myblogspark Archives - Page 2 of 3

Party Time with Chex Mix Create a Party Mix Recipe

December 16, 2010 by Momstart 32 Comments

Win everything you need to make a great Chex Mix. I love baking a Chex party mix as a snack even though I haven’t done so in a long time. I’ve been so busy with the kids but it’s such an easy thing to do so I really have no excuse. I’m sure if I searched in the pantry I would find everything I need to make one. All it is, is Chex Cereal of one kind or use all three varients, then add nuts, pretzels or crackers, butter or oil, salt or garlic powder or both. You can actually use any seasoning you want your party mix to taste like. Visit your local Walmart to find free recipe cards for Chex Lemon Buddies as well as the new Chex Apple Pie Snack Mix and Tex Chex^® Party Mix recipes! The blend of flavors in the new homemade mixes will help you create irresistible new favorites and wow your crowd! Here are a few recipes courtesy of Chex Mix.

Basic Chex Mix Recipe:

3 cups Corn Chex® cereal
3 cups Rice Chex® cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite-size pretzels
1 cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned

Chex Pumpkin Pie Crunch

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups Cinnamon Chex® cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
2 cups Honey Nut Chex® cereal
8 oz pecans

Prep

To ease the load of last-minute prep, make the mix up to 2 weeks ahead and store in an airtight container.

Directions:
1. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. In small microwave-safe dish, microwave butter on High about 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in vanilla. In large microwavable bowl, mix all cereals and pecans. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly distributed. Add sugar and spice mixture and stir until coated.

2. Microwave uncovered on High 5 minutes or until mixture begins to brown, stirring every minute. Spread on wax paper or a cookie sheet to cool. Store in airtight container.

Or How About

Chili-Lime Chex Mix

8 cups Corn Chex® cereal
1 cup corn nuts
1 cup bite-size cheese crackers
1 cup mini pretzel twists
1 cup corn chips
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal, corn nuts, crackers, pretzels and corn chips. Set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in lime juice, lime zest and seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

2. Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, stirring thoroughly every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

With at least over 50 recipes on the Chex Mix website it seems like the sky is the limit. I couldn’t believe all the possibilities, and then it got me to thinking, what would your recipe be?

Enter to Win:

Chex Mix Swag Bag
Box of Rice Chex Cereal
Set of Measuring Cups

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me what you like to season your Chex Mix with

Extra Entries:

Follow me on Google Friend Connect
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble or use any of the share methods below facebook included (just leave a link to this post wherever you share it
Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post

Leave a comment for every entry, This giveaway ends January 3. I received samples of Apple Cider K-cups to facilitate this review. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

The products received were from myblogspark on behalf of Chex Mix to facilitate this review and blog post.

Progresso Soup Gift Package Giveaway

December 4, 2010 by Momstart 196 Comments

Have you seen the hilarious Progresso Soup can commercials? They have top chef’s calling and finding out how to make great soup using the Progresso can phones. They made me laugh, and when MyBlogSpark said they were going to send me a Progresso phone, I didn’t understand what they were sending until it actually arrived. They sent me two cans, cleaned, empty and a hole cut in the bottom of them with a string tying them to each other. I forgot all about this kind of cup phone. We used to use plastic cups, what did you use? So I let the kids play with the phone, it only works if the cord is actually taunt. The fun with the phone was short lived because they actually started whacking each other with their phone. Not sure where that came from but it ended.

I actually have a lot of Progresso soup in my cupboard already, General Mills has excellent sales at Albertsons and it is very easy to get the soup next to nothing in price. I probably paid 40 cents a can that day, which I think is a good price for a can of Progresso Soup. Here is a rundown of a few of their soup groups!

