Guilt-free Root Beer Float

I love root beer floats but nothing turns me off more than entering one into My Fitness Pal.  Talk about a real drag, man.  

About 3 years ago, I really got into root beer floats while I was pregnant with my first son.  I had very few cravings but I couldn't shake jonsin' for RBFs.  While I was pregnant last summer with my second son, my RBF craving came back.  

During my first pregnancy, I didn't have a fancy Smart Phone with My Fitness Pal on it so I was blissfully unaware of just how much of my daily allotment of EVERYTHING was consumed by just one, stupid RBF.

I didn't have luxury of naivety last summer when I became a slave to My Fitness Pal.  There I was, just innocently sipping a little RBF on a hill with my husband and my toddler and my little tadpole baby in my belly.  Some free wifi action popped up so I decided to go ahead and just log my little floatie.  AND ALL OF MY DREAMS DIED.

This summer, for whatever reason, my very NON-PREGNANT self is in the mood for an RBF a little too often.  And this summer my very NON-PREGNANT self is also very in the mood for her pre-kid jeans.  These moods cannot coexist. But I'm a problem solver, girl.  Can't we all find a way to get along?  Guess what, Bae, we totally can!  

So if you're in the mood for a feel-good RBF that will satisfy your craving and not make you all bloaty and full of regret, check out this guilt-free RBF!

What you need:

-1 cup of milk. Cow, almond, whatever you want. I use 1% dairy.

-1 scoop of vanilla protein powder.  I use Markey Pantry vanilla whey.

-1 shake of powdered Stevia 

-1/2 to 3/4 tsp root beer extract

-1 cup of ice

-Blender (I use NutriBullet because it's AMAZING)

Add all the ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth

Then drink up, buttercup!

*Don't worry, you'll probably look better drinking it than I do in this photo.

#nomakeup #nofilter #aintnobodygottimefordat

This RBF has 33 grams of lean protein and under 13 grams of sugar.  It also makes you feel like you're getting away with something very, very naughty.  Tastes just like a melty, refreshing, creamy, dreamy RBF and you'll still be able to get in your jeans the next day.  Unless you go crazy on some nachos or something (which is totally WORTH IT.)

Cheers!

Eat it: Chickpea Waffles (grain & dairy-free!)

I love traditional waffles.  Traditional waffles do not love me back.

Eating a traditional waffle is like dating a dude who really isn't "good" for you but he's exciting so you keep him in rotation.  You don't want to make him a habit but it's hard not to. He's sweet and he's fun.  He's a decent enough dude but at the end of the day, he lacks ambition. You innocently start out for a chill, a.m. hang with the guy and before you know it you're ass-deep in an all-day lounge session on the couch. After a few weeks, you start asking, "Hey man, are you going to put on actual pants today?" and to your surprise he turns it right back on you, like, "Are YOU going to put on actual pants today?" Whoa. When did this stop being fun?

Traditional waffles stopped being fun for me when I realized that metabolizing them made me feel sleepy and bloated and lazy.  But I can't resist the charm of a waffle.  They have the practical allure of being pretty easy to make with the added benefits of freezing and reheating well. And I cant resist those little pools of maple syrup, with little rafts of butter floating atop.  Stop it.

I set out to find a recipe for a decent waffle that doesn't make me feel like a lazy, self-loathing heap of a person an hour after I eat it.  I found a recipe using chickpea flour (garbanzo if you're proper) that I modified ever so slightly and will now very enthusiastically share with all you fine people.

Did I mention these waffles are grain-free?  Did I mention they are also dairy-free?  

Big deal, right? But maybe it is a big deal for you and if it is, BONUS. 

These beauties are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.   They are more on the savory side than the sweet side which I feel leaves you plenty of room to get crazy with toppings.  I favor syrup and/or fruit.

Also, let's not gloss over the fact that these waffles are packed with protein, fiber, and good carbs that will keep you full and energized all morning.

A few things:

1. You can make your own chickpea flour.  It's stupid easy if you have a good quality food processor or blender.  I took a bag of dry GOYA chickpeas, threw it in my NutriBullet about a half cup at a time, and pulsed until those little chickpeas were the consistency of whole wheat flour.  One bag yielded about 5 cups of chickpea flour (which I recommend storing in a freezer.)  It's worth the few minutes for the money you'll save.

2. These waffles do taste slightly like chickpeas.  I mean, how could they not as they are MADE OUT OF CHICKPEAS?!  just thought I'd make that clear.  If you don't like chickpeas, you probably won't dig these waffles.

3. Do not underestimate the power of non-stick spray.  Use it.  Love it.  Do not trust your non-stick waffle iron because IT LIES.

