food

Ducan Hines Decadent Mixes and Glazes

- brandy3 3 Comments

I was able to try out new Duncan Hines products a few months ago.

Description:  Includes a pouch with real chocolate chunks and rich fudge so you can bake an over-the-top cake, all with one box. Contains zero trans fats and no hydrogenated oils.

Description:  Amazing Glazes is a lightly decadent dessert topping that you just microwave and pour onto your favorite dessert! Our smooth, silky finish will inspire you to new levels of style and grace. Simply put, they’re amazing.

****These cakes are so good I tried the triple chocolate and the apple caramel. Both were very good, the triple chocolate was maybe a little to chocolatey if there is one such thing.  The glaze frosting is fun, just pop the in the microwave to warm up, then glaze the cake.  The problem was that some spots were really thick while others were super hot.

Retail:$2.99-3.99

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, products were received for review.

Bagel Thins Recipes and Tips

- brandy3 1 Comment

Thomas Bagel Thins come in four different variety including plain, everything, cinnamon raisin, and 100% whole wheat.  They are all low in fat and contain 110 calories.

Keri Glassman has shared some tips ans recipes with me to help get your mornings in 2011 of to a right start.

  1. Don’t Skimp On Sleep–  It’s important to get a good night’s sleep to feel well-rested – ready to take on the day! Most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep each night, and studies have shown that those who get less have impaired memory and physical performance. Not getting enough sleep can also make concentration difficult, and leave you feeling drowsy all day. So aim to get enough sleep each night.  It’ll boost your immune system, help your nervous system work properly, and leave you feeling energized all day!
  2. Have A Healthy Breakfast–  While sleeping each night, your body is in a fasting mode, so within an hour of rising, you need to break that fast by eating a healthy breakfast. It gives your body the fuel it needs to meet your busy schedule and skipping breakfast decreases your metabolism, and increases your cravings throughout the day! Studies have also shown consuming breakfast improves cognition and memory in children and adolescents making them able to concentrate and be more attentive in school.
  3. Eat Empowered–  Every morning when you sit down to breakfast (and every meal!), remember that each meal is an opportunity to get back in the game and stay on course. You should feel empowered by making the right choices. There are always healthier alternatives to the high-fat, high-calorie, nutrient-less options that we all tend to go for.
  4. Start Your Day With A Glass Of Lemon Water–  Drinking enough h2o throughout the day helps with weight loss in several ways. First, there’s an emotional component; it will make you feel empowered and will help spur you to make good choices for the rest of the day. Second, researchers have long known that dieters who replace sweetened drinks with water lose weight more quickly that those who don’t. Finally, many people overeat because they are actually thirsty and just can’t tell the difference between thirst and hunger. Also, when you’re adequately hydrated, your metabolism functions at its best.
  5. Exercise Steady– Aside  from burning calories, exercise is important because it causes your body to release endorphins, making you feel good, and motivating you to eat well, do your job well, and simply be happy! I love exercising in the early am, and eating breakfast when I’m done, and typically, people who work out in the morning are more likely to stick to their routine, than those who squeeze it in later. If you’re averse to starting your day with more rigorous exercises like running, try a lower-impact activity like yoga. Just do something!

Here are some healthy Recipes:

Easy Cheesy Eggwich 

  • 1 Everything Thomas’® Bagel Thins™ bagel
  •  1 hard-boiled omega-3 fortified egg
  • 2 slices reduced fat cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

  • Toast the bagel thins bagel
  • peel and slice egg
  • Layer cheese and egg slices then sprinkle with basil.

**** I received the everything bagel. My family ate the whole bag before I was able to get one, I managed to snag two bites from my daughters bagel. My kids weren’t to thrilled about making an egg sandwich, so we stuck to bagels with cream cheese and jelly. They loved it!  I’m happy knowing that its healthy for them. The only thing I wasn’t to thrilled about was the everything bagel has seeds, and they kept getting stuck in little teeth.

Retail: $3.29-$3.69

My rating: 8

Disclosure:  No Compensation was received for this post. A product was provided by the company.

Make Pizza With Auntie Ann’s Baking Kit

- brandy3 1 Comment

Description: Available at specialty retailers, regional grocery stores, and a club store, the kit provides an opportunity for consumers to enjoy the fresh baked goodness of Auntie Anne’s products in the comforts of their own kitchens. The easy-to-prepare kit comes with step-by-step instructions and a special Auntie Anne’s versatile dough mix to make a variety of recipes including pretzel products, pizzas, gourmet breads, side dishes, and desserts.

