Category Archives: Food and Drink

Hanging with my Peeps® Since 1977

Food and Drink, New posts

Read Part 2 of my Peeps® series here.

Peeps®

I know, it’s hard to believe I was around in 1977.  You know what has kept me looking so young? Probably all the Peeps® I ate and played with as a kid.  Please don’t laugh. I have to make my self feel a little better somehow.  The summertime blues are hitting me and I like to think that I still look a little younger than I am.  Peeps® have been around since 1953 I believe so they have a few years on me.

Something that I remember getting every year for Easter is Peeps®.  No, not the kind that our kids think of.. friends, but the delicious sugar covered, marshmallow kind.  My sister and I weren’t allowed to eat many sweets as kids so imagine our excitement when Easter, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween came around every year.

I wouldn’t just eat the Peeps® though.  Oh no.  I got creative with Peeps®.  I put on shows with the little Peeps® bunnies and chicks like you wouldn’t believe.  “Quack” said the mommy Peep.  “Hop to the Mulberry Store to get your school supplies” mommy Peep said as little Peep hopped off into my mouth.  No kidding.  I LOVED everything about Peeps®.  The colors, the texture, the sweetness, the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the little chicks.  Goodness, those were good days.  Then I went several years sans Peeps®.  You know, the childless years.  When my son was about almost 3 years old, I gave him his first Peeps® and what did he do? He played with them!

I’m sure you are saying something like, “Alicia, it’s not Easter.  Why are you talking about Peeps®?”.  Well, Peeps® are amazing all year round!  Easter, Valentine’s Day, for Teacher Appreciation Day, Birthdays, Christmas, and just any ordinary day.  You can order Peeps® online 24/7.  Whatcha waiting for?

Read Part 2 of my Peeps® series here.

Connect with Peeps:

Disclosure: I was engaged by Mom Bloggers Club to participate in a campaign for Peeps®.  All opinions are 100% my own and were not influenced in any way.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Make Dinner Time a Happy Time – Tips for Parents with Picky Eaters

Food and Drink, , , ,

picky eatersAs a parent you try to make your kids happy especially when it comes to meal time. You and your spouse however wonder how you could stand another meal of hot dogs or hamburgers. If you decide something different like a spicy dish, your kids will rebel.

You need to realize that you and your kids are not the same age. They will develop tastes for different foods over a period of time. Think about it. Did you like every meal that was placed in front of you when you were a kid? I’m sure that your answer is no.

At meal time you may want to fix healthy dishes despite your kids craving for fatty foods and sweets but not sure how to.  Don’t worry help is on the way.  It is possible to serve healthy dishes that interest your kids.

Try these dishes on for size:

  • Kids’ meal – pan-fried cheeseburgers.  Adults’ meal – patty melts on rye.
  • Kids’ meal – cheese and chicken quesadillas. Adults’ meal – mu shu chicken.
  • Kids’ meal – hot dogs. Adults’ meal – turkey kielbasa sausage with grilled onion on a French roll.
  • Kids’ meal – monster meatballs with spaghetti. Adults’ meal – meatball sandwiches.
  • Kids’ meal – buttered noodles with roasted chicken. Adults’ meal – brown butter with roasted chicken and pasta covered with Mizithra cheese.
  • Kids’ meal – cheese and ham sandwiches (grilled/cold). Adults’ meal – Reuben sandwiches.

Encourage kids to help prepare the dishes. Kids are always eager to get their hands dirty and they will show off their end result proudly. Finally meal time has become a happy time. Adults get to see their kids eating healthier and they don’t have to indulge in their greasy habits. Kids get to eat something they helped prepare and they can finally sit down to a meal that they like.

Here are a few great website resources for parents of picky eaters:

 

Does your picky eater have a favorite meal you’d like to share with our readers?  Do you have a tips for parents of picky eaters? Leave it in the comments below.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Wendy’s Berry Almond Chicken Salad.. I Don’t Eat Salad and I Loved it!

Contests, Food and Drink, New posts, , ,

Wendy's Berry Almond Chicken Salad

I was lucky enough to be part of a group of wonderful local bloggers here in Atlanta for the second time, to be given the opportunity to try a new Wendy’s menu item, the Berry Almond Chicken Salad.  The Berry Almond Chicken Salad is a seasonal addition to Wendy’s salad line.  Because I’m not a fan of salad I ordered the half sized salad thinking I would have to force myself to eat even that much salad.  Much to my delight, I was wrong!

Boy was I surprised when I received my salad!  I wasn’t expecting to be handed such a fresh, colorful, delicious looking salad (and by a very courteous staff at that!) The Berry Almond Chicken Salad was topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries, shaved natural Asiago cheese and warm grilled chicken.  Yum!!  Seriously, I  don’t eat salad, just ask my sister (@greedygrechen on Twitter), and I really enjoyed Wendy’s Berry Almond Chicken Salad.

Wendy’s Berry Almond Chicken Salad is served with fat-free Marzetti’s Raspberry Vinaigrette and sliced almonds on the side adding great flavor and texture to the salad.

GIVEAWAY!

I am giving a lucky reader a $25 gift card to Wendy’s.  To enter, leave a comment below telling me what you’d like to try at Wendy’s.
This contest is open to U.S. residents 18 and older.  No P.O. Boxes.
Entries accepted through 11:59pm June 15th.

Earn extra entries by doing one or all of the following:

Disclosure: Wendy’s and The Motherhood invited me to try the new salad, and I was compensated for my time, but all the opinions in this post are my own.

 

Alicia Hagan, Editor

 

Bosch Tassimo Home Brewing System – Make a Cup of Coffee Just How You Like it!

