Food — Page 13

Free Cupcakes for People Like Us – Mothers!

Free Mother’s Day Cupcakes!

I told you about the other free cupcakes giveaway from Sprinkles Cupcakes last week, to celebrate the new movie People Like Us. Well now they’re doing another SWEET freebie – {yep, as always, pun intended. I’m so punny…} – On Mother’s Day, May 13, head into any Sprinkles Cupcakes location and say, “People Like Us” to get a totally free cupcake to celebrate people like us – Mothers! {And, watch for the movie premier, in theaters June 29, 2012.}

Like PEOPLE LIKE US on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/peoplelikeus
Follow PEOPLE LIKE US on Twitter: twitter.com/ PplLikeUsMovie

Love Cupcakes? Check out my Pinterest Cupcake Idea board filled with super fun ideas today!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on May 12, 2012 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments

Real Food for Real Kids: Smart Snacking Guide

As I was saying yesterday in my post about my new favorite on-the-go snack bars, eating healthy does NOT have to mean sacrificing taste. When you’re at a grocery store, there are so darn many products marketed as “kids snacks” – covered in cartoon images, and packed full of sugar, coloring agents, and yucky additives that your kids sure don’t need. But there’s an easy solution – if you take just a little time each weekend to plan and prepare snacks for the week ahead, you can feed your kids REAL foods that they’ll love to eat, and you’ll love serving.

Exploring new tastes

I printed this out to go into my Meal Planning binder, so I can put together great snacks for Abby and the boys each week. I seriously love these ideas – there are a ton of traditional snacks that are fun for kids, like ants on a log, creative healthy alternatives to things like sugary fruit roll-ups, and new tastes that kids will love trying out like hummus and baby carrots. You would be surprised by how many great “real” foods kids will love – they don’t have to survive on just chicken nuggets and candy-like fruit snacks. They’ll love experiencing new tastes like edamame, or popcorn with lime juice, cumin, and garlic powder! The earlier you start giving them cool new things to try, the more adventurous eaters they’ll become as they get bigger! {Abby loves salmon, sugar snap peas and ranch, and eggplant!}

California Raisins’ Let’s Keep It Real Healthy Snack Challenge

California Raisins are an all-natural, no-added-sugar snack you can feel good about giving your family, and are a perfect fit for daily snacking. To help more moms discover what a great choice they are for kids snacks {and for you, too!} they’re running a super fun promotion: California Raisins is asking you & your family to pledge to enjoy all-natural, no-added-sugar snacks – like California Raisins – for one week.

Sign up for the Let’s Keep It Real Healthy Snack Challenge on Facebook and you’ll be automatically entered to win one of five prize packs that include $1,000 in cash and other goodies to get your healthy snacking on. How awesome is THAT?

How do you incorporate real foods into your snacks while still trying to save time and keep it simple?

I admit it, there are many times that I buy those big boxes of pre-packaged bags of chips for the kids, or other unhealthy junk. But I’m getting better all the time at stocking up on healthy stuff. Here are a few of my best tips on building better snacks:

Snack Ideas: Print out this great snack planning chart on the page, and get a fun book like Healthy Lunch Boxes and Snacks to inspire some really great daily snack ideas. You’ll also find loads of ideas on my Fun Kids Snacks board on Pinterest.
Perfect Portions: My absolute favorite containers are the EasyLunchboxes Bento Box Set! They’re BPA free, really sturdy, and make it so easy to build great snacks for the week. Instead of buying Lunchables that are packed full of sodium and fat – make your own little snack packs with California Raisins, cheese cut into fun shapes or cubes, and celery with peanut butter!
Choose Real: If the only options in the house are good, healthy, real foods – that’s what the kids’ll eat! Make a snack box in the fridge, and another box in a cupboard – buy a few Itzy Ritzy Baby Reusable Snack Bag, or some of the fun new Ziploc bags with cartoon characters, and fill ’em with healthy snacks. Then the kids can just grab a great snack each day when they need one – and you know that they’re getting the good vitamins and stuff that they need.

So – If you’re ready to take the California Raisins’ Let’s Keep It Real Healthy Snack Challenge on Facebook too – join today! And I’d love to hear your best snack tips too – share ’em in the comments!

