SlimFast - Influenster Voxbox Review

I received my second Voxbox from Influenster! The content this time is courtesy of SlimFast. When I got my email from Influenster that I had been selected to try the SlimFast items I was hesitant. I’ve heard about SlimFast before but have never tried any items in their line, so I felt like I was a great candidate for this Voxbox because I was going in with an open mind.

If you're interested in joining Influenster, you can sign up using the button on the side of this post. They send you items to review completely for free!

When my SlimFast Voxbox arrived, I opened the box and was a little disappointed at the small quantity of items it contained. I thought if they’re boasting about their 14 day challenge, why would they only include enough for one day? But as I thought about it, this box isn’t to trial whether or not their weight loss program works, it’s about reviewing the taste of the products. In that case, there is a great variety of items to try; two snacks, a meal replacement bar, and a shake. My only criticism with the items included is that if they want us to review the taste of each item they should have included each variety. I received a vanilla shake, a bag of 100 calorie sour cream and onion chips, 100 calorie cinnamon bun swirl crisps, and a (type) meal replacement bar. The packaging is actually pretty nice, and from just looking at the bar through the packaging it looks tasty.

I brought my first bag of chips with me to work to taste along with my lunch. I was a little sad about the fact that they were pretty crushed up (probably thanks to the mailman!) but I figure that doesn’t change the taste any, so on I went to give them a try. The flavoring on the chip was pleasant, but the chip itself was not good at all. I couldn’t take more than two bites before I just threw them in the trash. They have a nice crunch, but once you get a whole handful in your mouth (I mean, how else do you each chips?) the nasty stale-ish/chemically/gross taste overpowers the flavoring and they’re just not pleasant. The pro to these chips is that they’re only 100 calories, and I feel like you get a large amount of them for only being 100 calories. Other than that, I’m not a fan of the chips, and I wouldn’t purchase them in the future.

Next I tried the shake. Again, the packaging is nice, and I feel like for a meal replacement there is a decent amount in the shake. I was sent the vanilla shake, and I assumed it’s supposed to be cold when you drink it, so I refrigerated mine before drinking. I did not like the shake at all! I took one sip and dumped it in the trash. It was a thick consistency and the taste was similar to other 'typical' protein shakes, but the flavoring did not help. I would not purchase this item on my own.

At this point, I was losing all hope that any of the items would taste good, so I figured I'd get it over with and try the cinnamon crisps. YUM!! They were delicious. The crisps taste like the taco bell cinnamon twists - but they're only 100 calories. Just like with the chips, I was pleasantly surprised at how big of a serving you get for only 100 calories.

Finally, I tried the meal replacement bar. I received the dark chocolate sea salt flavored bar. I enjoyed the taste of this bar, but having only 10g of protein per bar, I don't think it would be enough to satisfy my hunger in place of a meal. I would purchase this though, and use them as 'back up' for days I am running late or need something quick on the go.

Overall I feel like I was pleasently surprised about two of the items in this box, and disappointed in two items. I think that the idea behind a 100 calorie chip is great, but these left much to be desired. The shake was awful. And the meal replacement bar tastes great, but falls short as a meal replacement. I think that trying to go through the entire 14 day challenge they suggest would be difficult, as well as expensive and therefore I wouldn’t purchase these as a whole for the challenge, but would probably purchase a few of the individual items themselves.

I filmed my review, and posted it on youtube, subscribe, like, and leave me some feedback :)

Have you tried any SlimFast products before? Comment below and let me know what you think!

Xoxo

Kortney

**Disclaimer: I received these items complimentary from Influenster and Slimfast for testing purposes. The opinions above are my own.

Influenster & Silkn Flash&Go Express Reviews

Please forgive my absence, it has been a great and busy journey so far!

I have recently joined a site called Influenster as a reviewer, and so far I am loving it! Influenster connects you with different companies and products via surveys, and they send you a Voxbox filled with items you've been matched to review.

Interested in joining? It is invite only, so follow the link and it will lead you to the invite/sign up page!

www.influenster.com/r/1308288

I was skeptical at first, but have already been sent my first Voxbox and I am beyond surprised at what I received. I took the survey offered and I was qualified for one awesome item... The Silkn Flash&Go Express! At first I wasn't sure what to think when they sent me the email, as surely they couldn't be sending these things out for free... well, they did!

I opened the box and read all the instructions THOROUGHLY before using it for the first time. I have super sensitive skin and a ridiculously low pain tolerance so needless to say I was scared to use it for the first time.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to use. You plug it in, turn it on, and away you go. You have to choose the correct level/setting based on the chart they give you in the directions and the product does take a minute or so to charge the laser. After selecting the correct setting, I braced myself for the first flash and pushed the button. I saw a flash of light but no pain just some slight discomfort.

I tried the Silkn Flash&Go Express for four weeks on my underarm hair, and embarrassingly, my feet (my husband calls them hobbit feet, in case you needed a nice visual). I followed all the instructions for use and so far have had some pretty good results. Though I am not seeing an absence of hair growth, I am noting that the hairs growing back are thinner and growing at a much slower rate than normal.

Again, there is some discomfort while using the increased settings, however that is the nature of the beast with laser hair removal. I also am still not convinced that this laser will be strong enough to permanently prevent hair from growing back and I believe that will be something you have to continuously upkeep (though I'm noting this to be at a slower rate than shaving already). The other downside I see to purchasing this item is that it is expensive and would have some item maintenance as eventually you would need to purchase replacement bulbs. For me, the price of these items wouldn't be in my personal beauty budget.

