Love Pink Skinny Cheesecake Bites

Throw everything you know about cheesecakes out the window because I am going to introduce you to the most delicious, healthy cheesecake you have ever had! I of course cannot take credit for this recipe, it got from Damy Health. She has an array of healthy recipes on her site (including a vegan version of this). I have tried a few but this one far exceeded my expectations, + I took some good pictures so I am exited to share it with you.

 

Cheesecake Center

• 1/4 Cup Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 Cup Neufchâtel Cheese (healthier version of cream cheese)
• 2-3 Tbsp Agave or Honey. I used a mix of both. Or you can use Stevia
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1-2 Drops Red Food Coloring 

Chocolate Covered Shell

*** I used 1/4 cup of everything and as you may be able to tell from the picture, the coating is a little thin. Because of this, they were a little bit tougher to get out of the ice cube tray. The original recipe calls for 1 cup of each ingredient, explaining that there will be left over chocolate. I would go with 1/2 cup.

• 1/2 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup, Honey or Agave. I used a mix of the last 2

The Directions:

1. Set out the Neufchâtel Cheese 15-20 minutes before you start to soften it a little bit
2. Blend Cheesecake ingredients until smooth in a blender. 
3. If you live in a cooler climate, melt your Coconut Oil in a bowl in the microwave before mix it. It needs to be a liquid.
4. In a separate bowl, blend Chocolate Coating ingredients until smooth.
5. Spray a pre-chilled, clean ice cube tray with cooking spray.
6. Using a spoon, pour the Chocolate into each ice cube mold to coat the full bottom.
7. Tipping the Ice Cube Tray from side to side, coat the sides of each ice cube mold. Make sure the molds are completely coated.
8. Add a dollop of Cheesecake filling into each mold
9. Top it off with the rest of your Chocolate
10. Freeze it for a few hours.
11. When your ready to serve/eat it, let it thaw for like 5 minutes
12. Twist the ice cube tray, (like you would to remove ice cubes) to remove each cheesecake bite.
13. If that doesn't work (I needed more man power) set the ice cube tray upside down on the counter, grab a utensil and smack the hell out of the bottom of each mold until it comes out.

These are so delicious! Once it is frozen, it is even better! The chocolate around it just melts in your mouth and makes the cheesecake bites that much better. I promise these do not taste like yogurt. They taste like cheesecake! They don't even taste healthy. The chocolate covered coating is.....to die for! If your not a fan of coconut, don't worry because you can't taste it.  The chocolate covered coating just melts in your mouth (realistically and scientifically) 

thank you to Damy for the original recipe!

try em'!

xoxo

Erica

Sunday Thoughts...

So, I have been meaning to do a 5 For Friday blog where you show 5 things or talk about 5 things on Friday. 2 Friday's have came and went and I didn't get it done! Instead of calling this Five For Sunday {it doesn't have a nice ring to it} Im going with Sunday Thoughts {clearly}. Plus, I have way more than 5 things here. Think of this as a haul. Or review. As always I have went overboard for Mind Body Beauty. It's turned into some weird obsession. Every single thing I buy or make, I feel like I need to take a picture of it before I use it. Then I get too exited and use half of it. My mom knows that basket of new things is off limits until photos are taken. Alex and Phil are used to seeing red and pink streaks down my arm. They know those are swatches and I am not suicidal. Those are my confessions. Let's move on. Although I would be open to do a Behind the Scene's type of blog post for those of you who are wanting some tips, or are just curious. I know I always am.

Anyhow...

 I bought the Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips from 5 and Below for $4. I was going to do a review but I didn't like these. At all. They just didn't work out for me. They did not look smooth or like nail polish. They just looked like a sticker. And they peeled and chipped off within an hour. On the other hand, my bfff Alex loves them. She says she doesn't have to worry about her nails chipping or anything for 2 weeks. So, they may work for you! But not for me.

