3 Minute Microwave Granola

I am so happy to announce that I was chosen to be a Liberté Brand Ambassador! What does that mean? It means that I get to represent an awesome company and share all about the delicious yogurts that Liberté makes. My favorite yogurt is their plain Greek yogurt, and as much a I love eating it plain or with a drizzle of honey, I wanted to make something that would take it to the next level.

I really wanted some granola. I can’t justify paying $4+ for a bag of gluten-free granola so I decided to make my own. I wasn’t about to turn on my oven on this hot, muggy morning (summer is around the corner) and I created this microwave granola recipe!

Granola in the microwave? It only took three minutes and it is delicious! With just a few ingredients, you can make this simple, wholesome granola recipe at home.

3 Minute Microwave Granola

Makes four 1/4c. servings.
Make a couple of servings of crunchy granola in a flash. This recipe is easy to throw together, and you can customize your granola after cooling.

Ingredients

1c. Rolled Oats (we used Gluten-Free; Instant Oats may work, but would probably have a flaky texture)
1T Coconut Oil (unsalted butter or any neutral flavored oil may work as well)
1T Honey (other liquid sweeteners might work: maple syrup, agave, etc.)
1/2tsp. Cinnamon (or 1/2tsp. of any other spices, a pinch of ginger
pinch of Salt
Mix-Ins (seeds, nuts, dried fruit, shredded coconut, chocolate, etc.)

Instructions

Mix Oats, Cinnamon and Salt in a microwavable glass container.
Microwave Coconut Oil and Honey for 30 seconds.
Swirl Honey and Coconut Oil to combine, pour over Oat mixture.
Stir to combine. Microwave for one minute, stir. Return to microwave for another minute, stir. Microwave for thirty seconds, stir.
Let granola cool thoroughly before adding any chopped fruits or chocolate. You can add in nuts or seeds while the granola is still hot.

View nutrition information (per 1/4c. serving)

Tips

I used the regular power on my microwave. If your microwave tends to heat things quickly, you may need to stir your mixture more frequently, possibly every 30 seconds. You will want to stir to make sure that your granola doesn’t burn.
Using a shallow glass bowl works better than a deeper bowl- you can disperse the granola and it crisps better.
I haven’t tried using any other oils or liquid sweeteners, but I’ll update this post if I do.
If doubling this recipe, I would use a glass pie plate to use in the microwave. I haven’t tried making a double batch (I ran out of oats, oops!)

Yogurt + granola is mighty tasty, but I wanted something a little more special. I had a jar of blackberry jam that I picked up at the Montgomery Farmer’s Market, and I thought a blackberry and granola parfait sounded mighty delicious.

Make a Parfait!

Plain Liberté Greek yogurt
Blackberry Jam (no sugar added) from TS Farms in New Vienna, Ohio
3 Minute Microwave Granola

Let me know if you try making your own granola in the microwave! What would be in YOUR parfait?

Asian Style Grilled Pork Chops

*Edited to add: My heart goes out to the families in Oklahoma (and families elsewhere) affected by the tornado. Take a minute to lift up a prayer for everyone involved.*

Grilling season is upon us! We busted out our little charcoal grill last week for dinner. Instead of grilling up chicken breasts, we had the chance to score a few delicious pork chops through BzzAgent! Kroger sells a wide variety of Moist & Tender^® pork cuts, and we chose some lean (boneless) pork chops for our grilling adventures. We don’t eat meat too often, but we were thrilled to have a chance to incorporate something other than chicken into our meal.

Asian Style Grilled Pork Chops

I marinated 4 pork chops with 2T minced ginger, 2T minced garlic, 2T soy sauce, 1T oil, 1T water, 2tsp rice wine vinegar and 1tsp honey. I let the chops soak up the goodness for a few hours in the fridge and then we grilled them up. Pork chops should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145° F (medium rare) and 160° F (medium). Serve with a bit of chopped cilantro if desired.

