Category Archives: Food and Drink

Progresso Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs review + coupons and a giveaway!

Contests, Food and Drink, New posts, , , ,

You’re a mom, therefor, you are a cook.. and a house cleaner, and an errand manager, and a pediatrician, and a tutor.. ok, I’ll stop now.
Back to being a cook.. I know you spend a lot of time in the kitchen both baking and cleaning.. why not switch things up a little and make the kid’s next batch of chicken nuggets with Progresso’s Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs? You will love them and so will your kids.. mine do!

What is Panko?

Why, it is yummy deliciousness! That’s what Panko is. Don’t quote me though because I’m not sure that’s the exact definition of Panko.
Panko is Japan’s secret ingredient for crunch. A flaky bread crumb with a coarse texture and jagged edges, panko imparts a delicate crispiness perfect for frying or baking. For nearly a decade, panko has been popping up on the plates of fine dining restaurants, but for the home chef, panko has been difficult to find. Not anymore. Progresso Foods introduces its newest gourmet bread crumb, panko, in two flavors, plain and Italian.

Panko breadcrumbs are great to use for baked chicken nuggets, fish, and as a crispy breading for meats and vegetables. 
No, I didn’t make the delicious looking Parmesan Herb-Crusted Turkey Scaloppine (recipe here) featured to the left here.  The food that I concoct bake doesn’t come anywhere close to looking that nice when I’m done with it but this is a great example of one dish you can prepare using Progresso’s Panko breadcrumbs and my readers deserve to see only the most beautifully prepared food on this site! 🙂

Visit the Progresso website to get more information about their Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs, great recipes complete with with pairings, and learn about their other products including Progresso broths which are 100% natural and use high quality ingredients to achieve a great homemade taste. They are fat free, gluten free, contain no preservatives, no added MSG and no artificial flavors. Progresso broth is available in chicken and reduced sodium chicken and beef flavors.

Progresso coupons

Available on ProgressoFoods.com is a coupon for $1.00*off any two Progresso products. At ProgressoBroth.com you´ll find a coupon for $.50 off a package of broth.

GIVEAWAY!

Enter to win a box of Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs, a carton of Progresso Broth, a measuring cup, slotted spoon, soup ladle and a sheet pan for baking!

Win a Progresso panko set

To enter simply tell me in the comments below what your are planning for a holiday meal.. any meal, whether you’re making it or not. Tweet this post and leave a second comment with your Twitter ID for 2 extra entries!
Entries accepted through December 24th. Contents of the prize package the winner receives may not be exactly what is seen in this photograph.
Thanks to Progresso and MyBlogSparkTM who provided TheMommyInsider.com with the products and prize pack!

Ideal no calorie sweetener – guest review

Food and Drink, Health

Guest review by Kami Ramsey – Kentucky

I am a stay at home mom of a 2yr old girl, and a 4 yr old boy. When you add my husband to my life I am always busy. Recently we had to move closer to his job where we didn’t know anyone. While trying to get settled in and with him working a lot, we have learned we are going to have to make changes in our life. My husband has diabetes in his family, and he recently found out his blood sugar was extremely high which has caused even more changes.

We immediately started watching the amount of sugar we were taking in. He loves to drink sweet tea and he informed me he was not going to get rid of that. My cousin (Alicia, Editor of this blog!) had a bag of Ideal Sweetener she wanted me to try. I had this bag and hadn’t tried it yet until recently. I was impressed that he really liked it he said it didn’t taste any different than regular sugar. He wanted me to try it with other things since it’s so good.

We will be glad when it becomes available in our area since we have not been able to locate it.

– Kami

More Information:

In independent university taste tests, Ideal™ was preferred over sugar for sweetness, flavor, and overall liking! Our product is more than 99% natural, and is made with xylitol, which is known for its health benefits. Some of those health benefits include: preventing tooth decay, reducing ear infections, reducing the buildup of plaque on teeth (all of which are important to moms!). Ideal™ is also suitable for diabetics, pregnant women, and children and a delicious way for anyone to cut sugar and calories from their diet. 50 count is $2.59, 100 count is $4.59 and the baking pouch is $3.99. (suggested retail prices)

Citizenpip Soup to Nuts kit + a giveaway!

Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Contests, Food and Drink, New posts, Preschool, School, , ,

CitizenpipMadelyn started preschool this year and I was a bit of a wreck on the first Wednesday she attended because that is the day the kids stay an hour later so they can eat lunch at school. A few thoughts that raced in my mind where: what would she think about eating with other kids, they are like aliens to her, what would I pack for her to eat, and what on earth would I pack her lunch in? My first thought was to put some carrots and crackers in a couple of small ziplocks and put them inside a big ziplock and send her on her way. It’s been a long time since I sent a child to preschool.. about 8 years.

