Natural Fruit Bars Make Getting Healthy Oh So Sweet! #FreshNFruti #sponsored

Natural Fruit Bars Make Getting Healthy Oh So Sweet! #FreshNFruti #sponsored

May 14, 2013 by · 1 Comment

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This natural fruit bars shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

I have mentioned many times over the years that I have a weakness for dessert.  Dinner usually includes a little something sweet at the end and when I find myself cruising the pantry for something to snack on,  my eyes are always drawn to sweets rather than the more healthy options in there.  Getting healthy can be difficult if you have a sweet tooth!  My family is always happy to help me indulge my sweet tooth when I succumb so on Mother’s Day I treated myself to a trip to the ice cream shop.  And yes, I ate the whole thing!

frozen treats

On special occasions like Mother’s Day I don’t worry so much about making healthy snacking choices but what about the other 364 days out of the year?  If I gave into my sweet tooth with an ice cream sundae every day I would never fit into my pants!  In fact, after a year of those things I would not fit into my HOUSE!  So, for the other 364 days a year I try to make sure that the treats I indulge in fit with my goals of getting healthy.  When I was asked to try out a delicious and healthy natural fruit bars from Fruti I was thrilled….a smart way to indulge my sweet tooth without the guilt and weight gain of an ice cream sundae!

I have been wanting to get a membership to Sams Club for quite some time now to help reduce the cost associated with getting healthy and eating right.  Healthy foods are not always cheap but buying in bulk at Sam’s Club will help me stay in budget while still eating healthy foods.  I found a nice selection of nuts, dried fruit, organic granola and even organic veggies at Sam’s Club.  I also found the Chunks O’ Fruti natural fruit bars variety pack.  This is a 16 count package containing four different flavors of the tastiest, all natural l fruit bars I have ever had!

getting healthy snacking

Fruti natural fruit bars are made by the Natural Fruit Corporation and come in flavors like Pina Colada, Strawberry, Caribbean Mix, Strawberry Pina Colada and Pineapple Mango.  They select only premium fresh fruit from around the world for these natural fruit bars. Fruti’s fruit bars contain more fruit than any other ingredient.  Because there is so much fruit, there is no need for added colors or flavors.  I love knowing that there are no artificial flavors or colors in these natural popsicles!  There is also no high fructose corn syrup in them which is very important to me.  There is so much fruit in these frozen treats that they require minimal added sweetener at all.  The small amount that is added comes in the form of natural cane sugar.  They are also non GMO project certified, vegan, Kosher, gluten free and made in a peanut free facility.  A great healthy snack choice if you have dietary restrictions you need to follow.

fruti frozen fruit bars

Buying a 16 count package of these natural fruit bars at Sams was a smart choice because once I got them home my children descended on me like ants to a picnic and quickly grabbed their own personal favorites.  Because this is a relatively large box and freezer space is always tricky to find, Fruti natural fruit bars actually come in four smaller boxes tucked inside the larger package.  Each flavor comes in it’s own smaller box which can be removed and tucked into a smaller spot in your freezer.  I like that I don’t have to worry about how to fit a huge box in my freezer.  

all natural fruit bars

When I was at Sam’s Club shopping, I got the change to try out a delicious creation that was being made at one of the demo stations in the frozen food isle.  The woman behind the cart was making a Fruti smoothie with a small amount of plain yogurt and just a touch of water.  It was seriously so delicious I went back for seconds!  Yes, I know, my sweet tooth strikes again but this was a healthy treat so I didn’t feel quite so guilty.  If you want to try the smoothie for yourself or want to see some other creative ways to use these natural fruit bars just check out the Fruti recipe page.   I tried a frozen smoothie with the Strawberry Cream and the Pina Colada and both were creamy and sweet and would make a great summer treat for either me or the kids!

