My Easy-Peasy Burger Bowl Recipe

I find making an actual burger too challenging. How much does that show off my lack of cooking skills these days? But making the perfect sized patty while also trying to get the right internal temperature without burning the outside. I don’t know. It’s just not for me. But ground beef cooked in a pan? I can handle that. And this burger bowl with potatoes comes together so easily on a weeknight!

Loaded Burger Bowls = Easy Meal

Since having my daughter THREE YEARS AGO, I still haven’t gotten back to my old self that loves cooking. She’s still in the stage where we need to watch her at all times to ensure she doesn’t break a bone or something in our house. And she’s not one to really play alone much. But we will get there! In the meantime, I’m still struggling to get back to my old creative self that loves cooking.

And that means easy meals and bowls are on constant repeat. I tend to just grab whatever I have in the fridge to create a meal. Blueberries and sauerkraut? Cool with me. Cottage cheese and oranges with soy sauce on top? Love. But sometimes, and only sometimes, I’ll put a meal together that makes more sense. Like a bowl with all the best friends from your favorite burger spot, in easy to eat, forkable bites. Is forkable a word? Guessing not based on my spelling error that keeps popping up when I type it. Rude.

Why You’ll Love This Healthy Burger Bowl Recipe

It makes you look like you tried – while you definitely diced some potatoes, smashed some meat, added a few burger toppings and mixed some special sauce…people will think you did way more. And that’s the point of life right – work smarter, not harder? 

It feels like you’re eating out, but it’s way healthier – when you’re eating at restaurants, they are normally using a higher fat content beef along with loading up on a ton of fat, whether they are cooking the ground beef in fat or frying the french fries. When you’re cooking at home, you get to decide how much fat you use or don’t use!

It’s filling without an insane amount of calories – when not cooked in a ton of fat (like they do at restaurants), potatoes are a high volume food, meaning they will are quite filling for a low amount of calories. They will fill up your stomach without an excessive amount of calories, all while tasting delicious!

What You’ll Need For This Meal

• Yellow onions
• Lean ground beef
• Ketchup & mustard
• Steak seasoning
• Worcestershire
• Gouda cheese slices
• Gold potatoes
• Some oil to cook your potatoes in
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Mayo
• Sweet relish
• Sugar
• Distilled white vinegar
• Pickle de gallo

How to Make Loaded Burger Bowls with Toppings

1. First and foremost, caramelize those onions of yours. Add diced onions to a pan with some fat and salt over medium heat. Move those onions around every so often, ensuring they don’t burn. Turn temperature down if needed. Once they become translucent, add some sugar and keep letting them cook until they are brown and beautiful.
2. Next you’ll want to start with roasting your potatoes. I like to spray my diced potatoes with some oil, using this oil sprayer. Then toss the potatoes with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. I roast them at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat up to 425 degrees for another 5 minutes to get them extra crispy.
3. Then make your burger sauce because it’s stupid easy. All you have to do is mix together mayo, ketchup, relish, sugar, and vinegar. That’s it.
4. And cook your meat, baby!! Cook ground beef in a pan, using this fun kitchen accessory that makes ground beef mashing easy peasy. Add salt and steak seasoning and cook until no pink remains. Then add worcestershire, ketchup, mustard, and sugar and cook until combined. Add cheese slices and cover to steam until cheese is ready for it’s cheese-pull close-up.
5. Finish with assembly. Add crispy potatoes, ground beef, caramelized onions, and burger sauce. And do NOT forget the pickle de gallo!

The Absolute Best Burger Bowl with Potatoes

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: juli

Ingredients

For the caramelized onions

• 2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoons sugar

For the crispy potatoes

• 2lbs gold potatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

For the burger sauce

• 1/2 cup avocado mayo
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

For the “burger”

• 2lbs 93/7 lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon steak seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3–4 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire
• 5 slices of gouda cheese
• 5–6 tablespoons Grillo’s pickle de gallo

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Finely dice onions. Add avocado oil to a pan over medium heat. Add diced onions to the pan, sprinkle with salt, and move those onions around every so often, ensuring they don’t burn. Turn temperature down if needed. Once they become translucent, add some sugar and let them cook until they are brown and beautiful.
3. Dice potatoes and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spray with avocado oil and toss the potatoes with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Place them in the oven to roast for 20 minutes, then turn the heat up to 425 degrees for another 5 minutes to get them extra crispy.
4. In a small bowl, mix together mayo, ketchup, relish, sugar, and vinegar to make your burger sauce then set aside for later.
5. Cook ground beef in a pan, using this fun kitchen accessory that makes ground beef mashing easy peasy. Add salt and steak seasoning and cook until no pink remains. Then add worcestershire, ketchup, mustard, and sugar and cook until combined. Add cheese slices and cover to steam for about a minute, until the cheese is melted.
6. Now simply add everything to a bowl – Add crispy potatoes, ground beef and cheese mixture, caramelized onions, and burger sauce. Then top with pickle de gallo!

I hope you love this meal as much as we have in our house! Does my 3 year old eat it? No. She’s on a strict string cheese and berry diet. Sometimes a yogurt pouch. But I’ll get her there someday. And we may even enjoy a meal sitting down together. Who knows. Dream big, right?!

The post The Absolute Best Burger Bowl with Potatoes appeared first on PaleOMG.

This is not financial advice nor legal advice. Please advice with professionals when making a huge life choice.