I’ve always loved Auntie Ann’s Pretzels, they are so delicious and a great snack when your walking through the mall.We decided to make pizza with the kit. Now we made Soy Cheese Pizza since my husband is allergic to milk.

Mixing the dough and waiting for it to rise is a long process.

Then stretch the dough on a pizza pan

Then the finished product

****It came out pretty good with the acception of not being able to get the sauce and cheese right.  The crust came out very good, it was very crispy and full, not thin. The whole pizza crust came out a little thick, as seen below. The pizza still came out very good.

Here is a video demonstrating baking with Auntie Ann’s kit

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL5VfLoKv5Y]

You can find a retailer near you that sells the baking kit at www.auntieanns.com

Disclosure: No compensation was received. A product was provided for my review. All opinions are my own.

Holiday Gift Guide 2010:Celebrate The Holidays With Hickory FarmsClosed

- brandy3 328 Comments

I am a Hickory Farms Brand Ambassador through Mom Central. I am really excited since this is my first actual ambassador tour. I’ve only tried Hickory Farms a few times and it was so long ago. I will be receiving a gift pack soon and will share my experience with you.

Hickory Farms’ commitment to personalized service and the legendary quality of its products has kept the company popular
on gift lists over the decades. Customers can find Hickory Farms’
savory sausages, favorite cheeses and other gourmet goods
online, in catalogs, in leading supermarkets and in retail shopping centers throughout the holiday season.

**** I received two hickory farms gift boxes, and they are so yummy. I have only tried Hickory farms a few times ( I know its sad). The picnic basket pack is full of summer sausage cheese, peanut brittle, crackers, and strawberry hard candies. The strawberry hard candies have become my kids favorite.   I haven’t even been able to get my husband and kids to eat their dinner, because they are always getting into the boxes and eating everything. We tried the cranberry mustard last night, and it was so good even my picky little ones liked it. The only thing so far that we are not fond of is the pineapple mustard. We always  give Hickory Farms gift boxes to family as gifts, You can never go wrong.

Right now when you buy any Party Planner Gift Box, Hickory Farms will donate $5 to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, a national nonprofit that is ending childhood hunger in America.

I have a Hickory Farms party planner gift box to giveaway to one lucky reader: (pictured above)

Contents are:

  • 7 oz. Beef Summer Sausage
  • 5 oz Italian Recipe Beef Summer Sausage
  • 6 oz Original Cheese Ball
  • 4 oz Smoked Cheddar Blend
  • 4 oz Mission Jack Blend
  • 4 oz Creamy Swiss Blend
  • 4 oz Big Barn Cheddar
  • 2.5 oz Cranberry Mustard
  • 2.25 oz Sweet Hot Mustard
  • 1.5 oz Sesame, Caraway, and Sea Salt Crackers

To enter visit www.HickoryFarms.com and tell me another set you want?

Extra entries:

Subscribe to my feed-8 entries

Blog about this-7 entries

follow on twitter- 5 entries

Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post-4 entries

tweet this-2 entries

Contest closes-12/11/10

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received two signature gift boxes from Hickory Farms to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Amy’s Natural and Organic foods

- brandy3

Amy’s Kitchen is a family business… with every member of the family taking part. The company was started in 1987, when Amy was born. Her mom and dad, Rachel and Andy Berliner, carefully nurtured the company as well as the child, paying constant attention to every aspect of its day to day activities and providing the vision that has made Amy’s so successful.

***My husband is lactose and tolerant so making some of my favorite foods at dinner is out of the question, or I have to make an alternative for him. We tried Amy’s no cheese pizza, and added a little soy cheese on it. My husband said it was delicious and great to not have to make a pizza by hand. The pizza has onions, bell peppers and shitake mushrooms.  It’s the perfect easy made lunch, dinner or snack for anyone that has dairy problems.  

Retail: $7.99

Disclosure: no compensation was received, a coupon was provided by the company.

Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Cusinart deep fryer

- brandy3

Product Description: Cuisinart presents a deep fryer that takes up less counter space. Designed to fry batches up to 3/4 of a pound in just 1.1 litter of oil, this is great deep fryer even for spur-of-the-moment snacks and meals. The compact design allows creative cooks to prepare fried calamari to top a salad, and moms to fry up mozzarella sticks for kids. Temperatures up to 375F and a die-cast frying bowl maintain selected oil temperatures for restaurant-quality results. Easy to use, easy to clean, and simple to store, it could make deep frying an everyday event!