We also got this nifty silicone “Pork, Be Inspired” basting brush that we used to oil our onions (grilled onions are so sweet and delicious!)

We served our chops alongside some steamed green beans and quick-pickled veggies. We loved having the opportunity to grill some yummy pork, and we’re excited to add pork to our summer grill. Not only are pork tenderloin and pork loin chops lean, but they are tender and adaptable to almost any recipe!

Here are some great sites for pork recipes:

Do you eat pork? What is your favorite thing to grill during the summer?

*Disclaimer: I am a BzzAgent and I was provided with a free sample of this product to review. I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review. #GotItFree*

7 months postpartum

I don’t really understand how it has been 7 months since I had a baby. I know EVERYONE says that time flies when you have kids, but it is so true. I find myself just watching Adeline, I feel like she’s growing and developing by the minute, and I don’t want to miss a thing!

My little goofball.

Frustrations

I still have pelvic floor weakness, and I can’t always exercise like I want to at times. For instance, I can’t do abs before I try to go for a run. Doing an abdominal exercise routine fatigues my pelvic floor, and I sometimes have “leaking” issues if I try to go for a run later. I can usually run and THEN do abs, but not the other way around. On random occasions, jumping can cause leaking as well. This doesn’t happen too often, but considering my pelvic floor is back to a “normal” strength, I was hoping to not to have incontinence problems. I’ll go back to my OBGYN in June, and I’ll bring it up with him at that point.

All of the other Good Things

Aside from the occasional (maybe once every week) leaking issue, everything else is going great! I forget what it felt like to be pregnant, and I definitely think my body looks and functions like my “old” body used to! Well, aside from being able to produce milk, I couldn’t do that before wlEmoticon winkingsmile 7 months postpartum

(1 month postpartum and 3 months postpartum)

I’m continuing to build muscle thanks to Best Body Bootcamp. I’m definitely not as scrawny as I was at three months postpartum, but I’m really thankful that I’ve been able to put back on some weight! My muscles are still small, but at least they are there! It sure does help to have some strength when lifting up a 16 pound kiddo.

I’m able to do pretty much everything that I did before I got pregnant except run a lot. I’m still doing run/walks or run/jogs (which usually only happen once or twice a week), but I can tell that my endurance and stamina are getting better. I feel like I should sign up for a race or something so that I make the time to run!

Breastfeeding &My Eating

Breastfeeding is still going really well. It has gotten a lot easier since Adeline started eating solids, and we’re nursing 4-5 times during the day with a night-time wakeup every couple nights. It feels good to know that I’m still providing the majority of her nutrition.

I have to admit, I’ve gotten into some not-so-great food habits over these past seven months. Breastfeeding appetite + scarfing down meals has led to some poor food choices and even poorer eating habits. I find myself eating out of boredom or when I’m stressed out. While I wish I was snacking on fresh, crisp fruits and veggies, I keep grabbing handfuls of chocolate chips or spoons of peanut butter. We ate dinner at the table for the first time in WEEKS last night, but most meals are eaten standing up or on the couch.

I’m just trying to keep it honest on here. I don’t want to completely avoid chocolate or other things, but I do want to be more conscious about practicing moderation. Not only for myself (we could all use a few more fruits and veggies), but for Adeline as well. If I’m feeding Adeline broccoli while I munch on leftover Easter candy, she’s bound to notice one day.

I don’t really have a “plan” other than to try to pinpoint emotional eating and to try to make healthier decisions. If I want to have some chocolate, that is OK, but maybe I can try drinking something or eating something more nutritious first.

Other

I haven’t done measurements this time, but I feel great! I think I’m pretty close to my pre-pregnancy weight (I was 5-7lbs under at 1 & 3 months postpartum). We’re getting a decent amount of sleep too (knock on wood). We haven’t had any teething problems yet, so I’m curious to see how those little pearly whites will impact our sleep!

