I can't believe it's not cheesecake! {recipe}

Yep,

this is low fat, low carb and high in protein.

And it tastes DIVINE!!!!

I think it tastes like cheesecake.

I love that it doesn't wreck my weight loss efforts.

It's simple to make too.

Just put some tinned (or fresh) peach slices in a bowl.

Dollop on some low fat ricotta.

Drizzle over a little honey (just a tiny amount, or skip it)

Dust with a touch of cinnamon.

Sprinkle on some chopped walnuts.

 I have this after dinner instead of my afternoon fruit. I don't eat it often as I don't want to get into the regular dessert habit again, but I think it's OK, now & then.

More healthy, yummy recipes coming soon.

Eco Store Fragrance Free {Product Review}

 It's so nice to be able to use products that are plant based and have no nasty chemicals. 

All of my boys have had eczema. 

• The first one had it as a 6 month old and it stopped appearing when he was about 2 ish. 
• Pickle #2 started to shows signs of it at about 4 years old and it lasted till he was around 6 and a half.
• Now my littlest pickle has it on his face! He is 4 years old and has thankfully not shown signs of it anywhere else. 

His cheeks have been very red for about 3 weeks (I think the change of season has made it flare) and it's just starting to fade. I really don't like putting anything on it (like creams) in case of a reaction, so it's important to use really gentle products in the bath.....he still needs to wash! 

I was sent some bath & body products from the Eco Store and I knew they would be perfect for him. 

The new Ultra Sensitive, Fragrance Free Body Wash is what I'm using for him and it has gotten him clean AND the rash is almost gone. It no longer looks sore and I've noticed that he's not scratching at it anymore...so that's great! If I had used traditional soap or bubble baths etc, we'd be forced to use something from the chemist to heal it! No thanks, not if there's a more gentle and safer option.

Still a little flakey, but almost gone.

The fragrance free body wash is plant based. It's nice and thick and contains conditioners so your skin feels really soft without that tight feeling.

The Extra Moisturising Body Lotion contains shea butter, jojoba, coconut and olive oil extract. Very creamy, but absorbs quickly...a little goes a long way.
Lightly fragranced (perhaps rose?)  Smells fresh and summery and doesn't clash with my perfume, but equally nice on it's own...so I like that too.
 I should have used it on my hands as well (notice how dry they look in the first pic?). I've been using this to prolong a fake tan (I'll have to review that soon too...it's a really good colour).

Eco store avoid using anything unnecessary in their formulations..no bulking agents or fillers. The formulations are so concentrated that you only need to use a little...which of course means saving $$.

I could go on and on about this coconut soap, but I won't....all I'll say is, it's yummy, creamy and leaves my skin soft. Just get this...trust.


I've been an Eco Store customer before and will continue to buy and try their products so I was rapt to be able to do this review.

If you'd like to know more about Eco Store products, where to buy etc, you can check out their website here.

www.ecostoreaustralia.com.au


FOOD ALERT: yummy low-fat dessert coming to this blog sometime this week..

laters.........

Disclosure: This product was provided for editorial consideration. 3pickles has no affiliation with any companies mentioned and has received no remuneration for posting this review. All opinions are those of the author.

Chicken Schnitzel Wrap

Wraps are now a favourite in our house. They're so easy to make and you can put just about anything in them. This chicken schnitzel wrap is delicious and works well if you make it the night before and keep it the fridge for lunch the next day. You could toast this too, just like my pizza wrap (recipe here).
This probably won't be the last wrap you'll see here on this blog. 


Ingredients:

• Wrap/Flatbread. I used Spinach & Herb from the Mission brand that I got from Coles.
• Pre-made chicken schnitzel from the deli department
• Baby spinach leaves
• grated carrot
• grated tasty cheese
• cucumber slices
• sweet chilli sauce

I panfried the schnitzel on glad bake paper and then cut into thin slices.

I then arranged all of the ingredients down the middle of the bread, tucked in the ends and tightly rolled together. I wrapped in cling wrap and put in the fridge to chill.

*If storing overnight, make sure the sweet chilli sauce is in the middle layer, in between other ingredients, to avoid bread getting soggy.

I'd love to hear what combos you make.

So you wanna be a Make-Up Artist?

Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be a Make-Up Artist. 

My Mum and Aunt both worked in the beauty industry and it was always around me. 

My "play" make-up was their off casts of Dior, Chanel & Estee Lauder...yes, I was a lucky little kid. So it wasn't a surprise to anyone that I would end up in the beauty industry myself. I'm like a pig in mud with all that pretty stuff....and the gory stuff too (even though, since having children, I've found I have less interest in the gore) I'll leave that to some of my awesome students (you can read about Mark and his Emmy honour here)

One of the first looks you'll learn by Rain Andreani.

Anyway, as many of you who have read my blog, or have been one of victims clients, you'd know, I've been doing make-up for something like 23 years.  Crikey, that makes me sound old!!!

But, you can teach an old dog new tricks!!

I'm a firm believer in ongoing training. It's important to not get "up yourself" and think you know everything. I love youtube and blogs about beauty and make-up for that very reason, but I needed more than that, from a pro AND I just can't spare the time to go to courses (not the times that suit me anyway). Having 3 kids, plus husband, plus house reno etc leaves very little time for me to update and learn new skills.

Thank you, thank you great architect of the universe for the internet and RPM Online Make-Up Academy.

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? (PS: Don't tell anyone about the cake...it'll between you and me ;)

RPM Makeup Academy is an online academy that you actually get a real certificate of graduation at the end. There are no memberships, no dvd's, no selling makeup kits! A real makeup university. It's the wave of the future!

