New Pillsbury Baguette Chips Review and a GIVEAWAY!

*This post is sponsored by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

 *GIVEAWAY CLOSED*

Source: General Mills via MyBlogSpark



As first mentioned HERE, I am a member of the online communicaty, "MyBlogSpark" through which I have the opportunity to "connect, share, and discuss" my thoughts on various products. Recently, I was asked to try out a new treat from Pillsbury called "Baguette Chips". Since they sounded so yummy, I said "why not?!" so they sent me a gift pack that included 3 bags of Pillsbury Baguette Chips in Italian Cheese & Herb and 3 bags in Cheddar Sundried Tomato.




Source: General Mills via MyBlogSpark


They arrived last week and we've been sampling away. Now before I give you my opinion on these chips, I'll share some stock information on the product:

"Looking for ways to spice up your snacking routines? Pillsbury knows just how you feel and wants to awaken your taste buds with their new Pillsbury Baguette Chips! These hearty chips are sliced from oven baked bread and topped with savory seasonings bringing the unique and contemporary flavors of Italian Cheese & Herb and Cheddar Sun-dried Tomato to gourmet snack chips. The delicious flavors and perfect texture of these crispy chips can help you round out any recipe.
 

Enjoy Pillsbury Baguette Chips for a wide range of occasions: eat them alone, add a bit more flavor to your favorite dip, spice up soup, or add some crunch to your salad!

With 130 calories per serving (21 baguette chips), and 50% less fat than regular potato chips*, Pillsbury Baguette Chips are delicious snack chips that you can feel good about eating.

*Pillsbury Baguette Chips (5g fat per 29g serving); regular potato chips (11g fat per 29g serving).  See nutrition information for sodium content."


As mentioned, I was sent 3 bags of each flavor for sampling. Here is a photo of the Italian Cheese & Herb variety right out of the bag...

My first impression was "Wow! They're a lot smaller than I expected!". I placed them next to a dime for these photos to give you an idea of the size.

And here is a photo of the Cheddar Sun-dried Tomato variety...

Straight out of the bag and completely plain I have to say that I really liked the taste of these chips. They were really crunchy and had good flavor. And although the small size initially surprised me, it didn't detract from the yummy taste. Personally, I preferred the Cheddar Sun-Dried Tomato. I really liked the Italian Herb ones too, but found they were not as consistent in the amount of flavor on each chip. The Heela (my husband) had a hard time choosing for the same reason I just stated and ultimately said he also preferred the Cheddar Sun-Dried Tomato. Unfortunately, my 4 and 5 year old girls refused to try either one. *sigh*. 

I decided to try them with a little cream cheese to offset the "crunch" with some "smooth" and was really pleased with how nice the contrast worked.

After eating a few more, I found that I actually really liked the smaller size of these chips. It made them more appropriate in my mind for a snack as oposed to other baguette 'chips' I've seen before that are more appetizer-sized. They are thinner too which made them more enjoyable, in my opinion. I think they are a nice alternative to regular chips and would definitely recommend trying them if you're looking for something a little different.

To download a printable coupon for $0.75 off one package, visit http://bit.ly/PBCcoupon today!

Now for the fun stuff...

~GIVEAWAY TIME!~

One lucky RACKS and Mooby reader will receive (3) Bags of Pillsbury Baguette Chips in Italian Cheese & Herb and (3) Bags of Pillsbury Baguette Chips in Cheddar Sundried Tomato (you'll receive 6 bags total!).  To enter this giveaway, in the comment section below, let me know which flavor you’d like to see Pillsbury Baguette Chips come out with next?

**Giveaway Closed - winner has been contacted by email (congrats Lisa!)**


This giveaway will end on July 2 at 5 pm EST. Winners will be contacted by email so please be sure to provide it in your comment (if not already linked to your profile).

Note: Giveaway is limited to US residents only.

For more information feel free to visit:
Pillsbury Website: http://goo.gl/fL5Fa
Pillsbury Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/pad9ru
Pillsbury Twitter Page: http://bit.ly/q8CoIm
 

Disclosure:  As part of my participation in this Spark from MyBlogSpark, I was provided (3) Bags of Pillsbury Baguette Chips in Italian Cheese & Herb and (3) Bags of Pillsbury Baguette Chips in Cheddar Sundried Tomato. The opinions expressed herein are my own and have not been influenced by the receipt of the chips. The product, gift pack, information in quotes above, and additional sample have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

New Cheerios 2-Pack Review and a Giveaway!