I have been love Its a Trap-Eze! from China Glaze. It's a really pretty glitter polish with a white milky base. If you apply one coat, that white color turns clear and you have the glitter. More than 2 coats, the white shows up. I have been liking to put it over top Sally Hansen's X-Treme Wear nail polish in White On

I have been also loving this nail combo. China Glaze's It's a Trapeze! and Re-fresh Mint

I bought my mom a just because present. My resolutions had to do with making my world a better place and I am a firm believer that the blessings you give will come back on you ten fold. It says it in the Bible. Even if you don't believe in the Bible, try it anyways. You will feel good about it. Doing things for other people have been making me happy. That's not the only reason I bought my mom an oatmeal colored button-less cardigan. She has been wanting a reverse mullet style throw over for a while {I just made that style name up. You may use it at your own risk. People might think your weird..} I found it at Burlington for like $7! Here's everything else I found at Burlington.

Phil bought me a kitchen play set made out of chocolate for Valentine's day. How adorable and funny is that? You really can't play with it because it will melt. So I did the obvious thing and ate it. I didn't even share. So much for making the world a better place with my whole blessings thing.

Since I have been on a kick with my smoothies, I needed a portable tumbler {I almost spelled tumblr} to take with me to work every morning. They have a whole isle dedicated to to-go tumblers at Big Lots. I found this one for $3. It's been doing the job in style ;)

Omg these mixer melts, scent shots, tarts, whatever you want to call them are so awesome! Scentsational is a brand that you can find at Walmart and they are only a buck or 2. But when you melt them, they will fill up the whole room. Especially this one. It smells like clean laundry and soap. And it is so strong. Like good strong. I melted it in my room and as soon as you hit the steps in my 2 bedroom home, you could smell it. I have went through 7 tea lights and finally it lost it's scent. That's pretty good. I also mixed it with my last piece of Limelight from Tyler Candle Company Mixer Melt. I have been saving Limelight for years because it smells so good. I also love TwentyFourSevenGlam and French Market from Tyler. Lipstick sounds like a fun one too. I found the Tyler Mixer Melts at Hallmark a couple years ago. I should go back and buy more. They are my favorite. 

 Ever since I found out that these type of hair tie's will not leave your hair with a dent in it, I needed to try it. I am a server at a restaurant and it requires me to have my hair up for the day. Although these hair ties did a better job at not leaving a dent in my hair, I wasn't all that impressed with them. At least they are bright colors and just something different than your run-of-the-mill hair tie. Makes life a little bit more exiting.

Those are my thoughts!

Happy Sunday,

xoxo

Erica

Fashion Trends I Picked Up

Spring is coming. I am exited. It calls for new, fresh clothes! Spring is my favorite time of year to shop. We have a new color of the year and a light, brighter color palette for the season. All the trends are a step up from the year before. This year so far, I went to Burlington Coat Factory, Old Navy, and Kohl's. Everywhere had chiffon tops, mixed metals + studs, and pastels. I wanted to buy everything! let me show you what I got:

Kohl's $25

A quarter length peach, chiffon {sheer} top with an oxford style collar with gold studs on the tips. This is the epitamy of what I have been seeing from store to store for this season. Pastels, Sheer Fabrics, Studs, + Metallic's. Everything I love so much. I found this top in the juniors section. It was much cheaper than any of the other chiffon tops from Lauren Conrad, Apt 9, Vera, or any of the other designers in that section. And for that matter, it was the cutest! The brand is IZ Byer.

Burlington Coat Factory $17

How adorable are these freakin shoes?! They are by the "Wanted" brand. I needed a new pair of nice flats and since these were $17, I grabbed 'em. Made from a metallic type of fabric, these are a cool toned taupe metallic color with gold studs. I love the little bow. Classy with an edge. These go perfect with the above blouse. Along with these earrings, I have the perfect outfit.

Burlington Coat Factory $7

I cannot go clothes shopping without getting some cute, comfy clothing. 9 times out of 10, I wear comfy clothes. The only time I get dressy is if im going out, if I have something special to do, or for OOTD's. In the summer I love dresses but I just really hate jeans so I feel like every day is either a yoga pants or sweats day. As long as they are cute! These peach sweats were too cute, useful, + too cheap to pass up. They have a white, thicker/wider draw string and go 3 quarters of the way down my leg. They were made to roll up. Like I mentioned, I am a sucker for anything pastel or dusty in color. $7!? How can you beat that?!