Oh! One other kind of weird thing, I ALWAYS carry Adeline on my right hip, and I’m starting to notice some pretty significant muscle imbalances. For example, I lose my balance VERY quickly when doing lunges and my range of motion on my right hip is quite limited. It’s so awkward to carry her on my left side, but I’ve been trying. I’ve also been spending some more time stretching out both hips and legs so that they are both more “normal”.

Emotionally, I’m feeling really good! Aside from the low around 4 months, I’ve felt so much better. I updated my “Desperate” post a few weeks ago and I reflected on that low time in my motherhood journey. I think a combination of better sleep and LETTING GO of the small things have really helped with my anxiety. I think that seeing the sunshine has also helped, winter always does a number on my emotions. I feel like my mind and body are pretty much the same as they were before I got pregnant, so my main “focus” is to soak up every moment with Adeline while nourishing my body with whole foods and exercise.

Have you ever struggled with emotional eating? What are some of your favorite snacks to grab on-the-go?

Mother, Graduate.

I hope that all of the Mothers had a wonderful day of celebration! Not only was this my very first Mother’s day, but it was also the day that I graduated from college!

I got to spend the day with some of the people I love, and I got to close the chapter on my undergraduate college days.

It’s been a long 6.5 years, but I’m finally finished! I began college in 2006 at Denison University, my top choice among colleges. After a rough freshman year, my sophomore and junior years were some of the greatest years of my life! I couldn’t return to Denison due to financial issues following my parents’ divorce in 2009, so I attended the University of Kentucky part time from Fall 2009-Summer 2012.

I was blessed to have been able to transfer my coursework back to Denison, and I am still amazed that I was able to earn my Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from the school that I fell in love with many years ago. Although I graduated 3 years later than the rest of my freshman class, I am extremely proud to say that I am now a Denison Alumni.

We spent Mother’s Day at a chilly graduation ceremony, and Daniel won a daddy-of-the-year award for taking Adeline duty on Sunday.

They are adorable and I love them. I think I was trying to say “brrrrr” in the picture below.

Mothers and babies on Mother’s Day. I am so thankful that my mom was able to celebrate with us!

With my mom and my brother Matthew. If my mom and I hadn’t been wearing heels, Matthew would surely tower over us! P.S. Matthew graduates from middle school soon! I can’t believe it!

My “Happy Graduation/Mother’s Day” gift from Daniel- Jeni’s Salty Caramel. It is worth every penny. We had plans to visit Whit’s frozen custard when we were in Granville, but being in 45 degree weather for a few hours kind of makes you not want ice cream anymore.

Sunday was quite a special day indeed. Hope all of the mommies out there had a wonderful celebration! Just a few more pictures, mainly because a baby in a graduation cap is too darn cute!

Did you go to college? Did you graduate in four years? How was your Mother’s Day?

Pin It!

Lindsay at the Lean Green Bean is hosting a “Pin it Party”. I chose 5 posts that I love (and apparently, others do too!) Part of the challenge was to create “pinnable” images & a few of our older posts got a facelift! Did you know that if you hover over an image, a “Pin It” button pops up? I realize that not every post is Pin-worthy, but I installed this little feature to make pinning some posts easier!

Enjoy these Cooper Family Favorites!

Our Family

All about out start into cloth diapering! Hallelujah for saving $$!

An honest post about postpartum struggles including anxiety and depression. I’ve also updated this post with some of my latest thoughts.

Fitness

How I did Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp at home. You CAN do effective workouts at home, even with minimal equipment (grab your crockpot for added weight for squats!)

Eats

Buckwheat is so underrated! In this post, we explore the different types of buckwheat and make a tasty breakfast bowl!

One of my very favorite kale recipes! The variety of flavors and textures makes this salad irresistible!

Visit theleangreenbean.com today to see favorite posts from other bloggers! Happy Pinning!

Seven Months

I can’t believe we are now closer to the one year mark than to the newborn stage. Weird.

Stats

We went on a family grocery trip a couple of weeks ago, and while Daniel & I were loading the cart, I set Adeline on the shelf at the self-checkout lane. The employee told me that she weighed 15lbs! So, whenever I’m curious about her weight, we’ll just take a trip to Kroger!

