food glorious food | The Angel Forever

Category Archives food glorious food

Simply Go-Gurt – Review/Giveaway.com

Posted on July 6, 2010 12:34 pm by TheAngelForever

My boys love yogurt. Last summer, my little guy really liked Go-Gurt, even for a frozen treat. When I mentioned this to our doctor, she was not thrilled. She said that although it was fabulous that he was eating yogurt., she did not think the sugar content was a good choice. I went home I looked and sure enough, it was pretty high for a regular purchase item. We stopped buying Go-Gurt and the kids were not happy.

Earlier this spring, I was contacted by MyBlogSpark to participate in a Simply Go-Gurt review and giveaway. I was intrigued because the new Simply Go-Gurts were in the same fun form as the ones we had tried, but they contained less sugar.

More information about Simply Go-Gurt:

New Simply… Go-Gurt is made from simple ingredients moms look for and contains no high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors or flavors. Each convenient portable yogurt tube contains a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Simply stated, Simply… Go-Gurt is a good-for-you, low fat yogurt snack that you can feel good about giving to your kids.

New Simply… Go-Gurt is available in two kid-friendly flavors, Strawberry and Mixed Berry.

Simply Go-Gurt can be found in grocery stores nation wide. I will admit that we had some difficulty trying to find them a few months ago, but now they are stocked in almost every store that we have locally. Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I have a cute little widget below. The first 30 people to click on it will receive a coupon for a free package of Simply Go-Gurt. After that, you can print off a $1.00 off coupon.

Please note that the coupon offer for the free SImply Go-Gurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Lousiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.

What we thought:

When our package arrived, the boys loved everything inside (see giveaway photo below). When we went shopping, they helped us to look for the new Simply Go-Gurt . Once we brought it home, NHL and JSL wanted to dig right in.

NHL (6) loved the Simply Go-Gurt. He immediately said that he likes how fun they are to eat in the squeeze tube. He had no problem at all eating one and begging for a second. He also mentioned to us that it was not new. I guess that is a great endorsement. NHL clearly did not miss the high fructose corn syrup or colors and enjoyed the new Simply Go-Gurt.

The little guy, JSL (just 3), asked for a little assistance with his Simply Go-Gurt. He did not want any to get all over since he liked the taste. After he tried to do it solo, he asked for help to maximize what got into his mouth and minimize loss to a mess. It is important to note that JSL NEVER asks for help unless it is something he really likes and wants to make sure nothing is wasted. When he finished up the first and a second (like his big brother), JSL asked for another and we had to cut him off. We told them they would be there for another day.

NHL was nice enough to let me try a little of his, JSL refused to share. I liked the taste as well. It was still sweet, but not overly sweet like the original Go-Gurt had been. The biggest thing I noticed was the color was not shocking and bright like regular Go-Gurt (we can live without bright blue tongues). Kudos to Yoplait for making this option for kiids. This is definitely a step in the right direction to have options for children that do not have HFCS and added colors. I know we will definitely be buying more and likely will have some in the freezer for quick frozen snacks this summer.

Giveaway:

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Yoplait, one lucky reader will win a Yoplait Simply Go-Gurt "Simplify Your Life" gift pack like the one I received below. This includes a coupon to try Simply Go-Gurt, a pocket Etch a Sketch, weekly planner and a seat back organizer. . . perfect for upcoming summer trips. Please note that the coupon offer for the free Simply Go-Gurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Lousiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: Share a wholesome snacking tip that makes your child(ren) smile.

The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comments for each that you complete below to make sure you get the right number of entries.

1 Bonus Entry – Share a simple truth about being a parent.
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Simply Go-Gurt Giveaway in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use):
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of June/July. Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done only twice per person.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and leave a link with the location. Be sure to give yourself 3 comments for credit.
5 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 5 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today July 6 and ends at 10:59 EST on July 14, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure: This review and giveaway was made possible by My Blog Spark and Yoplait. They provided me with the gift pack and coupon to purchase a package of Simply Go-Gurt. The opinions of this review were mine and I received no other compensation.

