. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 15 minutes.

 

Season with salt and pepper to taste  

 

 Serve with toast points

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.