Demi Alexandria: Home, Recipes and more!

Amazon Finds Part 4

Amazon items I have ordered recently and I believe are worth sharing! These are affiliate links of items I had recently bought not sponsored however for full disclosure I do get a tiny commision if you buy through my links and I greatly appreciate your support<3

Water Shoes- We recently went to Lake George and Mexico, water shoes are a must as you don't want to accidently step on something while in the water it will ruin your trip! I had two different water "shoes" I had gotten for these trips to try them out. If you want more of a traditional shoe to wear to the dock and out to lunch this is pretty perfect!
Water Socks- This was the second "water shoe" I had gotten, I did like these better because i love something less bulky so these were perfect to switch into on the beach or boat and then wear sandals around!
Beach Bag! This thing is awesome because it has so many pockets to organize and easily find all of your stuff! its mainly mesh so you don't get all that sand brought back and if you have wet items it drys easily, plus and inside zipper pocket that can hold more private items such as a wallet or phone! Also comes in so many bright colors so you can always see it from the water!
Snorkel Swim Vests- I'm not a really strong swimmer and my boyfriend is but we both wore these while snorkeling around in Mexico, I really loved these Swim Vests as you can inflate and deflate while wearing them! They're great for snorkeling by coral as it helps keep you away from them but does not prevent you from diving down to see some cool things! It's also great for open water swimming you can easily be seen by other swimmers, kayaks, jet skis and boats as well! Highly recommend for all ages and all swimmers, it is not a certifies life jacket but it helps keep you afloat for longger swims too.
Swim Fins- These were great for our vacation, I especially loved that you can wear a water shoe with these fins and they were super comfortable with the adjustable straps too!
We have all see the portable neck fans around, especially with these random heatwave and wearing a mask it gets hot, this neck fan is great mainly because its BLADELESS! That's right not getting caught in your hair!!! Plus its rechargeable and lightweight on your neck, runs in three speeds and its just perfect!
This one is a bit random but our puppy likes eating remotes so I ordered 3 (2 to replace the ones for the TVs we have and a backup too) These work automatically with our VIZIO TV and you cant really beat the price!

Homemade Guacamole

No clue as to why I thought guacamole was so difficult to make but it’s so simple!

Ingredients:

2-3 Avacados slightly soft
1 Vine tomato
1/2 white onion
Franks red hot sauce
Lemon juice

Hello Fresh VS Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon

So you're looking for a meal delivery service, maybe to not waste as much food, maybe to keep you on a healthier track or maybe to be inspired/learn to cook. Well there is so many different choices out ther ebut here are two I have tried and which one i currently prefer!

Hello Fresh- This meal delivery was my starting off point, the recipes were and still are super easy to follow they come with everything you need in a marked little brown bag and the meats are usually separate. You can choose how many meals you would like with options to add on lunches or little snacks too! This was great for me for a long time until the repete of recipes weekly got boring and i needed to switch it up. Overall this box system is great for couples or families on the go. It's also for those of us who never know what to cook (thats me) or how to cook more elaborate meals than mac and cheese from a box (also me, while I can do basics with no instructions and supervision if give me directions and I can make you a 7 course meal!)

Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon- I was googling other meal systems like Homechef and Freshly when I Had come across Martha Stewarts & Marley Spoon and naturally was intrigued! They had great reviews and looking at past meals it seemed a little more edgy than HelloFresh. So I picked m meals for the following week and BAMM, was super impressed! The meals have more flavor and more options too! I love that it's got something for everyone like Vegetarians, Meats as well as seafoods! There are so many new choices weekly and I have yet to see them repeat any recipes! I Like that some are 20 minute meals and some do take longer but all come out so delicious and they're fresh plus healthy too!

Overall I like HelloFresh as a jumping off point, its a great beginner box to get comfortable with the cooking process but once you get too comfortable and a little bored if im being completely honest then you're going to want to switch to Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon!

