New Crystal Light Liquid

I am trying to lead a healthier lifestyle and one aspect of that is making sure that I drink plenty of water. Generally, I love water and have no problem drinking it, but after a while, you want something with flavor and from my vantage point, some meals simply just don't go well with plain water. Take pizza for example, maybe it is because it is one of the few meals that I associate with soda, but plain water never seems quite right with pizza. I just need some sort of a flavor, something other than plain water. With new Crystal Light Liquid, I can enjoy a flavorful, 0-calorie drink.

Crystal Light is excited to announce a fabulous new addition to its drink mixes – 0-calorie Crystal Light Liquid Drink Mix. With delicious Crystal Light Liquid, you don’t have to sacrifice. You can have the best of both worlds – breakthrough flavor with 0 calories. The portable drink mix comes in six delicious flavors and makes it easier than ever for women to indulge their taste buds without the calories.

Available in Strawberry Lemonade, Blueberry Raspberry, Iced Tea, Mango Passionfruit, Peach Bellini and Pomtini flavors, Crystal Light Liquid puts a new, modern twist on the classics.

Crystal Light Liquid is available in 1.62 fl. oz. multi-serve bottles with 24 servings

Crystal Light Liquid is:
- 0 calories
- Sugar free
- Sweetened with a blend of non-nutritive sweeteners
- Gluten free

I tried both the Peach Bellini and the Mango Passionfruit flavors. I enjoyed both of them. I think that next I will try the Blueberry Raspberry or the Strawberry Lemonade.

I will say that I was a little bummed at first that the Crystal Light Liquid Peach Bellini didn't have the same sparkle that I get from their Crystal Light Mocktails Peach Bellini. I still love the flavor though, and I found the solution in the Mixology recipe section on the Crystal Light Liquid page:

Virgin Peach Bellini

Ingredients:

1 squeeze Crystal Light Liquid Peach Bellini
8 oz chilled sparkling water

A festive cocktail-esque drink without the guilt.

I also really like how easy they are to take with you. The little bottles are the perfect size to fit in your purse, for a shot of flavor in your beverage on the go.

Have you tried new Crystal Light Liquid? What is your favorite flavor?

No compensation was received for this post. A sample of Crystal Light Liquid and information about the product was provided by Kraft for the purposes of this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Ellie by PV Body - save 20%!

The other night I was watching the Biggest Loser. It was Makeover week and I noticed that along with makeover week, they start wearing different stuff at weigh in. The men have stopped taking off their shirts and the women have switched from saggy, baggy to fitted. The thing that is most noticeable is how much better they look.

It got me to thinking how much better I feel when I am wearing clothes that fit right. When I wear saggy, baggy clothes, I tend to have a lower body image. Now that is not something that happens or that I think about when I am relaxing at home, but I do think about it when I am going out, going to work, or working out.

Last month I mentioned that I had gotten some new work out clothes through PV Body. At the time, they were sending outfits from assorted lines, but now they have launched their own line called Ellie. Now that I work out in a group exercise class several times a week and walk on a fully lit track, I feel that I need to wear clothes that are both comfortable and fit. The clothes that I received from their February collection are just that.

The pants were a pair of black capris with a bright pink waist band - they hit me mid-waist and are fairly fitted. That is a good thing - I have a pair of capris that are really flared and I always manage to catch my water bottle on my pants leg during spinning class, which sends the water bottle across the room and leaves me having to clamor off the bike to retrieve it during recovery. In general, I like the way that a fitted pant also helps me remember to pull my abs in while walking or running. It helps me maintain my posture. Plus, I feel like the fitted pants show off my curves - sure they are more generous than I prefer, but I feel better about me when the clothes are fitted (fitted not tight).

photo courtesy of PVBody

The shirt is perhaps one of the softest workout shirts that I own - I love it. It is a soft pink color. It is a longer cut - that works for me, shirts that are too short make me look extra wide - because they make me look straight from the top to the hip. Again, the shirt I chose is a little bit fitted - not tight, fitted. I really like it. It seems to move with me and doesn't get twisted or pull up as a work out. Having worked out in front of a mirror now, I realize that some of my less fitted shirts seem to leave me with skin showing when I am stretching and doing some of the exercises.

Ellie is "a fitness apparel brand that marries fashion and quality!" Join their Fit Fashionista Club and for only $49.95 / month (click here when you sign up and Save 20% on Ellie! - making it only $39.96). With the Fit Fashonista Club you receive two pieces (any price) from that month's collection. Order by the 7th of each month to choose your own, or they will select an outfit for you. Of course, you can always buy pieces on their own, without joining the club.

I love that they update their designs each month and because they are their own designs, I have less chance of finding myself wearing the same workout clothes as the woman next to me (that happened one time at Zumba - I felt a little uncomfortable, because of course, I felt that their outfit fit them better that mine did). I also like that their clothes wash up well, they are washer and dryer friendly.

Why don't you check out Ellie and find workout clothes for your style and fitness activities.

Want to check out their product line for yourself and get 20% off? Use this link to learn more and

Save 20% on Ellie!

