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- 2 cups water
- 4 lemons, squeezed
- 1/2 cup Lite & Sweet Xylitol
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 ounces Van Gogh Acai-Blueberry Vodka
- 1/4 cup Polar Blueberry Lemonade Sparkling Water
- Crushed Ice
- 2 cups water
- 4 lemons, squeezed
- 1/2 cup Lite & Sweet Xylitol
- 3 Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup
- 1/4 cup flower syrup
- 2 ounces Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka
- 3 lemon slices
- 3 Flower in Syrup dusted in Lite & Sweet Xylitol
- crushed ice
- Mix the water and lemon juice in a small pitcher.
- Muddle the blueberries with the xylitol and add to the lemon water.
- For one cocktail, in a cocktail shaker, add 2/3 cups lemonade, 2 ounces flavored vodka and shake.
- Add to a 8-ounce glass with 1/4 cup crushed ice and 1/4 cup sparkling water. Serve and repeat for 3 more cocktails.
- Mix the water and lemon juice in a small pitcher.
- Add the xylitol and add to the lemon water.
- Add three hibiscus flowers and the hibiscus syrup.
- For ONE cocktail, in a cocktail shaker, add 2/3 cups lemonade, 2 ounces flavored vodka and shake.
- Add shaken cocktail to a martini glass with 1/4 cup crushed ice.
- Garnish with a hibiscus flower and a lemon slice.
- Serve and repeat for 3 more cocktails.
- 1 bottle Fre Red Blend Wine
- 1 bottle Fre Brut Sparkling Wine
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 cup hibiscus tea, brewed and cooled
- 2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 1 cup frozen cherries, sliced in half
- 1 orange, peeled and diced
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- ice
- Brew one hibiscus tea bag in 1 cup of hot water. Allow to cool and set aside.
- In a glass pitcher, add the Fre Red Blend Wine and add the hibiscus tea, orange juice, peach slices, sliced cherries and diced oranges.
- Add the rosemary sprig to the sangria.
- Seal the pitcher with Saran wrap and place the pitcher in the fridge overnight.
- Before serving, pour the Fre Brut Sparkling Wine in the Pitcher.
- Add 2-3 cubes of ice to a 6 to 8-ounce wine glass and pour the sangria and serve.
- 1 pound round steak, slightly frozen and sliced thinly
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 packet Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce mix
- 3 cups frozen stir-fry veggies
- sesame seeds
- 1 cup jasmine rice, uncooked
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Add the rice and fry for about 5 minutes.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 2 minutes and lower heat to low and cook for 25 minutes.
- Turn off heat.
- Slice the round steak in thin slices, not paper thin, but 1/2-inch thick.
- Heat sesame oil in a large non-stick skillet and add the beef to the skillet.
- Cook for 7 minutes.
- Prepare the Kikkoman sauce mix according to package directions.
- Steam the frozen veggies or microwave according to package directions and remove excess liquid.
- Add the stir-fry sauce to the meat and bring to a simmer.
- Add the veggies and cook another 5 minutes.
- Serve meal. One cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of beef stir-fry.
- Garnish with sesame seeds.
- Serve with a side salad.
- 1 small Pero Family Farms zucchini, washed and ends sliced off
- 2 ounces organic turkey deli
- 4 Tablespoons Marie's Raspberry Vinaigrette
- 2 small skewers
- 2 cherry tomatoes
- 6 cloves
- Using a microplace, slice the zucchini lengthwise on the thinnest option.
- Slice 8 thin slices and place about small slices of turkey on the zucchini slice and roll up.
- Place each roll-up on the skewer leaving space for the cherry tomato.
- Add 2 cloves for eyes on the cherry tomato and one for the nose.
- Place tomato on the skewer for the catepillar's head.
- Serve with Marie's Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Take the pledge. Pledge to pack a healthier lunchbox at PowerYourLunchbox.com. Companies supporting the program will make a donation for every pledge taken. Donations will support children’s programs through Feeding America.
- Produce for Kids partners supporting Power Your Lunchbox Pledge 2015 include: GROW Bananas, Marie’s® Dressings, Crispy Green® and Pero Family Farms® with additional support provided by Bentology™.
- Show off healthy lunchboxes on social media. Produce for Kids’ Instagram and Twitter followers can use the #PowerYourLunchbox hashtag to show off their healthy lunchboxes to be automatically entered to win weekly prizes and have their lunchboxes featured on the Produce for Kids Facebook page. Prizes include Bentology boxes, grocery store gift cards and more.
- Party with Produce for Kids on Twitter. Parents looking for even more tips and resources for healthy lunchboxes are invited to join Produce for Kids and partner companies at the #PowerYourLunchbox Twitter party at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 12.
Skinny Blueberry Lemonade Fizz & Spiked Pom Hibiscus Lemonade
August 20th, 2015
It’s National Lemonade Day today and, since you’re an adult, you should drink your lemonade like an adult: spiked with Van Gogh Vodka!
National Lemonade Day comes at a perfect time of the summer. Has anyone started school yet? My husband has the rest of this week before he starts but some others have until September, so why not continue enjoying the summer. In my home, my kids are constantly asking for something to drink whether we are active or not. Sometimes I just concentrate on giving them water, but other times, I like varying it by giving them fresh juices and teas. They have gotten used to it that when they walk into the kitchen, they ask me whether I am making tea or juice.
One of the most refreshing drinks to have during the summer can be lemonade. I’ve been taught that just drinking lemon water in the morning helps flush the kidneys. When I was challenged to make a unique lemonade for National Lemonade, I only imagined something my family would love or even friends coming over for a summer evening BBQ.
I recently was sent a delightful trio of delicious vodkas to spike my lemonade recipes. Van Gogh Vodkas are crafted using only the finest fruit, grains and purified water. The grain alcohol goes through a multiple distillation process followed by an all-natural double infusion flavoring process. The state-of-the-art equipment ensures a smooth and quality controlled bottling process which is handled in a very efficient way. It was so hard to choose which vodka to try first since the Pineapple, Acai-Blueberry, and Pomegranate Vodka all sounded delicious.
I have to agree that a quick taste test of each flavor went down smoothly although this was the first time I have had flavored vodkas added to my liquor cabinet. I was actually happy with the flavors they sent me because it was easy to make my drinks with my favorite combination of ingredients at home. Both cocktails created today are made with Lite & Sweet which is a natural sweetener combining xylitol and erythritol with zero net carbs. The measurements are 1:1 as real sugar and really taste like sugar but with few calories. A little sweetener was added by the Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup that made for the decoration and great combination with pomegranate.
The Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka paired well with my hibiscus and lemonade base for the Spiked Pom Hibiscus Lemonade. The hibiscus flowers added a gourmet and beautiful addition to the cocktail, you could even eat them as well!
My Skinny Blueberry Lemonade Fizz was so tasty seeing I have never enjoyed beverages with blueberries or lemonade. I loved the combination because the blueberries, softened the tartness of the lemons. I also was finally happy to use Polar’s Blueberry Lemonade Seltzer which is limited for the summer. It made a perfect fizz for my drink and added fun bubbles to every sip.
Sit back and relax and check out my spiked lemonade recipes that would be perfect for any parties or cookouts left for the summer or even on some weekends when parents need to relax after school has started. Remember, you can also make these drinks without alcohol for your friends or kids. My girls certainly loved the lemonade for an afternoon refresher.
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Here are some more recipes for National Lemonade Day:
Homemade Limoncello Recipe by Jo-Lynne Shane’s Blog
Pink Lemonade Cocktail by Hillary Chybinski
Frozen Lemonade by A Grande Life
Strawberry Lemonade by How Does Your Garden Grow
Pink Lemonade Moonshine Cocktail by Giggles, Gobbles, & Gulps
Homemade Lemonade with Mint by O’Boy! Organic
Homemade Strawberry Lemonade by The Centsible Life
14 Family Friendly Lemonade Recipes featured at Mending the Piggy Bank
The Best Homemade Lemonade Fresh Squeezed with Honey by Eco Incognito
Watermelon Lemonade by A Grande Life
Disclosure: I received product from Van Gogh, Xlear, and Wild Hibiscus in exchange for an honest review. All recipes and opinions are my own.
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A True Mother’s Helper: GIANT Peapod Grocery Service Review +Giveaway
August 17th, 2015If you are a new mother or have a newborn, or you are a busy and active person, ordering groceries might be ideal for you. Since the school year is approaching, there will be plenty of activities to occupy attention. Try forgetting going to the grocery store and have them delivered!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post through Giant Food Stores. I tested the delivery service and love it. All reviews and opinions are my own.
It has been almost a month since I gave birth to my third daughter and I am still in shock that we are now a family of five. Before I had my baby I took a continuous survey daily asking seasoned mothers, new mothers, and friends, what it was like to have three kids, especially under the age of 5. The majority of the responses were actually positive and it encouraged me that the true transition was between 1 and 2 children. I guess the true question should have been at what age because I have to admit that the transition between 1 and 2 children seemed easier from my memory.
Do you know that it has felt different the third time around? I have felt anxious, a bit overwhelmed, and claustrophobic? I imagine a lot of it has to do with hormones because while I have had lots of help the last month, I have STILL had overwhelming feelings. Suddenly laundry, cleaning, cooking, and just the fact if maintaining a home seem crazy. What I had to realize is that I had to let go of a lot of things. While I never deemed myself a SUPERMOM, I almost made it my goal to be able to do it all. What a major fail and a huge burden to put on myself.
I know it seems pretty wild to think I have come to this conclusion after having a THIRD child, but somehow, it takes a big change in life to knock some sense. I simply cannot do it all, especially with a new baby, so I rendered myself to my family, friends, and even to service that are offered outside my circle of friends, like a delivery service.
A few weeks ago I used GIANT’s delivery service called Peapod for the first time. Peapod.com is an online shop where anyone can shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, meat and dairy as well as best-selling national brands and GIANT private label products, all of which can be delivered to their home or workplace. As I have shown below, Residents and businesses in select communities can shop anywhere, anytime from their laptop, tablet or smartphone with Peapod’s mobile app. They can also create personal lists, read nutrition information online, and sort products rapidly by price or by nutrition criteria. GIANT Bonus Card users can jumpstart their first shop online from a list of items they have bought at their local GIANT simply by entering their card number online. Customers also earn GIANT Gas Rewards and A+ School Rewards for their online purchases. Groceries can be delivered as soon as the next day after the order is placed.
It all sounds like a dream, but I am sure whether you live in Pennsylvania or any other state, a delivery service like this can be a true mother’s helper. I have YET to venture to a grocery store with all three kids and I figure I won’t for a while until I feel I have managed my household a bit better. In the meantime, Peapod.com will be my new best friend, because it is the least amount of work I have to do while balancing my life. If you are online already, the only logical thing is to order groceries online.
I chose my groceries to be delivered on the earlier side so that my husband could help but what I learned is that the delivery people will bring in the groceries into your home. What a plus! Once you place an order online, you can leave a tip when you pay or you can give the tip directly to the folks delivering. Another fact that I liked about the system is the fact that once I put in my loyalty card into the system, it loaded all the items I normally add to my shopping card. It saved a lot more time.
Have you tried anything like Peapod? If you are interested in this delivery service, check out Peapod.com and find the area stating “View Service Areas” toward the middle of the site, and check if this service is available in your area. GIANT has offered to giveaway a $75 gift card to ONE of my readers. Would you not like this? Enter below!
If you want to go ahead and get started you can go ahead and get $20 off your FIRST order using my affiliate code. Once you use it, you will be hooked and then YOU can share it with your friends and get credit for your next orders.
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Sparkling Summer Sangria Mocktail
August 14th, 2015
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SipSmarter #CollectiveBias – You should consult your physician before consuming Fre if you are pregnant or have any health concerns regarding alcohol.
This summer has been such a blur and soon enough school will be in session and we will all be back in a busy schedule until Christmas arrives. Are you overwhelmed yet? I have a few weeks to enjoy the time off especially with my husband being home because then it will be back to business. Before that happens all I can think about is hanging out with friends or even enjoying a lovely dinner cooked by my husband over drinks. I recently was introduced to Fre Alcohol-Removed Wines that would make my mommy parties so much more exciting. Since I am taking care of what I am drinking and eating while nursing, I am also making sure that I wait until I can imbibe on real adult beverages.
Every time I go to a restaurant I think about the beverages I enjoy the most and usually it involves wine and fruit. Yes. Sangria is probably one of the most exciting drinks that really is a party in a glass. There are so many variations, fruits, wines, and ingredients that can make the drink dull or exciting. My husband and I definitely like to compare and contrast our favorites from around town.
When I saw the options Fre wines offered, I was real excited to come up with a recipe that could be enjoyed by people who cannot or choose not to consume alcohol like myself. Fre Red blend became a quick favorite and was ideal for my sangria recipe but first, let me explain how the alcohol is removed for those who are curious as I was.
To make Fre, the winemakers use the revolutionary spinning cone column to remove alcohol while preserving the delicate fragrances and flavors of the wine. As explained by the company, the spinning cone facilitates the removal and safeguarding of fragile wine aromas and flavors at low temperatures, then removes the alcohol at slightly higher temperatures. The wine essences are then reintroduced to the dealcoholized base wine and blended with unfermented grape juice. The finished product is a rich, delicious beverage with the characteristic aromas and flavors of premium wine. The finished product is a fresh, delicious beverage with all of the characteristic aromas and flavors of premium wine, but with less than 0.5% alcohol and half the calories of traditional wine. Who can argue with that?
Fre Red Blend has a combination of fruit flavors that are my favorite like cherries so I knew I had to incorporate cherries in my sangria recipe along with some sweet peaches. I also made it sparkling with Fre Alcohol-Removed Brut to add fun bubbles. I was just excited to have a beverage FINALLY that I could enjoy without the guilt. As I made the beverage, my husband took care of our lunch consisting of pulled pork nachos.
The combination of my drink and his meal made for a delicious pairing. I can’t wait to create the same menu for a Mom’s Night In when I can entertain here in the next couple of weeks.Make my Sparkling Summer Sangria Mocktail with Fre Wines or try the other wines they offer with friends and family and make it your favorite go-to non-guilty pleasure.
Who would you introduce Fre Wines to and what would you pair it with?
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Slicing Beef for Stir-Fry using Calphalon Self-Sharpening Cutlery + Giveaway
August 13th, 2015
As we continue our journey to quick meals under 30 minutes now that we are in transition with a newborn, I’ve been reviewing the most popular meals that my husband and I have enjoyed and I have been bringing my husband to the kitchen in order for him to make the meals on evenings that I have had a busy day with the kiddos. While my husband likes cooking, he definitely requires a recipe to follow in order for the meal to come together. There is nothing wrong with that and I am glad to have a favorite meal readily available for my husband and even my readers.
Stir-Fries are meals that I think are so quick to prepare and in the past 7 years I have learned to cut corners in order to have a meal on the table within 30 minutes. Once kids came into the picture, time became a lot more precious, so sometimes I did not cut my vegetables but used frozen stir-fry veggies to make the meal complete. On other occasions, I decided against my own marinade or homemade Asian sauce and went for store-bought sauces until I found my favorites.
My husband already does a great job buying meat at a great discount from our local store, so this time around I defrosted a round steak and left it a little frozen in order to ensure I could slice the beef a lot more easier. I used a 5-inch Santoku knife from my Calphalon Self-Sharpening Knife Block and sliced a pound of beef into perfectly thin slices, ideal for stir-fries.
I was amazed by how sharp my knife was and realized that it was like I was using a newly sharpened knife. My husband agreed that it was the nicest knife he has used. We have always sharpened our own knifes but we have usually misplaced our sharpener, allowing our knives to get dull. With Calphalon Classic Self-Sharpening Cutlery featuring SharpIN™ Technology knives stay sharp for a lifetime.
Sharpeners are built right into the block, automatically sharpening straight edge knives every time you remove them from the block to ensure peak sharpness at the start of every cutting task. The 12-pc. Cutlery Set includes a great selection of essential knives for dicing, chopping and more, plus six steak knives, too. Check out the knife block and notice the built-in ceramic sharpeners that automatically sharpen knives with every use. Each knife is forged, high-carbon, no-stain steel although the steak knives are made from stamped steel. We were definitely won over especially when we found out that there is Full Lifetime Warranty.
Check out the Calphalon website for this 12-piece set and make it a part of your kitchen. We definitely have used our steak knives in another meal and constantly use the kitchen shears for multiple kitchen tasks.
Want a chance to win your own set? If you are a US reader please enter the giveaway and try my recipe below. Good luck on winning!
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Disclosure: I received product to review from Calphalon. All opinions and photos are my own. Giveaway prize is being supplied by Calphalon.
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Turkey and Zucchini Roll-ups Bento Box
August 12th, 2015Make school lunches fun by using ;aptop boxes for your kids lunches this school year. Give them a healthy variety and help others make better choices while helping to feed the hungry. Make a pledge today!
There is a less than a month before school starts and all I can think about is the fact that my oldest toddler is going to start school for the first time! Even though her school days will only be three half days a week, the reality is that this is only the beginning. She cannot wait either! With that said, it only means I have the responsibility of making balanced meals for my daughter and my other kids in order to ensure a good start to the school year. While I am always on the quest to make quick and healthy meals for my family, sometimes it is a challenge.
Produce for Kids is encouraging families nationwide to kick off the school year right by pledging to pack a healthier lunchbox August 3 through September 18 at PowerYourLunchbox.com. The Power Your Lunchbox Pledge™ website offers tools and tips for families and classrooms on eating healthier lunches, after-school snacks, and weekday dinners with recipes inspired by Eric Carle’s popular literary characters including The Very Hungry Caterpillar™, Brown Bear, The Very Grouchy Ladybug and The Very Busy Spider. For every online pledge, lunchbox-friendly companies supporting Power Your Lunchbox Pledge will make a collective $1 donation to Feeding America® children’s programs such as Kids Café, Backpack program and Child Hunger Corps.
When I was challenged to create my own lunchbox lunch for my girls, I thought of a combination of foods the girls have tried and not tried. Since I found out that the recipes included during the pledge period are inspired by Eric Carle’s literary characters I decided to create a recipe that would remind my girls of a favorite story we read when they were younger. The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ was one story the girls enjoyed reading and even as I brought it up from storage, I suprised them with a fun lunchbox.
Zucchini is still very much in season so I purchased zucchini packaged by Pero Family Farms. I then decided to thinly slice raw zucchini and added organic turkey slices on each slice and then rolled them up and placed them on a small skewer that represented the catepillar’s body. I then added a cherry tomato for the head with 3 cloves for the eyes and nose. When I showed the girls their lunch they definitely recognized their lunch to look like a catepillar.
I added some Marie’s Raspberry Vinaigrette in some mini dressing bottles I purchased a few years back at Epcot Center. I know my girls like fruit so I knew that the dressing would be delicious paired with the turkey and zucchini roll-ups. Once I used one spot in the bento box provided by Bentology, I then decided to add cubed cheddar, more cherry tomatoes, sliced pita, and some Crispy Green dried fruits with a few dark chocolate chips.
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If you have never owned or experienced a bento box, you should at some point. There are so many compartments to give options for lunch variations day to day. I am excited to continue using them throughout the school year. So how can you make a difference? 
Here are three ways families and individuals like you can get involved in the campaign:
Remember, for every online pledge, lunchbox-friendly companies supporting Power Your Lunchbox Pledge will make a collective $1 donation to Feeding America® children’s programs such as Kids Café, Backpack program and Child Hunger Corps.
The Power Your Lunchbox Pledge campaign gives parents the resources to achieve a great start back to school, while giving back to other children in-need. In 2014, the campaign raised more than $5,000 for kids health and wellness programs across the country.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Produce for Kids. All opinions and photos are my own.
