Archive for Food and Treats

Christmas Lights, Etc.

Posted by html404 on November 14, 2013
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Holidays, Home, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping

I know we haven’t even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but Christmas is also on my mind lately. It’s also just around the corner and I am feeling a little unprepared. We like to decorate and get our Christmas tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving. What I am realizing is we are probably in need of more things than I can remember and I’m not sure what to do about. That’s why I’m creating a post about it!

Here are the things I know we need to buy:

1. Christmas lightsetc, etc. We bought our Christmas lights the first year we were married and they lasted a good long time. They were just from Sam’s Club. However, the last few years we have discovered more and more strands are no longer working.

2. Christmas tree. We used an artificial one for many years and once the children were getting older switched to a real tree. We tossed our artificial tree a year or two before we moved here. We have a couple of places to choose a live tree from and thankfully one is just down the road, which should be an easy enough buy if we find the right size.

3. Shopping for Christmas gifts. I don’t even have our extended family’s gifts yet, let alone something for all of our children. Especially since I gave the children the few board games I recently bought. Wrong move, if I wanted to be ahead in gift buying. (Rolling eyes at self!)

4. Christmas baking supplies and trimmings. I know by December we will be in need of more baking supplies to accomplish any Christmas baking we want to do, plus the trimmings for Christmas dinner. We’ll have our turkey and our potatoes, which we grew ourselves, but the rest we’ll have to make or buy. We usually have a traditional Christmas dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, butternut squash, rutabaga, cranberries, stuffing and homemade pie for dessert. Cranberry pie and apple pie are our family favorites.

5. Christmas cards or letters. If I even have time.

What about you? What is on your Christmas list of to-do’s and when do you decorate for Christmas?

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Fall Inspired Recipes with Squash

Posted by html404 on November 11, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Holidays, Home, Organic, Recipes, Shopping, Uncategorized

Thanksgiving is only a little over a couple of weeks away and I have been looking for fall inspired recipes for squash. I found a couple new ones I want to try. To facilitate this post I shopped at Mariano’s for the ingredients for our traditional recipe.

I really enjoy shopping at Mariano’s. I love that they carry a good selection of organic food. The employees make it a pleasant experience. Each time I have gone, one has helped direct me to a faster checkout. It’s very helpful. Mariano’s also has a reward card shoppers can use to earn 1% cash back on every $50 purchased from November 7 thru February 8, 2014. How’s that for a bit of holiday shopping incentive?

For my very simple recipe I purchased four organic squash, but only used two. Organic parsley, organic butter and ground cinnamon.

Those of you who have never cooked a squash, you wash the squash and cut it into halves lengthwise. Then put it face down inside a 9×12 dish.

Once cut, scoop out the seeds and pulp from the ball of the squash.

The squash seeds may be saved, dried and used to plant in your garden next spring (especially if they are organic, non-hybrid seeds!). Or the seeds may be roasted and eaten as a super nutritious snack.

All four halves would not fit in my pan so I wrapped the last half in foil and baked it along side the pan.

After the squash is baked, it is scooped out of it’s skin and put into a bowl.

Then I mash it to make sure all the clumps are pretty much out before adding the butter, cinnamon and parsley. And that’s all there is to it. Very simple, inexpensive and yummy!

Fall Inspired Recipes with Squash

Simple Squash Recipe

Print recipe

Serves	8-10
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	1 hour, 10 minutes
Dietary	Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Side Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving
Region	Canadian

This simple squash recipe is a tasty side dish for the holiday season.

Ingredients

2 Organic Butternut Squash
1 sprig Organic Parsely ((I used curly parsley, there is also flat leaf))
1/2-1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 tablespoons Organic Butter

Directions

Step 1
Wash squash of in warm water.
Step 2
Cut squash in half lengthwise.
Step 3
Place face down in a 9x12 baking dish. I had an extra so I wrapped it in foil because it would not fit in my pan.
Step 4
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 -60 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork.
Step 5
Spoon out squash into a bowl.
Step 6
Mash out lumps.
Step 7
Add butter and cinnamon. Cinnamon can be to taste with more or less.
Step 8
Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top and add a few leaves of parsley for garnish.
Step 9
Enjoy!

