Schwan's Home Delivery Service Review

This review is sponsored by Schwan's through USFG.

Schwan's Home Delivery Service is a great convenience for saving time when meals at home need to be faster than homemade and healthier than fast food. On their website they have a great selection of whole meals, entrees, desserts, appetizers, sides, and drinks. They have items you can pick from that are especially great for people with special dietary needs including: gluten free, vegetarian, sugar free, heart healthy, low calorie, and low sodium. The food is delivered right to your home by refrigerated truck and it is so very easy to order the food online.

I received a $25 gift certificate to Schwan's to pick something out online. I wanted to pick out something that might feed my whole family of 6 and that my whole family might enjoy. I also wanted something semi-healthy. I selected the Home Style Chicken Bake, Pineapple Orange Juice, and Golden Fruit Blend. I was a little disappointed that they did not offer more organic items. There are only 4 organic items and they are all fruits and vegetables. I ended up going a little over the $25 with my order subtotal being $28.97 and the delivery fee being $1.75. I ordered my items and picked the date and time for it to be delivered.

My Schwan's driver, Harold, and his truck.

On the date and time I selected, the Schwan's driver from my area drove up to my drive in his refrigerated truck and knocked on my door. He introduced himself as Harold and was very friendly and punctual. When he got my order out of his truck he also handed me a current Schwan's catalog so that I could order again at my leisure without needing to look online. When he handed me the items I had ordered he let me know briefly about each one and what he likes to do with them at his home.  He also said I could peruse the back of his truck to see if there was anything more I wanted before he left. I politely declined his offer and told him it was nice of him to ask. He even posed for me with his truck so I could have a picture for my review.

Schwan's Home Style Chicken Bake, Pineapple Orange Juice, and Golden Fruit Blend in packages.

The Home Style Chicken Bake said it served 5 and although it wouldn't feed my complete family I figured that I could supplement with something else to go with it or make it on a day my whole family were not all home for dinner. I guess I could have picked the Six Cheese Tortellini which serves 9, but I was in the mood for a pot pie of sorts. The Home Style Chicken Bake was delicious and so easy to make! This meal has to be kept frozen until cooked and eaten. It can be cooked in a conventional oven or micro-baked (a combination of microwave and oven). It has no preservatives and has a gravy that is made from scratch with fresh frozen vegetables. When I opened up the one I received part of the flaky pastry crust that topped the gravy, chicken, and veggies was broken a little bit which probably happened in transit. I didn't really care about the presentation as much as the taste though. After I cooked it in the oven I tasted it and it was delicious! The combination of the white chicken meat, russet potatoes, sweet peas & carrots in chicken gravy topped with the pastry crust was so good. If you like pot pie you will love this even better!

The Pineapple Orange flavored juice beverage comes in a package of six 8 fl oz cartons that each make 1/2 gallon of juice when the concentrate is mixed with water. Although this is thirst quenching it is not the healthiest juice. It does have high fructose corn syrup and sugar as the very first ingredients with preservatives and dyes. The flavor of the drink is too sweet for my taste, but my kids loved it. I am not sure how they made the pineapple flavor since pineapple juice or concentrate isn't listed as one of the ingredients...just natural and artificial flavors (whatever that means). I did like the combination of pineapple flavor (however they made it) with the orange and apple juice concentrates, but once I put some ice in it and a bit more water I liked it a whole lot more. It contains only 15% real fruit juice, but every 8 fl oz serving provides 100% of the daily value of Vitamin C. Next time I think I will buy their 100% Orange Juice fortified with Calcium that has no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. It is a much healthier choice, although also more expensive, go figure!

The Golden Fruit Blend is all natural 100% Grade-A cut chunks of pineapple and mango with thick-sliced peaches and strawberries. It is delicious and my favorite fruit blend, but I wish that it was organic. It has 6 - 3/4 cup servings in a 2 lb. resealable bag, Serves 6. This great as a snack, with yogurt, or put in a smoothie! My kids ate this up because they love frozen fruit...they hardly left any for me (see the small cup of it below). At least it is good for them and better for them than other snacks.

