Tag Archives: Products

Food

Marzetti Simply Dressed

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I am a salad dressing snob! There, I have admitted it! Now I am not so much of a salad dressing snob that I make it but I am picky.

I already love Marzetti’s dips, both sweet and savory. So when I got the opportunity to review Marzetti’s Simply Dressed salad dressing I was very excited!

See I have been having a weird dilemma. I recently gave up wheat so first off I had throw out a ton of my bottled sauces and dressing. Now I have to scour labels and I miss bread (especially croutons in my salad). It is also amazing how much  bread add in a salad with fat and mouth feel. So this is where I was coming from when I entered the grocery store to buy a bottle of Marzetti Simply Dressed.

To start with there are so many flavor choices!!! And even better, every one except the soy based one is gluten free! So I looked closely and  considered my options. I steered away from the vinaigrette choices since I have been missing the fatty mouth feel. Then I spotted it. It had a glowing light behind it. It was the Blue Cheese dressing.

I was not raised eating any kind of blue cheese much less having it in salad dressing. But as I have gotten older I have started adding little bits of blue cheese to things but it still can be over powering. But I have just been craving cheese so I decided to risk it. So I got the Blue Cheese dressing and a spring greens salad mix to give me a touch of bitter to cut the fat.

I took my eagerly bought wares home. To my greens I add a little apple that was left over from the children’s lunch, some dried tart cranberries and some candied pecans. I added a drizzle of Marzetti Simply Dressed Blue Cheese  Dressing. First I tasted the dressing by itself. It was pretty smooth with a creamy taste. There were little bits of the crumbly cheese. When I ate it with the greens there was a nice compliment between the bitterness of the greens and the creaminess of the cheese. But when you had the apples with the dressing it was complimented by the tang of the cheese. For the first time since I gave up bread (a couple of months ago) I didn’t miss the croutons!!!!!

So what is my final thoughts on Marzetti Simply Dressed salad dressing?  Umm, go buy it! It was so delicious just like every other Marzetti product I have ever tried. It is a good price and a great product! I look forward to trying all of their gluten free options.

How about you? What do you look for in a salad dressing?

I was one of the bloggers selected by T. Marzetti Company and Clever Girls Collective to host a Marzetti Simply Dressed review. They provided me with product to test myself and compensation for my time. However, my opinions are entirely my own.

Food

Oikos Greek Yogurt Review

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I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls on behalf of Dannon. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program but my opinions are my own.

For more information and recipe ideas, visit www.oikosyogurt.com or www.Facebook.com/oikos. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

As a lover of Middle Eastern food, I am not a newbie to the world of Greek yogurt. Many a time I would attempt to make my own by draining yogurt in cheese cloth;). So I was very happy when everyone started coming out with Greek yogurt! I could use it in dishes I was cooking but I never had contemplated just sitting down to eat it.

But that was until I found out how good the fruit ones were and how good it is for you! Dannon® Oikos® Plain and Fruit on the Bottom contains 0% fat, while the Dannon® Oikos® traditional blended varieties contains about 3% fat. Both are an excellent source of protein, twice that of most regular lowfat yogurts.

I admit it, I tend to skip breakfast. Then I grab a Starbucks drink of some type with a lot of calories mid morning. So by the time the afternoon hits I need something with protein but that isn’t to heavy. And yes, usually I am sitting at my laptop when I eat;).

So that is when I tried the Oikos Greek yogurt with peaches on the bottom. Why did I choose that kind you might ask. Well, I had already tasted the fab berry varieties at BlogHer and it was clear why Dannon® Oikos® 0% Fat Berry Flavors beat Chobani 2-1 in a taste test! But I wanted to make sure that it was a well rounded line.

So as a Greek yogurt fan, what did I think? Oikos is a great introduction to Greek yogurt. It doesn’t have the tartness that traditionally turns people off from the Greek yogurt experience. I find it a delightful sweet treat in the middle of the afternoon when I need real food but am craving candy;). This will be my kids’ new favorite side kick to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from now on!!!

Have you ever tried Greek yogurt? What was your first impression? Are you going to try it again?

