Mondays with Monica

Brrr...it's cold here in Alaska! :) So in the last few weeks we had a warm spell, in the 40's! The snow melted and the sun was shining and it almost felt like spring. After a couple of weeks of that I was really wishing for snow though. I just love the stuff! Especially snow fall...Anyway for the last couple of days it started to get pretty chilly, I am talking in the single digits. This is actually pretty mild compared to many places in Alaska that are in the negative right now, still cold though. I really started hoping for snow then. Guess what?! This morning I woke up to a thick blanket of snow. Amazing! My little girl and I were so excited that it finally was looking like Alaska again we started our day early and headed out to enjoy the weather. The temperatures are rising back up into the lower double digits and I am hoping the snow sticks around for awhile.

I have several great giveaways I will be posting in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned and stay warm, until next time...

***Monica***

GoPicnic Kids Fun Food Care Package Review and Giveaway

I pack lunch for my kids. I’m also often on the go. So, I’m always looking for healthier snack alternative, other than the obvious, but very nutritious and tasty fruits and vegetables. GoPicnic sent me a care package to taste and review and I was more than happy to use my taste buds for a good review.

What’s in the box? I received the GoPicnic Kids Fun Food Care Package which includes:
· Old Wisconsin Turkey Snack Bites, 6 oz
· Original Popchips, 3 oz
· Surf Sweets Gummy Bears, 2-0.9 oz packs
· Mrs. May’s Sunflower Crunch, 5 oz
· Enjoy Life Very Berry Chewy on the go Bars, 5 oz
It usually comes with a box of
· GoPicnic Turkey Pepperoni + Crackers, 2.99 oz
Instead it came with a box of Turkey Stick + Crunch (Turkey stick, B-que flavored Pop Chips, dried apricots, Naja blend snack, and an organic chocolate square) instead.

First impressions: Food! Pop Chips? A large bag of Pop Chips! I’ve always wanted to try Pop Chips. So, I did. What a tasty and crispy bag of chips. My intention was to not share with my husband, but he looked at me with his puppy eyes and I gave in and let him have a few chips. He said, “These are really good!”

He liked them so much he waited until I was distracted and snatched a few more. I agree they were very good. I gave the turkey bites and the gummy bears to my kids and they asked for some more the next day. The sunflower crunch was delicious. I wanted more after I finished it. I’d love to have some of this stuff in bulk. The Berry Chewy Bars was a little dry but other than that had a great flavor and texture to it. I wanted more of this too.

In the TS+C box I enjoyed a turkey stick of my own. I’ve never had a turkey stick before. I would have liked it to be a bit chewier, but other than that it had a very good flavor. The small bag of b-que Pop Chips was tasty. The apricots were not my favorite. Apricots to me should be sweet (naturally). The Naja blend snack had a unique taste. It took my taste buds a little while to get use to it, but then I really enjoyed it. The organic chocolate was also not my favorite, but it wasn’t bad either. I love chocolate.

All the snacks were healthier alternatives to what is on the market today. Many of the snacks came in eco-friendly packaging. They were all convenient to carry and perfect for on the go, kids lunches, or afternoon snacks. The prices are not too bad either.

To buy visit Amazon.com and if you subscribe and save you save 15%. It cost a little bit more to buy GoPicnic from Amazon.com than from the GoPicnic website, but because Amazon offers free shipping with Subscribe and Save and Go Picnic doesn’t (unless you order $99 worth) it actually evens out.

Product Description provided by :
A great new GoPicnic Pack, Kids’ Fun Food features six tasty gluten-free treats made just for kids! A great introduction to fun new kids foods or a thoughtful way to say you care. Great for summer camps, birthdays, back-to-school or just to say ‘thinking of you!’ Enjoy: Old Wisconsin Turkey Bites, savory nuggets of lean turkey (6 oz) * Popchips all-natural potato chips (3 oz) * Surf Sweets Gummy Bears, all-natural gummies made with organic fruit juices and fortified with Vitamin C (2 packs, 0.9 oz each) * Mrs. May’s Sunflower Crunch, crunchy bite-size nuggets of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and organic cane juice (5 oz) * Enjoy Life Very Berry Bars, certified gluten-free bars fortified with vitamins (pack of 6, 1 oz bars) *GoPicnic Turkey Pepperoni + Cheese ready-to-eat meal: Bridgford Turkey Pepperoni Slices, Crunchmaster Multi-seed Crackers, Copper Cowbell Asiago Cheese Spread, Mariani Dried Cranberries & Pineapple, and Brown & Haley Almond Roca Buttercrunch Toffee (2.99 oz). All food items require no refrigeration until the individual item packaging is opened. Try this and GoPicnic’s other seven fun and tasty care packages on Amazon.com!


The giveaway: Get the care package I got. To win visit GoPicnic. Then leave me a comment letting me know what product you are interested in. You can get extra entries for following us through GFC or Subscribing via email. Make sure to let me know in the comments. Deadline: This giveaway will end on Jan. 31, 2011. I will choose the winner using Random.org. The giveaway is for residents of the US and Canada. Please make sure your email is on your profile or leave it in your comment. If you win and I cannot contact you then the prize goes to the next person. Please respond within 48 hours.

Disclosure: I received the GoPicnic care package for free for review from GoPicnic. My opinions are my own.

Preserves Tableware from Green Ostrich Review and Giveaway

I’ve long been a fan of Preserve toothbrushes. I started buying them for my family about 2 years ago. So, Green Ostrich, an eco-friendly online store, gave me the opportunity to test and review a pack of Preserves Tableware, I was delighted to give them a try. 

In the box: The item I received is called the Preserve Recycled Plastic Apple Green Tableware Pack. It contains 4 cups (16 oz), 4 plates (9.5 in), and 4 bowls (16oz).

First impression: This is an attractive eco-friendly tableware pack in a fun and friendly green color. The light weight pack is perfect to use out on a picnic, during a birthday party, at girls scout meetings, family reunion and so on.  The set, made in the USA with 100% recycled plastic, is very sturdy. It will not break or bend with a heavy plate of food. The plastic is also BPA free and melamine free. The whole set is dishwasher safe.

The bowls and plates have nice grip-lip  I really like. It make the dishes  a lot easier to hold when food on the plate is hot hot hot! The grip-lip is also a great feature to have for kids (kids hands are always slippery) or for anyone that might have arthritis or other hand ailments.

The fact that the dishes are textured to conceal knife marks is another great feature, but it only works if you use plastic knives. Sharp knife scratches will show through the texture. I made sure to find out :).

What I love! I can return the tableware when it becomes too old or too worn. Preserve recycles them again. If you don’t know how old your tableware is  the date of manufacture is printed on the bottom of the dishes.

Searching for a green gift? Visit Green Ostrich where you can find plenty of green gifts, including this and other Preserve products.  

Coupon offer: Use the code “GIRLY”. Entering the code during the checkout process earn 5% off any purchase between now and January 31, 2011. 

Fan the Green Ostrich Facebook page. 

The giveaway: Get the same tableware pack I got. To win visit Green Ostrich. Then leave me a comment letting me know what product you are interested in. You can get extra entries for following us through GFC or Subscribing via email. Make sure to let me know in the comments. Deadline: This giveaway will end on Jan. 31, 2011. I will choose the winner using Random.org. The giveaway is for residents of the US and Canada. Please make sure your email is on your profile or leave it in your comment. If you win and I cannot contact you then the prize goes to the next person. Please respond within 48 hours. 

Disclosure: I received Preserve Tableware free for review from Green Ostrich. My opinions are my own.

Calling all DESIGNERS!

Girly Girl Giveaways needs a major facelift! We're thinking glam and girly and very femme but simple. If you are a designer and are interested in building your portfolio and getting free advertisement please email me, Joy, at njeosys @ juno . com (mind the spaces). We have HUGE plans for 2011 and cannot wait to spruce things up around here. YOU could be a huge help to us and I look forward to hearing from one or more of you with some ideas and designs!

♥
Joy

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Joy is a stay-at-home-mom to three daughters. She is the wife of a worship leader & youth pastor. She runs her own Etsy shop selling handmade, hand-stamped sterling jewelry. Joy has taken courses in journalism, play writing, poetry, was in Honors English throughout school and has had small publications made of her work (mostly poetry).

Super Quick Eco-Frugal Tip

If you decorated a tree for Christmas recycle it. Here is a link with helpful tips for recycling your live or artificial Christmas Tree: How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree.

Mondays with Monica-Chef Boyardee Whole Grains Review

Recently I was contacted by the people at Chef Boyardee and asked if I would like to review their new whole grain line of canned pastas. Of course I am very familiar with the Chef Boyardee brand as well as their canned pastas. As a teenager I scarfed down plenty a can of Spaghetti Rings and Beef Ravioli. Having been several years since I've had any of these canned pastas I was curious about the new variety. Not to mention the fact that I am now a mother of a three year old that loves to eat. I had a feeling she might enjoy these.

Chef Boyardee Whole Grains come in three varieties Beefaroni, Lasagna, and Mini ABC's & 123's. Not only are they made with healthy whole grains but they each contain a serving of vegetables and are free of preservatives. It is recommended that whole grains make up at least half of the grains that a child eats. I know the Chef Boyardee brand is very popular with children and I don't know about you but I sometimes struggle with making sure my little one gets the nutrients she needs. What better way then to replace the foods they already eat and love with a whole-grain variety.

So how do the new and improved canned pastas compare to the old? As someone who hadn't had these in years I got a taste tester to tell me their opinion. My husband said he couldn't tell the difference, that's right same great taste that kids and husbands love. So how did these go over with my little girl? Just like her momma use to do she scarfed them down, she even asked for Parmesan cheese on top. Her favorite variety was the Mini ABC's & 123's of course it took her forever to eat the bowl because she had to call out each and every letter before taking a bite. These pastas are educational too! If your child already loves him/her some Chef Boyardee why not sneak in this whole grain variety, I assure you he/she will be non the wiser, and you can feel better about knowing your child is getting what they need. Until next time...

***Monica***

The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.