Solids

Adeline usually eats 2-3 meals per day. She doesn’t always care to eat real food for breakfast, but she’s usually pretty enthusiastic about food around lunchtime and she’ll eat a good amount at dinner as well. In addition to fruits and veggies, she has tried egg yolk, chicken & pork. I’ve tried incorporating some spices and herbs into her foods as well, she went pretty crazy over chicken sprinkled with dried basil. We’re plowing ahead with Baby Led Weaning and I really like it. We have moments of gagging, but that just helps me realize that I need to giver her smaller pieces of food.

We’ve been working on the signs for “eat” and “more”, and Adeline has definitely come up with her own way to communicate to us that she would like more- she grunts while flexing her arms and legs. I need to get this on video soon!

Movement

Adeline sits very well and she has been doing a lot of rocking back and forth while she sits. She has also learned to “catch” herself with her arms when she starts falling over, and she bends forward (and looks like she’s about to break in half). No crawling. Barely any rotating or scooting when she’s on her belly. BUT- the desire and intention to move is present. Last month, you could put a toy to her right and she would look at it, but she wouldn’t even try to get close to it. Now, you can tell that she wants to figure out how to get to something. She likes standing up, but would rather sit independently.

Sleep

I mentioned in the 6 month update that we were fluctuating between 2 and 3 naps. We’re definitely down to a solid 2 naps. The morning nap is usually 1.5hrs after she wakes up, and the second nap is 2 hours and 15 minutes (on the dot) after she wakes up. The late afternoon nap is the one that disappeared, although she will sleep in the car if we are in there for a while at the right time.

And… towards the end of the 6th month, she started sleeping through the night about 50% of the time. She goes to bed around 6 or 6:30pm, and she has slept until 7am. Unbelievable. If she does wake up, it’s around 4 or 5 to nurse and then he’s back down. We also haven’t had to “fight” for bedtime lately. This is kind of how the last part of our day goes:

3:30pm Nurse
Play, Bath, Take a Walk, Wait for Daddy
5pm Nurse
5:30pm Dinner
5:50pm Diaper Change, Reading Book/Piano Time
6:00pm Bed (occasionally nursing to bed, not often though)

It’s been great. I don’t think we “did” anything to help bedtime. I think getting into a bit of a routine helped, but I think that a lot of the changes (aka not crying for an hour) just came from her maturing and understanding bedtime a little bit better.

New Things

Adeline started saying “mama”, but only while simultaneously crying. However, she definitely knows certain words (Adeline, momma, dada, dog, Silas, eat, nurse [she love this one]) and she will try to show you that she likes (or dislikes) what you are saying to her. We think Adeline says “yes” by making this duck-face and blinking her eyes:

It’s ridiculously cute, but I’ve also been trying to emphasize nodding “yes” and shaking my head for “no” just so that others might be able to understand what she needs wlEmoticon winkingsmile Seven Months

I just thought that picture was HILARIOUS! She wouldn’t move once I layed her down on the patio. Her legs stayed off of the ground while her arms were glued down. I guess we can add “laying on concrete” to her “new experiences” list this month! I still want to do a “day in the life” post… we’ll see if I actually get around to it. Till next time!

WIAW

Hello folks! This is my very first WIAW- What I ate Wednesday!

WIAW is a link-up of bloggers sharing some of their recent eats. The WIAW “party” is hosted by Jenn over at Peas & Crayons (she has some AWESOME looking recipes!) This week, I’m sharing some great recipes that we’ve made in the Cooper home over the last few weeks!

My new “cooking philosophy” is cook once, eat multiple times. I’ve been making a big batch of dried beans each Sunday for us to use throughout the week and any recipe that can be prepped ahead of time is my BFF. We’ve also been plowing through fruits and veggies (we ate 10 mangoes, a dozen bananas and 4 avocados last week!) Here are some of our eats (note, none of the photos are my own, if you click on the picture, it will take you directly to the recipe YUM!)

