Two Timin' Pasta

     I absolutely love pasta! I was looking for a simple and quick (as always) recipe that didn't require much prep work. I came upon this recipe, and decided to give it a go! This recipe is actually one I found on Pinterest and it worked out great. I highly suggest pairing this with garlic bread and a nice glass of wine!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 box penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
• 1 (15 oz.) jar alfredo sauce (I used the light version)
• 1 (24oz.) jar marinara sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1lb. Meat: (I used hamburger but I felt like it would be better with a spicy Italian sausage)

Directions:

  

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350

 

2.) Boil water and cook pasta according to directions on the box 

 

I love to use this product from Pampered Chef, Boil Over No More. It is very easy and prevents the huge boil over spills that seem to always happen to me. Plus, you can throw the noodles in and set the timer then just wait for the noodles to finish cooking. It makes cooking noodles even easier!

3.) While your noodles are cooking, start browning your sausage or hamburger.

4.) Once the noodles are completely finished cooking, combine the meat and noodles. 

5.) Next is the easy part, pour in both your sauces (yes the whole entire jar) and shredded cheese. Mix until the pasta is well coated.

6.) Now pour contents into a 9 x 13 baking pan. I sprayed it with olive oil so it doesn't stick.

7.) Take your Parmesan cheese and spread it evenly over your pasta mixture.  Then bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly or the top is a bit brown toward the edges. Your finished product should look something like this:

YUM! Now time to devour!!

Review by: Mr. W

Star Rating: 5

GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment

     Probably three months before my wedding I really started taking skin care seriously. When I say seriously, I mean I would literally try anything and everything that could possibly give me the wedding day glow. I really tried to use natural products to prevent any harsh breakouts, however, I found it was really hard to see the results I was looking for. (And let's face it, by that time I was borderline desperate to find a fix all so I could finish all the last minute Pinterest projects I decided to start literally 3 weeks before we said, "I do." If you asked Mr. W what he thought of all this, he would look at you and say, "Seriously? She put HONEY on her face." So now I am bound and determined he will do a mud mask with me!

      I am notorious for getting stressed out only to break out, and then I get stressed out about breaking out. See how that could be an issue? So to find the most truthful reviews I headed to the internet. Obviously everything you read on the internet is true, so I spent a fair amount of time doing my homework before deciding on a product to test. I came upon the GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment, this product claims to actually lift all the junk out of your pores to help keep them clean. I had to see it to believe it, I checked out if anyone had found it on Pinterest and sure enough there was a picture of a girl with the a close up of her nose and all the pores literally looked like they were being tackled by this mask. According to the Sephora description of the product it states, "This formula was clinically developed by GLAMGLOW® dermatological chemists to help fight all common skin concerns including breakouts, discoloration, black and white heads, razor bumps, and in-grown hair. Powerful, skin-clearing mud visibly draws out dirt and congestion while a proprietary six-acid blend dramatically brightens and softens skin. It works to magnetically draw out dirt and pores with Activated-X Charcoal, leaving skin smooth and healthy-looking."

     Sounds kind of cool right? It is a bit pricing, ringing in at $69.00 at Sephora, however it is on Amazon with prime shipping for $39.33... that is a steal! So I figured before you even spend $40 to test this out, I'd show you how it worked for me. It comes in a Hollywood-flare box, but when you open it be prepared, it literally looks and feels like mud!

     Start by using a thin layer and cover your whole face. (I would include a picture of this, but I'd like to keep the readers I do have! :)) Wait for about 10 minutes for it to be fully dry and watch all the dirt, grime, sweat be lifted out of your pores. 

Grossed out yet?

 Then take a warm washcloth & gently remove the mask. 

     You're probably wondering if I thought it was actually worth the $69.00 (ouch!) I paid. I would give it an 9! After using the mask, it made my skin feel smooth & clean. I can honestly say I felt like it diminished a lot of discolorations I had, and also reduced break outs. I would definitely order it again especially at a cheaper cost through Amazon, to have on hand for weekly use.

This Summer

Lately, a lot of our friends have been asking what we have been up to this summer. The truth is, Mr. W and I have become quite the bikers! Our birthdays fall within a week of each other, so since we've been engaged we have just decided to get each other something nice, and get two of them. That way we both know what we are getting, (we don't do well with surprises), and we get to enjoy it together! This proved to be the best idea last April when we bought each other Ray Bans for our honeymoon! Talk about a great gift!

I'm mean really, just picture me on that!

I really wasn't sure how we were going to top last years gift, considering we got to enjoy them in the Jamaican sun with a piña colada in our hand. We really try to stay active and Mr. W absolutely LOVES to work out. I use to think I was a workout fanatic too... until I met him! So it was about March when we started talking about how awesome our summer would be if we had bikes. Mr. W really thought we could get a good workout in, while I was thinking how cute a bike with the big antique handle bars would look with a basket on the front holding my groceries.

