Celebrate Social Media Giving Day and Givver GIVEAWAY! (7/17) *Closed*

*Disclosure: I was provided the following information to share with my readers in promotion of Givver & Social Media Giving Day. I was not compensated in any way.

Social Media Giving Day is the same day as Twitter’s birthday: July 15!  #Give with Givver to help set a world record for the most donations given in one day through social media! Will you help do this?

Givver.com is awesome. It enables you to donate quickly and easily to your favorite causes with a single tweet! Whether it’s a non-profit, educational, or political organization you want to support, Givver is here to help you fund and raise awareness for the issues that matter, all by simply using Twitter.

Givver is a great way to show your friends, family, and followers on Twitter that you care in a tech-savvy way! Let's all tweet to #give to at least one organization that needs our help by using Givver and make social giving go viral this Social Media Giving Day on July 15!

For more information and to sign up to be ready on July 15, visit: https://givver.com/organizations.

GIVEAWAY:

Congratulations to comment #1, mail4rosey!

One of my readers is going to win a Social Media Giving Day Prize Pack (pictured at top of post) that INCLUDES: 
* Givver #Give Limited Edition T-shirt 
* Givver #Give Limited Edition Sticker

To enter to win, please leave a comment below telling me your results from the "What's Your Twitter Personality" quiz in the Blog App OR share your favorite way to donate to a charity. Please be sure to leave your e-mail address, so that I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra Entries:
(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest

*Pin an image from this post to one of your boards

*Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which post.

Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Wednesday, July 17th, 2013 at 11:59 EST. Winner will be chosen shortly after and contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will have to choose a new winner.

Sprout Organic Fruit Snacks Review and GIVEAWAY! (7/31) #SproutFoods *Closed*

 

*Disclosure:  I was provided samples for review purposes only.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.

About Sprout Organic Food:

Naturally sweet and wholesome, Sprout recipes are made with certified organic ingredients and contain no preservatives, artificial colors, flavors or other additives. Sprout is also pleased to be able to offer a selection of recipes suitable for those with allergies and food sensitivities.

About Sprout Fruity Yogurt Bites and Fruit &Veggie Crispy Chews:
Just Right for Toddlers. Perfect for little fingers learning to pick up and self feed. The soft quick-dissolve texture of the Fruity Yogurt Bites, and the soft crispy chew texture of the Fruit & Veggie Crispy Chews, are enjoyable to eat.  And five single packet portions make on-the-go snacking easy.

*A natural source of Vitamins 
*BPA-free packaging
*Never any additives or preservatives
*Never any artificial colors or flavors

Fruity Yogurt Bite Flavors:
*Banana Pumpkin Yogurt with Real Banana Pieces
*Orange Carrot Yogurt with Real Mango Pieces
*Raspberry Yogurt with Real Mango Pieces
*Strawberry Carrot Yogurt with Real Banana Pieces

Fruit &Veggie Crispy Chews Flavors:
*Orange Fruit & Carrot
*Purple Berry & Carrot
*Red Berry & Beet
*Tropical Fruit & Pumpkin

My Review:
I received a sample pack of one of each of the 8 flavors for my family to try.  I was pretty sure Blake would like them, but with Morgan being able to read now, and seeing that there were veggies in them, like carrot and pumpkin, I thought she wouldn't even try them.  Boy was I wrong!  Not only did they try them, but they absolutely LOVED them and wanted more!  As a mom, I was excited that my picky kids were actually choosing to eat something healthy!

I even tried the snacks and could definitely see why the kids enjoyed them so much!  The Fruit & Veggie Crispy Chews taste exactly how they're named.  They're chewy, crispy and flavorful!  The Fruity Yogurt Bites are not what I expected.  I guess I was thinking they were yogurt covered pieces of fruit, but they were actually these little crispy melt-in-your-mouth pieces of fruit, veggies and yogurt.  Definitely very tasty as well!

Blake's buddy's face is covered because I didn't get permission to show him, but he loved the snacks too! :-)



The price is a little high for these snacks at just a little under a dollar a pack, but it's a great alternative to other sugary fruit snacks when you want a quick, healthy grab-and-go snack for your kids.

 I highly recommend Sprout Organic Fruit Snacks! :-)

Buy it!
Sprout Fruit &Veggie Crispy Chews and Fruity Yogurt Bites can be purchased at amazon.com and range in prices from $4.22 to $4.99 for a box of 5 snack packs.  They can also be purchased in Walgreen and Meijer Stores.  For more purchasing options, check out "Where to Buy" on Sprout's website.

GIVEAWAY:

Congratulations to comment #67, Brigette Streeper!

One of my readers is going to win the same sample pack of the Sprout snacks that I received (4 flavors of each product, for 8 samples total!)

To enter to win, please leave a comment below telling me which of the snacks you'd like to try first if you were to win. Please be sure to leave your e-mail address, so that I can contact you if you're the winner!