natural fruit popsicles from fruti

I really loved the flavor of these natural fruit bars and even more, I love the ingredients and the commitment to whole foods that the company has.  My kids are happy to eat neon blue artificially flavored things but that is not the kind of food I like to keep in the house.  Fruti natural fruit bars were a delicious frozen treat that all of us, young AND old (or oldER!) can enjoy! The flavor was nice and sweet and the bars are full of chunks of real fruit that gave it a great texture.  These bars are a much smarter choice for healthy snacking than many other frozen treats on the market.  And they are a MUCH better choice for daily snacking than the gigantic ice cream sundae I splurged on for Mother’s Day.  Something like that might be nice to do occasionally but for day to day treats, Fruti is a smarter choice that will ensure I can still fit into my pants for many years to come!

natural fruit bars from frutiGetting Healthy With Natural Fruit Bars!

If you would like to learn more about Fruti natural fruit bars you can check them out on Facebook and Twitter.  Make sure you check out their recipe page.  You can also follow them on Pinterest for more information and some great recipe ideas.  If you want to see more of my shopping experience, check out my Google + album.

 

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Filed Under: collective bias, health · Tagged: , ,
Pasta Pomodoro With Grilled Shrimp and Classico Tomatoes #CookClassico #Cbias

Pasta Pomodoro With Grilled Shrimp and Classico Tomatoes #CookClassico #Cbias

February 18, 2013 by · 3 Comments

My husband and I are not the most romantic of couples.  I don’t really go for the hearts, flowers, and fancy jewelry on Valentine’s Day.  We have no desire to fight the crowds of Valentine’s Day restaurant goers when we are happy to cook from scratch in the comfort of our own kitchen.  I read a study years ago in a popular woman’s magazine that stated that couples that cook together rate their marriage as happier than average and have a lower divorce rate.  Cooking together is a great way to spend a romantic evening at home with your significant other.  Cooking from scratch instead of eating out is also a lot cheaper and healthier!  I like creating my own recipes so that I know exactly what is in my food.  For my husband and I’s dinner experience this weekend I enlisted his help in creating Pasta Pomodoro with Grilled Shrimp using Classico tomatoes and an assortment of other fresh and healthy ingredients.  Classico tomatoes are 100% all-natural and always packed fresh with no preservatives so I feel confident adding them to my recipe.

Classico tomato recipes

Cooking with Classico Tomatoes

What I really love about cooking with my husband is that we have learned to work as a team and to compromise.  There are some chores that I detest doing in the kitchen.  Peeling shrimp is one of them!  So, my husband will happily peel the shrimp for me…then I thread them on the skewers and he grills them.  Teamwork gets the job done, right?  We have also learned to compromise on the sort of recipes we create.  We adjust recipe ingredients depending on each others tastes and take turns picking out what meals we create.  I think these are lessons that go far beyond the kitchen and are helpful in many other aspects of marriage as well.  Sometimes our cooking is fun, other times things go slightly wrong but the most important thing is that we are doing it together.

cooking with classico tomaotes

Couples the Cook Together, Stay Together!

 

So, for this Pasta Pomodoro with Grilled Shrimp I chose a few very simple ingredients.  I headed over to my local Walmart to grab the Classico tomatoes, angel hair pasta and fresh herbs and veggies that I needed.  I always have shrimp in the freezer because it is a quick and easy protein source that doesn’t require a lot of preparation.  There were three different varieties of the Classico tomatoes at Walmart:  the  Crushed Tomatoes, Whole Peeled Pear Tomatoes with Fresh Basil, and Tomato Sauce.  They also make a  Heavy Tomato Puree but I didn’t see that one at my store.  They were very reasonably priced so I picked up one of each variety I found for future recipes.  For my Pasta Pomodoro, I just needed the crushed tomatoes.

