Kroger Good For You Campaign - CARBmaster and Greek products

For this campaign, we were given a $10 Kroger gift card to try Kroger's CARBmaster and Greek yogurt products. We purchased four CARBmaster yogurts (strawberry-banana, strawberry-colada, caramel spice cake, and banana cream pie), four Greek yogurts (strawberry, vanilla, peach, and pomegranate), and one Vanilla CARBmaster milk. 

I typically buy 'normal' milk, and the CARBmaster milk does cost more.  Honestly, since we don't have a need for lactose-free milk, we likely won't buy this again. The kids loved the vanilla milk, it was sweet and delicious on cereal.  I was a little surprised at how thin the milk was, I just expected it to be really thick.  It has a rich taste, almost like a milk shake.  We also used a clementine, banana, some crushed ice, a Greek yogurt, and some vanilla CARBmaster milk to make a smoothie.  It was REALLY good.  Maybe in the summer we'll consider purchasing some more as it is lower calorie than our regular 2% milk (60 calories versus 100) - and it did make a fantastic smoothie!

Now for the CARBmaster yogurts.  The price is really good - about $.40 per cup. I am NOT a fan of lower fat/sugar yogurts - to me, they all taste artificial.  Unfortunately, this yogurt was no different.  I tried each of the flavors we purchased (I will say that I am impressed by the extensive flavor selection).  I was really looking forward to the banana cream pie, but like any other low sugar yogurt, it tasted artificial to me.  My kids loved each yogurt though and gladly finished each cup for me.  Of the four we purchased, I liked the strawberry colada the best.  If it weren't for an artificial-sugar-substitute aftertaste, I probably would purchase this flavor again. 


I love Greek yogurt.  Again, I'm not a fan of lower fat/lower sugar yogurts, so I purchased four 'full-fat' Greek yogurts.  I really like Dannon Oikos yogurt - and I gladly spend $1-$1.10 per cup because it's worth it to me.  The Kroger Greek yogurt costs roughly the same - a little less than $1.00 per cup.  So, I knew, unless this yogurt was incredible, I wouldn't replace my current yogurt with the Kroger version.  Again, I liked the large selection of flavors.  The yogurt is good.  It's thick and creamy, the was Greek yogurt should be - just like the CARBmaster yogurt, my issue was an aftertaste.  Kroger Greek yogurt is sweetened with stevia.  I understand that stevia is a natural product, but the aftertaste has nothing natural about it - it tastes pretty artificial too.  I added some candied walnuts to the vanilla yogurt, and that did make a big difference, I liked it much better.  However, it doesn't come close to Oikos for me.  My kids enjoyed it, but I won't be replacing Oikos with the Kroger brand. 

I think someone who enjoys low sugar/low fat yogurt will enjoy the Kroger CARBmaster and Greek yogurts.  Unfortunately, for me, they were just okay.

Bzzagent Review: Schick Hydro Razor

Let me start by saying that the worst razor I ever purchased was a Schick razor. Because of this, I haven't purchased a women's razor from Schick in a few years (my husband does like the men's razors from them). So, to be honest, if it weren't for this Bzzcampaign, the chances of me trying this razor were very slim.

 First, I liked the packaging. It was shiny and pretty - not confusing at all. I like that the razor came with a replacement blade and a holder which suctions to the shower wall. I really like this option as it makes it very easy to keep out of the hands of my little ones. The design of the razor is also good. The handle is easy to grasp, it has almost like a rubbery coating which makes it pretty non-slip. It also has little etchings on the handle which also makes it difficult to slip around in your hand. I've only seen the razor in blue, which is fine; I just think for families with more than one woman, the option of purchasing other colors would be helpful.

The razor was very easy to load. I also noticed, that unlike my current razor, it is impossible to load the razor upside down onto the handle. I've cut myself with my old razor by accidentally loading the razor upside down. One thing I really like about the design is that the razor head maneuvers very well; it actually flexes/rotates about 60 degrees. My current razor is no where near this. It made it very easy and kept my wrist from having to turn and bend awkwardly.

