Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Soup

Hi!

   Today has probably been my favorite day in Italy. Why? Because I got a European voltage crock pot!!! While the scenery is beautiful and the gelato is amazing, nothing can compare to my love for my crock pot. I think you know you've reached "wifey status" when you've become excited over small kitchen appliances. To each her own, right?
   While I was going to wait until tomorrow to make this yummy dish, I couldn't help myself once I got my crock pot out of the box. So, after having already walked a mile to and from the PX to buy this handy cooking machine, I decided to walk another to make a trip to the commissary. I think hubby was happy that I did, too.
   After scrolling through Pinterest for some easy, filling crock pot recipes, I found one that I liked and altered it just a bit to fit my taste buds. Being from Louisiana, hubs and I tend to like things a little spicier than most, so I almost always alter recipes. I finally settled on a Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup copycat, and pretty much almost changed the entire recipe. Whatever.

 
blah, overexposed!              I cut down the original recipe by almost half, if not more. Here's what I used for my recipe:
   p.s. you can use any brand of these ingredients
*2 cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
*1 can College Inn Light&Fat Free Chicken Broth
*1 can Organic Black Beans
*1/2 container Old El Paso Jalepeno slices+juice
*1 package Velveeta Mexican Cheese
*1 bundle Cilantro
*2 cups chopped onions
***Use the next 3 ingreients to your liking***
*2 tbsp Roasted Cumin
*2 tbsp Creole seasoning (added more throughout the cooking process)
*2 tbsp Rep Pepper & Garlic seasoning
*1/2 bag Garden Salsa Sun Chips (optional, for thickening)
*3 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts
*1 cup water

Directions:
*Cut Chicken, Onions, Cilantro, Velveta, into desired size pieces
*Add all ingredients EXCLUDING Sun Chips
*Let cook on high for 2 1/2 hours
*Add Sun Chips (optional)
*Cook on low 1 more hour or until chicken is cooked completely

 

   And voila! Your soup is ready to eat! I try to make my meals as simple as possible, and I think I hit this one right on the head. It was SO yummy! This photo is what was left after the husband and I dug into it. I think hubs ate almost half of it by himself! This is definitely a meal that I will be cooking often. I love Mexican dishes, and this one is something that I can actually make. (I'm not the best enchilada maker...)

XOXO,

Megan

My life

My life by armywifestylelife featuring wedge heel sandals

Steve Madden wedge heel sandals
macys.com

Nicole Lee studded handbag
target.com

Face powder
$40 - feelunique.com

Lipstick
eyeslipsface.com

Makeup brush
eyeslipsface.com

Waterproof eyeliner
eyeslipsface.com

Spring Beauty Wishlist

Hiya!

    Spring is almost here, and I'm currently coveting a few, erm...a lot, of new products! Well, not all of them are "new", but they're all new to me!
   The main thing I'm really itching to get my hands on is a set of Sigma brushes. I'm really eyeing this "Mr. Bunny Essentials Kit." They'll be my first real "big girl" brushes. I've got a deal going with my husband right now, and if I can win the bet, I get them. I only have to wait until May 12th to see if I get them.
   I'm really looking forward to experimenting with bright lips and cheeks this season, that's why I have to get my hands on more of e.l.f.'s Mineral Lipsticks and Rimmel's new Apocalips lip stains. For blushes, I really would love to have some of e.l.f.'s HD Blush in Superstar and Headliner. Before I left the states I had sampled Benefit's Fine-One-One brightening color for lips and cheeks, but I wasn't in love with it. Now, I wish so badly that I would've gotten it! I am also wanting Benefit's Hoola Bronzer. It would be the perfect Spring/Summer bronzer.
   As far as eyes go, I don't think I'll be straying away from my typical neutral cat eye, so I'm really hoping to pick up e.l.f.'s Endless Eyes Pro Mini Palette and a few of their Eye Enhancing Eyeshadows. Nothing too adventurous for me!
   What are you coveting this spring? What trends are you most looking forward too? I want to know!
        

Spring Beauty Wishlist by armywifestylelife featuring sheer makeup

 
 
    

P.s. We will be moving into our house in about two weeks, THANK GOD!Once we get settled in and get the internet all hooked up, I have a lot more planned for this little blog of mine. I can't wait!

XOXO,

Megan

Our Italian Villa: A Sneak Peek

Why, hello there!

    As promised, here are the pictures of our new home in Italy. It's not ours quite yet, but we have started the leasing process and it will be ours in about two weeks. This house is HUGE, has a pretty "Americanized"  kitchen, AMAZING views, a huge yard, and best of all, a room that is nothing but closet storage! You can probably guess which part is my favorite. ;)
***I apologize for the horrible quality of these photos. All I had on my that day was my iPhone and I shot these all really quickly.***

 
  The first picture is the view from one of our living room windows. We can see the entire city of Vicenza from our living room! The second photo is only about two thirds of our gigantic living room. I'm obsessed with the beams and the fire place! You can't see it in this photo, but one wall is nothing but a huge built-in entertainment center.  
    Excuse my husband's booty, but this is our kitchen! Yes, it's a bit outdated, by American standards, but by Italian standards, this is an amazing kitchen. My favorite part is all of the counter space. Also, the room my husband is peeking in is a huge storage closet. The house has two or three of these huge closets and I love them.      