Let me preface one thing before I get into all the details (other than making sure you don’t listen to a random chick on the internet about financial choices) – we haven’t officially moved full-time to Costa Rica and we don’t know if we ever will. But we did buy a house here and are currently splitting our time between Costa Rica and Colorado. Since our daughter is still young, we have the flexibility to bounce back and forth before we have to settle down more in one spot for her to go to school. The whole reason we ended up buying a home in Costa Rica is because we see ourselves living here more than Colorado and having our daughter go to school here so she can be raised bilingual and in a different culture than we grew up in. We also wanted to be near the ocean, but didn’t want to live in California or any of the other coastal cities in the US. So after traveling to Costa Rica multiple times, my husband and I both decided we wanted to call Costa Rica home. So that’s what we did. Now let’s get into the nitty gritty.

How We Chose The Area To Live

Choosing an area was super simple for us and we really didn’t do a ton of research. In human design (google it if you’ve never heard of it), the way I make decisions is emotional – it’s based on how something makes me feel. And whenever we were in Tamarindo on vacation, my soul literally felt tethered to the sand. There’s no better way to explain it other than my body TOLD ME to be here. And I listened. Tamarindo is only about an hour or so away from the Liberia airport, which is also a direct flight from Denver. Tamarindo is also on the beach and it’s a very touristy area so it has easy access to restaurants, grocery stores, and other daily needs, which is helpful.

What It’s Like To Buy a House in Costa Rica

When we decided we wanted to buy a house in Costa Rica, we began doing google searches for houses available in Tamarindo and came across different listings along with the real estate agents tied to those listings. We would reach out through those sites and often times received no response. But we did find a few real estate agents who responded and sent them houses we found while they found more houses for us to check out. We then booked a trip to Tamarindo where we toured 16 different homes in the area in 2 days. On the second day, we found our current house and instantly knew it was the one. There was no question about it.

Now choosing how to purchase your home is the more complicated piece. We looked into financing our Costa Rica home and found out that getting a mortgage that is outside of your own country is challenging because of down payment rates and fees. Even finding a bank willing to do that is complicated. Once we did find a bank, they wanted 40% down with 12% interest, plus another $20k in fees. The interest also wasn’t fixed so it could change at any point. We didn’t budget for those kinds of fees so it just didn’t make sense. We ended up speaking with our financial advisor and figured out a way to pay cash, pulling money from one of our investment accounts, while not disrupting our longterm retirement goals. We also went over budget with this home, justifying it by knowing we would use it as a short-term rental when we weren’t living there.

Once we decided how we wanted to purchase the home, an attorney was recommended by our real estate agent. We signed a power of attorney (POA) on having them sign on our behalf since we couldn’t be there in person AND because the documents are all in Spanish. But Brian still translated all the documents and read them before we signed. We ended up signing while still in Colorado. We found that there were far less documents to sign than what we sign in the US, but there is still proper due diligence and inspection.

Learning More About Short-Term Rentals

Since we don’t plan to live full-time in Costa Rica quite yet, we wanted to offset costs by renting it out when we are gone. And before we purchased our home, the house was already being used as a short-term rental and had dates already rented out. We did research on short-term rentals in the area, possible income for different sizes of homes, and then asked for an analysis from the property management company that was already managing this house. When deciding on a property management company, it’s important to interview each company and ask for an analysis on the property that you are interested in. I think it’s also important to have a good rapport with the company and easy communication to really know if it’s the right management company for you. We have loved our property management company because we always know what is going on at the house, we can ask for updates while out of town, and we can change anything for our guests as needed. It’s been a really great experience so far!

Buying a Car in Costa Rica

Once we bought our home, we knew we would need a car, but we didn’t have a space to leave it while we were gone. So my husband began researching companies that store your car while you are gone. He found a spot that not only stores it, but they also run it once a week, wash it before you need it, and drop it off at the airport for you to pick up when you land. So far, it’s been a really easy experience with them.

But buying a car was definitely more challenging. It was very hard to first get over the sticker-shock with the price of cars in Costa Rica. So we thought about importing a car OR driving one down ourselves, but that process involves paying 50% import tax on the value of the car so we scratched that. Instead, we found a car broker in San Jose that we talked to over WhatsApp for weeks, telling him exactly what we were looking for and needed. He was willing to drive the car from San Jose to Tamarindo to drop the car off with Brian when he flew into town for a quick trip. We used the same attorney for our house to help us through the buying process for the vehicle. Brian put the money for the purchase of the car in escrow and he signed the documents when he got into town, to ensure everything was legitimate. This was an added expense but it prevented us from being scammed.

Finding a School in Costa Rica

This is a paragraph I’ll have to add to as we get closer to choosing a school. When we first thought about moving to Costa Rica, we began asking people we met in town about the schools. And we found out that there were many to choose from, whether we wanted to go private or public. Our goal is for Avery to be bilingual so we want her to be immersed in a school that speaks Spanish, which will be a big factor in our decision with where she goes. Since she doesn’t need to go for a couple more years, our plan is to start touring all the schools nearby to see which one will be the right fit for her. I also know that people will homeschool, especially when wanting to live in different places, but I just don’t think I could do a good enough job as Avery’s teacher so I don’t think we will take that on. But I also said I’d never have kids so never say never!

Citizenship vs Non-Citizenship

Since both my husband and I work for ourselves, we don’t need a work visa while living in Costa Rica, which is a factor for some people when moving here. When it comes to living here, at this point you can stay in Costa Rica for 180 days (it used to be 90 days and is still subject to change) before you need to leave the country. Many people we have talked to will do weekend trips to Nicaragua when they hit that 180 day mark before heading back to Costa Rica after. This is what we plan to do at this point if we are staying more than 180 days. There are pros and cons with becoming a citizen and it does take some time to acquire residency as a non-Spanish or Spanish-American person. One of the pros includes better access to affordable healthcare while a con is paying taxes in Costa Rica as well as the US. So for us, at this point in time, we plan to either go back to Denver or cross the border at 180 days. This is definitely an important factor to think through when deciding to purchase a home in another country.

