Homemade Beef Jerky

Joel enjoys good beef jerky.

But good beef jerky is expensive and often times sodium filled.

So, we decided to try our hand at making our own beef jerky.

What I really like about this beef jerky recipe is you don't need a dehydrator.

Joel's Homemade Beef Jerky

4 lbs Flank Steak
3 cups Claude's Barbeque Brisket Marinade Sauce
2 teaspoons Crushed Red Peppers (if you want spicy beef jerky)
Aluminum Foil
Kabob Skewers

1. Marinade the steak overnight in the refrigerator in the Claude's sauce. If you want spicy beef jerky add the red pepper flakes to the marinade.

2. Line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees.

4. Skewer the marinated flank steak then lay the skewers across the rack so the meat hangs between the grates. (See picture below)

5. Prop the oven door open while cooking. (This lets the moisture escape and dry out the meat. We prop our oven door open with a folded dish towel.)

6. Cook the steak for 4 hours or until it is dried out to your desired consistency.

 

7. Cut into smaller pieces and store in zip-lock baggies in the refrigerator. 

Do you have a homemade beef jerky recipe? Please share it below.  

Linking up at Tiny Mom, Serenity Now,  Tatertots & Jello, craftionary, chic on a shoe string decorating, lovely crafty home, thirty hand made days, romantic home, the best blog recipes

L'Oreal Paris Total Repair Damage Erasing Balm

Recently my hair has just been unmanageable, very dry and extremely damaged.

I didn't really realize how unmanageable or damaged my hair was until I tried to shoot a hair tutorial and it was virtually impossible to get my hair to behave.

My normal reaction when my hair gets to this point is to just cut it off, but since I am a bride-to-be with dreams of having long wavy hair at my wedding, cutting my hair off at his moment is not an option.

Instead, I decided a deep conditioning treatment was in order.

To be honest, I did very little research about which deep conditioning treatment would work best for my hair (very unlike me, I am the research queen. I don't buy anything without reading a review or two...or ten) and I just grabbed whatever I found at the store.

I happened to grab the L'Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm. 

The Erasing Balm's claim is that it "repairs up to one year of damage in 1 use. Both powerful and luxurious, the balm instantly repairs the 5 signs of damage – split ends, weakness, roughness, dullness, and dehydration".

Did it completely repair my hair after 1 use? No. It did make it more manageable and softer but my hair was still dry and dull.

BUT after two uses I can honestly say that my hair is as close to normal/repaired as it can be. My hair is sooo soft, manageable, hydrated and shiny. My split ends are 100% less noticeable.

My hair is so nice now I can't stop touching it.
  

Here are before and after shots.

Before

After

In the before picture all I did was washed my hair and then I dried it with a blow dryer when it was about 80% dry. 

In the after picture all I did was wash my hair normally and add a huge dollop of the Balm. After brushing the Balm through my hair I put my hair in a shower cap and wrapped the shower cap in a towel. Next, I went and sat outside for about 15 minutes for some natural heat from the sun. (Adding heat to the Balm helps it penetrate your hair cuticles better. You could use your blow dryer to add heat but the sun works just as well and doesn't rack up your electricity bill). After the 15 minutes was up I went inside and rinsed my hair. When my hair was about 80% dry I dried it with my blow dryer. 
 

Pros:
  Price. I think I paid $6.99.
  It works!

The Erasing Balm itself is thick and an off yellow color.

Con: (and this is being very picky)

   Smell. It is a little too flowery for me. I prefer my spa products to smell minty.
   Contrary to the claim, it did take two uses to get the great results I got. 

I definitely recommend this deep conditioner and I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. 

Gym Energy Bites

Well, around here we actually call them protein poops.
 
Yes, protein poops.

But I promise the poops are yummy and they just have a bad name thanks to my wonderful younger brother.

Now that you are no longer worried and willing to read on, let's get on with it.

So, I saw a pin on Pinterest (big surprise, I know) about making your own protein balls for before and after working out.  As a member of a family of avid gym-goers, I decided to try my hand at "my own protein balls."

After making the protein balls the first time, I placed them in the frig to harden (once you see the recipe you will understand) and my brother just happened to open the frig while they were setting.

He announced loudly to my entire household, "Why do you have poop in your frig?"