{Disclosure: I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated in the post are my own.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on May 4, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 5 Comments

Why this is the perfect snack

Convenient doesn’t have to mean unhealthy. And healthy doesn’t have to mean sacrificing taste. So – If you’re looking for a super simple snack, that’s healthy enough that you feel like a great mom when you feed it to the kids, while being tasty enough that YOU enjoy eating it too – You’re totally in luck. I have another great Busy Mom Solution product for you – PROBAR Fruitrition snack bars. Sooooo good.

“The greatest wealth is health.” – Virgil

I used to rely on granola bars for the kids snacks – But then I realized that honestly, they’re just not much better than a candy bar. They’re so packed full of sugar and corn syrup and chocolate chips – They are not a real great choice. But they’re yummy, and they’re simple to grab and go. Then I went looking for some good Gluten Free snacks to have in the house, since during the summer we have a TON of kids here all the time using the pool – and I wanted to make sure we have snacks to fit all of their different dietary needs, you know? When I tried these great Fruitrition bars, I knew we’d found a winner! Seriously – this chocolate orange flavor tastes like a gourmet chocolate from my favorite candy shop. Uh-MAY-zing. Best part? They have a full serving of fruit in each bar, and are only 160 calories – meaning they can fit into my Nutrisystem diet too!

“If I’d known I was going to live so long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” – Leon Eldred

If you want to upgrade your snack foods too – You totally have to check out these bars. You should be able to find them at some of your favorite local stores – but if not, you can order online too, AND I’ve got a sweet savings discount code you can use too:

Visit theprobar.com, and enter code “BLOGGER” at checkout to save 40% off your order! Awesome, right?

My favorite is by FAR the Chocolate Orange – but there’s also a ton of other goodies to choose from – strawberry bar, but you can’t go wrong with peach, cherry, lemon, blueberry, strawberry and cran-raspberry. So whether you’re buying these as a healthier alternative for the kiddos, or for a way better snack choice for yourself, you’ll find a perfect flavor. And hey – It’s not just me saying that they rock, they just won an award from Prevention Magazine too – check it out, and have another reason why these are a total must-have in any snack cupboard this spring!

Wanna try ’em for FREE?

Of course you do! So use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below to enter to WIN a case filled with ALL of the new PROBAR Fruitrition bars – this is an almost $40 value, which is a LOT of snacks. So cool. Then when you’re done, check out the list of other sweet prizes that I’m giving away this month too, over in the sidebar. The more you enter, the more chances you have to win!

Have Fun & Good Luck!

[Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on May 3, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | 2 Comments

4 Simple Ways to Jazz Up a Sugar Cookie

How to Spice Up a Basic Sugar Cookie

I admit it – sweets are my weakness. But, while I love to bake – I have much more enthusiasm than skill, lol. So I rely on lots of clever shortcuts, and am more of a Semi-Homemade type of girl. Buying store-bought desserts is no fun – but jazzing up some cookies from a mix is something that I CAN handle – and it makes me feel like less of a failure in the kitchen. If you’re not cooking show material either – or maybe are just looking for some simple ideas to use when you don’t have time for baking from scratch, keep readin’ sister.

McCormick Look Book Baking Inspiration

For those of you who are better homemakers than I am, and regularly bake desserts for your family from scratch – you will find some AMAZINGLY delicious ideas in the new McCormick Look Book. It’s filled with perfect picks for spring entertaining – and you can search by Cakes & Cookies, Brunch Gathering, Spring Cakes, and more. I pinned a TON of good stuff onto my cakes, cookies, pops – oh my! board, and you can find more yummies on the Spring Baking Pin-spiration board from McCormick too. {Because you needed another reason to hop onto Pinterest today, right?} Since there were so many great ideas there, I used them to inspire some shortcuts to great treats, using some of my favorite supplies from McCormick! I tested out a ton, and let the family pick their favorites. Here are the winners:

Cinnamon & Sugar: I loved the idea of this cookie; it reminds me of a snickerdoodle. McCormick has a great recipe in the Look Book that you can try. For a simplified version – use refrigerated sugar cookie dough, and simply roll it in a mixture of sugar and McCormick Cinnamon, then bake as directed. Yum!
Colored Cookies: This is a similar idea – use the great recipe in the Look Book for Colorful Sugar Cookies; or for an easy alternative, substitute refrigerated cookie dough, but follow the steps to make the colored sugar using McCormick’s easy to use food coloring. This would be fun to match a kiddo’s birthday party colors!
Lemon-Coconut Cookies: This one isn’t from the Look Book – but I wanted to create something fun for spring using McCormick’s Lemon Extract. I used a boxed sugar cookie mix, then added 1 tsp of the extract, and a 1/2 cup of toasted coconut. Soooo good! {Also, you can experiment with using ANY of McCormick’s extracts into a sugar cookie mix – they’ll fool people into thinking you made them from scratch.}
Colorful Cookie Glaze: Want to add a glaze to your cookies? You can use this great recipe from the Look Book for Cookie Glaze – or if you need a lazy girl option, you can simply add a few drops of their food coloring to regular store-bought frosting, then melt it a bit in the microwave. It’ll pour on just like a glaze!

So, whether you’re a totally skilled baking ninja, a busy mom just looking for some short-cuts to save time, or a bit of a kitchen klutz like me – you’ll find some great spring baking inspiration and ideas in the new McCormick Look Book!

What’s YOUR favorite Baking Tip?

Do you have a great short-cut idea to share? I’d LOVE to hear them! Did you find a new recipe to try in the Look Book? {I’m going to try the Orange-Kissed Brownies next!} And do you use McCormick for your baking too – what’s your fave to use? {Obviously I’m a big fan of the extracts! They totally help me make store-bought supplies a lot sassier!} I love hearing from you guys.

{Disclaimer: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for McCormick. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for participating. Photo Credit.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on May 1, 2012 Filed Under: Tips | 9 Comments

Diet for a Day – See My Results

Have you been wondering how my Nutrisystem journey is going? Wondering why you hadn’t seen an update lately? Well – I missed last week’s post, and am late on this week’s, because my site got hacked and was down for almost 6 days! Yikes, right? But as of this morning – I’m BAAACK, bay-bee!! And I’m here to share a little more about how things are going for me, and what results I’m seeing. But first – I’d like to give you a taste of what it’s like following the Nutrisystem plan. Check it out, see if it’s a good fit for you too – and learn my latest results at the bottom of the post…

Breakfast Time – 6:00 am

I love so many of the breakfast options at Nutrisystem – but this one is definitely my favorite. Super yummy, and so filling. I have this in the morning with one of the awesome chocolate shakes – Love that cool shaker container that they send for mixing these. Works amazing! And the protein in the shakes really does help me from getting hungry again for awhile. Plus, all breakfast frozen options take only 1-2 minutes to pop in the microwave, making it quick and easy to grab and then jump on the computer and get to work.

Morning Snack Time – 9:00 am

A couple hours after breakfast I grab a quick snack. For this option, you add in what’s called a PowerFuel – things like a string cheese, yogurt, or a hard-boiled egg. You can also add in a non-starchy veggie too, if you’re hungry. {Some days are crazier than others – and with all the rushing around, I find myself hungrier than usual!} I also love that the snacks that are good for my diet are also good for the kids – and make great healthy options for Abby to snack with me during the day.

Lunch Time: 12:00 noon

For lunch, you just grab any of your easy to prepare options, and they’re even marked with the big lunch label, making them easy to find. You can get frozen options like an Italian Style Turkey & Sausage Melt or this uh-MAY-zing Margherita Pizza, or shelf-stable portions of soups or pastas. Pair your lunch entree with another PowerFuel, and as many non-starchy veggies as you like! I usually build a big salad at lunch time – it fills me up, and gets me a ton of servings of veggies. {You’re allowed 3 “extras” per day – which is where you get the dressing for your salad.}

Afternoon Snack: 3:00 pm

I eat a snack right before the boys get home from school – so that I’m full, and not tempted to eat any of the not-so-diet-friendly snacks that they might crave when they get home. The afternoon snack is a SmartCarb – I usually add in a fruit – something like raisins, an orange, or a banana. If I’m not using many extras in my days meals – I’ll have a bowl of strawberries and a bit of non-fat whip cream. Mmmmmm :)

Dinner time: 6:00 pm

This is my FAVORITE of the Nutrisystem dinner entrees – the Citrus BBQ Glazed Pork! The texture of the meat is amazing, I’ve never had a frozen dinner be so good. The flavor is awesome – the combo of sweet and spicy is SO good. At dinner you add another SmartCarb – so I usually add a whole grain roll, or a side of baked beans if it fits the meal. Then I add more veggies – either another big salad, or my favorite – A big serving of green beans! Man, I could eat a whole can of those. I can’t wait until my garden gets going this year, and I can have fresh ones each night. I love that all of my meals, all day long, are already measured to perfect portions, balanced with great nutrition, and protein-packed to keep me powered up. It’s so simple to grab, munch and enjoy, and go!

