Ultimate Helper Meal Mixes and Betty Crocker Ultimate Potatoes Review and Prize Pack Giveaway

I admit that sometimes even I need some help in the kitchen. Usually it is because I procrastinated, didn't write up a meal plan, and have no idea what to eat for dinner. I have also had those days that are just too busy, time escapes me, and dinner is needing to be done and on the table lightning fast. I know that there are times when I need quick go-to meals to turn to when there is little to no time to prepare something else.

The contents of the Ultimate Helper Meal Mixes and Betty Crocker Ultimate Potatoes.

All-new Betty Crocker Ultimate Potatoes and Ultimate Helper mixes will help you get dinner on the table faster and create a delicious meal to feed your family. Each box comes with both seasoning and a creamy sauce. Betty Crocker Ultimate mixes come in a variety of flavors that include: Ultimate Hamburger Helper Creamy Stroganoff, Ultimate Chicken Helper Creamy Parmesan, Ultimate Chicken Helper Cheddar Broccoli, Ultimate Hamburger Helper Three Cheese Marinara, Ultimate Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Ultimate Loaded Mashed Potatoes and Ultimate Au Gratin Potatoes. I received the Ultimate Hamburger Helper Three Cheese Marinara and Betty Crocker Ultimate Loaded Mashed Potatoes plus a gift pack to try out for free to facilitate this review.

Meal spread with the Prize Pack (kale not included).

The Ultimate Hamburger Helper Three Cheese Marinara is has real tomato herb marinara sauce and an herb seasoning with real cheddar, Parmesan and ricotta cheese. The box has easy to follow instructions and Box Tops. It comes with penne pasta, naturally flavored seasoning mix, and tomato herb sauce. You will need to add 1lb lean ground beef, 1 cup hot water and 2 and 1/4 cups milk. This has artificial color which I didn't think necessary in the ingredients. (contains wheat, milk; may contain egg and soy ingredients if you are allergic)

The Ultimate Loaded Mashed Potatoes are made with real cheddar cheese and 100% real potatoes. The box has easy to follow instructions and Box Tops. These are loaded mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese, imitation bacon flavored bits and parsley. You will need to add 1 and 1/3 cups water, 2 tbsp butter or margarine, and 1/2 cup milk. This has caramel color and artificial color which I didn't think necessary in the ingredients. This box comes with enough potatoes for 2 meals (4 servings each) per box. These were very creamy and yummy. I loved the bacon flavor and the sprinkle of parsley. (contains milk, soy and wheat ingredients if you are allergic)

I included Kale from my friends garden to this meal to balance it out.

The 3-piece bamboo serving bowls are Moso Bamboo 3-piece Serving Bowl Set in Orange from Zak! Designs. These are made with 75% bamboo and are biodegradable. These are hand wash only and are not microwave safe. They have an organic shape that I really like and a radiant orange color that brightens up the kitchen (other colors you can purchase are red, kiwi and azure). I love that these are so versatile to serve all kinds of food in them. Comes in capacity of: 3.5 qt / 3.31 liters, 1.75 qt / 1.65 liters, 1.25 qt / 1.18 liters.

The Serving spoon is a Loft 12-inch Kitchen Spoon in Orange also from from Zak! Designs. This spoon has a Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) handle that is comfortable to grip and gives the spoon a pop of color. The spoon part is made of nylon and is heat resistant up to 350 degrees. This is also dishwasher safe and BPA free. This should not be microwaved. This serving spoon is great for stirring sauces, pasta and more! It is also safe for non-stick cookware.

The 4 plates are a 10-inch Square Dinner Plate also from Zak! Designs and are BPA free. They are 100% melamine and dishwasher safe. These should not be microwaved. These are great for both indoor and outdoor entertaining. The Birdcage design has a black and white geometric flower with a dash of orange color in one corner. These clean easily and are great for kids to use.

The Ultimate Mixes Prize Pack.

WIN IT
Prize: One lucky reader will get an Ultimate Prize Pack worth $55 that includes the following:

• 1 box of Ultimate Hamburger Helper
• 1 box of Betty Crocker Ultimate Potatoes
• 3-piece bamboo serving bowls
• Serving spoon
• 4 plates

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product to review and the same product to giveaway for free. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Back to School with Children's Oxylent Review and Giveaway

We received products free to facilitate this review and have been offered products to give away as well.

Nutrition is so important for our children. How your child eats today will have a huge impact on their health throughout adolescence and adulthood. It is imperative to instill good habits when children are young so they grow into healthy adults. Getting the most nutritious food into them; however, sometimes can be a daunting task. Some children are very picky eaters and to them the nutritious food might not be the best tasting. Getting the proper vitamins and minerals everyday can be hard sometimes. Especially since we tend to live busy lifestyles.

