Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Scrumptious Salads Just Got Much Easier to Make: Lean Cuisine Salad Additions

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Last week my family and I took a trip to Walmart to get a nice meal that was really easy to prepare and would give us lots of fuel for our packing and wrapping left to do before Christmas. We spent $12.22 plus tax for a 16″ cheese pizza (Walmart has the best deals on cook and serve pizzas!) and a beautiful, healthy, scrumptious salad that looked like this:

#BYOL 1

I didn’t use any coupons to put this together, and the only thing I had on hand was the romaine lettuce. I combined that with spinach, which is part of what my $12.22 went toward.

So how did I build a salad with grilled chicken, broccoli, red onions, yellow carrots, whole grains, sesame sticks, dried cranberries and raspberry vinaigrette for such a low price? Would you believe that I put this all together with something found in the frozen food aisle?

#BYOL 2

Lean Cuisine has recently launched a FANTASTIC new product called Lean Cuisine Salad Additions. Basically it helps you build a super yummy AND super healthy salad for a VERY reasonable price. This kit I bought to create a cranberry & chicken salad was only $2.50! All you have to add is the green base of your choice. It’s SO SO SO easy!

It is designed to feed one person a very filling and satisfying salad. But we turned it into a side dish for our family’s meal and got 3 adult size servings out of it!

#BYOL 3

Using the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions is very easy. All the components come together in their own packets and with clear instructions. I was surprised that I needed to heat up some of the food rather than just let it thaw, as I usually eat my veggies raw on my salad. But I followed the instructions and thought the final product tasted just wonderful.

#BYOL 4

There are two main things I really appreciate about Lean Cuisine Salad Additions. First, it saves you a lot of calories. I absolutely love eating salads IF they have a lot of yummy goodies in them. But that’s exactly what makes salads a potential landmine. If you aren’t careful with your choices, you can end up with a salad that has as many calories as a deluxe cheeseburger from a fast food joint! Lean Cuisine has carefully selected ingredients for you so that your portion is correct and your calories are in check, all without sacrificing flavor.

The other thing I love about this product is that it saves you time and money! While I was at Walmart I did some comparison shopping and found the ingredients I would need to buy if I wanted to recreate this salad on my own. If you’d like to see what I found in more detail, check out my shopping trip. Here is the cost breakdown:

  • grilled chicken: $2.50
  • salad dressing: $1.66
  • dried cranberries: $2.98
  • sesame sticks: $2.98
  • carrots: $1.18
  • broccoli: $2.28
  • red onion: $.98

total: $14.56

Now, obviously if you buy all of these ingredients you will have more food on hand, but much of it will need to be used up quickly. So if you don’t want to have this salad every day for the next week, you have to come up with some other ideas for how to use up the products. Additionally, you have to be responsible for putting all the elements together and getting your portions right, which is very tricky.

So in my humble opinion, spending $2.50 to get exactly what I need is SO much better than running all over the store and spending significantly more money just so that I still have to go home and prepare all the individual elements and make sure I don’t over-indulge. I’ll take a pass on that and opt to pick up the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions, thank you very much. It leaves me much more time to hang out with my family and watch a fun movie together rather than being stuck in the kitchen cleaning up!

#BYOL 5

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be purchasing this product again. It is the perfect option to have on hand for those days when you feel like eating a really good salad (and I DO get those cravings from time to time, as does my husband). It also makes a healthy side dish option for my entire family for those days when I know we need some fresh veggies, but I’m short on ideas for what to do.  I was very impressed with the flavor of the salad and the ingredients. To be honest, I would never have guessed that it was Lean Cuisine just because I think it tastes too yummy to be light on calories!

If you think you’d like to try Lean Cuisine Salad Additions, be on the lookout for a nationwide magazine ad with a coupon going out on 01/06 (so check your favorite mags next month!) and there will be in-store demos at select stores on 01/03, and coupons will be handed out along with samples! I’d also suggest following Lean Cuisine on Facebook. I really enjoy following them, myself, and from time to time, they reward their fans with special treats like coupons!

