Roku 3 Product Review: Is It Worth It?

The Roku 3

    Do you want access to hundreds of channels, netflix, youtube, games, and more, right on your tv?
    It doesn't even have to be a smart tv, as not everyone in the world has one, or wants one.

    This is a streaming tv device. It allows you to connect to the internet, download proprietary channels, and watch them. Some of those channels are not free. The Roku 3's details page boasts 650+ channels. The majority of those channels are either not useful, or only available to customers in the US.
   
    The remote is a nifty little gadget in itself, as if you plug in your headphones to it, you can watch and browse without disturbing anyone else in the room, and you don't have to figure out how to get a set of headphones with a super long cable. The only problem with that is, the roku 3 remote stops working after you use it for about a month or so. When the roku remote stops working, you can download an app in the android store, or the apple itunes store, however, you can no longer play games, and you cannot use the headphones the way the remote is supposed to.

    I bought this product, because I wanted to use it on my regular intelligence tv. (lol). I do regret it. I won't be buying another roku unless they go down in price. I paid $109 CAD at Wal-Mart for this. I was disappointed that the remote gives out so fast. I can't return it,  because I threw the box out after 30 days. I can't really call Roku to complain, because I have my internet set up in such a way that it appears that I am in the US. Yes, that is on me, but it is a hassle to reset it, so I don't want to do it. Besides, I shouldn't have to do it! The remote shouldn't give out. I have tried repairing it, replacing the batteries, cleaning it, anything and everything.

    If you are willing to go through a hassle with the remote, and the Roku goes on sale for say $25, then it is almost worth it. Other than that, don't waste your money. Get an Apple tv. That device has not failed us at all, and it is on the same network. If you do buy this product, save the box, save the receipt, and make sure that you figure out how to set your network up to think you are in the US, because if you don't, you won't get anywhere near 650 channels. Maybe more like 10% of that, and the good ones are NOT free. Boasting about having 650 channels on the Roku 3 is a bit like me saying I have lots of cake to share with all of you. I can say whatever I want, but most of you will never get my cake. (LOL).

If the remote was still working, I think that this review may have had a much different tone, mostly because I liked playing Angry birds when the remote worked, as well as I loved the headphone feature, and of course I had my network settings just right to have access to the channels, even if most of them are less than good, and you have to pay for the good ones.

Sure, I can suck it up and call Roku, but should I have to? No. I paid more than $100 for this item, had more trouble setting it up properly than I should have, and now the remote has given out, and a replacement is at least $60 on ebay. (At the time I checked). Not only that, research has shown me that this issue with the remote is a KNOWN and very very common issue with the Roku. Why the hell boast a remote like this, when you can't make it work under normal usage for more than 60 days? That's like a car boasting great gas mileage, but it breaks down after the first fill up! I am extremely handy when it comes to technology, and I know what I am doing. I have reset everything to make that remote work, and it simply doesn't. I have bought new batteries, rechargeable batteries, reset the Roku box, reset the internet, preformed a factory reset, powered it down, restarted it, did a rain dance around it, and nothing.

So, in conclusion. I hate Roku. I will never ever buy another one as long as I live, even at a yard sale. The end.

Almond Joy Coffee Creamer in Canada? No Way! DIY Recipe Included.

Recently, an american friend of mine told me about Almond Joy coffee creamer from International Delight. I was so excited, I really really love coconut, and chocolate.  The thought of indulging in that flavour in my once daily coffee blew my mind. However, I ws sorely disappointed to realize that this particular variation was not available in Canada. I found a recipe online, but made a few tweaks, because I wanted to make a bigger batch, and, I didn't have any almond extract.

Here is my recipe: (This will make a lot, you can half it if you need to.)

1 500ml carton of fresh whipping cream
1 355ml can evaporated milk
12 tbsp of coconut palm sugar. (You may use regular Raw sugar)
1.5 cups shredded coconut. (It is  important this is unsweetened, and NOT dessicated)
6 tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp Vanilla extract
1/3 cup slivered almonds, or better yet, 3 tbsp of almond butter

Pour all ingredients into a high powered blender, (I have a Ninja Professional 1100 watt), or a food processor.  Put it on high for at least 4 minutes. You may want to strain your creamer through cheesecloth, or a wire mesh strainer, but I didn't. I love chewing on coconut chunks. I used slivered almonds, because I was out of almond butter, and I had forgotten to make the almond butter myself, ahead of time. I didn't find that there was much, if any flavour of almonds what so ever in this recipe, but it was delicious nonetheless.

I imagine if there is too much for me to use up in 2 weeks, I will make a milkshake with some of this, or muffins, or cookies, Make sure you put this in the fridge right away. This will keep for about two weeks,  but I don't think that it will last long enough to spoil.

Healthy Recipe: "Sour"dough Tortillas With OAT Flour & Whole Wheat Flour

Woohoo!

This is totally MY recipe. I made this up!! Yayyyyy.

I'm totally obsessed with making my own homemade tortillas. I love it, it makes me feel good, and they taste fantastic! I can also be sure that it has no added chemicals. I was looking for Masa Harina, but I found out that Masa Harina is a chemical treated type of flour. I'm not being technical at all, but I don't want anything funky done to my food, if I can help it.
Anyway, I have an Ninja Blender, which I LOVE! I Love love love love it. I want the bigger more powerful one, but it's a little out of my price range with Christmas coming up. I know, it's only September, but it creeps up fast huh?

So, I made some oat flour in my Ninja blender, I added about 2 cups of regular oats, and pulsed for a few seconds, got bored of that, and then put it in 3 and left it to chop for about 3 minutes. The blender is really loud, so I couldn't take it anymore, and then poured out the flour. It was still a teeny bit gritty, so I poured it into the single serve container of the blender, and then ran it again for about 2 minutes. This resulted in an awesome oat flour. You can save yourself the trouble, and buy it, but I honestly am not sure where you can, because it is not sold anywhere near me.

Here is my recipe:

1.5 Cups of Oat flour
1.5 cups of Whole Wheat flour - maybe a bit more if your mixture is too wet
1/2 cup of Coconut Oil - *Melted
1/2-1 cup of water. Please, be super careful about the amount of water you add. Add it a little at a time.

*To melt the coconut oil, fill a deep bowl with hot water from the tap. Put the coconut oil jar in the hot water, for about 5 minutes. DO not melt the oil in the microwave, trust me, it does not turn out well. The oil starts to smoke within seconds. It's important to melt the oil, because it helps things to blend together really nicely, and melting it with hot water will make sure that it's not too hot to handle with your fingers once you need to mix everything together.