**** I know frying food is not very healthy, but after living in the south it’s something hard to deter away from.  Specially since my husband introduced me to Buffalo style chicken finger subs, which are so delicious.  When you bake french fries or chicken strips in the oven it doesn’t taste the same as frying them. The Cusinart deep fryer is very small so it will fit anywhere in your kitchen.  It helps with portion sizes since it only fits 3/4 pounds of food.

Retail: $90.00 but you can get it on Amazon for $49.94

My rating: 9

Disclosure: I did not recieve any compensation for this post, a product was provided for my review.

Cheryl’s Honors National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

- brandy3 2 Comments

Cheryl’s Is honoring National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the millions of Americans affected by the disease with the company’s “Cookies for a Cure” campaign.

Cheryl’s will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from sales of the Buttercream Frosted Heart Shaped Cookie, to the Susan G Komen Foundation throughout the month of October.  The cookies feature Cheryl’s delicous butercream frosting.

**** I was sent to cookies and they are so delicious. They were so soft and chewy, just like they had just come out of the oven. These are the perfect treat and when you buy them your also helping out a great cause.

Retail: You can buy 36 frosted hearts for $29.39, that’s 40% off the original price.

These Cookies are only available in the month of October, so head to Cheryl’s and get some

Disclosure: No compensation was received, I was sent a product for my review. All opinions are my own.

Ghirardelli’s Luxe Milk Chocolate Review and GiveawayCLOSED

- brandy3 174 Comments

 

Ghirardelli created  Luxe Milk to honor milk chocolate lovers looking for the ultimate chocolate experience.  The silky and sumptuous formulation uses 100% All Natural ingredients.

They have 4 delicious flavors:

  • Luxe Milk Almond – Toasted almonds contribute a clean, crisp taste to complement and enhance the flavors of the creamy-sweet milk chocolate base.
  • Luxe Milk – This bar delivers the ultimate premium milk chocolate experience – pure, all-natural milk chocolate with a velvety texture that melts smoothly in your mouth.
  • Luxe Milk Hazelnut – Lavished throughout this bar, all-natural deep- roasted hazelnuts add crunch and a distinctive, sophisticated flavor.
  • LUXE MILK Toffee – This all natural, rich and creamy milk chocolate made from the finest cocoa beans is perfectly matched with buttery,crunchy toffee bits.

****I was able to try the New Luxe Milk Crisp, and I have to say it was very good. Although I don’t think its as good as the original, I actually think it was a little to chocolatey if thats possible. Milk chocolate has always tasted wierd to me. My kids loved it though, they said it was very crispy and delicious.

Retail: $2.29 for a bar

I have 3 coupons to giveaway for free Ghirardelli Luxe Milk chocolate. # winner will receive 2 coupons, 1 for a free product and 1 for a $1.00 of Product.

To enter tell me what variety you would like to try?

Extra entries:

Subscribe to my feed-8 entries

Blog about this-6 entries

Follow me on twitter-5 entries

comment on any non-giveaway post-4 entries

Tweet about this-2 entries please include @notimemommy (can be done daily)

Contest closes 10/25/10

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for this post, a coupon was received for product for my review.

Hellmann’s Swap and Share Program

- brandy3

 

Celebrity Chef And actress mom Lori Laughlin have teamed up with Hellmanns to help relaunch the Hellman’s Swap and Share Facebook application.

When people visit Hellmanns on Facebook and build a virtual sandwich. For every sandwich built Hellmanns will donate to Share Our Strength. Share your sandwich with a friend and Hellman’s will donate even more up to $75,000 for Share Our Strength. Share Our Strength is a non profit organization ending childhood hunger in America.

The sandwich I made.

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for this post, I was entered into a contest to win a gift card with Hellmanns and Mom Select.

Welch’s Fruit snacks Review

- brandy3

Welch’s fruit snacks are a great on the go treat, all nine varieties contain vitamins A, C and E, have no preservatives, and are fat free and gluten free. Its a snack kids will love and parents can feel good about giving their kids.

***This is the perfect snack to pack in school lunches, it’s healthy and the kids love it. My kids love all the variety and ask for them over and over.The individual packs are very small though, so my kids usually stuff the whole thing in their mouth at once. This is a great lunch packing snack or after school snack.

Retail: Box of 10 is $3.99

Disclosure: No compensation was received, small sample packs were provided for my review.

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