Inbru Coffee Flavors Review and Giveaway
January 31, 2013

Inbru Coffee Flavors Review and Giveaway

Inbru is a product that you can add to your coffee grounds to give it some extra flavor. When I first saw this company online, I thought that the idea was awesome! Most of the coffees that I buy are plain flavored (which I often like them that way) but think that it would be nice to be able to add some flavor every now and then. All you do is add Inbru which comes in a powder-like form to your coffee grounds and brew as normal.  In a few short minutes, you have a room filled with delicious flavored coffee aroma. I was sent two flavors to try: creme caramel and toasted chestnut. I chose the chestnut because I thought that it was such a rare and unique flavor. This past Sunday morning, my husband and I brewed up some regular coffee with the toasted chestnut Inbru.  It was delicious! The smell of this coffee alone was incredible. I highly recommend this chestnut flavor. It is not like anything that I have ever had before. It gave the coffee a great nutty flavor without added any

Pinata Apple French Toast
January 30, 2013

Pinata Apple French Toast

I have heard of pinata apples but have never found them in store. When I found Stemilt , I knew that I wanted to try their apples. The pinata apple is similar in flavor to a golden delicious but has more red on it. They are very crispy and juicy- just the way I like my apples.   Apples are a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. They are a healthy snack or are tasty incorporated into a meal. With the pinata apples that I was sent, I made a pinata apple French toast. It was very tasty! Pinata Apple French Toast Ingredients: 4 slices of whole wheat bread 3 whole eggs Splash of skim milk Heavy dash of cinnamon 1 large Pinata apple Nonstick cooking spray Directions: 1. Beat eggs, milk and cinnamon with a fork. 2. Cut up apples into small, bite sized pieces. 3. Spray a pan lightly with nonstick spray and begin cooking apples on medium heat. 4. Meanwhile, dip whole wheat bread into egg mixture and cook on medium in another pan. 5. Cook apples until lightl

Lean Cuisine Review
January 29, 2013

Lean Cuisine Review

Lean Cuisine is coming out with more and more gourmet entrees. I usually make most of my meals at home but in a time crunch, having a frozen meal on hand can become very handy. My husband goes to school on Tuesday and Thursday nights and does not come home until later. Having a quick meal to heat up is perfect for these nights. I was provided with a coupon to try a free Lean Cuisine. I decided on the Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli because it sounded delicious. It is from the Culinary Collection with a "Chef's Pick" label. Other meals in this line include Spinach Artichoke Ravioli; Asparagus Ravioli; Ranchero Braised Beef; Chile Lime Chicken; Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli; Chicken Makhani; Chicken & Vegetables; Chicken in Peanut Sauce; Chicken Carbonara and more. The Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli  has 290 calories per serving, 9 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber, 14 grams protein and 650 milligrams of sodium. My only complaint is that it is quite high in sodium whic

GFreely Review and Giveaway
January 28, 2013

GFreely Review and Giveaway

GFreely is a monthly gluten-free subscription service. As a dietitian, I know that it is difficult for those with a gluten intolerance or with Celiac disease to find delicious products as their options are much more limited than those who can consume gluten.  This company sends out a monthly sampler box of products that are all gluten free. This gives those who need to follow a gluten free diet plenty of options and allows them to try new products. Here is some information about how the products are chosen: Each month we choose a new, unique theme for our foods. One month might be gluten free tacos and chips; another might be gluten free pizza and snacks. It’s always a surprise and it’s always delicious. Our team of foodies and dietitians pick the best gfree foods in the country so that you can live a healthier lifestyle with ease. A month of GFreely products costs $19 per month and you receive $25-40 worth of products.   Here is my review of some of the products that I was s

Meme Jewels Review
January 27, 2013

Meme Jewels Review

Meme Jewels is a company that sells all kinds of jewelry as an affordable price. They have gorgeous necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. For my review, I was sent the Leah Swarovski Crystal Black Rose Necklace. The regular price of this necklace is $80 but it is currently on sale for $35. This is a great price for such a nice necklace. The necklace is plated with 18k gold. Since my wedding rings are gold, I mostly wear gold jewelry. I love this necklace and think that it can go with many different outfits. The necklace can be worn with a dressy outfit or with a simple outfit of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. Here is some information about the necklace: We provide various Swarovski Crystal necklaces in different materials here. Black rose is the symbol of myth unique,and grace, this beautiful necklace is in the shape of a black rose,choose a Swarovski black rose necklace, and be the queen of any occasions! We provide discount recently. Do not miss it, just get it! Creat