Naturally they have referral codes for any member to share so if you want to try out Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon here is 1 Free box + 50% off your next three!

Home Workout Gear I love (space saving too!)

So working from home and with the gyms being closed for most of the part last year, I had to get creative on my workout and self care overall. At First I used apps like Fit Body By Anna Victoria (I love her and her messages about body image and overall health!) To trying youtube workouts and finally Apples Fitness+. All of these are great options for at home workouts but you do need some equipment to be able to work out at home so below I have listed some of my favorite finds and where to purchase them!

Yoga Mat- This is a huge must have! After shopping around at Target, Dicks Sporting Goods, Walmart and Amazon the cheapest high quality mat I had found was at Marshalls! I picked up this Gaiam 5mm Purple yoga mat for $9.99! Click Here to Order on Marshalls Site
40" Foldable Mini Trampoline- Okay so you might say do I need this? The answer is not really buit its an amazing and fun way to get your cardio in! Plus it has a stability bar which is really nice because when you start to get tired sometimes your balance is off and that's the last thing you want when jumping around on a trampoline. I jump and run on this to get my heartrate up while I watch TV and the best thing is that I can fold it up and move it out of the way when its not in use! Sometimes i leave it out though because my dog loves to lay on it like a dog bed!
Innstar Adjustable Bench Press with Bar- This is great for working out your arms nad back! When ordereding it does have different weight bands(80lbs, 105lbs, 150lbs and 200lbs) that were determined by the different colors. I also loce that the bar had little holes at the end so you can add other resistant bands to do squats as well!
Resistant bands- Ones with clips i like the best because they can be interchangeable with benches, bars and handles too! This one is great because it has 5 bands (10lbs, 20lbs, 30lbs, 40lbs and 50lbs!) I like that you can add weight and slowly go up when needed! Plus right now there is $2 off coupon with amazon so it makes it $17.95!
Dumbbells/Kettel bells- Grab them at your local Marshalls or TjMaxx! they will range from $5-$15 but its the cheapest i've found them at especially with everyone building up their home gyms its a great place to save!
A Cloth bin- I use this for storage of my bands, yoga mat and other random exercise equipment i pick up, its easy to toss in there and looks neater plus you know where everything is!

The Purple Mattress Review

A couple of weeks ago I had told you that we ordered the Purple Hybrid King Size mattress. I bought it out of my own pocket as we really needed to invest in a great nights sleep! Now I did know we needed to get a new one as we’ve had ours for quite some time, so we were on the hunt for about a year and a half. I was so excited for just a new mattress but I did shop around and try a couple of others out before we settled on the Purple Mattress. I did make sure to lay on them as well as look and compare online, Its so important to make sure it works for you and your needs!

*none of this is sponsored but I was able to get a $350 off discount code at the bottom of this page!*

Here is our review of the Purple Hybrid King Size Mattress and Foundation:

Comfort: 5/5
Super comfortable, supportive yet soft like sleeping on a cloud, Cratels your pressure points and I noticed when cuddling it will make it more supportive in areas and contour to you and your partner!
Sleeping level 4.8/5
It lost .2 points because its not supercooling like some mattress, I do tend to get overly warm at night so I just sleep on one side with my foot out to cool better, my partner does not have and issue. Also you can still feel if someone is moving around, but its not excessive like standard mattresses its very slight, not that much of an issue and its only if they are right next to you, if your one one side and they are on the other you do not notice it!
Set up 4.5/5
It was extremely heavy and their are handles on the mattress casing but they aren't super functional unless you have at least 2 strong people to transport the king sized mattress, maybe even 3. The fondation was a light box and simple to put together, but the instructions would be better with words and visuals not just visuals. The Foundation is a lot more sturdy than any others we looked at or have had in the past! The purple plates you install make it more sturdy and supportive.
Overall Experience: 5/5
We do absolutely love this mattress! I'm so glad we went with the king size as we both have more room and the doggies can sleep at the foot of our bed with their own space too! We might even invest in their dog beds soon.
My back has been feeling so much better since sleeping on this for a week+ now. Also I fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer because of how it cratels your pressure points, it's probably the best mattress I've slept on! We did also purchase their pillows and sheets. The sheets are the sofest ones we have ever had, theyre also super strechy and the pillows.... they are out of this world! I have always had that issue with the pillows where they create a crater in the middle and you can never find a right place to sleep on after that, plus it hurts your neck when that happens, but no more! These pillows are the superior to any other pillow out there. Also their products are for all types of sleeper, my partner sleeps on his back and front mainly while I am a side sleeper so this is the perfect match for us!

