Minions! - Giveaway #MinionsandGenMills

No compensation was received for this post. A gift pack, information about the partnership, and the giveaway package have been provided by General Mills. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.
At my house, we have been anxiously awaiting the release of Minions. So much so, that we already have the movie time scheduled on our calendar. In fact, yesterday, while at work, I received a text from my husband with information on what times we could see the movie, pretty much as soon as the schedule for the weekend box office was up.

We have been fans of the Minions since we first met them in the Despicable Me. Last year, I made these cute Minion Valentine's Day 'cards' for my daughter to take to school:

You can check out this exclusive Minions movie trailer from General Mills for a special sneak peak of one the summer’s biggest premieres:

Just in time for their new movie to take the summer box office, General Mills has teamed up with the Minions to offer exclusive Minions Buddies in every specially marked box of General Mills cereals!

General Mills is once again connecting fans with what they love. Hidden inside each box, you will find one of six select Minions Buddies about to hit the big screen.

Minions and cereal fans alike can collect all six Buddies in each participating brand of General Mills cereals, including Honey Nut Cheerios, Banana Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese’s Puffs, Trix and Golden Grahams. The specially marked boxes of Big G cereals hit store shelves this month, for a limited time only. General Mills has additionally released specially marked packing of participating Betty Crocker fruit flavored snacks, including Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit by the Foot and Gushers.

Giveaway!
One A Busy Mom of Two reader will win a Minion Prize Pack courtesy of General Mills. Prize pack includes a box of a participating General Mills cereal, a box of a participating Betty Crocker fruit flavored snack, an exclusive Minions Buddy and a $25 Fandango gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Giveaway will remain open through July 19th and is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will be contacted by e-mail and will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. A gift pack, information about the partnership, and the giveaway package have been provided by General Mills. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family. The recipe is from my personal collection.

Star Wars Vintage Posters - Big G cereals

No compensation was received for this post. A gift pack, information about the partnership, and the giveaway package have been provided by General Mills. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.
My son is a bag fan of Star Wars, probably because my husband is a fan and has shared those movies with my son. With the upcoming launch of the new movie later this year, my daughter is looking forward to watching all of the movies with my husband and son, as they 'count down' to the new movie.

At our house, cereal is something that we enjoy on a regular basis. Not only is it our go to for breakfast most mornings, but we also have been known to enjoy a bowl of cereal for dinner and even as a snack. But, beyond that, I have several meals and snacks that I prepare using cereal as an ingredient.

So, when General Mills reached out to share about how they have teamed up with Star Wars to offer vintage movie posters in specially marked boxes of Big G cereals, I was excited to have the opportunity to participate in the promotion. We received a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Reese's Puffs. The next morning, shortly after arriving at work, I received a text from my son asking if they could open the new boxes of cereal. Of course, I told him he could and asked that he leave it on the counter, rather than putting it away. We lucked out and got two different posters - I was disappointed that they were from the 'newer' movies and not the original trilogy...maybe in the next box!

Cereal Crusted Chicken
canola oil for frying
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups cereal
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Slice chicken breasts into long slices, like chicken fingers. Crush the cereal (or put through the food processor) and place in a baggie or on a plate. Combine egg and milk. Place flour in a baggie or on a plate. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Preheat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Dredge each piece of chicken, first in the flour, then the egg mixture and then coat with cereal. Fry the chicken for about 4 minutes per side, being sure to cook through.

We enjoyed this last week served with a mustard sauce and a side of oven baked potato wedges. The chicken has a nice caramelized, crunchy delivery - it is a kid favorite. Kix has been a favorite cereal for this recipe in the past, but I think that next time I will try it with Cinnamon Toast Crunch...I think the cinnamon would give it a nice flavor.

General Mills and Star Wars are teaming up to offer exclusive vintage movie posters in every specially marked box of General Mills cereals!

General Mills is once again connecting fans with what they love. Hidden inside each box, you will find one of six timeless movie posters featuring your favorite Star Wars films.

Star Wars and cereal fans alike can collect all six classic posters in each participating brand of General Mills cereals, including Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios, Trix, Cookie Crisp and Reese’s Puffs. The specially marked boxes of Big G cereals hit store shelves this month, for a limited time only.

Check out the #CerealWars Tumblr page that launched this week for more fan fun surrounding the General Mills and Star Wars partnership.

Giveaway!

