These meals are portioned for one (not-so-hungry) person. They say they are “created for a healthy lifestyle” and frankly, some are much more healthy than others. Calories range from 210 to 360 per package. Complete nutritional information is available on the Hormel Web site.

I tried the Sesame Chicken and found it okay, if a little bland. I added chopped peanuts and a little hot sauce and it perked it up a little. I give Hormel points for the convenience of the meals plus for this style of product, they use a minimum of packing–a good thing for the environment.

(photo courtesy of Hormel)

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Product Review: Hormel Compleats

Deli Creations packages include everything you need–the meat, cheese, roll, and condiments–for a delicious sandwich. You just assemble them and place them on the reflective tray and microwave for 60 seconds. These sandwiches come in five varieties: Oven Roasted Ham and Cheddar, Turkey and Cheddar Dijon, Honey Ham and Swiss, Turkey Monterey, and Steakhouse Cheddar.

The only fault I found with the product is the overwhelming use of packaging. (Each sandwich component is wrapped separately in plastic.)

Deli Creations sell for around $3.79 each.

(image courtesy of Kraft Foods)

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Product Review: Oscar Meyer Deli Creations

• Dramatically fewer blackheads everywhere, and particularly on my nose and chin.
• NO cystic pimples. I had a couple last week during the worse-before-it-gets-better period, but they have surfaced and vanished.
• No new outbreaks or nasty whiteheads.
• More even coloration everywhere.
• Very smooth skin.
• No areas of flakiness, which I used to have a lot of where my skin was bumped up from the cystic pimples.

People have actually commented on how clear my skin looks. It’s not 100% there yet, but it’s better than I could ever have imagined. Seriously, I’m amazed.

But it’s not all good news. Here are some negatives:

• A vague feeling of overall itchiness on my face, which started after about a week of continuous use.
• An extremely itchy rash that developed on my throat after a few days of swiping it with the toner after doing my face. The bottle says you can use it anywhere and I have always included my throat when applying toner, but no more! I’ve had to slather my throat with Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion several times a day for a week to be able to bear it, it’s been so itchy. Admittedly I do have sensitive skin, but I have never had that kind of reaction to a skin care product before!

Given the whole traumatic throat rash (at first I thought I thought it was hives and took Benadryl for two days!) and the fact that I’m experiencing a major reduction in blemishes, I’m reducing my use of the AcneFree regimen to once a day every other day.

In between, I’m using some great products I received from woman-owned and -operated natural personal care products company Emerita. They’re specifically targeted for women over 40, but I don’t think using the sample sizes will kill me, and who couldn’t use a little help staving off fine lines and wrinkles?

You can get your own free samples of their skin care line. So far, I adore the ones I’ve tried. They leave my skin feeling clean, refreshed, and moisturized. In addition to skin care, Emerita offers perimenopause/menopause support (which also helps for those of us with severe PMS) and sexual vitality products.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

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AcneFree Update: It’s Been Two Weeks, and I’ve Got Results!

It’s one of those “compare to Proactiv!” deals.

• 3-step formula
• Cleanser, toner, repair lotion
• Time-release, 24-hour acne fighting protection
• Use twice a day

But this stuff, at Costco, is only $30 for a 3-month supply. So I figured, hey, why not?

I’m not going to post a before picture because you’re really not going to be able to see anything — most of my blemishes, except for the really sexy ones, are the cystic kind under the skin, so you can’t really see them. They’re kind of bumpy, but not really red. They just hurt like the dickens!

And because I have a bad OCD habit of picking at sore spots, I end up making myself bleed all the time and get scabs, which are visible but frankly embarrass me, so I’m not posting a picture of that, either.

But I’ll keep you posted on how it works. They suggest that when used as directed, AcneFree will produce noticeable results within 2 weeks.

So far, I’ve used it twice: once before bed last night, and when I got up this morning. And I swear, my skin feels different, and in a good way.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

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Acne Inspiration