Hidden Valley Ranchers

I received another awesome sampling opportunity from crowd tap--Hidden Valley "Ranch Feast." Here's the kit I got in the mail:

team ranch shirt & chip clips to give out, hidden valley ranch samples, farm house originals dressing, coupons & recipes for my guests, and some items for me!

We did a small dinner with a few kids who loved to dip their chicken nuggets (and green beans!) into the ranch sauce! Some of the adults enjoyed a few packets of dressing on a salad (it very well may be the best Italian dressing I've ever tasted!). I sent my 14 year old sister home with the ranch shirt--she got bonus points for enthusiasm! My mom got a clip, as well as my boys (mostly because they already had decided to play with it!). The results were clear: hidden valley has the best ranch sauce! (and the popcorn recipe was a huge hit!!!).

Hidden Valley Farm house originals: Italian with herbs is my new favorite dressing!

Adam decided to go for the green bean dip!

One of the kids went for it with a spoon! yum?

Topher testing out his nuggets with ranch

"Check it out!!"

Puma Gear!

One of the coolest sample shares I've gotten to take part of to date is the "Keep Running — PUMA Mobium Athletic Shoes and ACTV Apparel Sampling." Puma sent me a shirt, jacket, running tights, and shoes to try out. I have to say, I'm a tad bit in love!! Here's the specifics:

Shoes: Mobium Elite in fluo peach (I'd call it bright orange, lol). retail $110. These shoes are designed to move how you move. The design of the shoes expands and contracts with your foot as you run. I definitely saw this as I tried them out! They are hands down the most comfortable shoes I've ever tried on! As I walked and ran, I could feel them moving with my feet. I love the color, also! The only down size was that although they fit perfectly, I had to fight a bit to get them on. I had the same issue with the last pair of running shoes I bought, so it's probably just me!!

Tights: Puma Performance Bodywear Tech ACTV Long Tights in blackberry cordial. retail $100. I was skeptical of these at first. As I pulled them on, my husband giggled as I struggled to make them go on. The went on like stubborn dress tights. Of course the tag had instructions on how to easy put them on....I just didn't read them until after--D'OH! These tights include athletic tape on the inside--the tag reads "engineered to micro-massage the skin via strategic compression in the right place at the right time which can help maximize your work out and energy supply." I do have to say that once I got them on, I didn't want to take them off! Despite them showing off my "mommy pouch" until I covered it with my shirt, these are the single most comfortable article of clothing in my dresser.

shirt: V-neck training tee in grape-limeade. retails $25. the shirt is comfy. It's not overly clingy. I can breathe in it. I love the color. And best of all, it's affordable! 

jacket: Pure NightCat Reflective Running Jacket in black. Retails $100. When I opened up the jacket, I was surprised by how thin it was. However, it's performance was not lacking! It was a cool 43 degrees (and dark!) when I headed out to try out my gear, and the jacket held out. I like how it was comfortable (I know, I keep using that word!!) and that the pockets zip (The current running jacket I use does not have zipping pockets!). I love how reflective it is. There is almost no traffic on my street (we are one of maybe 15 houses on a dead-end), but if I took a right and went on the main road, I would have almost no fear of getting hit. I just had to take a photo with the flash on to illustrate!

Over all, after trying on the gear, I would highly recommend Puma gear! It's cute, comfy, and, most importantly, highly functional. Check out my photos below, and let me know what you think!

"flex challenge." :)

flash on! check out the reflective-ness of the jacket and shoes!!

love this shirt!!

my "peach" shoes

showing the flash

bottom of the shoes, showing the mobium band!

Starkist Tuna creations!

October was a good month for me for crowdtap samples! (check out the blog I posted earlier today about truvia sweetener!) The second one to arrive at my door was for Starkist Tuna creations.

I won't lie, I was a tad nervous when I found out I was getting a ranch sample, as I'm the girl whose addicted to the ranch McWraps at mcds....and orders them with out ranch sauce! The thought of ranch and tuna together also made me nervous as I usually take my tuna plain with a pinch of relish on some white bread. However, I love tuna and was more than willing to give it a go--and I was pleasantly surprised!! The ranch flavor was not the over-ly creamy mess that popped into my head when I read the word "ranch." It was a pleasantly seasoned taste, I could have taken a spoon and eaten it straight from the pouch it was so good! However, I was really craving a wrap...

I made a 8-inch tortilla with some shredded lettuce, cheddar jack cheese, and a slice of tomato. The pouch made two of these (and I did spoil myself with a spoonful of relish on the second one!). The taste was amazing and everything went well together. The pouch was the perfect size to make the two snack sized wraps, and the amount left me full and satisfied after I was done. I would absolutely purchase this product in the future (are there coupons for this?? lol), I love tuna and it was a nice change to the plain sandwiches I usually make when the craving hits!

Truvia Sweetener

Last week I received a sample of truvia sweetener. The goal was to use it instead of traditional sugar in Tea/Coffee. So my husband and I sat down to try it!!

I added two packets to my tea, while my husband added it to his coffee from Mcds. He tried his first. He said it was okay, but not sweet enough. I imagine most of that is because he usually has at least 8 sugars in his medium coffee! ;) I tried mine next, as I like to let me drinks cool a bit before I drink them. I enjoyed the taste. It was the right amount of sweetness I'd expect, and I felt good drinking it knowing that I had a natural product made from Stevia leaves! As a side note, my mom has bought this product before when she changed her diet to eliminate unnecessary chemicals. I drink my teas mostly at home, so until now I never did get the chance to try it, but she seemed to enjoy it with her morning coffee! Just recently I saw this on the shelves at our newly expanded walmart, so it is also becoming easier to find and buy! For more info, check out their facebook page!

Green Mountain Naturals and some of the best lemonade I've ever tried...

Who doesn't love samples? I'm on of "those" folks that will hunt down all the samples possible. I refresh links like a champ. And while some samples are lame (after all, what do you really expect for nothing?) I've scored quite a few awesome ones. For instance, last month, Green Mountain gave away 4-packs of k-cups, via the Vitamin burst facebook page, promoting their fruit line up: apple cider, lemonade, strawberry pomegranate vitamin burst, and Acai berry. As a big apple cider fan, I had bought a box of that last season. I had also tried the strawberry pomegranate vitamin bursts through a previous sample. When the box came in, I immediately opened it and brewed the Acai berry vitamin burst. it was every bit as yummy as I thought it would be! I used up the other two over the course of the next few days, but saved the lemonade for last. I'm not a huge fan of lemonade (unless it's the strawberry lemonade from mcds!), but figured I might as well give it a shot. I was excited to find it was delicious! It lacked the strong artificially sweet taste. It was a bit tart, which is what I would expect from real lemonade. It's one of my favorite lemonades I've tasted! I drank every drop. ;)

just brewed :)

sample box--don't them look good?!?

no sample is complete without coupons!

my lemonade cup :) so yummy!!

Facebook recipe: easy Peanut butter fudge

I tested another facebook recipe today! Here's the post:

EASY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

2 sticks butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Melt the butter and peanut butter (you may use microwave). Stir in vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar. Quickly spread into a buttered 8x8-inch square buttered dish. Chill to set. Cut into 64 squares.

 

I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and I had some time to kill before Under the Dome started....so I figured why not! So glad I did! This was not only the easiest fudge I've ever made--it's freaking delicious! This one def. goes in my "approved" file! 

my fudge before I put it in the fridge to set :)

Lunchable jr.

Last month I got selected to sample and share new lunchable jr. snacks! They arrived today--my kids were so excited!! They made a great treat for before Topher went into preschool at noon. We were sent ants on a log (peanut butter, raisins, gramcracker sticks), and very beary crunch (teddy grahams, cheese crackers, and dried strawberries). The kids had fun eating them (Topher lined up his bears while Adam dipped the sticks in peanut butter and put the raisins on top). For a once in a while snack (esp. if we are in a hurry or going on a trip!) lunchable jr. is a perfect choice! It is yummy and fun and my boys (ages 3 & 4) absolutely loved them! I took some photos to enjoy--scroll down and check them out. You can see how much fun they had eating. :)

"okay boys...want a lunchable snack??"

wow, cool!!

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

A few years ago...late 2009 or early 2010...a good friend of mine lent me a series of books called the mortal instruments by Cassandra Clare. after the first chapter of city of bones, I got hooked. They got a mention in my blog on July 27, 2011 about teen series I adore. As new books get released (the infernal devices is the newer series by the same author), I find myself buying them with in the first week in hardcover--a habit formally reserved only for Stephen King and Emily Griffin. When crowd tap first joined up with the mortal instruments, I was so excited! I answered every quick hit and felt extreme disappointment every time I missed a discussion opportunity. When they announced the first sample and share--I got so excited! I had a few people come over to share the movie trailer (so excited for the movie!!) and get introduced to the City of Bones book and cast. We watched a few cast interviews--I adore Lily and Jamie and can't wait to see them bring Clary and Jace to life! I made some City of Bones theme cookies (key lime--yum! adored with runes and character names in blue icing), served some soda and began to chat. I've recruited some people to go to see the movie--my baby sister, in particular, is dying to go! Over all, it was a fun evening, and we all can't wait to see the whole movie--and the ones to come! I'll leave you with photos from the get together---enjoy!!

cookie dough :)

i'm team jace :)

rune cookies

all the cookies :)

misty with a rune cookie

yum!

starting the trailer

enthralled :)

Facebook share test: clean microwave

I'm sure you see them all the time....those facebook post that tell you "share this so it saves to you wall!" it's either a recipe or fun, easy trick. I got one on my newsfeed today, about cleaning your microwave. and I thought..."hmm...not a bad idea..." because THIS is my microwave:

yuck....

Lots of left overs and four growing boys to feed...along with a full time job for each parent, endless loads of laundry, and a house that just won't clean itself...the microwave never crosses my mind. Until I saw that facebook post tonight and took a peek. gross. So this is the facebook post going around:

"CHECK this out!! We all know the microwave can get out of hand!! Who loves to scrub that bad boy?? NOT THIS GIRL!

Try this! --- SHARE IT TO KEEP IT ON FILE!!!

1 c vinegar + 1 c hot water + 10 min microwave = steam clean! Totally works. No more scum, no funky smells."

Well, this girl, also, does not like to scrub anything...so I grabbed my pretty pyrex cup and measured out the water and vinegar and let 'er rip for 10 minutes:

After the 10 minutes timer beeped, I grabbed some paper towels. And indeed, while it didn't come out perfect like the photo showed, it was pretty close. And everything came off easy, just a quick wipe down!

Much better....

I had put aside the hot cup of water/vinegar mix, so I dipped my paper towel in to wipe off the pesky remaining spots. Came off easy--took no more than 5 minutes! I'd guestimate about 3.5 minutes, tops. Not bad for a microwave that hasnt been clean in at least a year and a half...good call, facebook....

More pork: honey glazed!

I tweaked the last pork recipe I posted a few weeks ago. I defrosted pork last night to cook today, and as I was taking it out to cook, I decided I wanted something different. So I took out the honey and poured some onto each slice of pork. I sprinkled with thyme, like I did last time. I cooked at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. For a side, I cooked fresh pea pods straight out of our garden! In a skillet on the stove top, I heated up about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and poured them in. I heated them for about 4 or 5 minutes, while moving them around a bit. We had a very good lunch! It was very satisfying to have contributed to the meal by picking veggies out of a garden instead of buying at a store. :) I can't wait for my green beans, tomatoes, and pumpkins to grow in!!!

ingredients! :)

finished product!

Peanut butter m&m Cheerio treats!!

We just recently were given two huge box of generic cheerios. I had just bought 12 boxes of the "good stuff" (cinnamon toast crunch, reeses puffs, trix....ect). How was I supposed to feed a bunch of kids under 6 cheerios while we had all this good stuff? I started by giving them bowls of half cheerios and half yumminess. Then my baby sister suggested on facebook "make cheerio treats!." I've never even made rice krispy treats, but I was up for a challenge if the result was yummy! Here's what I used:

1 bag marshmellows

3 tablespoons of butter (I used the real stuff!)

5 cups Cheerios 

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup white chocolate m&ms (these I got cheap at easter, you can use any kind!)

Special ingredients!

I melted the marshmallows and butter together in the microwave for a minute and a half. I was paranoid about burning the marshmallows since I had never done it before, so I pulled them out and stirred every thirty seconds. When it was melted, I added the peanut butter in and stirred until it was blended.

omnomnom!

Then I just mixed in the cheerios and m&ms

and using a spatula, I scooped it into a greased 9X13 glass pan. I spread it even, making sure to press it into the shape of the pan so they would be even when I cut them out.

I put it in the fridge for a few hours. The result?

SUCCESS!!

As a side note, I would love to try this with honey nut cheerios! I have the new medley ones in my "snack closet"....maybe those next?? so many options!!