This fall, you can send your kids off to school with strong immune systems and a big boost of brain power! Children's Oxylent delivers essential nutrients and offers a fun, great tasting, nutritious drink, sweetened with Stevia only.

Specifically, Children's Oxylent:

• Nurtures: A balance of the highest-quality nutrients supports your child's development and well-being. Vitamin A supports growth, vitamins E and B support developing nervous systems, and zinc supports brain function. 
•  Strengthens: Vitamin D3, calcium, and magnesium support the health of growing bones and muscles.9–11 Recent research shows that even kids in sunny climates don't get enough vitamin D.
• Protects: Vitamins A, C, and D, and the mineral zinc promote the health and function of your child's immune system. Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, is important to replenish daily.

The Children's Oxylent multivitamin drink comes in bubbly berry punch flavor. My kids really love the flavor and it is easy to mix with 4-6 ounces of water. It is sorta fizzy. I found that it doesn't dissolve completely. There is always some white residue that is left behind after drinking. Getting my children to get their vitamins this way was not hard at all. One packet daily is recommended amount for children over 4 years old.I love the fact that Stevia is used instead of sugar, it has natural fruit flavors, and beet powder is used for coloring.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review and giveaway. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and giveaway.

Free Burt's Bees Wildflower Seed Packets For Pollinator Week

Photo courtesy of: Burt's Bees. Information about the promotion was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post.

Bees are important to our life cycle. They pollinate the plants we and other animals eat. We live in a world that unfortunately favors lawns, monoculture and pavement. The bees need our help to survive and thrive.

Burt's Bees is giving away free wildflower seed packs. Plant these to give your outdoors some color and the bees a feast. You can also get tips on how you can go wild for bees, and learn what Burt's Bees is doing to help our favorite pollinators.

Sent by mail within 6-8 weeks | Subject to availability, while supplies last | Limit one per household | Valid only in the U.S. 

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Photo courtesy of: Burt's Bees. Information about the promotion was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post. I did register to receive a free seed packet for my garden.

Be Nice Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mix Review

I have been trying to keep healthy and hydrated during my pregnancy. I don't really like water all by itself...probably because my tap water at home isn't really the best tasting. That is why I wrote a post about naturally flavoring water. I saw a prenatal drink mix called Be Nice on another blog and wanted to try it for myself so I contacted the company and asked if I could review it. They sent me a box of 10 single serving size packets of each of their flavors for free to try and review. They make a Lemonade flavor and a Berrylicious flavor that is a blend of blueberry and strawberry.

I personally like the Lemonade flavor better than the Berrylicious one. They are actually a bit too sweet still for me so I end up adding more water or less powder. The flavors; however, may not appeal to all women. I love how compact and easy to take with you the individual packets are. Just add one packet to 16 fluid ounces of water and blend, shake or stir! Great also frozen into a Popsicle or icy cube for adding to other drinks.

Be Nice is a prenatal drink mix that keeps you hydrated while providing essential vitamins for moms-to-be and their growing fetuses, including folic acid to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects, and calcium and iron, which can easily become depleted during pregnancy. Along with those vitamins it also has vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin E, zinc, selenium and B-complex vitamins. These drink mixes also have DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid that is naturally found in breast milk and fish (because of the algae they eat). It is crucial to the optimal development of the brain (At around 30-weeks gestation is the peak of brain development), eyes and nervous system in infancy and childhood. Be Nice uses Life'sDHA, which is plant-based (made from algae) and free from mercury, ocean-borne contaminants and hexane. Be Nice also contains no artificial flavorings, sweeteners or preservatives and it is sweetened with Stevia, an all-natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the stevia plant. These help quench thirst and are good to use before, during and after pregnancy.

Also, as a side note, their box is made from recycled materials and is printed with 100% wind energy.

Follow them on Twitter. Fan/Like them on Facebook.

BUY IT:
One box of 10 packets is on sale for $8.99 (reg. $13.99). For a case of 5 boxes (50 packets) it is $37.99 (reg. $41.99).

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Be Nice for sending me a free a box of 10 single serving size packets of each of their flavors, Lemonade and Berrylicious, for free to try and review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Our New Dog, Prince

We saw Prince on Petfinder and even though it was a 10 hour drive for Brian to get him, it was well worth it. He is a Poodle Coonhound Mix and is 2 years old. He is a great dog so far and we haven't had any problems with him. He does like to chase small animals, especially cats...so we are walking him regularly on the leash until we can get something better than the fence we currently have around our yard. He has been a perfect gentleman and is very gentle with everyone. I love his big soft floppy ears and he loves my kids. He doesn't shed much since he is part poodle and is the large dog that we were looking for. I think we are the very family he was looking for too :) Look how happy he is!