Ever since I started cooking from Practical Paleo and Well Fed, I’ve been really into spice blends. Both cookbooks (especially Practical Paleo) have a ton of recipes that literally spice up your meals.
When I made the Sweet Potato Coins from Practical Paleo a few weeks ago, I fell in love with the Curry Spice Blend that the recipe calls for. It’s a blend of curry powder, garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, and sea salt, and, oh my goodness, it’s delicious. I’ve been throwing it in everything lately””including yesterday’s lunch (and dinner).
Lunch
Yesterday’s lunch was a “refrigerator surprise” with all sorts of random ingredients from the fridge. Mal cooked some sausage the night before, so I sliced it up, sautéed a bunch of veggies (broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, onions, leftover potatoes) in coconut oil, and then added the Curry Spice Blend to the mix. Holy yum! It turned out great!
After lunch, I headed out to run some errands. I went to the bank and dry cleaner, cashed in some returnable bottles and cans, went to the frame store to get a painting framed that Mal gave me back in high school (14 years later – I figured it was about time), mailed the #getafterit t-shirts to the giveaway winners, and then stopped by CVS to pick up my 90-day supply of colitis drugs. (My health insurance wouldn’t cover a 30-day supply, but they’d cover a 90-day supply, so now I’m the proud owner of 810 pills.)
While I was waiting for my prescription to be filled at CVS, I snapped a photo of some cheap-y nail polish (polish, not Polish) to send to Theodora since I raved about it to her the other day, but I couldn’t remember the brand name at the time.
A couple of weeks ago, on a whim, I bought a bottle of Spoiled “Steel the Show” for $1.99. I didn’t expect much from it, but I really liked the color. Well, it ended up looking really great on and surviving a few days without a single chip. I usually destroy manicures in less than 24 hours, so I was really impressed with it. And for $1.99, it was an awesome deal!
Snack
After running my errands, I came home, snacked on some red grapes, and then took Murphy for a walk.
Dinner
A few hours later, it was time for dinner, so I reheated some of the leftover curry goodness for lunch. So delish!
After dinner, Mal and I shared the last of the Chocolate Chip Coconut Butter Cookies for dessert.
And then we caught up with our DVR and cuddled on the couch with the pug. It was a really nice night.
Question of the Day
What cheap-y beauty product do you love?
Other favorites: Maybelline Full ‘N’ Soft Waterproof Mascara, Maybelline Line Stiletto Ultimate Precision Liquid Eyeliner, and Neutragena Oil-Free Acne Wash Redness Soothing Gentle Scrub.
I have never tried that polish but I am defiantly going to look at the colors next time I am at the pharmacy. Looks like a fun / relaxing night!
30 vs. 90 day question…90 day requires less paperwork and restocking. A bunch of states use this in their state medical programs to cut costs. At least they will cover your meds!
Also, nice nail color. I’m totally into the greys right now.
Interesting! Thanks! It’s just weird because they’ve been covering a 30-day supply all along, but they wouldn’t this time.
Probably because it was a “temporary” prescription at first, and now you are on it long-term.
@Tina: Is CVS the only place you can get your prescriptions filled? I’m asking because I administer the benefits at my job and we use CVS for our prescriptions. We can only get so many 30 day fills and then if it’s something you take every day, the only way you can keep getting it filled is to get it for 90 days. They do this with all maintenance medications. I’ve never heard of this with any other prescription coverage before CVS.
I’ll have to look for that nail polish because I too usually chip my manicures SO quickly. Though working in food right now means I can’t really do my nails very often. :-/ But most of my makeup is relatively cheap because I make sure I can always buy it from a drug store. And I love the Maybelline Great Lash mascara. It’s always so cheap but probably the best mascara I’ve used.
LOVE the Big Bang Theory reference!!! 🙂
And my favorite cheap beauty product has to be the lip stick I found at Kohl’s – great color and it stays on the entire day (it’s Flirt brand).
