Kashi Hummus Crisps Review

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I have been eating much healthier lately; however, I cannot seem to stop myself from afternoon snacking. Instead of convincing myself not to snack (which never works), I have been on the lookout for healthier options. Kashi is proud to announce that they are offering an all-natural Hummus Crisp line with a blend of popped whole grain chips and chickpeas. Each serving provides fiber and protein, making these a much better option than potato chips.

Kashi Hummus Crisps contain:

• At least 3g fiber*
• At least 3g protein**
• At least 5g of whole grains***
• No partially hydrogenated oils
• No high fructose corn syrup
• No artificial anything!

You can crunch through three naturally yummy flavors: Caramelized Onion, Sundried Tomato Basil & Feta, and Sea Salt & Olive Oil.

*3.5g total fat per serving
**Not a significant source of protein (5% daily value per serving)
***Recommended to consume at least 48 grams of whole grain each day

Review:  I have tried to eat Hummus in the past but I have never been a big fan of the taste. However, I was never a fan of vegetables until more recently so I figured, "what the heck". At first bite, I was not sure if I liked it or not. The taste of the Sea Salt (which I happen to love) and the Olive Oil were present in ever chip, as was the Hummus.  I shared them with my family but none of them liked it so I had no other choice but to eat the bag myself.  It took me several days to make my way through the bag but I did find that I enjoyed the Crisps a little more every time I snacked on them...apparently Hummus is an acquired taste! Now that my bag is empty, I have even found myself craving more! I really never thought I would say that about anything Hummus flavored.

*I received a sample as a BzzAgent. All opinions are my own.

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Tooth Tunes Review

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Getting my kids to brush their teeth properly can be just as difficult as getting them to try a new vegetable. I don't understand the resistance, but it is as if they can't be bothered for 2 minutes twice a day to make sure their teeth stay pearly white. I realized after some time that my kids' estimation of 2 minutes is far from the clock's reading. Arm & Hammer knows that kids don't find brushing exciting and has developed the Tooth Tunes toothbrush to help out. 

Arm & Hammer's Tooth Tunes toothbrushes feature one of a kind "Music in You Mouth" technology that streams sound vibrations from the bristles of the toothbrush through the teeth, allowing your kids to hear music while they brush. Each toothbrush plays music for the recommended amount of time a child should be brushing - 2 minutes - so they know exactly when their time is up! The brushes feature hit songs from One Direction, Black Eyed Peas, Cody Simpson, Selena Gomez & The Scene. See a short video on how it works here.

Review: My daughter received an adorable gift set featuring some products from her favorite band, One Direction, as well as a toothbrush with "Only Girl" from Rihanna. I love the idea of Tooth Tunes. Since my daughter received this brush, I have not had to send her back to the bathroom once to finish out the two minutes. Not only does it work well as a toothbrush, but I catch her shaking and dancing to the music in the bathroom. Can it be - brushing teeth is actually fun?! She is very impressed with how well she can really hear the music once it is in her mouth. The brush is nicely sized for smaller mouths and the bristles were a medium softness. The head is also slightly tilted, so it was easier for her to clean the back of her mouth.  The only downside to the brush is that the head is not replaceable. Since I like to toss or sanitize toothbrushes in the dishwasher following an illness, I have a feeling that this brush will not last long into the cold and flu season. 

Buy it here: You can find Tooth Tunes toothbrushes are mass merchants and drug stores. You can print out a $2 off coupon from their website. 

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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Tuxedo Bacon Recipe & Good Cook Bacon Press Review

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Bacon is all the rage right now. There are bacon scented candles, bacon scented lotions, and bacon is being incorporated into just about every recipe you could possible imagine. So, when my husband came home a couple of weeks ago and said he ate chocolate covered bacon, I was not completely surprised (but was a little mystified). Chocolate covered bacon - really? Needless to say, when I told him we were getting the opportunity to review a Bacon Press, he insisted that we make some chocolate covered bacon. Well, here goes nothing...

Tuxedo Bacon (Chocolate Covered Bacon)

Ingredients
1 package of bacon
8 ounces of milk chocolate
5 ounces of white chocolate

Instructions
Cook bacon on a Cast Iron Grill. Once the bacon begins to sizzle, place the Bacon Press on the bacon for 2 minutes at a time, alternating the press on the pieces of bacon until bacon is cooked through and crispy. 
Place the bacon on paper towels and pat off the grease.
Allow bacon to cool completely.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate for 1 minute. Stir and add 15 seconds at a time as necessary until it is complete melted. Meanwhile, place wax paper onto a flat cookie sheet or large cutting board.
Place the melted chocolate onto a plate. Carefully lay the bacon flat onto the milk chocolate and then flip so that chocolate covers both sides of the bacon. You can use a small spatula or spoon to completely cover the bacon, if necessary. 
Place the chocolate covered bacon piece on the wax paper. Dip the spoon into the white chocolate and drizzle white chocolate over the bacon. 
Once all the bacon is covered, place the cookie sheet into the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until the chocolate has cooled and re-solidified. 