Old Navy $5

I actually bought this right after Christmas, right when everything at Old Navy is like %75 off.  I get at least 1 thing from the sale a year. I just thought this was really cute. A pink and teal colored jersey style tee.

Question of the day:

What is your favorite line from Kohl's? 

Lauren Conrad, ELLE, Apt 9, Vera, Rock and Republic are some of the designers I know off hand.

My favorite is Lauren Conrad. She always hits the spot for my trend craving's season after season. Have you seen her new collection?

I love it!

love,
Erica

Current Obsessions

Maybelline has just been on their game lately! Here's 2 things I have been loving from them lately.

Baby Lips in Pink Punch

The Baby Lips remind me a lot of Revlon's Lip Butters. Both are moisturizing with that chap stick type of look but have a sheer wash of color. Pink Punch is much more pigmented than say the Lip Butter in Cotton Candy. I only have the one Baby Lip(s?) and I really love it. It's only a couple of bucks and I bring it everywhere with me. It's one of those easy type of lip products to just add to your pocket (or in my case apron) at work and apply it while on the floor to make my me look much more put together. Pink Punch also smells like Punch. Yum!

I have been trying to up my game and start swatching the lip products on my actual lips but I am really weird about pictures here on MBB. If it isn't perfect, I cannot add it. Do you know how many pictures I take of each thing because of that? haha! Once I get my new camera, I will be doing that. I am getting a DSLR. But, I don't know which one to get. For know here's an ok picture so you can get the idea. I am going to warn you that this picture does not do Pink Punch any justice.

Color Tattoo Metal in Inked in Pink

This is so gorgeous! I have a few other Color Tattoo's (Tough as Taupe + Barely Beige) and I know I said Barely Beige was my favorite but I think I like this color even better! It is perfect for adding to your lid or inner corner and is such a nice change up from my normal champagne lid colors. I really love using Mally's Age Rebel Shadow Stick in Sugar underneath this on lid. Sugar is a nice champagne color and when I add Inked in Pink over top, it makes Inked in Pink look even more bright and makes it stand out even more while keeping that pink metallic color. Just like all the other Color Tattoo's, Inked in Pink is long lasting, can be used as a base, primer {no creasing}, or can be worn alone.  Pigmentation, and vibrancy are both really great. The shimmery Color Tattoos are especially creamy but while staying really thin and pigmented.

wanna see some swatches? Ok! 

Question of the Day
So fellow beauty bloggers + photographers,  I am soon investing in a DSLR! I don't know which one I am getting, however. Not to mention you have to purchase a separate expansive ass lens with it. Which do you use? What is your favorite lens? I would love to hear your opinions more than anyone else's because were all taking pictures of the same stuff here. I want one with great video functions too. 

Told you! Uppin' my game 

As always,
Have a great day!

Yours Truly,
Erica

Mally's Favorite Things Kit

If you remember my January Favorites, I had a bunch of Mally products in it. I bought the Mally's Favorite Things Kit back in December on QVC when it was on the Today Special Value {3 easy payments} of $23. This is my intro to Mally products. I always hear of the makeup and she has such cute packaging that I figured this was my chance to hop on and try some stuff out!

Everything I Got In This Kit:

3 Volumizing Mascaras

3 High Shine Liquid Lipsticks

3 Age Rebel Eyeshadows

3 Evercolor Ultimate Waterproof Eyeliners

Age Rebel Shadow Sticks: 

 These are cream shadows that do not need a primer. Once you apply them, you have 30 seconds to blend them out and they will stay put for the day. You can use them as a base to put eyeshadow on top, or you add them on top of your eye shadows, or wear them alone. I have put them to the test before: no primer, no nothing except the Age Rebel Eyeshadow alone and they stayed put and didn't crease up on me. {yay!} These are also good for wearing underneath the waterline: I like to add the lightest one on my inner half of the eye and one of the darker ones on the outer half of my eye. She mentions you can wear them as a smudgy eyeliner but I have yet to try that.

They come in these mint colored metal tubes and they have weight to them. They aren't like heavy or anything but because they aren't light as a feather it reminds me that they are higher end {is that weird?} You get a shimmery champagne color called Sugar, a deep purple called Burnished Violet, + an emerald green called Jade.