Kona Kase Review
January 26, 2013

Kona Kase Review

  Kona Kase is a company that sends a monthly box of endurance nutrition samples to your doorstep. It costs $15 per month to receive a variety of treats to try. To be honest, I am not exactly an endurance athlete. I have recently gotten back into running but I'm not to the point where I run 10 miles at a time. The good thing is that most of these products are still great options for me. Here is how the company started: Finding the right endurance nutrition products is a pain. The market is large, the products are pricey, and only you can determine what fuels your best performance. As two endurance athletes, we’ve wasted a lot of time and money researching and purchasing nutrition products that didn’t ultimately meet our individual tastes and needs. We created Kona Kase because we think there’s a better way. The December Kona Kase that I was sent came with the following products: -Pure Matters - Protein Powder- This protein powder was very tasty in a banana, spinach, ice,

Eppa Sangria Review
January 25, 2013

Eppa Sangria Review

Eppa is an antioxidant rich, certified organic sangria. I was sent a bottle to try out for my review. The first thing that I noticed when I opened the bottle was how fruity the drink smelled. It is only 8.5% alcohol compared to the typical 12.5-13.5% wine. Eppa Sangria has Mendocino Cabernet and Syrah wines in it. It also has real, organic fruit juices including pomegranate, blueberry, blood orange and acai. Each 5 ounce glass has 120 calories. Here is some information about Eppa: We began simply as a group of friends, and Eppa SuperFruit Sangria was born out of our love for good times and quality experiences with friends and family. At these gatherings at home, the beach or wherever there was fun, one of us became known as the “Sangria King” for his delicious mixtures of superior wine and real fruit. The idea of bottling the world’s first organic, SuperFruit sangria just made sense to us. For the first time, we wanted people to be able to simply pour and enjoy premium qu

Cauliflower Crust Pizza
January 24, 2013

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I have seen cauliflower crust pizza all over the Internet for the last 6 months or so. I love trying healthy alternatives to heavy foods so I decided to make this. I never, ever follow a recipe exactly so this recipe is a creation of my own mixed with some ideas from other sites. Cauliflower Crust Pizza   Ingredients: Crust 3 cups raw cauliflower- broken into pieces 1 raw onion chopped into large pieces 2 eggs 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Toppings: 1/2 cup pizza sauce 1/3 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar) 18 turkey pepperoni Pickled jalapenos to taste Directions: 1. cauliflower and onion and pulse in food processor until it is in tiny rice sized pieces. 2. Cook cauliflower and onion mix in microwave for about 8 minutes or until soft. 3. Beat eggs and add Parmesan cheese, cheddar, garlic, red pepper flakes and cooked cauliflower/onion mix. Mi

Polmedia Polish Stoneware Review
January 23, 2013

Polmedia Polish Stoneware Review

As someone who is 50% Polish, I love to embrace my heritage. My family enjoys eating pierogi, kapusta, kielbasa and all kinds of Polish foods. When I found Polmedia Polish Stoneware , a company that makes all kinds of handmade Polish products, I knew I had to check it out. For my review, I was sent this 41 ounce blue teapot . It retails for $55.96. It is stoneware and is actually made in Poland. I received this teapot a few days before having my Polish Busia over and when she came over, I showed her the teapot. She absolutely loved it! This teapot seems to be very well made. It is sturdy and keeps my tea hot for long periods of time. It is big enough to hold about 5 cups of tea. I love the bright blue pattern and think that it is very fun. Here is another one of my favorite Polmedia Polish Stoneware products: Rectangular Baker Polmedia imports tons of different products from Boleslawiec, Poland include bakeware, serving dishes, home decor, bowls, baskets and more. For ho

Wholesome Meal Snack Bites Deal
January 22, 2013

Wholesome Meal Snack Bites Deal

I tried Wholesome Meal Snack Bites recently and loved them. In fact, I just finished the last of my stash this morning. I wanted to let you know about a deal that they are running right now if anyone wanted to try these protein packed snacks. Starting Monday, January 21, the company is running a week long Snack Bites promotion! For every three tubes purchased, customers receive one tube free and free shipping by clicking the “Special, Buy 3 Get one Free” banner on wholesomemeal.com. Snack Bites are a great fit for every meal plan and an easy way to keep New Year’s fitness resolutions on track. Each 50-calorie bite is loaded with clean protein and healthy fat to eliminate carb cravings and keep you full until your next meal. Snack Bites come in 5 flavors including Peanut Butter, Chia Chocolate, Vegan Cran Almond, Nutty Monkey and Sunny Honey. Let me know if you try these and what you think!