Recipes we Have Made

Gluten-Free Paleo Brownie Pie {Our Fifth House}

paleobrowniepie WIAW
(source)

I think I’ve made these 4 times now. They are delicious and simple and don’t require you to buy any chocolate. Plus, Carmel is a Kentucky blogger, I love reading blogs from places I’ve lived! They definitely satisfy a chocolate craving. The original recipe calls for honey as the sweetener, but we ran out of honey the second time we made them. I made some “date paste” and subbed it 1:1 for the honey. The fourth time we made them, I made about 1/2 c. of prune puree and 2 bananas (~1/2c. prunes, soaked in hot water, drained & blended with a little bit of the soaking liquid). My favorite version was the one using dates! I haven’t made the coconut oil frosting yet, but it would definitely take these to the next level.

Brown Rice & Quinoa Veggie Burger {The Fitnessista}

(source)

These easy burgers were pretty tasty! Brown rice and quinoa make up the base, and zucchini and carrot add a punch of veggies. Since the ingredients are pretty simple, I’m excited to add in some extra spices and change-up the veggies a bit! I had the same problem as Gina (The Fitnessista), my patties fell apart pretty easily after baking. Next time, I’ll try pulsing the brown rice and quinoa in the food processor for a minute so that it sticks together a little better!

Healthy Chicken and Black Bean Casserole {Six Sisters’ Stuff}

(source)

This was another winner! We didn’t use as much cheese as the original recipe called for. Next time, I think I’ll stir in a bit of reduced-fat cream cheese into the filling before baking (instead of using shredded cheese). We finished this dish fairly quickly, so next time, I’ll make a bigger batch!

Quick & Easy Chickpea Coconut Curry {Legal Nomads}

(source)

This was another winner! I love how Jodi gives you so much room to play with the spices. She gives a list of spices and orders them according to “copiousness of use”. We doubled the amount of chickpeas and served the curry over brown rice + quinoa.

Packs a Punch Kale Salad

We’ve also been enjoying our own kale salad recipe. The kale has been looking a little bit wimpy lately, so I’m excited to use similar ingredients with a different green (spinach!)

Recipes to Try

2 Ingredient Cookies {The Burlap Bag}

DSC 3832 678x1024 WIAW (source)

I’ve seen these 2 ingredient cookies floating around the internet, I just need to get my hands on some gluten-free oats to make them!

Lemon Polenta Cake {Top with Cinnamon}

page WIAW (source)

I’m intrigued by the idea of baking with polenta! I’ll probably never make this recipe, but it looks mighty delicious!

Gluten Free Green Pea Muffins {Angie’s Recipes}

WIAW (source)

These look a little bizarre, but they also kind of look delicious. That little puddle on top is mozzarella cheese. This is a savory muffin, I think it might go nicely alongside a simple bowl of tomato soup!

What are some of your favorite “go-to” recipes?
Do you tend to make recipes that have lots of leftovers?

Bootcamp, Spring and Veggies

Hi friends! I kind of feel bad about being so inconsistent with blogging, but Adeline and I have been having a lot of fun lately, and blogging has taken a back seat. We’re still here though! Here’s a peek into what we’ve been up to lately.

I started Round 5 of Best Body Bootcamp two weeks ago! I’m probably going to be doing another “mostly at home without a lot of cardio” round. However, I did get to the gym to do an AWESOME cardio interval run (increasing intensities, it was difficult but I felt GREAT at the end!)

Adeline is still loving her solid foods, we do about two “meals” per day. I’m going to try to do a “day in the life” post this week! It might bore you all to sleep, but I kind of want to remember what we did before she gets mobile.

