Tag: recipe

Hearty Black Bean Soup | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com Hearty Southwest Black Bean Soup
Delicious Recipes

Hearty Southwest Black Bean Soup

LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Lately I have been loving eating black beans! They have such a great hearty flavor and are so good for you too!  This time of year when it is so cold outside, I love to eat soups!

When I saw this recipe on Tidy Mom, I knew that I was going to love it!  So simple and so delicious!

 

Hearty Black Bean Soup | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
Picture credit goes to Tidymom.org

Black Bean Soup Recipe

This Hearty Southwest Black Bean Soup is full of flavor, you’ll never miss the meat. Ready for the table in 30 minutes, but it’s even better the next day!

yield: 6 SERVINGS

prep time: 5 MINUTES

cook time: 25 MINUTES

total time: 30 MINUTES

Ingredients:

  • 3 (15 ounce each) cans black beans, undrained, divided
  • 2 teaspoons on minced garlic
  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 14  ounces chicken broth, or vegetable broth
  • 1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes with green chilis (I hate the flavor of peppers, so I skipped the green chilis)
  • 1 (11 ounce) can yellow corn, drained

Directions:

  1. Place one can of beans in blender; add garlic, chili powder, red pepper flakes, chipotle chili pepper, cumin and salt. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture into stockpot.
  2. Stir remaining 2 cans of beans, broth, tomatoes and corn into stockpot.  Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes

Check out the original recipe by clicking HERE.

I serve it with sour cream (or plain no fat greek yogurt) and cheddar cheese on top.  I also make corn bread to serve with it.  You can also serve it over white rice for a different type of dish completely.  If you want to have meat in it, add ground beef or ground turkey or shredded chicken.  So delicious!!!  Enjoy!

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Vanilla-Mint eos | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com Drugstore Haul Review
Review

Drugstore Haul Review

LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

Good Buy or Goodbye?!

If you know me, you know that I love Target!  They take all of my paper and mobile coupons, plus they have cartwheel.

Back in October, I bought all of these things at Target and posted a Target Mini Makeup Haul.  Since then, I have had time to use some of the products for a while now, and I am ready to give a review on them.

Once again I am going to use the simple “Good Buy” or “Goodbye” rating 😉

Drugstore Haul | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Here is what I got:

Ultimate 10 BB Creme Conditioner and Nature Fusion Moisturizing Shampoo with Melon Essence.  I love Pantene!  It is my all time favorite shampoo/conditioner brand!  Even when I have used other higher end brands of hair care I always end up coming back to Pantene.  I am sad to say though that neither of these specific two worked out for me.  I have very straight fine some what oily hair.  The BB conditioner left my hair feeling weigh down and the moisturizing shampoo was just too moisturizing and not cleaning enough.  Pantene is a good buy, but neither of these two were.  So it will be goodbye to both.

Maybelline Fit Me lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I have been enjoying the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation and wanted to try out theFit Me Concealer.  Nope, can not figure out what all the hype is about?!  I don’t like this concealer at all.  Maybe I got a bad tube but it does nothing for me!  I don’t really even have dark circles under my eyes, but I still like to try to brighten up my under eye area.  I may as well be putting nothing on my face because that is what it looks like.  Goodbye!

 

YES to Grapefruit facial wipes | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comI love the YES to Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub,  I was hoping these facial wipes would be good as well.  I like the way they smell and feel, but unfortunately they stung my face and gave me a bit of a red raised rash.  Obviously anything that irritates my skin and causes me pain is a Goodbye!

I say it all the time, I love Maybelline mascaras.  I have heard so many great things about the Lash Sensational Mascara but I have never tried it.   I figured I would give it a try to see if it lives up to the recommendations.  I have to be honest, I have so many other mascaras that I still need to use up before they go bad, that I haven’t even opened this one yet.  So…good buy/goodbye?  I still don’t know.

Vanilla-Mint eos | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comI gave the EOS Visibly Soft Vanilla Mint Lip Balm a try. Let’s face it, the EOS lip balm packaging is super cute, but overall that is where it ends!  I have tried the Strawberry one, and was less than impressed by it.  I was told that the vanilla mint one is different and better than the others.  It is definitely better than the strawberry one, but I don’t overly love it.  I have used better lip balms that have cost a lot less.  Also, I feel like so much of the product gets wasted because of the egg shaped design. After wearing this lip balm my lips don’t feel any more moisturized. At $3 each they are just ok, I have to say this is a Goodbye.