Categories:
food glorious food giveaway jsl nhl photos Product review

Great Greek Grub

Posted on June 30, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

A view of our meal at the Greek restaurant near TechyDad’s parents. LOVE their food and wish we had a Greek place near us.

Categories:
food glorious food jsl road trip weekend Wordless Wednesday yummy

Frosty for a good cause on Father’s Day 2010

Posted on June 14, 2010 4:43 pm by TheAngelForever

Last year, I heard about the Wendy’s Father’s Day Frosty Weekend thanks to a blog tour that I was a part of. I also wrote about it to let all of you know about this fun and delicious event that goes to a wonderful cause.

With Father’s Day weekend just around the corner, Wendy’s is trying to get the word out that they are doing it again. Here is more information:

Over the past four years, Wendy’s has started a tradition on Father’s Day weekend. They have what they call Father’s Day Frosty Weekend where they donate 50 cents from each Frosty sale to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Once again, this Father’s Day weekend (June 19-20), they will be holding this event at all Wendy’s. The money that is raised will go to the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. This fund assists full-time adoption recruiters at local agencies across the United States. These recruiters them help to pair up parents with foster care children that need loving homes.

Other ways you can help:

Make your own Frosty Card here and for every FREE card created, Wendy’s will donate 50¢ to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA). NHL and I created one that we will share below. It was a lot of fun and we will make more to send to other specials Fathers in our family.

From now until June 20, you can also help with Twitter. Each time a user tweets from the Treat it Forward application found at www.facebook.com/frosty (Treat it Fwd tab), or uses the hashtag #TreatItFwd a donation will also be made to DTFA.

For those on Facebook, you can also send users a Virtual Frosty as a gift and help to spread the word via the Treat it Fwd tab on the Frosty page above.

Anyone that uses Foursquare and ‘check-in’ to a Wendy’s restaurant during Father’s Day weekend (June 19-20) will also have a donation made to DTFA.

Here is NHL’s card to my hubby:

With any luck, we will head to Wendy’s this weekend and I will certainly be sharing the information via Social Media. Always nice to get a tasty treat and have a donation go to a wonderful cause.

Will you be doing any of these? Let me know what you plan on doing.

Disclosure: I was reminded about this great cause by an e-mail from a PR representative and decided to share the information with my readers. All opinions are mine from previous experience with the Father’s Day Frosty Weekend.

Categories:
charity food glorious food holidays yummy

Whole Grain White Rice

Posted on May 31, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

About the only time that we have white rice in our house is when we order Chinese food, or have a sick child that needs it. Long ago, we made the switch to brown rice, whole grains and the like. The boys really do not know any better. Of course, they do seem to gobble up the white, sticky rice a bit more than when we have the more grainy and textured brown rice cousin.

Recently, we were asked to try the new Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice.

With the look, taste and texture of white rice, but packed with whole grains (almost a full day’s worth in one serving), Uncle Ben’s new Whole Grain White Rice provides a healthy alternative to plain sides like pasta or potatoes. The rice comes in a variety of flavors from traditional Long Grain to Chicken, Broccoli Cheddar, Taco Style and Sweet Tomato, so you can mix-up meals and still know that you’re getting whole grains on the table. Plus, with a quick 10-minute prep time, Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice provides a great solution for the nights when jam-packed schedules leave you scrambling for a quick, healthy option.

Nutritional Claims & Product Benefits

Good Source of Fiber
45g Whole Grains per Serving
Low Fat
No Saturated Fat
0g Trans Fat
Cholesterol Free
Made with Natural Ingredients
No Preservatives
No Artificial Colors
Vegetarian
No MSG

We received our samples of the Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice just in time for JSL’s third birthday party. One of the dishes that we were making was sweet and sour meatballs (using vegetarian burger substitute). We figured that having rice to put the meatballs and sauce on would be a nice side. Plus, we could see what others thought.

The instructions were easy to follow, it did not take too long to make, and was not overly sticky once prepared. Once in the serving dish, I immediately noticed how long the rice grains really were. It did look slightly different than the sticky white rice we get from time to time. There was not as much visible texture in comparison to the brown rice we get. This could definitely be a good thing when considering kids that are picky eaters. Speaking of picky eaters, even thought JSL was not going to eat the meatballs at his party, he asked to try the rice. As I predicted, he gobbled it up quickly and asked for more. When we ate leftovers the next evening, again he asked for the rice.

