Sundays, PS and DQ

Don't you just LOVE Sundays??! I know I do! What better way to spend your day than worshiping the Lord and spending time with your family! After church today, my two favorite boys and I headed to Penn Station for lunch. LOVE this place! If you have never heard of or been to a Penn Station, here is a little taste of what you are missing:

Hot grilled sandwiches....fresh-cut french fries....fresh-squeezed lemonade....fresh-baked chocolate chunk cookies...do you see a recurring theme here? FRESH!! This is not your average sub sandwich place. All I have to say is the bread....ohhhh, the bread!! The authentic hearth-baked bread is SO fresh and soft and chewy. It is definitely what makes the sandwich!

Another thing I love about PS is that the grill cooks prepare your sandwich right in front of you -- on the huge grill behind the counter using fresh meats, veggies, and cheeses. My two favorite subs are the Chicken Cordon Bleu and the Philly Cheesesteak (what they are known for). I have tried almost all of them, and LOVE the ones I have tried, but these rank at the top of my list. :) Thank you, Jeff Osterfeld, for your vision and for developing Penn Station!!

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The DQ part of this post is just to let you know that I also enjoyed a Strawberry Cheesequake blizzard from Dairy Queen after our amazing "family" lunch. YUM! The only negative thing I can say is that there was only a hint of strawberry (usually they are full of the strawberry topping -- this blizzard wasn't even pink!)...though I can follow that up with a positive -- there was cheesecake throughout the entire blizzard, even to the bottom. :)

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One last thing. This will be my last post for a few weeks. I am having baby boy #2 this Thursday (c-section)!! WooHoo!! I appreciate your prayers for us as our lives are about to change over the next few weeks. We are so blessed and excited! I will miss my bloggy friends, though. Hopefully I will be back up and posting soon. See you in a few weeks!

And the winner of the Progresso Soup-er You Giveaway is.......

#4 -- Snowpuff!

Congratulations, Snowpuff! I will be sending you an email soon to get your info to submit to MyBlogSpark so you can receive your prize package. :)

Thank you to all who entered this giveaway! Be on the lookout for more fun giveaways in the near future! :)

Progresso Soup-er You Giveaway!!

I love Progresso Soups. There is just something about a can of chunky, hearty, tasty, full of veggies and other goodies, soup that does not have to be mixed with water. Just imagine my excitement to find out that Progresso makes several soups that are 100 calories or less! Also, these "Light" soups contain a Weight Watchers point value on the can, which is so helpful for those of us who are or plan to be on the WW diet plan. Yay!

Recently, MyBlogSpark and Progresso sent me a package in the mail that contained several goodies, including several cans of the Progresso new Light soups in different flavors. I have not tried all of them yet, but from those I have tried I love them all! One of my very favorites is the Zesty Santa Fe Style Chicken with only 2 WW points per serving. It.Is.Delicious! It contains corn, rice, black beans, chicken, and other goodies and has just the right amount of spice. One of the flavors I cannot wait to try is the New England Clam Chowder.

I have not started my weight management plan as of yet (due to being pregnant), but once I have my little boy (only 3 weeks left! Woohoo!) I plan to start a weight management plan to get rid of these extra pounds I have put on from the pregnancy as well as a few more. I plan on joining Weight Watchers again, and these soups will be perfect to add into my diet - especially since they have the WW points value right on the can.

What about you? Do you currently have a weight management plan? Do you plan on "getting in shape" once Spring arrives? Why wait - start now with Progresso Light soups! I promise you that you will not be disappointed. Even better, why not try and win a Progresso package for yourself so you can try the soups for free?

MyBlogSpark and Progresso have graciously allowed me to have a giveaway on this blog for one of their Progresso Souper You packages. Here is what you will get:

All you have to do to be entered to win this awesome package (complete with yoga mat, aerobic bands, water bottle, arm bands, soups, etc.) is to leave a comment telling me either: A) What flavor of Progresso Light soups you would most love to try or B) How you would incorporate Progresso Light soups into your weight management/healthy living plan. Good luck! (Giveaway will end on Wednesday, March 16 and winner will be announced shortly thereafter).

Cake Mix Cookies

I have been posting a lot of "sweet" recipes lately, so why stop? :) Just last week, a dear friend of mine blessed us with a crib and an entire nursery theme (complete with curtains and everything)! She wouldn't take anything for them, so I decided to put on my apron and bake up some goodies for her and her family. I decided on this pumpkin bread for her and her hubs, and wanted to make some kind of cookies for the girls.

I had a couple of cake mixes in my pantry - one dark chocolate and one basic yellow. I had heard of cake mixes being used to make cookies, so I started browsing the net to find a recipe. I found this recipe on Betty Crocker's website, but decided to use the dark chocolate mix instead of the yellow. What kid doesn't like "double chocolate" cookies?? :) Here is the recipe:

Mix Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix (I used Pillsbury Dark Chocolate - shhh! don't tell!)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I omitted these)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using a dark or nonstick cookie sheet). In large bowl, beat cake mix, butter, vanilla, and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, or mix with spoon. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop dough by slightly less than tablespoonsful 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes or until edges are set (centers will be soft). Cool 1 minute, remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Enjoy! Makes 42 cookies (according to recipe).

(Photo from bettycrocker.com.)