The Blog

Feed Your Better with Allison Sweeney’s The Better Sammie Recipe!

This post is written in partnership for the Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Bread-bassador program. Though I have been compensated, all opinions are 100% my own.

Last week, I announced that I am an official Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat Bread-bassador and I swear I am getting more excited as the days go by. I just love promoting companies that “get it” and this family of breads surely does! That’s why they’ve partnered with Allison Sweeney in the Feed Your Better Campaign.

As I mentioned in my last post, you can enter the Feed Your Better Contest between now and November 11, 2013 for a chance to win big to help achieve your personal goals. Remember that goal can be anything that you set for yourself. You don’t have to live by the rules here, you make up your own! So go enter for your chance to win a chunk of the $100,000 in prizes that they’ll be handing out with the help of the lovely Allison Sweeney as part of the judging panel!

Yesterday evening, an unexpected package arrived via my favorite delivery guys. Inside was a boatload of Brownberry bread in 5 delicious varieties. At first I thought “That’s a lot of bread! I’ll have to give a loaf to each of the neighbors” just so that it could be enjoyed while it’s fresh. Then I had an even better idea. I kept one of each variety for our house, then boxed the rest right back up. This afternoon, I’m going to make a stop at our local food pantry and help others in need!

This morning, I decided to give the Healthy Multi-Grain bread a try. I was a bit hungry, but didn’t want to make a big breakfast, so I thought some toast would be great instead. A minute in the toaster, some butter and a dab of jelly and I had created instant deliciousness!

As promised last week, here is number 2 of Allison Sweeney’s Tips to Feed Your Better:

Tip #2 – Find ways to stay active in your everyday life. Some weeks, I exercise daily and others, I work out as many days as I can! During these busy times, I try to find ways to incorporate physical activity into my schedule, like running around outside with my kids or going for a family hike. Spending quality time with friends and family while staying active allows you to feed your better in more than one way.

I know you’ve all been waiting for Allison’s famous sandwich that I mentioned too, so here goes nothing! Enjoy!

The Better Sammie
Alison Sweeney’s Favorite Sandwich

Ingredients
2 slices of ArnoldBrownberryOroweat Whole Grains 100% Whole Wheat bread
3 oz. chicken breast, skinless and boneless
? avocado
? c. of hummus
? c. of fresh basil
4 leaves of romaine lettuce (or substitute kale)
Salt and pepper to taste
Serving Size: 1 serving

DirectionsPreheat a nonstick griddle or skillet to medium. Grill each side of the chicken breast for 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Set aside to cool, then slice chicken into half-inch strips. Mash avocado in a small bowl and spread on one side of one ArnoldBrownberryOroweat Whole Grains 100% Whole Wheat bread slice. Spread hummus on one side of the other slice. Assemble the sandwich by layering basil, chicken and romaine lettuce or kale. Cut in half and enjoy!

I’ll be back next month with more from the Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat team where we will focus on the nutritional benefits of bread. Then I’ll share my progress and let you know if I’ve gone down any pant sizes!

Personal Chef To Go Review

Blog· Review

Say goodbye to dieting and say hello to delicious, everyday gourmet meals for today’s health conscious consumer.

Let our chefs pamper you with a guilt-free nutritionally balanced menu each week.

Even though I’m a stay at home mom with just a singleton, I still find always planning the weeknight meals to become tedious between three different personality types under one roof. Sonshine is still as picky as ever, my husband is a ‘eat whatever I want’ guy, and I’ve been trying to stay diligent on eating healthy! Balancing all three diets makes me want to run screaming for the hills some weeks! But, with Personal Chef To Go, I no longer have to worry about making a balanced and nutritional menu each week!

Unlike other online meal service companies, Personal Chef To Go delivers fresh, never frozen meals to your home or even to your business. The shipping containers are lined with Thermal Shield?, which is guaranteed to keep your meals at their proper temperature and flavors fresh. Each fresh delivery is packaged and shipped within hours of being made.

Our week’s worth of Family Favorite’s arrived on an early Friday afternoon and I was home to get the box in and into the fridge/freezer. But, thanks to the packaging, you don’t have to worry about being home to get your box. We had the following meals:

Thai Shrimp Rice Noodles with Veggies

Fresh Garden Salad (side)

Chesapeake Crab Cakes

Chef’s Choice Roasted Vegetables (side)

Texas-Style Turkey Meatloaf in a light Brown Gravy

Crisp Fresh Green Beans (side)

Chicken Picatta

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Corn (side)

Petite Dinner Rolls

It was a wonderful week! Not only are the meals freshly made and chef-inspired, they are the quickest and healthiest things I’ve ever made in the microwave! That’s right, just pop any of these bad boys into the microwave for a few minutes and you have a hot dinner around the table in no time. The rolls were, hands down, a favorite. I make our bread and rolls from scratch, but my son thought these were the best he’s ever had. My favorite meal was the Chicken Picatta, with it’s light, fresh flavor. My husband loved both seafood meals (I’m allergic) and had them for dinner and lunch the following days! Everything was delicious and it was very hard go believe someone else made it and shipped it! The best part is that the meals have a healthy glycemic index, heart healthy, and low or no gluten! It’s a no brainer really.