Haha! That was a really funny episode! 🙂
I’m always looking for a cheaper nail polish to try that will actually stay on! Why is it that nail polish is always so expensive?! I like to buy my eyeshadows and bronzer a bit cheaper and love physicians formula because they come with a bunch of different colors in one!
I like cheap nail polish for trendy colors, but I finally caved and bought a few notes of Essie and it really is much higher-quality.
Funny enough my face washes are super cheap…and fortunately my skin is looking great without shelling out mucho $$$!
Yup! I use Purpose for a face wash. At $6 a bottle, it works for me!
@Laura: Mine is usually around $7, and I love it!
Good old NYC nail polish is also a $1.99, I believe… and I really like it! It actually lasts.
I Thunk nyc brand nail polish and makeup is pretty good and super cheap! I buy all my makeup at cvs.
Think!@mary @minutepermile: I think nyc brand nail polish and makeup is pretty good and super cheap! I buy all my makeup at cvs.
I’ve been addicted to lipsmackers Dr. Pepper lip gloss this month!
Cheap nail polish rocks. So do cheap manicures!
I use a CoverGirl pressed powder for an eye shadow. It’s inexpensive and lasts forever! 🙂
for the past few months, i’ve been spending $50 on a tiny bottle of fancy moisturizer trying to help my breakouts. I just switched to Cerave’ which is $14 for a huge bottle and my skin has already improved!
@Teri {a foodie stays fit}:
CeraVe is what my dermatologist recommends!
Maybelline Great Lash is the best mascara ever! Its so much cheaper but it is just as good or better than the high dollar stuff.
Wow, only $1.99?! That’s so cheap. Nail polish can be ridiculously expensive eh? The last time I went to buy some I don’t think I say anything under $8. I don’t know if that’s just a Canadian thing or what?
I’m obsessed with ELF makeup (www.eyeslipsface.com). It’s so cheap, so whenever I make an order, in order to make shipping worth it, I ask anyone else if they need anything. Luckily, Target and KMart carry some of it now. Not the great stuff, but some stuff. 🙂
Somtimes I buy products marketed to tweens and teens because it’s significantly cheaper (ahem, Mary Kate and Ashley make-up) and I still check out the Bonne Belle flavors of lip gloss!
Hehe, not Polish?? But he drew dead Marie Curie! Love that episode, poor Wolowitz!
Hahaha!
Great big bang reference! I love my maybelline mascara too! I also love clean and clear facewash. Your day so sounds so productive and relaxing. I love those days!
I’m a makeup junkie and I love Joe Fresh (not sure if that’s just a Canadian brand or not) but all the makeup/brushes are 12.00 or less and are really good quality. Also, I use Neurtogena bar soap for my face and it’s amazing and like 2.00 a bar!
Sinful Colors from Walgreens, (link here: http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/sinful-colors-professional-nail-enamel/ID=prod1550389-product), is AMAZING and stays on for a good 5 days without chipping, when used with a base and top coat. I could not believe that it stayed on so long for only $2! I went back and bought about 7 more colors. LOVE IT!
@Katie: Nice! I will check that one out! Thanks! 🙂
I can’t speak to cheapie but long live OPI! Also, can’t stand Essie, chips way fast on me for some reason.
I’m all about Maybelline mascara. My mom uses it and bought it for me when I first started wearing make up, and I’ve loved it ever since!
@Ashley @ My Food ‘N’ Fitness Diaries: It’s the best stuff, right? I’ve paid big bucks for mascara, but always come back to Maybelline!
Ever since starting to eat Paleo I have been on a spice tip! I will throw cayenne pepper or cinnamon on everything haha! 🙂
xoxo Grether
I buy any cheap nail polish I can find! They always seem to be just as good as the nice ones and I like experimenting with new colors so it’s a cheap way to do it!
I always buy cheap lipstick and eyeshadow from the drug store. Don’t get me wrong I love my expensive, high quality makeup too…but sometimes I find the best colors/deals at CVS.
Random-The grapes photo is making want grapes!