Extra Entries:
(1 extra entry per method. Leave a comment for each.)
*Subscribe to my blog in the upper left hand corner.
*Follow me through Google Friend Connect
*Follow me on twitter.
*Tweet this giveaway using @SproutFoods in your tweet and leave the URL in your comment
*Follow me on Pinterest

*Pin an image from this post to one of your boards

*Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which post.

*Like Sprout Foods on facebook
*Follow @SproutFoods on twitter.
*Join the Sprout Foods mailing list.


Open to U.S. residents 18 years and older. Giveaway will end Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 at 11:59 EST. Winner will be chosen shortly after and contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will have to choose a new winner.

 

Wordless Wednesday: Can You See Me?

The chickens give me away, don't they?

 

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit Go Graham Go and the WW HQ.


Using Up Leftover Ham

I made a ham a little while ago and did my best to use it in omelets and grilled ham & cheese sandwiches, but there was so much left!  I still need to find more ways to use it before it went bad and ended up making these two delicious dishes!

Four Ingredient Ham Casserole:
8 ounces egg noodles (cooked via package directions)
1 cup cubed ham
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine ingredients in a 1.5 quart casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until warmed through.

 

Pretty Penne Ham Skillet:

1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta

3 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 large red pepper, diced (I used green)

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (I used a smaller quantity of dry)

1-1/2 tsp minced fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried basil

1-1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbs butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (12-14 ounces) chicken broth

1 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

 

 

Directions:

(FYI-I halved the recipe and it still made a lot!)

 

* Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the ham, red pepper, onion, parsley, basil and oregano in oil and butter for 4-6 minutes or until ham is browned and vegetables are tender.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

 

* Stir in broth and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.  Drain pasta; stir into ham mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Yield: 6 servings.

 

(I found this recipe through Taste of Home's website.)

 

I linked up at Delicious Dish Tuesday and What's Cooking Wednesday:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summertime Fun

The last week and a half we've been busy with all sorts of things, which is why I kinda took a little break from blogging.  I say 'kinda' because I was actually going to take the week off to catch up on a bunch of things I wanted to get done (which you'll see I managed some), but we ended being invited to several other things last minute and many chores still aren't done...the time spent with friends and family was WELL worth it though! :-)

Cookouts:
We've had the opportunity to have several barbeque's with friends.

One afternoon/evening was spent with two other sets of friends and their kids. We all had a blast between watching the kids on the a water slide, good food (and drinks), music and dancing with the kids in the backyard. :-)

On Independence Day, Rich had the day off and we all went to watch a parade with my lifelong friend's family, then to their house for burgers and an afternoon of catching up.

We had a 4th of July party over the weekend that we attend every year where we see several family and family friends, enjoy good food and enjoy some fireworks.

Play Dates with Kids' Friends
Morgan was invited to help a friend at her lemonade stand during their yard sale.  We made a couple batches of cookies to go along with the lemonade and headed over.  Blake made friends with the oldest of the younger brothers quite quickly and her mom and I had a great time getting to know one another.  Unfortunately it rained, so the lemonade stand and yard sale were a 'no go', but it was still a fun time.

Blake's best friend's mom called one morning to have Blake over, so Blake spent much of that afternoon with his buddy.  I then enjoyed some time talking with his buddy's parents when we went to pick him up. :-)

Time with Rich's family:
We went to Rich's parents for a Sunday breakfast and just to see them. We had been busy the week before and hadn't gotten to see them for their anniversary and my father-in-law's birthday.

The kids also spent a night and when we went to get them they had barbecue ribs for lunch and we were able to spend more time with them.

Time with Cousins:
The kids spent an afternoon at my parent's with my nieces building forts and fairy houses.

Another morning my parents grabbed the kids first thing and they all met up with my brother and nieces to see some beautiful gardens about 2 hours away.

A Baby Shower and a Fair:
Morgan and I went to my high school friend/college roommate's baby shower as Rich took Blake to the town's 129th annual fair.

Gardening:
We had a fairly cool day in the mid 60's so I wanted to take advantage of the temps and work hard at working up and weeding the garden.  I would say a good 4 hours in the garden and it was looking good...for about a day. ;-)  I try to work at least a half hour a day to keep up, plus Rich and I water the garden when it doesn't rain.

Fireworks:

The night of the 4th, I popped a couple bowls of popcorn and we grabbed some snacks and drinks at the gas station, then found a side road to sit and watch the neighboring town's fireworks.  We all sat in the front of the truck enjoying our snacks and a wonderful (uncrowded) view of the fireworks.

Backyard Camp out:
We did our backyard camp out....more on that later....it needs a post of it's own! ;-)

I apologize for posting without pictures, but the only ones I got this last week were of our camp out and random other stuff.  So, even though you can't visually see all the smiles, friends, fireworks, food and general good times, just know that it was a GREAT week! :-)

I hope you're all having a fun-filled summer as well! :-)