Category Archives food glorious food

29.5 pounds of apple picking fun

Dear NHL and JSL,

We were not sure if we would be able to get apple picking this year. The season started early and was close to a lot of the Jewish holidays. Then we had rain and other items crop up. Today the weather was chilly, but the rain held off. At 2:30, we called the apple orchard and found out they still have apples to pick. We jumped into the car and went there as quickly as possible.

Abundance of apples

We had a mission. With only an hour until they closed, we had to pick fast. We did not disappoint, picking 29.5 pounds of apples in less than an hour. It was so much fun watching both of you race around to get apples to add to our bags. When we spotted the pick your own pumpkin patch, both of you were quite upset that we were not able to get one here. The pumpkins were moldy, squishy and did not look like they would make it to Halloween.

No luck at the pumpkin patch

With tears in some eyes, we promised to get one from another location soon. So we went back to apple picking and, before we knew it, we had a bag and a half done and it was time to go.

Picking lots of apples

On the way back, we stopped at another location to get a pumpkin. For $5 we got a really nice one that we will carve one day soon.

Picking our pumpkin

Now, our picking seasons are over. Hopefully, we will get to go strawberry picking in June and make more family memories together.

Love,

Mommy

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If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.

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Kid<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
Saturday

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Smucker’s Uncrustables to the rescue

Swim lessons, school clubs/events, and Hebrew School often mean late dinners where we need to have something quick that the kids will eat. The little guy is especially fussy. Last year while shopping, I saw a grilled cheese Uncrustables variety that we bought. These are great for quick meals at home, but not on the go. Thanks to Mom Central, I heard about the new Smucker’s Uncrustables and signed up for their Blog Tour.

Smucker's Uncrustables Logo

We received a coupon and bought a package of the new PB and grape jelly on whole wheat Uncrustables. I think we would have preferred the ones with strawberry jelly, or perhaps the PB and honey. Still, the grape jelly ones were good. I liked that they were easy to prepare and contain trusted ingredients for my family.

New Varities of Uncrustables

I can already see us getting a package and tossing them in the car for our amusement park trips. It will be a nice easy, cost effective lunch on the go. Since they will defrost while going, they are perfect for road trips and even brown bagging field trip lunches for school. I know we will be buying these again in the future.

We were also sent a coupon for a new product from Smucker’s called Snack’n Waffles.

Smucker's Snack'n Waffles

We have not been able to find these locally yet, but I hope to soon. The waffles are ready in 15 seconds in the microwave and come in the four varities above. Once we try them, I promise to update.

Thank you Smucker’s for helping to make family life a little easier with some items that are convenient for families on the run. 

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Smucker’s and received products  necessary to facilitate my review. In addition to this, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions are 100% mine and in no way influenced.

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New Salads at Wendy’s

Wendy's logo

When I was little, I loved going to Wendy’s with my mother. We would go inside, order a potato and get the salad bar. Of course, salad bars are a thing of the past at Wendy’s. These days, Wendy’s has a wide variety of specialty salads available for people to select from. A short time ago, they introduced four new salads. I was contacted by a PR person representing Wendy’s to review one of their new salads and agreed. They sent me a gift card and asked me to head to the nearest location and order the one that intrigued me the most.

More about the four new Wendy’s Salads

4 New Salads from Wendy's

  • Apple Pecan Chicken Salad – A blend of fresh lettuce and spring mix salad greens, topped with real blue cheese crumbles, U.S. grown, hand-picked Granny Smith and sweet red apple pieces, roasted pecans seasoned with sea salt, cayenne pepper and sugar, dried Ocean Spray cranberries and warm grilled chicken. This salad comes with all natural, preservative-free Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing.
  • BLT Cobb Salad – A blend of fresh lettuce and spring mix salad greens, topped with two strips of Applewood Smoked Bacon, freshly chopped tomatoes, real blue cheese crumbles, chopped hard boiled eggs and warm grilled chicken. This salad is served with all natural, preservative-free creamy Avocado Ranch dressing.
  • Baja Salad – A blend of fresh lettuce and spring mix salad greens, topped with natural cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, guacamole made with Hass avocados, freshly prepared Pico de Gallo, all natural tortilla chips, and Wendy’s famous rich and meaty chili. This salad is served with all natural, preservative-free Creamy Red Jalapeno dressing.
  • Spicy Caesar Salad – A bed of fresh romaine lettuce topped with vine ripened grape tomatoes, natural shaved Asiago cheese, French bread croutons seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and garlic and Wendy’s famous Spicy Chicken. This salad is served with all natural, preservative-free Lemon Garlic Caesar dressing.