So what do you think about this new product? Have you ever tried to make a salad with lots of great ingredients and been horrified by the cost? Or by the calories?

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and NESTLE #CBias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

My Favorite Drink on Earth Just Got Better!! #LightIcedCoffee

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Have you ever fallen so madly in love with a new product that you threw a party for it?

Oh…just me? Well, I did throw a little get together in February 2011 to celebrate an at-home beverage revolution: iced coffee in a carton.

GLORY BE!!!! International Delight introduced this convenient product last year and I have been loyally purchasing it from the time I took my first sip. I’ve talked it up with my friends, bought it for family members, and just been an all-around product evangelist for it because I adore it so very much. It is sweet and creamy (just how I like my coffee) and is completely effortless. No need to brew a hot pot of coffee and then wait around for it to cool down (or water it down with ice cubes).

And perhaps most importantly, there’s no temptation to swing by a coffee shop and fork over anywhere from $2.50-$4.00 (depending on how much iced coffee you want!) for a cup. And you guys, I live RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from one of the best coffee shops in Chattanooga. But I haven’t been over there in forever!

#LightIcedCoffee 1

I’m going to be updating the widget that’s on the sidebar of my page to show how I save $2.50 every time I reach for International Delight Iced Coffee and skip the McDonald’s ice coffee that often tempts me because it is also very sweet and creamy (and SO loaded with calories!). So far I’ve saved $5.00 just by enjoying this product twice. And I have about 70% of the product left. Did I mention that a carton costs $3.98 at my local Walmart? Pretty easy to do the math and see that this makes so much sense to purchase, financially!

So yeah, International Delight Iced Coffee is a near-permanent fixture in my refrigerator. And as you can tell, I adore it.

But my waistline is not quite as big of a fan. You see, this coffee comes already sweetened and with plenty of cream included so that you really and truly don’t have to do a thing other than pour and enjoy. But as is often the case, things like this taste so good because they don’t skimp on the “yummy” (and by that I mean calorie-rich) ingredients.

Until now!!!!

#LightIcedCoffee 2

I’m SO excited to share with you that International Delight Iced Coffee now comes in a lighter version, and it is just as delicious as the original version, but contains 1/3 fewer calories. Yes! Yes! Yes!

I find my International Delight Iced Coffee at Walmart in the dairy section. I usually pick some up while I’m getting organic milk for Darah. I do admit that even though I’ve been buying this product steadily for almost a year, I did feel a twinge of guilt every time I purchased it because of the calories. Now I’ll be leaving all that guilt behind and enjoying my low-sugar coffee with reduced calories. And seriously, the taste is every bit as scrumptious. Don’t you love when a company figures out how to shave off those calories and keep the great taste there? Way to go, International Delight!

#LightIcedCoffee

I enjoy using this product in a few different ways. Of course, pouring a glass for myself straight from the carton is a favorite option. I especially like doing that in the mid-afternoon when I have an energy slump and need a little boost to get me through the next few hours before dinner.

#LightIcedCoffee 4

I also will use my ID coffee to add to iced coffee I make for myself in my hot & cold beverage maker or in my coffee pot. If I’m really trying to watch my calories, I’ll add International Delight Light Iced Coffee to black coffee as a sugar and creamer substitute. It makes for a stronger cup of coffee, in addition to one that’s even lighter on calories. This is my favorite way to use the product first thing in the morning when the priority for me is getting a good jolt of caffeine so that I can function!

Interested in giving this product a try? It will certainly help any iced coffee drinker save money, but I’d like to help you save even more. You can fill out a simple registration form and snag a coupon for it! Woo hoo! You will be able to purchase this starting January 21st at your nearest Walmart.

Can I also suggest that you follow International Delight on Twitter and Facebook? You can keep up with the latest on this great product and stay in the loop about any new special promotions (like new coupons or great giveaways just for fans and followers!).

Do any of you already use and enjoy this product? Are you SOOOO excited that a lower-calorie version is being released??? I’d love to hear if anyone out there is raising a glass in celebration!