Progresso® New World RecipesTM – Inspired by Mexican recipes, explore one of the fastest growing ethnic cuisines by giving the Progresso New World Recipes line a try. Made with authentic Mexican ingredients and seasonings, four new Progresso soups will be hitting grocery shelves near you – Chicken Tortilla, Meatball & Rice, Black Bean Jalapeno and Chicken & Vegetable.
Progresso Light – America´s number one Light soup just got better, as all 13 existing Progresso Light varieties are now packed with bigger pieces of white meat chicken, more tender pieces of beef or added vegetables. Need even more to talk about? Progresso Light New England Clam Chowder is the first creamy Light ready-to-serve soup that holds true to the Progresso Light name with just 1 Weight Watchers® POINTS® value per serving!
Progresso Reduced Sodium – With 49 percent of shoppers concerned about high cholesterol1, Progresso understands the importance of soluble fiber and reduced sodium diets. New Reduced Sodium Tomato Parmesan soup is one more tasty option that has a delicious blend of flavors and carries the "May Help Lower Cholesterol"2 benefit. In addition, five additional Reduced Sodium soups also carry the "May Help Lower Cholesterol"2 benefit.
Progresso High Fiber – With 9 out of 10 Americans not getting the recommended Daily Value of fiber, Progresso High Fiber line of soups are packed with 7 grams per serving. Giving you one more thing to talk about, Progresso brand´s first Chili Soup just joined the High Fiber family!
For more information about the new and improved varieties of Progresso soups as well as great recipe ideas, visit www.progressosoup.com today! Also, check out Progresso on Facebook to "Like" the brand and keep up with the latest news on your favorite Progresso products, both new and old!

Enter to Win:

one can of Chicken Tortilla Progresso Soup and one can of Light New England Clam Chowder Progresso soup, a spoon rest, soup can rack, and soup mug with matching spoon

To Enter:

Leave a comment here telling me which flavor of Progresso Soup is your favorite.

Extra Entries:

Tweet: RT @MomStart: Progresso Soup Gift Package Giveaway http://bit.ly/extMjt
Enter The Commit A Minute Giveaway
Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter
Follow me on Google Friend Connect
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble or use any of the share methods below facebook included (just leave a link to this post)
Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post
Blog About this Giveaway (linking to the giveaway (3 extra entries))

Leave a comment for every entry, This giveaway ends December 20th. I received products from Myblogspark on behalf of Progresso. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Kid Tested Mother Approved Prize Pack Giveaway

November 23, 2010 by Momstart 42 Comments

You know before I had kids, I never every tried Kix before. Then after having kids, I think my husband brought home a box of Kix once. I thought to myself, they can’t eat that, they have to eat cheerios. Well, I took one really good look at the nutritional content and said, yep, I approve, they can eat it. I even tried it, I was surprised that I actually liked it too.

Today´s busy schedules and hectic morning routines can leave you looking for simple, nutritious solutions to help your little ones grow into "big kids."

When it comes to starting off your day right, a new survey from Kix found that 84 percent of parents turn to cereal with milk for a quick and healthy breakfast. With the same great taste kids have loved for more than 70 years, Kix makes it easy to serve your family a simple and healthy breakfast! Whether you choose to serve Original Kix or Honey Kix, you can be sure that your kids are getting a wholesome food with nutrients they need to grow.
The "Kid-Tested Mother-Approved^®"cereal is made with whole grain corn and is an excellent source of iron. It also is a good source of calcium, fiber, and Vitamins C and D. Original Kix has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
To find out more, visit the recently launched Kix website, www.KixCereal.com, featuring background on the history of Kix, nutritional content, and special offers.

Enter to Win:

Kix "Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved" prize pack including a 24-piece counting-themed floor puzzle, fun learn-to-count flashcards, a sippy cup, a portable snack container and a box each of Original Kix and Honey Kix cereals

To Enter:

Leave A comment on this post telling me How you make your busy morning routine special for your family?

Extra Entries:

Tweet: Kid Tested Mother Approved Prize Pack #MyBlogSpark #giveaway http://bit.ly/ePK1uV

List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble
Blog About this Giveaway (linking to the giveaway)
Add my blog button to your sidebar.