The Soothing Remover Cleansing Towelettes for Sensitive Skin wipes  were just ok. They get my face makeup off pretty well. I can get some of my waterproof mascara off, but not much of it at all.  If I really want to try to get my mascara off, I end up having to really work at it.  The wipes start to dry out before I can get it all off.  If I use the wipes too much around my eye area they end up burning my eyes like crazy, so yeah, I’m not into that at all! I have to say Goodbye to these wipes.

I had a coupon for the Herbal Essences Happy Go Lather Body Wash and decided to give it a try.  It smells delightful.  Nothing overly special about it.  It was a good price and it gets me clean without drying out my skin, so I guess it is a good buy.

If you are interested in seeing some other things I have recently purchased and have been trying out, check out my recent mini drugstore haul by clicking HERE.  Check out my recent haul reviews by clicking HERE.

Have you tried any of these products?  Did something that didn’t work for me work out awesome for you or vise versa?  Let me know!

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Delicious Foods to Help You Lose Weight! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com Delicious Foods That Help You Lose Weight
Health/ Fitness

Delicious Foods That Help You Lose Weight

LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

A big killer of weight loss is snacking!

One way to help prevent snacking between meals is eating foods that keep you feeling fuller longer.  These are some of my favorite delicious foods that help me prevent snacking by staying fuller longer.
Delicious Foods to Help You Lose Weight! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comOne of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is oatmeal! It is a great way to start the day because in just a half a cup of rolled oats there are five grams of fiber!  Oat meal also has an appetite regulating hormone called cholecystokinin. Both of these will help you to feel fuller longer.  (You can put an entire tablespoon of raw sugar on your bowl of oatmeal for only an additional 45 calories!  Or a tablespoon of real maple syrup is only 52 calories!)

Delicious Foods to Help You Lose Weight! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comChia seeds are a great source of omega-3s, protein, and fiber.  I love to put the seeds into hot water so that they swell up.  Then I brew some chai tea and add the “bloomed” seeds to the chai.  Does that make it a chia chai?  I don’t know if the swollen seeds actually fill your stomach to make you feel less hungry, but I still really love them.  They are great in yogurt and smoothies.  Just be careful because they can easily get stuck in your teeth, (not pretty, haha!)

Avocados are full of healthy monounsaturated fats, which help keep you full.For breakfast, I love to add half an avocado to a slice of toast with one egg scrambled and a little bit of Frank’s hot sauce (so good!).It is a great way to start the day that will also keep you full until lunch. That leads me to my next food…

Studies have shown that Eggs are a protein packed food that can help you control your appetite for up to 36 hours.  Not really sure if they will keep you full for 36 hours, but hey, if studies say it, I like it!

Delicious Foods to Help You Lose Weight! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comNuts are a great sources of fiber.  They digest slowly so you feel fuller longer. My favorite nuts are Almonds!  There are so many different types of nuts that just because you don’t like one doesn’t mean that another won’t be your favorite!  Just be sure that you are eating raw nuts and not processed or sugar coated ones!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?!  Apples have pectin (a soluble gelatinous polysaccharide that is present in ripe fruits and is extracted for use as a setting agent in jams and jellies) which helps to prevent spikes in the blood sugar.  Apples have a high water content and are also are a great source of fiber giving a feeling of fullness.

Delicious Foods to Help You Lose Weight! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comAnother food that is high in both water content and fiber is dark leafy vegetables: kale, spinach, Romaine lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.  I love to eat salads with all kinds of dark leafy greens.  Adding a tablespoon of your favorite oil and vinegar salad dressing will only add between 50-80 additional calories.  Stay away from cream based dressings  they cause the calories to really add up making your “healthy salad” into a diet destroyer!

I love to add lemon juice to my water. Just like apples, lemon juice also contains pectin, that can help slow digestion. Eating something sour can help you feel satisfied after a meal by curbing cravings.  Speaking of water….sometimes a craving can be quelled with just a glass of water, and it can also keep you hydrated as well.  (I wrote a whole post just about water.  Read it by clicking HERE.)

Delicious Foods to Help You Lose Weight! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comOne of my favorite things to eat is sushi!  While sushi isn’t necessarily the thing that helps me lose weight, one of the things I also love to get when I eat sushi is edamame.  Half a cup of edamame has over eight grams of protein but is less than 100 calories.  Making it a great way to keep you feeling full!

Ever since I have been eating more healthy, I have been loving beans. All kinds of beans!  Black bean, garbanzo beans, kidney, and navy!  Beans are a low-calorie source of fiber and protein, so if you’re wanting to stay full longer, eat some beans.