I’m a sucker for Bonne Bell eyeshadows. Cheap, compact so they’re perfect for travel with multiple shadows and seem to last forever! Same with their coffee tinted lip glosses.
By the way, what movie did you end up with last night?
My favorite cheap products: Cetaphil for face wash and L’oreal Voluminous mascara, it is the best!!!
That curry blend sounds so good! I love curry powder and add it to so many of my meals, but I definitely need to try this mixture!
This sounds silly, but I absolutely love Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Was as shower wash. It is gentle and it smells so fresh, kind of like my fav scent, Victoria’s Secret Heavenly.
Maybelline Great Lash mascara—I finally stopped buying the expensive stuff and this is wayyyy better and saves me $10! Also, Loreal nail polish is great!
I’ve been buying Cover Girl eyeliner for almost a decade already and love it! The low price definitely helps 🙂 I’ve never had much luck with cheap nail polish, but now I’ll keep my eyes open for this one!
I like the Big Bang Theory reference about polish! Last nights episode had my laughing so hard, love that show.
I like any and all cheap beauty products! Well, within reason…
My favorite cheap beauty product is Purpose face wash 🙂
Oh, I recently tried that nail polish brand too and was pleasantly surprised. I’ve also found that NYC nail color from CVS and Sinful from Target are really cheap and really good quality. Essie will always be my favorite, but it’s nice to throw in a few cheaper brands here and there (for my wallet’s sake). Rimmel brand products (CVS) are also great. I’ve tried their nail polish, eyeliner, and lipstick so far.
I recently bought a bottle of nail polish from Target that was also just $1.99 and I love it! It’s called “Sinful Colors Professionals”
I use the same Neutrogena face wash and love it!
It’s awesome, right? I’ve tried a million over the years, but I always come back to this one!
I love the Big Bang Theory reference—that episode made me literally LOL. 🙂
i actually tried that polish too in bright red and i LOVED it!! i couldn’t believe how long it lasted! my other favorite cheap makeup product is Maybelline’s FIT foundation. that stuff is awesome.
I love the Big Bang Theory reference!
I need to find that brand of nail polish! I don’t paint my nails a lot so I hate spending a ton of money on polish. My favorite cheap cosmetic brand is Rimmel, I like their eyeliner a lot!
Those pug cuddles look great. Who doesn’t love a good pug cuddle. You should maybe rent him out for cuddle time. ^)^ I love cheap body lotion for using as hand lotion. I wash my hands so much, I always wash off the lotion. A nice cheap body lotion works great, and is usually not too greasy for my hands. Have a great weekend. ^_^
YES!!!!! I LOVE BIG BANG THEORY!!!!! Great reference! haha
i’m so not a make up person, but i’m addicted to chap stick, one in particular. i love bonne bell lipsmacker in dr pepper. i’ve been using it since i was in middle school, but its held the test of time! it adds a little tiny bit of a red tint, keeps my lips moisturized, and the company doesnt test on animals. also, i get it in the big super sized tubes x) they last a long time!
I love spice blends!! I’m gonna have to look into those cookbooks. I use a generic target brand facial scrub and it’s da bomb. O, wait, it’s no longer the 90’s. I take that back. It’s the bees knees. Hmm, I guess nobody says that anymore either. It’s official, I’m getting older and my vernacular is out of date. Whatevs ;).
I think Wet & Wild has stepped up the quality of their polishes and makeup. Most products are $5 or less. And CVS has a buy one, get one free sale this week!
My favourite cheap product is just good old Blistex lip chap!
I love Diane’s spice blends too! My favorite so far is the smoky blend, but I haven’t tried the curry one yet.
you know, I’ll never understand health insurance! Mine has a $7 co-pay for a 30 day supply, but if I pay Target $10 (and no insurance coverage / co-pay) I can get a 90 day supply — go figure! I go with the $10 as I figure I’m saving in the long run …
Your pug is so cute! I definitely want to try spices in my recipes, they sound really good!