This giveaway ends December 13th, I received a product as compensation from MyBlogSpark on behalf of Kix! All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Hamburger Helper Show Your Helping Hand Feeding America Giveaway

November 23, 2010 by Momstart 49 Comments

Did you know how easy it is to support your local food bank. By using coupons and sales, you can get food, supplies, and all kinds of things for free, or next to nothing and then take it to your local food shelter. When I was really big into contacting companies for coupons I found out that many companies, send food to Feeding America, and then Feeding America disperses the food to food banks across the country. I found that to be very interesting. So when MyBlogSpark contacted me about Hamburger Helper’s Show Your Helping Hand campaign to support Feeding America, I realized I wanted to help in any way that I could and by posting this post Hamburger Helper will make a $10 donation to the Show Your Helping Hand campaign on Mom Start’s behalf.

According to Feeding America, approximately 5.7 million different people receive emergency food assistance from the organization in any given week.

To raise awareness about the national issue of hunger, Hamburger Helper^® is partnering with GRAMMY^® Award-winning singer, songwriter and actor Tim McGraw to help Feeding America deliver millions of meals to local food banks through the Show Your Helping HandTM campaign. McGraw will lend his voice to the campaign through a Public Service Announcement which will be distributed nationwide.

Support the campaign by submitting codes from specially marked boxes of Hamburger Helper at www.showyourhelpinghand.com or by logging on to make a donation. Hamburger Helper has already donated more than half a million dollars and will contribute up to an additional $100,000 to Feeding America through this program. Don´t think one code will make a difference? The 17 cents Hamburger Helper donates per code is enough for Feeding America to deliver one meal to a local food bank. And your friends and family can also have a chance to win an autographed copy of Tim McGraw´s "Southern Voice" CD by visiting www.showyourhelpinghand.com.

Enter to Win:

A prize pack that includes a box of Hamburger Helper skillet meals, a Hamburger Helper foam "Helping Hand" and a copy of Tim McGraw´s "Southern Voice" CD

To Enter:

Leave A comment on this post telling me how you will encourage others to submit codes to Show your Helping Hand.

Extra Entries:

Tweet: Show Your Helping Hand & Win Tim McGraw´s "Southern Voice" CD Prize Pack #MyBlogSpark #giveaway http://bit.ly/hzBzed

List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble
Blog About this Giveaway (linking to the giveaway)
Add my blog button to your sidebar.

This giveaway ends December 13th, I received a product as compensation from MyBlogSpark on behalf of Hamburger Helper! All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Yoplait Smoothies With a KitchenAid Blender #Giveaway #MyBlogSpark

November 11, 2010 by Momstart 785 Comments

A few months ago we had an excellent smoothie party. Zoe and Miles invited some friends over and we all had such a great time. For some of the smoothies we used the Yoplait Smoothie mix and it was then that I knew it would be a big hit. So when MyBlogSpark asked me if I wanted to work with them and KitchenAid and do a review I thought piece of cake!

As seen on The Biggest Loser, which airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC, Yoplait Frozen Smoothies are also easy to make! To whip up perfectly blended smoothies in a snap, simply empty the package containing Yoplait frozen yogurt chips and frozen fruit into your blender, add skim milk, and blend. It’s that easy! You can even use the handy Smoothie button on your new 3-speed KitchenAid^® Blender, (included in your MyBlogSpark package) which blends ingredients at optimal speeds for deliciously smooth results. In just two minutes, you can enjoy a great tasting Yoplait Frozen Smoothie as a guilt-free breakfast, dessert or snack!

How to Make A Smoothie with a KitchenAid Blender:

Just open the package and dump into the blender. Then add 1 cup of milk and use the smoothie setting. I actually like to add twice as much milk as it asks for so that it’s not quite as thick. So use the milk to make it the thickness that you enjoy.

Each package of Yoplait Frozen Smoothies contains one full serving of fruit (1/2 cup) and only 110 to 120 calories per serving. In addition to containing live and active cultures provided by Yoplait® yogurt, when prepared with skim milk and made according to package directions, Yoplait Frozen Smoothies are also a good source of calcium.