Courtesy of General Mills, one A Busy Mom of Two Reader will win 2 boxes of participating General Mills cereals and an exclusive Star Wars vintage movie poster. It is open to US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through May 10th and is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will be contacted by e-mail and will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.


No compensation was received for this post. A gift pack, information about the partnership, and the giveaway package have been provided by General Mills. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family. The recipe is from my personal collection.

Apple Cinnamon Chex deal!

I needed to pick up some ingredients for the salad that we were bringing to dinner at our friends' house tonight, so I decided to do my grocery shopping a day earlier than normal. I mapped out my menu and created a list, but didn't look at the ad. It was sort of strange shopping without knowing if there were any specials I should stock up on.

We seem to go through a good amount of cereal, so I always check the cereal aisle for deals. I was looking to see if Chex cereal was on sale this week, because I had a coupon with me and the kids enjoy it. I was surprised to see that just the Apple Cinnamon Chex were on sale, not any of the other varieties. I actually had two coupons so I grabbed two boxes.

Deal:
2 - Apple Cinnamon Chex @ $1.49/each

-$.50 Chex IP (from coupons.com - not sure if they are still available)
-$.50 double coupon
-$.50 Chex IP
-$.50 double coupon

Total OOP $.98 for TWO boxes of Apple Cinnamon Chex!

Of course, I used my Foodperks today too, which saved me 5%...so actually, I guess it was more like $.93 for two boxes.

On another note, I was sad to see that they had replaced their coffee bar with some machines, because they had to make room for draft beer. I missed being able to have a frozen coffee or a mocha while I shop. The cappuccino was tasty, but not quite the same experience (although, considerably cheaper).

Cereal Muffin Mix

Inspired by Big G cereal favorites Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, and Reese’s Puffs.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through September 12th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.


No compensation was received for this post. The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Crayola & General Mills BTS at Target - #giveaway

Have you been busy doing back to school shopping? We have been at my house. It actually started back in early July for me, when I started to do some uniform shopping online. Then came the early school supply ads that we would pick up while we were out. Now, it is down to finding those things we don't yet have on our teacher supplied supply lists, the missing pieces of clothes and shoes and preparing the pantry for back to school snacks, lunches and breakfast (the kids eat at Daycare most days in the summer).

Just yesterday, we stopped by Target to pick up some supplies - loose leaf paper, pens, lunch supplies, disinfectant wipes and more. One of the things that we picked up were General Mills Cereals that feature a fun coloring activity on pack and coupons to save up to $5 on Crayola products (available exclusively at Target). We grabbed Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch - they were on sale for $2.99 a pack and we had $.50 coupons for each that are available online (coupons.com).

"With only a few short weeks before school bells chime and you’re back in your weekday morning routines, now is the perfect time to stock up on your kids’ school supplies and on-the-go breakfast favorites. With Crayola® and General Mills teaming up at your local Target, you’ll be sure to pass back-to- school prep with flying colors!

Available exclusively at Target Stores during the month of August:

- Purchase specially marked Nature Valley® Crunchy Granola Bars, Pillsbury® Toaster Strudel® Pastries, and Big G Cereal packages and you could save up to $5 on Crayola products
- Participating Big G cereal boxes will feature a fun Crayola coloring activity on pack
- Save on General Mills products when you purchase specially marked Crayola 64-CT Crayons

This back-to-school season will be as easy as 1-2-3 with a little help from General Mills, Crayola, and Target, the one-stop-shop for all your back-to-school needs! Head to the front of the class and check out www.GrocerySavvy.com where you’ll find even more coupons for back-to-school, recipes, and a special 2012 “Grocery Savvy Crayola® Back To School” Sweepstakes! Be sure to enter the sweepstakes for your chance to win one of the 700 Crayola® 8-count Washable Dry Erase Crayons or one of 20 Crayola® Dry-Erase Activity Centers Zany Play Edition."

Giveaway:

Courtesy of General Mill, Target and Crayola, through MyBlogSpark, I have the opporutnity to give away to one A Busy Mom of Two a Back to School Gift Pack, which includes:
A box of Cheerios
$20 Target gift card
8-CT Crayola Dry-Erase Crayons

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through September 10th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.


No compensation was received for this post. The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by Crayola, Target, and General Mills through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Quaker Oatmeal Squares - free sample

I mentioned I was doing a couple of BzzCampaigns, here is a chance for you to try the product that I am Bzz-ing about. Quaker Oatmeal Squares. My kids love this cereal. I love that it is good for them, even if they don't know it!

