Protein Shakes For Your Track Star
April 16, 2010 - Written by DianaTrack season can be a real workout. It seems like you sit through 4 hours of meet, for 2 minutes of glory for your sprinter, longer if your kid is a distance runner. I looked at my son the other day and mentioned that he looked like he was losing weight. For a kid over six foot and weighing about 143, losing weight might not be good. It’s difficult to help your child to make healthy, nutritious choices that will sustain them throughout the day. A mother of one of the girls and I were discussing our kids and what they eat. Her daughter is much pickier than my son, and many of my suggestions were rejected because her daughter wouldn’t eat it. I finally asked if she tried a protein shake. She asked what it was, and I explained what I do for my son to get a little extra protein in him during Track Season. I’m not a health guru or a doctor, but I know proteins are something they need right now. My son will drink one for breakfast, or when he gets home after school, and I’m a little happier thinking maybe this will help him …
Pillsbury Sweet Rolls – A Lot of Orange Sweetness
March 17, 2010 - Written by Diana
Last night I was hungry for a treat, but not ready to dive into the heavy work, so I pulled a tube of Pillsbury Sweet Rolls from the fridge. I don’t normally have tubes of sweet rolls in the fridge, but I have been known to pick up one every now and then when there’s a sale or I have coupons. If I think there will be a bunch of boys over I might grab a couple to have on hand, just in case also. I put together the sweet rolls according to the directions, placing the rolls in the glass pan, then I threw some chopped walnuts on top before baking it in the oven. When I pulled them out of the oven, hot and toasty (walnut toasty) the topping just slid all over and smelled so darn orangey good. I think a little grated orange on top …
Risotto Chips by New York Style – My Son Loves Them
March 4, 2010 - Written by Diana
Risotto Chips are an awesome treat, the whole family enjoyed them. They didn’t taste like risotto to me, they were delicious crispy (cracker-like) treats – that are gluten free. We love the Parmesan and Garlic and the Sea Salt. The Spicy Marinara wasn’t our first choice, but it was devoured too.
My son said that I have to let you know that these chips were so good he was willing to brush his teeth twice for them. Here’s what I mean – he was ready for bed, and packing his lunch. Instead of his usually pretzels, he grabbed the Sea Salt Risotto Chips. He had brushed his teeth already, but said that even though he knew he’d have to brush his teeth again, he finished off the bag. He said it was worth it because they were so good. I thought it was funny, but also, when he told me, I was disappointed, because there weren’t any left for me. Then later my husband came looking to see …
Let ‘em Handle It
January 9, 2010 - Written by Diana
Some days that’s my attitude. My son likes his friends to come over, and he likes them to stay. It can become an evening of preparing and cleaning food for me, if I let it. Sometimes I like to impress. Today he was home for another snow day, but I had to trudge into work. When I got the call from my son asking if his friends could come over and stay, I was willing, but only so far. I told him I didn’t have anything ready for them to eat, and I didn’t want to run into the store (no extra driving please). He said there were a couple of boxes of mac n cheese in the pantry, they could make it up and have it for dinner. I thought well, they’ll live, let them handle it.
Truthfully, it’s not the way I like to eat every night, but I …
Ruby Red Jasmine Rice
November 29, 2009 - Written by Diana
I used
Ruby Red Jasmine Rice for my Turkey & Chard over Red Jasmine Rice recipe. This is a fair trade, whole grain rice grown in the Surin region of Thailand.
Alter Eco Ruby Red Jasmine Rice (Khao Deng variety) is an ancient whole grain rice that is as nutritionally charged as it is colorful. Its crunchy texture and earthy flavored paired with a cocktail of essential proteins and minerals, making it an all-around sustainable choice! It is a rare grain that is found in Surin, a province in the East of Thailand situated along the Cambodian border. Inhabitants of this particular region have long relied on this nutritious rice as a complement to their daily diet.