I love how easy and quick they are to make. I also love how good they are for the kids and they love to drink them. So it’s a win win for me.

Don’t forget to visit Yoplait on Facebook and Yoplait on Twitter and “Like” or “Follow” the brand to keep up with their latest and greatest products.

Enter to Win:

KitchenAid Blender

2 Free Yoplait Smoothie Product Coupons

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me how you incorporate fruit into your diet.

Extra Entries:

Like Yoplait on Facebook

Follow Yoplait on Twitter

Tweet: Yoplait Smoothies with A KitchenAid Blender #Giveaway @MomStart http://bit.ly/94aNKT

List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble
Blog About this Giveaway (linking to the giveaway)

Use any of the share methods listed below one entry each!

I received products listed above from MyBlogSpark on behalf of KitchenAid and General Mills.

Safeway Fiber One Cereal And Bars #Giveaway #MyBlogSpark

November 4, 2010 by Momstart 312 Comments

In the afternoon I get hungry sometimes. With Halloween just over, I’m heading to the fridge for a piece of the candy we collected. One, I figure I should eat it and not the kids and two, I can’t turn down those chocolate kit-kat bars. So what should I do, I should first get rid of the candy and two find a healthier more filling option. Fiber One helps make it easier than ever to increase your daily intake while leaving your taste buds jumping for joy. Fiber One has you covered with at least 35% of your daily value of fiber in every serving of their cereals and bars. Check out the great new taste of three Fiber One favorites.

Fiber One Honey Clusters have a brand new flake! Every one-cup serving is full of tasty honey clusters, antioxidant vitamins A and E, and 13 grams of fiber.

Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters now contain crispier, lightly sweetened whole grain flakes. With plump, juicy raisins and crunchy clusters it packs 11 grams of fiber and antioxidant vitamins A and E into every serving.

With rich chocolate chips and a new and improved taste, Fiber One Oats & Chocolate chewy bars are a good source of calcium and contain 9 grams of fiber in each bar.

Enter to Win:

VIP coupons good for one free box of Fiber One cereal and one free box of Fiber One bars, in addition to a $25 Safeway gift card (also valid at Dominick´s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi´s)

To Enter:

Tell me how you get through the afternoon hunger pains

Extra Entries:

RT this post and include the link to the post (make sure that the link shows up or it won’t count)

Follow me on Google Friend Connect
Comment on any other non-giveaway post
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble
Blog About this Giveaway (linking to the giveaway)

This giveaway ends November 22nd, I received a sample free to me, my opinion are still my own. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Fiber One provided me with the gift card, VIP coupons, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

My Blog Spark: Fiber One 90 Calorie Bars Healthy Gift Basket #giveaway

February 5, 2010 by Momstart 227 Comments

My Blog Spark sent us a new gift basket to review. It’s been a great basket and I decided to actually donate it. You know me, I try to give as much as I can. We received everything pictures below:

The Fiber One Granola Bars taste great, I’ve purchased them before. This particular one is covered in chocolate and you know how much I like chocolate. These are also great for me even though I’m on a diet because of the chocolate, no, because of the extra Fiber and that it only has 90 calories.

General Mills through My Blog Spark is trying to promote healthier lifestyles. America needs more fiber in their diets, that’s why there is a trend in the food companies adding fiber to all of the foods we eat. We may not want them to, but I haven’t ever noticed a difference. To help, My Blog Spark is also providing, a plastic water bottle so that you can keep refilling and drinking the minimum amount of water that you are supposed to drink every day. Along with that they are including a healthy fit journal, where you can keep track of calories and a little pedometer. These are all tools to help you live healthier.

To Enter:

Tell me what you are doing to live a more healthy lifestyle.

Extra Entries:

Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site, blog, or facebook and tell me where you advertised it (include link to giveaway). 5 Extra Entries for each one you do
Subscribe to my blog (recommended so that you don’t miss winner’s announcements)
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Tweet about the giveaway and include a link to the giveaway
Comment on any other non-giveaway post
Add my button on any site you own
Click on my Suave Link and leave a comment for every time you click on it. It’s easy!

