Tag Archives: food

McDonald’s #Wholesome Choices – Examples, Tips, and Ideas

Food and Drink, New posts, ,

McDonald's Wholesome Choices BloggerMy husband and I were talking about the ‘McDonald’s Wholesome Chocies‘ blogger event I went to a few days ago with special guest Andrea Riggs from Get Body Beautiful, when my son overheard us and asked “what does wholesome mean“?  I had him look up the definition on my iPhone.  According to Merriam-Webster the definition of wholesome is ‘promoting health or well-being of mind or spirit‘.  So wholesome doesn’t mean perfect?, he asked.  “No” I said.. when you say you are trying to be wholesome, then you are making an effort to promote the health of your body, mind, and spirit through exercise, food, and other things like laughter.

So back to what I was talking to my husband about..  I am partnering with McDonald’s on their Wholesome Choices Blogger Program.  Over the next few weeks I will be sharing tips and ideas for making more wholesome choices in your every day life.   As a parent of two children and a business owner I am always searching for ways to be more relaxed, energetic, and for both my family and I to be more wholesome. Whether living a wholesome life is through exercise, laughing together, or eating more better, wholesomeness can be achieved in many different ways.  Through this ‘challenge’, I have committed to losing one dress size by making more wholesome choices.  Not just food choices but with exercise as well.

Let McDonald’s help your family make better food choices when you are on the go.  Through the McDonald’s “Made For You” cooking system, you can special order various menu items to help meet your nutritional needs. A range of serving sizes make it easy to create meal combinations that work for you and your family.  The calorie count in McDonald’s newer menu items may be reduced by lessening the portion size, among other ways.  McDonald’s offers a variety of whole-grain oatmeal choices on the breakfast menu which are available all day. The Fruit & Maple Oatmeal and the Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal are both 100% natural whole grain oats, rich in fiber.

Follow McDonald’s Atlanta on Twitter @McDonaldsATL and check out their website for real-time promos, meal ideas and how to make the most of your McDonald’s experience.

 

Disclosure: McDonald’s partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “Wholesome Choices” Blogger Program.  As part of that program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used, and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. McDonald’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour Review and Giveaway {Ends 10/10}

Contests, Food and Drink, , , ,

Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour
First I have to say thank you to the fabulous friend of mine who came over to our house and made these cookies from scratch for us as for this review.  My family and I enjoyed on these delicious chocolate chip cookies very very much!
Why didn’t I bake the cookies?  Because I was sort of running around like a crazy woman, trying to get ready for a work trip, trying to get regular work done, not to mention that this friend is known for making some reallllly good cookies!  The cookies seemed more flavorfull than usual and I realized that was because the flour has such a delicate flavor that it didn’t drown out the yummy goodness of the vanilla, brown sugar, and chocolate chips in the cookies.

 

With Americans looking for ways to add more whole grain to their diets, it’s the simple choices that can make a difference, like making the effortless switch to new Gold Medal® White Whole Wheat flour. Available in grocery stores this September, Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour can help you bake it great with the goodness of whole grains!

Unlike most whole wheat flours that are made from hard red spring wheat, Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour is made with hard white spring wheat. So, it´s whole grain, but with a similar taste and texture to all-purpose white flour.

Perfect for family favorite recipes like breads, pizza dough, cookies, muffins and brownies, Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour bakes up golden and has a milder flavor than baked goods made with regular whole wheat flour.

Start by simply substituting whole wheat white flour for 25 to 50 percent of the recipe’s flour content.

You may wish to add an extra tablespoon or two of the liquid used in the recipe when substituting Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour or decrease the amount of flour by one to two tablespoon for recipes that call for all-purpose flour.

From breakfast to dessert and everything in between, find classic recipes that use Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour at www.bettycrocker.com and make adding whole grain to your daily routine even easier, without sacrificing on flavor.

Connect with Betty Crocker:

Enter to Win a Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour Prize Package including:

  • A VIP coupon for a sample of Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour
  • Instructions for conversion
  • Cookie Jar
  • Recipe Cards

Mandatory Entry:

Leave a comment below telling me what you would bake with Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour or what your most fond baking memory is.

3 extra entries:

2 extra entries:

Entries accepted through 11:59pm EST 10/10/11.
No P.O. Boxes
U.S. mailing address only
All entries must be recorded in the comments below, in order to count (EX: link to Tweet, Facebook post, blog post, etc).
The winner will be notified via email and must respond within 24 hours.  If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be chosen and notified.
The prize package will be sent by MyBlogSpark.  We are not responsible for shipping.


Disclosure: The Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour product, information, and giveaway have been provided by Gold Medal through MyBlogSpark.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Review: LAND O LAKES® Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread – YUM!

Food and Drink, ,

My son hates syrup.. “with a passion” I’d always say.  He doesn’t even like to touch a plate or bowl that syrup has been in.  However, he loves butter as does my daughter.  I think it’s appropriate to say to a server at a restaurant, “They’ll have butter with their pancakes please”.   While I was away at BlogHer in San Diego a couple of weeks ago, a package of Land O’ Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread arrived at my house via FedEx and my husband and kids didn’t even consider waiting for me to be home before trying the Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread.  Apparently they are able to make pancakes when I’m travelling but not when I’m home.  Interesting, huh?

Land O' Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spreak

My husband and son agreed that Land O’ Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread is “awesomely amazing”.  My husband didn’t feel like he had to drown his pancakes in syrup like he normally does.  In fact, he didn’t use any syrup!

Land o Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter SpreadI LOVE that LAND O LAKES® Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread has no artificial ingredients and is made from ingredients I can pronounce including cream, sugar, canola oil and cinnamon.

For those of you who are big fans of cooking, LAND O LAKES® Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread can be used for baking too!

Learn more about how you can add LAND O LAKES® Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread to your favorite foods at www.LandoLakes.com or on Facebook.  They have some great recipe ideas on the website.

 

Disclosure: The LAND O LAKES® Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread product, and information have been provided by Land O´Lakes through MyBlogSpark.

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