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I’m not talking about me! Though my family and boyfriend would beg to differ. I’m talking about those fruits and veggies rotting away in the fridge. I have a tendency to go overboard when produce shopping. Whether its an unbeatable sale on seasonal fruits at the grocer, or getting caught up in the beauty of locally grown veggies at the farmer’s market, I go ham at produce stands. This typically results in me hoarding more fruits and veggies than time can handle, which eventually go bad and get tossed in the trash.

You would think I’ve learned my lesson by now, right? Nope, not at all. I still buy more produce than I need, but I’ve adopted a few techniques to save money on fruit and vegetables that go bad.

-Throw extra veggies in a pasta or stir fry

-Puree fruits or veggies and make into a face mask or body scrub

-Make sangria with extra fruit

-Preserve it (freezing/canning)

-Make a fresh fruit smoothie

-Make a sauce or salsa

A little bit of creativity can turn decaying produce into a  refreshing drink, smoothie, or skin product.  Saves you money and makes your skin look amazing!

Do you toss rotting produce? Do you keep it and make it into something else? Or are you balling and don’t care if you have to throw it out? Share in the comments!

Image: SheKnows

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Aside from me turning into a crazy banshee, about a week before my cycle starts my skin starts breaking out like nobody’s business. It’s always in the chin area, pissing me the hell off. I’m already hormonal, emotional, and bloated, damn monthly breakouts make me even madder!

Since I’m broke chic and can no longer afford the luxury of hitting the day spa for a facial every other month, I take matters into my own hands and give myself at home facials and scrubs. Sometimes I use store-bought products, but lately I’ve been experimenting with homemade scrubs and masks.

My latest at home facial scrub consists of two simple ingredients that every person has in their home – baking soda and water. You don’t really have to measure, just take some baking soda, add enough water to form a paste, and apply to skin after cleansing. Set for 10-20 minutes, and rinse off completely. Rub your face with ice to reduce swelling, and moisturize. Voila! Your skin will look brighter and more toned. It’s damn near free, it’s worth a try.

Image Source: Semi-Hippie Solo Mama

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Remy Ma called into Hot 93.7 and chatted with Jenny Boom Boom and DJ Craig G about Nicki Minaj, the rap game, prison life, and more.

Remy’s observation on how the rap game only allows one female artist to be hot at any given time is so true….and DAMN! Fat Joe hasn’t reached out since she’s been incarcerated? Whats up with that, Joey Crack? At least Remy doesn’t sound bitter about it. Stay up, Ma!

FREE REMY!

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This is my take on beef fried rice, inspired by my need to do something with leftover roast beef. I wouldn’t say this is the most authentic version of beef fried rice, it’s just one of those recipes where you take what you have in the fridge and create a masterpiece. Many of the meals we’ve come to enjoy in our respective cultures were born out of the need to clean out the fridge. Tweak this recipe to your liking.

Ingredients (Yields 2 servings):

1 healthy glass of wine for you to drink while cooking

1/2 cup leftover roast beef cut into small cubes

1/4 cup bell pepper (I used red bell peppers here, use whatever kind you have)

1/4 cup diced onion

Couple cloves of garlic

1 cup cooked rice

Few dashes worschestire sauce

Few dashes soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable or canola oil in non-stick skillet or wok until hot.

2. Add  onion and bell pepper, sautee  until almost translucent. Add garlic, continue cooking until the garlic becomes aromatic

4. Add roast beef to veggies, cooking until it starts to brown on the edges. You may want to start seasoning with a little salt and pepper here, to taste.

5. Add cooked rice to the meat and veggie mix. Turn your fire down a bit, and incorporate rice, meat, and veggies. Add soy sauce and worschestire sauce to taste. Add more salt and pepper to your liking. Serve hot.

This is my first time making this particular dish, I think it would also be great with a little egg, maybe some chopped celery, and red pepper flakes. I hope you try and enjoy!