 Taught by international celebrity makeup artist Rain Andreani with over 40 celebrities under her brushes (including Britney Spears, Kirsten Dunst, Mandy Moore & Paris Hilton).

Rain will personally teach you and train you how to become the best makeup artist in the industry, sharing all her secrets and know how's in the industry.

I started the FX plus Artistry course last week, and I am so impressed with the quality and delivery of the course. My first assignment is due (& as soon as my lovely friend gets her butt beautiful face over here for me, I'll share the pics). 

I'll be updating my progress on the blog as I go through the course too.

The courses deliver state of the art online makeup training with Multi-Media Presentation Lesson/Module with Streaming Video with HDLearn Technology. It's so easy to follow.

can't wait to do this!!!!

The wedding industry is BOOMING (as long as people are getting married, there will be the need for bridal make-up artists). Such a great career for those with little ones. 

So for those many Mums who asked me about where to learn to become a make-up artist here's your answer.

There are lots of different courses to choose from, so if you want to become a professional make-up artist or just want to learn how to do your make-up like a professional, check out RPM.

I've embeded a video about the academy to your viewing pleasure.........


This blog is evolving more and more towards make-up and beauty (you know how much I love it), so if you want to see more reviews and how to's...they're coming right up. 

Stay beautiful........

Disclosure: This product was provided for editorial consideration.   3pickles has no affiliation with any companies mentioned and has receives no remuneration for posting reviews. All of my opinions are honest and are only influenced by the awesomeness of a product or service. No BS on this blog.
3pickles receive lots of products to review, but only the things that we (Marnie & the pickles) love end up here on the blog.

Hair Pack Giveaway

Hi there, how was your weekend?  Mine was relatively non-eventful, just the way I like it. 

The 2 older pickles went back to school this morning after 2 weeks of (full on) school holidays. We did a lot of "stuff" and I AM TIRED!!! 

Nobody told me having 3 kids would be so exhausting, they get up in the morning and hit the ground running and they don't stop until forced to go to bed.  

Don't get me started on how much food they consume....machines, they are...I tells ya!!

Is it like that at your house?

So, I'm not sure where to start this morning & after sticking something in the slow cooker and the washing machine, I've decide to sit on the sofa, not look at any mess, have a coffee and tell you about a little giveaway I'm having today.

It's all about hair...again.

You know how much I love hair products. 

Do you love them too?

 It's fun being a girl. 

Yep, I'm a girly girl whenever I can get the chance. 

Because it's all males in this house I've missed out on the playing make-up, dress up and girly tea parties. So it's DIY. lol

By the way, here's my latest "do"...I've gone a little lighter and had the layers thinned out a bit more. Because it's very thick, if I let it go too long between cuts, it goes all witchypoo. 

What do you think?

How about you? Are you planning a change in hairstyle or colour for the Spring/Summer months?

If so, this giveaway will be right up you alley.

With summer just around the corner, the warmer months often call for a change. Body blitzing, health kicks and hair overhauls are all part of summer prepping, and sometimes knowing what to focus on most can be overwhelming. Nice’n Easy and Wella Pro Series are here to make summer prep easy, with their summer style pack.

I'm giving 3 readers hair a fresh summer start with a Nice’n Easy and Wella Pro Series summer style giveaway. Each pack will contain one Nice’n Easy hair colour in a shade of choice, and a Wella Pro Series Colour shampoo and conditioner.

Nice’n Easy:

Anti-flat colour is all about hair that sparkles in the sun and looks alive with energy and personality. Nice’n Easy shades work hard to deliver natural looking colour in the comfort of your own home. Each shade has the right level of dimension to ensure 100 per cent grey coverage, without making the colour look flat.

Wella Pro Series Colour collection:

71% of women colour their hair, and therefore requires special treatment since colouring makes it more vulnerable. Preserve the vibrant, healthy look of hair shades with Wella Pro Series Colour which intensively nourishes, protects against breakage from combing and styling and leaves coloured hair soft and shiny.

How to enter: (Aussies only sorry)

1. You need to follow 3pickles on at least one of the following:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Bloglovin       
• Google Friend Connect.

2. In the comments, here on the blog, tell me, who is your celebrity hair "idol" and why.

Entries close Friday, October 12th, 2012 at midnight (Melbourne time)

The 3 winners will be announced here on the blog, this Saturday, October 13th, 2012.

Good luck.

Taken 2 {review}

Mr3P and I saw Taken 2 on Friday night. An actual date!...well a child free movie anyway.

I saw the advertisement on TV last week and had never seen the first movie, so we hired and watched it during the week. 
LOVED IT...so I couldn't wait to see the sequel. 

Liam Neeson is one of my all time favourite actors and he didn't disappoint.

I won't go into a long review...just watch the trailer and go see it!!

House Extension Update, October 2012 {video}

Hi there! I thought it was time for another house extension update.

It's school holidays here, so I haven't been doing a lot of blogging. 

The house is soooooo close to being finished enough for us to move in, but now we are at the stage that we have to mainly rely on tradesmen to come (in a specific order), to finish of lots of bits. It's very frustrating, but what can you do?

My video camera was coopreatitve today, so I decided to film it. I really like the whole Youtube & iMovie thing, it's my new little interest. You may have seen my first attempt at a makeup tutorial? It's a learning curve, but I hope to get better at it. I've sent a letter to a certain man in a red suit and asked very nicely for a video camera that actually works when I need it to work....time will tell.
I have been very good this year...promise. 

so, anyway...here's the house update. Let me know what you think.