Now, you need to add the oat flour, whole wheat flour, and melted coconut oil to a bowl.Mix them all together. If you notice that your flour is a bit dry, don't fear. Add a little water, and mix thoroughly. Be careful to only add about 1/4 cup of water at a time, so that you don't add too much. If you do, just add a little flour and work it in, slowly, to make your dough form into a ball. I don't have an exact technique, but I know the dough is good and ready, when it all wants to stick together, but not to the sides of the bowl. It is not too wet, and not too dry. I would take some pictures of what I do, but my camera is broken. I would do a video as well, but I'm too self conscious about my super bootylicious body. Ha. Not joking at all on that.

You MUST let your dough rest on the counter for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. The longer, the better, but not too long of course. If you are going to let it rest for any longer than 1 hour, add a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, or Lemon Juice, or Lime Juice to it. This helps to make them a bit "sour", but it's a very pleasant taste, and not at all overwhelming.

Do not put it in the fridge if you have used coconut oil, because the ball of dough will be very hard to work with, and will not want to melt. You can put it in the fridge if something comes up, and you don't have time, but you will have to break little pieces of the dough off with a knife, to make one tortilla at a time, until you've used it all. It's not a big deal, just an annoyance.

Once you have your dough divided into the sizes of balls you want, you can roll them out. I do it one at a time. I preheat my cast iron pan, on the stove, on about 7 (Med-High).

I sort of flatten the ball between my hands, then put it into my small tortilla press, which only does so much, because I want big tortillas. I then use the rolling pin to get it to the thickness I want, which is very thin. Then I put it in the pan, wait 30 seconds, flip it over, 40 seconds on that side, and then back to the first side for about 15 seconds. Then it is done. I store mine on the counter top, on a plate, inside a plastic bag, for freshness. Putting them in the fridge will keep them fresh longer, but they don't last that long for me. :)

Easy Tutorial: DIY Oat Flour

I was looking around on the internet a lot, and I saw a few recipes that called for oat flour.

I decided that I didn't need to buy it. I already had oats in the house, surely oat flour was just a matter of a few steps. Especially so, since I have an awesome Ninja Professional Blender. (I wish I had the even more powerful one - but this one is great!)

Anyway, I poured about 2 cups of regular oats into the regular 72ounce jug of the blender. I pulsed it a few times, and then said what the heck, and put it to the maximum speed, which is three. This blender is really really loud, so you will want to do this at a decent time of the afternoon, or you will likely annoy neighbours. After about 3 minutes, I checked on the oats, and it was a little gritty still, but getting to a very nice consistency. I poured the flour from the big jug, into the single serve container, as that has a different blade attachment, and then let it grind for about 2 more minutes or so. The result was a very nice fine flour, sort of like whole wheat flour is.

I used the resulting 1 1/2 cups of Oat flour in the recipe that I will post soon. The 2 cups of oats yields about 1 1/2cups of flour because of some sort of sciency reason that I can't explain. I'm not good at explaining things like that, but I'm sure it's science, and air and what not. LOL.

Anyway, I made some awesome whole wheat & oat tortillas from this. YAY!

If you don't have an awesome blender, like a Ninja, or a Vitamix, and cannot afford one, you can also use a mortar and pestle. I would recommend getting the oats as small as you can in the blender or food processor that you have, even a spice grinder, and then using the mortart and pestle to get things even finer, if needed. :)

RECIPE: Whole Wheat & Quinoa Flour Tortillas EASY EASY!!

I have been scouring the web for recipes as of late, especially seeing as I feel that I have lost track of my healthy eating plan. :( It's not hard to get off track, when there are so many unhealthy temptations, but the important thing is that I am cognizant of the fact that it has been happening.

Anyway, I wanted to make something with the Quinoa flour that I have had in my cupboard for months. I tried the recipe that I found on the bobsredmill.com website, but they didn't turn out at ALL! They were nothing but a goopy mess, that I had to scrape off my pan! :( BOO!

So, I decided to experiment. I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and 1 cup of quinoa flour. BOOM! They tasted fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the recipe:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup Quinoa Flour
2 tbs of oil, preferably coconut oil, or olive oil. I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this one.
3/4 cup of water
pinch of salt

Be super careful to add the water slowly. Add about half the water, and mix it around, and if it's too dry, add another tablespoon at a time until you have enough. You might even need more water than this called for. I kind of eyeballed the water until the dough was the right consistency. It kind of has to be a bit dry, so that when you press on it with your fist, none of the mixture sticks to your hand. I wish I had remembered to take pictures!!

If you add a little too much water, you can always sprinkle in some more flour. SLOWLY.
Now, once you are done with the mixing, this step is VERY important. Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for about 15-45 minutes. If you forget it longer, that's ok, but it needs at LEAST 15 minutes. I used to skip this step, and I was sorry for it. It somehow lets the gluten develop, or something.

Anyway, once your time is up, preheat the cast iron skillet to medium-high. My stove has numbers from 0-9, and I chose 7. I like the number 7. I hate the number 6, because I do honestly have mild OCD, and the numbers 6, 13, 36 freak me out. There is another one, but I can't even bring myself to write that one down. LOL. Anyway, you don't need ANYTHING at all in the pan. That's the beauty of a seasoned cast iron pan, it doesn't need anything to make awesome tortillas, but heat.

So, while your pan is preheating, you need to press & or roll out the dough. What I did, I used my little cast iron tortilla press. I divided my mixture into 4 balls, because I wanted large tortillas. Once I had the little balls rolled, I put one ball at a time into my tortilla press. (It was like $10 on ebay.) Then, because the press didn't get it thin enough, I sprinkled flour on the countertop, and put the tortilla there, then started rolling it out thinner with the rolling pin. This way makes them a bit uneven at the edges, but I'm not entering any contests, right? LOL.

About the tortilla press, and the rolling pin being used together. Yes, you can use one or the other, or even a glass, but I find that using the two makes it a much simpler and more enjoyable process. Using the rolling pin alone would take so much longer than the press, and using the press alone, never gets the tortillas thin enough, and also not big enough, because the press I bought was for 6 inch tortillas.

I roll them out as thin as they will go, and then I slap it into the pan. About 1 minute on the first side, then 45 seconds on the second. Make sure that you're watching it though, it may need slightly more, or slightly less. Once the second side is done, I flip it back to the first side for about 10-15 seconds. If it starts making bubbles throughout, you know you've done this correctly.

