Get Your Morning Coffee Started with Capresso Coffee Grinder [Review]

May 6, 2014 · by · Leave a Comment
coffee grinder

 


coffee grinder

It seemed like pure luck that I got the chance to review the Coffee Grinder, because I was in desperate need of a new one. The last one I got was beginning to give me problems. As you guys have probably figured out by now, I love coffee in the morning and it’s a necessity for me to have it brewed and ready by the time I get up.

So, the night before I usually prepare the coffee and my favorite type of coffee to buy is coffee beans, not already ground coffee. Grinding the beans myself seem to have a better quality and flavor to them when I drink the coffee in the morning.


My first comparison with Capresso to my old coffee grinder is that you have MUCH more space with Capresso to add coffee beans. The last one I wasn’t able to add as much because the inside container that holds the beans, didn’t go as deep. This resulted in me doing two rounds of annoyingly loud grinds on the beans.

Next, the quality of the grind. With my last one, I had to grind the beans with two sessions of the grinder (it would supposedly automatically go off when it was done). For these, I was able to press it down as long as I needed and then stop grinding when I wanted to stop. I like this much better than an automatic grinder. I want coffee beans ground very fine, that’s just my preference, so to have to wait for the automatic grinder to stop would irritate me.

Overall, this is a quality grinder for a very inexpensive price – only about $20 to 25.00 plus shipping, if you buy it on their website. If you want something fancy that has the automatic grinder thing going on, this may not be your best purchase, but for me, I don’t need the coffee grinder to be automatic, but I do want the beans to be ground fine.


Buy: Purchase your Capresso coffee grinder by visiting .

Follow: Follow Capresso on   and  and make sure you for interesting updates and ideas!

nicole

Thank you to Capresso for sponsoring this review!

Filed Under: home, kitchen, You forgot to give me a catagory! · Tagged: , , ,

Boxtera Subscription Box [Review and Giveaway Ends 5/12]

April 28, 2014 · by · Leave a Comment
April_Contest_Featured_Image (1)

You know my obsession with subscription boxes, right? Well, I couldn’t wait to share my experience with Boxtera, a healthy snack monthly subscription box that I had the chance to try out recently.


This subscription box was that healthy food did NOT have to be boring. And eating healthy can get a little boring after a while, can’t it? And RaeAnn L. Hommedieu believed that there could be a change to the idea of healthy eating. It didn’t have to boring anymore and soon Boxtera snack subscription box came to be.

Boxtera


 

Last week I tried out and I loved what I got to try. I received about five full sized snacks and it was so exciting to taste things that I knew were good for me. There was three kinds of dried fruits and two different kinds of crunchy snack packs. Two of the dried fruits were bananas, (I’m not a huge fan of banana), but my brother absolutely loved them. One of them were dried tangerines and it was absolutely unbelievable. I’ve never tasted anything like it.  I’m usually not a huge fan of dried fruit, and this had so much flavor to it. I also had the chance to try Wasabi Bean Medley and Honey Almond Crunch and of the two, I preferred the Honey Almond Crunch the most. I liked the Wasabi, but it didn’t have the same flavor as the Honey Almond Crunch.

These made for some really tasty, healthy snacks. The only downside is they aren’t gluten-free, so if you have a wheat allergy, you should be careful with this subscription box. Best of all though this is a very inexpensive $19.95 per month and you receive 5 full size snacks!

Buy: Purchase your own Boxtera subscription by visiting their website . You can receive 10% off your subscription box through April 30th by using the code APRILBOX. 

Follow: Follow Boxtera on , , and .

Win: One winner will receive a subscription box of your own! Contest ends 5/12.

nicole
Thank you to Boxtera for sponsoring this post and giveaway.
Filed Under: food, giveaway, health, organic, subscription boxes · Tagged: , , , ,

Naked Infusions Salsa Review and Giveaway [Ends 4/30]

April 15, 2014 · by · 47 Comments
naked infusions salsa

Today I’m bringing to you the best and weirdest salsa I’ve ever had!

naked infusions salsa


I got the chance to review Naked Infusions salsa recently and I couldn’t wait to describe my experience with this salsa. First of all, I had to research about the company, because they bring out the strangest salsa flavors I have ever seen and I just had to find out about their company.

Naked Infusions Salsa was imagined by the owner who grew up on a farm and wanted to bring that freshness to your table. The ingredients come from local California farms and as the owner states, “The real salsa of my youth is back.”