Chickpea Waffles (yields 6 waffles)
adapted from Lauren Goslin's Easy Chickpea Flour Waffles here

1 cup of chickpea flour
1 large egg and 1 large egg white
1 cup unsweetened, vanilla almond milk
(you can also use dairy milk if you don't care about dairy-free)
1 tsp powdered Stevia extract*
2.5 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1.25 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
*feel free to sub sweetener. plain sugar, brown sugar, etc.  note that you should then add 2 tsps instead of one or whatever to your liking

I suggest your first step in making these waffles is pouring a big cup of coffee for yourself.  Circling back to that one shortly.

Standard waffle rules apply: mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, beat the egg in another.  Add the egg to the dry bowl and slowly incorporate your almond milk while mixing on medium speed.  At the very end, add your melted coconut oil and vanilla and beat on low until well incorporated.

If you poured a big cup of coffee earlier, take the spoon you used to stir your melted coconut oil and dunk it in your coffee.  Trust me.  It will add a mild and pleasant flavor to your java AND as a bonus, moisturize your lips while you drink it.  Try it.

If you pour a little less than half a cup of batter in each well of your iron, you should end up with 6 hearty waffles (which is what I based the below nutritional info on when I drafted my recipe in My Fitness Pal)

So now my fun little waffle fling is turning into a full-blown relationship. Don't tell my husband.














 

cheap and chic: e.l.f. mineral eyeshadow primer

I am not Beyonce.

I DO NOT WAKE UP LIKE DIS

Makeup, no filter.

I wake up like THIS

No makeup, no filter.

 I need makeup in my life.  I don't feel like a fully-functioning human being without it. True story.  

Here are the products I generally use every day, ranging in price from lowest to highest 

left to right: e.l.f. concealer, e.l.f. primer, rimmel eye/brow liner, blistex deep hydration, covergirl clump crusher mascara, covergirl smoothers powder, covergirl outlast foundation, benefit blush in hervana, and naked pallet by urban decay

Please direct your attention to top row, 2nd in from the left: e.l.f. mineral eye shadow primer because that, my friends, is my secret weapon. 

E.L.F. mineral eye shadow primer is $2 at Target.  TWO DOLLARS.  It works just as great as higher end eye shadow primers.  I swear it's just as good as Urban Decay and did I mention it's a TWO DOLLARS?! 

You can find a ton of blogs out there about makeup dupes who will support my conclusion that e.l.f. makes one fine eye shadow primer that doesn't break the bank and holds its own against high-end competitors.  My "fresh take" on this product is to also use it as an under-eye brightener and a brow highlighter.  This cheap little product is why I "don't even look that tired!" despite the fact that I am.  I am tired ALL THE TIME. #newborn #toddler

Dab underneath your eye and blend by tapping your index finger on your "dabs" until it blends in underneath your eye.  The reflective properties of the mineral primer helps minimize the appearance of under-eye darkness and makes me look more alert. It subtly conceals without being "cakey" on the delicate eye area. Also, apply a little just below your brow line to highlight your arch and open up your eyes. Sometimes I throw a little dab on the inner corners of my eyes just for fun.  I mean, go nuts.  IT'S TWO DOLLARS.

                     

Here's a little side-by-side action.

Same camera on my phone.  Same spot in my kitchen.  Again, no filter.

It's like buying low and selling high.  

I'm a bargain stock in the morning before makeup and by the end of the business day, I'm blue-chip, baby!

I LOVE MAKEUP.

I encourage you to try e.l.f. eye shadow primer.  For the price, you can afford to give it a go.  I will warn you that I am having a hard time finding it on the shelves lately.  Target carries it and even Old Navy has e.l.f. products (by the checkout) but I'm not the first person to find out how great of a bargain this stuff is and it's often sold out.  You can purchase it online through Walgreens and even through e.l.f.'s website but I wouldn't write off finding it "in the wild."  Keep your eyes open for e.l.f. at Target and if you take home the mineral eye shadow primer, it will keep your eyes open for you. See what I did there?

mani monday: gellin'

I've had a few 'Mani Monday' posts in the works since my last one (see here) but I never make my own Monday deadline and 'Mani Tuesday' isn't as catchy or cute.  Good thing there's no shortage of Mondays, right?

If you re-read my first Mani Monday post you'll be reminded that I'm essentially a mani purist. I generally shy away from acryllic, gel, and the Jamberry-esque products not because I'm not adventurous but rather because I'm non-committal when it comes to nail color. I do my manis at home and exclusively use lacquer.  I prefer that medium for nail art because it's relatively easy to apply and remove which means I can switch up my manis/pedis frequently with ease.  If applied with proper product, I can make even cheap lacquer (what up, Wet n Wild) last beyond a week...if I want to.  I usually burn out on even my favorite hues after 5 days.