Heinz Classico

Heinz Classico Tomatoes

This is a very quick recipe to make.  You can even grill the shrimp up ahead of time and that cuts the actual cooking time to only about 15 minutes.  Great for a quick weeknight meal as well as a romantic dinner.  The benefit of using the Classico crushed tomatoes in this recipe and only cooking for 5 or 10 minutes is that you retain a TON of fresh tomato flavor.  The addition of the onions, garlic and fresh herbs really adds a zestiness to the recipe, too.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try it for yourself:

pasta pomodoro with grilled shrimp and classico

Pasta Pomodoro With Grilled Shrimp

Pasta Pomodoro With Grilled Shrimp
 
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A fresh tasting pasta that is quick and easy to make
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients
  • ¾ pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp garlic salt (divided)
  • bamboo skewers for grilling
  • ¼ cup olive oil (divided)
  • ¾ pound angel hair pasta
  • 1 28 ounce can Classico Crushed tomotoes
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh basil (chopped)
  • ¼ cup fresh oregano (chopped)
  • 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
  • Parmesan cheese

Instructions
  1. Prepare the shrimp: Thread raw shrimp onto bamboo skewers. Brush with 2 to 3 TBSP of olive oil and season with Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Grill over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes per side or until pink.
  2. Cook the angel hair pasta according to package directions
  3. In a large saute pan, heat 3 to 4 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until just starting to wilt.
  4. Add in the minced garlic and cook 2 to 3 more minutes.
  5. Pour in the Classico crushed tomatoes and dried red pepper flakes and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Stir gently every few minutes.
  6. After draining the pasta, add it directly into the saute pan and remove from heat. Add the fresh oregano,basil (reserving a small amount for garnish) and toss gently to mix.
  7. Place a heaping pile of pasta on a plate, Top with a few grilled shrimp and sprinkle with remaining fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese.

I had a wonderful evening with my husband creating a healthy meal for us to enjoy.  I encourage everyone to drag their significant other into the kitchen the next time you are making dinner and make it a joint activity.  If you would like to find more great recipes using Heinz Classico Tomatoes, check out the Classico Website for inspiration.  If you would like to try out the Classico tomatoes in your own kitchen, just head over to Walmart and pic some up.

heinz classico tomatoes at walmart

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Classico #cbias #SocialFabric #CookClassico  All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

Filed Under: collective bias, recipe · Tagged: ,
Lean Cuisine Salad Additions Make Healthy Eating Easy #BYOL #Cbias

Lean Cuisine Salad Additions Make Healthy Eating Easy #BYOL #Cbias

December 17, 2012 by · 10 Comments

I have been run ragged the last few weeks with work, school activities for the kids and holiday preparations.  Whoever thought that major science fair projects should be turned in 2 weeks before Christmas is NOT my favorite person right about now!  This past weekend my life was running away with me (again) and I realized at 3 PM that I was starving.  WHY? Because I had not actually slowed down to eating anything all day!  I was running on coffee and adrenaline and was starting to feel a little bit sick!  Does this sound familiar to you?  What is your solution?  Hit the drive through or stop to make something from scratch that is a little bit healthier?   Healthy eating isn’t always fast, but it CAN be if you keep the right items in your fridge and freezer.  As I discovered this weekend, Lean Cuisine Salad Additions are a great way to eat healthy when chaos hits!

healthy lunch

Last week, I was on a mission to find the new Lean Cuisine Salad Additions in my local Walmart. After heading over to print a coupon I grabbed my reusable bags and headed out the door.  Walmart was a bit insane seeing as there are only a couple weeks left before Christmas and the parking lot was packed!  I wasn’t exactly sure where to find The Lean Cuisine Salad Additions so I headed to the frozen aisle to look around near the other Lean Cuisine items.  No luck, unfortunately.   I looked with the packaged meals, the chicken products AND the section labeled specifically ‘Healthy Entrees’.  STILL no luck.  After a couple of trips up and down the aisles I had to stop and ask someone stocking the freezer where they could possibly be.  I showed him my coupon and he told me that they were not supposed to be stocked on the shelf until after the 1st of the year!  However, he was extremely helpful and said he would go back into the stock room and see if he could find me some. Thank heavens for helpful employees!