The meals are offered in a variety of menus: Busy Singles ($99.95/wk), Couple on the Go ($129.95/wk), Family Favorites ($89.95/wk and choose between a full, 16 serving plan or a half, 8 serving plan), or the Lunch and Dinner Menu ($120.50/wk). You can view last weeks, current, and future weeks meal plans on the website. You can also set up your auto-ship for your needs, either weekly or bi-weekly and there is no contract or minimum weeks to be enrolled! So take the guess work out healthy family meals and give Personal Chef To Go a try.

Connect
You can connect with Personal Chef To Go on their website, Facebook, and Twitter pages

Buy It
You can purchase your desired plan on the Personal Chef to Go website

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions expressed are my own and/or families. Take it or leave it. Click here to view the whole disclosure policy.

MagneTalk Match-up Adventure Kit with Barrier – Super Duper Publications Review

Blog· Review

ABOUT SUPER DUPER PUBLICATIONS
Sharon and Thomas Webber founded Super Duper? Publications in 1986 with two products and two types of stickers. Sharon started creating easy-to-use therapy materials while working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the public schools. Thomas was a practicing attorney before focusing his talents on developing therapy materials also. Fast forward 27 years – today, they are making hundreds of creative, colorful educational and therapy materials that grownups and the kids they love, just love. Keeping the kid inside all Super Duper employees is their South Carolina headquarters designed as a castle with amazingly decorated rooms for conferences, customer service, administrative and even the restrooms! Take the tour inside this one-of-a-kind castle headquarters online at http://www.superduperinc.com/castleTour/default.aspx.

School is in full swing and that means the whole learning thing has officially started for my preschooler. Thankfully she does not have any homework until next year when she hits kindergarten but that doesn’t mean we don’t get our learn on at home. I love to work with her using games and toys to help her with her speech and other skills and Super Duper Publications offers a wide assortment of tools to help us do just that.

The nice thing about Super Duper is that each of their products lists the skills that that particular item helps improve. I chose to review the MagneTalk Match-up Adventure Kit with Barrier to help her work on her listening skills, her ability to follow directions and rhyming.

The barrier comes separate from the kit.

Who wouldn’t want to work with the MagneTalk as right out of the box it is big, colorful and full of fun magnets.

This is what the barrier looks like below. The magnets are very thick which is so nice since they do not fall off at all when the child is working with them.

The barrier comes with a nice storage bag.

There are 6 sheets that you can slide into the top of the barrier to come across the front of the board. Of these 4 are double sided so you have 5 scenes to choose from and you have two of each, one for each side of the barrier.

? Grades Prek-5
This one of a kind, magnetic masterpiece targets a ton of language and listening skills. Best of all, the barrier game format is perfect for following directions, giving directions, storytelling, improving vocabulary, and a whole lot more! Your students will have a blast going camping, swimming through the ocean, and traveling to outer space while learning to listen and use language effectively. The game targets a host of skills including following directions, storytelling, basic concepts and rhyming.

Big Sis is about to turn 5 and this set up was perfect for her. Anytime I am working with her she uses her utmost concentration which is nice to see since a majority of the time she is constantly on the move and easily distracted.

Here is one of the scenes she worked on.

For those of you that use this at home and are non Speech-Language Pathologists the kit comes with a booklet with all you need to do to work with your child. Just photocopy the pages so you don’t loose your originals if you plan on writing on them.

I have reviewed other Super Duper Publications items before and so far everything is built with amazing quality and with only the best ideas for skill improvement behind them. Before you purchase any items make sure to check out the videos that most the products have right there on their website. Super Duper explains the game or toy and exactly how it is intended to be used. I find that extremely beneficial when trying to decide on exactly what I need to get to work with my daughter. Every time I use their products my daughter never feels like she is doing homework or skill building, she only thinks it is fun and that is why these products work so great.

Connect:

You can connect with Super Duper Publications on their website, Facebook, @SuperDuperPub on twitter, Pinterest and Youtube.

Buy It:

You can purchase the MagneTalk Match-up Adventure Kit with Barrier for $89.94.

The Giveaway:

How would you like to win a $50 gift certificate to shop at Super Duper Publications? I have one to give away to one lucky contestant!

