reviews

Ragu makes Back to School a bit easier

I know its rough to get your kids a healthy meal when the craziness of soccer practice and ballet lessons and homework and everything else. Its honestly one of my biggest challenges of the week! Does anyone else get everything on the table and realize you forgot the vegetable?  

Well, to help make sure your kids get the veggies they need, despite our crazy lives, Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce now has 2 servings of veggies in every half cup!   Available soon in major retailers nationwide, the healthy, great tasting Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional pasta sauce that is already a kitchen staple has a new, naturally thicker recipe.
 
My kids LOVE Ragú sauce - its the only brand I buy. (I often buy the Garden Vegetable variety. They don't even notice the chunks of zucchini and carrots hiding in they yummy pasta ;-) Healthy, delicious and now with a naturally thicker taste the whole family will love, Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce is a perfect component to pulling together quick and tasty meals during this busy time. And Ragú® wants you to be among the first to try out their great new recipe! To be one of the first to taste Ragú® with 2 servings of veggies in every half-cup visit them on facebook.com/ragusauce for more details.

 
Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Ragú® prize package in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place.

International Delight's New SKINNY CoffeeHouse Inspirations

I love coffee. A lot. I drink lots of it, have a seriously unhealthy love for my coffeepot and my stocking every year gets filled with Starbucks gift cards - since my family know that is my fav treat! So I jumped at the chance to try out International Delight's new  new Skinny line of its Coffeehouse Inspiration flavors. Um. YUM!

They were very yummy. My favorite was the Skinny Caramel Macchiato, which surprised me because my go-to coffeehouse drink is a Skinny Vanilla Latte! Each of these  has 0 fat and only 30 calories per serving, so they are remarkably guilt-free. Personally, I found them a tad sweet for my first-thing-in-the-morning breath of life cup of coffee. I'd probably use these for my late afternoon cup of coffee.And they are positively DIVINE in iced coffee!! OH MY WORD, you have no idea!

And you will thank me for this one:

Vanilla Mint Frappe
A refreshingly fat-free take on a coffeehouse favorite

 ¼ cup CoffeeHouse Inspirations™ Skinny Vanilla Latte
½ cup water
2 teaspoons instant coffee
½ cup ice
1-2 drops peppermint extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until combined. Pour into a tall, chilled glass and sip with a straw.

You're welcome.

This new product is currently available in grocery stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $2.09. And here's a link for a coupon!

Disclosure: I was provided with samples of International Delight's Skinny CoffeeHouse Inspirations for review purposes. I was not compensated financially for this review.  As always all opinions are mine.

Natural Vines Licorice - a healthier indulgence

I recently got to sample new Natural Vines brand Licorice. Even though I totally have a sweet tooth, I mean, although I hardly ever touch sweets (ahem) I decided to give them a whirl!

What they say:

• all natural ingredients
• no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
• no high fructose corn syrup
• low in fat, cholesterol and sodium
• vegetarian, vegan, and kosher
• resealable bag
• from one of the oldest confectionary manufacturers in America

What I say:

YUM! It tastes like its from an old fashioned candy shop on the boardwalk! My kids gobbled  them up - thanks to Grandma (who loves licorice) they all love it too!

We've been on a mission lately to eat less processed foods, so I was very excited to find such a great treat! I love that there is no HFCS and now artificial colors. We have so many friends who have children who are SUPER sensitive to food dye - its just awful. But I would feel confident sharing this as a treat! The strawberry licorice used BEET JUICE instead of red dye! I love it!

I highly recommend these if you're a licorice fan. A terrific way to indulge in a healthier way!

Disclosure: I was provided with Natural Vines Licorice for review purposes. I was not compensated financially for this review.  As always all opinions are mine.

healthy kid-friendly lunches & snacks

School is rapidly approaching -- too rapidly actually! And that means packing lunches again. I confess that I HATE packing lunches. I'm not sure why, I just find it hard to be creative and come up with healthy options for my kids. Luckily, Snikiddy Snacks ®  Co-founder Mary Schulman recently offered up these five lunchbox ideas designed for kids to celebrate healthy eating on school days:

1.       Team up with your child in making lunch boxes healthier. Giving them choices allows them to grow up and take charge and ownership of what’s packed into their lunch boxes.  I love to ask, “What would you rather have for lunch tomorrow… red peppers, carrots or cucumbers? Not a tough choice for them! (Many of us already use this strategy at bedtime:  “Would you rather go to bed at 8:30 or 8:45?”  Again let them make the choices, it’s so empowering!

