Friday, February 4, 2011

Sweet Tomatoes Super Bowl Sunday Meal Deal

Souplantation has come out with a great deal for your Super Bowl party! For only $49.95, you can feed up to 12 people with this yummy spread:
  • gallon of their Deep Kettle House Chili with toppings
  • dozen freshly baked cornbread muffins
  • party-sized Caesar Salad
  • baker’s dozen of their house-made Chocolate Chip Cookies
To get the word out about this deal, Souplantation has teamed up with a few different bloggers who are hosting sponsored giveaways on their sites. Please refer to each for their specific entry requirements. Most of these giveaways end today, so you can get your food in time for Sunday!!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Jimmy Dean D-lights "Better Breakfast, Better You" on BlogHer

BlogHer has partnered with Jimmy Dean D-lights for their “Better Breakfast, Better You” Program. Twenty-five bloggers are reflecting on their health choices over 2010 and trying to make better choices in 2011.

Jimmy Dean D-lights. A great tasting breakfast for under 300 calories. Click here to learn more and here to check out D-lights products!

For me personally, the bad health choices I've made in 2010 (and earlier) are too many to list - lack of exercise, skipping meals, eating way too much processed/fast food, not watching portion sizes, calories, fats or sugars, lack of sleep and just basically neglecting my own health. I started working with a nutritionist late October... mostly because I knew the holidays were coming up and I wanted to get a jump on getting myself under control! I actually lost weight over Thanksgiving and Christmas *woohoo* and my goal is to lose 100 pounds this year.

Although I've not been able to exercise as much as I should due to my physical limitations, just making the following changes to my diet has allowed me to lose over 20 pounds so far:

  1. No skipping meals.
  2. Reading food labels, checking portion sizes, fat grams and sugars. Nothing with any form of sugar in the first 5 ingredients (I read that somewhere, it's easy to remember).
  3. Eating breakfast within an hour of waking up. I try to have some cheese and a piece of toast and some fruit, but I don't always have the time - these Jimmy Dean D-lights would be perfect to have on hand!
  4. I switched to whole wheat pasta, and double-fiber bread (or multi-grain for a change of pace). I don't like brown rice or sweet potatoes, so I limit rice and potatoes to once a week (either/or not both).
  5. No more sodas. That was tough. Now it's strictly water, with the occasional glass of juice or tea, or a cup of coffee. Water only though after noon.
  6. I've added a fruit and/or veg to every meal. EVERY meal. No, french fries are NOT veggies!
  7. No eating after 7pm. This one is tough, and there are times I still am hungry at night. If I can't stand it, it's some cheese or fruit.
  8. Lunch is my biggest meal of the day.
  9. I generally don't consume carbs with dinner. If I do, I seem to get those late night munchies.

As part of the “Better Breakfast, Better You” Program, these 25 bloggers are giving away $100 on each of their blogs. Stop by, see what they have to say and share your own tips for your chance to win!

  1. A Lovely Thing
  2. Barking Mad
  3. Black Belt Mama
  4. Busy Mom
  5. Cheat Day Cafe
  6. Creating Motherhood
  7. Eclectic Recipes
  8. Faith, Fitness, Fun
  9. From My Tiny Kitchen
  10. Jamie Cooks It Up!
  11. Lamb Around
  12. Our Life in the Kitchen
  13. Quadville
  14. Raising Colorado
  15. Reproductive Jeans
  16. Retro-Food
  17. Roots and Wings Co
  18. Smashed Peas and Carrots
  19. Taste and Tell
  20. The Branches
  21. The Maynard Moment
  22. The Polka Dot Chair
  23. The Sassy Crumudgeon
  24. The Skinny Gourmet
  25. You, Me & The Kid

This sweepstakes runs from December 28, 2010 to January 30, 2011 and is only open to individuals who, at the time of entry deadline, are legal residents of the United States and are 18 years or older. Winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Click here for official rules. Good luck!

2 MomSpotted giveaways ending tonight - Tyson Any'tizers and Morton Salt

Jennifer at MomSpotted has 2 great giveaways ending tonight that I've entered. The first is sponsored by Tyson Any’tizers. One lucky reader will win 5 free product coupons (each up to $8.99 in value). I warn you, visiting her post will make you hungry! My son loves their Buffalo Style Hot Wings as well as their Pork Mini Ribs and Stuffed Chicken Pepperoni Minis, so if I won this giveaway he'd be over the moon! These aren't just great for a party, they also make a good after-school snack, easy dinner entree, or easy dorm food for those late-night study sessions.


The second is for a Morton Salt Prize pack that contains a wide variety of their salt products, like grinders, seasoned salt and natural sea salt. While I have been watching my sodium content by eliminating most processed foods and hidden salt sources (like ketchups, pickles, Ramen, jarred spaghetti sauce, Raisin Bran, etc.) I still use a fair amount of salt in my cooking. The difference is, I know how much salt I'm putting in my food, and I'm not using it to mask flavor, but to enhance it. I also use salt for other things, like soaking my greens (salted water will kill the bugs), making an awesome foot scrub, and even a sore throat gargle. This would be another great giveaway to win :)