Get $424 worth of beauty services for $99 at Facelogic Spa

Me Mondays:

Fresh from my inbox - what a deal! For only $99, Facelogic Highland Park is offering the deal-of-the-year to get the following services for all one price:

• Express Make Up Application
• Express Signature Facial with Microdermabrasion
• Airbrush Tan 
• Brow Wax
• Brow and Lash Tint
• Image Skincare Vitamin C or Peel
• 30 minute massage
• Da Vinci Bleach Whitening
• 10% off any regular period retail 

I love Facelogic...can you tell? Here are some great experiences I have had - and these are just the ones I wrote about! (The massages there are so incredible!)

Can Cookies Make You Lose Weight? The Magic Cookie Can
Save Those Leftovers: Make Your Skin Merry & Bright with Pumpkin and Yams

Call Facelogic Highland Park at 214-696-3223 to get your Beauty Pass before it's gone! 

Pizza Can Make You Skinny? {Recipe + Offer}

Try-it Tuesdays:

Sometimes this girl discovers the newest fitness routine, sometimes she eats the newest dish, either way she's still trying it out for the sake of her readers, right? At least that's what I keep telling myself. 

This time I was able to try out one of the coolest things to hit the fast-food scene in a while - Sbarro's Skinny Slice™. 

I love that restaurants are now offering healthier options that aren't just salads, but the things you actually want to indulge in (and pizza is ALWAYS at the top of my list.) And the"skinny" slice didn't taste like anything was missing at all, especially with roasted red and green bell peppers, portobello mushrooms and sweet, caramelized onions topped with a sprinkling of mozzarella and pecorino romano cheeses. Did I mention that it was only 270 calories? That's AMORE! 

Back in March I got to get my hands on a piece for a special sampling at Blissdom. I mean LITERALLY I got to put my hands on the crust and throw it in the air like real Italian style (well maybe it was a reproduction of pizza crust, but I tried.) Don't believe me? I have the photos to prove it. 

But don't just take my word for it, go ahead and try it yourself with this special offer from Sbarro for a free slice of the Sbarro Skinny Slice™. 
Download the coupon!

Too hungry to wait until the next time you go to Sbarro? Don't worry, they even shared a recipe for an at-home version of the Sbarro Skinny Slice™. 

Sbarro Skinny Slice Pizza at Home

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 8

1          yellow onion, thinly sliced

1          tablespoon olive oil

1          package prepared pizza dough or crust

1/2       jar tomato pizza sauce (approximately 10-12 ounces)

2 1/2    cups fresh portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/4       cup roasted green bell peppers (packed in water), drain and julienne

1/4       cup red bell peppers (packed in water), drain and julienne

1          cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1          tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano cheese

To caramelize onions, sauté in a pan with olive oil over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly browned.  Do not burn.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Roll out pizza dough on a 17-inch round pizza stone.

Spread tomato sauce evenly across the dough. Sprinkle mushroom pieces over the dough, and then evenly spread onions, green and red peppers. Top with cheeses.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crispy and cheese is melted. Cool for 1 minute. Cut into 8 slices and serve.

To skip the work and find a Sbarro eatery near you, visit www.sbarro.com. 

4 Apps For Organizing Your Business Cards

Want-it Wednesday: 

Normally, if attend an event or meeting, more than likely you are going to collect some business cards. If you are going to a conference (like I am this week), you are bound to get a pile of business cards. Over the years I have tested several systems to minimize, organize and digitize business cards. Some of been good and taken forever to maintain while others have been bad, useless and left in a pile never to be looked at again. It's an endless cycle, so it's time to take control and put that technology to work by utilizing your smart phone to do a lot more than just tweeting and texting. 

So here's four apps that I can put my thumbs up on to help you put those valuable contacts to work for you! While none of them do everything I want, it certainly beats hand entering business cards or adding them to my pile-that-never-gets-done box (see above.) 

1. CamCard

Probably my favorite, this one let's your scan the card, add it to an online "rolodex," export it to your regular contacts and then throw it away (no more piles!) While there's a free edition it limits the number of cards you can upload at a time. For just a few dollars, you can have the access to the app full-time (which is the way you'll want it after a conference and motivated.)

2. Bump

When the iPhone launched, everyone was into "Bumping..." when they meet someone. However, this app has so many other things it does as well like sharing documents and even works with your laptop now (haven't tried that!) I really think this makes it super easy to share contact information, but you'll have to rely on the other person having the app, which may take too long. Honestly, every conference should require you have a QSR code on your nametag and it will take care of everything - you'd just scan them all and have them in your database immediately. (Hint, hint #BlissDom!)

3. CardFlick

While this one doesn't have the clout that the other apps included in this list have, I can tell you, I'd wish it would. One of my favorite parts of business cards is getting to see the design and personality of the company or person I am speaking with. CardFlick allows you to have a digitally designed business card that you can "flick" (like Bump) with others. Unfortunately this app hasn't taken off yet, but if it does, I'll definitely have my business card ready for flicking! 

4. WorldCard Mobile Lite

Until CamCard this was the way I uploaded my business cards. It works reasonably well although like any scanner, specific fonts and sizes are difficult to read and don't always convert easily. Available as both a free and paid version (with more options), this is a great app for you to organize your business cards with a few different options than CamCard. What I liked about CamCard is that it made it easier to export each contact immediately to my phone book as well as the user layout. 

What's your favorite business card app? Please share! 

Wholly Moly! Making Healthy & Quick Dinners Possible with Dips?

If you’ve spent anytime following me, you know I like to eat.

Unfortunately, while cooking sounds like it could be fun, time seems to get in the way for my battle to make a meal that’s healthy, quick (like 20 minutes quick) and of course, tasty. So when I got an invitation to attend a cooking class hosted by Wholly Guacamole to get some tips on “dinner dilemmas,” I was quick to RSVP since I need all the help I can get. However, while I am a fan of all things made with guacamole or salsa, I was intrigued to learn how I could make that spread for a week’s worth of dinner hearing the complaints of empty stomachs.

The 20-count mom class seemed to be ready to learn any new ideas about getting healthy and  quick meals on the table for their family. And after an afternoon of learning basic cooking skills, a few test recipes for appetizers, entrees and even a few cocktails, I was quite surprised on all the different uses of “salsa.” I mean, really, a drink? Yes, we actually made two including a cocovado using Wholly Guacamole and coconuts and placing a dollop of Mango Wholly Salsa before pouring champagne. (At this point I became a believer since cooking started with a cocktail!)

Throughout the afternoon, I learned other great recipes including apps like Island Mango Shrimp and my personal favorite, roasted tomato, goat cheese and feta bruschetta. Besides being fun to say 10 times, the combo of goat cheese, feta and a little balsamic glaze made it hard to just eat one (so I ate like three.) We also gave dinner staples like chicken breast and meatloaf a makeover with a few new ingredients. However, it was the vanilla ice cream topped with warm Pineapple Wholly Salsa that really sank the deal…it was so good I ate it before I ate my lunch!

After the cooking class, I was full, happy and empowered to take this “mama challenge” and try it on my most cynical critics – my family.  So equipped with one of each of the products, I went home to make dinner for my family. Ready to make something new and not to be wasteful, I was going to incorporate my salsas into as many meals as possible.  

The first night: The most obvious use would be Mexican food and since I already had fajitas thawed, there wasn’t much I could do. However, I used the pico and guacamole mix to create cute little appetizer cups that included a perfect bite of everything you eat in a fajita all in a baked chip. While not that original, it was very tasty. When my husband asked for a little more heat, we pulled out the Hot Salsa. Good Dinner. Happy Family.

The next night I worked to expand the menu and decided to conquer pork tenderloin paired with the Pineapple Wholly Salsa, mashed potatoes and broccoli. It took about 10 minutes to prepare everything and about an hour to cook. My husband even complimented me on the presentation on this one. Again, Good Dinner. Happy Family.

While I could go through a list of all the great things I made, I think it’s obvious that Wholly Guacamole and Salsa line is a lot more than just dip. Don’t believe me, then take your own challenge. Go to their Facebook or webpage for a good coupon you can use today and get cooking.

While there’s another reason why they call it “Wholly,” after this challenge I know why I call it “Holy Wholly Guacamole.” And hopefully your family will too. 

Disclaimer: I was a special guest of Wholly Guacamole and received products to sample these recipes. However, the comments here are all my own.