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Time to UNJUNK with UNREAL Candy

Posted on October 18, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Halloween is just around the corner and candy will be flying by by our faces and those of the youngest members in our family. Moderation is the key, but now that is not the only factor. These days we have choices with candy. Thanks to Unreal, we are able to UNJUNK candy eating to a new level.

Over the weekend, we were able to have an Unreal party to let others taste the new candy. We would be putting this to the test:

Would kids and others be happy with candy that is:

made with real cane sugar,contains no corn syrup, and is free of hydrogenated oils/fats?

packed with twice as much cacao than other brands?

free of artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors (there is no Red #5 here)?

filled with more protein and fiber?

If you are not familiar with Unreal, here is a video to get you caught up on their story and the product:

UNREAL sent me candy to share with family and friends. My mission was to see what they thought of the Unreal candy that is UNJUNKED and reinvented. Since it was a beautiful day, we took everything outside. Before going out, I put one of each of the Unreal varieties and fact sheets (comparing Unreal and other similar candy) for everyone to enjoy and read.

Thanks to the amazing weather, the kids were too focused on playing and not eating. A lot of people took their bags home to try items and got back to me with their thoughts. Of course, a group of us did try the Unreal candy together. Here is a view of the five varieties that are currently available and the feedback that we heard from everyone below.

UNREAL 41 (Candy Coated Chocolates) – A crowd favorite with the kids. They were intrigued with the different colors and enjoyed popping them into their mouths. One adult taste tester noted that he thought the chocolate was the best within these. He said he would definitely purchase these for that reason. I know I like these because I can get them for future birthday parties where a nephew with a food dye allergy will be able to eat the candy.

UNREAL 5 (Chocolate Caramel Nougat Bar) – The kids that were not fans of nuts liked this bar because it was easy to bite into with smaller teeth. One adult noted that it reminded her of the taste in her protein bar that she has every day. She said that wasn’t a bad thing, just something she thought of. Another tester is diabetic and typically avoids regular candy. She gets some of the sugar free variety from time to time, but they have a lot of additives in them. She really liked the taste of this bar and the nutritional information. As a fan of the leading brand variety of this kind, I imagine freezing these for an even more interesting treat.

UNREAL 77 (Peanut Butter Cups) – There were a lot of peanut butter cup fans in the group. People mentioned that the peanut butter was not creamy, but that the flavor was more “peanuty” than traditional brands. Lots of interest in using these for baking projects because they have significantly less sugar and more fiber.

UNREAL 54 (Candy Coated Chocolates with Peanuts) – While the kids enjoyed the nut free variety, the adults also enjoyed the peanut crunch inside of the chocolate candies. They had a nice amount of chocolate surrounding the peanuts. While people noted the muted colors, nobody cared once they were munching away.

UNREAL 8 (Chocolate Peanut Caramel Nougat Bar) – This bar seemed to be the least popular. It wasn’t that there were negative comments, most people did not like mixing these flavors. People noticed that the bar had a lot of fiber, protein, and not many more calories than the nut free version.

General feedback was a lot of interest. We were the only people that had seen them prior to the party and taste testing. Locally, Unreal has been slower to arrive on the store shelves and often is sold out. People really liked the idea of candy being UNJUNKED and the price point not being absurd. The lower sugar amounts, as well as the addition of fiber was a big point of interest amount the women.

I know in our family each member seemed to like something different. We will no doubt be on the look out for Unreal as they start to show up in more retail locations. For those times when we want to splurge on something, I like that they taste good and have none of the questionable artificial additives in them. My boys are also hoping that more varieties will be coming soon.

Have you tried Unreal candy yet? I would love to know what your thoughts are and which candy was your favorite.

It's Me

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a compensated Global Influence campaign. Unreal sent us plenty of candy to share, along with additional compensation for party expenses and my time. All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine and not influenced by this factor.

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food glorious food fun photos sponsored post yummy

Disney Story Telling with Ridley Pearson

Posted on October 17, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Every time you go to Walt Disney World or another Disney park, you are part of a story. The rides, shows, Cast Members, and all of the little details are part of the tale. Now imagine being invited to hear a real Disney author talk and then get a tour of Epcot to see where his visions came from. This happened to me in April when I went to the Disney Social Media Moms celebration and heard author Ridley Pearson explain how The Kingdom Keepers and Peter and the Starcatchers were born. After the session, he took a group of us to visit Norway in Epcot and ride on Maelstrom. This only seemed fitting for the Disney Wordless Wednesday theme of Story Telling.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

Categories:
Blog Hop books Disney DisneySMMoms fun interesting looking back me moments Wordless Wednesday

Parachute Fun with Kids

Posted on October 15, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a child, I have strong memories of playing parachute games at school and during girl scouts. The parachute we used was huge. Lots of girls from our troop and others could gather around it to play games, run, jump, sing, and have a great time. Fast forward to this summer when I won a parachute from Let’s Play on Selfish Mom. On Saturday, we had a party to share the Unreal Candy (more on that soon) that we had received. Since the weather was beautiful, we packed up the scooters, helmets, parachute, and some other outside toys.