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We’ve all seen the movie “Coming To America” starring Eddie Murphy (one of my all time favorite flicks). A former nurse’s aide out of Maryland and Pennsylvania just so happens to be a real life incarnation of the film.

For years, Charles Wesley Mumbere worked as a nurse’s aide in Maryland and Pennsylvania, caring for the elderly and sick. No one there suspected that he had inherited a royal title in his African homeland when he was just 13.

That’s crazy, right? The article says he has a son and daughter, but there was no mention of a wife. So if you stumble across King Mumbere, you may want to holla. You may get to become the “Queeeeeeen to beeeeeeeeee!” It’s probably far fetching, but it goes to show you that it pays to give a blue collar guy consideration. He may turn out to be worldly, intelligent, respectful, and a king! Nurse’s aide or janitor today, CEO, lawyer, or Ugandan king tomorrow. I’m just saying.

source

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Honey Soul’s post today put me up on game — hip hop turned 36 years old on August 11th! Hip-hop, you’re a grown ass adult now…

Hip hop has it good and bad qualities, but that doesn’t change the fact that it has had an integral impact on who I am. Hip hop’s influence on me is like being born in the ghetto. No matter where I go and how much I evolve, it’s still a fiber of my core. And not just me, hip hop has raised millions of kids around the world over the past three and a half decades. If you were born after the late 1970s, you don’t really know a world without hip hop.

So break out your fly sneaks, custom nameplate, your pimp cup and your shades, and light one in the air for hip hop!

HIP HOP, HIP HOP, HIP HOP!!

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image via dailymail.co.uk

It doesn’t seem to occur to people to get a damn job. First Kelis demands (and wins) tens of thousands of dollars per month in child support from Nas, now Big Pun’s widow is crying broke and claiming she and her children are living in a shelter. Coming from a single parent home, I know firsthand the plight of a single mom. I watched my mother struggle sometimes to take care of myself and my little sister. Millions of women make ends meet for their for their families on far less money than these women. These chicks need a major reality check.  

In Kelis’s case, she’s taken care of. She’s set. Her child support award gives her more than enough money to take care of herself and her baby. I agree that Nas needs to support his child, but $40,000 a month? That’s more than some people make in a year. Yes, I’m hating. Maybe I should go the rapper baby mama route instead of having a career.  Fuck me for earning an honest living, that’s my bad. I know when you become accustomed to living a certain lifestyle you can’t go back from that. I live in California, a place where such ideals are mandated under community property law. If you marry a rich dude in Cali with no prenup, be prepared to come up! But I digress. 

Kelis has her own money, it just seems selfish for her to hit Nas’s pockets like that. She had a successful career before she married him.  I just have a difficult time believing it costs $40,000 a month to raise a child. I think she could get by on $10k-$15k. Is Nas even balling like that? Even Diddy was ordered to pay his BM $30,000 in child support. He makes way more money than Nas. All Nas does is rap, he isn’t the most diverse hip hop artist when it comes to multiple income streams. This is the exact reason men tend to drag their feet on committing and marrying women, because if they link up with the wrong one, it’s financially detrimental.

As far as Big Pun’s widow, Liza Rios, how come she just doesn’t get a job? She’s crying broke, talking about how that $160,000 from Pun’s publishing went through her fingers like water. It’s possible that Pun’s legacy wasn’t worth as much money as she thought. He could have gotten a bad deal from the record label. Clearly I don’t know her and what she’s gone through, but why not get a job? She should have used some of that money to get some skills so she can take care of her family. Or hell, find another husband to take care of you. Anything. A woman should never be broke, whether you work, hustle, or do whatever you have to do to support yourself and your children. 

I know Kelis doesn’t give a shit about what I say, because she’s obviously making waaaay more money than I will likely see in a long ass time. And Mrs. Rios would prolly shank me in the streets for my words. But it doesn’t change the fact that these women seem like shiftless lazy chicks who have an aversion to working.