Cost of Living

One of the questions I’ve seen the most is how the cost of living compares to the US. I think this all depends on the area that you choose to live (in the US or abroad), but for us, since we live in a pretty touristy place in Costa Rica, I would say the cost is pretty comparable, maybe a bit higher than back in Denver. But this also depends on what types of things you are buying and where, and that can take some time getting used to. As an example, when we grocery shop in Costa Rica, there are multiple supermarkets near us and all of them range in price. At one of them, a pound of grassfed ground beef costs $12 while I can find in Colorado for $10. But I was also able to find a farmer at the farmer’s market who had really great prices on pasture raised chicken that was much cheaper than back in Colorado. As long as we aren’t trying to get super fancy things, like baking mixes we like back at home, I think the prices are pretty comparable at the end of the day and we will quickly get better at purchasing at certain things at certain places to save us some money.

Wherever you plan to live, there will most likely be local farmers, local grocery stores, and maybe even large grocery stores that help you save some money. The best thing to do in any new place that you live is eat local and eat seasonal. The higher processed foods and specific brands will tend to be higher, especially if they need to be imported.

Any Questions?

So far, this is what we have learned and I hope it helps you if this type of life change is something you’ve been thinking of or wanted to explore. We haven’t had enough time here to really know what is in store for us in the future and how much time we will spend here, but I do know that I’ve never felt more like myself than when I’m here. My stress levels are much lower, my activity is higher, my mood is elevated, and I’m spending so much more time in the sun which is always amazing for hormones. This kind of life suits me and my family, and it may do the same for you!

If you have any other questions, please list them below and I’d be happy to answer them (as much as I can) and I would love to add those answers to this post, as well!

The post How We Bought a House & Moved to Costa Rica appeared first on PaleOMG.

I’ve been working on my skin since 2015, doing regular skin treatments to improve acne scarring, texture, discoloration, and other signs of aging. And since I’ve been trying different skin skin treatments for almost 10 years, I’ve experienced many ups and downs along the way. So I thought I would share the treatments I plan to repeat over and over, along with the treatments I’ll leave in the past.

Skin Treatments I Love

Sciton BBL (broadband light): This is a treatment I get done every time I see my esthetician because there is absolutely no downtime and no pain, so it’s a really easy treatment to do regularly. BBL helps with age spots, freckles, redness, small vessels, acne, and more. It just helps your skin look rejuvenated and youthful so it just feels like a no-brainer! I’ve only had positive experiences with this laser and love that you can go on with your day as normal afterwards.

• What to expect at & after treatment: You don’t need any sort of prep before or after this treatment. This laser is super mild and comfortable throughout so you just need to lay there and enjoy the downtime while you have it. It’s a 1/10 on the pain scale with only a few spicy zaps here and there.
• Pros: Noninvasive, no downtime and younger looking skin.
• Cons: Temporary darkening or redness of the skin which goes away with time.

Sciton Halo: This laser is ablative and non-ablative, and if you’re new to these terms – ablative means it removes the top layer of skin while non-ablative heats the underlying tissue of the skin without damaging the surface of the skin. Since it’s an ablative treatment, it will give you more dramatic results while the non-ablative helps with different concerns. Halo will help with skin tightening, scars, lines, and wrinkles, while also improving pores and pigmentation. I LOVE halo. Absolutely love. I love the idea of doing it once a year, but haven’t kept up with that goal. But truly, I think it’s my favorite treatment ever. Below is my 4-month skin improvement before-and-after! You can read more about my halo treatments here!

• What to expect at & after treatment: You will numb before this treatment since it can be very hot and uncomfortable at times. Of all the treatments I’ve tried, I would rate this was 6/10 for pain and just towards the end when the numbing cream has worn off. When you’re having the treatment done, your skin will feel VERY hot. On fire hot. And that can last for an hour or two after the treatment. The heat will dissipate with time and you’ll be left with sandpaper-like skin that gets pretty rough after the first few days before slowly peeling off, revealing new, healthy skin!
• Pros: Your skin looks absolutely amazing and it just gets better as time goes on.
• Cons: It’s expensive with an average cost of $1700. And there is some downtime of 5-7 days. There are also risks like burning, blistering, and/or scarring (none of which I’ve experienced myself).

Sciton Moxi: The Moxi laser is a close second to Halo for me. I love this laser. This is a non-ablative laser which means you’re going to have less downtime, which is always great, and it leaves your skin looking absolutely beautiful. Moxi is going to reduce the appearance of sun damage and aging, correct uneven pigmentation and dark spots, it improves melasma, and reduces scars and pore size. Your skin truly looks phenomenal after this treatment. I have done a Halo + Moxi treatment together and my skin never looked better afterwards!

• What to expect at & after treatment: Similar to Halo, you will numb before this treatment. I have done this treatment without numbing cream and still found it tolerable. This treatment is a 5/10 in terms of pain and is more annoying vs painful, similar to a rubber band snap. After treatment, your skin will feel like sandpaper but heals quickly.
• Pros: Since it’s non-ablative, there really isn’t much downtime and you can wear makeup the next day. You skin will quickly have an airbrushed look to it!
• Cons: You may be slightly red and/or swollen, and it could activate cold sores if you have that virus in you.

ezGEL: I’m newly obsessed with this treatment and I can’t wait to do it again. Since we lose fat, collagen and bone in our faces as we age, everything starts to droop a bit. Filler is something that can help with face shape, but I’ve only ever tried it in my lips and didn’t necessarily want to add any anywhere else. That’s when I found out about ezGel which all comes from YOUR body. ezGel is autologous filler, meaning it’s obtained from your plasma, that helps treat facial asymmetry, helps the body produce new collagen, reduces signs of aging, and reduces acne scars. I used this under the eyes and in the cheek to create more structure around my eyes where I saw the most signs of aging, and it helped TREMENDOUSLY. I absolutely loved this treatment and can’t wait to do it again. Below is a photo of before and after, which isn’t super great simply because the lighting is so bad in the first photo. But you can see that the orbital bone shows less in the photo on the right, which is what I wasn’t able to improve with any treatment, including PRP. It’s the slightest improvement that made me so happy!