To enter the giveaway please follow all of the directions below! If you don’t follow the rules, you can’t win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

Apteka Naturel- Essential Oils You’ll Love Review

Blog· Review

I love essential oils! They tend to lift my spirits if I’m having a blah day. I sprinkle lavender on my pillow to help me sleep better. I rub Rose Moroc on my little guys feet if he’s a little stressed. I use them as perfume.

There are so many added benefits when you use essential oils. Mental health, digestive health, treatment for skin problems are just to name a few.

I received the Rose Moroc and Sandalwood from Apteka Naturel. I was very excited to receive these! The first thing I did when I got them was open and rub on my hands and feet, then my son’s feet, then my daughter’s feet. I know a little crazy, but wonderful!

Here are a few reason’s I choose Rose Moroc:

SKIN CARE: broken capillaries, dry skin, eczema, herpes, mature and sensitive skin, wrinkles

CIRCULATION MUSCLES and JOINTS: palpitations, poor circulation
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: asthma, coughs, hay fever
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: colic, liver congestion, nausea
NERVOUS SYSTEM: depression, impotence, insomnia, frigidity, headache, nervous tension and stress related compaints
GENITO-URINARY SYSTEM: irregular menstruation, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia, uterine disorders

Rose Moroc is credited by as being an exotic aphrodisiac, an emollient in skin care products, and a balancer of the spirit.

Our supplier of these 100% Certified Organic essential oils is a company absolutely committed to purity. During inhalation of a pure essential oil, you are inhaling the very consciousness of the plant. The intelligence or rather the energetic vibration of the plant unites with the intelligence within each of us. It is through this energetic unification that healing takes place. Apteka Naturel understands that when essential oils are altered by artificial means, the precious heart of those oils are forever changed. For this reason Apteka Naturel will not carry altered essential oils.

I love this oil! The aroma is bold at first but softens as you wear it…not overpowering! It truly is relaxing and exceeded my expectations. It also relieved a small tension headache I had. The value of this oil is worth it!

Here are the reason’s I choose the Sandalwood:

SKIN CARE: acne, dry, cracked and chapped skin, oily skin
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: bronchitis, catarrh, coughs (dry,persistent), laryngitis, sore throat

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: diarrhea, nausea
NERVOUS SYSTEM: depression, insomnia, nervous tension and stress related compaints
GENITO-URINARY SYSTEM: cystitis
GENITO-URINARY SYSTEM: irregular menstruation, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia, uterine disorders

Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood, essential oils are also extracted from the woods for use. Both the wood and the oil produce a distinctive fragrance that has been highly valued for centuries. Consequently, the slow-growing trees have been overharvested in many areas.

If you are looking for an outdoors fragrance that will last a long time I recommend this Sandalwood Oil. If I am stressed I rub this on my hands and relax just from this outstanding smell. This oil also has relieved small tension headaches I’ve experienced. You will be amazed at the benefits from this!

Apteka is also having a fun Mr. & Mrs. Contest going on right now! This all natural company is putting on a YouTube Contest to find the perfect couple to represent Apteka! Go on over and learn more about this and enter!

Connect:

You can connect with Apteka Naturals on Facebook, Pinterest and/or @aptekanaturel on Twitter!

Buy It!

You can buy the Apteka Essential Oils starting at $14.25.

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own and/or my family’s, take it or leave it. Click here to view my whole disclosure policy.

Win a $500 Shopping Spree through the McCain Grocery Goodness Giveaway!

Blog

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for McCain Foods. I received a sample to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

My family shares a homemade meal for dinner just about every single night. While I may not always want to cook, home cooked meals are better for our budget so I just deal with it. Some days I have to find ways to make my time in the kitchen a little less though so that I can get other things done. That’s why I turn to products like McCain Potatoes for our side dishes sometimes.

I’ve been a fan of their potatoes for some time now. They’ve got great ones like Seasoned Wedges and their Roasters – which are just amazing and among my favorites! They’re convenient, taste great and have that natural goodness that I love; which makes for a win/win with me. Aside from those mentioned, McCain offers many other varieties of potatoes as well.

The Man grilled some homemade burgers for dinner yesterday, so McCain Crinkle Cut fries saved the day for me. I just had to pop them in the oven, flip them once and voila, my part of the job was done! They were a perfect pairing with his burgers, which I will surely share the recipe for one of these days!

McCain Grocery Goodness Giveaway

McCain has a great contest going on right now. You could win big and save some serious cash on groceries through the McCain Grocery Goodness Giveaway on their Facebook page. Each week for a total of eight weeks, one winner will be selected to win a $500 grocery store gift card! Since that’s almost our weekly grocery store bill, that would sure help us out a lot if I were lucky enough to win! You can also get a coupon for $1 off McCain potatoes from the Grocery Goodness Giveaway tab!

Do you enjoy a home cooked meal with your family every night? What do you do to save time and/or money?

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