Now, you are ready to put whatever in or on them, and way to go, you've got fresh homemade delicious, and nutritious tortillas! YAY! I'm going to try Masa Harina next, if I can find it around here. It was at No Frills once, but they stopped carrying it. :( I will include pictures and or video the next time I make them! :)

Gardening Update: Bell Peppers & Tomatoes

Hi guys!

I wanted to post, because I'm so pleased, and proud of my green peppers. Yes, I have more pepper plants than the last time I posted. Why? I went to the local garden shop, and it had a two for one sale, because of course it's late in the season. I plant my stuff in containers anyway, and some of the pepper plants were not only blossomed, but already had some peppers starting. So, I bought the 4 that I liked the most, and came home, replanted them, and then waited. Of course I added organic soil, and organic fertilizer. I also added a little of the tomato food, and calcium nitrate that I had bought for the tomatoes, which of course are NOT organic, (I will know better for next year), anyway, I read that Bell peppers, (Maybe all peppers, I don't know), and tomatoes, among a few other plants, are members of the nightshade family, and they can grow under the same conditions, and the same fertilizers work well for them. I'm by no means an expert, but it is certainly working so far. Even the bell pepper plant that I bought at Wal-Mart has begun to put off teeny tiny peppers. I think they would have been doing better, had I fertilized the little bugger properly when I began.


I am learning by trial and error, plus watching lots of youtube videos, and reading other peoples blogs, and what not. Anyway, here are some pictures of my green pepper plants, taken today. Woot!! Look at those little buggers!!

If you want to use ANY of my pictures on this post, or on another post, you may, but please link back here, that is my ONLY condition, say where you got them. I digitally watermark them anyway, but I do want you to give me credit. I need all the help getting traffic here that I can get. :)

Isn't this one nearly perfect??

This is my prettiest looking guy so far. :D I'm sure it will taste the same anyway. LOL This is the same guy as the one above, from a different angle.

Aww, look at this little guy trying to be all grown up! Woot! You can see his little sister to the right, in the background.

The little sister with her own time to shine in the spotlight!

Should I be worried about those spots that I have circled?

CONTEST: Crush* Fest 2014 - HOURLY Entry!!

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Elle Canada is having a contest where you can enter daily, to win one of TEN Venus Embrace Razor Gift Sets. :D:D:D:D

Entry limit: Daily (One per household)

Prize Value: $28 CAD

Contest is over August 18, 2014

Quebec cannot participate. :(

Click Here to enter the contest.

CONTEST: Win A VIP Gillette Fusion ProGlide With Flexball Technology Prize Package

Container Gardening Attempt: Year 3 + WITH Pictures

So, I have been trying to garden in containers for at least three years, it might even be 5 years. I know that I have tried, and failed, and failed and failed. I need to container garden, because I live in a rental. We have a small lawn out front, that is only about 12 square feet, and very close to the road with no fence, so that's out. I decided to research container gardening, when I hear the term somewhere. I can't remember where, but it very well could have been pinterest, but I'm not sure if I was on pinterest 4 years ago.

Anyway, I wanted to keep it all in the house, so that I wouldn't look like a lunatic growing things in containers on our veranda. I bought some flower pots, regular soil, and seeds. I planted the seeds and watered them. Little sprouts came up, and quickly died. I wonder why? I will tell you why, I figured soil and water was enough. No fertilizer, nothing else but water.

Then, I decided that I would use epsom salts as the fertilizer. Well, that's all well and good - epsom salt is actually natural magnesium sulfate, which plants need during germination and growth, etc. (I'm no expert). That was what I tried the second year. Another failure. Magnesium is not the only thing that the plants need, of course.

I didn't want to add too many chemical things, because I'm growing the veggies so that I can be healthier, what's the point of growing the veggies, (I know tomatoes aren't a vegetable), if you are just adding chemicals to make them grow? So, I wanted to be organic.

Here comes this year. I didn't quite get that I needed to use fertilizer and organic at that, until I had already started my seeds. I decided to go to Wal-Mart and look through their garden section. Now, I know that their herbs and plants are likely NOT organic, but I have justified buying some herbs there, because of the cost, and the fact that I would then put it in organic soil, with organic fertilizer, and try to even grow them to produce seeds for next year.

So, I shopped around the garden section, and bought chocolate mint, which I didn't know existed, thyme and a bell pepper plant. I wanted rosemary, but they didn't have any, so I bought a pack of seeds, and I found lavender seeds, YAY!

Anyway, I got home, replanted the stuff in bigger pots, with organic soil, added some jobes organic fertilizer tabs that I got at Dollarama, and watered them all, put them in their semi-permanent veranda home for the summer, and let nature take it's course.

I looked up videos on youtube to help me with the process of caring for my new plants, seedlings, and what not, and I found lots of useful information. As I was searching youtube for useful information on organic gardening, I saw some of their plants, and mine looked HORRIBLE in comparison, and I was quite proud of my little seedings up until then. So, I decided I would go to a local gardening store, and check out what they have, as they have greenhouses, and all that fancy stuff set up.

Boy, am I glad that I did that! It was already mid to late June by then, so some of their stock was gone, and some of the MANY tomato plants that they still had, was flowering already. YAY! And, the stalks looked like tree branches, they were so strong,turdy, and thick!! What's even better, the awesome flowering tomato plants were ONLY $5. At Wal-Mart, the feeble half dying ones were $3!!!! VERY FAR from flowering, and likely never would anyway.

I bought a tomato plant that day, and a pepper plant, as well as a lemon balm herb, also known as lemon mint. It's a mint plant, but if you rub your finger over the leaves, it smells like lemon, and exactly like original sunlight dish detergent. I bet that's what they use, rather than actual lemon rind oils to make the detergent. It smells exactly the same. I love it, it brings back pleasant memories for me of being with my friend Stephanie when we were teens, going out to the mall looking at boys, and then having to do dishes at her place. The dishes weren't pleasant, but the looking at the boys was! HAHA. (I was far too shy to ever talk to them.)

So, I have those things started. I also bought a package of summer savory, which germinated extremely well in a McDonalds napkin soaked with water, and put inside a ziploc baggie for a couple days. I think nearly ALL of the seeds germinated. I will include pictures of almost everything I'm growing below this post, with captions. :) Savory is an herb that some people describe as being like thyme and rosemary together, or something. I do have to agree it smells like that. It looks similar to rosemary when it's fully grown.

I have some lemongrass started as well, but I really messed up, and it's barely sprouting. I buried the seeds, because I was a dunce and didn't read the directions. I then had to use a nail and gently stir the soil and seeds around, so that the seeds at least had a chance of germination. It seems to have worked a bit, a couple are sprouting, but most are not.