lean cuisine

This very helpful Walmart employee returned after several minutes with two of the Asian-Style Chicken Salad variety.  I was thrilled that he had managed to find them!  If that flavor isn’t your favorite, you can also get Bistro Chicken Salad, Cranberry & Chicken Salad, or Southwest-Style Chicken Salad.   What really attracted me to the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions is that all I need to do is add fresh lettuce.  Everything else is already in the package.  The Asian Style Chicken Salad had a packet of dressing, crunchy Chinese noodles, and a bag that contains grilled white meat chicken, edamame, pineapple, broccoli and yellow and orange carrots.  I headed over to the produce section to pick out an assortment of organic baby greens to go with it.  Storing a few of these Lean Cuisine Salad Additions in my freezer and a package or organic lettuce in my fridge would be a great way to ensure that I eat healthy, even if I am pressed for time.

salad additions

Lean Cuisine Salad Additions

I am seriously impressed with the variety of ingredients included in the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions package that I tried.  If I wanted to make a salad like this from scratch it would take an amazingly long time.  I would definitely NOT add chicken unless I happened to have leftovers sitting in my fridge.  Grilling a chicken breast is just way too time consuming for a quick lunch.  Not too mention finding time to chop up a pineapple or track down those crunchy little Chinese noodles in the grocery store…I can never seem to find those when I want them.  When I was at Walmart, they didn’t even carry fresh edamame in the produce section.  It really is a very healthy food and I am happy to see it in the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions!

I was very impressed not only with how convenient the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions are but also how tasty.  The sesame ginger dressing had a wonderful flavor that went perfectly with the pineapple and other ingredients.  It was extremely quick to make, as well.  2 to 3 minutes in the microwave for the meat/veggies, a couple minutes in a warm glass of water to defrost the dressing and about 30 seconds to assemble the ingredients with the fresh lettuce and crunchy Chinese noodles.  From start to finish it was less than five minutes and I had an incredibly healthy meal.  At 3 PM when I haven’t eaten all day I was VERY happy that this was a quick solution to my hunger problem!  It was also  fairly cheap to make, which I really appreciate considering my budget is tight right now with holiday spending.

lean cuisine salad additions

If you are looking for a quick, healthy and delicious meal that fits into your chaotic schedule, I think you will be happy with the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions.  There is no reason to hit the drive through because you are rushed for time.  Just keep a few of these on hand in your freezer for emergencies.  Don’t forget to get the lettuce for your fridge, too.  Once spring comes I hope to have some fresh lettuce growing in my garden which will make these meals even more convenient.

Want to try the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions?  Don’t forget to Print This Coupon!

 There will also be a nationwide magazine ad with a coupon going out on 01/06 and in-store demos (in select stores) with coupons on 01/13

If you want to learn more about these new salad creations you can check out Lean Cuisine on Facebook and Twitter.  You can also check out my Google + Album to see more about my shopping experience.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and NESTLE #CBias #SocialFabric  All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

Filed Under: collective bias, health · Tagged: ,
5 Tips To Improve Your Sustainability With Unilever #BetterTogether #Cbias

5 Tips To Improve Your Sustainability With Unilever #BetterTogether #Cbias

November 21, 2012 by · 6 Comments

Over the past decade I have made a lot of changes in the way I live my life in order to reduce my carbon footprint.  Some of those changes include buying organic produce, shopping at my local farmer’s market, recycling, and finding creative ways to reuse things instead of throwing them away.  While people often think of ‘green living’ as difficult to achieve, it really isn’t!  Right now, Unilever is on a mission to improve their sustainability and at the same time improve the lives of people in this country who are struggling to feed themselves at all.

Unilever Logo

 

The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan incorporates three ideas:

Improving health & well-being: They estimate that they have helped 135 million people take action to improve their health and well-being.

