Tilapia Vera Cruz

A few weeks ago, when the grocery was having a seafood sale, we picked up some Tilapia fillets that were on deal. We enjoy many fish dishes, but I always feel like I need the right recipe for the fish. Once we find that go to recipe, it is how we prepare that type of fish most of the time. I do have a couple of recipes for some fish, but not many.

So, now that I had bought the Tilapia, I needed to find the right recipe to make (yes, I'm pretty sure that I have made it before, just couldn't find a recipe for it). I have a tendency to cut out and print out recipes and set them aside to try someday. I started sifting through my file of recipes to try someday and found one for Tilapia Vera Cruz. It sounded really good and fresh with tomatoes, lime and cheese.

After putting it on the menu and planning to make it a few times only to have our plans change, I finally was able to make it last week.

It was a hit. My husband even told me that I could "make it for people". I asked about this, turns out things like tacos he doesn't think I could make if we had people over...funny thing is, that was what I was planning for the meal after my son's First Communion. I guess we'll have to discuss that menu plan!

Tilapia Vera Cruz
1/2 c Sun Dried Tomato Salad Dressing
1/4 c Lime Juice
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3 oz cheddar or colby jack, shredded
1 # Tilapia

Combine the salad dressing and lime juice. Pour 1/2 of the marinade over the fish in a baking dish. Let sit for 15 minutes in the refrigerator Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Then, combine the other 1/2 of the marinade with the tomatoes. Pour over fish. Top with shredded cheese. Continue to bake for another 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Serve with rice pilaf.

This recipe shared at the Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Gerber Graduates for Preschoolers

Recently, my family had the chance to try some of the Gerber Graduates for Preschoolers products through BzzAgent.

When my kids were younger, we were regular consumers of the Gerber Graduates line, which is designed with the development of the child in mind. We must have gone through countless bottles of Puffs - of course, they were still sort of new when my son was a baby and I can remember that we had trouble finding them (or maybe it was just one flavor - its been a long time now) and my mother in law found them and sent us 6 bottles. My son was still snacking on Puffs long after he might have been otherwise. My son liked the banana cookies - was it the flavor or the fun banana shape?

We had not yet tried any of the Gerber Graduates for Preschoolers line. We have now tried the Fruit Twist, Cereal Twists, and Juice Treats. When the box arrived with our sample, I told my daughter that I had some special snacks for her to try. She couldn't wait! My son, of course, wanted to try them too.

The kids seemed to enjoy the Cereal Twists, which are cereal bars filled with fruit and yogurt twisted together. I like that the bars are smaller, better portioned for a preschooler. Looking in my cabinet, many of my cereal bars are around 1.25 to 1.5 oz each, the Cereal Twists are .7 oz each. Normally, when I pack my cereal bars in my bag as a snacking on the go option for the kids, I have them split them. With this smaller bar, one bar is the right portion for a quick, on the go snack. I also like that they are made with whole grains, real yogurt and fruit. They provide 3g of whole grains per serving, as well.

The Juice Treats are similar to what the kids know as fruit snacks. The Gerber Graduates for Preschoolers Juice Treats are made with concentrated fruit and fruit juice (99% for the one I'm looking at right now) and have a soft texture. The kids enjoyed these as well. I'm not sure how the size compares to standard fruit snacks, but I believe it might be a little bit smaller of a package.

The one that they were most excited about was the Fruit Twists. My guess is because they look a little bit like candy - think Twizzlers. The Fruit Twists are also 99% real concentrated fruit and juice. They provide 1/2 a serving of fruit each and contain no artificial flavors or sweeteners. With the individual package, these also make a great, right sized snack for on the go.

My kids enjoyed all of the snacks that we tried and I picked up a couple more boxes for the pantry. I must say, now that I have actually taken them on the go - the smaller size snacks fit much better in my purse too!

No compensation was received for this post. As a participant in this BzzCampaign, I received free product to try and coupons to use and share, as well as information about the product. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and those of my family.

Tried It Tuesday: Tyson Any'tizers QuesaDippers

When I was a little girl, we had a family tradition (or so it seemed to me) that every New Year's Eve, we would eat dinner at any fast food place that we wanted. My mom would gather up coupons and we would stop at a couple of restaurants. I'm not sure when it ended, but I know that at some point we no longer did this.

Now that I am married and we have kids, we have a tradition too. We have a dinner full of bite sized foods, or appetizers. I typically will make crab cakes, bagel bites, popcorn shrimp, and more. This way, everyone can have a bite of everything on the menu, without feeling over-stuffed. We started this when my son was young. We had invited over friends, including those with young children to help us celebrate the new year. I wanted the menu to be kid-friendly, so I went with bite size treats.

I like to mix it up with purchased and prepared appetizers. One new appetizer that I recently got to try is the Tyson Any'tizers QuesaDippers

Tyson is introducing Any’tizers® QuesaDippers™ snacks in family-pleasing varieties, such as Taco Seasoned Chicken with Zesty Garden Salsa and Fajita Chicken with Cilantro Lime Salsa. These tasty snacks combine flour tortillas, flavorfully seasoned all-white chicken and delicious Monterey Jack cheese, and are packaged with delicious salsa dipping sauces.

We recently tried the Fajita Chicken with Cilantro Lime Salsa for dinner. We were having enchiladas, so it felt like a natural fit. The QuesaDippers were very easy to prepare. Simply preheat your oven and put them on a pan to bake. In just about 10 minutes, your QuesaDippers are ready to serve. Much quicker than assembling your own. The salsa comes packaged in two separate thaw and serve packets, so you can make only a portion of the QuesaDippers at the same time if you prefer.

I like that they were made with all-white chicken. The amount of chicken and cheese feels like the right balance, neither seems to be lost in the other. The package indicates that there are 8 servings of 2 pieces. As a side or an appetizers, 2 pieces is a good number. (For me, it was a nice treat and had a value of only 5 PointsPlus.)

My husband and I agreed that the variety we tried could have used some additional spice. That being said, the milder seasoning and salsa certainly makes them more family friendly, especially for those with younger children that are more adverse to spice. Also, the other variety, sounds like it could be spicier (the salsa is described as Zesty) and we will give that one a try too. The other option could be to simply serve a second salsa that is spicier to kick it up a bit.