I was able to join the referral program use the link below to get up to $350 off!!!

Purple Mattress up to $350 off!

New Mattress Shopping

So I’ve been putting off this purchase for a while (I hate spending large amounts of money, I gives me anxious) but it was time for a new mattress. Ive had my current one for over 6 years and it was great for a while and it still okay but you know when its time for a change. You’ll start to get back aches and spasms as well, although we have been sitting quite frequently due to working at home we know it was better to upgrade our mattress as well. We went back and forth on about 3-6 mattress brands but kept coming back to the Purple Mattress. (This is in no was affiliated nor sponsored by Purple, we had purchased this mattress with our own money and only found a discount of 10% off with a google search of others affiliate code)

Other brands we considered were Casper, Tempur-peric, Serta and Sleepys as well. We ultimately decided on Purple Hybrid, overall reviews and sitting on one in Macys made me believe this was the right choice. So I placed the order this morning of:

King Purple Hybrid
King Foundation
King Sized Sheets in Slate
2 Queen Purple Harmony Pillows (6.5”)

We have not gotten the order yet however we are so excited on this purchase! As soon as we receive this item and spend more than 1-2 weeks sleeping on the bed I’ll Report back to give an honest review. It states 3-5 days it will leave the warehouse. Fingers crossed it gets her by April 9th!

Link for up to $350 off

Air Fried Donuts!🍩

These AirFryed Donuts are great! They are a little more cakey then fluffy when it comes to donuts but they taste great! It takes about 2 hours and 10 minuted and makes 8 average sized donuts with 8 donut holes as well! Great for a Brunch or family get together or to make with the Kiddos!

What you’ll need for a new puppy!

I’ve compiled a list of items that are essential when you get a new puppy! I had a bigger list but after our second puppy in 2 years this is the absolute necessary items without the all the extras! If you click the link it will bring you to items we have purchased, I will list PetSmart and Amazon (neither is a sponsor of this blog). Just a note, a lot of the items are significantly lower with PetSmart.

I am trying to get better about ordering random stuff on Amazon, and by getting better I mean ordering less stuff. But these items I’ve order in the last 3 months have been super helpful so I thought I would share!

Liver, Digestive System and Gut Health,

Your Health is important, but how do we maximize on our health without breaking our budget? How do we know what products will actually help you vs. a placebo effect?

I did not have the healthiest childhoods, I was not taught about proper foods, cooking, and exercise was not a thing in our household either. So how am I changing my mindset and life? One choice at a time.

So you read that first part and are thinking how does this relate to MY liver and gut health? By one choice at a time you can be on a better track with your health which starts in your gut.

Eating Right of course is the number one thing to help your health. Eating Whole foods, clean foods(not processed), fruits, veggies and yes carbs too! But how can we support our liver and gut in better ways? Supplements definitely will boost your health and I will explain some supplements that I use and love.