Schwan's Home Style Chicken Bake, Pineapple Orange Juice, and Golden Fruit Blend prepared.

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When you sign up to Schwan's Rewards you can also earn points worth 5%  back from every purchase to be used on a future order!

My Readers Save $ On Your First Order at Schwan's Home Service!
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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this complimentary $25 for Schwan's as part of my participation in The US Family Guide Blogging program. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. No other compensation was received. 

Schwan's Home Service Savings Offer

US Family Guide provided me with this promotional offer information to share with my readers. I am getting a $25 Gift Card for posting this information.

For over 60 years, Schwan's Home Service has provided superior frozen foods with convenient home delivery. Our foods are flash frozen at the peak of freshness and flavor. Choose from USDA Choice meats, wild-caught seafood, flavorful skillet meals, Grade A fruits and vegetables, plus our heritage ice cream, distinctive desserts and much more.

We offer delicious foods to satisfy everyone, including family members with special dietary needs including:

- No gluten ingredients
- Vegetarian
- No sugar added
- Heart healthy
- Low calorie
- Low sodium choices

Schwan's offers weekly specials, coupons, online hot deals and new customer special offers. Join the Schwan's Rewards program and earn 5% back on every online purchase, to be used on a future order.

100% Guarantee! Love It or Return It! If you're unsatisfied one of our products - for any reason - we will gladly replace it or provide a refund.

My Readers Save $ On Your First Order at Schwan's Home Service!
$5 off $25 Order - Coupon Code: JULIEN2
$10 off $50 Order - Coupon Code: JULIEN2
$15 off $75 Order - Coupon Code: JULIEN15
http://usfamilycoupons.com/coupon.php?regionid=75&bid=11745&dealid=1748

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the Schwan's Home Service I am getting a $25 Gift Card for posting this information. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free GC. 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 posting this promo.

WONKA Peel-a-Pop Frozen Dessert Pops Review #GotItFree #wonkapop

My girls with the WONKA™ PEEL-A-POP™ promotional items we received with the coupons.

We received these products free from BzzAgent to facilitate this review.

We received these items in our BzzKit:

• A coupon for a FREE (up to $4.49) 8-count box of WONKA^™ PEEL-A-POP^™ frozen dessert pops, redeemable at the local Kroger Co. store
• A Wonka-fied whistle to let kids know when they can come running for a peelable pop
• A WONKA^™ branded beach ball and pair of sunglasses for outdoor summer fun
• $1-off coupons to share with other parents who also shop at The Kroger Co. Family of Stores
• A postcard explaining what to do with all the wacky items in my BzzKit

WONKA™ PEEL-A-POP™ frozen dessert pops are a great summer snack! At only 70 calories per pop this whimsical treat won't make you feel guilty. We also liked these because at 13g total carbohydrates per pop these are great for my diabetic son as well! Did you know that the WONKA™ brand made more than just candy?

Your kids will go bananas for these frozen dessert pops because they are both tasty and fun to eat. The WONKA™ PEEL-A-POP™ comes in two yummy varieties: vanilla grape and vanilla banana. What is super about these is that they can be peeled like a banana, but you can also eat the peel! To eat all you have to do is bite into it at the top, peel the outer coating like a banana, and enjoy.

WONKA™ PEEL-A-POP™  vanilla grape flavor, peeled.

The combination of the peel and frozen pop are actually pretty good together. The peel is an interesting gummy gelatinous texture and even though it gets a little slimy on the outside as it warms up, it peels easily. My kids didn't have any problem with it being messy. Although the peel was fun and it added uniqueness to this product some of my kids didn't like the weird texture of it. It also has an inside that tastes very similar to frozen vanilla pudding. We tried the grape flavor and it was rather good in my opinion. My kids certainly enjoyed their experience eating them up.

Monkeying around eating  WONKA™ PEEL-A-POP™.