Delicious Foods to Help You Lose Weight! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

So here is the “full” list…
Oatmeal
Chia Seeds
Avacado
Eggs
Nuts
Apples
Dark leafy greens
Lemon juice
Edamame
Beans
Hope you have a day “filled” with lots of these delicious foods!
lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
Delicious Recipes

Broccoli Salad

LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

A few years ago we went to a cookout at my husband’s Aunt’s lake house.  She served this broccoli salad, and I was in instant love!  She has always been a wonderful cook with lots of great recipes. I think that every time I left her house I had a new recipe that to add to my collection.  This broccoli salad is quite simple and very delicious.

broccoli-salad lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 head broccoli, stems removed and florets cut into pieces
  •  4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled 
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 3/4 cup  mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp white sugar
  • 1/4 cup roasted no salt added sunflower seed kernels
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl combine mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.  Mix well and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl combine broccoli, bacon, onion, cranberries, and raisins.  Gently stir in the mayo dressing completely covering the broccoli mixture.
  3. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve immediately.

The only down side to this delicious salad is that due to the fact that it doesn’t keep well, it has to all be eaten on the day it is made .  But hey, that is not really much of a problem considering how delicious it is!

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cheese, pepperoni, olives pizza dip | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com Easy Cheesy Pizza Dip
Delicious Recipes

Easy Cheesy Pizza Dip

LauraJoli LookingJoliGood4 Comments

Pizza is usually an easy crowd pleaser!  Not many people can resist the wonderful taste of a warm slice of cheesy pizza.  This dip is a wonderful hot cheesy goodness with all of the favorite flavors of a cheese, pepperoni, and olive pizza!  It is perfect for serving at a party (or eating alone :-)).  As is, it serves four, but can easily be doubled, or tripled.

cheese, pepperoni, olives pizza dip | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
2 ounces pepperoni, sliced
3 tablespoons sliced black olives
2 tablespoons diced green pepper, (I personally hate peppers, so I would never add these to my own dip, gross! But, hey if you love peppers, add them in.)

Directions

  1. Pre heated the oven to 350 F
  2. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, and parmigiano reggiano cheese. Spread it across the bottom of a pie dish.
  3. Spread the pizza sauce on top and sprinkle on the cheese, pepperoni, olives (and if you choose green pepper).
  4. Bake about 20 minutes or until warmed through out and bubbling and the cheese is fully melted to a golden brown on top
  5. Serve with bruschetta or tortilla chips.

You can also make this recipe in the crock pot.  If you have been around Looking Joli Good for any amount of time, you know I love my crock pot!  So simple, and perfect for keeping the dip warm if being served at a party!  Layer everything in the slow cooker in the same way you would in the pie baking dish.  Slow cook until the cheese is nice and melted usually about 1 hours on high or 2 hours on low.

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roasted cauliflower lookingjoligood.wordpress.com Roasted Cauliflower
Delicious Recipes

Roasted Cauliflower

LauraJoli LookingJoliGood6 Comments

Roasted cauliflower is one of my latest food obsessions.  It is so delicious, simple, and yet super healthy.  Cauliflower is is a great source of Vitamin A, folate, magnesium, and potassium.  It also has a ton of  phytochemicals.  If you don’t know what phytochemicals are, they are an important part of health and wellbeing.  Not only do they improve the health of our GI bacteria (also known as gut flora), they also promote healthy immunity.

Roasted Cauliflower | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower cut into bite-size florets. A 2 pound cauliflower will give around 8ish cups.  (you can even use frozen cauliflower*)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or my favorite grape seed oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Want to spice it up a bit more…
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (instead of the garlic powder)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix together the oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and pepper.  Toss the cauliflower with the oil mixture in a large mixing bowl (sometimes I even put it all into a gallon sized zip top freezer bag and shake it up.)  Spread out evenly on a foil lined baking sheet; sprinkle with salt. Roast until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Flip halfway through for an all over even roast. Put into your serving dish and enjoy!

I like mine extra crispy so I usually do closer to 23-28, flipping every 10 minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower.jpg

*Just thaw frozen cauliflower out a bit first by briefly running it under cool to warmish water, letting it sit and drain.  Repeat as many times as necessary.  Frozen veggies often cook a bit faster, so keep a closer eye on them, set the timer for 15 min, adding 5 min as necessary.

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Delicious Recipes

Creamy Garlic Scallops

LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

I love scallops!  They are one of my favorite dishes to eat.  While scallops may seem like they might be hard to make, they are actually one of those dishes that tastes amazing but is quite simple.

Here is a great recipe by  Rasa Malaysia.  You can check out her other 900+ recipes at rasamalaysia.com

Creamy Garlic Scallops

by @rasamalaysia
Serves 3

Creamy Garlic Scallops | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Ingredients:

1 lb jumbo natural scallops
Salt
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons white wine or Japanese cooking sake, optional
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon chopped parsley leaves
1 slice lemon wedges, quartered, for garnishing, optional

Directions:

Rinse the scallops, pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and black pepper.