I announced back, just as loud, "It's protein poop." Thus, the name for our homemade protein balls. 

These protein balls have taken on a life of their own. Everyone in my family makes them in a different variation and the guys at the gym love when my Mom or I bring them as treats.   

The best thing about these bites is that they are an actual great source of energy for the gym.

The carbohydrates in the oats give you sustenance to survive those hard workouts, the chocolate and agave provide a hint of sugar that gives you a burst (interesting thing about agave is it does not spike your insulin levels so you won't "crash" after eating these), and the peanut butter and protein powder provide you with excellent sources of protein for post workout muscle building.

Protein Poops

1 cup dry quick 1-minute oats
1/2 cup of Mini chocolate chips
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/3 cup organic blue agave
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Mix dry ingredients together.

2.  Mix in peanut butter, agave and vanilla extract.

  What your batter should look like. 

3.  Roll in to balls.

4. Place on something sturdy and place in refrigerator until the bites are hard.

5. Place in container or sandwich bag once they are set.

Happy gyming!


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Easy Breakfast Sandwich

                                                     
 
Up until recently Joel would get up extra early before work and make himself eggs and oatmeal for breakfast.

I, on the other hand, would either not eat breakfast or I would just grab whatever I could find in the pantry.

Well, gone are days of Joel having to get up extra early and Marissa not eating breakfast.

Thanks to these two pins: Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches   and  Frozen breakfast sandwiches to last 3 weeks  and inspiration from my mom's fresh homemade breakfast sandwiches, breakfast at our house is now a easy the entire week. 

I usually make 10 of these; 5 for Joel and 5 for me. Once done, I just pop them in the refrigerator and we enjoy a quick, filling breakfast every morning.

Breakfast Made Easy

For each sandwich:

100% extra virgin olive oil non-stick cooking spray 

1 English muffin (Thomas' English muffins)

2 eggs (large)

1 slice of cheese (Cheddar or Pepper Jack)

2 strips of bacon (Hormel Fully Cooked Bacon)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray one ramekin for each sandwich with cooking spray.

                                                  

3. Crack two eggs into each ramekin.

4. Pierce each egg yolk with a sharp knife.

                         
                                              

5. Cook eggs for 10-15 minutes or until set.

6. While the eggs are cooking cut squares of aluminum foil. 

                                           

 

7. Place an English muffin on each square.

8. On each English muffin place one slice of cheese and two strips of bacon.

                            

  9. Once the eggs are done slide them out of the ramekins to cool.

   

10. Once the eggs are cool, place them on an English muffin and wrap the whole sandwich in aluminum foil.

11. (Lastly, I mark each sandwich with an ‘M’ or a ‘J’ because sometimes I don’t put bacon on mine or Joel requests a type of cheese I don’t like).

                                      

To heat:

1. Remove the tin foil and wrap the sandwich in a paper towel.
2. Cook for 30 seconds in the microwave on 50% power and then for another 30 seconds on full power

I find doing this keeps the egg and bread from getting rubbery, but still melts the cheese and heats the sandwich thoroughly.

Nutrition

Calories: 295

Fat: 15g

Carbohydrates: 25g

Protein: 18g

What are your easy breakfast ideas?

Happy Breakfast!

Marissa 

Linking up at Tidy Mom, Rattlebridge Farm, My Romantic Home, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, LovelyCraftyHome, While He was Napping, Finding Fabulous, Serenity Now, The Best Blog Recipes, 

Easy Natural Wavy Hair

I was recently given the opportunity to test out the new Hot Tools 1 ¼ inch Rainbow Tapered Iron and I am in love. 

I found it’s a great way to achieve easy natural wavy hair. 

The best part is that the iron sets my curls so well that they last three days!

There is a quick review of the Hot Tools 1 1/4 inch Rainbow Tapered iron at the beginning of the video if you are not interested in the review just skip it.

                                                                                                                          (First YouTube video EVER)

                
                                                                                                          

                                                                         Sorry for the bad cell phone pictures...
                                         Day 1...

                                                                 

                                      Day 2...
                                          

                                                    
                                         Day 3...

                                                                           
There you have it! One hair tool and three days of hair! How awesome is that?!
                                                                                                      
In collaboration with Hot Tools but all opinions are my own.