You can find NEW WONKA™ PEEL-A-POP™ frozen dessert pops in the ice cream aisle at The Kroger Co. Family of Stores. We only found the grape variety at our local Fred Meyer, so we didn't get to try the banana flavor. Others have found both varieties though easily.

Each 8-count box retails for a suggested price of $4.49.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am a member of BzzAgent I received word of a BzzCampaign for the WONKA™ PEEL-A-POP™ products. I received these products free to facilitate my review. All information about the products I received from the media kit, the products and the WONKA™ website. 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.

Foodie Friday Mission Organics Tortilla Chips Review and Giveaway with Beet Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream - Keeping Portland Weird

I received three 13 oz. bags of Mission Organics Tortilla Chips to try, each in a different flavor variety: Blue Corn, White Corn, and Multi Grain. These are all USDA certified organic tortilla chips that start off as masa (maize (corn) dough made from freshly prepared hominy) made from organically grown corn. The tortillas are cooked in organic oil and topped with fresh sea salt for a traditional taste. I really liked the blue corn and multi grain the best myself. These chips curb my salty, crunchy snack craving and are great with my homemade salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. I however wanted to try them out with something unconventional this time.

So, in keeping Portland, Oregon weird I decided to pair the Blue Corn Mission Organics Tortilla Chips with one of my favorite recipes from a wonderful ice cream cookbook called Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home. This cookbook has some really strange sounding, but divinely delicious recipes for ice creams, sundaes, sorbets and frozen yogurts. This particular Jeni's recipe is her Beet ice cream with mascarpone Italian cream cheese, orange zest, and poppy seeds. Although, we did a slightly different version with the poppy seeds substituted with 4 ounces of melted semi-sweet baking chocolate slowly drizzled in during the last 2 minutes of rotation.

The taste of the Beet ice cream has a subtle earthy beet flavor with piquant citrus hints and chocolate throughout. The color of the ice cream is a bright fuchsia, so paired with the Blue Corn Mission Organics Tortilla Chips it was quite the color combination. The salty chips brought out the sweet citrus taste of the ice cream even better and gave it an interesting crunch. All in all it was an interesting experience for my refined palate.

BUY IT
Mission Organics Tortilla Chips are currently available in 13 oz. bags for a suggested retail price of $3.99 at select Safeway, Haggen, QFC and Fred Meyers stores throughout Portland and Seattle. Prices may vary by location. For more information, visit missionmenus.com.

WIN IT
Prize: 5 winners will win 1 Mission Organics Tortilla Chips 3 Pack just like the one above. Retail value of $12 each.

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!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Mission for sending me product for free to 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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Betty Crocker and Box Tops for Education Review and Giveaway

This school year Box Tops are on a number of great brands, but if you look down the baking aisle you will only see one brand with Box Tops, Betty Crocker! Just look for the Red Spoon on your favorite Betty Crocker dessert mixes. You can give to your local school by collecting and handing in Box Tops to your child's classroom or Box Tops school representative. Your local school could get new computers, library books, or a playground, through the Box Tops for Education program. Box Tops are located on all Betty Crocker baking mixes and sometimes you will even find double Box Tops on specially marked packages.

I homeschool, but I still collect Box Tops to send with the neighbor kids when they go to the public school here. I also sent them with Tatiana, my daughter who was disabled that went to the public school before she passed. The Box Tops are easily clipped and collected after I have used a product with them on it and they are also not hard to locate on the box or product packaging.

I received a prize pack that included: Cupcake iclips, Cupcake bag, Cupcake notepads, Box Tops for Education pencils and a Neoprene Lunch Sack. The Cupcake iclips are a very cute and ingenious way to bookmark pages. They are magnetic page markers so stay in place when you don't want to loose your page. The Cupcake bag is a bag that is rolled up into a plastic container that makes it look like a cupcake. It even has a cherry on top. After it has been unrolled it also has a little pouch to stuff the bag into when not in use. The Cupcake notepads are very cute and great for writing reminder notes on. The Box Tops for Education pencils are great for homeschooling...I always can use extra pencils. The Neoprene Lunch Sack is the perfect size for a sack lunch. It is reusable, washable and is made of insulating neoprene so you won’t need an ice pack! We also got a bonus Betty Crocker milk chocolate brownie mix to bake up and use the Box Tops off of too. Yum!

