The Best Meals Happen At Home Publix Gift Card Giveaway

Publix does it again!  They've launched another savings special called The Best Meals Happen at Home with savings up to $200 and shared tasty FASTastic and easy recipes. Chipotle Ranch Taco Salad...its whats for dinner at my house tonight. In conjunction with this special promotion, I'm giving away a $25 Publix gift card*!

So what is The Best Meals Happen promotion all about?

• Take advantage of great savings on some of your favorite participating brands during the "Best Meals Happen at Home" event at Publix from January 26th through February 1st. 
•  As of Jan 26th look for in-store for coupons that will be valid through February 15th. 
•  Visit BestMealsatHome.com to sign up and receive emails with weekly recipes and coupon offers that will help you save up to $200 this year

Besides saving money, you'll find great recipes like this on the site:

Crunchy Chicken Nuggets: Prep time: 15 Min Cook time: 25 Min Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 2 cups Cheerios® cereal 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon mustard 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted Directions: Heat oven to 400°F. Spray with cooking spray or lightly grease 13x9-inch pan. Finely crush cereal. Stir together cereal, salt and pepper; set aside. In medium bowl, stir together milk, honey and mustard until blended. Dip chicken into milk mixture; coat with cereal mixture. Place chicken in pan; drizzle with melted butter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden and chicken is no longer pink in center. In conjunction with this promotion, General Mills and Publix gave me a $25 to keep and one to give away to one of my lucky readers. To enter:   Visit The Best Meals Happen at Home, and leave a comment telling me what FASTastic recipe you're looking forward to trying OR check out the participating brands and tell me what product you'd buy. Make sure you have a blogger profile with your email information so I can contact you if you're the winner OR have a blog with email information so I can get in touch with you. Winner will be picked at random and the winners name and post will be shared here so be sure to stop by and see if your name has been picked. You have until Midnight EST February 1st to enter, Winner will be announced on February 2nd so be sure to check back and see if you won. Winner will receive a $25 Publix gift card.

*Disclosure:  The Publix gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark

Great Deals on Great Meals - Publix Gift Card Giveaway

Its time for another Great Deals on Great Meals and Publix gift card giveaway! I'm so excited I get to share with you some of my favorite foods and a gift card giveaway for my favorite grocery store! I've already stocked up on V8, Cheerios and Swasons stock. Are you ready for your turn? 

So what is Great Deals on Great Meals? From August 18th through August 23rd, look for the Great Deals on Great Meals event, available exclusively at Publix® to take advantage of great savings on some of your favorite brands, including great prices on everything you need for a delicious chicken casserole.

Before you go, head on over to the DEALS page and download $12 worth of coupons for things like Cheerios, V8, Swasons chunk chicken, Fiber One and Swason broth or stock. Then head to your local Publix, stock up on the great sale items and check out the MEALS page for great recipe ideas.

Now I did mention something about a gift card didn't I? Please only enter if you live in an area that has Publix and you can use this gift card. To enter:

Leave a comment below sharing what Great Meal Deal items you are most excited to find savings on at Publix Only comments left on this page will be considered. 

Make sure you have a blogger profile with your email information so I can contact you if you're the winner OR have a blog with email information so I can get in touch with you. 

Winner will be picked at random and the winners name and post will be shared here so be sure to stop by and see if your name has been picked. 

You have until Midnight EST August 25th to enter, Winner will be announced on August 26th so be sure to check back and see if you won. Winner will receive a $25 Publix gift card.   Disclosure: The Publix gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark

CONGRATULATIONS post number 2  Melissa who said: I am a Publix junkie and I am excited to see savings on both Hellmann's mayo and Betty Crocker potatoes!

Melissa please email me at scalejunkie at gmail dot com with your full name and address so I can get your gift card on its way! 

Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie Review and Giveaway!

I recently had the opportunity to try Fiber One 90-Calorie Brownies in two delicious flavors: Chocolate Fudge brownies are made with chocolate-flavored chips and topped with a dark chocolate-flavored drizzle, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter variety contains peanut butter chips topped with a peanut butter drizzle.

Tempted? I sure was....

I was in the mood for something sweet when the delivery truck pulled up and I was quite pleasantly surprised to find the Fiber One 90-Calorie brownies in both Chocolate Fudge and Chocolate Peanut Butter along with a fun fitness themed gift pack!

It was 2pm and just in time for my afternoon snack and I had enough calories set aside in my snack budget to afford to try one of these but the problem is I wanted to try them both. Not one to be denied, I convinced my husband to try them with me, half of each flavor each!

He was first to note that they were a little bit warm from being in the delivery truck and I had hoped for the fresh baked brownie taste but I can't lie, they didn't taste like fresh baked brownies HOWEVER they were very good! The peanut butter flavor had just enough peanut flavor to accent without being overwhelming. The chocolate flavor was a good chocolaty flavor and really satisfied both my sweet and chocolate cravings.

Peanut butter flavor has peanut butter chips and a peanut butter drizzle on top, the chocolate fudge have chocolate chips and chocolate drizzle on top. I can't say that either flavor stood out as being better than the other, I really did like them both. When I asked Ken how they tasted he said "not as good as your brownies honey" Of course...the good husband answer, thanks honey. He really is very honest with his opinions and is leery of all things that could any way be consider diet foods but with these he had nothing bad to say, in fact, he had another one the next day.

