Formula savings from Parent's Choice

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Right now, I'm thankful that Lil' Buddy is no longer on formula. When he was on formula, I had no idea of how much money I was literally throwing away, since store brand formulas are mandated to be nutritionally equivalent to name brand formulas.

Parent's Choice formula is the store brand of formula available at Wal-Mart and is nutritionally comparable to all the other big name formula brands. And of course, it costs much less then those said brands. The savings to be had are, depending on how you look at it, either stellar or ridiculous. Its great that you can save probably close to $600 per year by switching brands, but its ridiculous that those other brands have their prices so jacked up and are charging so much! Parent's Choice even has a Savings Calculator available on the site so that you can plug in what you have been using to see how much you can possibly save by switching to Parent's Choice.

When Lil' Buddy was just a bit younger, the Parent's Choice Sensitivity or the Gentle formula would have been perfect for him. He was a bit of a gassy baby. Being able to reference the Parent's Choice Formula Finder is a great way to make an informed decision prior to heading out to the store.

Kids are too darn expensive, and all the money that could be saved by switching formulas would be a perfect way to start off their college fund. Or maybe save for their first car? I would have loved to have taken all my formula savings and put it into an account for them down the road!!

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Menu Plan Monday

Recipes are below!!

Sunday: Tortellini

Monday: Piggies in Blankets with Veggies

Tuesday: Hawaiian Quesadillas

Wednesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs

Thursday: Sausage & Tomato Pasta

Friday: Chicken & Potato Bake

Saturday: Leftover night

Once again, breakfasts are usually cold cereal, oatmeal and sometimes Boug just wants toast and a banana! Lunches usually are leftovers or sandwiches paired with yogurt or fruit generally. My meals are usually a bit heavier in meats and chickens as hub is a butcher and brings so much home for free or next to nothing!! Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at orgjunkie!!

Recipes::

Hawaiian Quesadillas:
Just a new twist on quesadillas, using well drained crushed pineapple, thinly sliced ham, chopped green bell pepper and a tiny bit of mayo along with mozzarella cheese!

Slow Cooker Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
1 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. chopped parsley
2 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped onion
1 (28 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (16 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can tomato puree

Mix the beef, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic and onion. Form into balls and place into slow cooker. Mix the sauce, crushed tomatoes and puree and top the balls with it. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes
4 c. rigatoni
1 lb. italian sausage, either in casing- cut up, or loose
1 sliced red onion
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/4 c. sun dried tomato salad dressing
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1/4 grated parmesean cheese

Cook pasta, brown sausage and drain, add in onions and tomato paste- cover and cook 15 min. Stir in dressing, serve on top of the pasta, top with parsley and cheese.

Chicken & Potato Bake from Kraft

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Toy Shopping Online

With the kids birthdays both coming up this summer, one in July and one in August, I'm starting to shop around for great toys for gifts for them. There are so many places to shop online and I love some of the great selections that the stores have.

I know the kids love the character branded toys and the stuff that tends to be "hot" right now, but besides that, I love to find them kids toys that are not only fun for them, but are educational too. There's too much out there that doesn't tap into their educational side or their creative play side. I've been checking out thekidstoystore.com and their selection of great educational kids toys. There really is so much there that I know both Boug and Lil' Buddy would adore. I know that the science kits are something that Boug would love, especially the Butterfly science kit. She would have such a blast learning all about butterflies, casting them and then painting the different varieties.

Lil' Buddy is such a different story. Educational toys for the little guy is different since he'll only be two this summer. Two year old educational toys tap into a whole different area of play, so different from the stage that Boug is at. Toys like the Melissa & Doug magnetic dinosaur set is so something that he could play with, have fun with, all while learning about dinosaurs!

Thekidstoystore.com is great because they also carry kids furniture and make it easy to search the site by age, brand or even category of products. I love that they have a whole selection of clearance items, because I always love to find a stellar bargain. Another huge perk to me, they accept paypal payments, which makes purchases so much easier to make. No needing to pull out my credit card or worry about security!

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Kickin' dirt...

Growing up in small town America, I was the girl always in the woods, mudding with the trucks, playing on the quads and the dirtbikes. I've never really been a girlie girl or a prissy girl. I've always been more of a tomboy and I look at my daughter now and I see her following right in my footsteps. I look at my son and I know that he's going to be one of those rough and tumble boys who have no problem climbing the bales of hay or he's going to end up being one of those teenage boys riding around in a big ol' lifted truck.

