Family * Travel * Food

Sriracha | A must-have in my kitchen

I have talked about my must-have staples in my spice cabinet before, but I left out something very important... sriracha. Sriracha is a sweet, tangy paste made with sun-ripened chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt. I love it SO much. I use it on and in just about everything savory. There is something so perfect about the balance of heat, garlic and chili that makes it irresistible. I think from getting more "mature", I can't seem to handle very spicy, hot condiments like I used to.

It's amazing how a few squirts of sriracha can transform a dish. My husband isn't quite sold and still prefers the traditional West Indian pepper sauce. I need to find sriracha in mini-bottles so I can stash one in my purse! I am serious :-)

Are you a sriracha fan?
Shelly, Mom Files
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Influenster Holiday #VoxBox 2012 Review

I was so lucky to get chosen to receive the last Influenster VoxBox of 2012, the holiday edition! It contained a NYC New York Liquid Color Lipshine, Kiss Nail Dress, Goody Quikstyle Brush, Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+, SoleSociety discount offer and  EBOOST Natural Energy packet.
The first thing I tried (well more like my son tried) was the Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+ in the Summer Berry variety. I really liked how hearty this oatmeal was in comparison to the usual instant oatmeal. It was full of dried berries and the serving was really big. He really enjoyed it and kept going on about how full he was.  I will be buying these for road trips and even for my husband to keep in his desk at work as a quick breakfast option.

I was really excited  to test out the Goody Quikstyle Brush. It has these unique micro-fiber "bristles" that are supposed to help reduce blow-drying time. The brush is also supposed to be good for detangling. I can't be certain if it really lessens the drying time but it works so well for detangling! I think one of the best things is how big the brush is since my hair is so long. It really makes blow-drying easier. You can clean it by giving it a little wash with your regular shampoo and air dry it. This is something I would actually buy in the future.
Next up, Kiss Nail Dress. I was originally going to let one of my daughters try these out but I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and get a little crazy. Kiss Nail Dress is basically nail polish stickers that require no drying time and last up to 10 days. The application process is relatively easy except I had a hard time getting the stick edges to smooth out. I also did not like the strong odor that they gave off. I think my nails had a strong chemical smell for at least 48 hours. I almost took the darn things off! I found that after two days, the edges were smooth and the look really grew on me. I think this particular color pattern (called Shrug) was good for me since you couldn't tell if the tips were wearing down. I kept them on for 7 days and could have gone longer, but I had to remove them since I had one nail break and I was forced to peel off the nail strip. They came off easily but I feel like the surface of my nail looked rough, almost like it was stripped. Thankfully they looked normal the next day. I am still not sure if I would buy these in the future but they are a fun nail look without the hassle of drying time or using polish remover.
I really liked the NYC New York Liquid Color Lipshine in the color Nude York City. It was really smooth, shiny and creamy at the same time. It felt good on my lips and smelled almost like candy. It didn't last very long but I guess most lip glosses wouldn't. I would love to try a darker color in the future. They retail for about $2.50 so that's not bad at all.

The last two items were the EBOOST supplement packet and the $25 off a purchase from Sole Society. I know for a fact I will not try the EBOOST because it does not appeal to me. I looked at the shoes from Sole Society and was not impressed at all. Also, I am one of those people that needs to try on a physical shoes before I purchase them.

All in all, this was a really good VoxBox and I look forward to the next one! Thank you, Influenster!
Shelly, Mom Files
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Boost your laundry and more with Borax {Review & Giveaway}

If you have been a reader for a while now, you would know how much I love old school methods. I received a box of Borax Detergent Booster and after reading the box alone I asked myself, "Why on earth have I NOT been using this stuff all these years!". I remember always seeing a box in the laundry room growing up, as I'm sure most of you have. I think I always associated Borax with only laundry. Turns out, there are many uses. You can use it to clean garbage disposals and drains, dishwashers, carpets and rugs, toilet bowls and of course, for laundry. It softens hard water so it enables your laundry detergent to do what it's supposed to do... clean your clothes. I added a 1/2 cup of Borax along with my regular detergent to a load of whites. I noticed how much brighter they were and the best part was there was no bleach scent left behind. Borax is 100% natural and I will be replacing my bleach with it for my whites. 

Borax works in all machines as well as with cold water. I still can't believe I have not been using this stuff all this time! You can't ever go wrong with old school, multi-purpose and affordable! 
Check out this video to see how Borax works in your laundry...  