Isn’t that bib ADORABLE? The mom of the triplets (+1 “singleton”) that I used to nanny for started her own sewing business and she makes some of THE CUTEST things for kids of all age! Check it out: Psyched to Sew

We’ve had a couple of REALLY warm days, and Adeline and I have been spending a lot of time outside! I’m so excited to go on little adventures to new parks with her! I really love Cincinnati because we have so many parks to visit. One of my favorite websites at the moment is the Cincinnati Parks website. It is well-organized, and I like being able to see what each park has (hiking trails, swing set, dog parks, etc.)

Silas is loving the warm weather too, it means he gets to take lots of walks. He does have to suffer through wearing one of the baby’s hats on occasion. Doesn’t he look thrilled?

I saw these Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato chips on some other blogs a few months back, and I was super excited to accept a campaign to try them from BzzAgent. I was THRILLED that these multigrain chips were GLUTEN FREE! The “multiple grains” used are corn flour, rice flour, whole grain brown rice flour and whole grain buckwheat flour. They are still chips, but they are a mighty delicious alternative to the “regular” gluten-free chips (corn chips & potato chips).

Bootcamp, Spring and Veggies
Well, I’m going to schedule this post to publish so that I can go enjoy an Angry Orchard Elderflower Hard Cider and play a game of cards with my husband. We like to live it up after the baby is in bed

6 Months

My, oh my. We have reached the half-year point. Where did 6 months go?

I feel like we’ve gotten a “break” this month. Adeline has had a fairly conistient “schedule”, and I feel pretty competent as a parent (most days). I’m just waiting for this little nugget to throw us a curveball!

Stats

We went to the pediatrician yesterday, and Adeline weighed in at 14lb, 10oz (21%) and was 25 in. long (15%). She had her shots too, which I left the room for (daddy kept get company). She fits best in 6 month clothes, most 6-9 month clothes are still a bit too big! She has finally doubled her birth weight (6lb 11oz), must be all of those yummy veggies she has been enjoying.

Solids

We haven’t really fed her rice cereal at all this month. I think we are now in “Baby Led Weaning” territory! I cut up her foods into manageable pieces and she just goes for it! I steam, microwave or roast the foods so that they are soft enough for her. She doesn’t have any teeth (mommy isn’t complaining about that), so she’s not actually ingesting very much of foods like broccoli or green beans. But, she is definitely learning to handle her food so much better! It used to be quite the struggle for her to get a hunk of banana to her mouth, but now she will pick up smaller pieces of food with such ease!

We do one “eating time” per day, either around 2 (after naptime) or around 5 (when I’m trying to make dinner). I think we’re going to stick with the 1 “mealtime” unless Adeline starts “asking” for food. I have a feeling she might want to start having something at breakfast because she watches my every move when I eat my breakfast in the morning!

Foods this month:

Sweet Potatoes (my favorite, she seems to like them too!)
Banana
Avocado
Parsnips
Apple (the diaper told us that maybe we should wait on them)
Grapes (cut in half, we watch closely, she just sucks on them)
Broccoli
Brown Rice (did NOT like, she made sure to get every grain out of her mouth!)
Green Beans

Movement

I wrote in Adeline’s 4 month post that she had rolled over. Since then, Adeline has rolled over from belly to back maybe 4 or 5 times. We practice EVERY morning, but I suppose she’s just not quite motivated to wiggle around very much! She acts like she wants to scoot towards something, but she ends up “swimming” on her belly. I’m actually thankful that she’s still fairly immobile, I don’t have anyone to chase around, yet.

She has gotten SO MUCH better at sitting up. It was like it happened overnight. I think she enjoys seeing the world from a viewpoint other than from on her back.

Sleep

As promised in last months’ post, I said I’d do a sleep update. We’re fluctuating between 2 and 3 naps per day, 3 naps is definitely more common. Adeline usually wakes up to nurse once at night (1-3am) and then sometimes again early in the morning (5ish). She has wanted to be up at 6am on some occasions (not to eat) but then she goes back down to sleep an hour later. I can’t figure that one out. Anyways- we have a bedtime routine established and it is AWESOME. She does her last nursing session around 5:30pm (maybe I need to push this back to combat the early morning wakeup?), and then we have a few activities that we do. If it’s not a bath night, we’ll play on the piano or we’ll read some books. She usually tells us when she’s getting tired, so we lay her down after her first few fusses. She takes her WubbaNub paci at night.