  The first picture is my bathroom. It's all pink and grey tile. Don't you just love that window above the tub?! My husbands bathroom isn't pictured, but it's all yellow and grey tile. It's the same set up pretty much, it just may be a tab bigger. The next picture is my closet room! You can only see one wall, but there is another one of those cabinets across from that one, and there is a large armoire with mirrors to the side of the photo that isn't pictured. The last photo is of part of our master bedroom. The door leads to our balcony, and here is the view of Vicenza from it:


 
   These last few photos are of our yard, and it is probably my favorite part of the house, which I'm incredibly head over heels in love with. The yard is SO huge and has so many different trees and shrubs. There are concrete steps all throughout it because the yard is multiple levels, which is really cool. You can't tell from my horrible photos, but we have not one, but TWO massive patios. I cannot wait to start planting some flowers and hosting bar-be-ques this summer! I never thought that I would be THAT wife, but this house makes me want to be! Is that crazy? Whatever.

 

   Sorry for the picture overload tonight, I just couldn't help myself. Once we are actually in the house and not rushing through to see it, I will be posting better photos. I'm thinking a room-by-room series will be necessary once we get all of our stuff and I've decorated everything the way that I have planned. I seriously can't wait to decorate this amazing house!


 XOXO,

 Megan

Product Review: Clinique Chubby Stick Intense

Well hi there!

       My weekend/start of this week has been so ridiculously busy! Between briefings, meetings, and house hunting, I just haven't had time to post anything. If you ever have to make an overseas move, you'll understand. But, we did find our most perfect house! I'll be making a post specifically for the house tomorrow. For now, let's get into what this post is specifically about.

       I have been eyeing this product for quite some time, but I couldn't justify spending $16 on what is essentially a lip gloss. Today on my trip to the PX (the Walmart or Target of Army posts) I went to the Clinique counter and saw that they had the Intense Chubby Sticks for waaaay less than Dillards, or any other store with a Clinique counter. I was able to snag up these two babies for $12 a piece! (I got another super awesome product as well, but it deserves a review all by itself.)

   I got the colors Mightiest Maraschino and Heftiest Hibiscus. To me, these were the most vivid and pigmented of the eight shades. Mightiest Maraschino is a deep red with purple undertones. Heftiest Hibiscus is a bright fuchsia with almost a golden shimmer. The swatches pictured aren't quite true to color, because of my cameras uncooperative flash.
   While these are in no way shape or form a lip stain, they do seem to last a good hour or two. They would be a great "top coat" over a lip stain, just to add shine and give it that extra boost of color. These two will definitely become a staple in my day to day beauty routine. I'm so happy that I was able to find them for cheaper than at department stores! Just a reminder, these are the Chubby Stick Intense lip balms, NOT the regular Chubby Stick lip balms. The pigmentation of the two are VERY different. I would definitely not recommend the regular Chubby Sticks to anyone, but I would definitely recommend these.

 How do you like this product, or even the original version? I want to know what you think!

XOXO,

Megan

Blog Lovin'

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Product Dupe: Benefit Hello Flawless VS. e.l.f. Pressed Powder

     I'm so excited about this post! It's my very first "dupe" find. Both products are ones that I absolutely love, and they are by my two most favorite brands, Benefit and EyesLipsFace. For those of you that don't know, Benefit is a more high end brand, and e.l.f. is an EXTREMELY affordable brand that makes high end quality products.
     Before I left the states I had gotten three huge e.l.f. hauls, and a lot of new Benefit products. My favorite Benefit product is the Hello Flawless Custom Powder-Cover Up and I was so excited to see that e.l.f. had a product that was very similar, for a small fraction of the price. Benefit's powder is $34.00. E.l.f.'s powder is $3.00
   
e.l.f. Pressed Powder in color "Sand." Benefit Hello Flawless Custom Powder Cover-up in color "Honey."
    Both powders come in very similar packaging. Hello Flawless has 7.0g of product, where e.l.f Pressed Powder has 6.5g. There's not too much a difference in the amount of product, as you can tell. Both containers contain a mirror in the lid and the make-up tin flips up to reveal the sponges/brush. Benefit contains a small brush and a sponge. E.l.f. contains a sponge only.
    Both products claim to be a powder with "customize-able/build-able coverage." Both of these colors are VERY similar and the coverage is almost exact. Hello Flawless has a slightly orange undertone, where e.l.f has a more pink undertone. Both colors are still very similar once on the skin. The Pressed Powder is a bit more powdery than Hello Flawless, but I personally prefer the coverage of it. However, Hello Flawless is still one of my go-to's. The coverage of these two powders are unlike any others that I have tried. They are definitely my two top recommended.
Top-Hello Flawless, Bottom-E.l.f. Pressed Powder.     Overall, I love both powders almost equally, but with e.l.f. having a slight advantage. I somewhat prefer the coverage/color and I LOVE the price! If you have $34.00 plus tax I would definitely say go for Hello Flawless. If you are like me and love a good bargain, then DEFINITELY go with e.l.f. No other drug-store brand can even compare to this formula, and it is even cheaper than most drug-store brands!E.l.f. gets 5 stars in my book and Benefit 4 stars, only because $34.00 is a bit pricey for a powder. I hope that this review helped you, if you were wondering about either product. Be sure to check out the links below to get your own! *E.l.f.'s Studio Line is 50% off right now, so you can get this powder for only $1.50!
 E.l.f. Pressed Powder
 Benefit Hello Flawless

XOXO,

Megan