Shopping at Mariano’s

You can learn more about Mariano’s and get new ideas on a weekly basis on Mariano’s website. Consider liking #MyMariano’s on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

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Yummy Swap Snack Bars

Posted by html404 on November 7, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Uncategorized

As much as our family tries and struggles to eat healthy, we all have a sweet tooth. We like our baked goods and chocolate that’s for sure. Enter…Yummy Swap Snack Bars. Yummy Snacks consist of Peanut Butter Blast and Chocolate Blast Yummy Bars. Seriously, they were yummy. These would make great stocking stuffers for Christmas, snacks for school and home, or even family get togethers.

Everyone loved the Peanut Butter Blast Yummy Bar. It was a chocolate bar with a chewy peanut butter center.

Jr. enjoying his Peanut Butter Blast Yummy Bar.

Everyone but my husband loved the Chocolate Blast Yummy Bar. My husband doesn’t like coconut and the Chocolate Blast has a chocolatey coconut center. I find coconut flavored chocolate very addictive, what about you?

As far as ingredients go, Yummy Snack Bars were created to be used to “swap” out junk food for something healthier. Yummy Swap’s motto is “Dump the Junk” to make the transition from junk food to healthier snacks easier on kids.

Chocolate Blast Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Blast Ingredients may be found here.

Yummy Snack Bars are high in fiber, contain 100mg of Omega 3s, real coconut, cocoa, flax seed and almond butter. They are gluten-free, contain no high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial flavors, preservatives or food dyes, which all pass our reading label test.

The only problem we found is the price is more than a chocolate bar, but you get so much more for your health so it’s money well spent in the end.

People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.
― Wendell Berry

So…..Yummy Snacks are here to stay at our house!!

Yummy Snacks may be purchased online as single items or as a subscription – get them shipped to your house on a schedule of your choosing! When you buy a subscription you automatically save 10%. You can find Yummy Swap on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products.

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Gluten Cutter

Posted by 278Wife on November 4, 2013
in Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Eating healthy is always a challenge for me. Honestly, I love food, especially bread, pasta, and cake! The problem, though, is that my body doesn’t always agree with what I am ingesting. When I go out for a really nice dinner, I always overindulge, and then I always pay for it back home. I get headaches, my stomach bloats, and I just feel uncomfortable. The root of it all comes from the gluten in the food. It is estimated that 70 million Americans have trouble digesting gluten. As a result they experience many discomforts including bloating, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. If only there were a way around this…there is!

Gluten Cutter is a solution for anyone who is trying to reduce or elimate gluten from their diets, but cannot always resist. Gluten Cutter is a proprietary digestive supplement that uses natural enzymes along with peppermint, licorice, and ginger to help digest gluten and other wheat proteins and dairy. The best part is that this dietary supplement is available over-the-counter without a presecription. Gluten Cutter is formulated with GCX50, which is an advanced proprietary blend of natural enzymes and stomach-soothing ingredients that target and break down gluten. It aids in the digestion and enables you to continue enjoying your favorite foods without that “uncomfortable” feeling.

Taking Gluten Cutter is simple. When I know I’m going to indulge in pasta, pizza, or dessert, I simply take 1-2 capsules right before I eat. That’s it! Gluten Cutter does the rest. It is absolutely amazing that I no longer get headaches or feel bloated after a heavy gluten filled meal. It calms my stomach, so I don’t feel uncomfortable. I keep some in my purse so that when I eat out, they are always on hand.

Gluten Cutter is available at Walgreen’s, CVS, and Wal-Mart. It retails for $12.99 for 30 capsules. In my opinion, this is a great price to no longer feel uncomfortable after I’ve indulged a little too much! For more information and a money saving coupon visit their website at:

www.glutencutter.com

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Jif Sandwich Contest

Posted by html404 on November 3, 2013
in Contests, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized

Magnificent Mole Chicken Torta

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Jif. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Do you know what one of our favorite go-to meals is at our house? One that we reach for on busy nights or busy weekends? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Do you know how many sandwiches our family can eat in one sitting? There are ten of us and on average most of us eat two sandwiches, a few will eat three. That’s 20-30 sandwiches!! Yowsa! Talk about needing to buy stock in peanut butter and jelly. We also like deli ham and turkey. Just today we had grilled cheese for lunch. Sandwiches are such an quick and easy meal. We love them. Sandwiches usually mean very few dishes too, which is a definite bonus!