 The first time I used the razor, I was very scared. There are five blades. FIVE. I've been known to cut myself with one or two blades, so I thought for sure that I would annihilate my legs with this one. It also had some moisturizing serum on the top and bottom of the blades (I figured that would be helpful for the many cuts I was about to experience). So, I took a deep breath and started my first use. According to the directions, you need to get the razor wet to activate the serum. So, I ran it under a little water, and then began my shave. It didn't feel like the razors were making contact, but my legs did feel moisturized (kind of slimy in the shower). Even though I couldn't feel the razors, they were doing work. The razor removed all my stubble (I get stubble every single day). Oh, and I didn't cut myself. I've probably used the razor a dozen or so times and haven't cut myself!

 The day after my first use with the Schick Hydro, I noticed that unlike nearly every other morning of my adult life, I had no stubble on my legs. So I skipped shaving. I was actually able to skip two days of shaving (it's a miracle!) before I was able to notice any stubble. I haven't experienced any red bumps on my legs or underarms, so it does seem to moisturize well.

I've used the razor for the past two and a half weeks, and the blades still work very well. The moisturizing serum lasted for about five or six shaves.

 Schick Hydro really surprised me. It is my new favorite razor. I am now a loyal Hydro user and WILL purchase blade refills.

Bzzagent Review: Morningstar Farms Corn Dogs

So, my most recent campaign was for Morningstar Farms.  My family really likes their spicy black bean patties, so I was really excited to try another product by the Morningstar Farms brand.  Below are a few photos and my review.

My Bzzkit

Corn Dogs!

Okay, let me start by saying that our family has tried (and really likes) their spicy black bean patties.  They are very flavorful and when we eat them, no one misses meat.  They really have a great texture, and wonderful flavoring.

I decided when we received our kit (seeing that we already had spicy black bean patties in the freezer) that we would try something that I normally would not purchase.  So, we decided to try their corn dogs. 

They were easy to find in the frozen food section.  All the Morning Star products were grouped together - all I had to do was look for the green section (all their boxes are green which makes it very easy to see them right away).  I purchased the corn dogs, which came in a pack of four. 

A few days later, I remembered they were in the freezer - I had actually been putting off trying them because I was afraid of what the texture of a meatless hotdog would be.  So, I baked them for 20 minutes like it said on the package.  My kids scarfed these down so quickly, that I had to practically bribe them to get one nibble. 

The bite I had was good.  There was a good crunch to the outside (the next day I baked them for 22 minutes, and that was even better!), and the texture of the 'hot dog' wasn't bad.  As to be expected, it wasn't the typical texture of a meat hot dog.  One pro to this; however, is that you won't get any of those hard little bits that you sometimes find in hot dogs.  My kids didn't notice a difference.  My only issue with the corn dogs is the aftertaste.  The hot dog aftertaste was just a little odd, but nothing that a little ketchup or mustard couldn't fix.

The price on sale isn't bad either.  I don't think I'd pay full price for them (of course, I rarely pay full price for anything), but we will most definitely purchase them again when they go back on sale. 

As I mentioned above, I never would have tried these had it not been for this Bzzcampaign, but now, we're going to be regular consumers! 

Prebaked

Also, please note that the picture is of the corn dogs before they were baked - my children ate them so quickly that I wasn't able to snap a shot of them (still intact) once they were cooked!

Checking In and (finally) Catching My Breath

As usual, December was a whirlwind.  Actually, the last few months have been a whirlwind.  I'm finally able to sit down and catch my breath.  And, I wanted to update ya'll.  Okay, so we have a few friends from Texas, and I now say ya'll - not often, but sometimes.  I swear, I pick up dialect like some people catch colds.