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and WhiteWave #CBias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Reading and Pretend Play Join Forces: Hallmark Interactive Story Buddies GIVEAWAY!!

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A few days ago, Tim and I were talking about how Darah’s imagination has started to really run wild, and how much fun we are all having with her as she engages in pretend play. She’s been playing mermaids for a long time now, but she’s finally expanding into more adventures, be it giving a tour of Rapunzel’s tower (her junior bunk bed), inviting carefully selected stuffed animals to rather elaborate tea parties in her room, or building fairy rings in the morning and coming back to check on them as soon as she comes home from school (the fairies drag fun stuff they want to play with inside the fairy ring and they also leave a little treat for the one who built it!).

So when I saw the Hallmark commercials for the Interactive Storybooks and Story Buddies, I knew that it was something that would give Darah a lot of joy. A stuffed dog that responds to you? That’s not unbelievable in the least to her. It’s the kind of thing that makes perfect sense to her, actually!

These books and plush toys are so much fun. If you haven’t seen the commercials, the basic idea is that the animal will respond by making various noises when you read the story about the animal (certain words and phrases spoken aloud will elicit a response). My child loves to be read to, and she also loves to play with stuffed animals (I’m too embarrassed to tell you how many she has, but I can tell you that they completely fill 3 enormous tubs in her room). The Hallmark Interactive Storybook and Story Buddies are perfect for her, as reading and pretend play join forces!

Bell is super soft. Her electronic elements inside of her do not make her any less fun to love on and play with. Also, she’s really beautiful! See?

I’m also really impressed that Jingle and Bell, the two adorable husky pups featured in the holiday Interactive Storybook line this year, not only respond to the book, but they also respond to an audio cd that comes with them and to some online and mobile games. So the fun keeps going long after your child has memorized the book!  Hallmark also offers extra books for all of their Story Buddies so that you can add to the collection at a later time.

Bell and lots of other totally adorable Story Buddies are available at Hallmark online for $34.95. I believe that Hallmark has made a great effort to ensure that this toy a really good value. We are loving Bell so much and will definitely be purchasing another book!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win an Interactive Storybook and Story Buddy (the Story Buddy received will be a surprise)!!!

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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

 

 

Earth’s Best Pouches Are a Travel Must-Have

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We have been doing a bit of traveling this holiday season, much the same as millions of other families across the world. We visited my family down in Alabama. They actually came up to visit us a few weeks ago when we had both our girls baptized. When they were loading up the car to travel back home, I sent them back with all the Christmas presents I had ready at that point and perhaps more importantly, I sent ahead some food for the girls. I wanted to make 100% sure that I didn’t forget the Earth’s best jarred food AND the Earth’s Best squeeze pouches. What a nightmare it would have been to have to go to Walmart, or really any store at all, on Christmas Eve to buy them!

Earth’s Best Food Pouches

I choose Earth’s Best for my girls for several reasons. First and foremost, the ingredients are all organic, and that gives me a lot of peace of mind. At home, Layah eats homemade organic baby food about 75% of the time, with some jarred food sprinkled in to give extra variety. I also aim to give Darah organic fruits and vegetables as much as my budget will allow.

Earth’s Best pouches are so fantastic to have on hand because it is pretty much guaranteed that Darah will eat them. Overall she is a good eater, but she’s 3, and that means that she certainly has days where the only thing in this whole world she wishes to eat is peanut butter and chocolate. Sigh… But I have found that if I offer her a squeeze pouch, she says yes to it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. And Earth’s Best pouches contain all kinds of yummy stuff (no, not peanut butter and chocolate). It’s such a clever way for me to get some veggies and fruits in Darah’s system.

earth's best food pouches

The pouches also work great for Layah, especially on the road. She doesn’t have the hang of sucking the food out herself, but I can squeeze the food onto a spoon for her and feed her at whatever place we have chosen to stop at. When she’s finished, I just screw the lid back on. Since the pouches are shelf stable, I know the food inside will be just fine for several more hours until we reach our destination (at which point I do refrigerate opened pouches and jarred food).