Make sure you check out the Box Tops for Education website!

WIN IT:
MyblogSpark has generously offered a Betty Crocker and Box Tops for Education prize package that includes: Cupcake iclips, Cupcake bag, Cupcake notepads, Box Tops for Education pencils and a Neoprene Lunch Sack to giveaway to one of my readers.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the Betty Crocker website and tell me by commenting on this post which of your favorite Betty Crocker dessert mix you plan to purchase to collect the Box Tops and help your local schools.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by feedburner or by email and let me know which way. (3 extra entries each)

2. Fan/Like me on facebook and write something on my wall. (1 extra entry)

3. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (GFC) on the left sidebar and/or Networked Blogs Let me know what your user name is. (2 extra entries each)

4. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Betty Crocker in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

5. Give me a brief POSITIVE review on Alexa and provide me with your user name. (3 extra entries) 

6. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

7. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

8. Fave me on Momfaves. (2 extra entries)

9. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog Linky/Link-up and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)

10. Write about this giveaway with a link to this post on your Facebook wall, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, Google+ or other social media website besides Twitter. Let me know where. (2 extra entries for each)

11. Comment on my regular (not giveaway) posts. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)

12. Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

13. Tweet this: @finamoon #WIN Betty Crocker and Box Tops for Education Prize Package #myblogspark #giveaway http://bit.ly/p90jGP (Daily Extras are Available)

14. Fan/Like Betty Crocker on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

15. Fan/Like Box Tops for Education on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

16. Follow Betty Crocker on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

17. Follow Box Tops for Education on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. Don't forget to leave a comment for each task and the correct amount of entries for each task. This contest ends on Friday October 14, 2011 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in the U.S. Only!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: The Betty Crocker and Box Tops for Education prize pack, information and the prize package for giveaway were all provided free by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark. 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.

CSN Stores KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Mixer Attachment Review

Since I am a CSN Preferred Blogger I received a $65 Gift Code free to use at their stores and review the item I got with it. Since I already had a KitchenAid stand mixer I decided to get the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Mixer Attachment. I was looking forward to making my own ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and sherbet in the comfort of my own home. This attachment converts any* KitchenAid stand mixer into an ice cream maker. It creates up to 2 quarts in about 25 minutes. The dasher is powered by the KitchenAid and once you freeze the bowl in the freezer for at least 15 hours (18 hours or longer is better for less of a soft serve consistency) it is ready for you to add the mixture, mix it, then freeze it in the freeze bowl some more to get the thickness desired.

Using this attachment and making frozen desserts with it does take quite a bit of preparation too in advance. I have used a Rival motorized ice cream maker before that needed rock salt and ice. The Rival machine actually took less time (20-40 minutes) to make ice cream because you don't have to wait for the freeze bowl to freeze in the freezer. After the first batch is done & eaten and the bowl components are washed it is best to just leave the freeze bowl in the freezer so you are ready to use it again right away. Also, if you like to make more than one batch at a time a second freeze bowl is great to have around so you can alternate between them. If you don't mind the wait of freezing time in between batches and already have a KitchenAid stand mixer then this is an excellent choice for an ice cream maker. I made vanilla ice cream from the recipe in the booklet that came with it and it turned out fantastic. Very simple and easy to use. Just read the instructions in the booklet and follow them.

You will need to hand-wash the freeze bowl so no damage becomes of it, but the dasher, drive assembly, and adapter ring are all dishwasher-safe. It also comes with a 1-year hassle-free replacement warranty.