We will probably include these as part of our New Year's Eve dinner menu.

After dinner, usually at 7 pm, we do a count down and let the kids toast in the New Year with a bottle of sparkling cider. We follow that with a dessert and by then, it is bedtime for the kids.

What are your New Year's Eve traditions?

No compensation was received for this post. I received two coupons so that I could try the New Tyson Any'tizers QuesaDippers for free and share our experience with my readers.

Space Bag

A while back, I was contacted about sharing a contest with my readers. Unfortunately, life was simply crazy at the time and I didn't get a chance to post about the contest before it was over. I did however, get a chance to try out
Space Bags. As I've mentioned before, I find a number of the products featured on infomercials to be intriguing, but have generally been hesitant to make the purchase and try out the product. I was very familiar with the ads for Space Bags and was definitely interested in trying them out.

I received, amongst others, a Space Bag in a tote. I really liked the idea of this one for storing the bedding for our extra beds in our basement. We have both a sleeper sofa and an inflatable mattress and we store 1 comforter, 4 pillows, and 2 sets of queen sheets. We have tried a few different containers to hold them, but hadn't found one that worked well. So, I set out to see how it really worked.

I started with this:


I filled it into the bag and sealed the double zipper:


Used the hose attachment on my vacuum:


Removed all of the air from the Space Bag:


Closed the tote and zipped it shut:


My thoughts:
The first time through, I failed to get the zipper fully sealed. It wasn't a big deal, but there was a slow leak. At first I was concerned it was an issue with the bag, but after opening it (it is really cool to watch it all reinflate) and resealing the zipper, the leak was no longer present. I really like how compactly it will store all of this bedding. Plus, since we are storing it in the basement, by the beds, it is reassuring to know that it is airtight and waterproof.

According to the website, the bags will hold the vacuum for a year and then could simply be resealed. I don't think that this should be an issue for me, as we use the extra beds in the basement at least 3 times a year. What I don't know yet, is will it slowly reinflate as it approaches a year?

I've opened and resealed the bag a few times already (2 of our uses for our extra beds occur within a few weeks at the end of summer). So far, as soon as you unzip the double zipper, the contents start to reinflate immediately (did I mention how cool it is to watch it grow?). I'm not sure how quickly the pillows and comforter will reinflate after a month or two in storage. The website references fluffing things in the dryer. I don't think that would be a big deal, if that was what was needed after a few months of storage. I might feel differently about clothes, but this is bedding.

They make bags of many sizes and shapes. They even have some that don't require a vacuum to remove the air (Space Bag to Go), there are two styles - roll or push out the air. This type of bag could probably be useful in packing for a trip, so that you can fit more in your suitcase, and repack in the same fashion for your return trip.

The bags are available for purchase online and also at many retailers. Some retailers that I saw listed were Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Costco and Walmart.

Want to learn more about organization and receive exclusive discounts? If so you can join the Space Savers community.

Space Savers community members receive the tips for saving space and getting organized, and also receive exclusive discounts on Space Bag products. For instance, Space Savers community members receive 20% off a Space Bag Starter Set just for signing up! Right now, any Space Savers community member who gets three of their friends to join the community, will receive one free Space Bag Storage Pack.

You can also connect with Space Bag on Facebook and Twitter.

No compensation was received for this post. Space Bag provided sample bags to me for the purpose of reviewing the product.

Total Pillow

I really don't watch much TV and most of what I do watch is on my DVR, yet somehow, I always seem to catch the infomercials. And, when I do, I watch way too much of them. I am intrigued by many of the products that are offered through infomercials. I find it interesting that no matter the item, it can always be sold in enough units or the payments broken into enough payments to be $9.95, $19.95 or $29.95 (I'm sure there are more options, but you get the idea). It's amazing how great an offer can sound when they tell you it can all be yours for only 4 payments of $29.95 each, until you do the math and realize that really is almost $120.

Of late, you can find many of these great things at your local stores - clearly marked "As Seen on TV". I know I have seen them at CVS and at Bed, Bath and Beyond and probably a few other stores that aren't coming to mind right now. Mostly, of course, these are the items that were only one payment items. My favorite "As Seen on TV" purchase has to be my Perfect Pancake Pan. It was the perfect size pan - I need to replace it and really should just find a small fry/saute pan to replace it - I can't find a Perfect Pancake anymore. Maybe that is why sometimes on TV, they want to "send you not one, but two (insert product name here), if you respond in the next 2 hours, operators are standing by".

Recently, through MamaBzz, I have had the chance to try a few As Seen on TV items - like the Wonder Hangers. This time, I got the chance to try the Total Pillow. Have you seen this thing? You can fold it, twist it or leave it round and use it in so many ways.
Here's what the company says:

VERSATILE TRANSFORMING PILLOW Cradles you with Comfort While Asleep and Awake

Most people spend approximately one-third of their lives asleep on their pillow, however the new Total Pillow has uses for the two-thirds of time spent awake.

There are pillows for all types of issues but no one pillow that bridges all conditions, until now. The Total Pillow™ is for use overnight, on the couch, sitting at your desk, driving, while on a plane or train, in college dorms, or just while watching television. This donut-shaped pillow transforms in just seconds to more than five supportive shapes for customized relief. The patent pending locking technology enables the Total Pillow to support the neck, lower back, ankles and knees.

"Consumers own many different pillows for different applications, identifying the need for a multipurpose pillow solution." said Steve Heroux, CEO of Hampton Direct. "The Total Pillow transforms into five different shapes to answer a wide range of conditions."

The Total Pillow's ergonomic design allows your body to be cradled in support whether you're a side sleeper and like support between your knees and/or ankles or are a frequent traveler. It's also great for the businessperson, who needs lumbar support for the long periods of time spent seated.

When I first received it, I spent awhile following the pictures on the package, trying out different ways to configure and use the pillow. I tried it as a neck pillow, I tried it as a seat, I tried it as a support for my knees and ankles. Initially, it seemed a little awkward to me. My husband shared my sentiment. But, we both kept playing with it and maybe it just needed a little bit of breaking in so that it would move better/easier.