Are you a savings Club member (i.e., Costo, Sam's Club, BJs)? Personally, my family belongs to Costco and I love being able to purchase some of our heavily used items in bulk. With 2 pre-schoolers in my house, I recognized early on the value of buying Cheerios cereal at Costco. We go through it like wildfire - and not just the kids, the Heela and I love it too! But, it came in a large, oversized box with 2 plastic bags of Cheerios inside. While it was a great way to get a lot of cereal at once, it was not very practical from a storage perspective. I basically had to transfer the cereal from one of the bags into a tupperware-like container and then had to find somewhere to store the other bag/large box in the meantime. And the box was so tall, it didn't fit on my normal height shelf! Frustrating to say the least. Well... things have changed!

New 2 Box Cheerios Packaging

"While buying Cheerios at Club is already easy and affordable, new 2 box Cheerios packaging format makes Cheerios an even better purchase! You can cheer on the value by purchasing the new 2 box Cheerios packages in Club!"

That's right - new packaging! Instead of one oversized box with 2 bags, the new 2 box Cheerios contains two individual boxes which come attached at the time of purchase, but can be separated once you get home. This makes them so much easier to store and easier to pour!

And the added benefit? The new packaging is greener too! Who doesn't love that?! "By reducing the amount of air in each individual bag, these enhanced containers fit 10% more cereal than before and use less packaging. While each box contains more cereal, packaging material has been reduced by over 200,000 lbs, saving 1,000 trees and taking 130 Cheerios trucks off the road, decreasing CO2 emissions."

Check out this video for all the benefits of new 2 box Cheerios packaging :


If the embedded video doesn't work for you, see below:
Cheerios Video link:  http://bit.ly/CheeriosNew2Box



A few days ago the generous folks at General Mills and My Blog Spark sent me a prize pack to check out the new 2-box Cheerios packaging. The first thing that impressed me was the shorter stature of the package itself. It was a more "normal" size that I knew would fit much better on my pantry shelves. On the left is the new packaging. We happened to have one of the old packages in our pantry already so I compared the two...


New boxes are a more "normal" size

Next I thought it was really neat how the packages could be separated into two individual boxes of cereal. No need to transfer anything to another container (unless I wanted to)! The boxes are connected at the top and the bottom by "stickers" which have little tabs that you pull.



Stickers connect the boxes

You just pry up the tab and tear...

Tab separates easily

The boxes are also connected to each other by those "booger adhesive dots" (yes, that is the technical name) in various spots along the body of the boxes. These also pull apart easily.

Adhesive "Booger" dots keep the boxes connected until you want to separate them

A quick pull apart and you have two separate boxes!

Two separate boxes make for easier storage!

Ta-daaa! So much easier to store! But you still get the benefit and savings of buying "in bulk"!

Now for the fun stuff...

~GIVEAWAY TIME!~

Two RACKS and Mooby readers are each going to win (2) Cheerios 2-pack Cereals (equals 4 boxes)!  To enter this giveaway, in the comment section below, let me know how the new 2 box Cheerios packaging will benefit you and your family?

This giveaway will end on May 9th at 5 pm EST. Giveaway Closed - see winners announced HERE

Note: Giveaway is limited to US residents only.

For more information feel free to visit the Cheerios website HERE.

Disclosure:  As part of my participation in this Spark from MyBlogSpark, I was provided (2) Cheerios 2-packs (4 boxes of cereal). The opinions expressed herein are my own and have not been influenced by the receipt of the cereal. The Cheerios® cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Taste Test - Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker

Do you have any dinner traditions? Maybe "Spaghetti Mondays" or "Taco Tuesdays"? In our house, we somehow got into the tradition of "Pizza Fridays". The girls love pizza, as do I - after all, I am a born and raised Noo Yawker - oh, how I miss me some good NY pizza! :(

Anyway, it has become our tradition to have pizza for dinner on Fridays. We usually order it for delivery and the girls love when the "pizza man" arrives. But every once in a while we will make it ourselves using tortillas as the crust or even more rarely we buy pre-made frozen pizzas. I'll be honest that we don't usually go the frozen pizza route as it isn't as tasty as freshly delivered (you know, my sophisticated New York palate and all) (LOL).

Well, I recently had the chance to try out a couple of (new to me) frozen pizzas  {for free!} as part of my "BzzAgent" participation in the lastest "BzzCampaign" (see details below)! The brand is called Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker and I have to be honest that I had never heard of it before I received my little promo package. The name is pronounced "oht-ker" and according to the materials that came in my package, it is the #1 frozen pizza in Italy even though it is actually a product of Germany.

The pizza comes in six 10" varieties and cooks in about 12 minutes:

Mozzarella: Fresh Mozzarella, sun-ripened tomatoes, zesty pesto sauce

Spinaci: Savory leaf spinach, mozzarella, hearty garlic sauce

Funghi: Aromatic mushrooms, mozzarella, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano

Quattro Formaggi: 4 premium cheeses: edam, mozzarella, emmental, blue cheese, basil seasoning

Vegetale: Tangy tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, chilies, sour cream sauce

Speciale: pepperoni, cooked ham, spicy herbs

In my promo package I received 2 "free" coupons so I selected the Quattro Formaggi and the Speciale for my family to try. At my grocery store (Giant Foods) the regular price is $4.29 (your price may vary) which I felt was a good price compared to other brands of frozen pizza.

Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker

This is what the pizzas looked like before they were cooked.

Quattro Formaggio before being cooked

Speciale before being cooked

They both took about 13 minutes to cook at 425* - we did them at the same time. The directions specifically say NOT to place the pizzas on a cookie sheet or pizza stone, but I took some liberties, and placed the Speciale one on my special air-ated pizza sheet. I did, however, place the cheese pizza directly on the oven rack. When they came out of the oven they looked like this. Not exactly like the pictures on the box, but close.

4 cheese after being cooked

Speciale after being cooked

The Speciale one had a nice crispy crust despite being placed on the pizza sheet. The pepperoni and ham was good (although I'm not a huge meat fan) and even the 5-year old enjoyed a slice of that one. But I'll be honest that the Heela said it was "decent" but didn't "taste much different than any other frozen pizza". Size-wise, the Heela said he could easily eat one whole pizza himself (they are thin crust and about 10" wide). I'm not sure I could eat quite a whole one in one sitting, but could probably do about 3/4 of one on a hungry night. (The package says each pizza has 3 servings - ummm... ok).

The Quattro Fromaggio pizza did not come out with a nice crispy crust which was disappointing. I think our probelm, however, was not the pizza's fault but was instead due to the fact that we cooked both of the pizzas at the same time. We had put the cheese one on the middle rack and the meat one on the rack below it and I think the bottom pizza blocked the middle rack one and, therefore prevented it from getting as crispy as it should have. But we really enoyed the overall taste of this one. I liked the variety of cheeses and those dollops were especially tasty. The 4- and 5-year old both had a piece of this one, but made me scrape off those dollops before they would eat it (you know how finicky little ones can be!). They liked it well enough, but asked me to heat up a leftover slice of Papa Johns for their second serving.

Conclusion: As mentioned, we're not huge frozen pizza eaters to begin with so we aren't going to be making any huge changes in our habits due to this taste test. But the Heela and I agreed that it wouldn't be bad to have a few of those Quattro Formaggio pizzas in the freezer given the inexpensive price (less than $5 for one). I'm not personally interested in any of the other varieties offered (except the mozzarella), but the Heela said he wouldn't mind trying them. So I would probably buy this Ristorante Pizza again. If you're a frozen pizza "regular" I would definitely give this brand a shot! Visit http://www.oetker.us/ for more information.

Legal Stuff: I received coupons entitling me to 2 free Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker and eight $1.50 pass-along coupons as part of my participation as a BzzAgent in the Ristorante Pizza BzzCampaign. However, my opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way by the fact that I received the coupons for free.

Note: What is BzzAgent? "BzzAgent is a network of consumers who voluntarily participate in word-of-mouth (WOM) programs for a variety of products and services. BzzAgent puts products in the hands of countless Agents and helps them share their opinions about them with friends and family via reviews, Facebook posts, photos and videos, blog posts and more". "You get to try awesome products [for free!], your friends get to learn about awesome products and awesome products get even awesomer by listening to your valued feedback". And the best thing, it doesn't cost anything to join or participate - just a little bit of time and the willingess to share your feedback. For more information on the BzzAgent program, including how to join, visit HERE.

Are you gellin'? I have coupons to share with you!

Are you on your feet most of the day? Perhaps because of your job or perhaps just from chasing around your kids all day. Personally, even though I typically sit at a desk most of the day while at work, I am up and on-the-go from the moment I get home until the kids are finally in bed. And even then, I'm usually on my feet doing dishes, cleaning, or tackling a craft or home project before hitting the hay. Needless to say, by the end of the day, my feet are S.O.R.E!

Well, you can imagine my pleasure when I got the chance to try out a set of Dr. Scholls' Massaging Gel Insoles {for free!} as part of my "BzzAgent" participation in the lastest "BzzCampaign" (see details below)! Here was the package I recieved in the mail last month:

At first I didn't think I'd be able to use the inserts for a while since I typically wear sandals every day to work in the summer months and this style of insert doesn't really work in sandal. But then I remembered my pair of cute pink loafers and immediately popped them in.

Well, let me tell you ... these inserts are heaven to walk on. At first, I thought they seemed a little weird - kind of squishy and strange feeling. But then, as I got used to the "non-hardness" under my feet, I found they really felt nice. And after a long day at work and long night of standing around the house, my feet were no longer tired and achy at the end of the day! Wahoo!