Improving Nutrition: They will  work to improve the taste and nutritional quality of all their products in order to help hundreds of millions of people to achieve a healthier diet

Reducing their Environmental Footprint: Their goal is to halve their water usage and greenhouse gas production by 2020.

Unilever better together

Unilever Helps Cross Off Hunger

These are all ideas that each and every one of us should consider incorporating into our own lives.  When I shop, there are a lot of things I look for in the products I bring home for my family.  Many of the Unilever family of brands are in my shopping cart every week because they are healthy, convenient and I can find a way to incorporate them into my own sustainable living plan.   Lets face it, as a busy mom we all need to find a balance between what is quick and easy and actions that are good for our health and the planet!  What are a few ways to reduce your environmental impact with Unilever products?  Here area  few suggestions:

unilever sustainability

Homemade Soup for Sustainable Living

1.  Homemade Soup:  While I would love to make homemade stock, I really just don’t have that kind of time.  Instead of buying canned soups which are not only expensive but also create a lot of waste, use Knorr stock and skip the can!  Use an assortment of leftover vegetables, meat, pasta or rice  and have a nice pot of hot soup on the stove for a chilly Fall night!  That little tiny plastic cup that the concentrated Knorr stock comes in is recyclable!  Always look for the recycle symbol!

unilever cross off hunger

2.  Recycle your packaging:  It is important to look for the recycle symbol on all of the cans, jars, boxes, etc that you bring home.  Reducing your personal trash output is a great way to go green.  Every single item that you choose to throw away will be ending up in the landfill.  Many towns have cardboard and paperboard recycling along with their household mail, magazines, newspapers, etc.  I always recycle the boxes that things come in rather than toss them in the trash!  Many Unilever products come in packages that can be recycled, whether it is the box that the Knorr stock comes in or the jars from Ragu spaghetti sauce.

skippy Peanutbutter brownies

3.  Make Homemade Snacks: One way to eat healthier and reduce your packaging waste is to bake cookies, granola bars, etc from scratch.  This is also a great way to reduce your consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, etc.  My kids are huge fans of home made peanut butter cookies and I always buy the Skippy Natural because it has no HFCS or other artificial ingredients.  Now that my daughter is a tween, she loves to help in the kitchen and teaching her how to cook is one way to ensure that she doesn’t starve when she moves out on her own!  Last week, I made some delicious Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Brownies from scratch with my Skippy Natural Peanut Butter.  What a delicious way to reduce our carbon footprint!

unilever Making Life Better

 

4.  Reuse those glass jars!  Whether it is a baby food jar or a Ragu spaghetti sauce jar, there are a ton of creative ways to reuse them around your house.  You can organize nails in the garage, use them as candle holders or fill then with rice, beans and pasta for storage in your pantry.  If you get into the mindset of asking yourself “What can I do with this besides throw it away?” you will find that your create a lot less trash!

5.  Read your packaging! Reading the package that your food comes in can tell you a lot.  If you look closely at the Lipton Tea box you will note the little symbol on the front that shows it is certified by the Rainforest Alliance.  If you look at the bottom of your Wishbone salad dressing bottle, you will see the recycle symbol on it.  Just becoming more aware of your food, it’s impact on your health, and the effects of packaging in the waste stream will make you a greener shopper!

cross off hunger image

Don’t forget that while you are working on living a greener life, there are others in this country who would love the chance to improve their own health and sustainability.  As a part of their broad Sustainable Living Plan, Unilever has partnered with Feeding America to help improve the well being of others and Cross Off Hunger!  Feeding America is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger through a network of food banks.  $1=8meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks.  Unilever will donate $250,000…the monetary equivalent of a minimum of 2 million meals! This is a great way for Unilever to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate in this country. Check out Unilever’s Making Life Better site for more information about their campaign.  You can also check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

unilever cross off hunger donation

Remember, in your quest to live a more sustainable life that small changes can make a big difference.  Just rethinking the way you shop, eat, and live can help reduce your carbon footprint quite a bit.  While you are at it, consider taking a moment to help others that are less fortunate so that they, too, can lead a better life.  Food pantries around the country struggle during this time of year and would love a donation of food, money, or even an hour of your time.  Everybody can make a difference!