Mr. W and the bike shop owner where we got our bikes had a good laugh when I told them why I really wanted that style of bike. Mr. W kindly reminded me that there was probably not a good chance all our groceries would fit into a tiny little basket. I decided to forgo the cute-girly-grocery-getting bike and settled for a rode bike. It's be absolutely one of my favorite gifts and something we have been able to enjoy together as a couple! I definitely recommend this to all married couples, as we have had an absolute blast pretending we are 10 years old again on our bikes!

My Biker Babe!

Tater Tot Sloppy Joe Casserole

Lately, I have been extremely busy. Between working full-time and taking graduate classes, it has been quite a challenge to find quick and easy recipes to make for my hubby. The Tater Tot Sloppy Joe Casserole not only was quick, but also a flare of Southern comfort food which I definitely needed being so stressed out. One of the best things about this is that it is so cheap to make, definitely making it a good candidate for 'just married meals!' View this recipe featured on Cents Less Deals Blog here, or see below:

1lb. ground beef (I used 93% lean to keep it a bit healthier)

1 can of sloppy joe mix

1 can of corn, drained

1 16oz. of tater tots (I used a little more for porportionate meat to potato ratio)

1 cup of grated cheddar cheese

Start by pre-heating your oven to 450 degrees.

Brown your hamburger completely, and drain out the grease. After draining the corn, mix with hamburger.

Next, pour in sloppy joe mix and mix until completely coating corn and hamburger.

 Then, pour in a 9 x 13 pan. I didn't grease mine, and it turned out fine.

 

Spead cheese evenly over meat mixture & top with tater tots. 

 Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes or when tots are golden.

This is a quick receipie and one I have actually made a few days before we plan to eat it. It's so nice to pop in the oven without any pre-work! Enjoy!

Review by: Mr. W 

Star Rating: 4

Me, Mr. W, and My Blog

     I absolutely LOVE being married to such a wonderful guy. Please bear with me through a very sappy story of how we met:

      Tyler literally came out of no where. I was completely not expecting to meet him, that is how all great love stories begin right? My best friend e-mailed me one day telling me to go Facebook stalk her Physical Therapist. Of course I did and saw what a handsome man he was, I wanted to meet this guy. He was my friend Chelby's Physical Therapist that she had been seeing due to a "very traumatic event." A "very traumatic event," is not only what Chel referred to her dirt bike accident as, but also Pastor Eric who married us.  It was pretty gruesome and she was in A LOT of pain the day of her own wedding. Being a great best friend, I'm secretly happy it happened or I probably never would have met such an amazing man that I now get to call my husband. Thanks for taking the hit for me Chel (Jeesh, the things you do for me!).

      Chelby decide to take matters into her own hands, after such a bad dirt bike accident, something good better come from it. I was just about to board my plane from San Francisco back to Nebraska and Chelby called asking if I'd be in town Friday night. It was Thursday and I would be getting in to Nebraska extremely late only to head to work the very next day, so I told her probably not. With a twist of my arm she said, "Remember that guy I've been telling you about? Well, we are going over to Scott & Tiffany's (Scott is a co-worker of Tyler's & Tiffany was a co-worker of Chelby's, and both friends of my sister & her husband. Confused yet?) and Tyler is going to be there too." Not really fully understanding it was a set up until I got to her house, I immediately was so nervous. As we rode in the car to their house, I had 20 minutes to figure out how the heck I was going to impress this guy. 

     Pretty soon we walked up to the door, walked in, and he was standing there in the kitchen. Holy smokes, talk about gorgeous. From there the rest is really history, well, until he proposed back at the same spot we met almost a year and a half later. I had no idea. We had gone to a really nice dinner and as far as I knew we were going to Scott & Tiffany's to watch the Husker game. It was December 1, 2012 and the Huskers were playing in the Bowl Game. Tyler said they were all outside and Scott just said to head back there. So I open the door to the deck and no one is there... I kept trying to tell Tyler that I thought everyone was downstairs! There was a fire going, and Tyler started saying all these really nice things about how lucky he was to have found me. It didn't hit me until about five minutes into his speech what exactly he was getting at, then he pop the big question and of course I said, YES! We came back inside and all our friends were there to celebrate with champagne & the Huskers!

Our very first photo ever taken together. :) Had to throw that in!

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At my parents after we got engaged on 12/1/12

One of my favorite wedding photos!

So, here we are today, married, in love, and struggling through this crazy life together enjoying every minute of it. This blog is about our journey through life together and experiencing not only all our big firsts, but everything that encompasses being a wife. From cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning, beauty, fitness, travel and other tips and tricks I'm hoping to make all first-time wives lives a little bit easier! So please, follow me through the journey of my Life as a Wife and Other Adventures!