I received an onslaught of samples from them to try. So far I haven’t gone through half of what they sent, but I did go through a select few that were surprisingly good. My favorite so far is Ripe Tomato salsa. This makes for a great topping and dip for your meals. I especially loved this with fish tacos and slathering a good layer of salsa on top (it makes me hungry just thinking about it!).

I also tasted the Rustic Blue Cheese Salsa and I didn’t get the strong cheese flavor I was expecting, which was good. I tried with cheese quesadillas and I thought it tasted the best with them. It didn’t have a strong enough flavor to go with the baked chicken I made, but that’s okay!


I can’t wait to try the rest of them. They don’t have a lot of chunky vegetables inside, so that can be a very good thing for some of you salsa lovers out there. For me, I do love see a lot of chunky vegetables in salsa because I feel like that enhances the experiences. I thought this was a more “sauce-y” salsa, if that makes sense. This is such a unique brand that I know I will see more unique flavors soon.

Buy: Purchase your own jar of Naked Infusions salsa at a local store in your area (they have a list of grocery locations on their )or purchase .

Follow: Follow Naked Infusions on , , and .

Win: One winner will receive 6 mini jars of Naked Infusion salsa and chips!

nicole


Filed Under: food, giveaway, organic · Tagged: , , ,

Craft of Tea Subscription Box Review and Giveaway [Ends 4/29]

April 9, 2014 · by · 41 Comments
tea subscription box


I couldn’t wait to share my experience with Craft of Tea with you!

Craft Tea is a tea subscription box service that allows you to try new teas every month. It’s a business located in the heart of Silicon Valley (I was so happy to see a business from an area I grew up in!) by a husband and wife team who wanted to bring teas to the masses! Growing in Hong Kong and after having travelled all of the world, they wanted to share the different types of teas in a subscription box of samples you can try.

tea subscription box

I received a box of four different teas one was a black tea, the other two were herbal teas and another one was a green tea. The tea comes in small green packets that contains the loose tea leaves.  My favorite part of subscription boxes is the presentation. It was a light weight box, but it contained four packets and so far the four packets do go a long way.

tea subscription box

I first tried the black tea, because that’s my personal favorite type of tea. I have a tea strainer that I purchased from a local tea store. These come fairly inexpensive, so I highly recommend you use or borrow one first if you want to subscribe to this subscription service.

tea subscription box

It was only one teaspoon per cup, but since I usually like fairly strong tea, I used two teaspoons.

It turned out to be a wonderful experience! I loved this tea – it was floral and tasty and I needed very little milk and sugar mixed in. You can always taste the difference between the tea you see come prepackaged individually to loose tea. The quality is always so much better, and I can’t wait to have my next cup.

The price for this subscription box is fairly inexpensive. Remember, this does stretch. You may think the small packets will go fast, but they don’t. I know this will last me for the month. You can purchase a starter sample pack which is 4 teas for $19.95 or you can purchase a full size pack of 8 teas for $29.95. I love the fact that you can also select the teas yourself, or have them select for you. If you aren’t too familiar with teas or only tend to drink black tea, I recommend being brave and having them choose for you.

Overall, this makes for an excellent gift for someone else or a great subscription service for yourself. Remember, Mother’s Day is just around the corner so I highly recommend considering this for your mom! She’d love it, especially if she is a tea drinker.

Buy: Purchase your own subscription box on . Use code SPRING30 for 30% off until end of May. 

Follow: Follow Craft of Tea on – ,  or .

Win: One lucky winner will receive their own box of tea! Ends 4/29.

nicole

 

Thank you to Craft of Tea for sending me a box of tea to sample in exchange for my honest review and sponsoring this giveaway.


Filed Under: home, kitchen, subscription boxes · Tagged: , , , , ,

Newman’s Own Organics – Review and Giveaway [Ends 4/22]

April 5, 2014 · by · 57 Comments
newman's own organics

Newman’s Own is one of those household names that needs no introduction. But Newman’s Own Organics is fairly new. It launched as a division of Newman’s Own in late 2001. I was so surprised to read also that Newman’s Own Organics donated more than $350 million dollars to educational and charitable organizations around the world. This makes me want to buy these products that much more!

newman's own organics

I got a truck load of snacks to share with friends and family! I will admit that the chocolate that you see in this photo was the first to be consumed. Actually, there may or may not have been a chocolate binge for a couple of nights. I had never had their chocolate cups before and this was gone within an hour or so in my family. My personal favorite was the caramel cups and the peanut butter cups. The chocolate bars were consumed over the week (yes we love chocolate in my family) and they were divine. A popular favorite was the espresso bar (and of course, milk chocolate).

The popcorn was so tasty too! In all honesty it had been a long time since I had eaten popcorn so it was such a yummy experience having that smell in my apartment. I received three kinds – butter, light butter, and no salt. Of the three, I thought that butter and light butter tasted similar and I loved those especially. They make for a great snack and you don’t get that butter loaded up on your fingers because there is too much in the bag type of experience either.

I also received some dried fruit, olive oil and vinegar and these make for great staples in the kitchen cabinet. A lot of the dried fruit ended up being mixed in with some nuts I take with my lunch every day and they really made a great snack. Also, some of the dried cranberries were awesome with morning cereal.

Overall, I think Newman’s Own Organics is a product to look out for when you are in the grocery store next. A lot of these items are staples in my house so I love knowing there is a brand I go to for good quality food.

Follow: You can follow Newman’s Own Organics via .

Buy: You can purchase Newman’s Own Organics at your and you can also print out coupons .

Win: One lucky winner will receive four products of my choosing, including Olive Oil, Peanut Butter Cups, Dried Blueberries, and Popcorn!


Newman’s Own Organics provided me with the products to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

nicole

Filed Under: food, giveaway, organic · Tagged: , , , , ,

ACM Awards ZinePak Review and Giveaway [Ends 4/20]

April 4, 2014 · by · 23 Comments
ACM Awards

I used to be a huge fan of country music and stopped listening within the last few years. When I had the chance to listen to the music from the nominees of the ACM (American Country Music) Awards, I jumped at the chance! I could finally catch up on everything I had missed, or at least, what I missed over the last year.

ACM Awards

 

I have to say first of all, the ZinePak itself is perfect for someone who is a country music fan – it has interviews, behind the scenes information, photos, and even guitar picks (which made me really wish I knew how to play!). It has two CDs, one filled with names even I found familiar and another CD with some of the new kids on the country music block. This made me look forward to the ACM Awards even though I haven’t been listening to country music lately!

I listened to the CDs and I have to say I am impressed with the music out lately. It’s really good! Even though it may not have the usual twang and energy I know and love from old country and even country of the 90s, it still shows some talented musicians and exciting new things that are happening in country music lately. I especially loved hearing some of my old favorites like George Strait and Rascal Flatts! It also has Taylor Swift (although, admittedly, I am not one of her biggest fans, but I did enjoy the song ‘Red’ on the CD. I can definitely understand why she has a following!).

If you are a country fan, you will want to go out and buy this CD. You can buy the ACM ZinePak at for only $10! That is another huge factor – it is at an inexpensive price too. But make sure you buy this before the ACM Awards so you can get the entire experience (by the way, the ACM Awards air on April 6, Sunday 8/7 c.

Follow: You can follow ZinePak via , , or .

Buy: You can purchase your ACM Awards ZinePak at for only $10 the last time I checked (usually about $14) (also include the cost of shipping or it’s free to pick up in store). 

Win: One lucky winner will receive a copy of the ACM Awards ZinePak. Enter via Rafflecopter below!


nicole

Thank you for ZinePak for sponsoring this post and giveaway. I received this ZinePak in exchange for my honest opinion. My opinions in this post are my own.

Filed Under: giveaway, music · Tagged: , , , ,

Golden Blossom Honey – Review and Giveaway [Ends 4/15]

April 2, 2014 · by · 41 Comments
Golden Blossom Honey

golden blossom honey

Who doesn’t just love honey? For me, it’s one of those items that can make a bland food a totally different experience. I don’t have a regular brand that I go to for honey, so I was really excited to try out the Golden Blossom Honey.

According to their , Golden Blossom Honey has been around since 1921, and they’ve become a household honey brand since then. They share their secret recipe with the world and my favorite part of this company is they make their honey from within the United States! And somehow, homegrown honey tastes that much better. They use US beekeepers and utilize White Clover, Orange Blossom and Sage Buckwheat floral sources to make their honey.

But that isn’t the only information you can find on because they have an enormous amount of recipes on their website and if you have honey in your cabnet right now (as I know most of you do), I recommend checking out the list of awesome and tasty recipes right now and printing out some to use for yourself. 