• What to expect at & after treatment: The injector/RN will draw your blood to prepare the plasma and then plasma filler. The plasma filler will then be injected under the eye, crow’s feet, eyebrows, lips, chin, and more. The injection is uncomfortable since it is a needle going into your face, but it’s only a 5/10 on the pain scale.
• Pros: Since it’s only coming from your body, there is no outside substance being used, which is always a plus. There is little to no downtime and it stimulates collagen production to create a really natural look with immediate results.
• Cons: It is not a permanent solution. This treatment only lasts 3-4 months.

Microneedling: I think microneedling is a fantastic treatment and I need to get it done again. The last time I did a full treatment of microneedling, I saw such a huge improvement with texture and lines around my mouth. I was seriously blown away. It’s one of those treatments that’s slightly annoying because you need to do 6 consecutive treatments to really see the full affect, but it’s totally worth it when you do! And it can be more affordable compared to some of the laser treatments out there! Below is a picture of what your face will look like right after microneedling. You can read more about my microneedling experience here!

• What to expect at & after treatment: The injector or esthetician will numb your skin and then will use some sort of microneedling tool (the tools and depth of needle will range) to poke small holes into the skin then a serum such as a stem cell serum will be put on top. The pain isn’t too bad, probably 5/10 on the pain scale. Your skin will be red and irritated, but will improve throughout the week.
• Pros: Microneedling can help improve skin texture, fine lines, wrinkles, scars, and reversing sun damage.
• Cons: You will need to do 4-6 treatments about 4 weeks apart so it is a time commitment.

Botox: I’ve gotten Botox since I was maybe 25 or 26 and I’ve had no regrets. I even took some time off when I was pregnant and tried other options like Frownies (which made me skin break out really bad) and I was quite happy to come back to Botox. I have really loved botox for simply slowing down some of the aging process, such as deep lines from daily facial expressions. I think it’s all about finding the right injector who won’t make your eyebrows too heavy since I’ve definitely experienced that in the past. I’ve tried Botox and Daxxify, but I don’t think I really have a preference. It’s just been an all around great experience for me and I have no regrets after 10 years. Below is a picture of before botox.

• What to expect at & after treatment: Botox is pretty simple and pain is really only a 2/10 on the pain scale. Your injector will inject the areas that will inhibit the movement patterns of your face and there is absolutely no downtime after.
• Pros: If you don’t want wrinkles, botox is really where it’s at because your face isn’t moving that way to create those wrinkles. Your skin will look smooth and have a photofinish look to it after about 10 days.
• Cons: You may experience bruising, headaches, and depending on where the botox is injected, there is a chance of drooping eyelids, uneven eyebrows, or a crooked smile.

Lip Filler: I’ve only ever done filler in my lips and I absolutely loved it and still love it years later. I first tried in 2020 then had a small amount added in 2022 after having my daughter, but I haven’t touched them since and still absolutely love them! I used Juvederm which is a hyaluronic acid filler and haven’t had any negative side effects from either of my 2 treatments. You can read more about my lip filler experience here!

• What to expect at & after treatment: Your injector will first numb your lips. The filler is then injected and your injector will use their fingers to move the filler around and shape your lips. I don’t find this treatment comfortable, probably a 6/10 on the pain scale. Afterwards, your lips will be red and pretty swollen, but the swelling will go down within 10 days, revealing your new lips. As time goes on, your lips will settle more and more and have less of that duck-look to them. I started with 1/2 a vial and went back for more vs doing it all in one sitting.
• Pros: When done correctly, lip filler can give a really natural look of volume while also improving the texture of lips.
• Cons: Filler can migrate, meaning it can move and end up in other places vs where it was injected, especially if not injected correctly. There is also a chance of infections and allergic reactions.

Skin Treatments I Plan to Never Do Again

SkinVive by Juvederm: I regret this one so freaking much. I decided to do SkinVive because it’s hyaluronic acid under the skin which means it should improve smoothness in the cheeks while hydrating from within. Well I experienced the complete opposite of smoothness. I now have MORE lumps than I had before from acne scarring on the right side of my face. I really didn’t experience any positives from this treatment and have no idea why people love it, solely based on my really negative reaction. Below is a picture of the texture issues I now have after SkinVive which hopefully will resolve with time along with an even larger bump that I experienced.

• What to expect at & after treatment: SkinVive will be injected by an injector under the dermis layer of your skin. It contains lidocaine to help reduce pain and I would say it’s probably a 6/10 on the pain scale. Afterwards, your skin may feel tender and you may experience bruising.
• Pros: Your skin is supposed to hydrate your skin and give it a great glow for up to 6 months.
• Cons: Along with the swelling and bruising, there is a chance you may experience lumps and bumps (welcome to my world) and/or nodules.

Sculptra: Sculptra is dermafiller that stimulates collagen production and increases volume, which are both things we lose as we age. And this one is tough for me because after my first treatment of only one vial, I loved it and I was so excited to go back for my second treatment. But after the second treatment, my skin was absolutely so pissed. My body is pretty sensitive and it seems like my immune system attacked some of the product and created this big lump near my jaw. It was big enough that I had to go to someone who had an ultrasound and they had to ultrasound the spot while also injecting it with a steroid. And the problem with having to inject a large amount of a steroid is that it also kills the fat, creating a divot in the skin. So I went from having a bump to having a divot. It’s safe to say my skin does not like Sculptra and I will not be doing this again. This was also a product my esthetician warned me about because so many people experience nodules from it, but I thought I wouldn’t have an issue. Turns out, I did. Tough lesson to learn. Both injectors I saw said they had never seen this reaction before so I may be the exception, but it’s possible that it could happen to other people, as well. Below are pictures of my results after my first treatment (which I was super happy with the volume improvement) followed by the picture of the large divot after my second treatment, that should fill back in with time.