"But in fact, all four flavors, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Golden Maple and New Honey Nut Quaker® Oatmeal Squares, are heart healthy* and deliver 46 grams of whole grains (that's 96%** of your minimum daily recommendation of whole grains), 5 grams of dietary fiber and 6 grams of protein per serving. Great taste that's great for you? That's pretty darn great. Welcome to the table, Quaker® Oatmeal Squares!

*3 grams of oat soluble fiber when part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may help reduce the risk of heart disease. This product has 1 gram."

You can request a free sample here through Quaker's Facebook page.

No compensation was received for this post. I received product and coupons to share, as well as information about the product through the BzzCampaign as a BzzAgent. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Big G Curvy Straws - a giveaway

My kids love straws. Of course, from their perspective, the more fancy the better. A bendy straw is better than a straight straw, a wacky straw with bends and loops is even better than a curvy straw.

When they first saw the new colorful, curvy straws that are available in specially marked passages of Big G cereals, they were very excited. You can use just one or connect them all.

"Did you know that simply drinking the leftover milk from cereal bowls may help kids work towards fulfilling their body’s daily dairy, calcium, and Vitamin D needs? And what better way to slurp down to the bottom of the bowl than with the new Curvy Straws, available in-pack of specially marked boxes of Big G cereal! With these collectable, connectable Curvy Straws, children of all ages can enjoy mixing and matching to build bigger, colorful straws all while helping them work towards stronger bones and muscles through increased calcium intake!

Be sure to collect all six different colorful straws featuring beloved Big G cereal characters
- Participating Big G cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms®(16 oz.), Reese’s® Puffs (18 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Trix®(14.8 oz) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz)
- Made with more whole grain than any other ingredient, Big G cereal, combined with a ½ cup of milk, can help provide a great start to your family’s day

Whether you use one or connect them all, the fun with Big G Curvy Straws doesn’t have to stop when you reach the end of the bowl. Simply grab another serving of ice cold milk, and slurp away!"

Personally, I love to drink the milk from my cereal bowl. Especially if I have a fun cereal like Cocoa Puffs or Cinnamon Toast Crunch that leave behind a bit of the cereal flavor in the milk - yum! (Although, I just drink it right up, no straw required for me).

Wanting to pick up some boxes today? You can head here to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off of the purchase of (2) boxes of participating Big G cereal.

Giveaway
Thanks to Big G Cereals, through MyBlogSpark, one A Busy Mom of Two reader will win a Big G Curvy Straws prize pack.

The prize pack contains:
1 box of a participating Big G cereal
1 Curvy Straw
1 ‘spilt’ milk bowl
2 glow cups
2 tangle toys


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Giveaway will remain open through May 3rd. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. Prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Kmart Cereal Deal - 3/5

I don't often shop at Kmart, but I always scan their ad just to see what they are offering, because I am usually near one at least once a week. This week, I was excited to see a deal on Kellogg's cereal.

Here's what I got:

5 boxes Kellogg's Cereals
1 8ct box Kellogg's PopTarts

-$5 $5/$5 Kellogg's Cereal IP (was available a few weeks ago)
-FREE PopTarts wyb 4 Kellogg's Cereals Shop My Way Rewards offer

Total $5 OOP. The receipt says that I saved $10.64.

Does anyone know if the free PopTarts deal is a limit of one? With the new $4/4 coupon that is available, I could go back and get 4 boxes of cereal and PopTarts for only $4 OOP.

Big G Star Wars - Giveaway

What’s better than watching the epic first episode of the Star Wars Saga? Watching it in 3D with your fellow Jedis, of course! From the thrilling Podraces to the final lightsaber battle, you can enjoy Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace like you never have before. This February, General Mills Big G cereals want to help celebrate the 3D launch by featuring collectable Star Wars pens in-pack of participating cereals.
• Collect all eight exclusive Star Wars pens that feature iconic Episode I characters including: Anakin Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi, Queen Amidala, Yoda, R2D2, C3PO, Jar Jar Binks and Darth Maul
• Participating Big G cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (12.8 oz.), Lucky Charms®(11.5 oz.), Reese’s® Puffs (13 oz.), Cheerios® (14 oz.), and Cookie Crisp® (11.25 oz)
• In theaters February 10, 2012 you can catch all the action and adventure and relive how the saga began in eye-popping 3D
You won’t have to go to a galaxy far, far away to bring the force to your breakfast table. Simply purchase any participating Big G cereal and begin your search for all eight collectable pens! Each Big G cereal is made with whole grain and is an excellent source of calcium, so your younglings will have everything they need to start the day off right!