I have been loving to use a matte medium brown in the crease {Urban Decay's Buck and Naked mixed} with a light matte color on the lid {Wet n Wild's Creme Brulee} then adding Sugar to the balls of my lids and in the inner corner lately. It makes for a really pretty, soft {but not too soft!} natural look. Or sometimes I will use Burnished Violet or Jade in the crease and on the lower lash line with Sugar all over the lid for a really quick -no primer needed- look.

Evercolor Ultimate Waterproof Eyeliner:

When I first bought these, I thought they were a dupe for Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips For Blue Eyes. The one thing that sets them apart is the colors. Physician's Formula's For Blue Eyes have more of a bronzed brown and a medium blue. Mally's are waterproof and Physician's Formula's are not. I have used Mally on one eye and Physician's Formula on the other using every color and the black one's were the only one's that matched perfectly. They were both jet black. But, I noticed most days that Mally's faded away quicker! Physician's Formula's were much quicker to smudge throughout the day, however. I am getting knit picky here, but only because I feel like you should know every last detail. Even though I noticed some smudging with Mally's liners, it wasn't much at all and happened at the end of the day. I would really like to try these out in the pool!

  In this kit, I got 3 different colors of liners: Express-O-Lane {Matte Brown}, Navy {Matte}, + Shimmering Black {self explanatory}. All 3 shades are really wearable for me and I seem to gravitate towards Mally's over Physician's Formula because of that. I usually only wear black and sometimes brown but all 3 of these shades are perfect for every day or night. I have worn each of them multiple times. They are all deep, rich, saturated colors. Not to mention the cream-mint tube it comes in with the rose gold writing- She could not have picked cuter packaging!

Volumizing Mascara: 

I got 3 of these so I was really hoping I would like them! When I first open my bottle of this mascara, it was perfect. It volumized, lengthened, and didn't clump up on me and make my lashes look spidery. Now that it is getting older {2 months} I am noticing that if I want to apply more than one coat, it will clump up on my lashes. So, this mascara is best when it is new {unless you like spider lashes}. One coat is all I need, anyway. I still volumizes and lengthens with one coat. I make sure to wipe off the brush and go over them a second time to separate them and it works.

High Shine Liquid Lipstick: 

Not until I read the exact name {aka right this second} did I realize these were in fact liquid lipstick's and not lip glosses! Other liquid lipstick's I have tried are really, really sticky. These are not at all. They feel like a thin gloss on the lips but they really do deliver both color and shine. Mally says that these are your lip primer, lip color and lip gloss all in one and I would say that is a great explanation. I don't find that they accentuate my lines in my lips- in fact, they seem to make them look smoother. Punch has been my favorite and I have been loving wearing it with ELF Essentials lipstick in Flirtatious {and alone too!}. I also got a shimmery berry color called Raspberry, and an orange nude called Peach Sorbet which reminds me a lot of Revlon's Creamsicle Lip Butter.

So to sum it all up:

-Age Rebel Eyeshadow's are great worn alone, as a base, or over any eyeshadow, and what you see is what you get: they are as vibrant/shimmery at the end of the day as they were the second you put them on. These were flawless.

-Waterproof Liners are great staple colors, with deep pigments, they do not tug on the lid, very little smudging and fading although there will be some at the end cap of your day. If your looking something cheaper, Physician's Formula's Shimmer Strips are very comparable. Comparison above. Full review here.

-Volumizing Mascara is volumizing and lengthening. One coat is all you need for full, long lashes.When the bottle starts to get a little older, that's when you have to watch out for the clumping. Nothing a clean mascara wand can't fix! Run one though your lashes after you apply the mascara to separate them.

-High Shine Liquid Lipsticks are truly a primer, color, and shine. They don't accentuate my lines in my lips and they really do pack a punch of color. Just like the Age Rebel Eyeshadow, these were flawless. And not sticky.

-Everything was made with care. The packaging is so nice and you can tell everything is higher end.

-Im glad I took a chance on some Mally products for a really great price!