Now through November 8th, Jif Peanut Butter is running their Most Creative Sandwich Contest – challenging families across the country to create an original sandwich recipe that includes two tablespoons of your favorite Jif products! Parents and children with 6-12 can submit their original sandwich for a chance to win a $25,000 college fund and a trip to New York City! The photo featured above is one of the winning sandwiches from last year’s contest – Magnificent Mole Chicken Torta.

You can enter the Jif sandwich contest too by going to www.Jif.com/Promotions/Most-Creative-Peanut-Butter/

Have fun!

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6 Tips to Healthier Eating

Posted by html404 on October 29, 2013
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Garden Tuesday, Health and Nutrition, Organic, Recipes, Uncategorized

This is a featured post.

I was recently in a discussion with some other moms about how to start eat healthier. It made me think back to when we began to revamp our eating habits. It became a blog post idea so I thought I share some of the ways we changed our diet when we started to read labels and take a closer look into our pantry and refrigerator.

6 Tips to Healthier Eating

1. Read food labels. I cannot tell you how important this is. Reading labels will change your food buying habits. Learn what ingredients are bad and what ingredients are good for you to ingest.

2. Eliminate food dyes and artificial flavors from your diet. Dyes and artificial flavors are in a lot of things. So read labels and refuse to buy any food with these dyes and artificial flavors. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. We noticed a huge difference in how our children acted after we eliminated these from our diet.

People are fed by the FOOD industry, which pays no attention to health….And are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to FOOD.

~ Wendell Berry

3. Buy as much organic as your budget will allow. There is a meme out there about organic food. It went something like this, “Think organic food is expensive? Have you priced cancer lately?” Pretty much says it all. Cancer is rather rampant. Organic food is usually non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), if labeled Non-GMO. Organic food also has a lot less pesticides and insecticides used on it. Organic food can be bought in most grocery stores now. Start with a couple of products and slowly increase it over time so the slight increase is only noticeable over time.

4. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Shopping the perimeter of a grocery store generally means buying more fruit, vegetables, dairy, juice, eggs and meat. It reduces the amount of packaged convenience food you buy.

5. Substitute junk food with healthy snacks. We rarely buy potato chips any more. We buy organic tortilla chips or make popcorn on top of our stove. You can also eat your favorite veggies and fruit in place of your favorite junk food.

6. Reduce and eliminate your soda pop intake. Start drinking water. You can add lemon or lime for flavor. Have a glass or 100% juice with your breakfast. Soda pop offers no nutritional value and causes weight gain when used in excess.

There are many other tips I could share but these seemed like the easiest to start with. For recipes to aid you in your healthier eating journey visit apple crisp recipe and this blueberry muffin recipe appeals to my sweet tooth and love of blueberries!

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Milk Unleashed

Posted by Professor on October 28, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Uncategorized

Milk Unleashed helps moms get their kids to drink more milk –anytime –anywhere!

Just because busy families are often on the go, they don’t have to sacrifice nutrition. Thanks to Tetra Pak cartons, milk has officially been unleashed! Milk is packaged in the same shelf safe cartons as juice boxes and not requiring refrigeration until they are unopened. Moms can take milk to the beach, the park, sporting events and picnics – anytime, anywhere. It is the same nutrient-rich Grade fluid milk – but packaged for convenience.

How is this possible? The milk is flash-heated at higher temperatures (ultra-pasteurization) to eliminate bacteria and then put into Tetra Pak shelf safe cartons, which protect the milk from air, tight, and other contaminants. Shelf safe milk stays on the shelf without preservatives until it is ready to chill and drink.