Give me Smiles on my Cozi Journal

The contest will run until Feb 22 nd 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

product, information, prize pack, and giveaway have all been provided by Fiber One through MyBlogSpark

General Mills is Reducing the sugar in kid’s cereal

January 2, 2010 by Momstart 11 Comments

General Mills decided to make a commitment to reduce sugar in cereal advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. How exciting is that for mother’s who try to keep giving their children healthy food. We’re fighting the advertisements, but no longer because it won’t matter the cereal will have less sugar. Cereal can provide many benefits. MyBlogSpark sent me information regarding this commitment and change in their cereal:

Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.

Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.

More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It starts your metabolism for the day and gives your body fuel. Studies demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast and it’s been ingrained in my head. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

Breakfast is important. Cereal is easy for moms. General Mills is making their cereal more healthy.

cereal and health chart
MyBlogSpark also wanted me to share a coupon with you. Click here and you can print a coupon for $1 off one of four General Mills cereal. For more information please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

General Mills through MyBlogSpark gave me this information, along with 4 free cereal coupons for my time.

Fiber One Toaster Pastry Gift Basket Review and #Giveaway

October 17, 2009 by Momstart 365 Comments

My Blog Spark connects moms with General mills products. They recently sent me a gift basket full of products and a Fiber One Toaster Pastry sample.

The gift basket included an insulated lunch bag, sample of Fiber One brown sugar toaster pastry, a travel coffee mug and an event planner/calendar.

I love the flavor is sweet brown sugar and cinnamon and the fact that they have fiber in them is really great for me.

Fiber One Toaster Pastries product description:

Made with whole grain wheat flour
Serving 5 grams of fiber in each pastry (i.e. 20% of your daily value of fiber)
Containing 0% cholesterol and only 4 grams of total fat in each serving.
Rich with 4% Iron and
Available in 4 consumer preferred flavors- strawberry, chocolate fudge, brown sugar cinnamon and blueberry.

Brown sugar is my favorite flavor but they do make a few different flavors. They make strawberry, blueberry, and chocolate fudge. The good thing about Fiber One verses Pop Tarts is that in my opinion some of the Pop Tart flavors are too sweet. Yuck their strawberry flavor makes me want to ……

Anyways you can enter to win the gift basket:

To Enter:

Tell me one way to include more fiber into your diet.

Extra Entries:

Vote for me for 5 extra entries

Comment on any other post and come back here and tell me you did.

Non-bloggers get an extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me and to the sponsor for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll 10 extra points if it is on your homepage
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)

Nature Valley Granola Nut Cluster Gift Set #giveaway

October 8, 2009 by Momstart 578 Comments

I honestly didn’t think these would be any good. I’m not sure why I thought that at first because I really like Nature Valley products. I guess I decided to do this “spark” because I love to try new things when they come out. So when MyBlogSpark told me about the new Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters I was definitely interested in trying them. They sent me a gift set that includes what you would need for a day trip outdoors. You can see below what is pictures, a back pack (day pack) a flashlight and binoculars. This set is going to one lucky reader.

I’ve been a fan of Nature Valley granola bars for awhile. I love the hard peanut butter bars and their chewy granola bars that they recently came out with. I ate their cashew bars like they were going out of style. These new Granola Nut Clusters combine both nuts and granola into a delicious, convenient snack. I really enjoyed them with their sweet and salty combination just like their sweet and salty chewy bars, only these are crunchy and have fewer calories. My only negative would be their fat content, as they’re not low fat. But at only 140 – 160 calories a serving, if you can stop yourself at one serving they’re a nice yummy snack that does have some nutritive value with 4 – 5g of protein and mainly unsaturated fat.

So try very hard to put the bag away or only get out a service size. That’s what I have to do.

To Enter:

Tell me what you like about the outdoors?

Extra Entries:

Vote for me for 5 extra entries

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll 10 extra points if it is on your homepage
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)

Comment on any other post and come back here and tell me you did.