Homemade Stocking Stuffer – Chocolate Craisin Bark
December 12, 2008 - Written by DianaI haven’t started my treatmaking, so no pics yet. I make this treat every year and everyone loves loves loves it. It’s the number one requested item and so simple to make. This is one of the first things my kids ask for in their Christmas stockings.
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. I usually make it half milk and half semi sweet or dark, so it’s not too sweet and not too bitter. You can also substitute white instead of milk and dark chocolate if you prefer. If you use larger pieces of chocolate, cut them down in size so that it all melts evenly. You can use a microwave to melt the chocolate. Put the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and for a minute at time melt and stir the chocolate until it’s completely melted. Empty Craisins into a bowl, pour the melted chocolate over top and stir together, blending well. Pour this mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator until it looks like a big solid bar. Break this bark into pieces, put into small gift bags with a bow.
Orange Craisin works …
Focaccia Sticks Winners!
November 27, 2008 - Written by Diana
Our winners for our delicious Focaccia Sticks Giveaway are:
Tracy Iglesias -I would put out an assortment plate of all New York Style’s new Focaccia Sticks flavors coupled with assorted pairings including spinach dip, vermont cheddar cheese dip, brie and other cheeses and put out some wine for a pre thanksgiving nosh
Donna K – I would like the roasted garlic and herb paired with cheese.
and Barbara(oink moo – you know who) – I love rosemary, so the Rosemary & Sea Salt will probably be my favorite. I might eat them with tomato soup or with fettucine alfredo. 
Thanks to everyone for participating, we loved all of the suggestions. When you are out searching for something to put out with your dips and spreads this holiday season, take a look at New York Style’s Focaccia Sticks. I think everyone will enjoy it!
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Stocking Stuffers – Chocolate and Chocolate
November 20, 2008 - Written by DianaYou just can’t go wrong with chocolate as a stocking stuffer, well at least not for me, or my kids, or my husband for that matter. There are two chocolate companies, that have chocolates with Holiday Themes, Route29 and Bloomsberry.
Route 29 is more retro looking, and has cool packaging ideas. Chocolate caramel pops, and caramels in ornament boxes or peppermint bark in a store front box and even cinnamon licorice reindeer, really cool stuff. The caramel pops are really cool peppermint caramel or gingerbread covered in chocolate for the holiday flavors, plus vanilla in milk chocolate, or chocolate in dark chocolate for all year. The caramel tree ornaments are available in Cinnamon/Sugar Double-Up Caramel and Peppermint/Chocolate Double up Caramel. Their caramels are so delicious, it’s difficult to describe how good they really are. I loved the cinnamon/sugar double up myself, but the peppermint caramels are really good too. There are also Mini-tubs with vanilla caramels, fruit caramels and vanilla and chocolate caramels. The Uptown snackers are cute with little small business on the front. The chocolate Peppermint Bark …
Food News Alert – Send an Orville Popcorn Sample to your Dorm Kid
November 6, 2008 - Written by DianaThere’s a Lime & Salt microwave popcorn sample available on Walmart’s website. Send one to your dorm kid, it would be a fun movie night treat. My daughter just thanked me for the Bearnaked Granola sample she received in her mailbox. This popcorn sample is thanks to Freebies 4 Mom. Hurry up though because it was gone when I checked last week. If their stock is out when you try, come back again later and try again, which is what I did.
Look, here’s another good sample your kids will love you for at Chocolate Bytes.
Healthy Halloween Treats – Fruitabu Fruit Twirls
October 10, 2008 - Written by Diana
Fruitabu Smooshed Fruit Twirls would be my number one choice for my kids to receive for Halloween if they went trick or treating. I wish these had been available back when my kids were small. They are very similar to those roll up things but they are made with smooshed organic fruit. Grape is fantastic, but Strawberry and Apple are delicious too. Fruitabu products contain 90 percent fruit and juice without artificial flavor, color or preservatives. My son ate them when he arrived home from school everyday and my husband and I tried them and we enjoyed them also. My daughter was disappointed when she came home from college and found almost nothing left for her. One twirl is a whole serving of fruit, and there’s a half serving in a fruit flat. My daughter called the fruit flat a fruit jerky because of the way it looked, but she said she liked them and no they aren’t spicy like jerky, just flat.
Fruitabu also has Smooshed Fruit Splooshers which are like applesauce in a tube. When my son was young he came home and asked me to make …
Supplement Your Lunch with Fun Stuff – Pom & Pretzel Crisps
September 7, 2008 - Written by DianaBringing lunch to work or school is a great way to reduce costs and also make sure you get to eat what you like. You can control the portion size, the foods you want to eat, how it’s prepared. Have it your way.
I don’t think lunches need to be bland though or even one hundred percent homemade. Sometimes you need to supplement it with something fun and tasty a nice treat. This week besides leftovers, I’ve added a couple of treats.
Lifeway’s Probugs & Kefir Products
July 23, 2008 - Written by Diana
For Healthy Snacks week, I’d like to introduce you to Probugs kids drinks and Kefir products. Probugs is a drink for kids, that has the consistency of yogurt drinks, with natural fruit flavoring. Even though my kids are older, they tried the Probugs drinks, enjoyed them, and went back for more. They said the blueberry, had a slightly sour blueberry taste like you had real blueberries in it, not the fake blueberry taste. The drinks came in individual pouches with a no spill spout kids could drink in the car or for a snack. My kids had to try squeezing to see if they could get it to spurt (they’re teenagers, what do you want?) and while they could, it was much easier to control and didn’t cause a big mess like holding a juice box often does. The pro bugs name stands for the probiotics contained in the kefir based drink.