2.        Use eco-friendly bags instead of the plastics. More than 20 million plastic sandwich bags go into U.S. landfills daily. There are now dozens of companies that make eco-friendly lunch box sets, containers, and cloth alternatives to lunch baggies that can be re-used over and over again without the waste. Be sure that you also explain to your kids how packing healthy lunch boxes in eco-friendly ways also helps plants and animals be healthier, too.

3.        Wean your child from lunch box sugar. Rather than packing a juice box filled with sugar, fill a thermos with 1/2 juice and 1/2 water. As the school year goes on, reduce the amount of sugar in the mix, and before they know it, just a splash of sugary juice will do.

4. Create ‘Fun Bites’ using healthier bread. Use different cookie cutter shapes to cut their whole wheat bread sandwiches into fun shapes. My favorite this year was a snowman that I put currants on for buttons and eyes and a cucumber ring around his neck for the scarf. (Other great shapes are cars, busses, and hearts.)

5.       Skip the cookies and candy. Make a mix of nuts and add just enough chocolate chips to satisfy their sweet tooth. They will love this dessert and will get some Omega 3’s in the mix.

Thanks, Mary for these super tips! Check out Snikiddy's line of healthy snacks for kids! Snikiddy Snacks are sold in natural and conventional grocery stores across the country and Toys“R”Us, as well as online through Amazon.com and PeaPod.com.

Zoku Quick Pop Maker

At a recent blogging event I won a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. We love popsicles in our house and in our effort to eat less processed foods, I was so excited to try making our own out of fresh fruits and juices!

What they say:

• Makes up to nine 2 1/4" x 3 1/2" pops (three 2-oz. pops at a time) before refreezing is required.
• Nonstick cast-aluminum molds have a proprietary solution sealed inside their bases to enable rapid, uniform freezing.
• A specially designed tool helps to quickly release the frozen treats from their molds.
• Durable, reusable plastic pop sticks have unique ridged designs that allow pops to adhere securely.
• Special drip guards promote tidy eating.
• Includes base, remover tool, six reusable pop sticks and six reusable drip guards.

What I say:

It is so easy to use! And it really, actually does work really quickly. Its hard to believe, but it does! Promise! I love how easy it is to clean as well. (Believe me, if it wasn't it would be out the door!) It such a great tool for making healthy, summer treats for our family. If you are trying to eat healthy and naturally, this would be a great product for you! Just the other day, we mixed up fresh strawberries, a bit of water and sugar and they were FABULOUS! 

Zoku Quick Pop Maker is available exclusively at Williams Sonoma and on  Zoku's website. (Check out their way cool blog!)

And check out these amazing popsicle recipes from Self Magazine (One of my favorite magazines!) Talk about turning it up a notch!

Watermelon-Lime-Cilantro--62 Calories
Base: 3 Cups Cubed Seeded Watermelon
Sweetener: 6 tablespoons Sugar; 1 tbsp honey
Flavor: 3 tbsp fresh Lime juice
Booster: 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Chunky Pineapple-Chile-- 61 Calories
Base: 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
Sweetener: 3/4 cup pineapple juice; 3 tbsp sugar
Flavor: 2 tbsp fresh lime juice; 1 tsp ground ancho chile
Booster: 1 cup coarsely chopped pineapple

Crunchy Peanut Butter-Banana--165 Calories
Base: 3 medium bananas; 1 cup 1 percent milk
Sweetener: 3 tbsp honey
Flavor: 5 tbsp natural peanut butter
Booster: 1/4 cup lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Avocado-Mango—93 Calories
Base: 3 cups cubed mango; 3/4 ripe avocado
Sweetener: 5 tbsp sugar
Flavor: 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
Booster: 1 tbsp grated orange zest

disclosure: i received the zoku as a door prize at a blogging event. recipes courtesy of self.com. i was not compensated financially for this post.

Tech-Bites at Best Buy King of Prussia

You’re Invited!
Tech-Bites at
Best Buy King of Prussia

Tech-Bites at Best Buy King of Prussia

With Special Guests Julie Pron and Kelly Whalen and guest chefs from Seasons 52

Saturday, June 19

Open House from 11am to 4pm

At 11am and 2pm Seasons 52 Chefs will share how to prepare seasonally-inspired flat breads and perfectly paired mini indulgences with flair for all of your summer entertaining.

Learn from experts about the latest and greatest products with roving demonstrations. Including, getting the most out of your camera so you can relive your summer memories; or now that the kids have time on their hands, learn how to provide a fun and safe gaming experience. Also, you will not want to miss the chance to see what 3D technology in your home could do to pack movie night with excitement.

Hear Philadelphia mom bloggers and community partners as they share tips and tricks.

See and play with hottest new gadgets and experience the fun first hand.