• What to expect at & after treatment: After some numbing is injected under the skin, the injector will inject sculptra into the outer border of the face where you want to add volume. The pain is probably a 6/10
• Pros: It can create great volume in the face and smooth out lines and wrinkles, all while producing natural looking results.
• Cons: They recommend a vial per decade you’ve been alive and often an injector will only want to inject one vial per treatment, meaning you’ll need multiple treatments about 6 weeks apart. Nodules can form which have to be cut from the skin. Sculptra can also make a facelift more complicated for a surgeon because it’s more complicated to separate the tissues created by the biostimulator.

Sciton Profractional: I haven’t done Profractional in years simply because I didn’t think the pain was worth the reward. Out of all the treatments I’ve done, I find Profractional absolutely excruciating. I even once did a nerve-block in my face to help with the pain and it still wasn’t enough. I just can’t take it yet some people don’t find it painful at all so I guess we are all diffferent. I also never found that my skin improved as much as I had hoped. After 3 or 4 different Profractional treatments and not seeing the results I thought I would, I decided it just wasn’t worth it, especially after experiencing Halo and those fantastic results. Below are pictures of my first Profractional (I only did around the mouth and on the cheeks – this is also a great picture showing how much my melasma on my forehead has improved through laser treatments) and my last Profractional treatment of my entire face. Yes, it is as painful as it looks. You can read more about my profractional treatments here!

• What to expect at & after treatment: You will numb before your treatment then your esthetician will use the laser on a part off your face or on the entirety of it. Your face will most likely bleed and be extremely swollen and red after. Your skin will then “harden” and begin to crack, revealing new fresh skin.
• Pros: It can improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars, uneven skin tone, and other skin imperfections. Plus it can stimulate collagen production.
• Cons: This treatment is a 10/10 on the pain scale for me and I never saw the volume/plump look I was hoping for and what I’ve seen on other people who love this treatment.

Chemical Peels: Let me be clear…chemical peels work, I just personally hate them and hate every day of the entire experience. Will I PROBABLY do one again someday – sure. But I’m hoping it’s done when I get a facelift and I’m under anesthesia and drugged up for a few days after and dealing with the healing of a facelift. I hate how chemicals peels feel in the moment, some feeling like an 8/10 on the pain scale, and I hate how it gets way worse before it gets better. I can’t remember the last time I did a chemical peel and I’m really happy about that. Not once have I thought to myself, “Man, I could really go for a chemical peel right now.” Never. There isn’t enough reward for me so I’ve stayed away from them.

• What to expect at & after treatment: Your esthetician may or may not use a numbing cream before treatment. The chemical peel will be applied to the skin and it will sit on the skin a certain amount of time which may including burning or stinging of the skin. The peel will then be removed and the esthetician will explain at-home care. The skin normally is hot and irritated after the treatment which will reduce with time.
• Pros: It can improve wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne (never experienced that myself), and uneven skin texture.
• Cons: This treatment is a 7/10 on the pain scale for me and I absolutely hate that results take anywhere from 7-14 days – it only gets worse before your whole face starts to peel off. Plus you aren’t supposed to peel off anything so you just live with these giant dead skin patches on your face. No thanks.

I know this is A TON of information, but I wanted to put all of these treatments in one place so people could come back to it as needed. Bottom line – I love Halo & ezGEL the most at the moment and I will never do SkinVive or Sculptra ever again. But it’s important to remember that everyone’s bodies are different and will react to treatments in a different way. What works for me may not work for you. But hopefully this post gives you some insight into some of the lasers and treatments that you’ve heard about!

The post Favorite & Least Favorite Skin Treatments appeared first on PaleOMG.

This post is sponsored by Audible, but all opinions are my own.

Five Duet Audiobooks You’re Going To Love

Lights Out by Navessa Allen: This audiobook blew me away. I’m not super into dark romance and some dark romances have given me a bit of the ick…but not this one! This dark romance is narrated by Elena Wolfe and Jacob Morgan who both do a great job and bringing each character to life. This is a stalker dark romance, but the FMC who is being stalked is in on it. Everything is consensual here! But the best part about this book is even thought it has a dark vibe to it, it’s funny! It’s super funny! That means you’ll get to laugh even between feeling very hot and bothered from the spice scenes!

Nocticadia by Keri Lake: If you haven’t read any dark academia yet, well you are in for a freaking treat! Picture a slightly spooky Harry Potter style school, but everyone is over 18 and the school is filled with secrets, a mysterious illness, and a SUPER hot pathologist that the FMC is completely pulled to. This book is spooky, it keeps you guessing, and the spice scenes are perfection! This duet audiobook is narrated by Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter who do such an incredible job keeping you on your toes throughout this story!

The Cane Brothers Series by Meghan Quinn: Meghan Quinn is one of my favorite romance authors because she writes the most incredible spice scenes and she makes you wait for it. The tension she builds is UNREAL. The Cane Brothers series is a 3-book series. You’ll start with So Not Meant Be which is a duet narration with (yet again) Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter, then listen to A Not So Meet Cute, and finish it with my favorite A Long Time Coming which is another duet narration with Erin Mallon and JF Harding. If you love a billionaire trope, well all three Cane brothers are exactly that and they are prepped and ready to show you that they know what to do in the bedroom. And the best part about Meghan Quinn is that you’ll find yourself laughing throughout the entire series. Laughter, sex, and fun billionaire stuff…what more could you ask for?!

