Ravioli Al Fresco Recipe

Ravioli Al Fresco

  This dish came about due to part laziness and part heat exhaustion on my part. Let me explain, I live in a desert and currently it is reaching temps of a balmy 95 degrees with promises of it only getting hotter. This means around May we stop cooking because the oven can heat the house up so badly. When it gets this hot I really don't want to move I just want to plop down on the couch and sip at a cold drink, unfortunately that often means that we end up doing the take out thing and that is just not going to help me in my goal to lose 20 lbs this year.

  So I have been messing around in the kitchen on my days off trying to find yummy recipes that will use as little heat as possible and yet not kill my waist line. This particular dish was inspired by the Filippo Berio Olive Oil that was sent to me from BzzAgent. I am trying to follow the Mediterranean Diet and eat more vegetables, and get my starches from whole grain breads and pastas. 

  This dish is super easy to make as there is very little prep involved and is a nice light tasting pasta dish with plenty of veggies that make it not to heavy for those hot days. Please remember these measurements are not exact, as I rarely measure when cooking. Don't stress if you add a little more or a little less as it won't kill the recipe.

Ravioli Al Fresco

1 small bottle Marinated Artichoke Hearts

1 bottle Roasted Red Peppers

1 cup (roughly) Broccoli Florets (fresh or frozen your choice)

1/2 cup (roughly) Carrots Cut into Match Sticks

1 package of Fresh Ravioli (your choice in flavor I like chicken or lobster for this dish)

1 Large Handful of Basil Leaves

6-10 Kalmata Olives

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Filippo Berio)

Step 1:

Chop your broccoli into bite sizes pieces like this and roughly matchstick your carrots. Then cook/defrost your veggies until they are tender crisp then dump them into ice water to stop the cooking process

Step 2:

Cook your ravioli according to package. While the ravioli is cooking cut the Roasted Red Peppers, Marinated Artichoke Hearts and Kalmata Olives into small bite sized pieces, make sure to reserve the oil and marinade the Artichokes come in. Toss them with the cooled veggies into a big bowl and combine. Tear basil into shreds and toss in too. It should look like this.

Step 3: Drain your ravioli in a large strainer and rinse well. Shake off the excess water and drizzle the pasta with olive oil and toss gently to coat. When the pasta is no longer hot add to the veggie mixture.


Step 4: Pour the marinade that the Artichokes came in over mixture and toss gently to coat everything. Drizzle with a touch more olive oil and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

  I recommend letting this dish sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld. 

Even better you can make this dish the night before and serve it up the next day, if you do this I suggest allowing it to sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving so it's not stone cold and serve with a nice crisp white wine

You can also sub the ravioli for some fusili or rotini and turn this into a great pasta salad!

BzzAgent Review of Filippo Berio Olive Oil

  Remember how I keep talking about how much I love being a BzzAgent? I get to try all sorts of great products and pass them on to my friends.

  BzzAgent recently invited me to try Filippo Berio Olive Oil. It was like they knew that I was trying to eat better and had set a goal to lose 20 lbs this year. On top of that work had us all take a Biometric screening this year to help us get an idea as to where were stand health wise. They checked our glucose, and our cholesterol levels. While mine are OK, they could be better so I am trying to make smarter choices in what I eat. One of the easiest choices is to cut out butter in my cooking as it is high in cholesterol and saturated fats.

  If you head over to Filippo Berio's website you can even find a hand substitution chart that shows you how to sub olive oil for butter or margarine. I had no idea that you could use olive oil in baking but apparently you can!

  They also have a large library of really awesome recipes, I tried the Broken Spaghetti With Shrimp the other night and it disappeared so fast that I didn't have time to snap a picture to share it with you. 

  I'm working on some recipes of my own, 

here's a sneak peek of one I have coming up!

Stay tuned for the recipe!