I never thought something so strange would be so good. The combination of the chocolates with the bitter and salty taste of the bacon was phenomenal! Sure, there is nothing healthy about this treat but you have to live it up sometimes! 

Flat, crispy bacon at last! 

Bacon Press Review: Where has this press been all my life? I know it is a little dramatic, but I am so impressed with how well this helps me cook bacon. I can't stand greasy, floppy bacon and have never been able to achieve the crispy bacon I desired until this press.  The bacon was completely flat after cooking and was less greasy as well. The press, combined with a cast iron grill, was the perfect way to achieve crispy bacon without having to flip the bacon - a task that I have never been able to master. It is definitely built to last and the coil design on the handle is a genius way to allow you a great grip without burning your hand.This will also work well for burgers, but I do wish it was  bit bigger so I do not have to keep moving it around because it really only covered a couple slices of bacon and will probably only work on 1-2 burgers at a time. I do love the Cast Iron Grill as well. I am not a huge fan of our outdoor grill (partly because I can't figure out how to use the darn thing and I hate that chemicals undoubtedly get into your food) so this was a great way for me to cook burgers and, of course, this bacon.  I can achieve barbecue taste without having to brave the elements!  I can't wait to try the cast iron press and grill out on some more recipes - grilled cheese sandwiches will never be made the same way again! 

Don't Forget to Vote for Chance to Win a Good Cook Burger Press Kit! I would have loved this Bacon Press when I made my stuffed burger recently. Good Cook is hosting a Stuffed Burger contest and by voting (up to three times a day) you can be entered into a chance to win a Good Cook Stuffed Burger Kit! Please check out my stuffed burger: The All American Hot Rod Burger, and then vote for it here! 

Buy it here: You can save an additional 25% off on any goodcook.com burger tools,  to include the Cast Iron Press and Cast Iron Grill, with the code BaconLovers.

Connect here: You can follow Good Cook on Twitter: @goodcookcom

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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Grandparent's Day Craft

Tomorrow is Grandparent's Day and you may want to consider making a craft with your child to surprise their grandparents. This handprint tree is so easy to make and your kids will probably love getting their hands dirty! 

I was able to purchase a sheet of posterboard and three frames from the dollar store for a total of $10....not too shabby. I already had paint at home so this "priceless" gift only cost us $3.33 each to make. Simply use a cotton ball to put oil based paint on your child's hands, have them press into the paper, and then paint the tree trunk and limbs. You can add your child's name, date, or the grandparent's names for an extra special touch.  

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Zinio Magazine Subscription Giveaway (9 Winners!) + Complimentary Shape Magazine Subscription

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 Zinio, "the world's largest newsstand", offers thousands of top magazines from around the world. You can browse and purchase digital subscriptions or single issues instantly from your computer or mobile device to read wherever and whenever you like. Their Explore section lets you read - even without a subscription - thousands of articles from our favorite magazines and share them with friends.  The magazines are big-named publications and you are sure to find something you will love! 

Complimentary Subscription to Shape magazine through 9/9!! All you have to do is enter your name, address, and email and you will be sent a link to get a year's digital subscription ($17.99 value) for $0  - no credit card information required!

Win here: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I will be provided with a complimentary subscription as a thank you for this post.

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CVS Back to School Must-Haves Review

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Are you back into the swing of things now that the kids have returned to school? I am busy every evening helping with homework and preparing for the next day to include packing snacks and lunches. Although it may sound weird, CVS has become one of my favorite places to shop for snack food. Their Gold Emblem snack line is amazing and includes both tasty and healthy snacks that are perfect for munching during or after school. They also offer an affordable line of school and office supplies, Caliber. 

The Gold Emblem Blueberry Flavored Dark Chocolate Bites are flavor infused dried cranberries. Cranberries, blueberries, and chocolate are three of my favorite flavors. Individually they are delicious, but combined they are out of this world. I could not get enough of these! My kids would have loved to take these to school...if I would have given them the opportunity!

