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3rd Birthday Parties, Cupcakes and fires…oh my!

Posted on May 16, 2010 9:36 pm by TheAngelForever

Friday was JSL’s third birthday. Thanks to this, the weekend involved lots of celebration, family and goodies. It has also left Mommy, Daddy and the boys quite tired. Here is a look at Friday and Saturday and a sneak peek from today’s family party.

We went to the park with big brother, Uncle I and Cousin SG for fun on JSL’s birthday.

Later on Friday, we had dinner at Nana and Papa’s house with Mimi. Lots of time for the four cousins to play.

Baby BA has gotten so big. After a bunch of dirty looks from JSL (while I was holding the baby), he warmed up and wanted a closer look at his baby cousin.

NHL also asked to hold him with some assistance. Thanks Aunt M for saying it was fine to try later one with some help from one of us. He was a very proud big cousin.

Of course, we had to take a photo of Mimi with all four of her great grandkids. This is one of the better shots.

Saturday, we spent the day with Bubbe and Grandpa who were in town for the weekend. First, we stopped by NHL’s school for their fun day. NHL was so proud to introduce his grandparents to teachers, friends and anyone else that he knew. We walked around the school showing them classrooms, the computer lab and stopped by NHL’s reading display. Yes, from last July to the end of April NHL read the number of books on the monkey banana chart. below!

After that, it was time to go out to lunch at Buca di Beppo. The decorations here are fun. Two of my favorites are here:

Of course, we also took photos of the meals that we had. Yes, it was just as amazing as it look (probably more so).

Then we went shopping at L.L. Bean and after to get some food for the party. After a rest at our house, we went back out to dinner at a delicious local Chinese restaurant. Then Bubbe and Grandpa went back to the hotel while we stopped at the store quickly. We had some cooking and baking to do once the boys were in bed.

Early this morning, we packed up and went to Nana and Papa’s house to get the party started. We had food to make/bake, cupcakes to frost and fires to put out. <— WHAT? Oh yes, we had a small fire in the oven. Everyone was fine after a little fun and "excitement" thanks to the fire. I will leave you with a look at the Winne the Pooh cupcakes display from the table.

More food photos coming soon. Now, it is time for all of us to rest up some. It has been a busy weekend.

Categories:
birthday family food glorious food fun jsl nhl photos play time weekend yummy

U Taste We Donate Campaign from Pringles Multigrain

Posted on May 15, 2010 8:28 pm by TheAngelForever

A lot of people may not realize that I am not a huge chocolate fan. Instead, I often crave salty snacks. Growing up, I remember begging to take Pringles Light Crisps in my lunch to school. My obsession continued into college, where I would often have a canister in my car for emergencies. They also were easy to pop into a bag for a hockey road trip back in the day.

These days, we are always looking for items that are multigrain and a little more health conscious fun for occasional snacks. Recently, I was asked by Mom Central to participate in a Blog Tour about Pringles Multigrain and their new campaign.

More about U Taste. We Donate.:

From the Press Release:

Pringles, America’s favorite stacked potato crisp, introduces consumers to new Pringles Multigrain, a surprisingly tasty twist on multigrain snacks. As the latest addition to the Pringles family, Pringles Multigrain is packed with multigrain flavor and crunch and comes in three mouth-watering varieties: Truly Original, Creamy Ranch and Cheesy Cheddar. As part of the nationwide rollout, Pringles and Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence are working together to make it easy for consumers to also make a difference while trying new Pringles Multigrain with the “U Taste. We Donate” campaign. Enter the UPC code from any can of Pringles Multigrain between March 15 through June 30, 2010 at www.PringlesMultigrain.com and Pringles will donate one dollar (with a total donation of up to $100,000) to Share Our Strength®, the leading organization working to end childhood hunger in America.

My family received each of the varieties of the the new Pringles Multigrain crisps to try. It was like a trip down memory road hearing the air release as I popped the top of the canister. The smell of the snacks was enough to get my mouth watering. I am a traditionalist and prefer the Truly Original, but the boys are fans of the Cheesy Cheddar. What really impressed me was they are Kosher. We often have a hard time finding multigrain flavored items that are marked as Kosher, so it was a very nice surprise. When we are looking for a special multigrain snack, we will definitely buy more Pringles for our house.

Of course, I also went to the website and entered the UPC codes from my packages of Pringles Multigrain container. The box to enter the UPC code is easy to spot on the first section of the website. Kuddos to Pringles for teaming up for such a great cause.

Confession time, do you like Pringles? If you do, have you tried the Multigrain variety and which one would you love to try to help "U Taste. We Donate."?

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Pringles Multigrain and received a tote bag with samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Categories:
Blog Tour charity food glorious food looking back Product review

3rd Birthday Wishes and Themes

Posted on May 14, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It’s official, I am now the mother of a three year old again. Today is JSL’s third birthday and going to be an action packed day and weekend with family and friends. Yesterday, I blogged about the past year of memories with my little fellow – Goodbye to my last two year old.