I wonder if I can bring my tomato plant inside when it starts to cool down? Would it still produce tomatoes during the winter, if it's inside, or would it at least live so that I can bring it back outside in the spring? I'm sure the herbs will last, or am I wrong? What about my peppers? Any insight would be much appreciated.

This Pepper plant came from Wal-Mart

This Pepper plant came from Wal-Mart.

This Pepper plant came from Roger's Farm.

Pinterest Pin Find : Dish Soap & Vinegar Shower Cleaner UPDATE

Ok, so in my last post before this one, I included a link to a vinegar, and dawn dishsoap shower cleaner recipe.

Let me tell you that you need to follow the exact recipe, and not try to MacGyver it like I did. I might have spelled MacGyver wrong, but you know who I mean! Anyway, I used pickling vinegar, which is 7% acetic acid, as opposed to regular vinegar, which is 5% acetic acid. Yeah. Just don't! I also didn't have Dawn dish soap, because I much prefer original scent Sunlight Dish Liquid! The smell just makes me feel happy, and it sudses up real nice. Yes, SUDSES!! I am super cool, which gives me license to make up words when I feel that normal words don't cut it.

So, I heated the vinegar in the microwave, and phew...it stank, and not in a nice vinegar way, but in a strong nose stinging kind of way. Gross. So anyway, I thought that was my vivid imagination, and proceeded to try to lift the glass bottle from the microwave with no oven mitt. What a dunce I am! I burned my delicate finger tips! So once I smartened up, and put the oven mitt on, I took the steaming vinegar out, then I waited for it to cool for like 10 seconds, (I should have waited much longer), then I poured it into the spray bottle I had, with about 2 tbs of Sunlight. I shook it. It didn't gel. Ok, I figured it might not.

I sprayed it on the shower. It foamed. Ooh, that looks like it's cleaning! I spritzed and sprayed a LOT, and then I realized that the mixture was very overwhelming, scent wise, like it was having a negative effect on my breathing. I'm not asthmatic or anything, but it was really bad. I quickly started the cool water running and rinsed the stuff out of the bathtub and shower, and got out of there. I WON'T do that again. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should always follow the recipe for cleaning products, unless you're a scientist or something and know exactly what you're doing!

Pinterest Pin Find! - Dawn & Vinegar Shower Cleaner

I think that many of us are looking for ways to make our lives easier. What's one of the worst tasks that many of us face? How to clean our showers & tubs effectively, with as little effort as possible.

I found this on pinterest, and I thought that I should share it with anyone who might read my blog. I can't wait to get some blue Dawn dishsoap to try this. I might try it with my own trusted Sunlight original, and see what happens. I will let you know. For now, here is the original post that I found, though it's not the actual original.

Dawn & Vinegar shower Cleaner - Click Here

DIY: Natural Blackhead Removal Mask

Ok, I know that at least some of you are going to say; "Yeah, Right!".

I have tried this, and it really DOES work! I know for sure. I have tried LOTS and I do mean LOTS of blackhead removal masks, creams, and methods in the past. Nothing works as well as this little recipe I'm going to share with you.

The chances that you have the only two ingredients that you'll need already, are VERY high.

Do you have baking SODA? Yes? YAY!

Do you have Lemon juice? Yes? YAY!

You're all set. Well, not really, here are some mini instructions, to get you on your way. :)

First, get a little teeny tiny bowl, or something to put about a tablespoon of baking soda in.
Then, add a generous, but not TOO generous of a squirt of lemon juice in there. I'm going to assume it's about 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon. Once you squirt the lemon juice into the baking soda, the mixture will fix. Stir it around a bit. If it seems too chunky, add a little more lemon juice, be careful not to add too much. If it seems too runny, add a little teensy bit more baking soda. Once you have a little paste, about the consistency of say slightly loose mashed potatoes, add the mixture to the areas of your face that you are prone to blackheads and clogged pores. Leave it on for about 10-20 minutes. After 2-3 minutes, you will feel a little tingle, that's the baking soda, and lemon juice working together, to clean out that gross gunk in your pores. YAY!

Wash it off with a little water, or a damp washcloth, and you're done. Don't add anything extra to your face, and don't use soap or facial cleanser, unless you've made it yourself.

I'm trying to lead a chemical free and mostly natural life, and I encourage, but won't pressure you to do the same. I say this as I have a half empty bottle of diet pepsi next to my computer. I know right?? I couldn't resist it though. Just this one, I promise. I won't ever touch another one until next time! I honestly am trying to beat the craving for man made/chemical foods. If you need a laboratory to make it, I'm trying to stay away from it. You hear me XANTHAN GUM?

Anyway, let me know if you try this, and how well you love it ok?

Product review: Bella Dome Popcorn Maker

A couple of months ago, I was in the market for a new popcorn popper. I did some research online and when price was actually a concern for me, I decided on the Sunbeam hot air popper. Anyway that was total garbage and I brought it back.

When I got home with my new popcorn maker, I was really excited to try it. So what did I do? I went to you tube to figure out how to use it, like I always do. So, I couldn't find the same brand, but I did find one that was very similar. The basic principle was the same. The one thing that was really frustrating about the new popcorn maker, was that it was not clear in any way shape or form whether or not you had to use oil, or nothing. I read and reread the instruction manual. It didn't state one way or the other. So, I went to their facebook page. I asked them what I should do. It took them several days to reply to me. They told me that I could use any kind of oil that I wanted to, or I can just pour the popcorn on the heating plate with nothing at all. I find that if you don't use any oil at all, the popcorn kernels tend to burn a little bit before they pop but if you use oil, I use sunflower oil, then the kernels pop properly, and don't scorch.

The popcorn tastes great. Don't use a lot of oil, you won't need it. I like to use some Kernels popcorn seasoning that I buy at Wal-Mart. All in all, it's a good buy, but it takes up SO much room, and the popcorn needs oil, which is not health conscious.

PROS:

• Popcorn tastes great, very close to movie style, in my opinion.
• Pops properly, not many if any kernels are left unpopped if you follow directions, and wait for the popping to slow to no pops in a 4 second time span. If you leave it longer, they will scorch.
  
  
• You can make a LOT of popcorn at once.
  
  
• You can use the dome lid as the serving bowl, if you want to. ( I don't, and the reason for it, will be a CON)

CONS:

• The lid that you are supposed to be able to use for a bowl, as vents in it. Which is nice, but, if you want to put anything on the popcorn, instead of it pooling at the bottom of the bowl, it would run through the vents, and gather at the little extra lid that they include to put there, and then you can't swoosh your popcorn around in it. Yes, that is the scientific term. I'm very articulate. LOL
  
  
• You almost HAVE to use oil if you want your popcorn to taste good, and not burn, which adds unwanted calories.
  