Anyways.  Homeschooling is going very well!  X-Man loves it.  I had a schedule planned earlier in the year - the schedule is no longer applicable.  X-Man has been loving math, so he's a few weeks ahead there.  And, we took our time to study the planet Earth, so we're a few weeks behind there.  We've also added in some Presidential studies (X-Man can tell you the order of Presidents, which number each one was, and the dates of their Presidency - I however, cannot).

Also, we started back (after taking a couple weeks off for Christmas) last Monday, and now we begin each day with a quiet time.  I work on my Bible study, X-Man reads devotions, and L picks out some picture Bibles to look at - she often prays during this time (unfortunately, she thinks this means she can play  but call it praying "No, I'm praying over here!").  Overall, this change has been great!  It gives us time to ease into our day, and starts the day in the right mentality. We also added a basketball hoop to our classroom.  If X-Man starts getting antsy, he can hold the ball (it seems to help him focus) - he also gets to shoot a basket between each subject if he was a good listener.

I feel much more confident, so we often change what we were going to learn about to make it more interesting for them.  We've been using our library and are loving that.  Anything he wants to study is easy to study when you have a fantastic library with tons of resources.  We've been adding activities and games and even movies - all of which have been great.

Our family also started 2013 by adopting a weekly budget.  I take X-Man grocery shopping while Little Lou is at school.  He brings a calculator and keeps track of how much we're spending so that we don't overspend.  I also have him help me cut coupons - this helps him with fine motor skills, alphabetization, and matching similar items.

Little Lou is still loving preschool three days a week.  She is still learning Bible/History and Science with us, we also read some stories before she goes to Preschool.  The days she is home all day are much easier (I thought it would be easier when she was at school). 

Oh, and one more (huge) thing.  Remember when I left my job to begin homeschooling?  We talked about how this meant that we'd be bringing in less money.  Well, God again provided for us in ways that we never planned!  The hubby was offered a new job (a few months ago) that has more than provided the amount of lost income from my old job!  And, he loves his new position.  Again, I'm so thankful and can't wait to see what God has in store for us this year.  And, He has great things in store for you too :)

Thanks for reading!

Bzzagent Review - Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Cereal

This past Friday, (three days ago), I recieved a BzzKit containing Kellogg's Crunchy Nut cereal.  Well, the box is already gone, and I couldn't wait to post a blog about this very tasty cereal!  Below is my review:

Okay, so my family LOVES cereal.  As a mid-western family, we're dealing with the cold of winter right now, so a typical morning begins with a bowl of oatmeal; however, we LOVE to snack on cereal. And, when it's warmer outside, we typically have cereal for breakfast.  So, with all that being said, we were quite excited to be chosen for this campaign.
 

When the kit arrived, we were lucky enough to receive a big box of the Golden Honey Nut variety, along with four $.50 off coupons.  It just so happened that when the box arrived, my children were finishing breakfast, so we opened it right away. 

My daughter isn't a big fan of nuts, but she wanted to try some of the cereal.  I gave her a little bit in case she didn't like it - and she didn't like it - she LOVED it.  Immediately, she asked if she could have a bowl of cereal and milk with her remaining breakfast.  My son LOVES things with nuts.  So, I wasn't surprised that he also really enjoyed the cereal. I had a bowl (which may have been much larger than the serving size) and was quite surprised with how good the cereal tasted.  To me, it tasted just like honey roasted peanuts.  It really was quite good, and I may have poured myself a second bowl.

Two days after we received the box (we had spent the weekend out of town), I asked my hubby to try it as there was only enough in the box for one more serving. He is very picky and only has a couple cereals that he purchases and consumes regularly.  Even he was impressed.  Which says a lot.  He said that he would pack the remaining cereal to take to work with him. I may have given him 'the look' in response to him taking my remaining honey nut goodness.

He forgot to pack the cereal (which may or may not have to do with my reaction the night before), so I enjoyed the last of it today.

I do like the cereal in milk much more than on its own.  Don't get me wrong, I liked it dry, but if you eat each flake on its own, you don't get nuts in every bite.  If you eat it in milk or with a spoon, you definitely get a good amount of nuts in every bite.