The kids all had a great time playing with the parachute. I actually wish I had taken some time to research some parachute games for them to play before we arrived. Unfortunately, I forgot to do this. Thank goodness, kids have great imaginations. They were able to make things up. Once back home, I looked on Pinterest and found a bunch of games that I remember playing as a child. Kid Activities had a great variety, but Woodlands Junior School had fantastic photos of their suggestions. The kids actually managed to do some variations of two of them, and added a new superhero approach.

We tried a variation of popcorn, but the balls we had were too big for the parachute. Next time, I will make sure we pull out some bean bags or other smaller items to use. Of course, the parachute was also a great place to sit down and watch the kids as they were running, jumping, and playing together for some fun in the sun while the sun was shining.

Have you ever played parachute games as a child or with your children? I would love to know what you have done so I can add to my list of possibilities for when the weather cooperates.

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Pumpkin Picking with Kindergarten

Posted on October 13, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

Field trips are a lot of fun to go on and, I have to say, I think they are even better as a parent. I had so much fun going with you on your first kindergarten trip this week. We all went to Indian Ladder Farms. It rained in the morning before we went and was chilly. Thanks to that, we had a lot of layers on. I also broke out your rubber cowboy boots in case it was muddy,

We went for a hike and listened to the leader of the group teach all of you about how the mountain formed. Then she showed you some of the fungus that grows naturally in the area. Once our trek was over, she took us over to meet the animals. You were definitely excited about this since we went here last year with nursery school.

Everyone tried to feed the animals, including Rosie, some grass. You were not too sure about this because of her horns. Then, we saw Eeyore the donkey, who we had to keep away from. There were even some baby animals like big Rosie in the area with different critters. Our leader brought out a special guest for everyone to see up close. I was so happy that you agreed to pet the turkey.

After everyone washed their hands, we went to look at the apple area. The woman explained that because of the weather in the spring, Indian Ladder Farms only had about ten percent of the usual apple crop. This was the reason we could not pick our own apples. We still learned about the trees, went into a giant refrigerator, saw how the apples are checked, and then saw the cider making area.

After this, it was time for your class to have lunch. It was a beautiful view, but some pesky bees were not making it an easy dining experience. They kept trying to dive into the apple cider and all of the delicious lunches.

After battling the bees, we followed your class to the pumpkin patch to pick out one to take home. You picked out a great pumpkin, but then we noticed some areas that were rotting, so we went back to get another one.

Although it was cool, we were lucky that it stopped raining. Thank you for letting me share this adventure with you.

Love,

Categories:
animals Dear Kid Saturday fun jsl Local Business school

Together Counts for Fall Activities

Posted on October 11, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

We live in a part of the country that is lucky enough to experience all four of the seasons. My favorite really is the fall. The weather is not too cold, hot, or humid like other times of the year. Typically, there is not a lot of snow, we do not need to wear heavy jackets, and usually we can do a lot outside. This year, the weather has not allowed us to get to our favorite family activity for the fall. We love to go apple picking. We are able to explore the orchards together. It is fun to watch the kids running around and picking apples that they proudly snack on. Then, when we get home TechyDad, the kids, and I think about items the make. One of our favorites is to get the apples ready for our own fresh applesauce. Eating it warm out of the crock makes it seem like a special treat.

Since the weather is not cooperating, we probably will skip the apple picking and possibly go to get a pumpkin at a local farm. Then we can bake up the pumpkin seeds to have a tasty snack. Until that time, the kids love to explore the blocks around the house on their scooters. They enjoy collecting colorful leaves, pine cones, and other items that nature has left on the ground. Just the other day, my youngest hopped off of his scooter to save a caterpillar that was in the middle of the sidewalk.

Together Counts is a program for all of us. Their goal is to inspire families to lead healthy and active lives. Energy Balance is key and the main principle with their pledge. This means that the calories that we eat are the ones that we burn. Together Counts brings together more than 200 retailers, food/beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods stores, insurance companies, non-governmental organizations, and professional sports organizations to get the message across. For additional information, head to the Together Counts website learn more and take their pledge on finding balance and moderation. Families need to get eating and active together while practicing moderation.

For more information and ideas, you can head to the Together Counts Facebook page, look for them on Twitter, and also on Pinterest.

Please be sure to join Together Counts for their Twitter party on 10/17 from 8-9 PM EST using hashtag #TogetherCounts. More information on Resourceful Mommy with details about the prizes.

So have you made the Together Counts pledge yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

It's Me

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a compensated Global Influence campaign. As someone who strives to find balance, I love the principles behind Together Counts and am happy to share this with my readers.

Global Influence Network