  
• It is HUGE, so it takes up a lot of counter space, or cupboard space. It's also hard to maneuver into and out of any spot you put it in.
  
  
• The lid doesn't fasten to the bottom part when the popcorn is popping, and if you have curious kids, that could make for a big mess, and burned fingers!

TIPS:

• Use sunflower oil for the best tasting popcorn.
• Ensure that you don't preheat the plate. I can't remember what the manual says, but never preheat the plate. When I did this a couple times, the popcorn kernels burn before they start to pop. Putting the oil on the plate, then the corn, THEN turning it on, allows the kernels to all heat at an even pace, without scorching. Trust me, I have used this popper often enough to know. LOL.
• Don't put in too many kernels, or you will have a lot of unpopped ones left over, and of course you will run out of room in the bowl/dome.
• Use some Kernels brand popcorn seasoning, or just sea salt for great tasting popcorn
• Don't tell your doggies that you're making popcorn. They try to steal it! Heehee

How NOT to make Essential Oil

Ok, I know, the title says it all. I have tried, and failed, miserably I might add, at making pine oil. I figured I would try PINE oil, because there are lots of spruce trees around here. Is spruce a pine tree, or just an evergreen tree? Anyway, what I was really trying to make is spruce oil I suppose. Forgive my lack of knowledge, but whatevs. I'm new to trying to be healthy, and less dependent on man made chemicals and stuff. At least I know the difference in essential oils, and infused oils. haha Anyway, I followed this how to on Instructables.  I do know that I sometimes have trouble understanding things. I followed the instructions as best as I could and I found that it didn't work. I would end up getting all this scented water but there was no oil on it. From what I can understand from the instructions, there was supposed to be oil on top of the water. So, I figure that I must be doin it completely wrong.

I so, I'm going to tell you exactly what I do, so that you don't do the same thing. I want to save you some of the frustration that I'm going through. What I do is gather the plant material in my case it was pine needles from a spruce tree. I have no idea what kind of spruce it was.  the next thing that I do once I have the pine needles gathered, is a boil a kettle of water. Once the kettle of water is ready, I pour it in the bottom of my multi cooker. Then, I put the plant material in the second strainer portion, then I put the top strainer looking thingy on  top of the plant material. Then I put a pie plate in that  top strainer thingy, and then I will put the multi cookers cover on top but upside down.

I make sure that the temperature is between low and medium. I let it boil until almost all the water out of the bottom of the pot, and has condensed into the pie plate at the top of the multi cooker. From what I could understand from the Instructables tutorial, the stuff that is in the bottom of the pot contains the oil. I'm supposed to let the waters of his content of the top and the water that has left at the bottom, cool down. Then, I'm supposed to gently pour the water from the top into a jar, and then the water that's left at the bottom I'm supposed to pour that on top. Then put it in the freezer. This is where it all goes bad. Instructables tutorial says that the oil won't freeze.  everything that I put in the freezer, in that jar, completely freezes solid. does this mean that there's no oil in it? How can that be? What am I doing wrong? I've tried it 5 times! I even tried it with dandelions. Still nothing! Yes, I do have trouble understanding things but I'm not a complete idiot! So, how can I ever embark upon this new journey of being healthy, if I can't figure out how to do these things that some people find extremely simple.

If anyone else out there  reading this has any advice whatsoever please let me know! I'm really desperate to figure this out, and I don't want to spend 200 to 300 dollars on a professional still for this. I want to be able to figure out how to make these essential oils, without breaking the bank.

Maybe I will break down and buy one of those countertops distillers, but I really don't want to because they are over 200 dollars Canadian. Sigh, wish me luck! I will be sure to update you if I actually succeed at making essential oils with my multi cooker.

COCONUT MILK RECIPE UPDATE - From Frozen

I love love love coconut. I really do. With that being said, FRESH coconut is the best. When I say fresh, I know it's not the same as it is for people in tropical areas. I live on an island, but it is NOT tropical. lol I live in Newfoundland, it's the eastern most province in Canada, and is very cold during the winter, and warm during the summer, but to some people, it would still be cold. Anyway, the freshest coconuts we get, are usually very close to getting moldy, or already moldy, so when I find some good ones, I try to grab a few, so that I have them. The last batch of coconut milk I made, wasn't all gone, before I found some more good coconuts at the store. I bought them anyway, because I'd rather have too much than not enough. I, and by I, I mean by handsome awesome Husband cracked them open for me, and then I pulled the meat out, and peeled the husk away. I then washed the chunks of coconut meat, and froze it in a ziploc bag. It was in the freezer for about a month before I used it. It tasted exactly the same as if I had used it straight from the shell. It was awesome. I let it thaw out, and then went about making my coconut milk as usual. Recipe is also here on my blog. I used warm water this time, and it makes all the fat stay in the coconut milk, which makes it taste wayyyyy better. Coconut fat is actually VERY good for you, look it up! :)

Recipe: Sesame Chicken Breast in Foil Packet for ONE

The other day, I was hungry, and didn't have a lot of time, patience or energy to make something healthy & fantastic. So, what I did was a I took a frozen boneless skinless chicken breast out of the freezer. I got some aluminum foil, put some sesame dressing on it, put the chicken breast on, a little more dressing, wrapped it, and shoved it in the toaster oven on 400 for an hour. It was simple. The recipe could have used a little rice wine vinegar and a little salt, or a dash of soy sauce, but it was ok in a hurry. I had some plain quinoa with it. All you need to do is follow this super simple "recipe". 1 frozen chicken breast (Boneless and skinless will cook faster.) Kraft Asian Sesame dressing Aluminum foil Lay the chicken on the foil, pour over about a tablespoon of the dressing, turn it over, add another tablespoon or so of dressing, and then wrap with the tin foil. Put in your oven on 400 for about an hour, or until it is cooked all the way through. Add your own seasonings, and you're done! :)

Product Review: Ninja Professional Blender

I thoroughly researched this product before I bought it, because I noticed it was on sale at Canadian Tire. I really wanted a blender that could make better coconut milk, almond milk, etc, and the blender I had was fine, but that was it, it was only fine. Not great. I had to do a lot of prep work to get my coconut milk and almond milk to turn out well, and I don't always feel like doing that, and don't always have the time.

There were a few Ninja blenders on sale at Canadian Tire in my area, so I looked into them all. The most affordable for me at this time, was the $99 dollar version, which is usually $149.