Right now, we live literally in the middle of two different types of fields. On our left is the sheep field and right across from us is the polo fields. Between the sheep, and the cows down the street, as well as the horses across the street, we've got our fair share of dust and debris always flying around. Since I was little, I've always had a pair of trusty boots to kick around with. I rely on them to be comfortable and to keep my toes out of the poo, literally. Its come the time where I'm scoping out new boots, cause I feel like I can never have too many. My latest quest is to find the perfect twisted x boots for myself! I'm definitely thinking about the womens barn burner pull on from twisted x. I'm definitely loving the rich brown leather with the blue trim, simply lovely!

Of course the kidlets need their boots too, I love having tough boots for them so I know that their feet are going to be well protected. Its come time to start scoping out boots for them too, and I'm thinking about the john deere boots for both Boug and Lil' Buddy. I don't think I could explain how much that Boug would love the john deere boots in pink. They'd balance out her girlie and her tough in one foul swoop!! And of course for Lil' Buddy, I couldn't tell you how cute my rough lil' man would look in the black and tan john deere boots!!

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Tropicana Juicy Rewards Sweepstakes!!

Its almost May 31st, so make sure you get your entries into the Tropicana Juicy Rewards sweepstakes for this month!! This month's sweepstakes offering is a trip to the Kennedy Space Center for four people!!

When you enter, you'll be in the running to win two day admission to the Kennedy Space Center, the Discover KSC tour, round trip air transportation, three nights hotel accommodations, and four days of a rental car!! What a perfect trip to win to take your family on this summer vacation!!

Make sure you check out all the rules and regulations at the Tropicana Juicy Rewards site!!

I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review.

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Breathe easier with help from Filtrete

For about the past 5 years, we've lived on some sort of farm or in the middle of some sort of big field surrounded by farm. Pollen, pollen, pollen. Dust, dust, dust. I've never been one to have allergies, but with kids in the house and also knowing that allergies can develop in life, keeping our air clean any way we can is a big deal. In the last house, we had central air which was a godsend, but blew dust every which way in the house. I decided to take it upon myself and check out the filter in the unit. I cannot say EWHHH any louder. Some cheapy dollar store looking brand filter that was all gunked up with dust and dirt. I ripped that sucker out and I replaced it with a Filtrete filter, the efficiency was there with the Filtrete filter and I never changed brands again.

Keeping the dust, dander and pollen down is important for the way you feel, keeping you and your family breathing easier. Along with Filtrete, Laura Dellutri has put together some great cleaning tips to keep your family breathing easier. Here are a few of my favorites that I'd like to share with you!

Think Horizontally: Dust mites are nearly everywhere. In fact, the American Lung Association estimates that roughly four out of five homes in the United States have detectable levels of dust mite allergen in at least one bed. Reduce dust mites by encasing your mattress and pillows, and wash your bedding in hot water about once a week. Also, since dust mites are microscopic, place strips of duct tape on the mattress case to prevent the dust mites from sneaking through.

Refrigerators: Cleaning the refrigerator monthly will improve the safety and quality of your food. If you are tired of cleaning spills and food particles from your refrigerator, then cover shelves with washable shelf liners. They will catch most of the food spillage, and will make cleanup quicker and easier. Once a month, throw them in the dishwasher for a good cleaning, and then place them back in the refrigerator once they are dry.


For more great tips and to sign up for the Clean Air Club, make sure you head to the Filtrete site! They have tons of great products to help you get your life a bit cleaner and a bit healthier!!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Filtrete and received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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One eskimO CD & T-Shirt Giveaway!!

I do realize I've been scarce lately, but I'm stoked to share this post with you! I love the independent radio station here locally, and that's where I originally found the band One eskimO. Their song Kandi immediately was stuck in my head once I heard it and I knew I wanted to hear the rest of the album. Perfect timing when One2One Network asked if I wanted to review it! DUH!!The One eskimO album is stellar, and I'm not sure if I have the words to describe their sound. Thinking gritty butter, soulful, smooth perfection for One eskimO. That's the only way that I can describe their sound. Though the song that begun my love of them is awesome, that's not the only one on the album that rocks, all the songs are so easy to listen to and easy to mellow out with. The song "Simple Day" vaguely reminds me of another one of my favorite artists, Jack Johnson. I'll admit though, the song "Amazing," is my absolute favorite track on the album.

Frontman Kristian Leontiou's voice meshes perfectly with the guitar, bass, horns and drums that the rest of the band put forth with precision. Next weekend they're playing at the Mountain Jam nearby my house and I'm so disappointed that I couldn't get out of work to attend, I know that they'd be simply amazing live.