No compensation was received for this post. I am an Ellie Ambassador. When you sign up through my link, I will get a credit for your purchase. I was provided with a set of workout clothes, so that I could share my honest opinion on the product. All opinions are my own or that of my family.

Cooking Planit Spice Giveaway!

How would you like a chance to win an awesome Cooking Planit spice set that includes 26 of the most commonly used spices that has a retail value of over $100? Now, what if I told you that you will have 50 chances to win? The good news, starting March 4th you will! My giveaway will be going live on March 14th, but every day for the next 25 days, there will be two new giveaways starting across the blogosphere.

The Cooking Planit Spice Giveaway is an unbelievable promotion sponsored by the great people at Cooking Planit. They're giving 50 spice sets to foodie, mommy and tech bloggers to give away to their readers in any way that they would like, and two sets will be given away each day for 25 days with the first contests starting on March 6th. Each giveaway will run for 7 days, with the winner announced on Day 8.

What is Cooking Planit?

Cooking Planit has a website featuring many recipes and meals (the photography is great and makes me want to try a lot of the recipes). Cooking Planit is also available as a free app for your iPad or iPhone, so you can plan on the run - who hasn't been at the store trying to make an adjustment to the meal plan because there is a great deal on something. Think of Cooking Planit as your very own Personal Kitchen Assistant!

• Simplified Meal Planning - choose 'pre-set' meals or choose a few recipes that you want to try.
• Build your menu and it will put together your shopping list.
• Guided Cooking Steps, it even helps align all of your dishes so that they finish at the same time (I know I could use that when I host a Thanksgiving or other group meal)
• Cloud Sync – Sync your account across the web, your iPhone and iPad


What's included in the spice set?

Top 26 Spices Every Kitchen Should:


Photo by Emily Wilson

• Ground Cumin
• Basil
• Saigon Cinnamon
• Bay Leaves
• Smoked Paprika
• Thyme
• Garlic Powder
• Mediterranean Oregano
• Onion Powder
• Rosemary
• Nutmeg Powder
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Coriander Powder
• Cayenne Pepper
• Ground Cloves
• Chinese Five Spice
• Turmeric
• Curry Powder
• Yellow Mustard
• Pennsylvania Pepper
• Cardamon Powder
• Cajun Seasoning
• Allspice Powder
• Hill Country Chili Powder
• Ginger Root Powder
• Manzanillo Mexico Seasoning

How do the contests work?
Each participating site will run their own unique 7-day contest with a winner being announced on the eighth day. That’s 50 total contests and 50 chances to win!

As you will see below, the giveaway that I am hosting will begin on March 14th. So, check back next Thursday for details. In the meantime, be sure to check out these other blogs for details during their contest period and 49 other chances to win.

Below is a matrix of participating blogs:

2013 GIVEAWAY PARTICIPANTS:
	Start	Stop	Flight 1	Flight 2
1	3/6/13	3/12/13	Sophistishe	Field and Feast
2	3/7/13	3/13/13	The Wicked Noodle	The Cooking Planit Blog
3	3/8/13	3/14/13	The Aliso Kitchen	Slow Down & Savor
4	3/9/13	3/15/13	Chicago Foodie Sisters	Jessiker Bakes
5	3/10/13	3/16/13	My Happily Ever After the End	The Food Yenta
6	3/11/13	3/17/13	Notes from Maggie’s Farm	Food Fash
7	3/12/13	3/18/13	My Kitchen Addictions	What Jew Wanna Eat
8	3/13/13	3/19/13	Bite Sized Blog	Nicole’s Nickels
9	3/14/13	3/20/13	A Busy Mom of Two	Food Squeeze
10	3/15/13	3/21/13	Kasey’s Kitchen	Kitchen Concoctions
11	3/16/13	3/22/13	Daily Ups & Pounds	Lisa Cooking
12	3/17/13	3/23/13	Ditch the Box	Huppie Mama
13	3/18/13	3/24/13	Hungry Hutch	Food Fetish
14	3/19/13	3/25/13	Cook the Blog	Three Diets. One Dinner
15	3/20/13	3/26/13	Sugarfoot Eats	Gear Live
16	3/21/13	3/27/13	CopyKat Recipes	The Mouthy Housewives
17	3/22/13	3/28/13	Burnt Apple	The Butterfly Mom
18	3/23/13	3/29/13	The Mama Report	Ancestral Chef
19	3/24/13	3/30/13	A Food Centric Life	We Like To Cook!
20	3/25/13	3/31/13	Dixie Chik Cooks	Baby Boomster
21	3/26/13	4/1/13	Unorganized Mommy of 3	Much Ado About Fooding
22	3/27/13	4/2/13	Better with Butter	The Primlani Kitichen
23	3/28/13	4/3/13	Mother Would Know	California Country Gal
24	3/29/13	4/4/13	Yi Reservation	NY Foodgasm
25	3/30/13	4/5/13	ME Redone	Creative Cullinary

Don’t want to wait, you can buy your own custom spice set from Spices Inc.






No compensation was received for this post. Cooking Planit has provided information for this post and will be providing the Spice set for the giveaway.