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).

And the winner is.....

The winner of the Old El Paso Family Taco Night Prize Package is.......Karin! Karin, please message me with your first and last name, address, and phone number so I can submit the info to MyBlogSpark and your package can be on its way!! Congratulations! And, thanks to all who commented on my post. Be on the lookout for more giveaways in the future!

It's Fiesta Time!!

So, now that Thanksgiving is over and we are literally "stuffed"... it's time to start thinking about eating all of that delicious comfort food again for Christmas! Turkey and ham and dressing, oh my! This is my favorite time of the year, not just because of the food, but because of the cherished time I get to spend with my family and friends.

But between these two holidays that are full of yummy food and treats, we kind of need a break from the turkey and dressing. Some people feast on pizza and fast food, some revert to salads, and others live on turkey sandwiches (from the oodles of turkey they have left over!). One thing my family and I like to do is have a "Fiesta Night". This may include eating out at a local Mexican restaurant, swinging through a Taco Bell, or making Mexican food at home.

Recently, MyBlogSpark along with Old El Paso provided me with an Old El Paso "Family Taco Night" prize pack. The prize pack included a packet of Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes, and a $10 gift card to purchase my taco fixings. I was super excited! The serving dishes are so cute, and perfect for a Fiesta Party. Plus, the $10 gift card was a great bonus! :) I ended up purchasing a couple of the Old El Paso dinner kits and a couple more packs of the Old El Paso seasoning. The dinner kits I purchased were these:

This was definitely what we needed after "stuffing" ourselves with turkey and all the fixins'. :) Actually, I guess you could even make these with leftover turkey! Ha!

What about you? Do you have a "family fiesta night"? What do you usually make? Do you have a special dip or queso recipe? Leave a comment and you could win a prize package too (thanks to Old El Paso and MyBlogSpark)! Here is what you could win:
Winners will be announced at the end of the week. Good luck!!

Good Earth Giveaway!!

Oops, I'm a day late on the giveaway....better late than never, though!

Good Earth and MyBlogSpark have not only provided me with an awesome Good Earth dinner kits gift pack, they have provided one for you too! Here is what you will get:



All you have to do is leave a comment answering the following questions:

1) Are you a "from scratch only" kind of cook, do you "swear by boxed/frozen dinners", or are you in-between?

2) Which of the dry dinner kit flavors would you like to try most of all?

Good luck!!

What about 2nd Breakfast?

**The winner of the cereal coupons is Amy Valle! Amy, please email me your address and I will send you your free coupons! Congratulations!!**

Any of you Lord of the Rings fans out there? Well, that is where I got the title of this blogpost. You can watch the clip of the movie scene here. Anyway, there actually is a such thing as a "second breakfast" that is eaten between breakfast and lunch and is traditional in Poland and Bavaria. Here is some more info about it.


Some of us do not even have our first breakfast, let alone second breakfast. We should be ashamed of ourselves! Don't we know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? We should be eating a healthy, nutritious breakfast every morning to get our day going...and I don't mean coffee and doughnuts, a Snickers bar and a Mountain Dew, or a Pop Tart and hot cocoa. I am guilty of this myself (actually, I haven't even had my breakfast yet this morning!), but have been doing better lately. For example, this week I have been eating egg sandwiches with juice and homemade Fruit-n-Yogurt parfaits (recipe at the bottom of this post).

So while some of us don't even make time for breakfast, others of us stick to the cereal routine, maybe adding some juice and toast on the side. This is actually a good breakfast for you, depending on the type of cereal, that is. In fact, according to My Blog Spark and General Mills, "ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters." Many of us became cereal eaters at a young age and it just carried on throughout our adult years. We may have different tastes now than we did as children -- some of us may prefer Fiber One over Trix and so forth. General Mills has recently announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving, making cereal even better today than 20 years ago. The company has also produced a report on the Benefits of Cereal. It is very interesting, I suggest you check it out!

General Mills, along with My Blog Spark, sent me 4 coupons for four free boxes of cereal. How awesome is that!? Although they have not yet been released, I cannot wait to try these new and improved cereals....and I would love for you to try them too! That is why I have decided to give away two of my coupons. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me either your favorite cereal, your favorite breakfast, or what you normally eat for breakfast every morning (or all three if you want!). The winner will receive two coupons for 2 free boxes of General Mills cereal. Free things are always good in my book!

Okay, now for the recipe I promised. You are going to love these!

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

1 container vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup mixed berries (if frozen, thaw them a little first)
1/4 cup granola

Layer the vanilla yogurt, then berries, then yogurt, then berries and so forth. Top with granola. It's that easy! You can also use peaches, strawberries, or any of your favorite fruit in place of the mixed berries. Enjoy!