Some nights we can just lay her down and walk away, other nights she needs a little more “help” falling to sleep. One of us (usually Daniel, he has the magic touch) will go in and help keep her paci in her mouth. She’ll get angry and she will pull the paci out of her mouth (even though she wants it there). We’re working on catching her sleepy signs earlier so that she goes down without our extra help.

My internet mommy friend Nicole actually did two posts about how they are working to teach their baby girl to get to sleep: Teaching our Baby to Fall Asleep Part 1 and Part 2.

Nicknames

(This is more just so that we remember the silly things we called her!) Ade-whine (when she is being particularly fussy) which led to… A.W. or A-Dubs. I call her “pumpkin” and “little smusher” at times too. I’m still not too keen on her being called Addie, and I’m glad that everyone calls her Adeline (at least to my face).

Wow, half of a year gone in the blink of an eye. Time truly does go faster when you become a parent! See you soon for my 6 month postpartum update.

You can see Adeline’s other monthly updates on our Baby Page!

Review: Garnier B.B. Cream

Confession: I rarely leave the house without makeup. Going to the gym? I slap on some foundation and a bit of blush. Going to mommy group or anywhere else in public? Add mascara and fill in my eyebrows. Going on a walk? You guessed it, I put on a face (I don’t know why I do this, we hardly ever speak to ANYONE on a walk!)

I like wearing makeup though, it makes me feel more confident and I like looking more awake! As a BzzAgent, I was offered a chance to try the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Oil-Free B.B. Cream (that’s quite a mouthful!)

What is B.B. Cream?

B.B. Creams are “…one-step products that can protect, conceal, and correct skin texture and tone.” (from Boston Globe) I’d say that I have “combination” skin, I get oily on my forehead and nose, and I’m still dealing with zits and blemishes. Now that a baby has been thrown into the mix, I’m looking for ways to trim down the time it takes to get ready.

This is the introduction I received as a BzzAgent before I reviewed Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Oil-Free B.B.:

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Oil-Free B.B. Cream is a new multi-faceted solution for a multitude of skin concerns. If you have oily skin, then you probably have a product to treat shine, and to minimize pores, and to cover blemishes. And maybe a few more products, too. Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Oil-Free B.B. Cream can address all those oily-skin needs with just one application. Your skin will have a flawless, lightweight matte finish, and you’ll only need one product to get it.

Sounds pretty good, right? I basically wanted to see if I got the same coverage as my usual foundation with the added benefits of SPF and a moisturizer. I use my regular foundation to even my skin tone and to help “hide” under eye darkness (hello motherhood). I never use a moisturizer, but my skin has been feeling so dry (I even Tweeted for moisturizer recommendations last week!). I’m also TERRIBLE about using sunscreen on my face but I KNOW that’s something I shouldn’t skip, especially with all of the time I’ll be spending outdoors with Adeline!

Before and After Pictures

Here’s my before picture (bare naked face):

And after applying Garnier B.B. Cream:

I was very pleased to see that I got great coverage with this “all-in-one” product! The cream is quite liquidy, but it is really easy to blend. I felt like I was using a lot less product because it spread so evenly over my face. My face felt great- the makeup didn’t feel heavy or cakey. At the end of the day, I didn’t have any issues with the makeup settling in around my eyes or mouth.

Side by side comparison:

You guys, I’m hooked. I got the coverage I wanted and I have the added protection from the sun. My only issues with the cream is that it is quite runny, which makes me nervous about the possibility of the product leaking. Another possible problem is that I used the lightest shade (light/medium) but I think it would be too dark for someone with very fair skin.

You can visit GarnierUSA on Facebook to get a $1 coupon!

Have you ever used a B.B. cream before? Do you use a moisturizer or sunscreen on your face?