My thoughts:
as a seat cushion - I can myself using the pillow as a seat cushion in to applications - for me when I sit on the floor and fold my laundry and at a soccer/football/baseball game where you are otherwise faced with cold, hard bleachers. It provides great support and since you aren't putting the pressure directly on your tail bone makes it easier to sit longer (plus it would be nice not to sit directly on that cold bleacher on a dreary Saturday morning).

as a neck cushion - I used it as a neck cushion the other night while watching TV. My biggest concern is that it gets hot quickly, which resulted in an on again off again use throughout the show. It worked well, although it wasn't until I took it off the first time when it started to get really warm underneath it that I felt the lack of having it there.

folded as a cushion for lying on the floor - Seems a little awkward, whether on my back or my stomach, it just didn't give me the height/angle that I would have wanted for talking to others in the room or watching a show. Perhaps if my TV were console or otherwise lower to the ground, it might have been better.

as a cushion for knees or ankles - I like putting it under my ankles to get a little elevation when I am lying down. I frequently will use a pillow or a the arm of the sofa to accomplish this, this is another good option and it stays in a place. Again, it can get a little warm, but not as warm as around the neck. I also could see this as a between the knees pillow that I would have used when I was pregnant and had to sleep on my side. I'm not sure about it being too warm, but I know the pillow I used (down) got warm anyways and this would have been more compact and covered less skin than my pillow did.

as a lumbar support - maybe it is just me, but I can't seem to get the same twist that they do and it felt awkward. Maybe if I watch the video here, I can figure it out, because I couldn't from the picture on the package.

Total Pillow
Available for $19.99 plus S&H, The Total Pillow and can be ordered online at www.buytotalpillow.com.

Hampton Direct, Inc. is a leading international importer and distributor of consumer products. The Vermont-based company's offerings include common household problem solving products that includes the As Seen On TV Wonder Hanger®, Twin Draft Guard® and Total Pillow®.

Giveaway

Would you like to try out the Total Pillow for free? One lucky A Busy Mom of Two reader can win their own Total Pillow.

To enter: Where/How do you think you would use Total Pillow? You can see more usage suggestions here.

After completing the main entry, you can also complete these additional entries:

· Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (this can be done daily)
· Follow this blog or sign up to receive e-mail updates (upper side bar). Leave a comment letting me know that you follow or subscribe (or if you already have been).
· Include my button on your side bar or a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll. Leave a comment with a link to your site.
· Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook.
· Write a post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Giveaway will remain open until August 16th at 6pm. Winner will be selected using the Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I did receive a complimentary Total Pillow, so that I could try it out with my family and so that I might share my experience. In addition, one Total Pillow is being provided for the giveaway.

Banquet Fruit Pies

A while back, I was contacted about trying out the new Banquet Fruit Pies. I am a big fan of fruit pies and enjoy Banquet Pot Pies, so it sounded like a great opportunity to me.

I sent my husband in search of the pies the first time. He looked in the dessert section, not realizing that they were located near the Banquet Pot Pies. So, when I was out earlier this week, I picked up a couple to try.

This evening, after dinner, I decided it might be the perfect time to try one of the pies. The primary directions listed are for the microwave. In just 4 short minutes, you can be enjoying a nice hot fruit pie with a flaky crust. They do offer directions for preparation in the oven, which will take 30 minutes. Honestly, if I'm going to wait 30 minutes, I will make a full pie - it loses some of the convenience factor with a long preparation time.

The kids and I shared the pie that I prepared tonight - we chose Apple Pie. One pie is a little high in calories (370 calories for the apple pie) from my perspective, but it is a treat/dessert and not out of line with what other desserts likely are. Many candy bars seem to be in the 200 calorie range and somehow don't seem as satisfying as a pie.

I will say that letting the pie sit for a few minutes after cooking is a good idea - it is really hot otherwise. I tried to remove the pie from the container to more easily share it with the kids - it broke apart, not entirely unexpectedly, but since I wasn't concerned about the visual, it was not a problem for me.

The crust is the same flaky crust that if you have had their pot pies you will be very familiar with. I was pleasantly surprised that even with microwave preparation, the crust came out flaky and not chewy.

The fruit filling was very flavorful, and refreshingly, not overly sweet. There was a good amount of spices to season the apples and the right amount of sauce around them. The apples were small dices. They didn't maintain much bite once cooked, but also weren't too mushy.

You can find Banquet Fruit Pies in the freezer section next to other Banquet meals and pot pies. There are three varieties - Apple, Peach and Cherry Berry. The suggested retail price for one fruit pie is between $0.68 and $1.00. You can find a coupon in this month's All You for $.35 on your next Banquet Fruit Pie purchase.

Giveaway
Banquet was kind enough to provide me with free coupons to share with my readers. Three lucky readers will each win 2 coupons for one FREE Banquet Fruit Pie.

To enter: Leave a comment sharing what type of pie is your favorite.

After completing the main entry, you can also complete these additional entries:

· Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (this can be done daily)
· Follow this blog or sign up to receive e-mail updates (upper side bar). Leave a comment letting me know that you follow or subscribe (or if you already have been).
· Include my button on your side bar or a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll. Leave a comment with a link to your site.
· Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook.
· Write a post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Giveaway will remain open until August 5th at 6pm. Winners will be selected using Random.org random number generator and each person may only win one pair of coupons. The winners will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I did receive coupons to try the new Banquet Fruit Pies, so that I might share my experience. In addition, coupons were provided for a giveaway.

Lawry's Marinade

In the summer time, the grill is one of my favorite ways to prepare our dinner. Not only is it extremely tasty, in my opinion, but it is also nice not to heat up the kitchen when it is already hot outside. Sometimes though, having plain hamburgers and chicken can get boring. We try to mix it up, using different seasoning, barbecue sauce and marinades.

This past weekend, thanks to Lawry's and MyBlogSpark, we had the chance to try some of Lawry's new marinade flavors. The one that we tried was the Tuscan Sun-Dried Tomato Marinade features extra virgin olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, sweet red bell peppers and the perfect blend of herbs.