Have you tried any Mally stuff?
What do you think?

xoxo
Erica

Breakfast Smoothie Recipes + Meal Prepping

As of the past 2 years I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast because I thought it was the healthiest + best thing I could have for breakfast. Turns out it isn't! Sure oatmeal is good for you but if you really want to get your body moving and give it a bunch of energy, tone up and/or lose weight, I am going to show what I have been learning as the perfect breakfast.

If you want to know even more about this system, check out this video from Brenda of Lean Secrets. This is where I learned it and she is the professional, after all! I want to share the recipe's I have been loving for breakfast this week. 

Most people would just be happy with protein powder in their smoothie but not me! I just don't like the texture. Instead, I use Greek Yogurt as a replacement for the protein. Sometimes I would rather add FF SF Pudding {Cheesecake, Pistachio, White Chocolate}. Those have no protein. You will notice I did that in the Banana Split Smoothie. If I use Pudding instead I will have a hard boiled egg or two on the side with my smoothie. I find that it really fills me up and I don't feel hungry until like 2pm {I drink my smoothie from 10-11am}

 This is the one pictured and let me tell you it was so creamy and delicious!

What is Xantham Gum?
it is a thickener. It is found in things like Pudding. Xantham Gum is totally healthy. I think they might consider it a health food as I buy mine from the Bob's Red Mill brand, see it in healthy recipes, and find it in the health food section of my store. Chia Seeds will also thicken it up too!

So know that you know my recipe's, I encourage you to make up your own! Here's the basic makeup of a healthy creamy smoothie:

Fruit

Greens {Spinach, Kale}

Something Creamy

Protein

Liquid

Flax {or Chia Seeds}

I always get out a bunch of all of the above, along with 7 baggies and start to fill up the baggies to make smoothie baggies. Then, I just pop them in the freezer and will take one out every morning to blend up. It is so simple, healthy and delicious

I have been loving these for every morning I have to work!

smoothies are perfect on the go! I will take the smoothie bag I am using out of the freezer around 8:30, then blend it up right before I head out the door around 10. I like to let it thaw in room temp because it really helps with the smoothie blend, but while keeping that thick consistency from when it was froze.

and by the way, I was never a smoothie type of girl. Every recipe that seemed so delicious always sucked when I tried to make and never looked like anything in the picture! {wtf!?}  and I promise if you follow these basic's, you will love your smoothie! 

If it's too thin.... add chia seeds, xantham gum, chia seeds, or more yogurt/pudding/applesauce. 

 If it's too thick..... add more water or milk. 

If it's not sweet enough, agave, honey, stevia, + stevia-in-the-raw are all healthy options. 

The 2 I mentioned above were 2 of the best one's i've ever made, which is why I wanted to share. Not all come out that great! But like I mentioned, the beauty of smoothie's is that it is so easy to fix after the smoothie has been blended.

What is your favorite smoothie recipe? 

Please share in the comments below! I am always looking for new ones! 

xoxo
Erica

The Things I Loved in January

Hey! Time for my favorite things from January! I have adopted a lot of new techniques this month which you will see. I also have been doing a little something different in terms of my normal blush colors. Lot's of good stuff this month! I hope you enjoy (:

Products Mentioned:

John Frieda -Luxurious Volume- Blow Dry Lotion- Root Booster
2 rules to make this give you really good volume while still making your hair really soft. 1: add to the roots of wet hair. 2: blow dry with a big round brush. I love it (: I didn't add a picture because I feel it was getting a little bit crazy but in the collage above, it's the blue bottle right in the middle (obviously)

YBF Correcting Cream/ Illuminating Cream

 Another new technique I have been using is adding this correcting cream underneath my eyes as a concealer and adding it to the high points of my face. It brightens really well without adding shimmer. This correcting cream is a good one! Creamy, opaque, but still thin enough so it wont settle in my fine lines. Im wearing it in the video.

 Hard Candy Concealer Pencil:

 I have been using this as an eye liner for my water line! It has been working great as a nude liner. Who woulda thought? This actually came with the Glamoflauge Concealer as a little bonus. It doesn't irritate my eyes.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner

Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Fresh Pink

Also wearing this in the video

Elf Studio Blush in Mellow Mauve + Giddy Gold

 Love both of these! Both colors are really different than any other blush I have. The rest are pink, haha! Giddy Gold is my top blush. It is so pretty on my cheeks. They both are a nice change up! Click on the link to go to my full review on a bunch of the ELF Studio Blushes.