But in the spirit of embracing something new, I decided to try out an at-home gel manicure.  My sister has a kit and swears by it.  She also is very generous and let me borrow her kit twice to get a feel for the product and the results.

It took me a while to take her up on her many offers for me to give gel a try because of my following pre-conceived notions (some based on factual research, some based on exaggerated guesstimations):

• You have to essentially damage your natural nail to make a rough surface that allows the gel primer, base, and topcoat to adhere for maximum wear and durability.  If you don't rough up your nail, the gel literally slides off your nail after application or peels off days after.  True story.  I put effort into having healthy nails so I wasn't too turned on by the idea of roughing-up my nails.  I WORK TOO HARD!

• Removal of gel polish at home is THE WORST. It's like a thousand times worse than trying to remove glitter.  It also costs monies for you to get it professionally removed.

• Proper application of the gel polish requires several steps.  Though the polish dries super fast, there's like a bajillion steps involved.  Ain't nobody got time for dat.

Last week my sister told me that she started short-cutting her gel sessions by doing the following:

• Paint nails with traditional lacquer
• Apply the fancy gel top coat
• Cure for twice the recommended time for traditional application
• Use cleanser to remove the 'moisture layer' after curing

You know what?  Her results were great with short-cutting.  Her mani stayed flawless for well over a week and her pedi has been going strong for over 2 months.  To be fair, pedis, by nature, last longer than manis but STILL!

I tried her shortcuts and here are my own results:

• Amazing shine.
• Increased strength/durability
• No chips or peeling for a solid 7 days, some minor wear-and-tear and partial peeling starting beyond that (enough to annoy me and want to remove and start over but nothing tragic)
• Did I mention amazing shine?  I'm obsessed with it.  

When I went to remove the gel, it was IMPOSSIBLE.  Like, 100% acetone DID NOT EVEN MAKE A DENT.  I started freaking out at the thought of having to chip or peel or sand-off the product.  Then I remembered this little trick for stubborn nail product removal that perpetually shows up in my "What's Popular" feed on Pinterest.  I tried it immediately and it BLEW MY MIND.

#gross #effective #dryskin

#clean #tryforyourself

I mean, not every Pinterest trick is a home run but that tinfoil trick is GOLD.  So, if you take nothing else away from this post, take this: I endorse the tinfoil removal trick and it definitely is worth the extra few inches to set up.

Back to gellin, though.  Once I realized not only I could short-cut the gel process with similar benefits AND I could remove in less than 5 minutes AT HOME with NO HASSEL, well, I went out and bought one of these babies with my bonus Target gift cards that came with buying diapers, diapers, coffee, diapers, and more coffee.  I am about to be the mother of a toddler AND a newborn, after all.

Though short-cutting achieves an elevated look and makes my mani more durable, I have yet to find it goes the full 14 days that the traditional gel application process boasts.  And that is totally expected and not disappointing because I am half-assing it, afterall.  But the look and improved protection against chips has me sold.  I did get my kit at a deep discount but I'm pleased enough that I would pay the whole price to own it.  This particular kit is easy to use and offers a wide array of shades to choose from.  You can also interchange brands of gel polish that require an LED light and still works great.  One thing I do hate is that the top coat/primer is very small so if I use either the gel hack or the full-on application process, it's not going to last super long.

Short-cut gel mani

I do plan on doing a full-on, as-prescribed gel mani start to finish this week.  I am expecting to deliver a baby before the weekend.  I am also expecting to not have a lot of time to keep up my nail game.  So, might as well give the full-on gel a go, right?  Expect a full report on the full mani during an intermission in my soon-to-be gig as a milk truck.

cheap trick: foaming hand soap

I wash my hands A LOT. I was my hands so frequently that no amount of lotion after washing keeps my knucks from cracking and bleeding all the time.   I'm not a germaphobe though I did shutter at the doctor Monday when my kid set his sucker down on the magazine table in the hospital lobby.  I had the impulse of dunking it in Purell but building immunities, right? I fully realize that germs and illness are part of life. Sick happens. After a rough start to the cold and flu season while pregnant I'm just over having extra germs literally on hand 24/7. So I wash my hands, people.

I actually kinda hate washing my hands.  It's annoying to me. It's an annoying but necessary habit that I love to hate.  It's like taking my makeup off before bed. I always feel refreshed and like I really just 'did something with my life' on the occasion I do strip down the old facey-face before beddy-by.  But UGHHH. The monotony. The effort. Just UGHHH.

Sometimes I need more than general hygiene standards to motivate me to wash my hands which is why I am a freak for seasonal soaps, especially of the foaming variety.  This past December, Bath and Body Works had a moment in time where I could combine my coupons with an in store promotion that allowed me to stock up on foaming hand soaps for less than $2 a bottle.  I didn't exactly walk out with a crate of soaps because how embarrassing would that have been.  But after I gifted a good portion of my hoard around the holidays and put the 'wintery scent' soaps away for next year, I realized I should have set my pride aside and just bought ALL THE SOAPS.

I wondered if there was a way I could just make foaming soap using the bottle I cashed on Saturday (RIP Fresh Balsam.)  I thought, "It'd be pretty tight if I could just reuse this bottle and figure out how to turn cheaper soap into foaming soap."  And since there is not an original idea left in the world, several people on the interwebs had already thought the same thing and did all the leg work for me.

Turns out, all you need to make your own foaming hand soap is three things:

1. Empty foaming hand soap bottle (with pump, obvi.)
2. Any non-foaming liquid hand soap
3. Water
   (I used distilled water because I had a jug on hand but tap seems to be what most people use.)

The key to making the soap "foam" has nothing to do with the formula of the soap itself but rater the mechanics of the pump so start saving your empty foaming bottles if you want to try this cheap trick out.

Directions are pretty straightforward.  Pour about a half-inch to a little over an inch of regular liquid hand soap into your empty bottle.  I used an empty Bath and Body Works bottle but most foaming soaps are the standard ounces and base width.  Next, add water until you fill the bottle.  Leave some room at the top because when you screw on the pump, your solution will get displaced and if you are doing it over your counter top and not allowing for overflow like me, this fun little project will just start to get messy and annoy you.  It doesn't have to be that way!

I gave my bottle a vigorous shake because it just felt natural.  If you use warm water, the liquid soap will dissolve quicker into a homogeneous mixture that requires less shaking.  In my experience, neither scent or richness of later is compromised by diluting liquid soap with water.  If you want a more rich lather consistency, add more liquid soap and less water.  Boom.

My exact reaction when I washed my hands for the first time with my DIY foaming hand soap: "Well, I'll be damned.  Actually works."  It required about 40 seconds of actual hands-on time to make and it's going to stretch my liquid hand soaps a lot further and put extra cash in my budget for things like coffee, makeup and beer soon enough.  I'm currently like a million weeks pregnant and I'm not going to lie, I'm getting pretty stoked for a pint.

So start hoarding your foaming soap bottles/dispensers and give this cheap trick a try!  I give it two very clean, very lovely-smelling thumbs up, babes.

cheap/steep/chic: lip service

New feature alert!

This entry is a cheap/steep/chic entry where I review a higher-end product and compare it to recommended dupes.  I have some entries lined up for you all that I hope will either put some extra pennies in your pockets or give you that one last push of encouragement to just go ahead and spend the damn monies.  Treat yo self, honey.

I need to start by giving my little sister, Kate, a big shout out. KATE!!!  Science tells us that it's the elder sister's duty to teach the youngest sister everything about life and love and lipstick...except in my family.  We acknowledge that we have taught each other a lot about how to live life.  But when it comes to beauty products, my sister takes me to school constantly and I'm grateful.

I live in a drugstore bubble.  I like it there.  Drugstores are comfortable, familiar and 'affordable.'  My sister has no shame in her drugstore game but she also takes it up a notch and explores specialty, high-end stores and beauty products.  I used to shy away from stores like Sephora (aka HEAVEN) because I was certain that I'd be like a four-year-old in a pet store.  "OMG!!! SO MANY CUTE PUPPIES!!! I WANT THEM ALL!!! LET ME TAKE THEM ALL HOME!!" 

I'll be real with you and let you know that I was exactly like that my first time in Sephora (which was chaperoned by my sister.)  I was all like, "MARC JACOBS MAKES NAIL POLISH! THEY HAVE NARS ORGASM HERE! I'VE ONLY HEARD ABOUT THAT IN MAGAZINES! YOU'RE TELLING ME I CAN TRY ON YSL LIPSTICK?!" It was a lot to process.  I narrowly escaped without short-circuiting my brain.  I think my soul left my body for a minute and I looked down and just saw my body all aglow with euphoria. 

My heart also broke no less than 25 times while I was in there because even though everything looked special and amazing and life-changing, girl, you can't take every puppy home with you.  That adds up in a hurry.