I was very pleased with the flavor of the marinade. I added my chicken breasts and some of the marinade to a zippered bag. I let them set on the counter as I prepared my potatoes and started the grill. Then, when the grill was hot, I put them on the grill to cook. They marinaded for about 30 minutes, but the flavor definitely came through. My husband was pleased with it as well. I used the leftover grilled chicken (I had intentionally grilled extra) for our dinner the next night, which was Cajun Chicken Pasta. The flavors of the marinaded, grilled chicken added a nice additional flavor to the already flavorful meal.

In addition, they have another new flavor - the Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ Marinade, which is supposed to give your meat a delicious sweet and sour flavor with a touch of Szechuan heat. I am intrigued by this one and hope to try it out soon.

Visit www.lawrys.com to check-out the full line of Lawry’s products, additional grilling tips and to find delicious recipes for grilling season and beyond!

In addition, as part of their "Flavor Forecast" McCormick is offering some new flavor pairing suggestions for this summer:

Applewood & Plum
Cilantro & Lime
Rosemary & Fig
Chipotle & Maple
Brown Sugar & Bourbon
Cinnamon & Coffee
Red Chili Sauce & Mango

For more recipes and Lawry’s marinades that complement the flavor pairings visit the Grilling Flavor Forecast™ website. Two recipes that I am definitely considering is the Cinnamon Coffee Marinated Steak and the Brown Sugar Bourbon Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Corn Bread & Peaches. I must say that the flavor pairings sound very good and I might have thought to pair them myself, but reading the recipes makes my mouth water with interest in tasting the result. (I just love warm fruit as part of my recipes - of course, they are great as part of a warm pie or cobbler, but there is also something great about pairing a sweet, warm piece of fruit with a flavorful dish - I have a curry that uses bananas and a chicken teriyaki with pineapple. Yum!)

Giveaway

You can enter to win your own "Get Grilling Kit" courtesy of Lawry's and MyBlogSpark.

To enter: Leave a comment sharing your best grilling tip and/or the flavors that you like to pair on the grill.

After completing the main entry, you can also complete these additional entries:

· Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (this can be done daily)
· Follow this blog or sign up to receive e-mail updates (upper side bar). Leave a comment letting me know that you follow or subscribe (or if you already have been).
· Include my button on your side bar or a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll. Leave a comment with a link to your site.
· Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook.
· Write a post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Giveaway will remain open until July 20th at 6pm. Winner will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I did receive through MyBlogSpark and Lawry's my own "Get Grilling Kit", so the my family and I could experience the new marinades and share our experience. In addition, a kit was provided for a giveaway.

Tyson Grilled and Ready

We use chicken for a lot of meals at our house. When I am grilling chicken breasts, it is not uncommon for me to grill extra for the next night's meal. Sometimes though, weather is just not on my side. We have a George Foreman grill, but we bought it years ago before the trays were removable and it is a pain to clean so I am lazy and just don't use it. So, I have occasionally purchased the refrigerated pre-cooked chicken breasts for use in salads and pasta dishes to save some time (and effort). For me, the challenge with the refrigerated product can sometimes be using it before it expires - menus change and items get lost in my refrigerator, only to surface a week after the usage date.

I recently was contacted about trying Tyson Grilled & Ready refrigerated and frozen products. Knowing the luck I have had with not always getting to use the refrigerated product, I decided to try the frozen chicken. My husband picked it up for me and grabbed a bag of the Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast.

We tried it for the first time this week (he picked it up weeks ago, I just never got a chance to use it. See what I mean!). I liked that the bag is a resealable bag, allowing me to use as little or as much as I need and to set the rest back in the freezer for future use. In addition, there is a bag inside of the bag, which I have to believe would help it stay fresher longer before opening. I was glad to find that I could pull out just a few pieces, they weren't all frozen together.

The preparation was simple. You can warm it in the microwave, but 3 to 5 minutes in a skillet is all the prep time needed for this already cooked chicken. From my perspective, you could warm it in a skillet and add to your recipe or even just add it right from the freezer into the pan with the rest of your ingredients.

The chicken was juicy and flavorful. I liked that it was available in a plain grilled/oven roasted variety with just simple seasonings. The fact that is was plain allows it be very versatile and to work in recipes, on salads, in pasta and more.

I like to use diced chicken with pasta. One way I prep it is to simply add the already cooked, diced chicken to a skillet with fresh diced tomatoes (or canned diced tomatoes work out of season) and some Italian seasoning. Toss it with some angel hair pasta for a quick, light and flavorful dish. It's also an easy thing to add to some linguine and Alfredo sauce for another easy meal option.

In addition to the Oven Roasted Diced Chicken variety that my husband picked up for us to try, the Grilled and Ready line is available as Chicken Breast Fillets, Chicken Strips, Southwest Chicken Strips, Fajita Chicken Strips and even Seasoned Beef Strips. The products, other than the breast fillets which are only available frozen, are available either frozen or refrigerated.

The Whole Breast Fillets are their newest addition to the line and I plan to try them next. They are fully-cooked, lean, boneless, skinless recipe-ready chicken breasts - the perfect protein for any entrée, salad or sandwich. I like that they are 98% fat free and contain no preservatives. I'm thinking that the Whole Breast Fillets, which also can be microwaved, would be a great option for packing an easy to prepare, lean protein in my lunch.

Giveaway
Would you like to try some? In addition to the coupons that Tyson provided for me to try the Grilled and Ready product line, I received coupons to share with readers. Two (2) A Busy Mom of Two readers will each win one coupon for one FREE Tyson Grilled and Ready product.

How to enter: Leave a comment sharing what dish you would use the Grilled and Ready Chicken (or beef) in.

Bonus Entries:
Additional entries:
· Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (this can be done daily)
· Follow this blog or sign up to receive e-mail updates (upper side bar). Leave a comment letting me know that you follow or subscribe (or if you already are a subscriber).
· Include my button on your side bar or a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll. Leave a comment with a link to your site.
· Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook.
· Write a post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Giveaway will remain open until July 7th at 6pm. Winners will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winners will be contacted by e-mail (please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. A coupon for a free bag was provided by Tyson, so that I might try the product and share my experience. In addition, coupons were provided for a giveaway.