Dessert: 9:00 pm

While I finish up blogging work at the computer late at night, I always crave a little treat. That is my very favorite thing about the Nutrisystem plan – they make it easy to follow by not restricting you from your favorite foods. Every single night you can choose a dessert – from a piece of chocolate cake or a white-chocolate chunk cookie – to frozen options like a creamy fudge or orange cream bar. If you’re more of a salty type, you can choose from cheese puffs or buttery popcorn. Love it, right?

Read more about my Nutrisystem Weight Loss journey, and follow my Weight Loss board on Pinterest too!

Now… For the Results!

Well, I have to admit it – I didn’t see as much loss the past two weeks as I would have liked to. But, I was also at a conference in Texas for 4 days – and between the hotel breakfast, airport food, and dinners out, it was really tough to stay on track. But – thanks to following this plan for so long now, I am totally able to make better choices, and realize what a “real” portion looks like. {Can you say – Doggie Bag Please??} – But, I AM still losing! Last weigh in was 179 pounds. I’m now at 177 – so only a pound per week for the past two weeks. BUT…

My Last Measurements

These were taken at the end of my first month on the Nutrisystem plan, and I saw a decrease in every single category, versus my original measurements. Not a huge change – but it was measurable, and that totally thrilled me.

Upper Arms: 13.0
Chest: 41.5
Waist: 36.0
Hips: 43.5
Thighs: 24.5

So… What did I see in this next set of measurements?? I’d only lost 2 pounds, but I HAD been super active. With the travel, the constant action of the conference I attended, and the extra exercise that I’ve been adding into my day, I was hoping to see at least a slight change….

My New Measurements:

These were taken today – Date: 04/24/2012. Check ’em out babeeeeee – I am so super excited to see that again, I have lost a measurable amount in EVERY single category. How amazing is this??

Upper Arms: 12.0
Chest: 42.0
Waist: 35.5
Hips: 41.5
Thighs: 22.5

If you add it all up – that’s a total of 6 inches that I’ve lost off of this body! Woah. Yes – the results are not super dramatic. But – this is not a quick-fix diet. This is all about healthy lifestyle changes, and long-term weight loss. I am totally blown away by both how easy it is, and how effective it’s been for me – even when I’m not able to follow it perfectly, while I’m away on business trips. Imagine what it can do for you too!

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT AND GET HEALTHY ON NUTRISYSTEM?

Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting Nutrisystem.com. It’s simple to get started, the foods are actually really good, with loads of variety. Heck – you even get to have chocolate cake or ice cream each night for dessert, how great is that? Get started today – it’s the best choice you’ll make this year!

{Disclaimer: I’m receiving a complimentary membership and access to all Nutrisystem products and services, to review here for you. All photos, opinions, and results here are 100% my own personal experience – and may vary for others.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 24, 2012 Filed Under: Nutrisystem | No Comments

Easter Fun: Dipped Baby Chick Cookies

Easter Fun – Treat Recipe

Ok – We didn’t make these ones. This is a fun photo from the Free-n-Fun Easter ideas section on Oriental Trading Company. Super cute, right? They looked like they’d be pretty simple – and since I have pretty wild helpers in the kitchen, {my nephews are 8 and 5, and Abby is 20 months. The combination leads to a lot of kitchen craziness!} – I need things that are simple. And, they mostly were, but ours weren’t quite as successful as these ones. But that’s the usual result around here – I’m much more enthusiastic in the kitchen than I am skilled, lol.