On this trip, Layah has been enjoying the Earth’s Best 1st Foods pouches, which include the following flavors:

  • bananas
  • pears
She has also REALLY enjoyed the Earth’s Best Greek Yogurt Smoothies. Banana is what she has tried so far, but you can also find it in apple or cherry.
As for Darah, as I said before, she will eat any of the pouches (even the 1st foods!) but I’ve been giving her the Just for Toddlers Sesame Street Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies, available in the following flavors:
  • Strawberry Banana
  • Apple Blueberry
  • Peach Banana
  • Pear Mango
  • Mixed Berry
Earth’s Best pouches help our family make the long road trip a little bit easier, and they also help us ensure that our kids are getting the great nutrition they need even when we are away from home and not “in charge” of the meals being served.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win an Earth’s Best pouch sampler pack!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions express here are strictly my own.

Time to Win a LifeLock Membership!!

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Just in time for Christmas, lovely readers, I have a very special giveaway for you!

I’ve been singing the praises of LifeLock (the most amazing identity theft protection service there is, in my opinion!) since September and have been DYING to give you all a chance to win a membership.

Well what do you know? It’s a Christmas miracle!!! And it’s a great way to start of the new year right!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need winner will receive a LifeLock membership!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I am a compensated ambassador for LifeLock.  All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Last Minute Ideas for Technophiles!

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This post brought to you by Sharper Image. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ok, folks if you are still doing Christmas shopping, things are officially down to the wire. And if I had to guess, you are probably shopping for folks who are really tough to shop for (at least those are the folks I procrastinate shopping for!). 

Tim, my husband, is one of those people that everyone has a hard time finding something for. It's not that he is difficult to please, per se. He just doesn't want much! And if he does want something, it is almost certainly some type of electronic gadget. 

So, if you are still shopping for a technophile, may I make a few suggestions? Get yourself over to Sharper Image and take a look at these 3 great gifts:

1. Bluetooth Speaker. Photobucket

This wireless speaker ensures that you don't have to sacrifice excellent sound for portability. I can tell you that my husband listens to music at work every single day, so something like this would be a great holiday gift for the music fan on your list. 

2. Back Massager. Photobucket Do you ever have those days where you would promise your entire kingdom for a decent back massage? This massagers has four independent rollers travel up and down your back for instant relief. Here's what I love the most: you can customize the massage for your height! Since Tim is 6 feet tall and I'm just over 5 feet, this is really key. 

3. Sound Soother. Photobucket Ok, so I'm NOT hard to shop for, by any stretch (hello Pinterest wish list that never ends!) but I have to say, I REALLY want one of these! You see, my littlest love, Layah, sleeps with white noise. And lately Tim and I have been taking turns sleeping in the same room as her to get her to go to sleep. Well, I've become quite fond of those beach waves, myself. I'd love to have something like this in my room. And I'm really impressed that you can customize the length of time you want the white noise to play while you drift off to sleep (15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes). The Sound Soother also serves as an alarm clock. And can I just say, how awesome is Sharper Image to have created a device that will reset itself after a power outage or Daylight Saving Time??!! For me, this is a must have gift for anyone in your life who could use a little extra help getting some zzzz's. So basically, anyone with children. 🙂 

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Shabby Apple $50 Gift Certificate GIVEAWAY!!!

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We are just days away from Christmas (as if you last minute shoppers needed another reminder, right?!). But do you realize that Christmas is just one week away from New Year’s?!

2013 will be here in the blink of an eye! For me, the beginning of the year is a great time to do some soul searching and to think about personal improvements I’d like to make. Like many Americans, getting healthier is definitely on my list. I made some good progress in 2012 but then hit a wall in the late fall. And then the holidays came. And with them, all the chocolate…

Anyway, I’ll be hitting the gym in January, and hopefully throughout the rest of the year. And as I reach milestones, I’ll be treating myself to some great new clothes to help me feel good in my healthier body! Shabby Apple is a place that I always dream about getting one of those statement pieces from. They are known for their spectacular beautiful women’s dresses.