Ritz Crackerfuls

I like to snack, it's no secret. One of my favorite snacks is crackers and cheese. It is something that we cut up and nibble on in the evenings, over a glass of wine and with friends. There is something about the salt and creaminess of cheese and the crunch of a cracker that I find appealing. I have an addiction to chocolate, but I like variety in my snacking, frequently opting for more savory snacks, like cheese.

A few months ago, I happened upon Ritz Crackerfuls. I liked the idea that it was made with real cheese and 6g of whole grains per serving and that they were individually wrapped. I figured it would make a quick and easy snack option for me to take to work to help me bridge the time between lunch and dinner and provide a variation from the granola bar type snacks that I typically turn too. I picked up a box to have on hand for a quick snack option.

I didn't try them right away, but then one day when I went on a field trip with my son, I found myself with nothing to pack and grabbed one to throw in my lunch. I enjoyed it. It seems so much more grown up than Ritz Bits and has a better flavor than the typical cheese on cracker snacks found in vending machines. Since first trying them, I have kept Ritz Crackerfuls on hand as an option to pack for my lunch or grab for a quick snack. They come in Garlic Herb, Four Cheese, Classic Cheddar and the newest Cheddar Cheese & Bacon.

When I was contacted about trying the new Cheddar Cheese & Bacon variety, I was excited to give them a try. Everything is better with bacon, right? I packed one for my lunch the other day. I was glad to find that while it had a nice smokey flavor and you knew it was Cheddar Cheese and Bacon, it wasn't an overwhelming smokey or bacon flavor. I think I still prefer the Four Cheese and Garlic Herb varieties, but was not disappointed by the Cheddar Cheese & Bacon.

For me, Ritz Crackerfuls make a nice snack with only 130 Calories per serving and with the whole grains, it also provides 3g of Dietary Fiber per serving. For me, it means that it is an easy, and tasty snack (or lunch component) for only 3 Points. Having snacks on hand that have a known Points value make snacking much easier for me - no counting, measuring or other challenges. Besides packing crackers and cheese to snack on at work is not as easy as grabbing this filled cracker snack.

Have you tried the new Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Crackerfuls? You can try them for less by downloading a coupon for $1 Off Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Crackerfuls from the Ritz Crackers Facebook Fan Page. The coupon is available until August 31, 2010 or until there have been just over 33k prints.

No compensation was provided for this post. I did receive from Nabisco, through One2One Network, a box of Ritz Crackerfuls Cheddar Cheese & Bacon, as well as a box of Cheddar Cheese, so that I could try the product and share my experience. In addition, by posting about my experience, I am entering a drawing for a chance to win a gift card.

Uncle Ben's Rice

I like rice. I guess I've always liked rice. When I was a kid, my friend and I created a recipe that we called Rice Delight - it was leftover rice and jam and sugar (how could it not be good?). It is something that I include in our menu plan regularly. I like it as a side, but also as a main meal.

When I am out, I like to get brown rice, because I've always heard that it was better for me, in the same fashion that whole wheat bread is better than white. As with bread (and pasta for that matter), I have a hard time convincing the family to eat the brown rice. So, when I heard that Uncle Ben's offers a whole grain white rice that has "twice the fiber of Brown Rice", I was excited to give it a try.

When we tried it, I was happy to discover that there really wasn't much of a difference in taste or texture. It would be very easy to include this product with 45g of Whole Grains per serving and chance are the family wouldn't notice the difference.

I am planning to try some of the flavored varieties of the Whole Grain White Rice as well. I think the Taco style one would be a great side to serve with our favorite Mexican dishes. In addition, I could see us trying the Chicken flavor or the Sweet Tomato as a side with grilled chicken. My husband doesn't like Broccoli, otherwise the Broccoli Cheddar flavor sounds good as well.

Want to try it yourself, visit the Uncle Ben’s website for a coupon!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour for Mom Central. I received samples through Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s in order that I could share my opinion. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. I also received some additional samples and aprons that I shared with friends.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

My husband loves Taco Bell, yet he never seems to like tacos at home. He always seems a little disappointed on taco night. I love tacos at home. It was always one of my favorite nights as a kid and still is. There is something about the balance of the hot and cold toppings, the smoothness of the sour cream, the saltiness of the cheese and the spice of the sauce, that I just find tantalizing and addictive. After I started to make Chipotle Chicken (a knock off of #54 from our local Mexican), I would make that for him and chicken tacos for the rest of us, so that I could enjoy taco night. Then, a few months ago, we were at my brother's house for my niece's birthday and it was taco night. My sister-in-law had made the chicken meat in a slow cooker and my husband commented on how he liked it that way. So, when I started going through recipes a few weeks back and found a recipe for shredded chicken tacos, I knew that I had to try them.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

2# chicken breasts
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1 package taco seasoning

Place all ingredients together in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6 - 7 hours. Shred the chicken, using two forks, in the crock pot. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes to allow the juices to be absorbed into the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a bowl to serve.

Take it from me, if you don't move the chicken first, the tacos will be really wet and drip all over your hands as you eat - moving it lets you have streams instead of rivers dripping down your hands. I found that we had a lot left and was able to freeze portions for two additional meals from the one cooking. I did add back a little bit of the juice from the crock pot before freezing so that I could reheat it on the stove and not worry about scorching the chicken.

The good news for me is that my husband enjoyed the tacos and now I think I can add it back to the menu plan a little more often.

Have you tried a new recipe lately?

Garlic Lemon Chicken

So, Monday night we tried out a new recipe, only I'm pretty sure I might have made this one before. Either way, it's a keeper. The sauce is flavorful, yet light. I have had other lemon chicken dishes that feel so heavy, but this one did not. I actually doubled up the sauce portion of the recipe and before pouring it over my chicken, I tossed some pasta in it. I then put the pasta back into it's own dish and added some Parmesan cheese and served this on the side. I also cut my chicken into tenderloins, so it cooked a little quicker too.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper

Lightly coat the chicken with flour and season with salt and pepper. Fry in hot oil for about 5 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from pan.