The Ravenhood Series by Kate Stewart: I wouldn’t quite call this series a dark romance, but it has a dark-cloud vibe over it. And it has a reverse harem trope which definitely keeps you on your toes with the ever-changing spice scenes. All three books – Flock, Exodus, & The Finish Line has a duet narration with Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden. This series is filled with secrets, lies, and twists that you don’t see coming! If anything, it will get you feeling ALL the feels, ups and lots of downs.

Does It Hurt by HD Carlton: If you haven’t checked out HD Carlton yet…well they write some DARK romance. And this book is no different. It definitely has a romantic thrill to it and has you guessing what the real answer is to the mysterious things that keep happening. This stand-alone book is a duet narration with Troy Duran and Michelle Sparks. Troy does a really great job with different accents like Australian and Italian, and makes you fall for his bad-boy vibe he’s got going on.

If you haven’t tried Audible yet, Eligible Amazon customers in the US can sign up for Audible Premium Plus at $0.99 for the first three months. Between 11/20-12/2 customers who sign up will also receive a $20 credit to be used on Audible! Click here to grab this offer before it’s gone!!

The post 5 Duet Romance Audiobooks You Need to Listen To appeared first on PaleOMG.

This post is sponsored by Audible, but all opinions are my own.

For years I have been listening to podcasts all about true crime, self-help, and bio-hacking. And that experience was great. It was lovely. I learned so much. Blah blah blah. But then I experienced the wonderful and magical world of romance audiobooks and my life was forever changed. I now spend every extra minute listening to a romance novel while I drive, while I do my hair, while I put on makeup, clean the house, and do the dishes. I am honestly happy to take on any menial chore around the house so I can spend five more minutes diving into a world of love, magic, fantasy, and let’s be real here…fornication.

Romance novels have truly taken over my life. It’s my favorite part of my day. I wake up thinking about my new book as I slide my headphones into place and start slathering on my makeup. I sit on pins and needles while I wait to see if the main male character and main female character will finally seal the deal as I’m cracking eggs into a hot pan making my breakfast. I mean, I even started my own romance book club to talk to other women who are just as obsessed as I am about exploring every detail of these books. I live and breathe audiobooks. It’s my new identity. And I never want this fantasy ride to end.

Luckily, thanks to Audible, it never has to. Now I can dive into romantic, wild, and exciting worlds that remind me to never stop exploring, dreaming, and trying new things. Audible has every audiobook that is on my TBR and then some. And when you are an Audible Premium member, you get even more perks – The Plus Catalog has tons of audiobooks included in your membership, for no additional fee! That means you can use your monthly credit to purchase one of the audiobooks that has been on your TBR for a while, while downloading other audiobooks for freaking FREE. It’s so incredible. Your new favorite app is going to quickly become Audible. And your new best friend, boyfriend, husband, and coworker will also become Audible. Audible is your new identity. Do you see the theme here?

The best romance audiobooks to listen to on Audible

A Court of Thorns & Roses Series (Dramatized Adaptation) by Sarah J Maas: The dramatized version is a must because it includes TWELVE narrators instead of just one narrator playing the voice for every single character. ACOTAR is the gateway drug into romance and the dramatized version is that gateway drug on crack.

The Brutes of Bristlebrook (Ensnared & Entangled) by Rebecca Quinn: This is another multi-cast narration that will blow your mind. The story is incredible and you’ll find yourself swept up in the love story, trying to pick your favorite brute. It may be my favorite audiobook to date!

The Ruinous Love Trilogy (Butcher & Blackbird and Leather & Lark) by Brynn Weaver: Both of these books are duet style, meaning you won’t hear the male narrator try to act out the female voice in a way that makes you cringe. And in both books, the male narrators have Irish accents that will make you swoooon. I am truly obsessed with these books and I am DYING for book 3 to come out!

Hooked by Emily McIntire: This dark and modern twist on Peter Pan was such a fun ride. Both narrators sounded perfect for their characters and I found the updated retelling super fun, sexy, and captivating. I listened to it so quick!

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood: Jason Clarke is one of my favorite male narrators out there and the more you listen to romance books, the more you’ll hear his beautiful voice. I thought his voice along with the female narrator were both PERFECT for this audiobook!

Titles that are FREE in the Plus Catalog on Audible

Wolf Hotel Series by K.A. Tucker: Buckle up for a series that is about to blow your socks off. And you’ll get 4 out of 5 books for FREE in the Plus Catalog. This series set my expectation for romance novels HIGH. This audiobook has only one female narrator, but she will take you on one wild ride that you will never want to get off.

American King by Sierra Simone: After you read American Queen and American Prince, you can then listen to American King for free on the Plus Catalog. Once I read American Queen, I had a whole new expectation of what a romance book should feel like. And the pedestal is HIGH.

Twisted Series by Ana Huang: This is a series that has been recommended a million times and has been on my TBR since day 1, so I was especially excited to see 3 out of 4 audiobooks for FREE on the Plug Catalog. This is a dark romance with mystery and suspense, which means I’m diving in immediately!

Boys of Tommen Series by Chloe Walsh: And this is one more series that’s been on my TBR since day 1. You can listen to the first two books for FREE on the Plus Catalog. This is a college romance filled with RUGBY. I am so freaking in.

If you haven’t tried Audible yet, I can’t recommend it enough. It truly is the app I use the most…which is saying something since my job is on instagram. Click here to get a FREE month for new subscribers and download your first book immediately! You cannot go wrong with any books on this list.

The post The Best Romance Audiobooks appeared first on PaleOMG.