 

If you would like to see more of my shop and sustainable living actions, you can check out my Google + Album!

 

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and  Unilever  #CBias #SocialFabric

 

Filed Under: collective bias, green cleaning · Tagged:
Unilever Helps Cross Off Hunger! #BetterTogether

Unilever Helps Cross Off Hunger! #BetterTogether

November 12, 2012 by · 7 Comments

Raising children is a complicated thing to do.  There are so many things that I want to teach them and it seems like there is never enough time to do it.  I want my children to grow up to be smart, happy, compassionate, and caring individuals who are concerned about the health of this planet.  I hope that as they grow up they keep in mind the needs of others and the impact that their choices have on the word around them.  One way that I try and teach them these important life lessons is to include them in the service projects that I get involved in. The Unilever Cross Off Hunger program is one way that I can get my kids involved in helping the less fortunate in our community.

 

So, what exactly is the Unilever Cross Off Hunger program?  The Unilever family of brands plans to donate two million meals to families in need through Feeding America. This is just one part of Unilever’s sustainable living goal to help one billion people improve their health and well-being.  The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan incorporates 3 different concepts:

1.  Improving Health and Well Being (Health, hygiene and improved nutrition)

2. Reducing Environmental Impact (Greenhouse gases, water and waste)

3. Enhancing Livelihoods  (sustainable sources and better livelihoods)

Unilever better together

Unilever Helps Cross Off Hunger!


As part of the #BetterTogether campaign, I headed over to Publix and picked up a ton of great Unilever products to donate to the school food drive this week.  This food drive will support the Lilburn food co-op which directly helps the families in my community.  I learner a lot of really interesting information on the Making Life Better website.  Do you know what the top 10 food bank needs are?  Food banks around the country need: Nonperishable grains, spreads (peanutbutter, jelly, and honey), instant meals and soups, canned fruits and vegetables, canned protein, personal care items, baby needs, sauces and gravies, and beverages.  I tried to make sure I grabbed plenty of those items when shopping for my donation this weekend!  I also grabbed a couple of special request items for the food bank…apparently they are in dire need of boxed macaroni and cheese!

unilever cross off hunger donation

Once we had our donation put together I drove my daughter to school and we added our selection to the dropoff area. The school makes this a competition of sorts among the students…the class that brings in the most donations wins a prize!  Usually it is a popcorn party which they all get very excited about!  My daughter is crossing her fingers that our donation help her class win the prize but she also knows that her donation means even MORE to the people at the food bank who will be receiving the food we purchased.  I just hope she remember this important life lesson so that when she grows up she can continue to help those less fortunate than her.

cross off hunger image

What can you do?  Visit MakingLifeBetter.com and learn about the needs of foodbanks in your area. They need a lot more than just food!  Use the interactive app on the Unilever Making Life Better Facebook page to earn a “Hunger Badge” for each section you complete. You can also learn how to incorporate your favorite Unilever products into your own sustainable living routine.  What sort of products are in the Unilever family?   Some of my favorites are the Skippy Natural Peanut Butter, Knorr stock, Bertolli olive oil and Helman’s mayonnaise.  I am sure some of YOUR favorites are also in the Unilever family of brands!

Whether you choose to make a food donation, volunteer at a food bank, or find a creative way to use Unilever products in your own sustainability plan make sure that you include your own children in this mission!  Kids need to learn early on that every single small action they take can lead to BIG changes!

Unilever is committed to donating more than two million meals to families in need with Feeding America and every item on your shopping list counts.  Show your support by adding Unilever brands to your cart next time you shop.  Together we can help to Cross Off Hunger.

For more information about this program and how you can help, check out Unilever on Facebook and Twitter!

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and  Unilever  #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

Filed Under: collective bias, Family Life · Tagged:
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