Here are a few tips from Milk Unleashed website for getting kids to drink more milk:

Stock the refrigerator (and pantry) with flavored and white milk in single serving cartons for a healthy snack on the go.

Put in the kids’ lunchboxes. If it’s there they will be more likely to drink it.

Try offering flavored milk. It has the same nutrients and only a little added sugar.

Appeal to their eyes by adding a drop of food coloring to make milk fun!

Be a role model. Kids will be more likely to want milk if they see you drinking it.

The Milk Unleashed website is packed with information for moms on the go, ideas for increasing milk in their families’ diets, nutritional facts about milk, plus promotions, contests and information about the various brands of shelf safe milk and where to buy.

Tetra Pak’s shelf safe milk boxes enable milk to retain its quality without refrigeration for several months. Families can purchase large quantities and store it safely in their pantry until they are ready to chill before opening, if they choose. For more information visit www.milkunleashed.com

Our Review:

We LOVE milk in our house we go through 3 sometimes 4 gallons a week! I was excited to try the options from Milk Unleashed in the Tetra Pak containers. The containers are a very nice size (larger than a normal juice box). We received various brands and flavors from milk unleashed. We received Organic Valley Farms White and chocolate milk, Hershey’s chocolate and white chocolate milk, TruMoo vanilla and chocolate milk, and Cow Wow Chocolate milk. All of the brands and flavors were a hit… except I have to say the children did not like the Organic Valley farms regular milk, they did not mind the chocolate flavored milk but honestly hated the regular milk. I tasted the Organic Valley milk and it did have a differently flavor to it… not sure if this was because it is organic or because of the pasteurization but it did taste different. But that was the only one that was not a hit.

The milk was so popular that the kids drank it down before I got to take a nifty picture for the blog of all the flavors and packaging that we received (sorry!) but here are some stock photos of the packaging…

I LOVE the idea of safe shelf milk… this is a great alternative to juice boxes. We do not do juice boxes often, we opt for water bottles instead…BUT now we have an even better option with the new Tetra Packaging of milk!

We also visited milkunleashed.com for more information about the available products and information about shelf safe milk. There is a wealth of information on the website so PLEASE if take some time to peruse the website it will certainly be informative!

WWW.MILKUNLEASHED.COM

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Have You Tried Tai Pei Asian Food?

Posted by html404 on October 25, 2013
in Coupons, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Home, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Uncategorized

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Tai Pei® blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

We are usually a family who eats healthy meals we make from scratch. However, as a family of ten we can find ourselves busy taking care of animals, working on fixer upper projects around the farm, making CSA or egg deliveries or taking care of errands to keep our household up and running. It is during these times when our food choices may not be so healthy as we look for a quick and easy way to put a meal on the table. We tend to choose for convenience and fast preparation. Like Little Caesar’s pizza or more recently Tai Pei, since we were chosen to write this sponsored post after trying a few of Tai Pei’s products.

Children eating and enjoying Tai Pei’s Beef and Broccoli entree.

Jr. eating Mango Chicken. He ate everything but left the mango and sauce.

Tai Pei is a line of restaurant-inspired, Asian-style frozen meals. It is packaged in takeout-style and ready to eat in just five minutes (per box) and then let sit with lid closed for 3 minutes. This is to insure the meal is cooked all the way through. A total of 8 minutes and you have a meal on the table. That’s fast!

There are several different varieties of Tai Pei® products available: Entrées: Beef & Broccoli, Bourbon Chicken, Cashew Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice, Chicken Chow Mein, Combination Fried Rice, General Tso’s Chicken, Orange Chicken, Pepper Beef, Shrimp Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Sweet Teriyaki Chicken.

Tai Pei also has many multi-serve appetizers to choose from as well: Chicken Egg Rolls, Chicken Potstickers, Pork Egg Rolls, Pork Potstickers, Vegetable Egg Rolls, Battered Green Beans, Edamame, Mini Chicken Spring Rolls, Savory Chicken for Lettuce Wraps, Spicy Mini Chicken Egg Rolls and Mini Vegetable Spring Rolls.