The One eskimO album is available for purchase at Amazon.com. You can check out the video for "Kandi" on YouTube.


Want to win a copy of the One eskimO cd and a t-shirt? Take a listen to some tracks, (here) leave a comment with which one sticks in your head!


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This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Tuesday, June 8th. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win?


I was provided the One eskimO cd to review via One2One Network, which in no way changes the way I feel about the album or band. My opinions are my opinions, take 'em or leave 'em.

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Linens 'N Things Special Promo Code!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Linens 'N Things. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love to shop, but better yet, I love to find a bargain. I crave coupons, I adore clearance bins and racks, but I'm not one that likes to sacrifice quality just for a low price!

Linens 'N Things has a special promo code that I'd like to share with you, you can use it through June 1st to gain free shipping on your online order. Use code MOMBLOG to get your shipping for free!! This coupon code was provided exclusively for the Linens 'N Things bloggers to share with their readers!!

If you read my last post, you'll realize that there are some big changes going on in my life. One of those being separating from my husband and moving out into my own place. I know its probably not the best coping mechanism, but theraputic shopping has been going a long way around here. And, not for nothing, I will have a place of my own to decorate, and I know I'm going to be missing some essentials from that home and I'll have to purchase to replace them. The brands that Linens 'N Things carries is huge, the selection is so vast that I could probably get lost for hours drooling over the lustworthy items.

I just spent more time then I thought I was going to browsing through their bed-in-a-bag sets, and then I moved right onto their clearance bathroom sets. Granted those are in no way their only categories, they have everything from bedroom neccessities, kitchen supplies, bathroom decor, great outdoorsy items and a heck of a lot more! I definitely need to save some money before the first so that I can cash in on using this promo code to make some purchases for myself!!

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A life update...

Maybe I haven't been honest with my readers, or maybe I'll just consider it withholding information. I'm sure you've noticed that I've been slacking and for that I sincerely apologize. My life is ridiculous right now and I'm trying to function as normal the best that I can.

My husband and I are separating. Although we live together still for the moment, we are each actively seeking our own places to live, as neither one of us can afford on our own the house that we currently rent.

Frustration. Heartbreak. Tears. Misery. Emptiness. Loneliness. Cast aside. Anger.

There's no limit at all the different words that come into my head for what I feel. My children don't know much as to what's going on, but soon enough I will have to explain it to Boug and my hopes are that she doesn't freak. The girl is sensitive. The boy, he's too little to really understand much so I guess that's a good thing.

My van broke down today. In the Dunkin' Donuts drive through. I had to push it, BY MYSELF, off to the side and wait for the tow truck and for my mother to pick up my son and I and bring us home. I didn't want to sink money into the van. I've been trying to save for my own little place, but que sera sera, it is what it is, there's nothing I can do to change that.

I'm going to try to catch up on all the stuff that I've been slacking on. I have a list with a minimum of eight things on it that I need to get posted and more being added to that practically every single day. I promise readers, I'll catch up as soon as I can. Thanks for being here with me and thanks for your patience.

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Menu Plan Monday (yes, on a Tuesday night...)

Recipes are below!!

Sunday: Leftover Night

Monday: Pesto Pasta

Tuesday: Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Wednesday: Ham Slow Cooker Casserole

Thursday: Tuna Melts

Friday: Leftover Night

Saturday: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Once again, breakfasts are usually cold cereal, oatmeal and sometimes Boug just wants toast and a banana! Lunches usually are leftovers or sandwiches paired with yogurt or fruit generally. My meals are usually a bit heavier in meats and chickens as hub is a butcher and brings so much home for free or next to nothing!! Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at orgjunkie!!

Recipes::

Sweet Potato Gnocchi as referenced from Finding Joy In My Kitchen

Ham Slow Cooker Casserole as referenced from Taste of Home

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Sugar Free Ring Pop giveaway!!

I love to have special treats on hand for Boug, but the cookies and the sugar loaded candies get old real quick and I'm not a big fan of loading my kids with sugar. I'm happy to say that now I can treat Boug to a Ring-Pop that's sugar free!!

No sugar means to me, no cavities, and I'm happy that I can treat Boug to something that she thinks is awesome and that I feel pretty okay about giving her. And personally, I can admit I've snuck a Ring-Pop here or there, they have no fat and only 30 calories each! Perfect for curbing my sweet tooth with my diet! Sugar free Ring-Pop comes in flavors like blue raspberry, watermelon and strawberry!