Wendy’s new salads are available nationwide at the suggested retail price of $5.99. Prices will vary. For more on the nutritional information, head online to Wendy’s for details.

What I thought:

Confession, I went to Wendy’s alone and took my salad home. After going out for the first time without kids (the little guy was in nursery school), I stopped by Wendy’s with my giftcard to purchase one of the new salads. I knew going in that I was going to order the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad. I had watched on a morning news show that this was a pretty good pick if you are trying to be conscious about your food intake.

The salad traveled well. When I got it home, it looked just like it did when they packed it into the bag at the restaurant. The first thing I did was unpack my items and took some photos. Here is my lunch: 

My Salad

I was most excited to try the Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing. It did not disappoint. It was light, tangy and just sweet enough. It complimented the different types of greens, blue cheese, pecans, chicken, dried cranberries, and apples perfectly. It was not too heavy and once I mixed it up I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of the time, I am a romaine lettuce person, but I really thought the mix of salad greens in this were nice. Nothing was biter, too leafy and my children probably would have tried it.

Next time I head to Wendy’s, I know what I will be buying. The best thing is that I can now go to their online nutritional guide and personalize my salad to see calories, fat, fiber and other details the way I decide to eat my salad. If I leave off the pecans, I know what it will do. This is extremely nice and helpful to those on Weight Watchers and other programs.

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: I received a Wendy’s giftcard complimentary of Wendy’s in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own.

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Lunch at CiCi’s Pizza with Mom

Dear NHL and JSL,

I think the two of you have a new favorite restaurant that you both agree on. Recently, a CiCi’s Pizza opened up near us. We had heard about them from other people, but had never gone. I met the two of you and Daddy there the weekend I was busy working on some writing. NHL, you liked it so much that you asked to head back there a few days later on your actual 7th birthday. We obliged and did not have the best experience.

CiCi's Pizza

Friday, I wanted to do something a little special with the two of you. It was the last Friday of our summer vacation together. I had to get some shopping done for TJ’s birthday party today, so I asked if you wanted to go to an early lunch. I think I shocked both of you when I suggested going to CiCi’s. I have never seen the two of you go so quickly. We arrived there at about 11:15 and did really well.

It was not crowded, but I still wanted to sit close to the action. When we went up to get pizza, the first thing I noticed was none of your favorites were there. I quickly requested a Mac & Cheese pizza. We were able to find some pineapple pizza for NHL and a slice of Alfredo pizza for JSL to hold you both over. Finally, the Mac & Cheese pizza was ready and you were both SO happy.

Pizza Time

It was a nice afternoon out with my boys. I can not wait to do more fun things in the week ahead before school starts back up.

Love,

Mommy

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If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.

Dear<br<br /><br /><br /><br />
/><br /><br /><br /><br />
Kid<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
Saturday

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Birthday Party Foods

Just days before NHL’s family birthday party (this past Sunday), I still had no menu for the lunch we were going to be serving people. Sure, I had ideas of what we needed to feed the kids. Still, the exact menu did not fully come together until we went shopping on Friday afternoon. We went to BJ’s and I found cheese tortellini, suddenly the main dish was before me. Here is a view of the foods on the table:

Birthday party foods of choice

 

We made the tortellini with lots of veggies and sauce on them. In addition to this, we had cut up veggies and dip, Baked Scoops and a bean dip that Katie blogged about (we added fake taco meat), soy meatballs, macarroni and cheese, and some pizza to bake. Please note that because of people that keep kosher (including TechyDad), we do dairy foods and meat substitutes to have cake later on. Everyone seemed to like it.

Then, it was time for cake. Sad to admit, the cake that NHL asked me to bake literally fell apart Sunday morning as I was decorating it. It tasted great, but I quickly recalled why I do not like making layer cakes.

Cake Fail

TechyDad took NHL out to buy another cake to put on the table, along with the egg free one for my niece. These are the goodies that we had for everyone, along with the failed layer cake that everyone also enjoyed.

Birthday Goodies

Anyone else think that the balloons on the cake (especially on the right), look like something out of a biology lesson?!

So this week I ask you:

When you plan a birthday party, what do you like to serve people to eat?

If you are a fan of The Wiggles or know someone that is, be sure to enter my giveaway for their new DVD. For another chance, stop by TechyDad’s blog as well. I am also giving away a $25 gift card to Sock4Life, so please leave a comment or two there for another great prize.

TheAngelForever

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An<br<br /><br /><br /><br />
/><br /><br /><br /><br />
Island<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
Life

Aloha #114

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