When I made my plate, I put a little of the rice down with some of the Sweet and Sour "Meatballs" on top. I really enjoyed the long grains of the rice. It helped to soak up the delicious sauce. The rice was not gritty, like many high fiber/whole grain products can be. My only complaint – I wish Uncle Ben’s was kosher. Since it is not, I can not make it in my kitchen. I will be buying it to make at my parent’s house when we have meals there since it was a nice change from our usual brown rice.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central will be sending me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Categories:
food glorious food photos Product review

Winnie the Pooh 3rd Birthday Party

Posted on May 20, 2010 11:12 am by TheAngelForever

As I have mentioned in the past, JSL is quite ~~obsessed~~ in love with Winnie the Pooh and friends. Since our trip to Disney in February, he has declared that he only wants to wear items with Tigger and Pooh, watch their movies/shows and play with those toys. Thanks to this, we knew exactly what theme would be in place for JSL’s third birthday party over the weekend.

Everyone arrived to the party as we were still preparing the food. During this time, we had a little fun and excitement that many of us could have lived without. When we took the pizza bagels out of the oven, I put them down onto a trivet. Mistake #1 – it was plastic and must have adhered itself to the bottom of the cookie sheet. Thanks to this, when TechyDad put the cookie sheet back into the over. . . the plastic trivet went in to bake.

Nobody noticed anything until the time was up and we were pulling the goodies out of the oven. At that point, TechyDad and I both saw flickering. Sure enough we had a fire. Both of us yelled to get attention of others to come and help. I immediately turned off the oven and made sure the kids were not coming into the room. Meanwhile, my father and TechyDad worked to make sure that the flame was going out. It was at this point that we figured out the culprit of the fire. Luckily it went out pretty quickly, but left a rather large mess. This is what the rack that had the trivet and cookie sheet looked like in the end:

When all was said and done, nobody was hurt, the oven appears to be ok and the food was fine. Here is the food that was served for lunch:

We had veggies and dip, whole grain white rice (testing it for a review), vegetarian "meatballs" with sweet and sour sauce, pizza bagels, Mac & Cheese (Toy Story shapes), and mini bread bowls filled with two types of toppings.

As some of the kids cleared out from the kitchen, Uncle M sat down with NHL, JSL and SG. They were too cute sitting there together and chatting together, so we had to take a photo.

As we transitioned from lunch to cupcake time, the kids were able to play and baby be held by lots of people. JSL and SG had a ton of fun with each other, while Mimi and Aunt T held baby BA.

Two weeks earlier, I asked people for suggestions on what kind of Winnie the Pooh cake I could make. In the end, I went with something I had done before and was suggested by Maryellen Hooper (you are such a Rock Star – love ya!). I made cute cupcakes wrapped in Winnie the Pooh and Tigger liners and had JSL’s characters parading around them on the table. Simple, practical and no real worries. I had wanted to make a giant cupcake, but was not sure how it would work with egg substitute (my niece is allergic to eggs). Since there was no time for a test run, we did regular cupcakes. Here are all of the goodies ready to be devoured:

Thanks to my handy dandy decorating tool and Aunt M for helping me with operation frost and sprinkle, the cupcakes came out really nicely. It was soon time for the little guy to be shy and have everyone sing Happy Birthday to him. After several attempts, he was finally able to get the 3 candle blown out with a little assistance (we were all a little fire phobic for a reason ya know).

JSL had asked for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (not my kid), so we bought those to make. When it was time for him to eat his cupcake, he did not want it. Note him eating it with a spoon and not being too enthusiastic. Meanwhile big brother and cousin SG loved theirs.

Once the kids were cleaned up, it was present time. More on this tomorrow for my Aloha Friday topic/question of the week.

It really was a nice party. Aside from the fireworks from the oven, it went rather smoothly. One thing is for sure, thanks to that we will always remember JSL’s third birthday party.