The email made me giggle because the developer was kind enough to point out all the things he thought I wouldn’t like about his app, yet he wanted me to review it anyway.  I downloaded the app*, then promptly went back to bed.  When I woke up about a week later, there it was on my iPhone, patiently waiting for me.

The app is called Grocery List and it’s developed by Helium Foot (I love that name, don’t you?)

Now here’s the thing; he’s right – it doesn’t do a lot of the the things that I was looking for, however it was almost exactly what my husband was looking for as he’s more of a “get it done and let’s move on” kind of guy.

Open the app and you’re taken directly to the “Make a List” screen. What’s nice about this is that you can scroll by letter, or type in the search field and it updates as you type. Click the plus sign next to an item and it increases the quantity.  Tap the name of the item and a minus sign, trash can  and an arrow show up; the minus sign decreases the quantity and the trash can brings it back to zero…

the arrow lets you determine what aisle the item can be found in, default quantities (if you always buy 2 loaves of bread for instance) and add any notes you might want to connect to the item.

Items that you add most often are stored in an additional list called “My Common Items” for quick staple shopping.

The grocery list that comes with the app is exhaustive (Absinthe?  I love pretending that I might buy Absinthe!).  However, if you need to add things you can do that too, as well as what aisle it should be in and of course the notes and default quantities.

Speaking of aisles, that’s fully customizable as well.  You can arrange the aisles to fit your favorite store as well as create and delete your own aisles.

One of my favorite features of the app occurs when you’re out shopping.  As you check each item off your list, instead of deleting it, it adds them to your “cart”, this way if I think, “Oh I need half and half!” and I don’t know if I had it on my list or if it’s in my overflowing cart already, I can just look at the app and see if I’ve already gotten it. (I can’t tell you how useful I find this – I tend to do 30 things at once and I can’t remember everything, you know!)

The most interesting thing about this app is its Help section.  Click on a subject and you have short video clips with audio of screen shots explaining step by step how to complete the task that you’re not sure about.

All in all, I found this to be exactly what the developer said it was, a powerful grocery list app with a clean design and an intuitive interface with one of the best Help sections I’ve ever come across in any kind of software. The one thing I’d add is the ability to email my grocery list, or share it somehow with another user.

*Full Disclosure: I received a promotional code for 1 (one) copy of Grocery List app from the developer for this review.Similar Posts:

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Also, while I’m all for a little romance, the story line about LuLu and Dante’s inability to find the time to… you know… is starting to make me a little uncomfortable.

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.Similar Posts:

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Here’s what I did:

2 onions peeled and chopped
2 large garlic cloves chopped
1 jalapeno pepper deseeded, deveined and chopped
8 stalks of celery trimmed and chopped
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 packets of Truvia = 4 teaspoons sugar
2 cups of vegetable broth

Heat a heavy bottomed pan on med/high.  When it’s hot, add the olive oil, as soon as that starts to ribbon, add the onion, garlic, celery and jalapeno and saute until softened, about 10 minutes

Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil then lower the heat to low and allow to cook for about 20 minutes.

At this point you’ll have to make a decision – Do you want a hearty, chunky soup or a creamy, smooth soup?  I went for the smooth(ish) soup, so I got out my immersion blender (go buy one, you need it if you’re going to be making soup and you can get them on sale for less than $50 – you can get a different brand for under $30 – it’s worth it) You could also do it in batches in a blender, but if you’re clumsy like me, scalding liquid in a blender is just not a good idea. Blend till smooth.

Add the vegetable broth – use my measurements as a guideline only, use what looks right to you, and the rest of the ingredients, stir and cook on low for at least an hour. Ladle into a bowl and eat – it’s delicious.  If that sounds far too healthy for you, go ahead and add a splash of cream, I won’t tell.

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What did I think of the products?  Well, I’ll tell you.

The shampoo and conditioner were light and clean and although I need a stronger conditioner for my dry, coarse, curly, damaged hair, it was perfect for my daughter’s medium coarse, wavy hair.  The lotion is nice and light, perfect for every day, normal skin care, the facial scrub was just the right amount of friction for a light exfoliant.  My favorite though were the face creams.  Thick, yet not greasy, ultra moisturizing and gentle enough to use every day.  I use them in the morning and at night and they are some of the best face creams I’ve ever used (and I’ve spent some serious money on face creams). I was quite pleased with the products and would definitely purchase them.

From the press release:

mirra products are made with natural ingredients, such as olive oil, aloe leaf juice, and cranberry, bamboo, honey and chicory root extracts.  Proven technologies are used for many of the products too.  For example, the revolutionary oleosome emulsion technology is used in skin care products to deliver long lasting moisture that keeps protecting and nourishing skin long after application.

Click here to read more about these products and to download a $5.00 off coupon and don’t forgot to enter to win your own!

Full Disclosure:  I received the products pictured above at no cost to me.  That, however never colors my review.Similar Posts:

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Here’s what I did:
1 bunch of baby spinach, washed and dried and rechilled
1 lb. bacon
1 pint of strawberries cleaned, hulled and sliced
1 block of bleu cheese (don’t buy the crumbled, crumble it yourself, just trust me on this one)
1 c. of balsamic vinegar
1/3 c. of sugar

chop raw bacon and add to skillet, cook on med. heat until completely crispy.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain and cool.
Drain bacon fat from pan, except for about 4 Tablespoons – heat it back up and when hot add vinegar and sugar to pan.  Stir and cook allowing the sugar to dissolve.  Lower heat and allow to cook and thicken slightly.

Assemble salad.

Pour warm dressing directly over salad, toss and serve.

I don’t think this would keep well, so eat the whole thing.  If there’s too much, invite your neighbors over.  They’ll be your friends for life, I promise.Similar Posts:

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