General Mills Cereal Product Review and Giveaway

I am so excited to see that General Mills is going to a reduce sugar option for their cereals. That is great for a mom who is trying to keep a bunch of sugary foods out of the house and for someone who is trying to lose weight.

Note: Did you know that people that eat ready to eat cereals consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? That these cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal one of the top source of key nutrients in children´s diets.

Other cereal benefits:

* 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.

Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. 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.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals. Blog Spark and I  will be giving away 1 coupons valued at $6.00 to three different winners for you to pick your brand of General Mills cereal you may have been wanting to try.

To enter: Go to General Mills and pick a cereal you have always wanted to try just for yourself. Maybe it's the Yogurt Cheerios. Or the Fiber One cereal. Leave me a comment on which one it is you want to try.

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Giveaway ends January 16,2010 at 11:50pm EST.

Pom Wonderful Product Review and Pom Princess Non-alcoholic Drink

I had the chance to sample the Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and loved it. It has both a tart and sweet taste. It was smooth in drinking without any bad after tastes. I read the health benefits of the Pom Wonderful and the nutritional values are great. The label says it's 100% authentic and that is the case. Other brands that claim they are just the Pomegranate Juice could also contain apple, cranberry, white grape, lemon and others not making it a pure Pomegranate product. It is also filled with a ton of antioxidants. The best part of Pom Wonderful is:

• it contain no added sugars, preservatives or colors
• is a good source of potassium
• is gluten-free
• is flash pasteurized to retain both flavor and nutrients
• is certified kosher

For centuries, the pomegranate has been valued as a symbol of health and has been the centerpiece of many traditional folk medicine practices.

In 1998, POM initiated modern medical research to understand the health benefits of the Wonderful variety of pomegranates. To date, we’ve invested $32 million. This research has involved a number of top scientists from leading universities around the world, including a Nobel Laureate.

So far, 47 total studies, including 14 clinical studies, have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Primary research areas have included prostate, cardiovascular, and erectile function as well as antioxidant composition and safety/bioavailability.

I did use one bottle to make a Non Alcoholic Pom Princess. I didn't make the fresh lemonade but used crystal light natural lemonade instead. I really enjoyed it. 

Pom Princess Non Drink

Ingredients

3/8 cup freshly squeezed pomegranate juice* or POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice

3/8 cup fresh lemonade**

1-1/2 oz. sparkling water

Garnish

lemon slice

mint sprig

Preparation

• Fill a tall tumbler glass a little more than halfway with ice cubes.
• Pour 3/8 cup fresh lemonade into the glass, up to the halfway mark.
• Slowly add pomegranate juice. (The goal is to create a mix of half lemonade and half pomegranate juice, so adjust accordingly for the size of your glass.)
• Add sparkling water.
• Stir with an iced-tea spoon or a swizzle stick.

Note

* This cocktail can be made with freshly squeezed juice from a large POM Wonderful Pomegranate or by using POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice. To juice the pomegranate, cut it in half (as you would a grapefruit) and juice using a citrus reamer or a juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. One large POM Wonderful Pomegranate will produce about 1/2 cup of juice. ** To make fresh lemonade, roll six lemons on a wooden board to loosen the juice. Juice lemons using a hand reamer or electric citrus juicer; strain juice into a pitcher. Add 3/4 cup sugar and 8 cups of water, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Adjust for taste, but be sure to taste it before adding more sugar; the tartness of lemons can vary greatly).

Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs and Broth Giveaway

UPDATE: I HAVE MY FIRST WINNER FOR MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!
Congrats to #30 Cheryl. I will be sending an email to get your address to have the gift pack mailed out to you. Thank you all for entering! :) I hope you will add me as a blog you will follow! Merry Christmas.




My first product review and giveaway!!! Woo Hoo!! And its for a product I love!
About a month ago before my son was in the hospital, I was sent a cool package from Progresso (via MyBlogSpark) with their amazing broth and Panko bread crumbs. I usually always use their brand of broth, the lower sodium one, but I had never tried the panko before. I had looked for something like that before in the grocery stores but it was always really expensive so I never tried it. The day it arrived, I got out a recipe that had been featured on Devin Alexander's show called Fit and Fabulous Fried Chicken. It was really good and my children enjoyed it very much. They liked the crispiness of the chicken but felt it was just a tad to spicy. I will next time not put as much as the cayenne pepper in it for them. With the broth they sent to me, I made a cornbread dressing. I really love their broth because it's not only rich in flavor but it's also very affordable. It's normally cheaper than the store brands here in my area. The kids do not like carrots and celery in the cornbread dressing like some families do but that can be added into this recipe as well as gizzards to add a little more texture to it. I just didn't have any at the time of making it. Both seemed to be a hit with the kids and we'll try it again soon.