My son is a bag fan of Star Wars. He has seen all of the movies and watches the Clone Wars cartoon on TV as well. I knew when the Big G Star Wars prize pack arrived at the house, he would be very excited. I should have known that my daughter, who has seen none of the Star Wars movies yet, would be equally excited - because anything that her brother likes, she likes too. I'm not sure sometimes why I even bother to ask what she wants, it will most likely be whatever her brother has.

So, the morning after the prize kit arrived, the pens were all sitting on the counter, along with the cereal. We got a box of Cookie Crisp, which is a cereal that I had never before bought, so of course there was a great excitement to try the cereal and to open the pens. The kids each chose one pen that they wanted and opened them. Then, we opened the box of cereal so that my son could have a bowl and my daughter could pack a small snack to eat on the way to school.

The next day, as my daughter was sitting in back of van, out of nowhere she says to me "Mom, you know what?" (she actually says that a lot!). "I really like the R2D2 pen. There is no clicker. So, you don't have to waste time clicking the pen to be able to use it." So, there you have it - they are cute, fun and they save you time!

The cereals are currently available in store, my son was anxious to buy more of the Cookie Crisp today since it was a fun, new cereal to him and because there are still two of the pens that we are missing. I wasn't prepared with coupons to purchase the cereal, so I told him he would have to wait until next time we headed to the store.

You can check out the Star Wars Trailer and visit the General Mills Big G page.

Giveaway!

prize pack will contain:
2 Boxes of Big G cereal
4 Star Wars character pens
Star Wars sticker sheet
Star Wars magnets

Read More>>

Whole Grains First Ingredient - giveaway

I know that I have said more than once that I really enjoy cereal. To me, it is great for breakfast, snack or even dinner (although, certainly not every day!). In fact, my kids even know that I like cereal for dinner and will sometimes request it when I am unsure of the dinner plan (or if something didn't work out as planned). I like a lot of different cereals and have been eating many of them for years. Fortunately for me, my habit of eating cereal seems to be getting better for me as the cereal companies have been working to improve the healthiness of their products in recent years.

Take, for example, the changes that General Mills has made, updating their products and offering many of their cereals with whole grains in the first ingredient.

They've even made it easier for the consumer to find, but marking them with the white check mark.

Ringing in the New Year often means new eating habits. We know whole grain is important to you, and the Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing products with a whole grain listed as the first ingredient. Now every cereal with the white check has more whole grain than any other single ingredient with the same great taste. You will see “whole grain” as a part of the first ingredient on the ingredient list, indicating that whole grain is the first and most prevalent ingredient.

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of “The Doctors,” identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for nutritional cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting enough whole grain. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words “whole grain” are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here’s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient:

With all the health messages facing grocery store shoppers, it can be confusing to translate what appears on food labels into nutritional needs, and hard to determine which foods have a meaningful amount of whole grain. Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet.

They include:
Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day’s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.

Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.

Don’t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don’t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.

To help with choosing products with whole grain, General Mills developed “Fast Lane for Whole Grain,” an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check.




Make a commitment to add more whole grain to your diet by simply pouring a bowl of cereal with the white check including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Total®.

For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the “Fast Lane for Whole Grain” sweepstakes, visit www.WholeGrainNation.com.

Want to pick up some Whole Grains First cereal? Click here for a coupon that is good for $1.75 / 2 boxes.

Giveaway!

General Mills, through MyBlogSpark is providing a Whole Grains First Prize pack to one A Busy Mom of Two reader.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will remain open through February 19. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. A Whole Grains First Prize pack and information was provided by General Mills and MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Giant Eagle Deals - 1/8

Did you happen to print out the coupons from Coupons.com that I shared the other day? If so, and you live near Giant Eagle, you can pick up some great deals this week.

Here is what I picked up today:

2 - Frosted Toast Crunch (@4/$10)
4 - Dulce de Leche Cheerios (@4/$10)
4 - Peanut Butter Cheerios (@4/$10)

-$.75 Frosted Toast Crunch IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Frosted Toast Crunch IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Dulce de Leche Cheerios IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Dulce de Leche Cheerios IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Dulce de Leche Cheerios IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Dulce de Leche Cheerios IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Peanut Butter Cheerios IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Peanut Butter Cheerios IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Peanut Butter Cheerios IP
-$.75 double
-$.75 Peanut Butter Cheerios IP
-$.75 double

Total $10 for 10 boxes of cereal. One dollar a box is a pretty good price for cereal. Now, I didn't actually do this in one transaction, as according to their official coupon policy you can only use 2 like Internet Printable coupons in a transaction.