Best Buy King of Prussia
310 Goddard Blvd
King of Prussia, PA 19406

Directions

We’re looking forward to seeing you at the event!

best buy+me=husband thrilled to baby sit

Last week, I met some of my favorite local bloggers at the new Seasons 52 restaurant in King of Prussia hosted by Best Buy.

I've been wanting to try Seasons 52 since it opened, but haven't had the chance. The restaurant was gorgeous and the staff was wonderful. I was blown away by the food: The entire menu changes weekly, based on what is fresh and in season. They don't use butter (only olive oil) and there isn't a deep fryer in the restaurant. Talk about refreshing!   They even promise that nothing on their menus is more than 475 calories.

My FAVORITE was dessert. I can never decide what dessert to get (because I love dessert) so I think they invented their Mini Indulgences just for me! There's a variety of desserts served in very small portions so you can enjoy a few things without going overboard. Here's the picture from the website:

YUM, right? I think I have a new favorite restaurant. I can't wait to go back for girls night out or a date night!

The event was sponsored by Best Buy, and they shared with us a little bit about their company and their work in the community.  I have to say, I was very impressed. Yes, Best Buy is a for-profit company, but they go above and beyond the average in their commitment to give back and to take care of their employees.  For example, when Hurricane Katrina hit and wiped out several Best Buy stores, Best Buy paid every single one of their employees until the stores reopened and they were able to go back to work. I find that pretty amazing.

They specifically wanted us to know about their desire to support young teens. They currently have two philanthropy projects — a program about giving a voice to teens called @15, and a tech training program for teens girls called Geek Squad Summer Academy.  I loved hearing from a female store manager about her passion for mentoring women in her store!

Personally, I love seeing a company that clearly cares about making a difference in the world, takes care of its employees and - in turn - has employees who are passionate about what they do. That's a better advertisement than the one in the newspaper! I'm much more inclined to give a company I trust my business. I love how knowledgeable the employees are - I'm computer shopping, so I was in heaven asking all sorts of questions about what I should get!

I once again brought my camera and was so busy chatting to my PSMM gals and the fabulous Best Buy folks, so I'm stealing a picture from Jo-Lynne's camera phone. Here's  me and Jennie and Sarah indulging in some Mini Indulgences.

Special thanks to the fabulous ladies at Just Centsible Consulting, Best Buy, and Seasons 52 for a lovely evening!

Disclosure: Everyone in attendance received a complementary goody bag and a gift certificate to spend at Best Buy.

cheap le creuset? you can find it at cookware.com

You know how I'm absolutely in love with my new Le Creuset French Oven. I debated and debated over which one to get and you all passionately debated as well. ;-) Well, after I bought my new Le Creuset, I discovered the AMAZING prices at Cookware.com on Le Creuset! You can get a complete Le Creuset gift set for only $199. That's $200 off, people!! The 7-piece set is over $300 off.

And they don't just have Le Creuset. Cookware.com has everything from Calphalon is up to 70% off and Henckels knives for 60% off! This Cuisinart Grind and Brew Coffeemaker is a personal favorite of mine and this is a great price! Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers are another classic that every cook would swoon for! You can even get Electrolux washers and dryers for 20% off! 

With graduations, Mothers Day, Fathers Day and wedding season coming up, you can get some fabulous gifts shipped for free right to your front door!

I will definitely be buying my next Le Creuset piece from Cookware.com. Unbeatable prices + free shipping = Happy Mama!

are you ready for the oscars?

a healthier breakfast

A few months ago, we decided our kids were eating too much sugar. It may or may not have been brought about by a box of cereal named after my favorite candy that made its way into my shopping cart. Anyway, we decided to - among other things - take a good look at our breakfast options. We all know how important breakfast is, right? In a perfect world, I would be able to make my kids a full breakfast of eggs with homemade pancakes or waffles every day. But.... at least two mornings a week, we have ready-to-eat cereal as a quick, healthy breakfast option. And while cereal is a great breakfast (and sometimes dinner ;-),  there is a LOT of junk cereal out there. How do we decide what to feed our family?

We decided that cereals needed to have under 10 grams of sugar per serving and have whole grain. So when I learned that General Mills has committed to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving, I was THRILLED.  It is ridiculous how much sugar some of cereals have -- they kind-of negate the concept of a "healthy breakfast." This is a fabulous step in helping curb the sugar overload facing today's kids!

And its not just for breakfast: My 2-year-old LOVES Multigrain Cheerios (and I love that they not only are well under our sugar limit, but have 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein!) He is also a huge fan of Kix. So I take a bit of each and mix in raisins and make him his own little snack mix. He LOVES it! Its a great healthy snack on the go... or a great breakfast in the car for days when we're really running late!

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals. 

disclosure: i received coupons for free boxes of general mills cereal from general mills and my blog spark. i was not compensated financially for this post.