The Gold Emblem Trail Mix was outstanding as well. There is nothing like a good old mixture of salty and sweet and the combination of salted nuts, raisins, and M&Ms were so tasty. They were great for a mid-afternoon snack when energy starts to dip. All that protein and the flavor boost helped me get through my afternoon slump. The best part was that there were tons of M&Ms! There was no fishing around the bag to make sure you get some in your handful, they were already there. 

The Gold Emblem Oat & Honey Granola Bars are an excellent source of whole grain oats. These crunchy bars were a great mid-morning snack and since I tend to eat a very light breakfast, it was the perfect food to keep me satisfied until lunch time.

I love to add cranberries to just about anything from oatmeal to salads and I was surprised that I had yet to try the Gold Emblem Dried Cranberries. They were very flavorful and were the perfect blend of their natural sour flavor with the enhanced sweetness added. They were great in my morning oatmeal and also perfect by themselves.

I also received a sampling of their Caliber line of products to include crayons, a 1 subject note book, construction paper, and soft handle pointed scissors. These products were easily as well made as comparable brand name products - only at a fraction of the price. The crayons were bright and suited my daughter's creative side just fine. The scissors had nice rubber handles that kept cutting comfortable for her small fingers, and the construction paper had great, bold colors.I really liked the notebook which had a durable cover, inside pockets, perforated sheets, and boldly lined paper.  It was better made than some of the notebooks I bought for my son so I have a feeling we will need to convert to the Caliber line before too long because he is really rough on his notebooks. 

Buy it here:You can purchase these products from your local CVS or from cvs.com.

* I was provided with the above mentioned products for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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Genie Bra Review and Giveaway

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I hate bras. I can't help it, but I really hate them. They are uncomfortable, the bra straps are always falling down or twisting, the underwire is poking through the sides into my skin, the cups are malformed after too many washes, and finding the right fit can be difficult (especially when I seem to gain and lose weight first in my bust). My mom has been talking about Genie Bras for the past year and she was disappointed when she could not get away with wearing one under her wedding dress this summer. I had a hard time believing a bra could be THAT comfortable!

Genie Bra describes their bras as a one-style-fits-all undergarment for woman who want it all: comfort, convenience, and sleek curves. Where do I sign up?! The bras are crafted in ever-last comfort stretch fabric with no underwire, no clasps, and no seams. The unique fabric is designed to conform to any cups size without ever losing its shape - even when machine washed and dried. It has a wide band design that lifts and separates and has removable pads for extra support. It is available in a variety of colors and is made of 96% nylon and 4% spandex.

Genie also offers a line of leggings. The Slim & Tone Leggings feature a high waist design with built-in invisible shapers with five zones of comfortable compression, targeting trouble areas - tummy, hips, inner and outer things as well as your butt. It is designed to smooth and tony your body under the bra to the ankles, concealing all of your lumps, bumps, cellulite and bulges. Yeah....I have a few of those!

Review:  After using the Genie Bra I can no longer say with such certainty that I hate bras. These bras are amazing and address just about every gripe I have about bras. There is no underwire so they are so comfortable and there is not wire poking into the side of me. The cups are not preformed which means they don't distort. There is padding inside which is adjustable and removable. I have a similar bra from another company and there was no padding which means I could not wear it into the freezer section of the grocery store if you know what I mean. The padding is just enough to keep myself from looking ridiculous without adding more than necessary bulk.  They stayed looking great after washing and I did not notice any shrinking. I do, however, suspect that these may run a little small. The straps on the bra and the upper portion of the bra were visible with a lot of my shirts. I don't exactly wear low-cut shirts, but there usually is a bit of upper chest showing. Unfortunately, the bra was also showing. I do wish the cut was a little lower.  That being said, I still prefer these over my other bras any day. They are so comfortable that I bet I could even sleep in one! 

The leggings had a very soft, yet stretchy feel. I was a little apprehensive about wearing leggings - maybe I am too old? But, after looking at them for weeks on my shelf and debating whether or not to wear them I decided I had nothing to lose - and it gave me an excuse to buy a super cute tunic! They were surprisingly comfortable to wear and were slimming. I received a lot of compliments on my outfit that day so I guess the leggings were a winner! I am now using them as an excuse to buy a long sweater or a knit dress because I think these will look adorable with some high boots in the winter.  

Buy it here:  Genie Bras are sold in sets of 6 for $60 from geniebra.com ; or individually at retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, and Target nationwide for $9.99. They are also available through Amazon. 

The Slim & Tone Leggings by Genie are sold in sets of 3 for $60 in the classic set of Black, Charcoal, and Cocoa colors from geniebra.com.

Win it here: 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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