The texture was good too.  Crunchy and holds up in milk.  The last bite wasn't crunchy, but it definitely wasn't soggy either.

The taste (as mentioned above) was pretty good.  Very nutty, and also tasted a lot like honey.  It was sweeter than what I normally enjoy, but to be honest, it didn't bother me. I thought it was great.
I would purchase this cereal again.  My only issue with it is the sugar content - there's 10 grams of sugar in every 3/4 cup serving.  Knowing that the sugar comes from honey and not added sugar makes me feel a little better, but for my children this is too much sugar for a school day.  I'll likely buy this again for them to enjoy on weekends or as a snack.
All in all - it's a real winner.  Quite tasty!

Bzzagent Review - Green Mountain Coffee Wellness Collection

A few weeks ago I was able to review the new Green Mountain Coffee Wellness Collection as part of a Bzzcampaign.  Below is a photo of the kit I received along with the review I completed.

Last week, I had the pleasure of receiving a 12 pack of K-cups from Green Mountain. I was surprised at how generous they were on the quantity of K-Cups as well as the amount of coupons. The day I received the cups, I decided to try the antioxidant blend. I am sort of picky about coffee. I don't really care for stronger roasts as they tend to taste bitter and almost ashtray-like to me, so I wasn't quite sure if I would like the coffee. I was surprised. The coffee was very smooth and not too strong. I added my favorite creamer and drank the cup in record time. It was very good. I couldn't taste any sort of additive, it just tasted like (really good) coffee. The next day, I had an important doctor's appointment which I knew I could receive some tough news. So, I decided to drink the Focus blend. I thought if there was anytime I needed to stay focused, this was it. Again, I really liked the coffee. It was also smooth, and not bitter. I did feel focused at the appointment. I was concerned that I would forget to tell the doctor one of the symptoms, but I didn't. I also left the appointment feeling like I remembered everything the doctor said. I'm scratching my head for something negative to say, but I just can't think of anything! I will be purchasing Green Mountain Coffee in the future. Thanks for a great product!

Bzzagent review - CoverGirl BlastFlipStick

As a Bzzagent, I had the opportunity to review CoverGirl BlastFlipSticks.  Below is my review along with a photo of the kit I received.

As part of this campaign, I received 3 Flipsticks. The Mink, which is a darker brown shade with a coppery shimmer. Stunner, which is a coral shade and a bronze shimmer. And finally, Vixen, which is a dark pink with a lighter pink shimmer. The bzzkit was generous - however, I wouldn't have picked any of the shades I received. Mink looked crazy on me - if I wiped some of the stick off, it may work. I didn't like how Stunner looked on me either, however, the colors reminded me of summer. Of all the sticks, I liked Vixen the best. I like the packaging of the Blastflipsticks. Their metallic looking in the middle, with two clear caps. I like that it makes it easy to see the colors. They were easy to open, and the caps 'snap' so that they won't come off in your purse. Also, the lids are designed so that if you turn the base of the lipstick, the sticks won't rise while the cap is on. This is a big plus as I've had many tips ruined by caps. The stick is easy to hold while applying. I like the feel of the lipstick. The non-shimmered end is very smooth and creamy. The shimmery ends aren't as smooth going on. It seems that the shimmer in each stick is different. For the stunner, it's almost glittery, but the others have a much more subtle shimmer. I also like that it is pigmented. Some of the colors didn't look quite right on me, but I could wipe some off my lips, and there would still be some sufficient stain. With the shimmered ends, if you wipe it off, it seems that the shimmery part comes off (if that makes any sense). The taste isn't bad either. I wore the lipstick all day, and didn't experience any feathering at all - this is another big plus for me. It's also long lasting if you're not eating/drinking. You definitely need to reapply after eating though. All in all I liked the Blastflipstick. I'll have to see what other shades they offer before I decide if I'd buy this - unfortunately, the price is kind of high, so that will influence my decision as well.