4 Ways To Support Your Liver Digestive System and Gut:

Water, you have to be drinking water at least 50oz a day. this allows your body which is 60% water to flush out toxins! Think of your body like a filtration center, you need water to run, work and clean. If you drink more water you can replace out the gross dirty water(toxins) with clean healthy water to clean your system even more and run without building up with rust!
Alcohol Intake: limit how much you drink. this is one of the main reason for liver damage because your liver acts like a filter and if your constantly filtering alcohol through your liver it will lead to swelling, scaring and kill part of your liver if not all of it.
Exercise: this does not mean you have to work out 1hr a day everyday! Making smart choices like a 10min walk twice a day makes a huge difference!
Eating Better: eating in moderation and making better choices like eggs and toast over a bowl of Lucky Charms(I just saw the St. Patty's day ones that turn your milk green at the store and chose not to by it even though I wanted it)
Supplements when necessary: Supplementing some of your nutrients will help you feel better. Vitamins D I added into my daily routine because of covid. I was not spending as much time outside or in the sun which is a huge way our bodies get Vitamin D. Sometimes we need an extra boost and that is normal and okay!

Chinese medicine states that the yearly spring cycle begins the activations of your liver organ as life starts to stir in the spring, plants start to bloom and grow, our bodies do too.

Our bodies react to the weather around you, during the winter months our bodies begin to hibernate as it does not like the cold and wants to stay put to stay warm. In Spring our bodies know warm weather is coming and wants to be outside more get fresh air and bloom. This is what activates the liver, it starts to give you the itch to move more, maybe motivate you to exercise or start a new hobby! Your body wants to purge the toxins that are stuck because the lack of moving.

What to look for in your Liver Supplements:

ALA (alpha lipoic acid)- this protects your liver cells and will boost your glutathione production (an antioxidant that that can be lowered due to poor nutrition, stress and environmental toxins).
Wasabi Root- Helps in the removal of toxins
Milk Thistle Seed Extract- Assists in normal liver function
Vitamin C- Helps repair damaged tissue

You cannot just support your liver health without supporting your gut health! There is a saying that your Gut affects your whole body. Spoiler alert: IT DOES!

Your gut is responsible for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste(not all bad stuff but excess unwanted products as well), so therefore its so important to have a health maintained gut. There is good bacteria and bad bacteria, the good will keep the bad in check so they cannot outgrow their space and a balanced gut is key to keeping your equilibrium. with an unbalanced gut it could lead to IBS, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

How can you change the bacteria in your gut? Well a healthy diet is one, less processed foods, less sodium and sugars too.

Pro and Prebiotics is the second. These will help you take in more nutrients such as calcium, vitamin c & d which will inturn help you build up your immune system and lessen the effects of your seasonal allergies and even the effects of your lactose intolerance if you have that.

Now as I stated in the beginning I want to share some products that will help with your spring cleaning of your liver and gut. Axis which is a pre, post and probiotic as well as Digestive Enzymes and Activate 3 day cleanse by Modere. These three products will kickstart you overall health goals this year and give you the energy you've been lacking. It's like the crutch when your injured to allow your body to repair and flourish like you want it to!

These 3 products i have taken and love, the cleanse I take once a month and the other two on a daily basis. I know it works for me because I've seen the results, More energy, less bloating, and I'm not getting an upset stomach like I use to everytime I ate even the cleanest meals.

Make Good choices one at a time!

Whether you’re without power for a couple hours or a couple of days these are some items that are great to have on hand just in case!

Last year during the summer we had an unfortunate power failure for about 4 days due to heavy storms. I found the best items that you should have on hand just in case this happens most below are what we found useful!

Battery powered lights! These are the absolute besttttt option for no lights!! A couple different options are awesome to have we found the candle versions as well as string lights. To be the most useful! Especially useful during the darker hours to lighten up our living room, our bathroom and also just to walk around with!

These I’d rather use these items instead of candles as if you were to leave your house accidentally left the candles on it could cause a fire! These battery powered ones are much safer and still provide the same amount of lights but for longer periods of time. I also use these lights when have a migraine especially like in the shower or in the bedrooms too.

Rechargeable batteries! It’s always good to have extra batteries around the house but rechargeable batteries are definitely more eco-friendly and overall better use for you during a power failure. Keep them charged up throughout the year and have them on hand just in case you do lose power!