Wet n Wild Single Eyeshadow in Creme Brulee

Mally Age Rebel Eyeshadow in Sugar

 Be on the look out for a full review on all of the Mally stuff from Mally's Favorite Things Kit. That includes everything I will be talking about in this video/blog post from Mally.

Mally Volumizing Mascara

Mally Lipgloss in Punch 
Review coming soon on lots of Mally stuff!

ELF Essentials Lipstick in Flirtatious
Perfect with the lip gloss. They are exactly the same color. The Essentials lipsticks are really creamy and pigmented. For $1, it doesn't get any better.

Favorite T.V. Shows

Catfish: 

I have been loving this show! I can't believe all the Catfish they actually found but I am always so happy when they document a true love story...well, as true as your going to get! Something about Nev I love. He is my crush right now.. He looks oddly similar to someone I know who is my boyfriend....hmm. Also, the music they play on that show is so good! 

Family Guy : 

I am not sure if you guys know this about me but I am a huge fan of Family Guy! It just might be my absolute favorite show and has been for years. The new one about "The Giggity Wife" was hilarious! South Park coming up a close second of course. Oh yeah, I can't forget about American Dad! We call Stella "Roger Dog" because she looks like Roger the alien when she sits up. She's so cute!

 Online Favorites:

Twitter:
Has been one of my favorite things! With #HowtobeHappyJanuary and #Jadorelavie hash tags, it has been a lot fun connecting with people, staying on track and staying inspired. I am taking this high, happy, motivated energy well into February! Howboutchu?

Lumosity:
One of my new years resolutions was to stay healthy: healthy mind, body, + soul. That includes the brain! Lumosity has been really fun. It takes a total of 5 minutes a day and it's easy and fun.  You can play 3 different games a day for free- as many times as you want. If you want full access, it's something like $7 a month. I just do the free games. 

Favorite Bloggers:  

Beauty:
Elle Sees:  
This girl is freakin' creative! She always has themed blog post's and things going on over on her blog. Right now is Love Week  

Healthy:
Bess Be Fit:
I just found her a couple of days ago but I am a big fan of hers. She is always making up really good workouts and recipes and how she uses Photoshop {or Gimp} to bring a certain finesse to each one reminds me of how I like to post recipes here. Am I even making sense? Just go check her out and you will see what I mean!

That's just about everything! I have some food favorites as I have been back to eating healthy but this would be way too long if I added those too! Thank you for reading!

xoxo
Erica

Pastel and Gold Arm Candy

With spring on it's way, the arm candy craze with surely be back with it. Here's some new arm candy I got from Charlotte Russe.

They always have a 2 for $10 sale running on most of the jewelry, so be sure to check them out! Not to mention, they have some seriously adorable pieces!

 The first set came in a set of three and I was realizing that if I was arm candy, I would probably be these pieces. Pastel, distressed skulls with gold beads? Yep! That's me! Don't ask where I get these scenarios from. I thought these were hella cute and couldn't pass on them.

The next piece was a toss up. They had a chunky, thick burnished gold chain that I thought I have been wanting for months put when I tried it on, it just wasn't wowing me. it seemed almost too much for me. So, I kept going back to this one and when I realized it matched my previous pick, I was hooked. This one still has the chain quality I was going for, just much less chunky (and more wearable in my opinion) which is connected to the  pastel pink faux leather band with a button snap closure. Not to mention, it's easy to wear as it isn't heavy. Plus, it is going to go with almost any other pieces of arm candy I have. Mixing gold and silver is really popular this year!

I especially love the way the chain bracelet falls. It will sometimes slightly twist around one another like so: 

Here's the back side. I actually wear the chain bracelet either way. Sometimes I will put the closure in the back and other times I will leave the chains back there. 

Trend alert:

Seems like everywhere I turn I am finding studs on clothing, pastels, and gold with silver in the same pair of shoes. Also chiffon. I don't think there was another type of top in Burlington when I went. Clothing haul coming soon.

Can't wait till it gets a little warmer out and I can wear this arm candy with a tee shirt.

xoxo
Erica