I am going to continue using this, increasing the settings per instructions, and hope for the best; no more underarm hair or hobbit feet! We'll see how it goes!

Interested in purchasing your own and giving it a try? Head over to www.silkn.com and use the code "NOHAIR" to receive 10% off of your purchase, but hurry, because this offer expires January 31, 2016.

Already own one? Let me know what you think! What's your favorite method of hair removal?



*Disclaimer: I received this product completely complementary from Influenster and Silkn for testing and reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for this post. #SilknSmooth #Contest

Homemade Chicken Soup

Are you in the mood for something warm for dinner, but don’t have time (or maybe like me you just don’t have the desire) to labor in the kitchen making a completely from scratch meal? Well this post is for you! Tonight for dinner I’m making some homemade chicken rice soup. Yumm! As the weather has grown colder, my hunger for home-made chicken soup has gotten out of control, and as it’s my day off, I don’t plan to spend all day in the kitchen preparing it. Now you may be thinking, “But you just said this isn’t from scratch, then how is it homemade?” Well, in the wise words of my husband’s grandmother, Donna, “I said it was homemade, not made from scratch!”

This recipe is a spinoff of Donna’s Famous Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, so let me tell you a quick story of how I was introduced to the brilliant idea that “homemade does not have to mean made from scratch.” My freshman year of college I found myself, along with most of my classmates, sick as a dog. As this was my first year living away from home, and not having my mom there to nurse me back to health was hard, so you can bet I was elated to discover that Josh’s grandmother was an excellent stand-in! One call to her from Josh mentioning that I was sick and I had the biggest pot of soup I’ve ever seen in my life. Let me just say that it was the best chicken soup I’d ever had (sorry mom!) and the entire pot was gone in two days! So the next time I was at her house I begged for her recipe. She walked right back to her pantry and pulled out a pack of Bear Creek Soup Mix along with her directions “Add some chicken and whatever vegetables you have on hand.” And that’s the story of how I learned to make chicken soup.

Well after countless times of making homemade chicken soup with Bear Creek Mix, I found Hanover Chicken Rice Soup Mix on sale at the grocery store, and anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a sucker for a deal, so I figured I would give it a try. I’ll say that its definitely good, but when I put it to the husband test, he agreed that Bear Creek is better. What can we say? Grandmas always know best! Although the Hanover mix isn’t as good as Bear Creek (in our opinion) it’s still quick, easy, and tastes like it took all day to make, and the rice adds a nice switch from traditional noodles too.

Regardless of which mix I choose to use, the process is the same. First I start with frozen chicken breasts.  I usually wait until the boneless skinless breasts are buy one get one free at the grocery store and stock up for later. I defrost them in the fridge for about two days and then boil them in plain water until they’re fully cooked. Normally I use about two or three medium-large sized breasts because I like to serve this is a main course, but depending on what you want to serve this dish as you can add more of fewer chicken breasts. If you’re REALLY in a hurry you can find precooked chicken breast slices made by Perdue in the prepackaged deli section of your grocery store. I use them for salad toppers and such sometimes, but they’d work just as well for soup if you’re in a bind.

Once the chicken breasts are cooked, drain the water from the pot and slice them into bite sized chunks. You can slice them before they’re cooked but I hate touching raw meat so I’ll do whatever I can to avoid it which is why I wait until after.  I then follow the directions on the package of whatever brand of mix you plan to use, and place the chicken in immediately. Then to add some substance and to make the soup a little more ‘hearty’ I buy a bag of frozen mixed veggies and toss them in (usually just whatever is on sale at that time – noticing the trend here?). If you have a little more time you can use fresh veggies and add in any of your family’s favorites, but since you’re going to cook everything in together the frozen works just as well.

(As you can see, I added a little too much ‘stuff,’ so my soup became a little less soup-y than I had planned on. Oh well!)

The mix will usually give a time frame for cooking which I initially follow. If I’m cooking it right before I serve it, I’ll leave it on ‘Low’ for another 10 minutes or so just to let it thicken up a bit. If I’m cooking it ahead of time to serve later that night I’ll take it off the burner, let it cool, and place the pot directly in the fridge until I’m ready to serve it. If this is your plan, make sure that you stir everything off the bottom so that it mixes up and heats evenly.

If I’m serving the soup as the main course I’ll usually toast up a baguette or something of the sort from the bakery at our grocery store to serve along side. If you’ve got kids (or a husband like mine) you can top the bowl of soup with some croutons, Goldfish, oyster crackers, or even some shredded cheddar cheese. The best part about this meal is that it will be just as good for leftovers as it is on the first night. Just put however much you place to serve into a pot on the stove to warm it up (or the microwave if you’re in a hurry again!) and you’re good to go. Sometimes when we’re running low I’ll serve it as a side dish to another meal like grilled cheese or meat loaf.

I hope that your family enjoys this meal as much as my husband and I do! Comment below with your family’s favorite easy, cold-weather meals.

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Happy Reading :)
~ Kortney

Welcome to This is Real Wife!

Hi there!! I'm Kortney, the owner of This is Real Wife. I'm a newlywed, nurse, and 'fur-mom' to two adorable Doggies! I'm new to blogging, but I hope to bring my experiences to life here on This is Real Wife. I'll be blogging each week about topics such as marriage, home&house, cooking, and much more. If there's anything you want to read about feel free to send me your suggestions! I hope you enjoy my future posts!

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