Battery packs, to charge your devices such as your phone or other items that are USB friendly! When not in use I have a little cubby that all of my charge battery pack stay in so I know exactly where they are.

Board games, depending on how long you’ve lost power obviously you won’t have Internet some board games or even card games are great to have all the kids so if you got a little restless gives you something to do!

Fleece blankets and/or sheets! At least these will will keep you warm during the colder nights or days depending on why are lost power

Rechargeable fan! This was a perfect by over the summer when we lost power because we lost air conditioning too obviously and it was so incredibly hot at night these little guys are rechargeable by USB cable so used mophie power packs to charge them up and they lasted about four or five hours each time they were fully charged!

Bedroom Refresh Update!

This had been a work in progress for so longgggg. Sometimes we have a mission to decorate something, a vision on how we see a room, but its okay to take your time on getting there. Furniture is expensive especially quality items, that wont break down on you and that will age well with you too!

Our original set was from IKEA, and let me say wow its lasted for 8+ years and was super cost effective but we wanted a new style a bit brighter to open up the space some more!

First we did a bed swap, we went from this bed:

IKEA Malm queen bed frame in black/brown

To this bed:

Fort Calhoun Tufted Upholstered Low Profile Platform Bed Queen

This opened up our room a lot! The lighter color really make our bedroom look so much bigger and brighter which is exactly what we needed! Next I had painted an accent wall, I originally was thinking wallpaper but I had a moment of creativity and went out and bought paint and just started. I’m not a good painter, I’ve only done it 2 other times but I have to say I was so proud of myself on how this wall came out!

Next, we needed a new dresser, so I looked and looked and looked and found one that fit the space perfectly! The navy blue matched the wall, had gold accents with the hardware as well, it was the same style but also smaller which was needed!

Old dresser:

IKEA Malm Queen size bed

New Dresser:

Wilmslow 6 Drawer Double Dresser

And Finally we both needed desks, but we currently live in a one bedroom apartment so our bedroom is our offices too, we had to make it functional yet also be able to grow with us when we move. So we choose these two desks:

I’m waiting on the grey desk and a desk chair or be able to take the final photos but I’m so excited with how this project is turning out! Now I do want to say none of this is sponsored and had taken me over a year to complete with the some pieces going in on Friday and I’m still on a hunt for end tables and lamps

Take your time picking out furniture, its okay if it doesn’t match right away! You need to make sure you love it and furniture is expensive so don’t settle if you get something and then hate it, check your return policies before you buy! Also shop around, we found the dresser 3 different places and wayfair happened to be cheaper!

Trim from Mōdere

I know weight loss products are still a little taboo, most people are tired of the constant ads false promises and expensive products with terrible taste right? Normally I would agree, I’ve tired “It Works”, “Advocare” even the shakeology crazy too but nothing seem to work. My diet is not crazy filled with the normal crap, I don’t eat fast food often and I make a lot of healthy choices with an abundance of fruits, veggies and lean meats too! So what can help me if nothing seems to work? I’m an active person, I work out, I go on numerous walks and hikes with my dogs and boyfriend as well.

It all seems so helpless sometimes with you’re trying to lose a little fat and gain more muscle too Well that is until I found Modere’s Trim. Now I did get over the craze of expensive weightloss products after trying so many before but after trying their liquid collagen I figured one bottle couldn’t hurt to try.

Trim, what is it?

Clinically proven to shrink fat cells
Supports Fat Metabolism
Inhibits Cellular Fat Storage
Supports a Reduction in Fat Cells
Improves Muscle Tone
Restores Youthful skin (has liquid collagen in the formula!)
Supports Joint, Muscle Fitness and Connective Tissue Health (Liquid Collagen Gold)
Supports Healthy Hair, Nails, Gums and Eyes!

How Does it work?