Look delicious don't they! 

I did mention giveaway didn't I? Well I'm also giving away a gift pack just like the one I received with

• 1 box Fiber One 90-Calorie Brownie Chocolate Fudge
• 1 box Fiber One 90-Calorie Brownie  Chocolate Peanut Butter brownies
• Fiber One 90-Calorie Brownie themed duffel bag
• jump rope
• water bottle
• snack case
• headband
• bracelet

To enter leave a comment below telling me when your favorite time/place to enjoy 90-Calorie Fiber One Brownies would be.

Deadline for entry is July 4th 2011, 5pm EST, winner will be announced and I will make every attempt to email you as long as you have contact information on your blog or on your google profile but if you don't, check back to see if you won. Open to US residents only.

My gift pack and the winners gift pack courtesy of Fiber One and General Mills through MyBlogSpark

UPDATE!
Congratulations to Honib1 who said:

they look pretty good.. have you tried.. the Vitalicious Muffin tops, muffins and brownies.. they have lots of Top Flavors.. and the brownies rock I think.. you can order from their website or find the muffin tops in the freezer section whee they sell waffles and breakfast foods at publix.. will have to try the fiber one ones out though...

Great Deals on Great Meals event at Publix and $25 Gift Card Giveaway

Its no secret that I love Publix grocery store, they have phenomenal sales, the best BOGO deals, top of the line meats, produce and bakery. They truly are my grocery store of choice for most of my families needs so when I was asked if I'd be interested in helping to promote the Great Deals on Great Meals going on now through May 29th, I immediately said yes.

So what is Great Deals on Great Meals? Now through May 29th, stop by your local Publix to start your savings with a recipe for an easy Pasta Night at home! Make your own Pillsbury Ready to Bake! cookies for dessert, and stock up on some of the other featured products like Yoplait Yogurt, Honey Nut Cheerios and Progresso Soup! 

Before you go, head on over to the DEALS page and download $10.80 worth of coupons, head to your local Publix, stock up on the great sale items and check out the MEALS page for great recipe ideas.

Now I did mention something about a gift card didn't I? Please only enter if you live in an area that has Publix and you can use this gift card. To enter:

Leave a comment below sharing what Meal Deal item you plan to buy.

Only comments left on this page will be considered. 

Make sure you have a blogger profile with your email information so I can contact you if you're the winner OR have a blog with email information so I can get in touch with you. 

Winner will be picked at random and the winners name and post will be shared here so be sure to stop by and see if your name has been picked. 

You have until Midnight EST May 24th to enter, Winner will be announced on May 25th. Winner will receive a $25 Publix gift card.  

Good Luck!

Note: In return for participating in the event General Mills Gave me one gift card to keep and one gift card to give away as part of the MyBlogSpark program. 

CONGRATULATIONS to LOLA: who said
Cheerios and lots of healthy stuff for my kids

Lola, I've sent you an email, please respond with your name and address so we can get your prize in the mail!

Review: Body Confidence by Mark Macdonald

 I'm taking part in TLC Book Tours book tour (now thats a mouthful) for Body Confidence by Mark Macdonald. I read the book, my sister read the book and below is what we feel you need to know :-)

 

Body Confidence is the new book written by Mark Macdonald creator and CEO of Venice Nutrition, a program for fitness and weight loss. Body Confidence has a three step system designed to unlock the full potential of your body to lose or even gain weight. The plan works to keep blood sugar levels stable and build your muscles so your body will release stored fat by eating at consistent intervals, eating the right amount of calories per meal and the correct ratio of protein, fat and carbs.

There are two types of body goals:  Body goal one: lose body weight, body fat and tone up. Body goal two: gain weight, increase strength and build muscle mass.

The book guides you through the steps to make this happen, first off with identifying why you want to lose weight. Next you work on the six components of the Body Confidence plan: Sleep, nutrition, exercise, vitamins/minerals/omega fatty acids, water and stress/better managing stress. The last step is balancing the quadrants of life: health, lifestyle, profession and relationships.

Along the way you learn about the food choices you should make to achieve these goals, with foods broken down by quality from  highest to lowest. Of course the highest quality foods get you to your goal the fastest.

Like most diet books Macdonald recommends eating every three hours but also recommends eating within an hour before going to bed. Meals are about 250 calories and based on your body goal he gives the % breakdowns of protein, carbs and fat. The book includes recipes as well as an exercise plan that includes both cardio and strength training.

Over all the message of this book is not a new one for me but its cornerstone of stabilizing blood sugar levels is a critical one for me and for so many. With obesity and diabetes numbers climbing higher and higher every day, a book like this can make a huge difference for someone who needs to turn their live around. By giving choices that are of different quality levels you can incorporate the meals with a busy lifestyle and make this a lifestyle change you can live with for life. It allows you to incorporate your favorite foods and even alcohol if that is important to you but all within making this a lifestyle change.