(I have partnered with Dannon to help promote the Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt Series.  I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes writing about the promotion and product.  However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.)

Food

Instant Food for Instant Fun

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Last week was a long and hard week here in the NerdFamily House. Anyone who reads my Twitter or personal Facebook know that by Thursday I was ready to pop. So when this weekend got here NerdDad and I knew that we needed to have a fun family night!!! We had just checked out Megamind from the library but for a truly fun family night there needs to be food too!

While I could cook up a storm and the kids would love it, that would not be a fun night for me. Either during the cooking or during all the cleaning that would have to happen after would not be fun for me or for NerdDad. So we decided to go to our traditional Saturday night pizza. But that wasn’t very special because we usually do pizza once a week;).

So NerdDad and I decided to step up the fun a huge step. We needed a couple of things for this week and thought a fun dessert would make family night special.  So NerdDad volunteered to bath all the kids while I went to Walmart alone to shop! Yes, you all heard me, alone!

So my MP3 player and I went to Walmart! I know you all think I am crazy to go to Walmart to relax on a Saturday afternoon but it is all about choosing the right one! The Walmart SuperCenter in Sanger is always clean and calm. Walmart had some great clearance (clothes for the girls, Kaiser rolls, and so much more;) but I had to decide about our special dessert. I looked at doing ice cream sundays but I didn’t want to have to buy a bunch of different toppings just to have 1/2 used jars sitting around for a while. I ended up picking out some Nestle Sprinkled Drumsticks. I have always been a huge Drumstick fan but haven’t bought them for a few years. Y’all were holding out on me. When did they start putting cherry in the middle? Yummy!!!

A Little Chillin'

Armed with my Sprinkled Drumsticks, I stopped by Little Caesars for pizza and arrived home the conquering hero. Then we have a fun night of pizza, ice cream and a hilarious movie! It was just the break I think we all needed! Getting instant food really helped to make our night really fun. Now go away while I eat another Sprinkled Drumstick while the kids aren’t around;).

(This project has been compensated as part of shopper insights for #collectivebias. While the generated the subject, I generated the opinions. 😉 ) You can check out my This Moment post below to see more about the actual trip!

 

 

Food

Ziploc Review

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Who doesn’t love Ziploc products? We use the bags and containers for everything! I have always used the bags for storing various meal components in the freezer. Then all the containers…NerdDad uses them to take lunch to work. I use them to freeze soups, refried beans and stocks. But now that I have tried the Twist ‘n Loc containers I won’t be afraid to take soups and sauces with me to potlucks! Now I am getting a better seal so there is even less of a chance of freezer burn. I really love them!

Ziploc is running an awesome contest right now! Ziploc has teamed up with TerraCycle to have the Make a Difference Mom Contest going right now.

Do you know a Mom who is making a difference in her community one day at a time?

Is this Mom in charge of organizing the recycling center, or volunteering to help plant trees around town? Is she always carpooling the kids and making sure to keep the energy use down around the house?

To celebrate the resourceful, hard working moms that give back to their community (it might be you!) and are mindful of the environment, Ziploc Brand and TerraCycle, the manufacturers of eco-friendly products from waste materials, are searching nationwide for that special “Make-A-Difference-Mom.” We’d like your help in discovering the mom who outsmarts waste in everything she does. Perhaps one of your readers knows someone that fits the profile exactly? Or perhaps you are the “Make-A-Difference-Mom?”

So do you know (or are a ) Make a Difference Mom? If so go enter now because they have prizes going all the way up to $1500! You only have a few more days!

(This post was written for Family Review Network & SC Johnson who provided the complimentary product for review & giveaway in exchange for my honest opinions.)

Food

Bacon Salt

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Yes, you heard me right. There is Bacon Salt. Apparently there are 3 types: Original, Hickory, and Peppered. I was telling NerdDad all about this and his eyes got big and he wondered why you would use regular salt ever again;). Here is the really fun part. It is Kosher, Vegan and calorie free. All the baconny goodness without any of the guilt!

(HT: Props and Pans)