My only complaint is that the insert made one of my shoes really tight. Even though they are only a few millimeters thick, I guess it was enough to make a difference in how that particular shoe fit. So even though the bottom of my feet felt heavenly after a long day, the top was a little sore from being squished a little too much on top. But I don't think this would prevent me from using them on a regular basis and I would expect that after extended use, the shoe would stretch enough to allow for those extra few millimeters of space from the insert.  

Here is some info from the pamphlet and website:
Dr. Scholl's Gel Technology was designed specifically to deliver outrageous comfort and support. New Dual Wave Design creates soft gel waves that cushion and absorb shock, giving you comfort with every step... The soft blue gel offers cushioning and shock absorption while the firmer purple gel provides added support.

You can check out the Dr. Scholl's website for more information HERE.

My husband is on his feet pretty much all day at work so he will definitely benefit from a couple pairs of these for his shoes! Glad they gave us some coupons to use!

And speaking of coupons...

They sent me a whole bunch of them to share with family and friends! I'm definitely saving a few for the Heela and myself, but I still have 10 left over to share so... if you are interested in one... leave a comment below with your email address and I'll contact you to find out your mailing address so I can send you one! (or email me at address noted above at "contact me" tab). The coupons are for $5 off one set of Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles and don't expire until 12/31/2011. The insoles retail for $12.99 so getting $5 off is a nice deal! If you happen to catch a sale, even better! First come, first served. I have 10 total.

Legal Stuff: I recieved one free set of Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles and 15 - $5 coupons as part of my participation as a BzzAgent in the Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles BzzCampaign. However, my opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way by the fact that I received the insoles or coupons for free.

Note: What is BzzAgent? "BzzAgent is a network of consumers who voluntarily participate in word-of-mouth (WOM) programs for a variety of products and services. BzzAgent puts products in the hands of countless Agents and helps them share their opinions about them with friends and family via reviews, Facebook posts, photos and videos, blog posts and more". "You get to try awesome products [for free!], your friends get to learn about awesome products and awesome products get even awesomer by listening to your valued feedback". And the best thing, it doesn't cost anything to join or participate - just a little bit of time and the willingess to share your feedback. For more information on the BzzAgent program, including how to join, visit HERE.

I admit it. I have an addiction.

Do you have dry lips? Do you enjoy using lip balm? Do you have a tube of lip balm in virtually every room in your house?? Do you have 4 tubes in your bedroom alone??? Yeah, I do. I'm obsessed, I admit it. Yes, I am addicted to lip balm. In my defense (??) I don't wear lipstick. Ever. When I want a little bit of color, I opt for a berry-colored lip gloss but I really prefer the non-sticky feeling of lip balm instead. So when I came across a tinted lip balm in a recent online group sale, I knew I just had to try it.

Courtesy of Lilac Ave etsy shop

This tinted balm is made and sold by Lilac Ave, a super cute etsy shop that specializes in handmade soy candles, SLS free soaps, and natural spa products.. Through the group sale, I was able to choose from many different flavors for the lip balm and I decided to go for "mint" (although I am still really intrigued by the "margarita" option!!). The package arrived incredibly fast and I admit that I ripped it open voraciously!

Imagine my disappointment when I opened up the tube to find an untinted version of the mint-flavored lip balm. :(  I knew it had to be an unintentional error due to the sheer volume of sales involved in the group sale and I immediately sent an email off to Deb, the shop owner, asking if we could arrange an exchange. Let me tell you, Deb couldn't have been sweeter about the whole thing and immediately apologized for the mistake. And, to make things whole, she offered to send me the tinted mint lip balm free of charge while insisting that I keep the untinted balm too! How nice is that??!! The second package arrived only 2 days later and contained the fabulous tinted lip balm. (Deb also threw in a sample of vanilla scented body scrub - how sweet!!) 

Now, I really have to rave about this lip balm. It goes on SO smoothly. It almost feels like it turns into liquid when you rub it on your lips - unlike any lip balm I've ever used before (and I've tried them all!). I also love the subtle sheer color that the tint provides. It really just enhances the natural color of your lips and doesn't look at all like you're wearing lipstick and it isn't sticky like a gloss. Love it. My only complaint (if you can really call it that - maybe "recommendation" would be a better word) is that I wish the mint flavor was a little bit stronger. But that is just my preference - I like it bold! ;)

I highly recommend trying out this all-natural lip balm. You don't have to get the tinted version if you aren't interested in the added drop of color - she sells it untinted as well (Obviously!). And she offers it flavored or unflavored. See all your lip balm options HERE. While you're there, be sure to check out all of Lilac Ave's other natural items! Thanks, Deb, for selling such a great product!

Legal stuff - While I did receive two lip balms for the price of one (plus a sample of sugar scrub), this has not influenced my opinion of the lip balm product itself. My opinions are honest, unbiased and my own.