Making Easter Baby Chick Cookies

While our version isn’t quite as adorable as the original, they were still a ton of fun – and came out pretty cute. The kids LOVED them!! We did this as a trial run, and will be making more for our big Easter Egg Hunt party on Saturday. For the body of the chick, you can use any type of sandwich cookie – But since the kids at my house LOVE the Newman-O’s, we used those.

The Newman-O’s are a way healthier version of the traditional sandwich cookie, which is great for me – I’m on the Nutrisystem diet, but am going to splurge on a couple of Easter treats this weekend. {I’m so super-duper busy, hopefully I’ll burn off the extra calories quick, lol} – They even have a Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free cookie, for kiddo’s with food allergies. That’s a huge bonus when we’re having a ton of kids over!

Dipped Chick Cookie Recipe

The ingredients are simple, and you can make easy substitutions if needed. The process is pretty easy too – and they’re still pretty fun even when they don’t come out perfect! {Hint: Get some great spring candy and baking coupons right now, printable from Coupons.com – they have a lot of great ones through the weekend!}

Easter Fun: Dipped Chick Cookies

Ingredients

Cream-Filled Sandwich Cookies
Pretzel Sticks, broken in half
Mini Chocolate Chips
Orange Conversation Heart Candies - or icing
White Chocolate Candy Melts or Almond Bark
Yellow Gel Food Coloring

Instructions

Melt your candy melts or almond bark according to the package directions. {Add a bit of Crisco, if you have some, to make the dipping easier!} Stir in a couple drops of the yellow food coloring, until it's the color you want it.
Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, then place them on a big piece of wax paper.
Add the mini chocolate chip eyes, and the pretzel legs. Also add the candy hearts if you have them - if not, wait until they cool and add frosting instead, like we did.
Display, enjoy, then eat!

https://sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/04/easter-fun-dipped-baby-chick-cookies/

For More Fun Easter Ideas

Check out more Easter Fun Ideas and Inspiration on my Pinterest board – and if you’ve got a favorite Easter craft, recipe, or activity post to share – drop by and post it up on my Facebook wall, so everyone can check it out too! Have a cool idea to share but it’s not in a post? No worries – Post a pic on my wall too! I love seeing your fun creations – Happy Easter!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on April 4, 2012 Filed Under: Holidays | 3 Comments

Daily $200 Grocery Gift Card Giveaway! #iloveavocados

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Wake Up A Winner Sweepstakes

Rise, Shine, & Enter – It’s that easy. You can enter the Wake Up a Winner Sweepstakes every single day, for a chance to win the daily prize – a $200 grocery gift card to the store of your choice. Imagine how much THAT would help your budget, right? Plus, the more days that you enter, the more chances that you have to win the Grand Prize – a Napa Valley, California Bed & Breakfast vacation for you and a guest! You totally deserve a weekend away – so make sure you enter each day.

How to Enter to Win

To enter, visit the Avocados From Mexico on Facebook page, and fill out a quick form to get into the daily drawing for the $200 Grocery Gift Card. The giveaway runs from April 2, 2012 – May 6, 2012. I entered today – Fingers crossed!

Avocados from Mexico make a great breakfast too – which you can enjoy each morning before entering the Wake Up a Winner Sweepstakes. {See what I did there? Wake up, to breakfast and then enter to win? Get it? Lol.} Check out this tasty idea that will be filling enough to keep hunger away ’till lunch – while being super healthy and full of crazy-nutritous stuff.

Avocado Toast Recipe

1 full ripened avocado from Mexico, halved, pitted, and peeled.
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
2 large slices of bread, toasted
Optional: 2 slices of cooked bacon, or 2 tablespoons chopped tomato

This is super simple – grab a bowl, and mash up the avocado with a fork – then season to make your taste buds happy with the desired amount of salt and pepper. {I like very little salt, lots and lots of pepper} Then divide the avocado mix evenly onto the two slices of toast, and spread to cover. Cut each slice in half, eat, and enjoy a ridiculously healthy start to your day!

Start Your Day with a Smile!

And don’t forget – each morning after enjoying a healthy & hearty breakfast with avocados from Mexico – get more Avocados From Mexico recipes to try here – head over to enter the Wake Up a Winner Sweepstakes too! What a rockin’ way to start each morning, right? {Feelin’ lucky? Enter to win all the fun prizes that I’m giving away this month too – right over in the sidebar!} Have Fun, and Good Luck!