Here's the thing, though.  My sister, in her quarter-century of wisdom once told me: "Girl, you can keep buying cheap makeup that you want to perform or look like the more expensive stuff.  But you're probably going to end up spending just as much on trail-and-erroring a ton of cheap stuff when you could just bite the bullet and get the 'good stuff' right off the bat." LEGIT. PREACH IT.

It makes sense, right?  You can spend time and energy trying to find a "dupe" for a higher-end product that you love or you can just cut out the middle man and get on with your life.  Personally, I think this makes the most sense EVER but I also can't leave my drugstore days behind and honestly a steeper price doesn't always equal a better quality product.  I'm going to need some extra change in my retirement fund later on in life for, like, clinical aesthetic treatments because at that point I don't think Cover Girl is going to cut it like she does now. 

The cheap/steep/chic feature on Amateur Life & Style has the express purpose of me sharing my triumphs and fails walking the fine line between the drugstore and the specialty stores.  Sometimes my verdict will be to go with the cheap.  Sometimes my verdict will be to go with the steep.  100% of the time my goal is to be chic and help you do the same if, you know, that's your thing. No judgement if it's not.  Though I have makeup on right now, I also am currently wearing the same pair of my husband's wool socks that I've been rocking for over two weeks.  So, yeah. I'm not going to define chic for you.  It's all relative.

First edition cheap/steep/chic product: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment

Check out the Fresh website here to learn more about their products

Behold: my very own tube of Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Honey

Until about six months ago, I'd never heard of the Fresh line.  I have a lady friend (shout out to Wendy) whose makeup game is always on point, especially her pout.  Like any freak, I creeped her Pinterest after weeks of admiring her lip game and found a lot of Fresh Sugar products pinned.  I eventually acted like a normal person and chatted her up about the product line in person.  I knew I could trust her feedback because Wendy keeps it real and she appreciates value and, again, every time I run into her #flawlessface.  

The next time I went to Sephora, I did something I rarely do (because GERMS) and I applied a sample of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Honey.  And all the angels rejoiced.  Any my lips felt like a hundred miniature puppies wearing cashmere sweaters were snuggling on them. And I felt ALIVE.  And then I spent the next 30 minutes debating purchase.  And then I spent the next four months stopping into Sephora and applying testers of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment.  And then my mother-in-law gave me a Sephora gift card for my birthday.  AND THEN I CRIED HAPPY TEARS.  AND THEN I BOUGHT IT THE NEXT DAY.

A tube of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment (tinted) will run you about $23.00.  A tube of the Advanced Lip Treatment or Serum from Fresh will run upwards of $25.  And I will tell you it is worth every penny.  This product delivers moisture, even color, smooth application, and it has a scent and flavor that is light and sweet with just a hint of lemon.  It doesn't make the back of your throat go "ARCHGKA."  If you know what I'm talking about, can I get an AMEN?  Kate, you see me.  I keep my tube in my bag.  I can just grab one product and my lips feel buttery-smooth with medium color coverage.  I love it.

I love it so much that I'm rationing it. And that's totally backwards.  Why even buy it if I'm going to be stingy with it, right?  Old habits die hard.  I went on the hunt for a dupe of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment because I can't spend $100 a month on lip stuff...and Fresh is that good that it was a real concern of mine.

My research lead me to purchase a tube of Deep Renewal by Blistex.  At under $3, that's a purchase I can get a little "risky" with.  You know what I found out?  Blistex makes a really reliable dupe for Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. Application is equally smooth.  Hydration is long-lasting.  Buttery sensation is in full effect.  Even the scent/flavor is pretty close (mild, slightly sweet, and a hint of sweetness without the ARCHGKA feeling.)  It does not come in a tinted color so that's an optional advantage that Fresh has.  

I now keep a tube of Deep Renewal at hand when I'm at home and don't need to be all "fancy" and also have access to my lipsticks and such to layer on top for color.  I throw on Deep Renewal before bed and throughout the day here and there.  I feel like I've found a good balance between cheap and steep.  Blistex allows me to increase the longevity of my tube of Fresh and my tube of Fresh increases the longevity of my life (well, not really.)

Verdict: Fresh is worth the steep price BUT if you want to achieve similar results, the cheap Blistex route is a great alternative.  

When I'm at home, I follow the below cheap equation I crafted to get the same chic results as the steep product

Homemade sugar lip scrub* + Blistex Deep Renewal + NYX Butter Lipstick in Pop = Fresh Lip Treatment in Honey

My top lip is covered in Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Honey; bottom with my cheap concoction

Little to no difference in look or feel, just application.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Whether you're going to spend it making out with a significant other or a rando or with a box of wine, why not have amazing lips? 

*find the recipe to the DIY lip scrub I love and use here on RosyChicc.com