Weight Watchers Cheese Review and Giveaway

I recently had the opportunity to try the soon to be released Weight Watchers Smoked Flavor Light String Cheese, only 50 calories or 1 point and let me tell you, its delicious! I'm very excited to share my review with you and give one of my readers the chance to win the same gift pack I received from Weight Watchers

I love foods with smoked flavor, smoked turkey, smoked chicken, etc. so when I read about the smoked flavor of string cheese I couldn't wait to try it and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint. I like string cheese and I do eat it for a snack frequently along with almonds. I mostly eat raw almonds but I really miss the smokehouse almonds once in a while and the Weight Watchers Smoked Flavor Light String Cheese brought that element back to my snacking and I loved it! The Colby Jack and Cheddar cheese sticks are quite tasty too and for 60 and 70 calories each respectively they are not only good snacks, they provide 20% of daily recommendation of calcium. Awesome! I tried the Cheddar flavored stick along with an apple for a snack and the flavor didn't disappoint. I cut the Colby Jack into cubes and added to a salad topped with grilled chicken, very tasty. Mostly we've been eating the cheese sticks as snacks and they are something I would definitely purchase in the future.

• Weight Watchers Smoked Flavor Light String Cheese – The new smoked flavor variety of the popular Weight Watchers Light String Cheese is perfect for on-the-go, calorie-conscious cheese aficionados. Each string cheese stick packs gourmet smoked flavor into only 50 calories and has a PointsPlus™ value of 1 per serving. Better yet, each serving offers 15 percent of the recommended daily dose of calcium.
  
  
   
• Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Natural Cheddar Cheese Sticks – The Weight Watchers Cheese lineup also adds a new cheddar variety of reduced fat natural cheese sticks. With only 70 calories and a PointsPlus™ value of 2, each stick gives cheese snackers another reason to smile. And similar to the string cheese, it offers an excellent source of calcium, 20 percent of the recommended daily dose, to be exact.
  
   
• Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Natural Colby Jack Cheese Sticks – The Colby Jack variety of reduced fat natural cheese sticks gives dairy lovers a delectable snacking option with less calories than found in regular cheese snacks. Each stick weighs in at 60 calories, has a PointsPlus™ value of 2 and boasts 20 percent of the recommended daily dose of calcium.
  

Gift pack includes: 1 bag of Weight Watchers Smoked Flavor Light String Cheese, 1 Bag of Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Natural Cheddar Cheese Sticks, 1 Bag of Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Natural Colby Jack Cheese Stick, a ‘Nooooodle’ spaghetti measure/trivet(this thing is so cool), a gourmet German-made oil sprayer (I love this thing!) and a Food & Fitness journal. My gift pack as well as winners gift pack have been provided courtesy of Weight Watchers Cheese.

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment and tell me your favorite flavor of cheese and how you use it in a recipe or for snacking. Open to US Residents only. Winner will be chosen randomly on March 21, 2011 and I will update this post with the winner so be sure to check back to see if you won.

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

Congratulations to the winner...BnE's Mommy who said... my fav is mozzarella...i love it for snacking! 
BnE's Mommy, email me so we can arrange delivery of your prize package!

Weight Watchers Ice Cream

Weight Watchers Ice Cream has six new products and four of them are 100 calories or less. Ice cream in portion controlled doses, whats not to love right?

• Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Dessert Bar: Low fat strawberry ice cream with a strawberry swirl dipped in milk chocolate
   
• Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Dessert Bar: Low fat cheesecake ice cream with a raspberry swirl dipped in dark chocolate
  
• Dark Chocolate Dulcé de Leche Dessert Bar: Low fat dulcé de leche ice cream with a caramel swirl dipped in dark chocolate
  
• Strawberry Fruit Bar: Made with real fruit and an excellent source of vitamin C with 15% fewer calories and 30% less sugar than other national leading brands of fruit bars
  
• Snack Size Chocolate Fudge Bar: The award-winning Chocolate Fudge Bar now in a snack size
  
• Snack Size Variety Pack of Ice Cream Sandwiches in Vanilla Bean and Dutch Chocolate: Snack size versions of the classic dessert

As luck would have it, the people at Weight Watchers knew how much I loved dark chocolate and sent Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Dessert Bar and Dark Chocolate Dulcé de Leche Dessert Bar for me to try all I can say is I think I love Weight Watchers even more now! While I don't hold a degree in icecreamology I do consider myself to be somewhat of an ice cream connoisseur. I thought the bars may be tiny and not very satisfying but they aren't! They were a decent size and had a good coating of delicious dark chocolate. The ice cream was very cream and both the raspberry and caramel swirls were generous enough to be tasted and appreciated but not so much as to overwhelm the flavors.


I don't follow the Weight Watchers program but I do eat sensibly and count calories so I have a very strong appreciate for the Weight Watchers program, the accountability they offer their members as well as the skills they teach. I also appreciate that they believe in everything in moderation and yes sometimes on the road of life there will be ice cream. But isn't it nice to know you can still have your Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Dessert Bar?


The flavors Weight Watchers sent me to try aren't out in most stores yet but I was told they'd be hitting the shelves sometime in March in most markets...just in time for warmer weather! 


Enjoy!