Sauce:
1/2 c chicken broth
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp butter

Add all to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour over chicken.

Have you tried a new recipe lately? Share a link in the comments.

This post shared at the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Roasted Shrimp with Tomatoes

As part of my weekly menu planning, I have been trying new recipes each week to work through the hundreds of clippings I have from every type of publication - magazines, papers, grocery ads, coupons, and more.

A couple of weeks ago, we tried a dish that was an instant favorite and ever so simple. It was Roasted Shrimp with Tomatoes. I had it for leftovers the second day and served it on toasted french baguette, which was very good - I think I might have to make it as Bruschetta.

2 cans petite diced tomatoes (14.5oz)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 # medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp dried oregano
4 oz crumbled Feta

Preheat oven to 450F.

Drain the tomatoes, reserving 1/2c of the juice. Combine tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic in a glass baking dish (8" square). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling, about 15 minutes.

Stir shrimp and oregano into tomatoes. Sprinkle Feta cheese on top. Return to oven and bake until shrimp are cooked through, about 10 minutes (could be less if you are using precooked, could be more if you are using frozen).

I was a little concerned that my husband wouldn't like it because he doesn't normally care for Feta cheese, but he enjoyed the dish. You could either serve it on bread or with rice or with pasta. It really is a simple, versatile, flavor packed dish. As an added benefit, it's reasonably healthy too!

Have you tried anything new? A product, a service, a recipe? Leave a comment and share.

This recipe shared at Life As Mom Ulitmate Recipe Swap - vegetables.

Nacho Mac 'n' Cheese

As I mentioned in my Menu Plan Monday post, I am planning to try more new recipes, so that I can work my way through the recipes that I clip from the paper, magazines, ads, etc. Yesterday, we tried a recipe for Nacho Mac 'n' Cheese. I do think it could be improved with a few tweaks, but it was a good dish as is and the recipe is a keeper.

Nacho Mac 'n' Cheese
3 c uncooked pasta (macaroni, fusilli, or other fun shape)
1 # ground beef
2 c chopped red bell pepper
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/4c milk
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips, crushed for a garnish

Cook pasta.

In a skillet, brown the beef and the red peppers. Drain. Stir in the butter, flour, taco seasoning, and pepper. Gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Add drained pasta and stir to coat. Serve, garnished with crushed tortilla chips.

I am a fan of easy one pan meals. This one got a decent boost to the flavor from the red peppers, but I wanted something a little more. I am thinking that the addition of some diced tomatoes before adding the cheese, might be the touch that could take it from good to great. The spice flavor from the packet of seasoning was good, but again, I would have prefered a little more intensity - I'm not sure whether I double up the packet of taco seasoning (or similar spice blend from cabinet) or if I add a packet of ranch, like I use in taco soup - I will have to play with that one. Otherwise, the crunch of the chips was a nice touch. Both of the kids ate the pasta on their plate and my husband said it was good and compared it to Cheeseburger Pasta (which I also tweaked by adding diced tomatoes). I will try it again in the future with some of these tweaks and see if it delivers better.

Fiber One Yogurt (and giftcard giveaway!)

When I am trying to watch what I eat in an effort to lose or maintain weight, one of my indulgences is yogurt. Now, you might be thinking, yogurt isn't unhealthy and I didn't say it was, I simply said it is my indulgence. I like to have a sweet, creamy treat to satisfy my needs for something sweet.

Recently, I was invited to try Fiber One Yogurt from Yoplait. I hadn't tried it before, mostly because it was sweetened with artificial sweeteners, which I try to limit and which typically I can taste in products. I selected the Key Lime Pie flavor to try.

The first thing that I noticed was that it was only 50 calories per serving, with no fat and 5 grams of fiber. As a member of Weight Watchers, I was pleased to learn that this is a 1 Point item (actually, when I entered the calories and fiber, it came back as 0 Point - but when I looked up other flavors, they were assigned 1 Point in the database).

When I enjoyed the yogurt cup at lunch, I was pleasantly surprised that I couldn't taste the artificial sweeteners. The Key Lime Pie flavor did come through. It was a good size serving, providing enough yogurt to satisfy my want for a "dessert".

Best-selling author and food expert Lisa Lillien, AKA Hungry Girl, has given her “seal of approval” to the new Fiber One yogurt, the only leading nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of the Recommended Daily Value). It is also a good source of calcium and vitamins A and D, making this a guilt-free and all-around great choice for dieters and those watching their weights. Each cup includes the creamy, delicious taste you expect from Yoplait, and you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying it. Fiber One is available in a variety of flavors including, Strawberry, Peach, Vanilla and Key Lime Pie. You can see what Hungry Girl thinks about the new yogurt here.

Giveaway
So, that you can try the new Fiber One Yogurt, thanks to Safeway and MyBlogSpark, I am able to offer a giveaway for one $50 Giftcard to one reader of A Busy Mom of Two. You can visit your local Safeway family of stores to take advantage of the great savings on Fiber One yogurt and more!

To enter, leave a comment sharing what your favorite flavor of yogurt is.

For Additional Entries (Leave a Separate Comment for each extra entry):
1. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two by e-mail or RSS feed (on my sidebar near the top). Leave me a comment letting me know that you subscribe. If you are already a subscriber, let me know that too - this isn't just for new subscribers.
2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your Tweet. This entry may be completed once each day.
3. Blog about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your post.
4. Promote this giveaway on Facebook.
5. Leave a comment on another post. Then leave a comment here, letting me know.

Giveaway will remain open until April 7th at 6 pm. Winner will be selected using a random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post and all opinions expressed are strictly my own. I did receive a coupon for a free 4-pack of Fiber One Yogurt and a $50 giftcard to the Safeway (Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, Genuardi’s) courtesy of Safeway and Fiber One through MyBlogSpark. In addition, Safeway provided a $50 giftcard for a giveaway.