I also got a good deal on Cheese:

8 - Kraft Shredded Cheese (@2/$4)

-$.50 $.50/2 Kraft Shredded Cheese IP
-$.50 double
-$.50 $.50/2 Kraft Shredded Cheese IP
-$.50 double
-$.50 $.50/2 Kraft Shredded Cheese IP
-$.50 double
-$.50 $.50/2 Kraft Shredded Cheese IP
-$.50 double

Total $12 for 8 packs of cheese. Used to be that 2/$3 was a sale price, but lately 2/$5 seems to be the deal locally, so getting them at 2/$3 is a pretty good stock up price. Again, I didn't actually do this in one transaction per the coupon policy.

I actually still have a couple of coupons left (I have three computers that I can print from - so 6 of each coupon). I might head back to get more, the Frosted Toast Crunch wasn't available today when I printed my coupons - so I only had the two I printed from my main computer. I think I would like to try the new Cheerios before buying more, but if we try them before Wednesday, I just might head back.

Some New Products

Now, I haven't tried these new products, but when I headed over to coupons.com to print off the great coupon for cheese

SAVE 50¢ on any 2 KRAFT Natural Shredded Cheese products

I noticed some coupons for some new cereal. There was of course

Frosted Toast Crunch

- you can enter to win a prize pack with a box here

But, there were also two new varities of Cheerios that I hadn't seen before -

Dulce de Leche Cheerios® cereal
and
Multi Grain Cheerios® Peanut Butter cereal

Always a fan of Cheerios, I snagged the coupons, I have to check these out (okay, I won't eat the Peanut Butter, but I'm thinking the kids would enjoy it).

Frosted Toast Crunch Cereal

Breakfast cereal is one of my guilty pleasures. I have it not only for breakfast (although usually only on the weekend, during the week I take oatmeal to work), but also for dinner and an evening snack. I guess that the snack occasion has it's roots in having cereal as a snack with my aunts when I would spend the night at my grandma's house as a child. Now, as a grown-up, I love to enjoy a bowl in the evening as a snack. In fact, it meets so many snack criteria - it is full of flavor, it's crunchy, and it's sweet - it might just be one of the best snack options around for me. It can even fulfill a chocolate craving, talk about versatility.

As a result of my affinity for cereal, I am always looking to find new cereals to try and expand my choices. (you should see my cereal cabinet!) So, when I heard about the new Frosted Toast Crunch, I was excited to try it. I like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and I like vanilla, so it seemed like a great flavor combination.

Introducing NEW Frosted Toast Crunch, with the delicious taste of frosted vanilla (artificially flavored), this cereal is totally irresistible. Just one bite of the new Frosted Toast Crunch will send you into breakfast bliss, with each crunch square baked with the delightful taste of frosted vanilla (artificially flavored) and dusted with a delicious dash of cinnamon.
• With 11 grams of whole grain, 9 grams of sugar and a good source of calcium, Frosted Toast Crunch offers a good start to the day
• Crave those new FROSTED crazy squares? They’ll be available in your local grocers early January, just in time for return-to-school

My husband found the cereal to be okay. My kids both enjoyed it very much, even asking if we could buy more when the box ran out. I enjoyed it. I liked the mix of the vanilla and the cinnamon flavors. It is definitely a cereal I would add to my cereal list to pick up when there is a good deal.

Giveaway
One A Busy Mom of Two reader will win a Frosted Toast Crunch Prize pack.

The prize pack contains:
Spilt milk bowl
Lickety spoon
Frosted pitcher
Frosted Toast Crunch cereal

(The Spilt Milk Bowl is sort of fun - it is made of silicone and really looks like a splash of milk. The Lickety spoon looks like a long tongue, sort of a little bit strange.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No compensation was received for this post. A Frosted Toast Crunch Prize pack for my family, information about the product and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Big G Cereal Heroes - Giveaway!

When I was growing up, one of the cartoons that I watched was Super Friends. I can remember watching it regularly. I always liked Wonder Woman and her invisible jet and of course, the Wonder Twins. "Wonder Twins power activate..."