Want to win a package of new Sugar free Ring-Pops? Leave a comment here with when you'd share a Ring-Pop! Share with the kiddies? Marriage proposal? At the beach? Let me know!


Extra Entries??

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• Post about this giveaway on your blog!
• If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com

This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Wednesday, June 2nd. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win?

I received a package of Sugar Free Ring Pops to aid in my review, which in no way changed the way I feel about the product. My opinions are my opinions, take 'em or leave 'em.

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Pringles Multigrain: U Taste. We Donate!

I have to boast a bit about my dieting feat! In the past 3 weeks, I've lost a whopping 16 pounds!! I'm so happy and I'm so proud and I can't wait to keep this train on track! I've found that there's no real trick, and that denying yourself what you want will NEVER work, but replacing it with something better does work for me. For example, I've replaced my greasy, salty chip craving with Pringles Multigrain crisps.

Pringles Multigrain crisps are that perfect chip replacement for me and I feel so much better about what I'm eating knowing that its a multigrain product. In three varieties, truly original, creamy ranch, and cheesy cheddar, each one filled a different craving moment and I absolutely love that!Also, feeling good in other ways about a purchase is a good thing too! When you head to the Pringles Multigrain site, you can enter in the UPC code from your can, which will then activate a $1 donation to the Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry campaign. Pringles Multigrain is going to donate up to $100,000 to the cause!! Make sure you're entering your UPC codes by June 30th to activate your donation.

Celebrity chef Tyler Florence (hubba-hubba!) even supports the Share Our Strength campaign and has put together some great recipes to pair with your Pringles Multigrain. I'm looking to try out Tyler's grilled steak sandwich that he pairs with the creamy ranch crisps!! YUMMMM!!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Pringles Multigrain and received a tote bag with samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Saving on fitness with Tropicana Juicy Rewards

I've been quite dedicated to my fitness lately, I'm down about 16 pounds and I'm loving every minute of it. I love that I am finding new ways to be active and along with being active, I'm saving money doing it thanks to Tropicana Juicy Rewards.

You can save money not only on activities, but on purchases, like purchases of EA Sports Active, which totally kicks butt at shrinking your butt!! You can save on purchases from adidas, which of course their products come in handy while you're out there running, playing tennis, taking part in a basketball game or so many other athletic activities. You can also save on TaylorMade purchases, and golf is such a great game for toning yourself up.

Of course, thanks to Tropicana Juicy Rewards, you can also save on that massage you know you'll need when you over exert yourself from working out. They have special rewards with Massage Envy, and the hot stone massage sounds fabulous!!

I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review.

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Bloggers Without Makeup Day

I swore to myself that I couldn't participate in Bloggers Without Makeup Day, but I knew I had to. I never really used to wear makeup until recently. Things in my life have been changing, and I've been putting makeup on daily to make myself feel better, and honestly, it does make me feel better. It gives me a boost of confidence. But, since it is B W/O M D, I will post a picture without makeup. Its all in good spirits anyways, right? Jodie over at Mummy Mayhem, thank you for allowing us to post our pictures and embrace who we are without makeup!!

Fresh from the shower!

Don't forget to tweet with the #bloggerswithoutmakeup hashtag!!

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Channeling Homer Simpson... "mmmmmm pizzaaa..."

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Freschetta. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm a big fan of pizza, though I know with dieting I can't have it everyday, even though I'd like to. Keeping a few boxes of frozen pizza on hand is always nice for a treat, but I hate the frozen pizza that tastes like cardboard, what kind of a treat is that?? I recently got three different types of Freshcetta pizzas to keep in the freezer and I'm so impressed!! With five different varieties of pizza, and a whole bunch of different topping choices, there's definitely something that will keep everyone happy.

We started out by trying their Naturally Rising variety with the Canadian style bacon and pineapple, I absolutely loved it not only for myself, but my picky lil' eater, Mr. Lil' Buddy, devoured it! That definitely says something for a good frozen pizza!!

Next up, we'll be treating ourselves to a pizza lunch tomorrow since Boug wasn't home to try out the Naturally Rising style. Tomorrow's lunch is going to be Freschetta FlatBread Garlic and Spinach pizza! I'm so looking forward to my special treat of Freschetta pizza for lunch tomorrow!!

For yourself to try out the Freschetta pizza, you can head over to their site and download a coupon for $1.00 off of any Freschetta pizza!

Want to win two coupons for free Freschetta pizza? Leave me a comment here with which variety you would choose!! Head to the Freschetta site and browse the different styles and toppings!