This year, JSL is quite into Winnie the Pooh. My Wordless Wednesday this week, All things Winnie The Pooh, show cased all of the items that we have been trying to track down. Believe it or not, getting Winnie the Pooh toys/clothing/decorations is not the easiest thing in our area. Had he picked Toy Story it would have been a lot easier since Toy Story 3 is all over the place for the release of the movie this summer.

This made me think about all of the different themes we have had for past birthdays with the kids. Here they are:

1st NHL – Bear in the Big Blue House
2nd NHL – Finding Nemo
3rd NHL – Madagascar
4th NHL – Curious George
5th NHL – Dinosaurs
6th NHL – Cars
1st JSL – Sesame Street
2nd JSL – We were at Disney World

So my questions for you this week:

What was your favorite birthday party theme from when you were a child? Now be a kid again, what theme would you like for your next birthday?

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #99

Categories:
Aloha Friday baking birthday decisions food glorious food jsl photos yummy

Yoplait Greek Yogurt (Review/Giveaway)

Posted on April 26, 2010 1:15 pm by TheAngelForever

For quite some time, I had heard people talking about Greek yogurt. I have to admit, I did not really understand the hype. I saw that it was quite a but more expensive than the regular yogurt and did not have as many options. Sometime last year, I finally saw the light and looked at the only Greek yogurt that was at our local store. Looking at the label, I quickly realized the powerful punch that it contains.

As a family that is mostly vegetarian, thanks to the extreme cost of kosher meat, we are always looking for high protein food sources. When I finally looked at a container of Greek yogurt I was floored that most contain 12 or more grams of protein. A typical 6 ounce container of yogurt has about 6 grams of protein. To put that into perspective, here are what some other protein rich food give you:

4 ounce hamburger patty = 28 grams
3.5 ounce chicken breast = 30 grams
6 ounce can of tuna = 40 grams
1 cup milk = 8 grams
1/2 cup of most beans cooked = 7-10 grams
1 large egg = 6 grams
1/2 cup tofu = 20 grams
2 tablespoons of peanut butter = 8 grams

My little guy is a VERY picky eater. He does not like most chicken, meat, or fish. He will tolerate yogurt, so this was a perfect way to get more protein into his diet. He loved Greek Yogurt, and so do I. When MyBlogSpark asked us to try the new Yoplait Greek Yogurt, we agreed. While shopping, I had seen it and was curious about how it compared to the brand we usually bought (Chobani).

More about Yoplait Greek Yogurt:

Each 6 ounce serving of Yoplait Greek Yogurt contains 12 grams of protein. Yoplait makes Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla and Plain Greek Yogurt at this time. Complete nutritional information can be found here. The Yoplait Greek Yogurt has no fat, 15% vitamin A, 20% Vitamin D, and 30% Calcium (based on Daily Recommended Values).

Yoplait Greek Yogurt has a website with more information about each of the flavors. In addition to this, they also have a variety of recipe suggestions for using their product in. They include smoothies, dill yogurt dip, fresh apple streusel pecan cake and more. While there, be sure to print out a coupon to try some Yoplait Greek Yogurt for yourself.

What I thought:

As I said before, I am a big fan of Greek Yogurt. On a whole, I really like the thick nature of the yogurt and the much higher protein content. When I opened up a container of the Blueberry Yoplait Greek Yogurt, the first item I noticed was there was no need to mix it. Unlike the other brand that I have had, where fruit is on the bottom, this had blueberry throughout the yogurt and was immediately ready to eat. I really liked this, especially since I had two little boys eager for taste testing.

The boys really liked what they tasted and each asked for another spoon before running off to play. I like the thick custard-like consistancy of the Yoplait Greek Yogurt. It was really smooth and not gritty. Since the fruit was already mixed in, there was a nice blend of the yogurt and never spots without fruit. I also liked that it was not overly sweet since a lot of fruit yogurts can have that tendency.

I would definitely consider buying more of this yogurt for my family and only hope that more flavors are available soon.

Giveaway:

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Yoplait, one lucky reader will win a Yoplait Greek "Nourish Your Inner Goddess" gift pack like the one I received below. Two coupons for free Yoplait Greek Yogurt are included along with items to help you relax. Please note, the coupons for free cup of Yoplait Greek Yogurt are not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Tennessee.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer the following questions: Which flavor of Yoplait Greek yogurt would you like to try the most?
1 Bonus Entry – What is something that you do for yourself to help your inner Goddess come out?
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Nourish Your Inner Goddess 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): Chance to win a Nourish Your Inner Goddess gift pack from @TheAngelForever http://bit.ly/cVr6ov
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 March/April. Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done only twice per person.
1 Bonus Entry – Enter any of my other current giveaways (keep checking back – more being added all the time). Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one.
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 April 26 and ends at 10:59 EST on May 10, 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 Yoplait Kids yogurt. The opinions of this review were mine and I received no other compensation.