Now, "Big G cereals and DC Comics have joined forces to create a powerful breakfast for you and some of your favorite little sidekicks. Available now, specially marked Big G cereal boxes will feature collectable DC Super Hero comic books starring members from the Justice League, from Batman to Wonder Woman to Green Lantern!

Each box will be packed with action, adventure, and delicious cereal, not to mention a cut-out DC Super Hero mask your child can use to help the Justice League fight crime at breakfast time!

Collect all four comics – there’s one in each specially-marked Big G cereal box - and you’ll instantly be the hero of your house. Participating Big G cereal include; Cinnamon Toast Crunch (17 oz.), Lucky Charms (16 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios (17 oz.), Trix (14.8 oz.), Golden Grahams (16 oz.), Reese’s Puffs(18 oz.) and Cocoa Puffs (16.5 oz.)

Let Big G cereals and DC ENTERTAINMENT feed your family’s bodies and minds while also giving them a super start to their day! Visit www.BigGCerealHeroes.com for more information on Big G cereals and DC Comics."

My son, who is a 3rd grader, is at a juncture in life where he is convinced that reading is boring. I love that as soon as we got the package and found the comics, he was excited to read them and wanted to know if he could have them. His teacher has asked them to read daily as a part of their homework. She said that they could read newspapers, magazines or whatever - as long as they were reading. I also like that he is getting to know the Super Heroes who I watched growing up.

Giveaway!

The prize pack will contain:

1 box of a participating Big G cereal

1 set of the collectable DC Super Hero comic books

1 Green Lantern action figure

To enter: Leave a comment sharing who your favorite DC hero is.

Additional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

Follow ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter.

Tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day. (You may use the following or write your own: Enter to win a Big G Cereal Heroes Prize Pack. @ABusyMomofTwo. Ends 11/15 #myblogspark #giveaway http://bit.ly/t8ycxB)

Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

Like A Busy Mom of Two on Facebook.

Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by posting it on a giveaway link-up. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared or leave a link to the giveaway link-up. You may have one additional entry for each giveaway linky that you submit it on.

Leave a comment with a link to your blog where you have either my button or have a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll.

Giveaway will remain open until November 15 at 6 pm. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One 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. A Big G Cereal Heroes prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills and DC Entertainment through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own or that of my family.

Kroger Deals - 8/7

This weekend, Kroger was having a huge 50% off sale on General Mills and Quaker products (there was a select list included, but many items). When I saw the ad, I knew I should go. I still had some Kroger gift cards that I had planned to use many time, but hadn't had a chance to get there. Of course, since I didn't know about the sale ahead of time, I didn't really have a chance to see if there were any good IPs to use on the sale - I am sure that there were. I had some coupons, but didn't use a coupon for every item like I probably could have with IPs.

I failed to take a picture, so visualize if you will:

2 - Quaker Capn' Crunch
1 - Quaker Cinnamon Life
4 - Lucky Charms
1 - Cinnamon Toast Crunch
2 - Cheerios
2 - Nut Clusters, Almond
4 - Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (Gushers/Roll-ups/Fruit by the Foot)

-$.75 $.75/2 Nut Clusters Mfg coupon
-$.25 double
-$.50 Cheerios mfg coupon
-$.50 double
-$.50 Cheerios mfg coupon
-$.50 double
-$1 $1/2 GM Cereals mfg coupon

Total $22.63 OOP (of course, it was all gift cards, so that pretty much equals FREE!). Not too bad for 10 boxes of cereal, 28 servings of fruit snacks, and 2 bags of nuts.

Now, the Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch were big boxes, the Lucky Charms were smaller. While we were selecting our cereals, a guy walked by and advised that the smaller boxes of Lucky Charms were part of a Catalina deal where you get $4 OYNO when you buy four. This made them a better deal than the larger box I started with and I actually did two separate transactions to use the $4 coupon for part of what I bought. I just wish I had had more coupons for any General Mills Cereal.

Of course, if I had had more coupons, I might have been tempted to buy more and I'm not sure where I would have stored it. My overflow pantry in my basement is already full, so these 10 boxes of cereal are sitting in the box I grabbed from the sale display on top of a tote of clothes in the basement. My husband thinks we need a new storage system to hold everything better - the repurposed entertainment center just isn't doing it.

This post shared at Super Savings Saturday.