Now great news! Progresso is going to send one of you a great prize pack which consists of the following:
Progresso Panko
Progresso Broth
Measuring Cup
Slotted Spoon
Soup Ladle
Sheet Pan for baking
Recipe booklet

Visit their website http://www.progressofoods.com/  and tell me which recipe you would like to try with one of these great products. Deadline for the contest is December 23, 2009. Winner will be pick at random. (Please make sure to leave your email with your comment.)






FIT AND FABULOUS FRIED CHICKEN


2 bone-in chicken breasts (approximately 8-10 ounces each)
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
olive oil spray
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup whole wheat Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Remove the skin and all visible fat from the chicken breasts. Transfer them to a re-sealable plastic container that is slightly larger than the breasts. Pour the buttermilk over the breasts, then turn them, to coat them. Marinate them in the buttermilk at least 6 hours or overnight, rotating them once or twice.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly mist a small, non-stick baking pan or sheet with spray.
In a small bowl, mix the onion powder, paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne. Add the panko to a medium, shallow bowl.
Remove one chicken breast from the buttermilk and let any excess buttermilk drip off. Sprinkle both sides of the breast evenly with half of the seasoning mixture. Then transfer it to the bowl of panko and cover it completely with the crumbs. Place the breaded chicken breast down (ribs up) on the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken breast.
Lightly spray the top of both breasts with spray. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes, then carefully, being sure not the remove the breading, flip the breast. Lightly mist the tops with spray and continue to bake them for another 10-15 minutes or until the breading is crispy and the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve it immediately or refrigerate it for up to 2 days to eat it cold. Makes 2 servings.
http://health.discovery.com/fansites/devin-alexander/recipes/fried.html

 CORN BREAD DRESSING

3 boxes of Jiffy Mix
3 eggs
1 onion
1/2 stick butter
1/4 tsp sage
chicken broth

Cook cornbread according to the directions on the package of the Jiffy Mix.
Boil the 3 eggs. Dice eggs into small pieces.
Dice the onion and cook in the butter and sage. Set aside.
When cornbread is done, take out of oven and let sit for 10 minutes until just warm. Take a spoon
and scrape the corn bread until it is chunky. Add chicken broth to moisten. Add the onion/butter mixture.
Combine well. Press down cornbread mixture into a 9x13 pan. Put in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until browned.
Serve warm.

Macaroni Pizza Casserole

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything. I am sorry about that. My son ended up having a fracture in his pelvis. Apparently the inflammation and pain he was experiencing from the stress fracture was what was causing the protein level to be high according to the Specialist he saw at Levine Children Hospital in Charlotte. The Orthopedic Surgeon said that with teenage boys, stress fractures are not uncommon in the back area due to growing, especially when they are growing fast. My son is 15 and is almost 6 feet tall. James has been limited on the things he's allowed to do to give it time to heal before he actually breaks the bone. Of course, keeping him down has been a nightmare because he always like to be on the go with Boy Scouts and ROTC. Thank you to all of you who thought about him and us during this time.

I tried an old recipe that the kids use to enjoy when they were younger called Macaroni Pizza Casserole. It's a pretty simple dinner and when you go to make it yourself, you can add your own ingredients to the casserole. Seeing as my son hates anything like green peppers or mushrooms, we didn't add that in the recipe. I also remembered to get you some pictures as well. :)

Macaroni Pizza Casserole

Heat oven to 350^.
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef, or ground turkey
1 box of Elbow Macaroni Noodles. (I used the Razoni Smart Taste)
1 Large jar of Ragu with Meat sauce, or any that you prefer.
1 6oz package of Turkey Pepperoni (or regular pepperoni)
2 8oz package of Italian Five Cheeses, low fat
1 package of Hot Italian Sausage, grounded (Johnsonville brand)

Cook the Macaroni noodles according to the package directions. Drain. Set aside.
While the noodles are cooking, brown up your hamburger meat and your hot Italian Sausage. Drain grease. Set aside.
In a 13x9 inch pan, add a layer of the meat, than the noodles, Ragu Sauce, a layer of the pepperoni, and cheese. Repeat steps to make a 2nd layer with the cheese layer having a little more cheese than the 1st layer of cheese.
Bake on 350^ for 30-40 minutes or until browned.
Set aside 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut.

I served it with a Dole salad mix that is the more Veggies bag. Used Italian Dressing, Garlic Croutons. Also served Roasted Garlic Bread.