Legal stuff: I was provided with this product compliments of BzzAgent for testing and review purposes. The opinions contained in this blog about said product are solely mine 

BzzAgent Review of Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream: Follow Up

  As promised I am following up on my experience with Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream that was sent to me from BzzAgent to review. I have been wearing the B.B. Cream exclusively now for about about a month, I use it in place of a moisturizer when I get up and instead of the mineral powder that I had previously used as a foundation.

  Here are the photo's that I uploaded at the beginning of the campaign, before I began using the BB Cream. My biggest complaint at the time was that I felt a little uneven in tone and there are some slight discolorations on my cheeks. 

    After using the B.B Cream for a little over a month I have begun to notice that my skin looks better even without wearing it. Take a look for yourself, I took this picture today with no make up on (the things I will do to prove a point!)

  I think that overall the tone of my skin is more even, with less of the discolorations across the cheeks. I also noticed that my skin looks smoother and when I get close up to the mirror the pores look smaller to me.

  The biggest difference that I notice now is that I have had way less breakouts. I used to forever have blackheads across my forehead and chin and big red zits on my cheeks.  I was worried that the BB Cream would add to those problems but instead it seems to have evened out my skin. Now I get the occasion blackheads on my chin and forehead if I don't wash well but very few on my cheeks. 

  From a nurse's stand point this is a fabulous product. It takes the place of my moisturizer and foundation, which means it is one less thing to worry about when getting ready for work. The B.B. Cream has stood up to numerous 12 hour shifts without smudging or rubbing off despite crazy hectic nights of running around and sweating, I noticed in the morning I still look the way I did when I started my shift.

  I did a little research on the prices of the designer end BB Creams and found that in most cases the Garnier BB Cream is less than half the price and is available anywhere Garnier products are sold, saving me not only a large chunk of change in the price but the gas money that is required to head over to the specialty store that sells the others.

  After a month of use Garnier's BB Cream gets my stamp of approval and will be a staple in my beauty routine, allowing me to get rid of a ton of stuff in my cupboard. I highly suggest that you try it out!

Legal stuff: I was provided with this product compliments of BzzAgent for testing and review purposes. The opinions contained in this blog about said product are solely 100% mine 

Garnier B.B. Cream Free Sample Alert

I'm still loving the Garnier B.B. Cream that 

BzzAgent sent me to try out.

Have you been wanting to try it 

but are unsure about buying a whole tube?

Well now you are in luck!

Garnier is giving away free samples of 

their new B.B Cream!

Head over here to request your free sample!

BzzAgent Review of Garnier B.B. Cream: Nurse Approved!

 A little while ago I told you about Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream that BzzAgent sent me to test and review. Now that I've had a week or so to play with and use it under different circumstances I can share with you my initial feelings.
Pros

• All in one product saves time and skips needing to put on multiple products
• Lightweight product
• Sheer coverage evens skin tone
• Works with my Asian skin tone

 Cons

• Only two shades Light/Medium and Medium/Deep nothing for Fair skinned complexion
• Sheer coverage doesn't completely cover all spots and blemishes
• Only SPF 15, could use a higher level of coverage
• Contains glycerin 

The Low Down:

  This products brags to contain Vitamin C as an antioxidant to help with overall radiance and Hyaluronic Acid along with glycerin to help maintain moisture. Further reading the box ingredients I noticed Caffeine was also listed as an ingredient. BB Cream also uses 4% Octinoxate for suncreen.

 Out of the tube this cream has a consistency that reminds me of toothpaste, very thick and holds it's shape when squeezed out. 

  Not at all like the moisturizer it had promised to be, this made me very worried. When I began working it around in my fingers I noticed the B.B. Cream has a very rich silky texture, not at all chalky even though it contains mineral pigments.

  When first applied to my face I noticed that the cream had a very "wet" feel to it, but as I smoothed it around I began to notice it worked into the skin much like moisturizer. After a few minutes my skin no longer felt "wet" but velvety and well moisturized.

  I noticed that the B.B. Cream gives very sheer coverage, meaning you can see some of my acne scars and blemishes but they are less visible. This also blends my discolorations and makes my skin tone more even and consistent.  I was also pleasantly surprised to find that it has a very beige base tone, and seems to do quite well for my Asian skin tone, though this may be a problem for those with pink based skin tones.