(In fact, I just searched for the word “apple” and got about . Did you know you can do a lot with honey? I sure didn’t!). Not to mention they have a TON of recipes for s as well!

I concocted my own little snack mix of my own with this incredible Golden Blossom Honey that I received. I combined a few simple ingredients – honey (of course), peanut butter, and walnuts. Mix it up and you have a great snack or breakfast. Better yet, spread that on an apple or waffle and you have a tasty topping!

golden blossom honey

I am a big fan of this honey. Of course, it was sweet (and wonderfully sticky) but it also tasted rich. It wasn’t overly sweet either, it blended perfectly with the snack I made. I highly recommend choosing this for your home because it works for so many awesome things.

Follow: You can follow Golden Blossom Honey via  or on their website.

Buy: You can purchase Golden Blossom Honey at your nearest grocery story!

Win: One lucky winner will receive two bottles of Golden Blossom Honey!



nicole

Thank you to Golden Blossom Honey for providing me the product in exchange for my honest opinion.

Filed Under: beauty, food, giveaway, skincare · Tagged: , , ,

Kicking Horse Coffee – Dark Roast Coffee – Review and Giveaway [Ends 4/12]

March 29, 2014 · by · 82 Comments
kicking horse coffee

I have to admit that I’m more picky about the coffee I drink than I am about the wine that I drink. I’ve been aware of the brand Kicking Horse Coffee for a while now, but I couldn’t wait to actually give it a try and sample some for myself!

kicking horse coffee

 Like all , this one launched in the garage of Leo Johnson and Elana Rosenfield in 1996. Soon after, they started to support fair trade coffee practices and in 2003, they selling only organic coffee beans. Even better, in 2007 they were 100% organic fair trade.This is why I am already loving this coffee before I even take a sip. Starting out with small batches of unground beans, this company knew right away that quality was better than quantity. They went from “schlepping coffee” to 11 years later, still going strong and being a top quality brand coffee.

Now, back to my experience with their coffee -

kicking horse coffee

First of all, the coffee comes in a tin container which is extremely keep-able and I already plan on storing future coffee beans in it.

When you look inside, I knew I was going to enjoy the coffee, because the beans were so dark and they still had the oil on the coffee. By the way, having oil on coffee beans is a VERY good sign and is a sign the coffee is freshly packed. I’m not surprised this is the case as after reading their website, because they are obviously a quality company.

Next, the best part of all – the drinking part!

I usually make a large pot of coffee, so it’s usually hard for me to judge how many grounds to put in per batch, especially after getting a new brand of coffee. So, I put a generous amount and after making my first pot of coffee, I was in love! It’s rare for me to get it right immediately, so I knew this coffee was good stuff. Usually, it takes me one “throwaway” pot of coffee until I get the strength to my liking.

The coffee was very rich and strong, and it exceeded all of my expectations. I must say that I finished off this whole container of coffee within a single weekend (and I promptly went online to buy more soon after!). I see this in the grocery stores regularly and it may not be cheaper than most coffee, but actually this is one of the best you can choose from.

I get snobby sometimes and will reach for the most expensive bag in the grocery store, and expense doesn’t always mean you are getting the best quality. I have been disappointed with certain brands before and was shocked they were charging so much.

This isn’t the case here – Kicking Horse coffee may be a little outside your regular budget for coffee, but you will be wonderfully surprised. By the way, I highly recommend their strongest blend of coffee called, “Kick Ass Dark.” If you decide to buy online, their site recommends US coffee drinkers shop via Amazon. On Amazon, the prices run about $13 per 12 ounce can. I recommend going to your nearby grocery store, though, and seeing if you can find this blend. It’s worth a try and worth treating yourself!

I am so excited to announce that I get to giveaway a can of Kick Ass coffee to one of my readers! It’s open to both US and Canada readers too.

Follow: You can follow Kicking Horse Coffee via , , or .

Buy: You can purchase Kicking Horse Coffee at retailers throughout Canada and US as well as their and at .

Win: One lucky winner will receive a Kicking Horse Coffee canister, gift bag, and brochure!



nicole

Thank you to Kicking Horse Coffee for sponsoring this post and providing me a free subscription box for my honest review.

 

Filed Under: gifts, giveaway, home · Tagged: , , ,
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