Heat up a skillet with olive oil and butter. Pan-sear the scallops on both sides until nicely browned, but don’t overcook them. Remove and set aside.

On the same skillet, add the garlic and saute. Add a little bit olive oil if you want. Add the cream, water, wine, salt and cayenne pepper. Bring it to a gentle simmer until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the scallops back into the skillet, add the chopped parsley leaves and lemon wedges, turn off heat and serve immediately.

For a lighter version that is just as delicious check out her Garlic scallops recipe by clicking HERE.

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Delicious Recipes

Caramel Popcorn

LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

A few weeks back my friends and I celebrated “Friendsgiving”  One of my friends made some delicious homemade caramel popcorn.  For me it was love at first bite!  She gave me the recipe and I have been enjoying homemade caramel ever since!  So simple and delicious.  While I prefer to eat all of this homemade caramel popcorn myself, this recipe is perfect for giving away as gifts during the holiday season.

Homemade Caramel Popcorn | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4 unpopped popcorn
(simple instructions below on how to pop kernels in the microwave using a brown paper lunch bag.)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
Optional: chopped nuts, sprinkles, chopped candy bars, M&M’s
Directions:
1. Pop popcorn and place in a large metal bowl.
2. Combine sugar, butter and corn syrup in heavy cooking pan.
3.Cook on medium heat; stir constantly.
4. When sauce turns medium caramel color, remove from heat and add vanilla.
**Warning: Be extra careful!  The caramel is so super hot that if even a tiny bit gets on your skin it will burn soooooo bad!  Also, don’t stand directly over the pan  when you add the vanilla.  It will bubble and steam when you add it to the hot mixture.**
5. Immediately pour over popcorn and stir with a long handled metal or wooden spoon.
6. Enjoy and try not to eat the whole thing yourself 😉
Paper Bag Popcorn Popping:
  1. Measure 1/2 cup popcorn kernels into a lunch sized paper bag.
  2. Loosely fold just the very top of the bag over so the kernels don’t spill out. Tape it shut (or you may end up with a microwave full of popcorn!)
  3. Lay the bag in the microwave taped side down.  Shake the kernels to spread them out evenly in the bag.
  4. Microwave until there are no more than 3 seconds between popping sounds. (My microwave usually takes 2 min 30 seconds, but I stand by and listen very closely!)
  5. Carefully remove the bag and open it carefully, the popcorn is hot! Enjoy!
Health/ Fitness · Jillian Michaels Body Revolution · Make up · Review · Weekly Product Highlight

Maybe You Missed It?!

LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Hello to all those that might be new to Looking Joli Good!  

I really appreciate you stopping by to read what I have to say!  While some have been with me from the start, others may have just joined in!  Here are some of my posts that you may have missed…

Beauty Youtubers I Love!

You have got to check out these great Youtubers!

Easy DIY Makeup Remover

makeupremover
Easy DIY Makeup Remover

Weekly Product Highlight~Mascara

You’ll need the Easy DIY makeup remover if you are going to wear this Colossal Volum’ Express waterproof mascara.  Check out all my weekly product highlights by clicking HERE

Maybelline VOLUM' EXPRESS® THE COLOSSAL WATERPROOF MASCARA IN GLAM BLACK. | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

This or That: Yes to grapefruit daily facial scrub and Garnier Clean + Balancing Daily Exfoliator

Spoiler alert!  I prefer the Yes to Grapefruit.

Grapefruit Exfoliating Scrub Comparison | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
Easy DIY Makeup Remover

Ebates

Get paid to shop online

I just got my first check from Ebates the other day!  Awesome!!!  Check it out and start making money for shopping online!

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution

Lots more Body Revolution reviews to come!

wpid-wp-1447122272758.jpg

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Lots more delicious recipes to come!

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Delicious Recipes

CINNAMON BREAD

LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Just finished baking the last of 4 loaves of Amazing Amish Cinnamon Bread! The house smells delicious and I shared it with the ladies at the library.  They said the bread was delightful! I highly recommend this very simple recipe from RedFly Creations!

CINNAMON BREAD
(makes 2 loaves)

Batter:

Amazing Amish Cinnamon Bread! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk plus 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:

2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cream together butter, 2 cups of sugar, and eggs. Add milk, flour, and baking soda. Put 1/2 of batter (or a little less) into greased loaf pans (1/4 in each pan). Mix in separate bowl the 2/3 c sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 3/4 of cinnamon mixture on top of the 1/2 batter in each pan. Add remaining batter to pans; sprinkle with last of cinnamon topping. Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min. or until toothpick tester come clean.
Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.

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