Frozen Meals - Healthy Choice Review and Giveaway

When I was younger and single, I used to eat a lot of frozen meals, especially for lunch. They were cheap and easy and I could quickly "pack" my lunch as I was running out the door by simply pulling one from my freezer. Plus, with so many options, I felt that it provided me with some variety for lunch. But, I was generally disappointed in the meals. The descriptions and the pictures did not deliver in the meal. Sure, there were some that were delicious, but they also seemed to be those that were full calorie meals - not the reduced calorie meals that I was seeking in an ongoing effort to lose or at least maintain weight. Sure, I found a few shining stars that packed a flavorful punch, but with a regular rotation of just a few varieties I was quickly bored with my selection and the meals were left in my freezer - as I sought out tastier options.

Frozen meals have come along way from then. Look at the number of varieties for one and a lot are starting to pack more fresh flavor in each bite. I was excited to try some of the new Healthy Choice selections when I was contacted a few weeks ago about "defying diet food". As someone that is trying to lose weight, I think it is important to not only choose healthy options for meals, but to maintain variety in my diet. Sometimes, with a busy schedule, it can be difficult to be creative at meal time, especially lunch - when I don't have the luxury of being in my own kitchen. It is good to know that now I have some new choices to include as part of my lunchtime routine.

I was sent two new varieties to try - the Balsamic Garlic Chicken Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer and the Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Healthy Choice All Natural Entree.

So, last week one day when I was packing my lunch and was pressed for time, I decided to try one. The first one I had was the Balsamic Garlic Chicken from the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer line. The dish included chicken, whole grain pasta, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and vegetables in a balsamic garlic sauce. If your like me and hadn't tried this line before, the Cafe Steamers line feature a DuoTray Steamcooker - a bowl on the bottom contains the sauce and a steamer basket above holds the rest of the dish. According to the company, this "separation of ingredients and the steaming process utilized in these meals heightens the flavors, maximizes the crispness and crunch of the colorful vegetables and retains the optimum texture of pasta, rice or potatoes". I have to say that I really felt like the peppers benefited from this steaming, as they still had some crispness to them (not soggy like sometimes vegetables are in a single tray meal) and the pasta also still had a little bite to it. The steaming also worked well for me, because with the dish cooked separate from the sauce it was easier for me to pick out mushrooms (I don't eat them). After cooking (and for me removing the mushrooms), simply pour the pasta, chicken and vegetables into the bowl with the sauce and stir. This could also allow you the option to use less sauce if you desired. I enjoyed this filling meal (and only 5 Points!) and definitely would pick up more. I think I would most like to try the Lemon Garlic Chicken or the Sweet Sesame Chicken.

Later in the week, I tried the Roasted Red Pepper Marinara from the All Natural Entrees line. This dish was 9 grain cavatelli pasta in a roasted red pepper sauce, topped with parmesan, romano and asiago cheeses. The All Natural entrees are made with no preservatives, artificial flavors, or colors. I definitely liked that it was shredded cheese on top and not a grated cheese that was simply mixed in the sauce. The sauce was very flavorful and served atop the whole grain pasta, made it a very healthy dish. Again, this flavorful dish was only 5 Points and made a nice option for lunch. In this line, I think I would like to try the Lobster Cheese Ravioli.

Both meals had a nice, fresh flavor to them. With both of these meals delivering on the flavor, I am looking forward to trying more of the new Healthy Choice varieties and incorporating frozen meals back into my lunchtime menu plan.

You can learn more about the new Healthy Choice varieties on their website. While there, you can also get a coupon for $1/2 Healthy Choice Frozen Entrees.

Giveaway

Have you tried the new lines/entrees from Healthy Choice? Thanks to Healthy Choice, I have the opportunity to offer a giveaway of two coupons for a free Healthy Choice Frozen Meal.

To enter, visit Healthy Choice and then come back and leave a comment sharing which variety you are most interested in trying.

For Additional Entries (Leave a Separate Comment for each extra entry):
1. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two by e-mail or RSS feed (on my sidebar near the top). Leave me a comment letting me know that you subscribe. If you are already a subscriber, let me know that too - this isn't just for new subscribers.
2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your Tweet. This entry may be completed once each day.
3. Blog about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your post.
4. Promote this giveaway on Facebook.

Giveaway will remain open until March 17th at 6 pm. Two winners will be selected using a random number generator. The winners will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. Healthy Choice contacted me directly and provided me with two frozen meals to sample for the purposes of sharing my review. In addition, they provided coupons for a reader giveaway.

Italian Slow Cooker Meatloaf

As a busy mom, I'm always looking for recipes that can help make dinner easier. Right now, we have both kids in swim lessons in the evenings. Of course, their class is not at the same time, but are back to back. This means dinner is after swimming lessons. Since I am a participant in my daughter's Parent-Child swim class, I'm not home to get dinner going. Knowing that dinner is going to be late enough, I need meal options that I can quickly get on the table.

Today, I tried a new recipe. I called it a slow cooker meatball, because there seems to be a negative feeling at my house about meatloaf. The meatball was pretty good. The kids ate a good amount of it (mostly while waiting for the pasta to cook) and my husband broke it up and ate it over the side of pasta. The nice thing was that we were able to have a family dinner that only took as long as the pasta took to cook when we came home.

Italian Slow Cooker Meatloaf
3 slices bread
1# lean ground beef
1 c shredded mozzarella
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp tomato sauce

Wet bread and squeeze out the water. Combine all ingredients, except tomato sauce, and mix with your hands to combine. Place into slow cooker. Spread the tomato sauce over the meat mixture. Cover and cook on low until meat is cooked through, about 6 hours.

I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef - I prefer beef for meatballs and Italian dishes, but I had some ground turkey from a sale that I wanted to use up. I also used spaghetti sauce in place of the tomato sauce, because I was opening the jar for the side of pasta and spaghetti sauce. It was nice to come home from our activities and have a hot meal. Of course, if you don't want to slow cook it, I am sure you could loaf it up and bake it in the oven like a traditional meat loaf.

Have you tried any new recipes lately? Trying new recipes that make meal preparation easier and add variety to our menu works for me. For more tips and tricks, check out Works For Me Wednesday.

Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3

Milk is an important part of my diet and my family's. I've always been very fortunate that my children enjoy milk, like I do, so getting them to drink it has never been an issue. Sometimes though, I still like to give them a treat in the form of chocolate milk. Sure, you can mix chocolate milk up at home, but have you ever noticed that it's never quite the same as a premade chocolate milk that you can buy at the store? Something about the chocolate milk you buy at the store makes it creamier and richer than what you can mix up at home.

When it comes to buying chocolate milk, a lowfat milk is important to me. My family doesn't need the added fat of a whole milk (we used to, but now the kids are older). With chocolate milk, we are still getting the Vitamin D and Calcium that you expect from milk but if I could get even more benefit from a chocolate milk treat, that would be great. So, when I was contacted by Horizon Milk about trying their new Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3, I was excited. We have had their white milk with DHA and enjoyed it, so as with most things in life, I figured chocolate could only improve it.

We picked up a half gallon this weekend. As expected, it was a great tasting chocolate milk. The organic milk always seems to me to have a thicker mouthfeel than the 1% regular milk that I also buy (I think it related to the ultra-pasteurization, but that is not something I have seen specifically). The chocolate, to me, was just right - not too rich. In the wintertime, I frequently enjoy having a warm beverage in the evening. So, one evening, instead of my usual tea, I decided to warm up a mug of the chocolate milk. It was delicious warm. It was so much better than regular hot chocolate (which I usually make with water), plus it had the added benefit of providing me with DHA Omega-3.

According to Horizon, Horizon Organic lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3 provides a great tasting and easy way to add calcium and DHA to your family’s diet. DHA Omega-3 is an important nutrient that helps support heart, brain and eye health, and it’s available in lowfat half gallons. DHA Omega-3 is a natural building block that supports brain development and function throughout life. It’s good for the whole family, but is especially valuable for young children to support their rapid growth.

You can learn more about DHA here.
The Ingredients and Nutritional Data for the chocolate milk can be found here.
You can become a fan of Horizon on Facebook.
You can find a store near you here.

Looking for other great ways to incorporate this milk into your diet? Check out the recipe for a Chocolate Power Smoothie located on their website.

Giveaway:
Horizon has offered to allow me to giveaway 4 coupons each (2 for 1 dollar off a half gallon and 2 for a free half gallon) to 2 lucky readers.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, letting me know you would like to try Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3.

For Additional Entries (Leave a Separate Comment for each extra entry):
1. Subscribe to A Busy Mom of Two by e-mail or RSS feed (on my sidebar near the top)
2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your Tweet. (you can use: ” Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3 Review & Giveaway @ABusyMomofTwo - Ends 3/10 - http://bit.ly/dphWYp” ) This entry may be completed once each day.
3. Blog about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your post.
4. Promote this giveaway on Facebook.

Giveaway will remain open until March 10th at 6 pm. Two winners will be selected using a random number generator. The winners will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. Horizon contacted me directly and provided me two coupons good for one free half gallon of the Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA Omega-3. In addition, they are providing the four coupons for each of the two winners of this giveaway.

Breyers Inspirations - Cherry Chocolate Chip

A while back, I stumbled upon the Breyers Inspirations yogurt line at my store. At the time, there were two that included Chocolate Chips - a vanilla and a mint. I couldn't wrap my head around a mint yogurt, so I skipped it and went for the vanilla with chocolate chips. It was delicious. There was a good amount of chocolate chips in the cup and it had a great flavor. The yogurt was so smooth and creamy - something you don't always find in a lowfat yogurt. It also wasn't artificially sweetened - I do not like yogurt that is artificially sweetened. I am completely content with a reduced fat yogurt that is sweetened with good old sugar (plus then, I don't mind if the kids have it).

I liked it so much that I started putting it into my yogurt rotation (sometimes you get bored if you eat the same thing week after week, so you have to mix it up). The other ones that I like are the Yoplait YoPlus yogurts (again, a line that is not artificially sweetened - although I believe they recently added a Lite line).

Then, last week, I was at the store and had yogurt on my shopping list (really, it's pretty much a standard list item). When I came to the yogurt section, I noticed something new that I just had to try in the Breyers Inspriations line - Cherry Chocolate Chip. I grabbed it and packed one for lunch the next day.

YUM!!!

It was so good, the cherry yogurt combined with the chocolate chips was a complete indulgence. It was an immediate favorite. It was hard to believe that this treat was still only 3 Points (4oz cup). A definite lunch time addition. I couldn't resist, I bought it again this week, so much for rotation.

What is your favorite yogurt flavor? Have you tried this one? Share your thoughts in the comments.

I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are strictly my own and I purchased the products that I reference in this post.

Google Docs

Since I started hanging out in the blogosphere a few years ago, I noticed that a lot of people were using applications, like Google Docs, to do surveys, gather entries to giveaways, share files and more. I had always wondered how they did it, but had yet to take the time to look into it. So, last week I finally decided I would, after years of considering it, figure out how to put a survey on my site.

My final result was my Reader Survey. (if you haven't already done so, would you mind taking a few minutes and completing the survey here. Thanks!)

Putting together my survey was much easier than I expected. I simply headed over to Google Docs to begin. I selected the Create New button and chose Form from the drop down list. This brought up a blank form. I could start with a title. Then, for each question, I simply entered a question, could add help text for the question, and selected a question type (text, paragraph text, multiple choice, check boxes, choose from a list, scale or grid). Most of my questions were check boxes. This type of question allowed for multiple answers to questions. With check boxes, I got to enter each of my potential answers and could even check select other, which gave an other check box and an accompanying text box for the entry of other. Then, select Done and you got to see how the question would look. After entering all of the questions, I simply Saved. Then, I clicked the More Actions button, and selected embed. This gave me some html text to copy and place in my post.

Once my post was up, readers could enter their responses and they populated to a spreadsheet that only I have access to. I could see the responses by selecting that form from the Google Docs page. Of course, you can also make your document public, if you had something that you wanted to share with everyone.

I really was amazed at how easy it was to create and embed a Google Doc in my blog. Have you tried Google Docs or another on-line document program to do surveys or share documents? How did it work?