It was the Ninja Professional Blender. It is 1000 watts of awesomeness. Most Blenders are from 250-700watts, 700 being really on the higher end, and not many are at that point. The next Ninja up is 1500 watts, so I imagine it would turn water into air LOL, if this blenders power at 1000 watts is any indication. It also has blades that go up the stem, through the middle of the larger jug, 6 in total, in 3 spots. I've yet to try a carrot in there, but that's going to happen soon enough. I did try almonds, coconut, frozen strawberries, and ice. All were an awesome success.

The only thing I don't like about this blender, is that the mason jar trick doesn't work with this one. Mason jars do not fit into it, like it does on older blenders, and even the bullet style blenders. Boo!! I was so hoping it would, because it means you have more single serve cups and less clean up right?

Anyway, I hope to be able to buy the better one in the future, but really, this actual one is great, I just would like a little more power for the things I want to do, such as making smoother coconut milk, and then drying the pulp to make flour. This one does the trick, but I imagine the other one would do it a little better. :)

Newfoundland White Bread Recipe - 2 Pans

I like bread, I don't love it, never have really. I'm more of a potato or rice kind of girl.
My Husband, who is an extremely picky eater, (I'm not joking), loves Newfoundland style white bread. I've been trying to duplicate this bread we get at a gas station about 3 hours from here. We obviously rarely go by it, so it's tough to get this bread.

Anyway, I've been experimenting with different recipes and ingredients, baking times, rising times etc, trying to replicate this bread, but it's not happened. I have however, made the perfect bread for us. My Husband loves it, and so does anyone else who tries it. The crust is soft, (Once it cools back down), so there is no need to butter the top.

Here is what you will need

5 Cups of UNbleached white flour. Divided into 3 cups and 2 cups.
3 teaspoons of white sugar
3 tbs butter or margarine
2 teaspoons of salt, less if your margarine or butter was salted.
2 cups of warm milk.
1 3/4 teaspoons of INSTANT yeast. I use Fleischmann's.

Once you've measured out your milk into a big measuring cup, add the butter, salt, and sugar to it. Stir this, and then put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes 35 seconds. It needs to be a bit better than lukewarm, but NOT hot. If it gets hot, just let it cool for a few minutes.

While the milk is heating in the microwave, add the 3 cups flour to the bowl of your mixer. Put the mixing rods in, not the dough hooks, those are for a bit later. Add the yeast now. Then add the lukewarm milk mixture, and turn the mixer on to 2 or 3 speed, you can go faster if you want, it doesn't hurt. I use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as the mixer is doing it's thing, because it never gets all the dry flour unless I do. I have a Sunbeam one I think. It's not KitchenAid, I wish! Be careful you don't get the spoon caught up in your mixing rods, you can hurt yourself, and your mixer this way. Once all of this seems thoroughly mixed, about 5 minutes, stop the mixer, and remove the rods, and add the dough hooks. Once you add the dough hooks, and turn the mixer back on, slowly add your remaining flour. (2 Cups). You will still need the wooden spoon to help the mixer do it's thing.

Once all of this looks like dough, you can stop the mixer, and finish a little with your own hand kneading. You may need to add a little more flour for this. If the dough looks too wet, add a little more flour, if it looks too dry, then just wait, the gluten that forms will likely help this.

I now cover the bowl with two or three clean tea/dish towels and put it in a safe warm place. My counter, but you can put it in an oven that's off if you wish, or somewhere that's not too hot, not too cold.

Wait 1 hour, then knead the bread with your hands for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle some flour over the dough if it sticks to your hands too much. Cover the dough now, and wait about 15 minutes, then come back and cut it into 6 equal sized portions. Grease your GLASS baking pans, then roll your dough portions into balls, putting 3 in each pan. Then, cover with a plastic bag. I put the dough pans right into a plastic shopping back, the slick kind, not the hard rough walmart kind. lol. Anyway, then once covered, I put the tea towels over it, and wait 2 hours. When you check it, the dough will have expanded to about double or a little more. This is great. The plastic bag helps to seal in heat and moisture, and the tea towels keep things warmer. I find this method helps a LOT.

Then turn your oven to 320 or so. I know, most say 375, but if you do that, your crust will be hard, and your bread not cooked the same inside. If you want crispy crust, do 375 for 30-40 minutes. If you want soft pillowy bread, do 320 for 30 minutes, then 300 for 15 minutes.

Allow your bread to cool if you can, and then enjoy! :D

Here is a picture of the bread I made using this "technique" and recipe last night. Yes, one pan is larger, that always happens to me...lol.

My Homemade Newfoundland White Bread

Recipe: Homemade Coconut Milk

I know some people are lactose intolerant, Vegan, or just want to try new and healthier things.

For me, I have begun eating healthier, because I need to. I have a liver condition, among other things, caused by years of being out of control. Anyway, I love milk, and meat, but I do know that when I don't eat any animal products, I feel much better. It's just hard to give up meat or animal products after a lifetime of eating them.

I read somewhere on the internet about coconut milk, and I went to buy some, but my Doctor told me to read the ingredients. If I can't pronounce it, don't eat it. I also gave myself this rule: If it can't be made outside of a lab, don't eat it. When I read the ingredients in so called healthy or organic milk, I was floored. Carageenan, xantham gum, guar gum, among other things. Carageenan is NOT good for you! It might not be lethal, but I don't want nonsense going in my body when I buy something "organic", or all natural! I also don't like it when companies use trickery and word play to make their products seem more natural. They can say all natural 100% juice, by simply putting "evaporated cane juice" on the ingredients list. I bet you can all very easily figure out what "evaporated cane juice" really is right? SUGAR!! Pure, simple, sugar!! Why not just say what it really is, instead of treating us like idiots, or trying to trick us into thinking we're eating healthy, when we're not. I hate hate hate when companies use wordplay and what they think are clever tricks to get around legalities, or just to seem like they're being honest, when they're not.

So, end of rant. I made my own coconut milk. I looked around for several recipes online, and eventually just went with what I thought was right. The trick here is to use FRESH ripe coconuts. Why not the dried kind you buy for baking? It has sulphites in it. That's bad. (I haven't researched why, but it's bad.) So, fresh is best. (Bob's Red Mill dried coconut would work, it's 100% coconut, nothing else, no sulphites.)

I will describe in another post how to pick out a fresh ripe, non rancid coconut, but I still haven't perfected this yet myself.