I recently was poking around on their website (ok, who am I kidding…I was looking at every single item!) and I noticed that they have some seriously cute skirts, too. And at price points I can actually handle!

This lovely piece (called Teacher’s Pet skirt) is hanging in my closet right now, waiting for the weather to warm up a little bit. I’ve already tried it on. It is SUCH a fun skirt! I don’t have anything navy in my wardrobe and this is just the dash I need. I’m really looking forward to playing around with different ways of dressing this up and down.

So what about you? Are you hoping to get a little more fit next year? Do you like to treat yourself to rewards for sticking to your goals? How about a little something lovely just for you from Shabby Apple? Would you dare to dream of it?

Well…here’s your chance! Let next year bring you not only some new goals and aspirations, but also some new cute clothes!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will snag a $50 gift certificate to Shabby Apple to put toward whatever your heart desires!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

 

Travel Tips You May Be Forgetting (And a Chance to Win a $4,500 Travel Voucher!)

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Are any of my readers getting geared up for a road trip this weekend to see family and friends? I bet many of you are!

First and foremost, I want to wish you safe travels. Please don’t forget to get your air pressure checked and make sure you have anti-freeze in your car if you are traveling in cold areas. Don’t try to race the clock and make a personal best in the time it takes you to get from point A to point B.

And if you are traveling with kids, bring snacks. Lots of snacks. Squeeze pouches are my personal favorite for the littles. And for myself, plenty of iced coffee and mint chocolates. Yum!

You are probably already mindful of all of these types of safety tips, but you may not be thinking about the safety of your identity while you travel. Travelers are prime targets, so be mindful, please! A few weeks ago my aunt was traveling in Kentucky, and on the second day of her travels there, she got a call from her credit card company about some suspicious charges. Someone in Kentucky was trying to purchase a $700 airplane ticket. She was able to trace her credit card use back to McDonald’s, where she suspects an employee may have somehow gotten her information, perhaps through the system there. She had to cease using her card on the spot. Fortunately, she had alternate methods of paying for things she needed, but what if she didn’t? What a mess that would have been!

It’s also possible that someone in line used their cell phone to snap a photo of her card. Did you know that this happens ALL. THE. TIME?????

One of my biggest tips for you for the security of your identity, whether you are close to home or on the road, is to NEVER have your credit card out of your wallet while you are waiting to pay. I see people all the time laying their cards on the counter while they wait. All of your information is just sitting there, exposed, and you never know who is watching and either has a photographic memory or can snap a photo without you noticing.

If you think you will be spending a fair amount of money while you are away from home, it is also a good idea to contact your credit card company and advise them of where you will be spending money (geographic location, not specific stores). If they know you will be in California, for example, they won’t flag a charge there as suspicious, but if one pops up in Florida while you are away, they will know you aren’t there!

This month, LifeLock’s goal is to give you great tips for traveling over the holidays that will help keep you safe. Please check out their LifeLock for Life sweepstakes happening right now. Four winners will get LifeLock memberships for two (!) and one lucky duck is going to get a $4,500 travel voucher. Wowzers!!! And really, everyone is a winner who plays because you are going to learn some really helpful information to keep your identity safe, potentially saving you a whole lot of headache!

I have also learned some great tips over the last few months simply by following LifeLock on Twitter. I definitely recommend putting them on your follow list!

I’d love to hear any tips you have for folks traveling this holiday season, be it related to identity protection or anything else! Comments here are going to be worth an extra entry for something awesome that I’ll be posting in two days, just FYI!!!

I am a compensated ambassador for LifeLock.  All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Observing a Day of Silence

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Friday has been declared a National Day of Mourning for those lost in last Friday’s school shooting in Newton, Connecticut. I will be keeping things at Stuff Parents Need quiet for the day. I’ll be observing a personal moment of silence along with the rest of the nation at 9:30am EST, as requested by the Governor of Connecticut. Will you join me?

I’d also like to encourage you to take a little bit of time today to spread the spirit of hope in whatever way you feel most led to do so, be it through prayer, through doing a random act of kindness, or through making a donation to a cause that speaks to you.