The Healthy Baking Company Review and Giveaway
January 21, 2013

The Healthy Baking Company Review and Giveaway

The Healthy Baking Company is a company that makes two different delicious products. They make Heart Thrives and Suncakes. They use vegan and all natural ingredients in their products. When I received this package for my review, I was in a hurry to get to an appointment and grabbed one of the raisin spice Heart Thrives. I ended up absolutely loving it. It was cold because the package had been sitting outside and it was wonderful. It was chewy, slightly sweet and very filling. Here is a description of Heart Thrives: Heart Thrives are a delicious, Gluten Free, Vegan, energy bar. Made with whole grain oats, dried fruits, natural fruit juices, soy and brown rice flour and syrup, each package of Heart Thrives supplies 30-40% of your daily Protein, Fiber and Calcium nutritional requirements. Available in seven delicious flavors: Apricot, Cranberry, Apple, Date, Lemon Poppy Seed, Chocolate Chip and Raisin Spice. These also have great nutrition facts. Each package comes with 2 Hear

January 20, 2013

No Longer Accepting Anonymous Comments

In the last 2 months, I have seen a huge increase in spam comments. I probably get 5 to 8 per day. They say something random that does not at all pertain to my post and then leaves a link to some spam website. As of today, I am no longer accepting anonymous comments. This includes people typing in their name when they leave a comment. I have been looking at who leaves comments on my blog and it is mostly people with Google profiles so that should not be a problem. If you are one of the people who do not have a Google profile or can no longer leave a comment on my blog, please email me: achernandez711@yahoo.com and I will see what I can do. Thank you for your support. I do not feel comfortable having all of these spam comments being left on my blog which is of course, not spam.

Coffee Beanery Review and Giveaway
January 18, 2013

Coffee Beanery Review and Giveaway

The Coffee Beanery coffee is a company that has been in my life for a long time. My dad is an optometrist and used to work at a store at a mall on the weekends up north. While he worked, my mom, siblings and I would spend time at the mall and shop around. Us kids were were always allowed to get one kind of candy from the candy store and my mom would always get a Coffee Beanery coffee. This is a fond memory and I always remember the coffee being very tasty. Recently, I was at a mall with my husband and we needed a pick-me-up. We got a Coffee Beanery coffee and were quite impressed. It had been a long time since I had tried this coffee but this reminded me how much that I enjoy it. My favorite part about this company: they are a Michigan company! They started in 1976 and have their headquarters in Flushing, MI. While other companies have good coffee too, supporting a local place means a lot to me! For my review, I was sent the small coffee suitcase which is actually quite a ba

FunFresh Foods review
January 17, 2013

FunFresh Foods review

I was recently send these new to me products by FunFresh Foods . I was sent the two peanut powders seen above by Dowd & Rogers. It comes in regular peanut flavor and cacao and peanut. One container ale for $7.27. Here is some information about this product: "Made from 100& non-GMO peanuts that are slow-roasted and expeller pressed to remove the oil. Blended with Raw Organic Cacao Powder. Contains 73% less calories and 92% less fat than conventional peanut butter. A tasty way to replace a high fat staple food."   This is my second experience with peanut powder. Some people like this mixed with water but I do not find it satisfying that way. How I do love it is mixed into a vegetable stir-fry. I add some garlic, onion powder, low-sodium soy sauce and some of this peanut powder. It is simple, nutritious and much lower calorie than regular peanut stir-fry using peanut butter. The chocolate one is good mixed into hot oatmeal. I do think that it needs a bit of

St. Dalfour Review and Giveaway
January 16, 2013

St. Dalfour Review and Giveaway

St. Dalfour is a company that sells dessert sauces, 100% fruit all-nature conserves, dried fruit, Ready-to-Eat Gourmet on the Go, organic tea and honey. When I saw that they had prunes, I was sold. I am a sucker for these sweet, dried fruits and always have been. I was sent some of their fancy plum preserves, organic vanilla tea and dessert sauces.  Their vanilla tea is lightly flavored and was the perfect start to my Saturday morning. It had a faint vanilla taste that was sweet enough without any added suga r. It is a great no-calo rie option. I love the fancy plum jam as well. It is good on toast but even better on a toasted English muffin. It is perfectly sweet and really does taste like fresh summer plums. Anything with the word plum or prune in it is something that is a must try for me.  6 new dessert sauces to try? Definitely fun! The first sauce that I tried was their organic caramel sauce. It is delicious drizzled over fresh slices of banana. I tried the blueberry

MorningStar Farms Fresh Ideas
January 15, 2013

MorningStar Farms Fresh Ideas

  I am a huge MorningStar Farms fan. One of their "burgers" with all of the toppings on a whole wheat bun is one of my favorite meals.   They now have a new program called Fresh Ideas which is an exclusive online community of food lovers who like to share opinions about food through surveys and discussion forums.   If you qualify to join this community, you will be entered into drawings to win prizes, have the opportunity to meet likeminded women who you can share ideas and thoughts with, and be able to share your valued opinions and ideas to help shape the food industry.   Join  HERE where you will have to take a short survey and will be enterd to win $100 Amazon gift cards.   I just joined and hope to be chosen!