Giveaway: 3 lucky Momfiles readers will win a coupon good for one FREE bottle of Purex Baby detergent. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on January 19, 2013. Three winners will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received products samples for review purposes and was supplied with FREE product coupons to give away. All thoughts/opinions are always my own.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Coca-Cola's "Pay it Forward" for 2013 { Giveaway} #spon


Do you know anyone between the ages of 16-21 that is doing amazing things? Maybe they are high achievers in school, doing community service work or trying to start their own business. I know plenty of youth (including my own teenage daughters) doing positive things that I would love to see receive a great reward. I think about the amazing job my oldest daughter did as the chair of a service project she participated in for her school called H.O.P.E. 365. The organization collects food items, coats, money, hygiene items and even donation of blood to give back to the local community.  She spent numerous hours planning, organizing, standing outside in the cold collecting food donations and all of the countless things that went into making it a success.
Here she is with a portion of the food items that were collected. It was over 20,000! 

Right now, Coca-Cola is kicking off 2013 with its second annual Coca-Cola “Pay It Forward” program through My Coke Rewards.  Coca-Cola’s “Pay It Forward” program celebrates and acknowledges the richness of African American heritage and helps parents, relatives, mentors, friends and the community support aspiring young people achieve their dreams by nominating them for unique and exciting apprenticeship experiences. 



Four lucky nominees will be rewarded with the unique and exciting opportunity for an apprenticeship experience with one of the country’s most respected celebrity history makers:  business mogul Magic Johnson; chairman and CEO of BET Networks, Debra Lee; or hip hop artist and philanthropist, Common. I think all three of them are the perfect mentors! 

Parents, relatives, friends and mentors can nominate aspiring youth between the ages of 16-21, now through March 2nd for a chance to win the apprentice experience. You can nominate up to five young people (the young person can also nominate himself/herself) and be entered for a chance to win a $5,000 sweepstakes with each nomination!

I actually nominated my oldest daughter and it took me about 3 minutes to complete. You must sign in with your My Coke Rewards account to start. If you don't have a My Coke Rewards account, you can sign up for one very easily. Once you are logged in, click the "nominate now" button. The first screen asks for the youth's name and email address. Next, you pick the first and second choice for which apprenticeship you think is best for that youth. Last, you answer 3 questions about why you chose the person you are nominating. Each question allows only 50 characters so it goes quickly. It's that easy! At the end of your submission you will receive a confirmation email. So who do you think you would nominate for this amazing opportunity? 

I am thrilled to be able to offer a fantastic prize pack valued at $120 (provided by Coca-Cola) for one lucky Momfiles reader to win! The prize pack will include: 
  •  $100 Amex card to help you and your family “Pay It Forward” in the New Year 
  • Coca-Cola “Pay It Forward” journal
  •  Coca-Cola “Pay It Forward” t-shirt

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on January 18, 2013. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway The prize was provided by Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company is not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this giveaway. I was compensated for my time to share information about the Pay It Forward campaign.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Easy Shrimp & Grits {Recipe}

I made this yummy shrimp and grits dish for dinner last night and it was so good, I thought I would share my recipe. It was very easy and doesn't require a lot of ingredients or time. This was my first time cooking this particular dish and I honestly didn't know what to put in it. We were in Whole Foods (my new favorite store) and picked up a 2-pound bag of peeled and deveined Key West shrimp. I came up with the rest of the ingredients off the top of my head.
What you need:
1-2 pounds of peeled, deveined shrimp rinsed and dried (I used 2 lbs)
1 lemon (I used organic Meyer)
Your favorite dried seasonings (you can see my usual ones here)
Sriracha hot sauce (optional but recommended)
3-4 tbsp pure butter
1 small chopped onion
couple cloves finely minced garlic
fresh, chopped Italian parsley
chopped roma tomatoes
Your favorite brand of grits cooked the way you like it.

What you do:
I like to get my grits started first since they take longer to cook than the shrimp. I cook mine for a minimum of 20 minutes and add some sea salt and a couple tablespoons of pure butter.

Next step is to season your shrimp with what you like. Avoid salt because some seasonings have enough salt in them already.

Heat a large skillet on high heat and add 2 tbsp of your butter. Add your chopped onion and saute for a couple minutes. Now add your shrimp and garlic and cook them for a few minutes. Squeeze in a little sriracha to taste and some lemon juice. Now add the rest of your butter (this helps make a sauce). Last, toss in your Italian parsley and chopped roma tomatoes. Take your shrimp off the stove so your tomatoes don't cook. Serve your shrimp over the grits and enjoy!

This meal took me about 25 minutes to make and my family LOVED it. It cost us about $20 for our family of 5. Not bad considering what a restaurant would charge for this! I think next time I will add some fancy cheese to the grits and maybe even some fresh chopped chives or scallions at the end of cooking.

Let me know if you try this recipe!
Shelly, Mom Files
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