Categories:
food glorious food giveaway Product review

Mrs. Prindable’s Gourmet Apples Review

Posted on April 19, 2010 5:36 pm by TheAngelForever

Back when TechyDad and I were distance dating, we used to meet up at an outlet where they had a place that specialized in candy coated caramel or chocolate covered gourmet apples. We used to split them and they were amazing. The place has long since gone out of business and nobody around here does anything like that. Thanks to MomImpact, I now know about Mrs. Prindable’s. When I was asked if I would like to try one of their apples I immediately said yes.

About Mrs. Prindable’s:

From their website:

Mrs. Prindable’s starts with a handpicked, extra-fancy apple, grown especially for us. Delivered fresh from the orchard and with the utmost care, it is gigantic in size, crispness, taste, and juiciness.

The apple is dipped-by hand-in creamy, smooth caramel cooked that very day. Using only the best all-natural ingredients-butter, sugar, cream, vanilla-the caramel is prepared in copper pots in small batches.

Why small batches? It enables us to better monitor the quality and consistency of the caramel, ensuring that each layer is up to the soft and creamy standards that make our caramel so famous.

Now coated in velvety caramel, the apple is hand-rolled in the finest nuts and toppings. Sometimes it is covered in premium pecans. Other times they are coated in large cashews. Now and then it’s chocolate cookie and cream pieces. From time to time it is rich toffee that becomes the final layer. Maybe, even, it’s dipped or drizzled with milk, white or dark chocolate.

Who determines the final toppings that our expert chocolatiers hand-apply to this apple? You do.

Each gourmet caramel apple ordered from Mrs. Prindable’s is made to order to ensure freshness and delivery without delay.

Mrs. Prindable’s apples come in two sizes and are certified kosher. They have have jumbo and petite apples available. The jumbo apples can weigh up to 1.5 pounds and serve 8-10 people. The petite apples are 8 ounces and serve 1-2 people. Both sizes are available in eight classic gourmet flavors that include:

Dark Chocolate Delight – apple dipped in creamy caramel, rolled in chunks of chocolate and doused in premium dark chocolate
Triple Chocolate – an apple surrounded by caramel along with milk, white and dark chocolate (this is what we received)
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Almond – apple with peanut butter chips and bursts of dark and milk chocolate team up with whole almonds
Milk Chocolate Walnut Pecan – an apple hand-dipped in caramel, rolled in pecans and walnuts and smothered in milk chocolate
Milk Chocolate Toffee Walnut – an apple is hand-dipped in caramel, rolled in walnuts, smothered in milk chocolate and coated with Ol’ English Toffee
Dark Chocolate Cashew – an apple hand-dipped in caramel, rolled in cashews and smothered in dark chocolate
Dark Chocolate Splendor – an apple dunked in dark chocolate, covered with nonpareil-coated dark chocolate drops and topped with dark chocolate shavings
Milk Chocolate Pecan – an le hand-dipped in our caramel, rolled in premium whole pecans, and smothered in milk chocolate

Mrs. Prindable’s offers their apples, along with gift baskets and items for all occasions. Right now there are great ideas available for Mother’s Day.

What we thought:

The day after Passover we were sitting down to our traditional pizza dinner when we heard the doorbell. The boys were wondering what it was. I told them I had a feeling it was a delivery with a very special apple in it for us. NHL immediately asked what kind of special apple. I told him it was going to be a caramel and chocolate covered apple. I left the table and went to the door. From this point on, my 6 and 2 year old boys were telling me that they loved me. They learned quickly that it was a chocolate apple and they wanted me to share. Yes, even at their age they have mastered the fine art of kissing up. While the boys finished their dinner, TechyDad and I opened up the box to reveal what was inside. Take a look:

The pizza quickly took a back seat and the boys were chanting for some of the Mrs. Prindable’s apple that we received. TechyDad worked on slicing up the apple and getting them ready to serve.

Below are the two boys eating them. We also took video (will share that another day) because they gobbled it up so quickly.

I am not a big chocolate fan, but, oh my, this apple was delicious. The Granny Smith inside was sweet, juicy and fresh. The caramel was rich, creamy, and still gooey (that’s a technical term). I must admit, that was by far my favorite part. The combined chocolates tasted almost like the apple was coated in an extra special fudge and drizzled with white chocolate on top. I think this is what sold the boys. My three chocolate addicts loved them. Before you knew it, the four of us consumed what should serve 8-10 people. Shhhh. . . . remember, it was after Passover and we were celebrating the fact that we were done with matzoh for a year. Another huge perk to us, the apple was certified kosher. This allowed us to use our big knives and not rely on plastic to slice through it.

I know that we will definitely be getting more apples from Mrs. Prindable’s and it is something that I can send to our relatives that keep Kosher without a worry in the world.

Thank you Mrs. Prindable’s for making such a mouth watering delight!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for MomImpact on behalf of Mrs. Prindable’s. My family received a Triple Chocolate Gourmet Apple to facilitate our candid review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are from my family.