Extra Entries??

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• Add my text link to your blogroll: http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
• Post about this giveaway on your blog!
• If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com

This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Thursday, May 20th. US entrants only please. Coupons expire 5/31/10. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 24 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win?

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Happy Mothers Day!

I just wanted to take a quick minute to say happy mothers day to all the mothers out there that read A Couch With A View. Sometimes it seems that being a mother is a thankless job, that we're unappreciated, underpaid, and overworked, but in the long run, its the most rewarding thing that can be done, in my opinion. Hug your kids, and have a great day!!

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Shopping at the Cardstore

Being able to participate in a review with cardstore.com definitely felt like a Mothers Day present to myself. Its not too often that I treat myself to certain things and after browsing through cardstore.com, I knew that it was going to be hard to narrow down my selections.

Cardstore.com has so many different personalized items, from holiday cards, photo cards, graduation announcements, thank you cards, stationery and business cards among their selections. I snagged 2 sets of the My Square Photo business cards and personalized them so easily with my photo and all my blog and email information. I know how handy and perfect these will be for all the blogging related events that I head to throughout the year! They came in the greatest little boxes with the cutest little green card holders that I just cannot wait to show off!!

For less than $35, I was also able to add three of the Apple Green and Yellow stationery cards, personalized with my name. I adore them and can't wait to send someone a sweet handwritten note on them!

I couldn't believe how quickly my cardstore.com order arrived, it seemed like it was within days when I got my order. I'm an impatient person when it comes to knowing that I have something that should be arriving soon!

Readers, you can save 10% off of your order at cardstore.com when you use code FAMILYREVIEW10 through 6/30/2010!

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Cardstore.com, who provided a gift card for shopping for the product for this review.

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A Toast for Everday Health!

Being on this diet that I've been sticking to, I've become so much more aware of the good and the bad in foods. Some foods are pure evil, and some foods taste too good to be good. I'm loving branching out into new snackabilities and finding new items to curb my cravings.

Old London Melba Toast and Snacks have definitely been curbing my chip cravings. Their sea salt variety is just what I needed to substitute chips with, perfect amount of saltiness, perfect amount of crunch and I feel better eating them over eating greasy chips.

I love that there are so many recipes available at the Old London site, I'm looking forward to bringing the Atlantic Salmon Bites to our next monthly family fun night. I know that the cream cheese, sour cream, salmon and chives all on the roasted garlic melba snacks are going to be a huge hit!!

Of course, while checking out the Old London Melba Toast site, make sure you enter into the Dance Your Way To Hollywood sweeps! You and a guest can be on your way to Hollywood to check out a taping of a uber-popular show, stay at a way popular Hollywood hotel for 4 days/3 nights! Just make sure you enter before June 30th to be in it!


I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Old London Melba Toast and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Wordless Wednesday

This pic surfaced about a week ago(ish?) on Facebook, and of course, I had to crop it down to just me. Way back in the day when I was in SECOND GRADE!!

As always, you can find more WW at EM, 5M4M and of course, the hub.

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I feel like I'm cheating on my diet...

Yes, I've been dieting. I've been putting away the candy bars and the greasy take out food and attempting to make better choices for myself. But lets be honest, if I don't indulge somewhere, somehow, I'm going to be falling off the dieting wagon way too quick. I have a new secret, and I'm sad that I didn't give it the time of day before. Getting the sweet into my tooth with my new go-to, is Nutella. Along with my fruit, juice, coffee (shhh) and atop of my toast, Nutella with my breakfast is definitely my way to go. Naturally, Boug adores it now too, and really, who wouldn't? Its uber-delish and with cocoa, skim milk and roasted hazelnuts, its much more decadent than plain ole p.b. on your toast.

We're not shocked when they say breakfast is the most important meal. We need to make our kids especially, fuel up and get their day going right and adding Nutella to the routine is a good way. I secretly chuckle to myself because Boug thinks that she's getting away with murder when she has Nutella on her toast. Its like such a special treat that tastes so darn delicious that it must be bad for you!

Nutella is from The Ferrero Company, and I'm not surprised that I love Nutella so much, because I literally drool over the Ferrero Rochers each and every time that I see them. Nutella is available at select grocery, mass merchandiser, warehouse and club stores. You can even order Nutella online from amazon.com!

I was sent Nutella to aid in my review, which in no way changes the way I feel about the product. My opinions are my opinions, take 'em or leave 'em.

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Mother's Day is QUICKLY approaching!!