*US or Canadian mixers only. However if you have a machine from somewhere else you can call KitchenAid to possibly get some extra parts for this to make it work for you...or so I am told.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to CSN Stores for providing me with the $65 Gift Code free to use at their stores so that I could review the item I got with it. 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 posting this review.

Foodie Friday Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups (3-4) mashed overripe bananas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Mix banana mixture and flour mixture together until all flour mixture is mixed in. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes. Check center of loaf with a toothpick to see if done. If toothpick comes out clean it is done. Let bread cool in its pan for 10 minutes and then place on wire rack out of pan to cool more.

Makes one loaf.

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review and Giveaway

I absolutely love coconut! I was introduced to Tropical Traditions by other blogs who were reviewing their products and I had to get in on the yum! I received the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil in the 32 oz. size to try out and review for free.

This is one of the best coconut oils I have tasted! It is organic, unrefined and still all handmade from the Philippines. It was the first exported coconut oil from the Philippines to the USA. They produce their oil the traditional way of grating the fresh coconut by wet mill, extracting the coconut milk by cold press, and then letting the coconut milk stand in a covered container for about 24 hours. After about 24 hours, the oil naturally separates from the water producing a crystal clear oil that retains the full scent and taste of coconuts. It tastes so fresh! You can use this oil in a lot of recipes! It is very versatile and it contains no trans fatty acids so it is better for you than butter or vegetable oil.

It has been soooo hot lately here and I love coconut macaroons so when I saw this no-bake version and had to make them! These were unfortunately not as good as the bake in the oven kind because they were way way too sweet. The no-bake is a big plus since I don't have to turn on my oven and heat up the house, but I think next time I am going to try half or even a third of the maple syrup!

No-Bake Blonde Coconut Macaroons
Recipe submitted by Stephanie, Goodyear, AZ

Servings: approx.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

* 3 cups coconut flakes
* 1 1/2 cups almond flour (I used regular white flour because I didn't have this.)
* 1 cup maple syrup (possibly cut this into a half cup or a third cup so not as sweet)
* 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together well. Form into balls and refrigerate until firm. These are also wonderful frozen!

See more recipes with Tropical Traditions products HERE.

Watch this video to learn more about the product:


BUY IT:
Until Thursday August 19th you can get 2 gallons of the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil for $99! Buy other sizes at different prices on their website store. Please when making an order choose “Referred by a Friend” and enter my User ID: 5689834 on your first online order! By doing this you will get a complimentary copy of Virgin Coconut Oil book and it will be automatically added to your order.

WIN IT:
Tabitha from Tropical Traditions has generously offered a Quart of Coconut Oil for one of my readers to win.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the Tropical Traditions website and tell me what other product(s) you would love to try and why.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by feedburner or by email and let me know which way. (2 extra entries each)

2. Become my fan/like on facebook and write that you are entering this giveaway on my wall. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Tropical Traditions in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)

7. Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

8. Tweet this: @finamoon: @Troptraditions WIN A Quart of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil #giveaway http://bit.ly/bBqhxq
(Daily Extras are Available)

9. Fave me on Momfaves. (2 extra entries)

10. Comment on any of my other posts or enter my other giveaways and let me know which post you commented on. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)

11. Fan/Like Tropical Traditions on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

12. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

13. Sign up for their email sales newsletter. (3 extra entries)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. If you subscribed, blogged about this, listed it, or faved me on Momfaves leave 2 entries saying you did. This contest ends on Friday August 27, 2010 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to U.S. & Canada only!! Note to Canadian Participants: Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Tropical Traditions for sending me a free Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil in the 32 oz. size to test and review. This giveaway is also provided free from Tropical Traditions. 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. Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Foodie Friday Baked Apple Pancake

 
Baked Apple Pancake
Recipe via Robbie's Recipes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbs. butter - melted
2 med. apples - peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:
Combine flour, milk, and eggs. Stir well. Pour melted margarine in 9" pie plate. Pour mixture into pan. Combine remaining ingredients and pour evenly into pie pan. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.