Chocolate Cheerios

I love chocolate! I'm sure that I have made that clear many times. It is one of my struggles when I am watching what I eat - I think I crave it (and not just when I stress, although more so when I stress). I have gone out of my way to find chocolate treats that aren't as bad for me so that I can indulge but stay on track. Some of my favorite chocolate treats include a small piece of chocolate, a cup of low fat chocolate milk, a small hot chocolate (hold the whipped cream) and chocolate yogurts. Now, I have a new treat that allows me to get in my daily dose of chocolate without too much guilt: Chocolate Cheerios



I saw them on the front of my Giant Eagle ad a few weeks ago and knew I must try them. As luck would have it, about two days later I got an e-mail from MyBlogSpark inviting me to try Chocolate Cheerios - how could I say no?

Let me start by saying we are big Cheerios fans in my house. We enjoy the original yellow box, the Honey Nut Cheerios, the Frosted Cheerios, the Fruity Cheerios and the Banana Nut Cheerios. On a few occasions, we have had the Apple Cinnamon and the Multi-Grain, but not as often as the others. I like that Cheerios are a good breakfast and a good snack. My kids have been eating them dry since they could pick them up and with milk since they could manage a spoonful of cereal and milk. They are one of my favorite cereals (along with Cocoa Puffs).

When the box arrived, I made the kids wait until Saturday to try it. I don't eat cereal and milk at home during the week, because I don't usually have the time. I was worried that if I let them open it, it would be gone before I got to give it a few tries.

The cereal delivers on the chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. I like that. My kids saw them as a treat (much like they do Fruity Cheerios and Banana Nut Cheerios) because they taste a little sweeter than regular Cheerios, plus let's be honest - they are chocolate and that has to make them special. I like that the Chocolate Cheerios is low in fat and only has 100 calories per serving and that it is made with whole grains (it carries the Whole Grain Guarantee that there are 8g or more per serving).

One of the things that was included in my e-mail was a recipe for Chocolate Cheerios Marshmallow Hearts. Now, if there is one thing besides chocolate that I like it is marshmallows - how could this recipe not be great? I'm thinking that most of the time, I would go with squares, but for Valentine's Day the hearts would certainly be cute. I haven't made it yet, but you can find a copy here if you would like to try it.


Giveaway!

Here is your chance to win your own Chocolate Cheerios Gift pack - including a box of Chocolate Cheerios for you to try yourself, courtesy of Chocolate Cheerios and MyBlogSpark

Primary Entry:
Which variety of Cheerios is your favorite? You can go here to see a full assortment.

Additional Entries:

• Share this giveaway with friends - on your blog, on Facebook or by e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know how you shared.

• Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may complete this entry once per day.

• Follow A Busy Mom of Two. Subscribe to updates in your feed reader or in e-mail. Leave me a comment letting me know that you signed up, or that you already subscribe.

Giveaway will remain open until February 17th at 6 pm. One 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.

I received no compensation for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine. I received one Chocolate Cheerios gift pack for myself and one to giveaway, courtesy of Cheerios and MyBlogSpark.

Cheerios Coupons

Sign up here to receive 4 coupons for $1 off of Cheerios over the next few weeks. You will also be entered to win a free box of Cheerios.

It appears that they are giving away over 50,000 full-size boxes. If you win a free box you will be notified in a few weeks.

GM Cereals

I always like it when I can find a good deal on cereal. We eat a lot of cereal at our house. It is what we have for breakfast each day. My daughter still likes to nibble on a snack cup of cereal when we are out and about. We have even been known on occasion to have it for dinner or for an evening snack.

I admit that I enjoy a snack of cereal...it let's me enjoy a sweet indulgence without guilt. Sure, those pre-sweetened cereals that I consume have sugar in them, but really a single serving bowl with 1/2 c of low fat milk is still only about 200 calories and with the milk, provides me with vitamins and minerals that are important to my health. Sometimes, I use a bowl of cereal to get my chocolate fix in a healthy, low calorie way. (it's only 3 - 4 Points for the bowl)

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

I was excited to hear a few weeks ago that General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals that advertise to kids to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.

Here are a few cereal benefits and facts that MyBlogSpark and General Mills shared:

1. Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet today.

2. Ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters.

3. More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

4. Ready-to-eat cereals, including pre-sweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children’s diets.

5. Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children’s diets.

It's not just an opinion, studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

I received no compensation for this post. I received the information from General Mills and My Blog Spark. I received VIP coupons for free boxes of cereal for my family to enjoy.