Take it twice a day, the CLA and other Patient and scientifically proven ingredients do their own thing to help you do your thing!
I take mine first thing in the morning before breakfast and at night before bed!
With a clean diet and exercise it will accelerate your results however clean eating alone with this will show you results in as little as a month for most people!

What does it taste like? Deliciousness with no weird aftertaste! It comes in these following flavors in order by my favorites:

Price: $99.99 the bottle will last you a month and if your a first time customer use the discount code: 3702288 for $10 off!

I would recommend the Life and Trim Combo as it is $159.99 together you save $10 with bundling the two. With this combo you can take them both in the morning or the trim in the morning and the life in the evening! You can use the same Promo Code (3702288) for $10 off your first order!

Results:

Cleaning the clutter and your mind!

Take a look around your home, wither it be an apartment, condo, RV, trailer or house, how clutter is it? Now think about how many items you use that’s in your home, its not that many right? So why do we hold on to these useless items? Why do we have boxes or drawers full of “junk” that we may or may not need?

Well I’m here to tell you that it’s time we get rid of that clutter! The clean space will allow you to have room to grow, for your mind to reset. The junk that’s living in your home is negativity that’s also living in you, your mind and body. Once you rid your home of that then you will become a little more free and a sense of calm too.

I know it sound a little odd, items can cause negativity? That’s completely possible if you think about how you feel when your kitchen or bedroom is a mess vs when its clean and organized, completely different feelings right?

A question you always ask yourself is: where do I start? I start in the room I spend the most time and now that’s going to change on a weekly or biweekly basis. Right now it’s my bedroom and I’m gonna start by looking around and seeing the messiest area and just go! Start by getting rid of clear garbage, tissues wrappers old pens, if’s garbage throw it out.

Ask yourself in this order:

What it is?

When was it used last? Over a year? You might not need it! Less than a year its safe to keep.

Then Does it work properly? If no, Can I recycle it into something useful? No? Then toss it! If yes to either of those questions then keep it or up cycle it! If it’s wasting space its got to be tossed but if its being used then it should be kept because there no reason to rebuy something.

If it’s something you are really unsure about then you should make a pile for it to revisit when you get done with the room.

Continue this to this in each part of the room and soon you will have a or of things to get rid of and more of your space back too! While you say yay or ney to these items keep like things together. Example; create a changing station with all of the plugs you need for your devices and keep it in one area and you’ll never search for a plug again!

Closets are the easiest to me to organize, its important as they usually get messy fast if you have multiply members in your home! Use small bins to help keep like items together. Example I have a bin with extra first-aid items next to our first-aid kit for easy access and replenishment.

Kitchen cabinet organization will make your snack choosing easier too! Organize your kitchen cabinets with bins as well but you don’t always have to splurge on a set of tupperware! You can use ones you already have in your closet for food storage! The little tiny containers that you seem to never want to put leftovers in because it would only hold a bite size? Use these items to organize snacks like granola bars or fruit snacks. This will eliminate the big bulky box the items come in and also put to use the unwanted and unused containers so they wont get messy and fall out on you when you grab your mostly used ones!

Don’t over stress yourself by doing it all in one day! Cleaning and organizing is not a one day job so don’t get discouraged if you cannot do it all in one afternoon or feel overwhelmed by doing multiple cabinets and closets! Before you grab a snack take care of the cabinet then the next day do another one! One by one you’ll be able to organize and enjoy more of your space without feeling too overwhelmed and the end results will be so nice to look at but also you’ll feel less stressed from the clutter!

Some of the storage contains I have:

Air tight storage set: This set is $69.97 and comes with 6 of each size, lids and also the stickers which are dry erase to mark the containers! It also includes the measuring spoons!

Garlic, onion and potato holders: This set is $56.99 and is the perfect holder for your potato’s onions and garlic! We cook often so its a staple to have these items on hand but we might as well make it look cute!

The black wire baskets I have hanging by Command Hooks are from Targets Dollar Spot so they cannot be linked but were only $5!