Earthies Shoes Review and Giveaway
January 14, 2013

Earthies Shoes Review and Giveaway

I work in health care and am on my feet a lot. Most of the shoes that I wear have little or no support which I know is not good for me. I recently found a company called Earthies which make shoes with support. For my review, I chose the Valla flats in dark grey. The company also offers heels, boots and other shoes. I have worn these shoes a couple of times now and am very happy with them. They have really nice arch support which is nice for me because I have big arches. This is called a contoured wellness footbed which helps cradle the heels and support the arches. The shoe also has about an inch heel hidden within the shoe. These are perfect for work but I would also wear them to church out out on a casual date. The fringe makes them fun. These shoes retail for $149 and are leather. I am so happy to finally have a pair of quality shoes for work! I will be wearing these very often and would definitely consider buying from this line again. Here is some information about the E

Penny Wise Review and Giveaway
January 11, 2013

Penny Wise Review and Giveaway

Penny Wise is a company that sells all kinds of office products. With the start of a New Year, what better time to get organized and start using a new planner. For my review, I was sent three different 2013 planners, 1 Smead Stadium File and a box of Globe Weis Secure-A-Files. I wanted to try out some different planners to see which I liked best. I not only work full time but also am a full time Master's student, write a daily blog and write nutrition articles for companies. This requires a lot of organization so that I do not miss any deadlines and get everything done that I need to. My favorite planner that I was sent is the large brown one seen in the first picture. It has a spot for daily to-dos and is nice and big to carry with me around my job. I love the pink and brown design as well. These planners are stylish and pretty which makes me more likely to use them. The thick brown planner is definitely going to my husband. He is a hard worker but often forgets what he

Traditional Medicinals Review and Giveaway
January 10, 2013

Traditional Medicinals Review and Giveaway

I have seen Traditional Medicinals teas in stores for years now but had never got around to trying them. Recently, I was sent some different kinds of their products to try. They make different teas that can be used as herbal dietary supplements. My favorite of the teas that I tried is the Organic Spearmint. Spearmint is my favorite minty flavor and this tea is light and refreshing. It is caffeine free and the only ingredient is organic spearmint leaves. I like this tea in the morning because I do not typically drink any caffeine until after noon. Also, I like it before bed because it is soothing and caffeine free so it does not keep me up. A couple of the teas I was not a fan of the taste. I did not like the Everyday Lemon Detox or the Throat Coat. The Throat Coat tea is licorice flavored which I do not like. The Everyday Lemon Detox tea was too herb flavored to me. The other tea that I enjoyed was the peppermint tea. It is similar to the spearmint tea. I like these teas becau

RugsUSA Review and Giveaway
January 09, 2013

RugsUSA Review and Giveaway

Recently, I was sent this beautiful rug from RugsUSA to review on my blog. I am obsessed with anything that is a Damask pattern so when I saw this rug, I knew that I would love to have it in my house. It was hard to decide which exact rug to choose though because this company sells so many beautiful ones. I was sent the Kaleen Crowne Duncan Damask Taupe Rug in taupe. I was sent the 5' x 7' 6" size which retails for $240. The company describes this as having old world quality and the panache of today. It is made of 100% premium polyester yarn. My husband and I put this rug in our bedroom and are very happy with it. It gives the room a much warmer look than before without a rug. It is soft to sit on seems to be well made. My only complaint is that the edges of the rug seem to not be completely straight. This rug looks nice with our plum walls. Since it is a neutral color, I think that it would look good with many different colors of rooms. The rug also comes in a

NYE 2012-2013
January 06, 2013

NYE 2012-2013

This was our 5th year going to Lakeland Banquet and Event Centre where Troy and I had our wedding reception. The food is great, the music is perfect to dance to and there is an open bar. We have had a great time each year but this year was definitely the best.  Our center piece with 15 dozen roses in it. We got to take one home and it it beautiful!  Siblings  Sisters dancing!  Happy 2013! Red velvet and carrot cake What did you do for the New Year?