Anyway here is the recipe:

2 ripe coconuts. (If you know coconuts, pick the young ones, if not, pick the brown husked ones you normally see)

4 cups of filtered or otherwise pure water. I use natural spring water.

1 awesomely powerful blender, such as the Ninja Blender, or a regular blender.

You need to shell or dehusk the coconuts. (I'm not sure of the proper term). My Husband drills three holes in it for me. I drain out the water, and drink it, because it's awesome, and it called Natures Gatorade.

Then you use a hammer to break the shell open along the "equator" of the shell. Imagine it was a globe, and go from east to west or west to east, but not North to South. Consider the North side of the coconut the side with the "eyes" that you poke the holes through.

Then, you use a BUTTERknife to pry the coconut away from the shell. If it comes off too easily, it's probably a bad coconut. You will see a brown skin still attached. You can use a knife, or potato peeler to remove this. You can leave it on, but I really don't recommend it. It won't hurt you if you leave it on though, but it's not pleasant to chew if you end up eating the coconut after.

If you don't have a powerful blender, once you have the coconut peeled, you need to grate it. This helps to get it smaller for your blender. If you have a Ninja 1000+ watt blender, or a VitaMix, (Totally unaffordable for me), then you can use throw the coconut in without grating it.

Put the 4 cups of water, and the two shredded coconuts in the blender, and blend on high for 3-4 minutes. If you have a blender than is cheaper, make sure you feel around where the motor is, (NOT the blades), and if it gets hot before 4 minutes are up, then turn it off, come back in about an hour, and go again for the remainder of the time.

Use a nut milk bag, a new unused set of panty hose, or something similar to strain the milk. You want to remove as much pulp as possible, to have the consistency of traditional milk.If you live in Newfoundland, you can use a pease/bread/raisin pudding bag, I'm pretty confident this is the same material a nut milk bag is made from. In any case, it's what works for me, and is MUCH cheaper than a nut milk bag, and stronger than panty hose.

Once you have squeezed out as much milk as possible, try a sip! Don't throw the pulp away though, you can freeze it, and use it in desserts or smoothies, or anything your imagination comes up with. If you have a dehydrator, you can make your own coconut flour with this pulp! YAY!

Also, you will likely get some white creamy substance stuck to the side of your blender once you've poured out your milk. This stuff is coconut oil I think. It's good in smoothies, desserts, etc. This is good for you, because it is a certain kind of fat that is great for your body, and easy for your body to break down, so don't throw it away. It's good good good fat!! :)

Anyway, refridgerate your milk for up to 4 days, but make sure you shake it before you use it. I store mine in a mason jar. :) I also added some vanilla, and drank it straight. MMMMMMMM yummy!! If you want even better coconut milk, use younger coconuts, though they are hard to find, and you can also warm your water a bit. Don't make it hot, it changes the taste of the milk too much, but if you use warm water, and pour it over the coconut meat and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes, and blend it while it's still luke warm, you will have the most amazing coconut milk you've ever tried in your whole entire life, ever!!

Love,

Me

Coconuts in plastic.

Coconut Cream/Butter/Oil that's separated from the milk and stuck to the sides of the blender.

The coconut milk, "fat free" because of the separation that happens in the blender.

Strange Looking Seagull!

So I went for a walk with my Husband the other day. We go by this "duck" pond, that has a walking trail around it. I put duck in quotations, because at first, the pond didn't really have any ducks, save for the odd straggler every few years. Now, there are ducks there that never ever leave, even in the depths of winter. I think it's because people feed them. I try to bring bird seed, rather than bread, because bread is junk food for birds. Anyway, we went there, and as we were getting ready to leave, I saw some seagulls, who now also hang around by the dozens, because they know there is easy food to be had. Take a look at this, and tell me what you think this is sticking out of it's neck? Some people have said, a crab or lobster leg, but my Husband says it looked like an extra deformed beak. I think he's right, but then I think the other people could be as well. LOL

Product Review: Dawn Power Lift Dish Detergent

Ok, before I start writing about the dish soap itself, I want to say, I bought it on my own, with my own money. I am not getting paid to write this review.

I saw the dish soap in Wal-Mart, and I liked the fact that it said it had overnight soaking power, in just 5 minutes. I figured I would give it a try. I hate having to leave a dish to soak all night, and coming back to cold, grey goeey water.

I also go for scent, I don't want anything super flowery for my dishes, but I want to smell something clean when washing them. :) I picked the Vibrant Fresh scent. I really like it. I am very picky with things, I won't just give in to something because it gets promoted well. I went into using it, thinking it wouldn't work. It was inexpensive too. :D

It creates a nice foamy lather, which I like. It actually smells nice as well. On to the dishes. I find you have to be very liberal when adding the soap to the water, in order for the dishes to feel clean, and squeaky, but given that it's not expensive, I'm ok with that. It really does get most stuck on foods off in 5 minutes, no more than 15 for really really really baked in/dried on messes. The 15 minute soak is not required often at all. This soap really breaks down the stuck on messes really quickly, most times, its even less than 5 minutes.

I can only think of a couple cons with this product, the first being that it only comes in two scents. The next one is of course how you have to use what I feel is quite a bit to really get the dishes well cleaned, squeaky, with no greasy residue.

The pros are it really does what it says, and gets the stuck on messes off. It also doesn't seem too harsh on my hands, though I would prefer it be milder, but we can't have it all! It also smells nice, and is inexpensive. Give it a try, I bet you will love it! :)

All in all, it is better than the other detergents I have used, and I won't be buying anything else, unless my old favourite, Sunlight, comes out with their version of this overnight soaking power. :) Sunlight dish detergent, the scent of the classic lemon...I love it! :)

Chicken Bacon? Is it any good? Is It Really "Healthy"?

So, I decided to try Chicken Bacon yesterday, because it has to be healthier than bacon. Also, it was at the grocery store buy 1 get 1 free. The regular bacon was also on sale for buy 1 get 1 free, but they were all gone, and there was a TON of chicken bacon left. lol. I guess most people won't try it.

Anyway, I've been wanting to try it ever since my Husband's diabetic nurse said that it was good, and tasted like bologna. I don't know what brand she ate, but mine did NOT taste like bologna. It tasted....drum roll please......exactly like BACON!! I know, you're probably rolling your eyes, and not believing me anyway right? It does honestly taste JUST like BACON! The texture is not the same, the texture is like the pepperoni on those Delissio pizzas after they're cooked. It is quite nice actually.

I would have liked for it to be less salty, because two slices, which is the serving size, has 14% salt. OMG. Of course regular bacon probably has more salt, but still.