If you are watching your weight, don’t worry each entrée contains around 300 calories, 8 grams of fat or less, and contains real ingredients including lean meats, crispy vegetables, brown rice and whole grain noodles. These are all good things but a couple of these entrees (Mango Chicken is one of them) also contains ingredients our family usually tries to stay away from (dyes, high fructose corn syrup to name a couple). Just be aware of that if you have allergies or food sensitivities. Read the labels first.

They have a new line called Tai Pei Asian Garden™ that includes: Hunan Beef & Broccoli, Chicken Fried Rice, Spicy General Tso’s Chicken, Ginger Chicken, Glazed Chicken Potstickers, Mango Chicken, Sesame Chicken and Orange Chicken.

Tai Pei is the only Asian brand of single-serve frozen entrées that are low in calories, fat and sodium, High in fiber and protein. All of that conveniently packaged in that single-serve takeout-style box. This unique style box should make portion control easy for you and your family to enjoy a meal on the go without the hassle of leaving home! “Good Fortune in Every Box™!”

Our children gobbled the following Tai Pei entrees up: Mango Chicken (new Tai Pei Asian Garden), Chicken Fried Rice(new Tai Pei Asian Garden), Beef and Broccoli and Orange Chicken. Orange Chicken and Beef and Broccoli were the favorites. The meat was tender. The sauce was flavorful.

If you are a busy mom or dad on the go, you may want to grab a Tai Pei coupon while supplies last so you can have something quick and easy for those busy nights you do not have time to make a home cooked meal for your family. “Good Fortune in Every Box™!”

For more information or to stay up to date on Tai Pei coupons etc. visit:

Tai Pei Website: http://www.taipeifood.com/

Tai Pei Asian Garden: http://www.taipeifood.com/AsianGarden/

Tai Pei on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaiPeiAsianFood

Tai Pei on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaiPeiAsianFood

Tai Pei on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/taipeiasianfood/

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Pompeian Olive Oil – Smiley360.com

Posted by Brande on October 8, 2013
in Coupons, Food and Treats, Health and Nutrition, Recipes, Saving Money, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product through Smiley 360 Bloggers program in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

I have been trying to incorporate more healthy options in my family’s meals. I was extremely excited to try Pompeian Olive Oil. What a pleasant surprise, it’s light and healthier for my family. I’ve replaced regular oil for Pompeian Olive Oil.

One of my favorite recipes from the Pompeian Olive Oil is the Honey Whole Wheat Waffles. Mmmm….. Click here for the recipe! You can try some great recipes as I have from the Pompeian Website also!

Come and get your $1.00 coupon for your next purchase! Don’t forget to you and LIKE the Pompeian Facebook Page for more coupons!

Smiley 260 & Pompeian Olive Oil are doing a survey, when you take the survey you can enter for a chance to win $200.00 gift card!

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Fruit Sparx Candy Review

Posted by Brande on October 7, 2013
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Organic, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Seasonal Stuff, Uncategorized

Halloween is right around the corner and my daughter is already excited about all the candy. Sparx has a wonderful product! Recommended by dentist & hygienist, it is 100% Xylitol and tooth friendly! These all natural sugar free candies are also gluten free. They come in citrus, berry, & fruit flavors.

My first question was what is Xylitol? Direct from the Xlear.com site – here is the answer.

“Xylitol is a natural sweetener derived from natural sources. It is also produced in the human body as a by-product of a normal metabolism. Our xylitol is of the highest quality possible. It is a pharmaceutical grade, meaning it must be more that 99.95% pure, and is made from non-GMO (non-genetically modified organism) corn fibers. It does not contain any of the corn grain and it is tested to ensure that no corn allergens, mycotoxins, or corn proteins of any type are in the product.”

Fruit Sparx Candy Review

Sparx candies are tiny dot like goodies; they are on the hard side. I would recommend these for your older kids, just because you don’t want your younger kids swallowing a bunch of them at a time. My daughter and I shared a package and I really enjoyed them, she kind of wished they weren’t as hard to chew. You can get a great Halloween bag with all the flavors or order you favorite flavor directly from Xlear.com. They sell them in tubes and are only 1.49 each!