I was thrilled for Madelyn when I got the Citizenpip Soup to Nuts kit! I can’t imagine having a more perfect lunch kit for her to take to school. She is able to open the bag and the containers herself so she doesn’t have to ask the teachers for help.

Citizenpip Soup to Nuts kit

THE SOUP TO NUTS KIT INCLUDES:

* • 1 insulated lunch bag with nametag and carabiner that easily attaches to a backpack
* • 1 stainless steel water bottle
* • 1 stainless steel insulated food jar – too big to take to school but perfect for when we’re in the car traveling.
* • 4 BPA-free airtight food containers – Madelyn is able to open and close the containers.. important to her teachers don’t want to kick her out of school!
* • 1 stainless steel fork + spoon set
* • 5 100% cotton napkins – Madelyn LOVES the napkins. She uses them at school and home.

The Soup to Nuts Kit gives you lots of options for packing lunch. With four BPA-free airtight food containers, including one that perfectly fits a sandwich, and an insulated double-wall stainless steel food jar that keeps food hot or cold, it gives you maximum flexibility! PB&J one day and mac n’ cheese the next day? No problem! You can pack pretty much anything your kids want to eat for lunch. Added perks, no squished sandwiches, 1 napkin for each day of the week, and a water bottle that does double-duty as an ice pack. Included is a stainless steel fork and spoon set for spaghetti twirling and soup slurping.

Citizenpip is muck-free: no lead, BPA, PVC, or phthalates.

Where can I buy it? Citizinpip
How much is it? $55
GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win a $42 Citizinpip Square Meal Kit (choice of 3 styles) –
3 ways to enter to win!
1. Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite Square Meal Kit style is.
2. Tell me a funny lunchtime story staring your child.
3. Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to include your Twitter user name in your comment so we can check! Easy huh?
Giveaway entries accepted until 11:59pm October 16th.
Coupon code: mommyinsider10 to get 10% off your purchase of $40 or more!

Citizinpip Soup to Nuts kit

Cupcake Basics 101

Food and Drink, Guest post: TheFind.com, New posts, , , ,

cupcake-supplies

Along with back to school time comes birthday parties, school functions and holiday events calling for home baked cupcakes. I’ve already made one batch for the new families picnic at my daughter’s preschool. One thing I’ve learned from my first cupcake experience is that you need the right tools to make cupcake baking and decorating an efficient and fun experience. Of course you can pay $3 a pop for the bakery made cupcakes, but you can also buy the pre-made mixes from LA’s Sprinkles Bakery. They are famous for their red velvet cupcakes and the cupcake mix is sold at Williams Sonoma.

I’ve found that using the correct tip for icing and decorating can save time and frustration. For perfectly swirled frosting that is peaked at the top use a Wilton tip #1M. Wilton has instructions for everything you wanted to know about cupcake decorating here. Another essential for icing cupcakes is an offset spatula. It has a small bend that gives you the correct angle for applying the frosting. It has made my cupcake experiences so much more enjoyable. Once you’ve decorated your fabulous cupcakes you’ll want to transport them safely. A quality cupcake carrier will keep your cupcakes from getting smashed or falling over.

Get 15% off purchases at Williams Sonoma with coupon codes here.

From our friends at TheFind.com.

Trix Swirls limited edition cereal + a gift basket Giveaway!

Food and Drink, New posts, , ,

Trix Swirls cerealDid you know that there is a limited edition TRIX SWIRLS cereal out now?  When I hear limited edition, I think cars, not cereal but I’m telling you.. this new limited edition Trix Swirls cereal is pretty great, almost as great as a new car.   I have a regular breakfast routine but the silly Trix rabbit talked me into breaking my breakfast routing in order to enjoy Trix Swirls for a few days.. straight.  Yes, the ‘silly rabbit’ talked to me.  Am I crazy?  Nooo!

Trix Swirls is fortified with 12 vitamins and minerals and made from whole grain, so you can rest assured that you and your kids are starting your day off right with a delicious bowl of Trix Swirls.

Two yummy flavors swirled together in each little piece of Trix make this limited edition Trix Swirls so delicious.  Trix Swirls’ flavors include berry  berry blue, think lemony green, and rasporangey orange.

Trix Creative Gift Basket

GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to MyBlogSpark, 2 lucky readers will win a Trix Swirls® Creative Kid gift basket complete with a sample of Trix Swirls along with a colorful apron, a set of watercolor pencils, watercolor paints, brushes, a sketchbook, and an art supply box!

To enter, ask your kids how they think Trix Swirls were created then tell us in the comments below! (i.e. Did they run into one another? Did they clash in outer space? etc.), or what are their favorite things they would swirl together? 
For example, my 3 year old Madelyn, mixes macaroni and ketchup.. it looks so gross but I think it’s great that she enjoys mixing food so I don’t stop her.
Entries accepted until August 31st.

Alicia Hagan, Editor