Contests, Food and Drink, New posts, ,

Bosch Tassimo Home Brewing System

I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker.  I was too intimidated by the choices; Java, Mocha, Grande, Tall, cappuccino, Espresso… what does that all even mean?  It’s like alien speak to me.  If I dared ask any of the “aliens” that spoke the language (ahem…can you say “Boutique Coffee Shoppes”), they looked at me like I was a “human” and smirked their way through the answer.

Happily, I don’t care what that stuff means because I can now have a good cup of coffee… at my own home.  No drive through, no intimating ordering process, and I can add whatever I want to my cup of coffee after it’s brewed just by using a beautiful device from Bosch called the Tassimo.

Recently I stopped drinking my Diet Coke w/ Lime every day around 2:00 when the “sluggies” hit me.  I felt tired and it gave me a lift.  I like that! I noticed a pattern… my friends kept telling me that a cup of coffee might be just what I need.  I’m not sure why that’s better than Diet Coke but I wanted to give it a try.

Bosch’s beautiful Tassimo re-introduced me to the world of coffee.  Before I had a chance to randomly rush  the isles of Publix looking for coffee pods for the Tassimo, my father, who is an accomplished coffee drinker, and, visiting for my daughter’s birthday kindly went to Publix and came home with a package of Maxwell House Tassimo pods.

TassimoTa Da! Now we had everything we needed to try out the Tassimo!  Excitement was brewing (pun intended).  Typically, we did not follow the directions explicitly because we were anxious to enjoy the coffee.  The water reservoir is quite large and includes a charcoal filter so you don’t really need to use bottled water, (like my dad).  A very clever design feature is the bar code reader that scans the bar code on a “pod” and sends that information to the “coffee computer” telling it which style or type of drink you are preparing to brew.  Fabulous!

Once the “pod” is in place, and it will really only go in one way, just turn on the power and after a very short cycle the coffee will begin to fill your cup!  Quick.  Really quick!  The cup stand is adjustable so you can use cups larger than those tiny espresso cups.  Which is nice if you or the kids want a big hot chocolate, which, by the way, is a drink option for the Tassimo!  The “brew” time can be manipulated by a front mounted button if you prefer a different “intensity”.

Several brands make drink “pods” for the Tassimo so if you are interested in good coffee, quickly, in an attractive package, and as a really attractive price you should take a good look at the Bosch Tassimo.  My dad has his eye on mine but I am protecting it!  I like it!

Bosch Tassimo Details:

  • Makes coffee, tea, cappuccino, latte, crema, espresso and hot cocoa
  • Makes drinks in about 1 minute
  • Includes an exclusive flow–through water heater for faster, quieter brewing
  • Space saving design ideal for apartments, dorm rooms and countertops
  • Smart bar code technology allows the brewer to adjust each beverage with the proper temperature pressure and amount of water
  • $129.99

Bosch offers four Color Accessory Kits for the TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System, strawberry red, mint blue, lime green, hazelnut, featured in the photograph collage above.

A Bosch Tassimo would make a wonderful gift for Mom, Dad, or a graduate.  Click this link to learn more about Bosch Tassimo on Amazon.com or you can visit the Bosch Tassimo website here.

Follow Tassimo on Twitter and on Facebook.

GIVEAWAY!

We are giving a lucky reader a Tassimo T20 with the 4 color inserts and a traveler mug!

To enter, leave a comment below telling us why you want to win (coffee addict, for husband, to make tea, etc).

Extra entries:

Earn 20+ extra entries by doing one or all of the following:

 

Disclosure:  I received a Bosch Tassimo and promotional products as a thank you for my participation.   My review is an honest opinion based on my experience with the product and was not influenced by Bosch.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Tips for Getting MORE Family Fun – How to Get More out of your Everyday Life and a Giveaway!

Contests, Food and Drink, ,
Join a local museum
Join and Visit a Local Museum for Family Fun!

We love to go to playgrounds and parks.  I am always looking for new places in Atlanta to take the kids that (A) don’t cost money and (B) have something for everyone in the family to do and enjoy.  I want the kids to grow up knowing that you don’t always have to spend money in order to have a good time.  Yes, the occasional $50 movie outing is nice and fun, but that’s not what I consider ‘family fun’.

Family fun is rolling on the floor laughing, playing board games and making up your own rules, cooking together, drawing pictures on the sidewalk, pulling weeds, and playing in the rain.  That’s fun stuff.. and it’s all free.  What child doesn’t enjoy finding shapes in the clouds or watching mom and dad play hopscotch?  Did I say.. free? I think so!  Yep, these things are all free to do and I believe it’s things like this that are burned into our children’s memory for years.

Other ways to have  MORE Family Fun without spending a ton of money:

  • Join a local museum, aquarium, or nature center and have family field trips to them often
  • Visit the neighborhood pool in the summer and horseplay before the lifeguards get there.. (you didn’t hear that from me!)
  • Get out your walkie talkies and have parent/child teams and go on a neighborhood scavenger hunt together
  • What ideas do you have?
Family Fun at a local park
Family Fun at a Local Park

Do you need  MORE out of every day life?

One lucky winner will receive a $500 Visa gift every day – to put towards anything they want – you could put this towards your grocery bill every week for a month!  This giveaway is not hosted by TheMommyInsider.com.
Visit Tony’s Pizza 99 Days of More website to enter for a chance to win every day!

 

GIVEAWAY!

We are giving a lucky reader a full value coupon for any Tony’s Pizza product!  Tell us in the comments below what are some of your own cost-effective family fun tips? The most creative response will receive a full value coupon for any Tony’s Pizza product!

Entries accepted through April 10th, 2011.  Open to U.S. residents 18+ only. No P.O. boxes.

Tony's Pizza Mom

Extra entries:

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post through a compensated Mom Bloggers Club member program.

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor