BBMReview

More Strawberries, Please!

When I was pregnant with my son, one of my favorite things to eat was strawberries.  I ate them, literally, by the pound.  Although I don't have allergies to them, I would still get very red in the face after eating far too many of them.  I often wondered how my eating habits would manifest themselves in my son.  Well, let's just say I often have to hide the strawberries in my house.  My son will eat an entire pound if I let him.  He, too, gets red in the face after so many.  But, hey, there are worse things he could want to eat pounds of, right?

Why bring this up?  Did you know that California provides 88% of the nation's strawberries?  I had no idea!  California strawberry growers are experiencing a huge harvest this year, and in my house, we think this is a good thing-a shortage in strawberries would be super bad for us. 

While being such a little fruit, strawberries are great for you.  I just learned that the antioxidants in strawberries aid in memory performance. This is great because, uh, what was I saying?  Oh yeah, strawberries. 

One of my favorite recipes to make with strawberries is a strawberry salsa.  No matter where I take it, it always gets rave reviews and someone is always asking for the recipe.  It's a refreshing twist on salsa and a great way to use strawberries.   You can find other recipes here. 

To learn more about strawberries, play some cool interactive games, and try out some kid-friendly recipes, you can visit Strawberryville.  I was having so much fun playing around on the site, I almost forgot to link to it.  Parents, teachers and kids will all have fun at Strawberryville.

Because we love strawberries in our house and are glad for the bountiful harvest this year, I give this harvest, the Strawberry Commission and Strawberryville a

Ragu's Fresh and Simple Pouches

Clip it.  Pop it.  Pour it. 

 

Ragu's Fresh and Simple Pouches have ensured a fresh taste, with a low-mess prep that is really quite cool.  You're supposed to clip the corner of the pouch, pop it in the microwave for 90 seconds, and then pour it on the pasta of your choice.  We don't follow directions very well in the BBM house, so that scenario didn't quite happen.  What I can tell you about the pouches is that they taste delicious and that even if you forget the part about microwaving it, pouring it directly on hot pasta works just fine, especially for kids who like everything lukewarm. 

We tried the Tomato and Fresh Basil and the Garden Veggie pasta sauces and thought they were quite delicious.  The kids had no complaints and my husband and I were wondering why we stopped buying Ragu sauces to begin with.  We've certainly changed our minds about that.  The sauce pouches boast no added sugar, additives or preservatives and when you add that to the elimination of one more pot needed to cook dinner, you've got a winner.   

In addition to creating these no-pot-necessary sauces, Ragu has teamed up with some great Mom's and fitness people to create an online recipe book full of great info regarding food and families.  You can access these recipes here.

For the ease of use and the delicious flavor, BBM gives Ragu Fresh & Simple Pouches. . .

Ragu Fresh and Simple Pouches

Ready for a short test?  Can you do the following things:  1.  Clip a plastic pouch with scissors?  2.  Pop said pouch into the microwave and set it for 90 seconds?  and 3. Pour sauce in said plastic pouch onto favorite pasta or other dishes?  If you answered yes to all three of these questions, you can say hello to your new best friend.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to review the new product from Ragu, Ragu Fresh & Simple pouches.  Why?  Well, first for the convenience, second for the Eat Smart factor, and third, I love pasta and sauce.  Here's the lowdown:

This pasta sauce is awesome, awesome, awesome!  It is incredibly simple to make.  I appreciate this because after work or a long day of parenting, making a fussy meal is just draining.  The only "draining" you'll have here is the draining of your pasta!  The flavor is incredible.  My husband, part Italian, raved about it, and I made him try the Tomato Basil, too.  (He's a meat sauce kind of guy.)  He was worried the pouch didn't make enough for us-it did with some to spare.  I made one pound of pasta and it served all three of us, plus enough to cover the rest of the leftover pasta, plus I threw a bit out.  I'd say the amount was pretty good.

If all that wasn't enough, the most important element of this sauce is the quality of it.  It contains no preservatives and no added sugar.  The ingredient list is short (always a good sign)  and I could pronounce all of the ingredients.  All ingredients are natural or naturally derived.  There is a full serving of veggies in one half cup of sauce.  (Thank goodness my son likes pasta, because this is probably the only veggies he'll get in a week!!) You can check out more info on Ragu's website:  www.ragu.com .  You'll find a easy meal ideas on there that sound yummy and fast. 

When certain things started coming out in pouches, it was kind of scary.  Some work, some don't.  This is a definite winner!   For the amazing taste, the quality of the ingredients, and the ease of making, hands down Ragu Fresh & Simple pouches receive a

PS-I finished my review samples and went out and bought four more pouches.  Trust me on this-go get some today!!!

Cranergy

I'm not generally a huge fan of cranberries and I'm not a juice girl either.  But when I heard that Ocean Spray's newest creation involved cranberries mixed with raspberries, less sugar, and green tea extract?  I was definitely going to give it a try.

Ocean Spray Cranergy is the new and healthy drink to give you energy to get through busy days.  Sweetened with Splenda, it's also lower in sugar (great for those of us who generally avoid juices because they are too sugary).  They also infuse it with B vitamins for extra go power and wrap it all up into a delightful drink. 

I was given both flavors to sample, and drank them before I went to my physical therapy appointments in the late afternoon when I usually feel like I'm dragging.  It's definitely not a drink that gives you the instant go power of a cup of coffee (Coffee though, usually also gives me the shakes if I drink too much).  But I did enjoy the drink very much and certainly got through PT just fine. 

Cranergy Cranberry Lift is your basic cranberry juice, with the exception of the B vitamins and green tea extract.  It tastes like cranberry juice does, but didn't seem to be as bitter as other juices I've had in the past. 

Cranergy Raspberry and Cranberry Lift is nothing short of awesome.  I can tell you this because I actually went out and bought some at the store today.  The raspberry flavor is so good and so refreshingly smooth in this drink that it has become an instant favorite for me.  I like it so much that I'll probably tell the rest of my family it's horrible, just so I can have it all to myself.

If you would like to learn more about Cranergy, click the link above.  If you would like to learn more about the health benefits of cranberries, go here.  But whatever you do, get yourself some Cranergy.

For the fact that it has earned a spot in my refrigerator, BBM gives Cranergy drinks. . . 

Ocean Spray Cranergy

When you think of Ocean Spray, do you think of the commercial where those two farmer-type guys are standing in cranberry fields exercising?  It's a commercial that really irritates my husband.  It doesn't bother me so much and since I'm a fan of Ocean Spray, I say whatever.  Regardless, when I opened up a package recently that held Ocean Spray Cranergy, I couldn't help think about those two guys in the cranberry field. 

While I don't think those guys are all that hip, Ocean Spray has a new drink out that is very hip, Cranergy Energy Juice Drink.  I'm a sucker for packaging, and this bottle looks refreshing, hip and very enticing.  It would draw my attention in a cooler at a store.

Let me tell you up front that I am not a sugar-substitute kind of girl.  I think the more natural the food, the better.  But I understand that no sugar means less calories, and that's a big deal.  The first taste you take tastes a bit odd with a slight after-taste.  I think this is the Splenda and since I have not experienced Splenda, I cannot verify this.  After the first few tastes, though, this drink grows on you.  It has a refreshing flavor that tastes "cool." I tried the Raspberry Cranberry Lift.  I love cranberries and raspberries, so the two together was great!  Your other choice is Cranberry Lift.  I imagine both would make a great summer morning drink. 

The really great part of Cranergy is that it gives you a natural energy boost.  With green tea extract and B-vitamins, you get a natural jolt of energy without all the sugar.  I drank one this morning before  a very busy and stressful day-I will say that I felt good all day.  I didn't have that mid-afternoon crash I normally do.

I think Ocean Spray has provided yet another quality product.  This hip, new energy drink is sure to be a favorite for those on the go. Check out their website for lots of great information on Cranergy!   I give it a

Frosted Flakes Gold

So, there we sat one night a couple of weeks ago.  We had just finished a very balanced dinner, one which even my son sat down and ate.  (This is highly unusual.)  Our mail was sitting on the table, so I started sorting it.  My son spied a package.  Always assuming everything is his, he asked that we open it.  Inside was a box of cereal.  Not just any box of cereal, but a box of cereal he had never seen before, never tasted before, and it had a big, cool looking tiger on it.  He immediately said to me, "Mama, that cereal looks greeeeeeeat!"  (Ahem, sorry, I couldn't resist.)  Even though we had just eaten a lot of food for dinner, we decided to try this breakfast food. 

Flash forward to a half-hour later...half the box was gone.  Gone!  How crazy is that?  Our dessert that night was cereal, a brand new cereal from Kellogg's called Frosted Flakes Gold.  This is one yummy cereal.  I do try to stay away from overly sugar-y cereals for my son, but this one has just the right sweet flavor.  A hint of honey goes well with the crunchy whole grains.  It boasts long-lasting energy...I can't say that I was able to prove that, but the flavor alone is enough to buy this one. 

Since the folks at Kellogg's sent me this box, I've already purchased one of my one, and have it on my grocery list again.  I'm loving this cereal!  Check out their website for more info on this cereal, especially the recipes they have for Frosted Flakes cereal.  I can't wait to try Tony the Tiger Cookies.  They sound fabulous.  Now I can actually have cereal for dessert without looking like a weirdo.  I give this a

Special K Bliss Bars

Okay, I admit it. I'm a sucker for breakfast bars.  While I'd much rather sit with a hot cup of coffee, a plate of eggs and bacon, and the morning paper, but life just isn't that luxurious for me.  If I'm not working, I'm running out the door at 6:00 AM after a few hours of sleep.  If I am home, I'm racing around getting breakfast for everyone else and hopefully trying to sneak in a shower.  So, breakfast bars are my best friend most mornings.  Special K has just made the breakfast bar experience a bit more blissful!

Recently, Kellogg's has come out with some great new products.  Special K Bliss bars rank up among my favorites.  Bliss bars are only 90 calories (woohoo!!!) and dipped in chocolate-really, do I have to tell you more to get you interested?  Add to the chocolate an exciting fruit flavor and your tongue is doing the happy dance!  They have two flavors...Chocolatey Dipped Raspberry and Chocolatey Dipped Orange.  While I always prefer raspberry to orange, my husband prefers the orange to the raspberry.  That works for me-I was given one box of each flavor so we each have our own box! 

I think what I like the most about these Special K Bliss bars is that they feel sinful, but they're not.  They kept me full for far more hours than most breakfast bars and the flavor really is good.  It's made from multigrain cereal and it really tastes like you are munching on a bowl full of raspberries or orange slices. 

You can get lots of great info on their website, http://www.specialk.com.  Thanks to the great people for the awesome tote bag which will join us on our trips to the pool this summer!

For the great taste and low calorie count, I give this a

Wild Animal Crunch

When I was little, my parents would take my sister and I to the local soft-serve ice cream stores, the kind you walk up to and order through a tiny, greasy window.  My sister and I would get the chocolate cone  with chocolate jimmies, my mom would get an ice cream sandwich, and my dad would get a large, daddy-sized vanilla cone.  I always thought it was so weird that my parents wouldn't get a giant chocolate cone.  They were, after all, the adults and could get any size or flavor of cone they wanted.  But my dad, when questioned, would always just say, "but I like vanilla."  As I got older, I began to associate vanilla with old.  It's not quite up there with Butter Pecan, but it's getting pretty darn close. Flash forward twenty some years later.  I often find myself ordering just vanilla, but always, deep down, I am a chocolate girl.

This vanilla-chocolate love must go beyond my little world.  Kellogg's has launched a new cereal, Wild Animal Crunch.  This whole-grain cereal has the best of both worlds...vanilla AND chocolate.  It is shaped in cute little animals which made them a hit with my son.  And while they are adorable to look at, they are delicious to eat.  All three of us have been eating them, and I know when this complimentary review box is gone, everyone will be begging for more.  I'm not a huge fan of sweet cereals, but Wild Animal Crunch has just enough sweet, but not too much.  I love it dry to munch on while I commute to work, my son loves it dry or with a ton of milk.  Either way, it's a crunchy, yummy cereal. 

Not only does this serve boast whole-grains and a great taste, the packaging is equally enticing.  With a cuddly-looking panda bear on the front of the box, how can you pass this box by?  On the back are some cool Animal Planet facts and games.  You can check out more info on Wild Animal Crunch.  For the taste, nutrition, and great packaging, I give this a

Flipsides

A pretzel. . . no, a cracker. . . no, a pretzel. . . a cracker.  Guess what?  Now my little one doesn't have to decide and neither do you.  Keebler's Flipsides Pretzel Crackers are here and they are pretty fabulous.  They look like an elongated Ritz cracker.  One side is pretzel; the other side is a cheddar cracker.  We've only had a day or two to review the product but they're already a hit in this family. 

Of course, my one daughter prefers that none of her food touches anything else, so pretzel crackers happen to be an issue for her.  My little one and the adults in the house absolutely adore them though.  On the side of the box, they recommend three additional ways to eat the pretzel crackers other than just plain munching out of the box: dunk it, drizzle it, top it.  I have to say that I am really looking forward to trying some of their oh so yummy looking suggestions. 

For those who are diet conscious, a Flipsides serving is five crackers.  In those five crackers there are 70 calories and 30 of those calories are from fat.  The thing I'm happy about?  0g Trans fat.  There are approximately 9g of carbs in one serving which would have made my day back when I was a gestational diabetic and trying to find something under 15 grams of carb for a snack. 

For more information about Keebler's Flipsides, you can go to their website.  For being two really good snacks in one, BBM gives Flipsides:

 

Whole Grain Pop-Tarts

I'm the Mom who asks for whole wheat bread for grilled cheese sandwiches at restaurants.  I don't do it to torture my kids.  I ask because if I don't, they will both complain that their sandwiches don't taste right.  Both of my girls have been whole wheat girls from the time they started eating food.  It's just how we do things around here. 

However, my girls have always been willing to forgo the whole wheat goodness for some starchy white Pop-Tarts.  They don't have to anymore!

I am so excited to tell you about Whole Grain Pop-Tarts!  We were given two flavors to try, Strawberry and Cinnamon, and the girls are devouring them morning, noon, and night (I'm a Mom who chooses my battles wisely and I'm not choosing the Pop-Tart battle). 

The Whole Grain Pop-Tarts are super tasty!  I couldn't help but try one myself and they are divine.  In the toaster, they get super crunchy on the ends and the overall flavor is so much better.  It doesn't seem like just sugar dissolving in your mouth.  The best part is that one Pop-Tart counts as a whole serving of whole grains. 

In addition to the improved flavor, the Pop-Tarts are only drizzled with a little icing, not a big slab of it like on the traditional kind.  It's just enough sweet to keep you interested without sending your body into sugar overload or as we like to call it around here, "spaz-mode."

For taking a guilty pleasure and turning it into something that's actually nutritious, BBM gives Whole Grain Pop-Tarts. . .