If you’re anything like me, you got into reading fantasy when you were 18 years old, you fell in love with Edward Cullen in Twilight and thought no other human male could compare. Then you quickly jumped into Hunger Games to only be bored at the end of the series and inevitably give up entirely. Then you went 15 years without reading fantasy to only listen to self-improvement podcasts or books on spirituality and nutrition.

Ok ok, maybe the latter half wasn’t your experience. But if you fell in love with fantasy to only forget about it for almost half your life, well you my friend are in one hell of a treat. And that treat is called A Court of Thorns & Roses. It’s a series of 5 books filled with incredible twists and turns, heart-throbbing romance, stunning worlds, and yes, some absolutely lovely lovely sex scenes.

Now let me set the stage for you so you can know what you’re have in store. The main character Feyre is mortal who is living a life of complete poverty with her 2 sisters and father. She is left to fend for her family by hunting and simply surviving. That survival takes her to a moment with an immortal that will change her life forever, where she has to choose between living in the mortal world with her family or braving the unknown immortal world, filled with beings that fill our nightmares and could kill us in an instant.

Without giving anything away, I want to quickly walk through what to expect in each book, especially since some books may feel a little slow, but I want you to know that it’s completely worth sticking with.

Purchase The Series Here

Book 1 – A Court of Thorns & Roses:

This book starts out on the slower side, but it’s really helping you get a visual for what the mortal and immortal lands look like, the division between them, and it’s also showing you an immense image of how the main character starts off compared to how she develops with each book. As slow as it may feel, it’s worth really taking your time to take in every moment, and just know that it ends with a BANG. One hell of a bang.

Book 2 – A Court of Mist & Fury:

Now this is when the series picks up and sends you to the moon. I still think of chapters in this book almost daily. I’m not even joking. The author, Sarah J Maas, does the most incredible job of bringing moments back from book 1 that you didn’t even think were important. Buckle up and know that your romantic heart will absolutely explode in this book.

Book 3 – A Court of Wings & Ruin:

The third book is one hell of a fun ride, especially if you love new characters, stunning landscapes that you get to create in your own mind with her descriptive word choices, spooky creatures that make your skin crawl, and if you love war (that sounds weird). This is a fantastic book that you’ll never want to put down.

Book 4 – A Court of Frost & Starlight:

Ok I’m not going to lie, I hated this book. It’s definitely a novella that feels very much like a Christmas movie. It’s filled with snowball fights, questions about finding the perfect present, and that’s about it. BUT it’s very short so it’s easy to get through and it definitely has some important pieces that cannot be missed so don’t skip it! But also, I just listened to the audiobook because it’s a super quick listen!

Book 5 – A Court of Silver Flames:

This book is my Roman Empire. Just like the second book, this is another book I think about DAILY. Like, nonstop. And I’m going to be honest here…it’s because the sex scenes are epic. I even have the pages tagged so I can go back and re-read them. The fierce love, character development, and stories are all so exciting throughout the entire book. My favorite characters in the whole series are in this book and I couldn’t get enough of their story.

After not reading fantasy for 15+ years, ACOTAR has made me fall head first into the thrill and obsession that comes with these stories. And these stories have brought me back to life. I’ve read 13 books in two months and have no plans to stop any time soon. The author, Sarah J Maas, has reminded me how much I love to read, with her incredible mind that she’s so gracefully able to put into words.

After having our daughter over a year and a half ago, I’ve been finding myself all over again and who I am now during this new chapter of life. I’ve missed the playful side of me, the side of me that didn’t think too hard about things and went with the flow. And reading these books has lit something inside of me that helps me feel free again. I can escape to a world filled with magic and that magic has translated into my own life. Not only is my love life better with my husband, but I’m happier every single day. All because of reading these fantasy books.

If I could get you to do one thing this year, it would be to read these books. I want you to feel the excitement, the romance, the humanity, and the spark of joy that these books ignite in you with each chapter. I hope that you read these and the books take you on a ride you never saw coming!

Cheers to many book reviews ahead since I’m only getting started!

Purchase The Series Here

The post Why You Need To Read A Court of Thorns & Roses appeared first on PaleOMG.

Whenever I see a recipe that starts with “one pan”, I’m IN. Sold. No need to say more. The less dishes, the better. And this meal has hardly any dishes at all PLUS it tastes hella good. And if you’re gonna have your life together enough to actually make a recipe, it better be hella good. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

This year, cold and flu season hit me hard. I mean, hit-by-a-bus then smacked-in-the-face kind of hard. As soon as I would think I was getting better, I would have a few days of ease where I felt like I was 25 again, then BOOM, another bus. Bus after bus, short and long, came after me over and over. Did I try every supplement and home remedy known to man? Yes. Did anything help? No. Did I feel lied to by that industry? Yes.

You know what finally helped? Being out of cold and flu season. That’s what helped. Groundbreaking, I know.

If you’re like me and scour the internet every time you get sick to try to figure that one remedy that’s going to set you apart from the rest of society and build your immune system beyond belief, I’m here to let you know that I cannot help you. I haven’t found it. It’s all lies. Especially if you live with a toddler. But I’m also here to tell you that ginger, garlic, and bone broth are all supposed to work wonders while sick. Do they? I don’t know. But I keep consuming them thinking that health professionals know what they are talking about and probably know more than I do. Who knows if that’s even true. Trust no one. Words to live by.

Health Benefits

• Garlic – antibacterial and antiviral, which means it can prevent viruses.
• Ginger – anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to reduce oxidative stress.
• Bone Broth – rich in amino acids to help immune system function properly.
• Turmeric – antioxidant to help fight inflammation.

Now get this…ALL of these ingredients are in this dish. Will it solve your cold and flu woes? Hard to say. But at least you’ll be supporting your body in some way while you eat it. And that’s what food is about, right? Eating for your future. At least, that’s what the health professionals say.