I can't believe that in less than a week its going to be Mother's day! WOOO HOOO!! I'm looking forward to the silly little trinket that Boug gives me and the sloppy kisses from Mr. Lil' Buddy. Of course, I have waited til the last minute to get anything for my own mother. I'm so stoked that Tropicana Juicy Rewards still has the $15 off of $49.99 or more for 1-800-FLOWERS.com. For only 3 points, you can save money on getting mom, or grandma, a gorgeous bouquet!

Of course if you wanted to take ma out for dinner for Mother's day, you can even cash in some of your rewards points for saving money on that meal! Right now there are 5104 offers all over the country to save money on dining!!

Also, you can save money on massages with Massage Envy through Juicy Rewards. What mother do you know that doesn't deserve a fabulous massage!?!?


I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review.

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Mother's Day gifts from Things Remembered

I love being a mom. Despite all the days that I am at my wits end, tearing my hair out, on the verge of tears, losing my mind, kids are driving me crazy; I do love it. And I love jewelry that embraces that part of me. I received the sterling Miracle of Life mother's necklace from Things Remembered and I haven't been able to take it off!!

With Mother's Day fast approaching, its nice to find items that can be personalized for the ladies in your life. This was my "gift" to me, I've wanted a mother's pendant since I had Boug and when the opportunity to review this came up, I knew I had to have it around my neck. Perfectly engraved with Boug and Lil' Buddy's names, so I can have them with me always!

The necklace is stunning, with its cubic zirconia crystals as well as the mother holding her infant and the engraveable disc that sits behind it. Of course there are so many other selections available from Things Remembered for the mother's this mother's day. I especially love the birthstone family tree necklace as well!

Want to win a sterling personalize Miracle of Life necklace?? Head over to Things Remembered, leave a comment here with another gift you'd love to receive (or give!) for Mother's Day!!

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I received a Miracle of Life necklace to aid in my review which in no way affects the way I feel about the company. My opinions are my opinions, take 'em or leave 'em.

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Menu Plan Monday

Recipes are below!!

Sunday: Wild Rice Casserole

Monday: Peach Covered PorkChops

Tuesday: Healthy Carbonara

Wednesday: Crockpot Goulash

Thursday: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Friday: Leftover Night

Saturday: Avocado Chicken

Once again, breakfasts are usually cold cereal, oatmeal and sometimes Boug just wants toast and a banana! Lunches usually are leftovers or sandwiches paired with yogurt or fruit generally. My meals are usually a bit heavier in meats and chickens as hub is a butcher and brings so much home for free or next to nothing!! Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at orgjunkie!!

Recipes::

Wild Rice Casserole as referenced from Finding Joy In My Kitchen

Peach Covered PorkChops
2 lb pork chops (I use the no-bone kind)
1 large can sliced peaches in juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Place chops in the bottom of the cooker, mix together the peaches in juice, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour overtop of chops, cook on low 6-8 hours.

Healthy Carbonara
9 oz. fettucine
1 c. frozen peas
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese

Cook pasta in unsalted water, add peas in 3 minutes before pasta should be done. Drain and save 3/4 c. of the pasta water. Cook the onion, garlic and thyme in 2 tablespoons reserved bacon drippings. Stir in pasta, peas, reserved liquid, and half and half. Put crumbled bacon on top and toss with cheese.

Crockpot Goulash
1 lb. stew meat
3 c. marinara sauce
1 c. diced onion
1 c. sliced mushrooms
2 c. elbow macaroni

Place everything except the mac in the crockpot, stir and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Cook macaroni and add to the crockpot when ready to serve.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
1 lb. ground beef
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 egg
1, 26 oz can, spaghetti sauce
1.5 TB vegetable oil
Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, to taste
1/4 c. water
1 head of cabbage

Peel cabbage leaves carefully to keep them intact and place into a pot of boiling water to soften them, about 5 minutes. Mix together meat, rice, seasonings and 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce. When the cabbage is softened, fill with the meat mixture and wrap like a burrito. Repeat until you're out of cabbage and meat. Place oil and 1/2 c. of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a dutch oven pot, top with cabbage rolls and remaining sauce and finally the 1/4 c. water. Simmer over medium low for about an hour.

Avocado Chicken
2 lbs. chicken breast
Avocado
Cheese of choice

I brown the chicken breast, once cooked through, I top with sliced avocado and grated or sliced cheese of choice- I like pepperjack!, and broil for a few minutes just to warm the avocado and melt the cheese!

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