Farmers of the Agrarian Cooperative of Surin cultivate the Alter Eco Red Rice using traditional farming methods that ensure quality and respect for …
Pump Up Your College Kid With Some Sweet Treats
November 12, 2009 - Written by DianaThe holiday season is stressful on college kids. Some are approaching midterms, others are thinking about finals, while at the same time arrangements need to be made for visiting with family. I think we’re going to visit some of the family for a big holiday gathering without my daughter because she’ll be in school. She only has a long weekend off, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for extensive travelling. Some students live too far away and don’t visit with family at all. When I was in college there were some holidays I stayed on campus because I lived over 500 miles away so I really know what it’s like to miss out. Fortunately, you can send your favorite collegiate special treats to help them through these busy stress filled days. These snacks would also make great stocking stuffers, especially if you want to send your college kid back to school well stocked.
I was given the opportunity to do some taste testing for you. While I like that part of my job, I also enjoy having the opportunity to introduce a product that may be new to you. In no particular order, here are our suggestions:
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Cranberry Raisinets: “Like Regular Raisinets, But Different”
October 31, 2009 - Written by Deb Ng
I received a package in the mail today filled with goodies to review containing, among other things, several packages of Cranberry Raisinets. The timing was good as they came at snack time and I had two seven year olds standing by to give their opinion – The Boy and his friend who, for this study, we will call “The Friend.”
I gave each boy a package of Raisinets and stepped back to catch their honest assessment:
The Boy: Tasty!
The Friend: It’s good. What are they called again?
Me: Cranberry Raisents.
The Boy: They’re like regular Raisinets but different.
The Friend: That doesn’t make sense. How can they be Cranberry Raininets?
The Boy: The should call them “Cranberryets.”
The friend: “Cranberets.”
The Boy: “Cranboogers.”
The Boy and The Friend: “EWWWWWW!!! Gross!!”
The Friend: I wouldn’t eat them if they’re Cranboogers.
The Boy: Me either. We can give them to Matthew. He has peanut allergies. He can eat boogers.
The Friend: EWWWWW!!!!
Me: So what do we think guys, do we like them?
The Friend: Yes. They’re good. You should buy more and give them to me when I visit. My mom won’t buy chocolate because she says it makes me crazy.
Me: I can totally …
Surprise Your Guests With Some New Tastes for the 4th.
June 30, 2009 - Written by DianaI’ve been trying out some new things and there are a few you can bring to the 4th to share with your friends, or have on hand. I like surprising people and getting them to have a taste on my dime. Sometimes you’ll don’t mind tasting something new that someone else brings just because you know you’re not wasting your money. If you like it, then you can buy it yourself next time. This time you can be the supplier.
Here are some suggestions:
Zevia - This is a new sugar free soda made with stevia – a plant based sweetener.
I’ve had stevia before, and I was not thrilled with the taste. From Wikipedia: The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia’s taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may …
Mario Batali – Pizza Line by Copco
May 11, 2009 - Written by DianaI’ve tried out a few new things by Copco lately and the Pizza Line from Mario Batali is another one. The two items I tried out were the Pizza Knife and the Container Grater, both are decent kitchen tools to have.
The Pizza knife is the best pizza cutting tool for me. I’ve had the pizza cutters with the little wheel, but this Pizza Knife cuts through it just by pressing down and rocking it back and forth once. The only downside is that it’s big and you will need to figure out where to store it. However, my husband and son loved it the first time we used it. No cheese sticking to it and smearing, just cut, cut cut, cut and you are done, it’s that simple and fast. I put it into the dishwasher along the side to get cleaned off- where it won’t take up much room. If you eat pizza on a regular basis – this would be something you would want to own.
The Container Grater – took …
OliVaylle Estate – Olive Nectar
May 5, 2009 - Written by DianaWhat do you bring to someone you love? Expensive Wine, Truffles (my favorite), Caviar – or maybe a bottle of fine Olive Oil, or better yet, a bottle of exquisite Olive Nectar. OliVaylle Estate is entering the premium Olive Oil market in a great way. OliVaylle Olive Nectar is produced at a family owned olive plantation and olive oil processing facility in Telopea Downs, Victoria, Australia.
It’s not just that the bottle is sexy looking – it’s that it’s dark and prevents the light from deteriorating the quality of the oil. Things that are harmful to the olives and olive oil are: heat, oxygen, time, contaminants and light. OliVaylle loses out on some of it’s production quantity because it insists on producing the purest quality Olive Oil or as they call it Olive Nectar.
In fact, OliVaylle Olive Oil is the only olive oil in the world that satisfies
The Eight Absolutes of Olive Oil Perfections:
- Estate grown olives …