I think that you should give it a try, when you have time. The brand I have was Maple Lodge Farms or something like that. :)

Fifty Shades of Grey Book Review: Fifty Shades of Boring

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Product Review: Silk'n Flash & Go Luxx - At Home Permanent Laser Hair Removal

want to start this post off by saying first of all, that I bought and paid for this item myself.

I was researching laser hair removal, after a conversation with my doctor, about my unwanted, embarrassing, and stress inducing facial hair. I have a lot of them, due to the fact that I have severe PCOS, aka Polycystic Ovary/Ovarian Syndrome.

PCOS causes me a LOT of unwanted symptoms, the second most emotionally painful is the facial hair. (The first on the list is MUCH more emotionally painful, and that is infertility).


Anyway, enough about that. As you can imagine, I have a lot of tough hairs to get rid of on my face, and other areas of my body, such as underarms, legs, forearms, etc.

The hairs that I do get on my face, the ones that are noticeable, are about as thick as a mans would be, but of course there isn't nearly as much as an average man would have. Even one hair is too much for me though.

So, I looked up a couple of different laser hair removal devices, a couple of which are from Silk'n, and one from Tria. The Silk'n ones seemed to have a larger panel where the light would hit the skin, and thus remove hair. Their manual says that it has a 4cm squared area per pulse. With Tria, you would need to do 50 pulses to cover an area of 9 square centimeters, and you only need 3 pulses of the Silk'n to cover 12 square centimeters. Tria also needs more treatments than the silk'n to have long term results.

Some people also compare this device to the No No! The No No! is a hair burning device, it is NOT a laser hair removal unit.

Anyway, tonight, I just finished my 4th treatment of my face. I can see a big difference in my upper lip area. On my chin and neck, not so much, not yet anyway. If It wasn't for my upper lip, I'd be convinced it's not working at all. I do have to note though, that with my chin and neck, sometimes I can't resist plucking the hairs, because they are very dark and noticeable, so I'm not sure if that somehow interferes with the treatments and their efficacy. I wondered if I might be "resetting" the hair follicle if I am plucking the hair out before the root is dead.

I sent Silk'n an email with some of my questions, but I never did hear back. Boo to them for not replying. My email was important, to me. Those questions are important. I tried to call them, but I was on hold forever, so that's another strike lol.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I've done a couple treatments on my legs as well, and I can see huge patches where the hair is NOT coming back at all, not even fine fuzz. That's pretty awesome!

So, here is my list of pros and cons for this device.

PROS

• Has a Lifetime of pulses (Approx 120,000 - Silk'n themselves say this is enough to do your entire body, follow up treatments, and to share with a friend if you want to.
• It seems to work well, especially on finer hairs, such as on the legs, or arms, toes, etc.
• It recharges between pulses really fast
• Large treatment panel area, so you get done faster.
• Fairly inexpensive for the device, and what it does.
• You can use it in the privacy of your own home, any time of the day or night.

CONS

• Follow up customer service is not good.
• It sort of hurts, but not much.
• Darker skinned people cannot use this device.
• People with light skin, and light hair, also cannot use this device. (You must have light skin, and dark hair. It is possible for dark blondes or redheads to use it, but you would need a lot more treatments, from what I have researched. (Why anyone would want to get rid of their red hair is beyond me, it's gorgeous!!)
• I wish it worked with LESS treatments, but I shouldn't complain. 
• It may take up to 2 years of treatments before you see a complete reduction in some hairs. (This seems to be the case with any laser hair removal though.)

So, that is my take on things. I likely have left out a million things, so if I think of anything, I will update in the comments section. PLEASE leave a comment if you have any questions, thoughts or ideas on this device. I will do my best to answer from my own experience, or what I have researched.

Swiffer Sweep & Trap: Product Review

I saw the new ad for the Swiffer Sweep & Trap about 2 weeks ago, and I thought it would be perfect for me, since I always forget where I put the charger for the Swiffer Sweeper Vac.

I looked at my local Wal-Mart, and it wasn't there, so I quickly forgot about it again. :(

One day as I was begrudgingly looking around Canadian Tire with my Husband, (I say begrudgingly, because for some reason, I hate(d) Canadian Tire, more on this and my change of heart another time.) Anyway, I was looking around CT, and I went through the aisle with the cleaning stuff, because I was looking to see if they had any Barkeepers friend, and they don't. I saw the Swiffer Sweep & Trap, and it was about $23, I can't remember the exact price. I got it, and was excited to try it.

Once I got it home, I of course quickly tore it out of the awkward packaging. That was really really annoying, the packaging is weirdly placed. I don't like it.

First impressions were, this is stupid. It only has 2 free sweeper cloths with it. Come on people, you can't throw in a whole pack? You can't put a coupon in there or something? 2 cloths??

So anyway, I tried it as it was, and it was awesome. Picked up a lot of stuff, but not nearly as much as the Swiffer Vac, and nothing is as good as the broom or a regular broom vac.

I also noticed that hairs were getting caught up around the little wheel, but all was fine.

Then today, I go to use it again, and it was really really awkward, it wouldn't move right. I can't explain it, but it does not feel right. I cleaned the hairs from the bottom, cleaned the little dirt trap, and replaced the cloth with a clean one. I tried going in the wrong direction, the right direction, up, down, north, south, east, and west, and it feels wrong in every direction. It was like the little wheel on bottom simply doesn't want to move right. I had to exert a lot of pressure on it to make it move at all, and then I got a hand cramp. I'm not very pleased with it at all. I didn't keep the box, because it tore off awkwardly like I mentioned, so I can't really bring it back.

I would give this item a 1 out of 5. It picks up a bit more than the regular swiffer, but not nearly as much as the sweeper vac. I'm at the end of my rope with Swiffer anyway. The wet jets keep wearing out, the sweeper vac keeps breaking down, and I've gone through countless units of each. I'm giving up on Swiffer gimmicks from now on, and will wait for Vileda to come out with their better versions. The Vileda pro mist mop is infinitely better than the Swiffer Wet Jet, and the Vileda has a refillable container, does not need batteries, and you can use any kind of resuable pads with it that you want. It can't be the dry cloths, because they don't absorb liquid, but you can even use a terry cloth towel if you wanted, if your included reusable Vileda pad was already dirty.

I've included a captioned picture to show the area that causes me the trouble. Please excuse the dirty sweeper cloth, but I have three dogs, and they shed. LOL.

That is all. I hope I've helped some of you make up your minds about the Swiffer Sweep & Trap. It's NOT worth the money. It's worth maybe $7.99, but even then I wouldn't ever buy it again.