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image via rapradar.com

So this is it, huh? This is how Vibe is going out? With all the happenings in hip hop, THIS is how Vibe bows out? Hmmmmm. DELETE. 

Vibe! Come on! You used to be tasteful, hip, and innovative. You were a class act in the urban magazine genre. You had flavor! And you leave us with the chubby R. Kelly wannabe and his can’t catch a hit girlfriend for a damn final cover? 

Ok so maybe when the cover went to print, you didn’t know the magazine was gonna close. Wait, what? What do you say, oh the cover won’t be released on newstands? What! Michael Jackson, the fucking King of modern music, just died. U SHOULD HAVE PUT MJ ON THE COVER!! 

I hope Quincy Jones saves you, Vibe. He’s up in age but he’s savvy enough to know that you have the potential to survive online. ‘Cause I can’t stand to see you go out like this. 

/rant. *slamming my Macbook closed*

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Image via http://nscfashionnetwork.blogspot.com

SOHH.com dropped a post today reporting that Cassie’s and Rhianna’s nude pics did nothing for their record sales. Shame, shame. Both celebs claim the photos were leaked without their consent, a fact of which is questionable. The timing of the leaks is too close to upcoming projects and recent cries for attention, so it looks like the leaks were contrived. 

If Cassie and Rhi Rhi did in fact leak the nude flicks, they can maximize the opportuntiy to peddle their goodies. Why not take control and make it work to your advantage? Example, Kim Kardashian. Became famous after a “leaked” sex tape of her getting down with Ray J. Guess who worked out a deal to get her cut from the sex tape from Vivid Entertainment? Kim took it even further and posed for Playboy, who pays centerfolds upwards of $100k. Cassie and Rhianna should take control of the images that are being put out there and profit from it. 

Maybe the reason the nude pictures didn’t help Cassie and Rhianna’s sales is because their music isn’t resonating with the audience. Consumers are savvy these days. Titty pics generate gazillions of page views, but they may not compel a person to buy the music. It compels them to want to see the pics. If the music is good, people will listen. They will buy. The will pay to see you perform.  

Here’s the math: are you using your sexuality to make money, or to promote music? If it’s simply for money and attention, work out deals and get your cut. Tap into the millions of page views that are generated off your boo-tay and get some rev share. If it’s for the music, it won’t work if you aren’t doing anything related to the music. Ass alone is not enough. It needs to be tied in to the creative aspect. 

The best way to promote your music is to get out there, talk about the music, perform, and leak some tracks instead of whoring your body out to garner attention. If you’re going to use your body to make money, do that. If you want people to be interested in your music try putting out good, quality music. Sex sells, but there’s always something else newer, hotter, and skankier. After you show your entire body to the world, there’s nothing left after that.

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I know you’ve seen pics of Mrs. Carter jaunting around Paris in those super fab Roman Gladiator Sandals. Well guess what babies. Hiphopmuse found some for cheap! Cause real bishes get the style while keeping a watchful eye on the purse strings. Women like us are smart as well as stylish. 

Aldo’s version is nearly identical to Beyonce’s @ $75/pop. Too steep for my taste considering they’ll probably be out of style by next summer…but if the price isn’t bothersome, proceed. 

Baker’s version is not identical, but the style is the same. The colors are so pretty. These will run you $59.95. Much nicer toward my bank account, AND Baker’s is offering a buy one get the 2nd pair 25% off deal. A ploy to get women to buy more shoes…and we will probably fall for it because a lady can never have to many shoes. 

Again, the Steve Madden version isn’t the same as Bey’s, but they are still super cute.$59.95 is workable, and Steve Madden is offering free shipping on all orders. Big incentive. Take advantage!

The Roman Gladiator style is very “in” for spring and summer…make the style work for you and your personal tastes. Wear the trend, don’t let it wear you. Take the style and make it yours. 

Shopping tip: if you decide to purchase your shoes online, do a quick Google search for coupon codes for the site you’re buying from. They’re bound to be out there, and if valid can save you a few bucks.

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