Sunday, March 30, 2014

PeachDish Review

Being a complete foodie, I am always looking to try new foods, especially new recipes that I can make myself. I love to cook, but with kiddos it is not always easy to find new recipes, shop for ingredients, measure portions and still find time to actually cook.

Thankfully, there is a company that knows this struggle, and they take all the planning and (most of) the prep work out of it, leaving only the cooking. Not I can enjoy cooking without all the hassle. Not only that, but I get new, exciting recipes to try(and keep).

PeachDish is such a great asset to anyone wanting to cook more, especially those without much time. The way it works it PeachDish sends you 1 box a week. Each box contains recipes and portioned ingredients to create two delicious meals for 2(or 4).
What I love is that you don't just get ingredients and recipes for 1 main dish, you also get a side(or two), so you have the full meal. You even get surprise desserts, what be better than that?

The week I got featured 2 incredible chicken dishes made from one (pasture raised) roasted chicken, which really made the prep work for the second meal a flash.

There were 3 recipe cards, one was just how to roast the chicken. I already know how, but followed the directions exactly(slightly different than I normally do it) and it came out fantastic.
The first meal was Chicken with Pesto Pasta.
It was delicious. I adore pesto, and this was fresh spinach pasta, not dried, it was so good, the rich flavor of the roast chicken really brought this to life.

As I mentioned, the dishes all have a side, for this meal it was Asparagus Salad.
I was not sure I would like it(I have never eaten raw asparagus believe it or not), and I ended up LOVING it. Since I eat veggies but don't typically love them, that is huge. Ever more amazing is my hubby liked it, and he never eats veggies.

I am sure the delicious Parmesan cheese played a role in how much we liked it, but I had some bites without it and it is still great, which is nice because I've been looking for lower fat/cal ways to eat more veggies, and this is a keeper. It's just lemon juice, salt, pepper and (a little) olive oil. So easy.

I've already made it without the olive oil and cheese(to make it even more diet friendly) and it is still good. So happy I found such a great, simple, healthy recipe.

The next recipe(I did not get any pictures) was Chicken wraps. They had radishes, apples, curry mayo and chicken of course. They were so yummy. I left the mayo off mine since I hate mayo and it's less calories without it and it was still amazing. It worked out well too because hubby loved the curry mayo and he ate the extra on his wrap.

The (spinach?) wraps that this came with were to die for. I could eat them every day. The side dish for this was home made kale chips. I had never made kale chips before, it was easier than I ever though, and they were pretty good, especially since I normally don't like kale. It also came with Tangerine mint "salad".

Both meals had bonus desserts as well which were biscotti and animal crackers. All in all, the recipes, ingredients, portions, bonuses, and ease of preparation are all stellar. It is a bit pricy, but not for what you get, and especially for having it shipped right to you. I would love to get this every week, and I will be talking to hubby to see if we can.

If you are looking for inspiration or just to take the stress of of making real, home cooked meals, I highly suggest giving PeachDish a try. If you do try it, I would love to know what you think and hear about the incredible recipes you get to try.

Be sure to follow PeachDish on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to see all the mouth watering pictures and stay up to date on all things delicious.

*Although I received this at no cost to facilitate a review, all opinions are 100% my own.*

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Cosmos Creations Review

As you all know, I am always looking for healthy food swaps. Being a food lover, I can't handle eating flavorless or bad tasting food even if it is healthy. But unless I want to look like the Goodyear Blimp, I can't eat simply for taste either, so I need to find things that are the best of both worlds.

Boy did I ever find that with Cosmos Creations.
Right now, I should be jumping for joy celebrating finding an incredible snack to help me stay on track. Why am I not? Because I am trying to lose weight, and this will not help me do that.

Don't get me wrong, Cosmos Creations are a great choice for those watching their weight, Wanting something low in fat and calories, natural and mind-blowingly delicious, but not when consumed in mass quantities.

When I fist gt these, that was my intent. Have 1 serving after dinner as dessert or n between meals as a sensible treat, but after the first taste, that all went out the window. This stuff is too delicious for words.

I knew it would be good, but I was literally shocked at how addictive this stuff is. I was especially surprised with which flavors were my favorites. It wasn't the ones I expected. All the flavors are amazing though.

Coconut Crunch:
This was arguably the best thing I have ever taster, EVER! This was obviously my favorite flavor, but before I tasted it, I imagined it would be 3rd. I don't know what I was thinking. It is mouth wateringly good. The texture is divine, the real coconut makes it so flavorful and unique. Ive never had anything like it.

I had 3 single serving bags, and they were gone within a matter of minutes(in spite of my being very committed to my diet up until then). If that doesn't speak to how good this is, I don't know what does.

Cinnamon Crunch:
I did figure this would be my second favorite flavor, but I did not think I would like it more than the Salted  Caramel, and I did. Don't get me wrong, that says nothing about the wonderful flavor of the Salted Caramel, it just says how insanely good this flavor is.

I adore cinnamon, especially in snacks(popcorn and the like), but this takes it to a whole new level. The light, crispy, sweet, rich, deep flavor is unlike anything I've ever had, and I enjoyed every bite(which didn't last long, lol).

Salted Caramel:
So the flavor I was most in love with before I tried them ended up in 3rd place, but it is not a "3rd" place quality snack or flavor by any means, the others were just so incredible that this fantastic flavor was not quite as perfect.

It was still sweet, a bit salty, crispy, fluffy, rich, buttery, and sinfully addictive. It too was gone quicker than my diet appreciated. Thankfully I did not consume all the calories myself. My daughter confiscated a bag as soon as she saw it.
She loved it just as much as I did, and she did not feel guilty one bit about eating the whole bag. Since it is real food that is minimally processed, Gluten Free, Trans Fat Free, Non-GMO Corn and contains no kernels and no hulls, I didn't feel guilty letter her enjoy it.

Aged Cheddar & Cracked Pepper:
I assumed this would be my "least favorite" of the 4 only for the fact that I love me some sweet snacks, and this is savory, but I knew I would still love it, and boy was I right. It has REAL cheese flavor because it is made with real cheese.

The black pepper gives it a bold twist that I adore to. This flavor is a huge win. My husband certainly loved it. I only got to try a little bit, he ate the rest.

So if you can actually control yourself, unlike me, and enjoy a sensible portion of an incredible, better for you snack, I HIGHLY recommend Cosmos Creations. I can't say enough good things about these snacks. I may even give myself another chance to show self control so I don't have to continue miss out on these scrumptious snacks.

*Although I received these products at no cost to facilitate a review, all opinions are 1005 my own.*

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Catch it All now at Best Buy!

If you are a basketball fan like I am, I am sure that you are all wrapped up in March Madness. Whether you are cheering on your home team, rooting for the underdog, or wishing for a rival to fall, there is always something exciting going on, and you don't want to miss a minute of it.

Best Buy helps keep you connected to the excitement with the devices and connectivity that make it possible: Check it out! It's all brought to life by the brand promise of the latest devices and services, all in one place.

I love that Best Buy is committed to helping keep me connected to the action. I could always use help staying connected. I am so busy it's a wonder I remember to breathe half the time, let alone stay up to date on all the March madness action.
http://www.wolfatbestbuy.com/sites/default/files/CatchItAll_Twitter_Image_Post.jpg
At least, thanks to Best Buy, I have so many ways to stay in the game. Everything from HDTVs to smartphones to tablets to laptops. My personal favorite way to stay connected is my laptop. The kids occupy the family room TV, and I can't very well go into my and hubby's room and leave them to run a muck, so I just check out the action from my laptop and I can be everywhere the kids are.

Not only that, but as a blogger, I am constantly in need of the computer anyway. from networking to emails to writing blog posts, there is always something to be done, so I can multitask and enjoy some March Madness at the same time. Talk about convenient.

Truth be told though, I am partial to the big screen experience of our HDTV, and when the kids are in bed, I am parked front and center to see the game in all it's full size glory. That's hubby's favorite way to enjoy the games for sure(he's not very tech savvy), so his company is another reason I enjoy watching that way.

No matter what device(s) you are looking for to Catch It All, Best Buy has everything you could want and then some. It's so nice to have a teammate like Best Buy on your side. Basketball is a team sport after all.

*The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.*

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Rip It, Sip It, Win It at Chuck E. Cheese's

With the kids being on Spring Break, it is like a mixed blessing. I adore spending the extra time with my son, and my daughter loves having him around, but since this momma doesn't drive, it is sometimes challenging to find new things to do with the extra time.

Nothing is worse than wasting what should be special family time doing the same old things you always do. During the day we play outside on the trampoline and bounce house and such, and we do crafts inside, but when daddy is home, we like to go out and do something fun.

There is not a whole lot to do around here though. We mostly go for ice cream or something, which can get old fast. Thankfully a super fun spot recently opened in Port Orange, about 15 minutes from here. Chuck E. Cheese's is like the ultimate kid zone.
We took our son there for his birthday(about an hour away before this one opened), and he LOVES it. Little diva loves it too, and so do hubby and I. Our course, since this is a restaurant, there is tons of great food.
There of course are beverages too. And right now, the beverages are extra awesome, since there is a cool promotion, the Rip It, Sip It, Win It game.
Every cup is a winner! Each of us won 5 extra tickets. This is a great promotion. You should pop in to your local Chuck E. Cheese's and check it out. But hurry the promotion ends March 31st.

Of course the food and drink are just a part of the incredible experience. While it may be a small thing, I love that all the kids get free wrist bands. The kids loved that.

Right after we got there, Chuck E. Cheese himself made an appearance. The kids were so excited to see him, especially Jr. Chuck lead a game of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, and he threw tickets for all the kids to catch. 


And then there are the games, which is what really makes Chuck E Cheese's so unique. There is so much to do at any age. My son did almost everything. And of course, little sis was in tow the whole time. She was fascinated with everything.

Both kids especially loved Fruit Ninja, it was played at least a dozen times between them.

The fun house photo booth was another favorite. My daughter especially wanted to stay there the whole time.
She was kind of too short to be in the right position though, both kiddos were in fact. They still had a blast in there though.

They couldn't stay in the fun house booth all day though, there was so much more to do.

One little girl discovered the slide, she didn't want to leave. Daddy had to stay with her there while Jr. did other things.

This was a photo ride, which is awesome. I love the pic it took.


There was a sketchbook booth too, like the Fun house one. We barely got a change to try it though, it was super popular. If the kiddos were taller it would have came out better.


The games wee all so much fun. I had a blast playing Ski Ball. I have not played that in forever. Hubby had a great time sharpening his sports skills and playing Deal Or No Deal.

And of course after earning so many tickets, it's time to redeem them, but first you have to deposit them all into the Ticket Muncher, the kids LOVE this part.
They earned 668 tickets(and actually more that I forgot they had in their pockets. We'll use them next time, lol) plus the 5 ticket bonuses from our Rip It, Sip It, Win It games. They each got a rainbow spring(the kind that "slink") and a huge multicolored Disney lollipop.

This was the perfect way to spend the day, the kids are already talking about going back. I can see we will be going A LOT now that it is closer to where we live. No complaints from me and hubby though, we love it almost as much as the kids do.

If you've never been to Chuck E. Cheese's or don't go often, I suggest you check it out soon. If you go in before March 31st you can take advantage of the Rip It, Sip It, Win It promotion.

*Although I received guest passes to facilitate a review, all opinions are 100% my own.*