Ginger Chicken & Rice Ingredients

• Chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on for more flavor
• Diced onion
• Diced carrots
• Diced celery
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Fresh herbs – thyme & rosemary
• Spices – salt, black pepper, & turmeric
• Basmati rice
• Lemons

How To Make This One-Pan Dish

1. Season the chicken.
2. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes on both sides then set side.
3. Sweat the onion, carrots and celery. Then add the garlic, ginger, herbs and spices.
4. Add the remaining ingredients: lemon juice, bone broth, and basmati rice, then the chicken and lemon sliced.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 20 minutes.

One-Pan Ginger Chicken & Rice

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: juli
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1.5lbs chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 ribs of celery, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 lemon, 1 juiced & 1 sliced
• 4 cups chicken bone broth
• 1 cup basmati rice

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Pat chicken dry and season both with salt and pepper.
2. Add avocado to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add chicken skin-side down to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, until skin has browned. Turn chicken over to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
3. Turn heat to medium and add the onion, carrots and celery with a bit of salt. Cook for another 5 minutes then add the garlic, ginger, thyme, rosemary, and turmeric. Toss to coat the veggies in the herbs and spices and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the lemon juice, bone broth, and basmati rice, and mix to combined. Nestle in the chicken thighs into the rice and veggies then top with lemon slices. 
5. Bring to a boil then reduce the temperature to low, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken thighs are cooked through (internal temp should read 165F).
6. Top with cilantro before serving!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 433
• Sugar: 2.4
• Fat: 17.8
• Saturated Fat: 4.3
• Carbohydrates: 35.9
• Fiber: 2.2
• Protein: 34.2

The post One-Pan Ginger Chicken & Rice appeared first on PaleOMG.

This classic recipe never lets me down. It’s the creamiest soup you’ll ever eat and it’s easy enough to make when you’re short on time on a weeknight.

When I was going through a big French food kick, I really didn’t get good at cooking any French food…except Potato Leek soup. And that’s because it’s incredibly easy to make and pretty hard to mess up. Which is very helpful when you’re juggling a baby who suddenly has become a toddler and is trying to climb onto the kitchen table to instantly WWE dive off of it.

When I was new to baby life, I read the book ‘Bringing up Bébé’ and ‘French Kids Eat Everything’, and I really thought I could make my life look like the women seem in these French books – getting my child to eat everything, looking like I was put together every day, all with an effortless stride. I thought these books would give me that edge.

They did not.

Nothing is effortless. Except this soup. This beautiful, glorious soup.

I may not have it all together, but I still can make a mean soup when I’m short on time. And this soup is made without any cream. Sure, I put cream on top because cream makes everything sexier. Don’t believe me? Coffee. Coffee is way sexier when you add cream to it. Cream puffs. Imagine just eating a puff. Sure, it wouldn’t be painful to eat it, but it’s sure as hell way better with cream. Cake. Yes, cake by itself is delicious, but add cream and you have a legit cake instead of a muffin.

Cream makes everything better. So top the soup with cream, OK!?

Potato Leek Soup Ingredients:

• leeks, just the whites of them
• shallots
• garlic cloves
• fresh thyme leaves
• chicken bone broth – go with the bone broth for extra protein
• gold potatoes because they are the best
• bay leaf
• heavy cream, for garnish like already talked about
• fresh herbs

How To Make This Soup:

1. Sweat your leeks. for 6-8 minutes, until softened. 
2. Add your shallots, garlic cloves, and herbs. Let those garlic cloves become fragrant.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Once the potatoes and bone broth are in, let it boil away.
4. Blend your soup. An immersion blender will get this soup extra smooth and creamy, all without any cream.
5. Top with herbs. And now all you have to do is enjoy your creation!

Want to save this recipe?

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

Email *

Subscribe

Potato Leek Soup

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: juli
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 3 leeks, whites only, sliced and rinsed
• 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2–3 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 32 ounces chicken bone broth
• 2 pounds gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 bay leaf
• heavy cream, for garnish
• fresh herbs, for garnish (parsley, chives, or sage)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, place 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and add leeks. Let leeks sweat for 6-8 minutes, until softened. 
2. Add shallots, garlic cloves, fresh thyme, salt and black pepper, and cook for another 3 minutes. 
3. Pour in bone broth along with potatoes and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a low boil and then cover and reduce heat to low, and cook for another 20 minutes.
4. Once potatoes are fork tender, remove bay leaf and then use an immersion blend to blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy. Taste soup to see if it needs any more salt and pepper.
5. Top soup with heavy cream and herbs before serving!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 234
• Sugar: 3.5g
• Fat: 5g
• Saturated Fat: 0.8g
• Carbohydrates: 37.1g
• Fiber: 4.2g
• Protein: 11.3g

The post Potato Leek Soup appeared first on PaleOMG.

Today on the podcast, I’m talking to Jennie Hoglund from the Enlightened Homeopath. I’ve been on my own journey to better understand homeopathy so I can not only help my own daughter as she goes through different stages of life, but also empower myself on my health journey. I hope listening to Jennie gets you excited to learn more about homeopathy and empower yourself in finding the right remedies for your own health journey.

Find about more about Jennie on her website
Follow Jennie on instagram

Use code JULI to get 10% off the Coming Home to Homeopathy Course
Use code JULI to get 10% off the Homeopathy Intro Bundle

Find all Jennie’s courses here

Check out her free Intro to Homeopathy video on YouTube

Research on the efficacy of Homeopathy: https://www.hri-research.org/

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The post Empowering Your Health Through Homeopathy w/ The Enlightened Homeopath appeared first on PaleOMG.

Today on the podcast, it’s me, myself and I talking about my recent trip to Carmel, California, the future of cosmetics, and the launch of Brian’s latest project!

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The post Biostimulator Abs appeared first on PaleOMG.