Now here are a couple of Before and After shots:

  As you can see I have some dark spots on my cheek that give it a blotchy look and my skin tone is far from even. After putting on the B.B. Cream the spots seem less noticeable and more blended and I think my skin tone looks way more even and less blotchy.

  Again I think the pictures speak for themselves, I feel like my skin looks fresher and more even in the after picture without that cakey look that foundations can give you. Also you don't get those hideous foundation lines at your hairline.


The Verdict:
  So far I am pretty impressed with Garnier's B.B. Cream. It goes on very easily, I just smooth it into the skin in an upward motion (towards the hairline, this was suggested by an Asian makeup site) with my fingers, no need for a sponge or special brushes.  I love the fact that once it's on you barely notice you're wearing any makeup, it's lighter than a number of moisturizers with SPF that I have used.
  
  Yes there are a few things that I would wish for. I wish it had a better SPF than just 15, a number of designer brand B.B Creams offer SPF's of 45. And I do wish that this came in a greater range of shades, I think the Light/Medium that I chose may be just a shade light but am concerned that the Medium/Deep might be too dark and leave me looking like Snookie. Also some people may not be thrilled about the glycerin in the product as it has been known to aggravate sensitive skin. Personally I'm O.K. with the sheer coverage as I like to look as natural as possible, but I'm sure that some people will grumble. To those folks I will say, go find a foundation.


  With a MSP of $12.99 for a 75 mL tube, this is a great value. I use about a nickle sized dollop to cover my face and neck each day AND the product held up great over a 12 hour shift, without smudging or wearing off in strange places. Add that to the fact that it now takes me 15 minutes to moisturize and put on a "foundation" layer before heading out the door and you have me sold.


  I have heard that over time wearing this product can result in better skin tone and lightening of discoloration, which is supposed to be a perk of B.B. Creams found in Asia. I will continue with the product for the rest of the Bzz Campaign (37 days) and weigh in on those benefits later. For the time being I'm sticking to my one tube beauty secret!


Legal stuff: I was provided with this product compliments of BzzAgent for testing and review purposes. The opinions contained in this blog about said product are solely mine 






  

Miracle Cream by Garnier Put to the Nurse Test

  For any of you who didn't know, on top of trying to figure out this whole nursing thing I love to review products in what little spare time I have. I am a BzzAgent, which means I am offered products through a program called BzzAgent in return for my honest opinion and asked to spread the word to all my friends.  Super easy, I think you all can tell I love to gab.

  I was offered a chance to try a product called 

GARNIER MIRACLE SKIN PERFECTOR B.B. CREAM 

  This product promises to do it all, deal with dull, blotchy skin, even out skin tone, moisturize all while correcting your issues. It is an all in one skin care and beauty regiment, use the stuff in this one tube and look like you are glowing PLUS fix all those nasty issues.

  The "BB" in the name means "Beauty Balm" and the concept comes from Asia where girls have been using these all in one formula for years to achieve that enviable porcelain complexion. If this is true why the heck have my relatives been holding out?!  Of course I would jump at a chance to try something that would make my life easier. How many of us would love to show up to work with a perfect complexion and only having to had slapped one cream on? That equals to 20 minutes extra sleep!

  So to really test these claims I'm going to do the unthinkable and post a before picture of myself with no makeup. Then we will have an after picture when I put the stuff on. A couple weeks later I'll post another picture to see if it really has cleared up some of my complexion issues. Sound fair?

Great, so here is my before photo which is totally untouched

  So here is my skin breakdown; I have super oily T-Zone, dry cheeks and am hugely prone to blackheads on my forehead and chin. I have a number of acne scars because I can't help squeezing my spots (yep I'm gross) . I'm hoping this stuff will give me enough coverage so my dark spots don't show and that it won't turn my face into an oil slick like so many foundations and tinted moisturizes do. It would be even better if it actually matched my odd, tanned Asian skin tone and didn't leave me looking oddly colored.

Stay tuned folks!