Crescent Tartlets....and the winner of the Pillsbury Giveaway!!

My "twist" on the Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tartlets wasn't really a twist. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to substitute, so I went totally a different route. I decided to make "Pizza Bites" instead! These are yummy and super-super easy. Here is what you need:

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (or Pillsbury Crescent Roll Dough)
1 cup pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the can of crescent rolls and press seams together. Using a biscuit cutter or small glass, cut out twelve circles from the dough (you will have some dough left over if you want to make a few more). Press each circle into a mini muffin pan to form a small cup-shape. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Using a spoon or this awesome little gadget from Pampered Chef, Push the middle of the crescent cups down. Put about a teaspoon of pizza sauce in each cup and top with shredded cheese. Put back in the oven for about 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted (you can also turn the broiler on for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese better). Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before popping them out of the pan. Enjoy!!


**For variation, you can add pepperoni, bacon, sausage, or veggies to these and they would be even better!

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Okay, for the moment you have been waiting for....the winner of the Pillsbury Giveaway!! Thank you to all who left comments and recipes, I am definitely going to have to try them all! :) And now, the winner of the Pillsbury Crescent Creations Gift Pack (selected by random integer) is...

#4 -- Jessica Risner

Congratulations Jessica! You will be receiving the giveaway package from Pillsbury soon! Just email me with your address so I can send it on to MyBlogSpark and you can receive your goodies!!

Thanks to all who participated in the giveaway. There will be another awesome giveaway in the near future so be on the lookout!!

Pillsbury Giveaway!

So I decided to put my "twist" on the Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tartlets. I think I may serve these as an appetizer for our Super Bowl Party this year. So easy, yet so delicious! I will post the recipe in the next couple of days, but for now.....a GiVeAwAy!!

Pillsbury, in conjunction with MyBlogSpark, has made this giveaway possible. Thanks to both!! I think you will enjoy the prize. All you have to do is leave me a comment with your favorite appetizer using Pillsbury crescent rolls/dough and even the recipe, if you'd like. I love getting your recipes! Here is the Crescent Creations Gift Package that one winner will receive: Good luck! I look forward to your recipes!

*2 free coupons for Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dough
*3 white oval-shaped platters to serve your favorite

appetizers to your guests

Good luck! I look forward to your recipes!

Merry...uh...Happy....uh...GO TEAM!!

Okay, so I have been a lazy blogger lately. The truth is I have not been lazy at all, but eXtReMely busy. Amidst the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, parties, traveling to see relatives, and celebrating the birth of Christ Himself; I have been busy packing boxes and moving, unpacking boxes and cleaning. Oh yeah, I did take a little break to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve, but that's about it.

Anyway....since I have been so busy I have not even had the chance to open up my blog, much less write anything in this open space. But today, I have finally cleared a path in my house and have found the sofa, so I decided to sit down and write a few words. Actually, I think you may like these words because they will eventually lead to a giveaway. :)

The day before we left to visit our family for Christmas, I received another "goodie box" from MyBlogSpark. (You will get to see what is in the box in the next "giveaway" post.) For this "spark" I am supposed to put my own twist on one of three holiday treats using crescent roll dough. The only problem is that the holidays are over (hence the Merry..uh...Happy...uh. title). So the next best occasion would be the Super Bowl of course! It is a tradition at our house to host a Super Bowl party every year, so I am excited to be able to make some new snacks. :) I do need your help, though. I would like for you to choose which one of the following recipes you would like me to make. The recipe with the most votes will be the one I put my personal twist on. Here are the recipes:

1) Crescent-Wrapped Brie

2) Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tartlets

3) Crescent Holiday Tree (or in this case, I could make a football! )

Don't these look/sound yummy? Oh, another thing about these recipes....they only take 20 minutes to prepare! Now is that easy or what? I am very thankful to Pillsbury for providing the coupons for free crescent rolls, the recipe information, and the free gifts through MyBlogSpark. I cannot wait to recreate whichever one you choose!

Stay tuned for the next post....that's where you will find out what is inside the "goody box" you could receive if you are the giveaway winner!

Houston, we have a ....WINNER!!

And the winner is.....Jennifer! Congratulations Jennifer, you won the Panko Breadcrumbs Giveaway!! I hope you enjoy this awesome box of goodies. Please email me with your info (name, address, etc.) so I can get your prize to you. Thanks for the recipe too!

Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs....and a giveaway!

**The Progresso Giveaway has been extended a couple of days.

The winner will be announced on Sunday afternoon.**

So, I LOVED the panko breadcrumbs! I cannot wait to make baked/fried chicken with them. I am also going to make a big pot of chicken soup with the chicken stock that was also in my goodie box. Want to see what MyBlogSpark sent me? Here it is:

Do you like? Do you want to win one of these goodie boxes for yourself? Here's how!

Leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing to make using panko breadcrumbs, or if you have never used them before, what food you would love to make with them.

The contest winner will be announced on Friday morning. Can't wait to hear your comments!!

And the winner is....

Thank you to those who left comments with their Light Dessert recipes! The winner of the "Light Desserts" cookbook, chosen by Random.org, is.........drum roll please........

Comment #4 - cdziuba

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers: 4

Timestamp: 2009-01-18 00:37:27 UTC

cdziuba said...
I learned this one at Weight Watchers. One small box Sugar-Free Strawberry Jello, One regular container of Lite Cool Whip. Mix together and serve as a dip with fruit. I actually used to make a cream cheese and sour cream dip for fruit for my parties, and after my cholesterol was found to be much too high, I started educating myself about Light food.

Great giveaway! Thanks.

Congratulations!! Please email me at brizner (at) hotmail (dot) com with your address so I can send you your cookbook! :)

There will be more giveaways in the near future, as well as more yummy recipes! Keep watching!

Light Desserts and another giveaway!

To keep with the "Light and Healthy" recipes, this blogpost is all about Light Desserts! And, if you like the recipes, then you will LOVE the cookbook "Light Desserts". Here are a few you may enjoy:

Blueberry Cake with Lemon Glaze

3 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup skim milk
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
Cooking Spray
1 Tbsp. sifted cake flour

Glaze
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 3 cups cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour mixture over blueberries and toss gently to coat; set aside. Beat sugar and eggs in a large bowl at medium speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Combine milk and oil. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in flavorings and fold in blueberries.

Pour batter into a 10-cup fluted tube pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and dusted with 1 tablespoon cake flour. Bake for 50-55 minutes or unti wooden pick comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Stir in lemon rind, mix well. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Garnish with lemon curls, if desired. Makes 16 servings.

Doesn't this sound yummy?? There are plenty more recipes like this. I will be posting more of them over the next few days, so be on the lookout!

Now it's time for the Giveaway! One lucky person will win a Light Desserts cookbook (vintage - 1989). Here is what it looks like:

Here is what you have to do to win: Leave a comment with one of your favorite light dessert recipes, or an easy dessert recipe that could be converted to light (using light cream cheese, skim milk, etc). The giveaway will end on Friday, January 16 and the winner will be revealed on Friday or Saturday.

I cannot wait to hear/see your "light dessert" recipes! :)

The first blog entry of 2009!! (and a Giveaway!)

Happy New Year! I hope 2009 has been great for you so far. I am sure this year will be full of exciting and fun things for everyone. I just cannot contain my excitement about the arrival of our little boy in April!! That is one reason 2009 will be such a blessed year for us.

To start the year off right, I thought it would be a good idea to post some healthy recipes. I know we are all trying to "watch our weight" and are making those new year resolutions that we know we will not keep. So why not enjoy something delicious that is also healthy for us? Forget the bottled water and rice cakes!

Chicken with Mango

2 T. oil
1 t. grated ginger
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
4 chicken breasts, shredded
4 green onions, sliced diagonally
1 t. light soy sauce
1 chicken bouillon cube
2/3 cup water
1 t. sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 ripe mangoes, pealled and sliced (or one can sliced mangos, drained)
2 t. cooking sherry (optional)

Heat a wok or large skillet and add oil. Add ginger and cinnamon and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and green onions. Stir fry for 5 minutes. Add light soy sauce, crumbled bouillon, water, sugar, and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the mangoes and cooking sherry and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Serve with rice or noodles.

Like this recipe? Well there are plenty more recipes like this one in the cookbook "Healthy Cooking" by Landoll, Inc. And.....I'm giving it away! All you have to do is leave a comment with your answer to the following question and you can be entered for a chance to win this neat cookbook (it is somewhat vintage - 1995 is the copyright - so it is not brand new).

Here is the question:

*How do you plan to change your diet/eating habits this year? (Example: eat more veggies, cook with olive oil, only eat fast food once a week, etc.)*

The giveaway will end at 8:00 pm on Sunday night and the winner will be announced on Monday. If you don't win this time, don't worry! I have several more giveaways in the coming weeks, so you will definitely have a chance. Good luck!! :)

Shrimp Stroganoff Casserole -- Please vote!!

My friend Lori over at My Wooden Spoon is one of the finalists in the Kraft Velveeta Casserole Challenge. The recipe she submitted is her Shrimp Stroganoff Casserole which looks so yummy! I cannot wait to try it. Please check out her recipe and vote for her here. If Lori gets the most votes she will win some cool prizes! Plus, she is giving some of her own prizes away on her blog. Happy voting!!

P.S. The ingredients she used were bought for $20 or less and her casserole will feed at least 8 people!