The Greek Yogurt Kitchen Cookbook Review and Giveaway! (U.S.) Ends 5/18 (Rafflecopter)

Greek yogurt is no longer just for breakfast or that 3 PM snack. With THE GREEK YOGURT KITCHEN: More Than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, nutritionist Toby Amidor takes Greek yogurt and elevates it from a pigeonholed breakfast food to an extraordinary, all-purpose ingredient.

The cookbook is a healthy, scrumptious, kid-friendly meal manual that no kitchen should do without.
Amidor showcases the multiple health benefits of Greek yogurt (ranging from improving heart health to lowering high blood pressure), gives readers a crash course in Greek yogurt 101 — from making your own Greek yogurt to tips on what to look for when buying— and the versatility of Greek yogurt. Wholesome, delicious, and adaptable, THE GREEK YOGURT KITCHEN includes Greek yogurt in an array of family recipe staples, sweet tooth favorites, and kitchen classics that will satisfy every palate including:

• Whole Grain Banana-chocolate Chip Pancakes
• Smoked Salmon Torte
• Wasabi Sesame Dip
• Avocado Soup with Pineapple Salsa
• Quinoa Burgers
• Rice Pudding with Drunken Cherry Sauce
• Lemon-Blueberry Stuffed French Toast
• Kicked Up Cheddar-Potato Casserole
• Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
• Spinach Macaroni Bake
• Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

With over 130 recipes, home chefs will never lack for a simple, mouth-watering meal idea be it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or beyond.

Lemon-Blueberry Stuffed French Toast 
SERVES 4

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 cup nonfat milk
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ loaf challah bread, preferably whole wheat
1 ¼ cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed if frozen)
¼ cup nonfat lemon Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray.
Heat it on the stove over medium-low heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
Cut the challah into eight ½-inch-thick slices.
Submerge half the slices in the egg mixture, being sure to moisten both sides.
Then place soaked slices on the heated skillet and cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes.
Flip and cook on the other side until browned, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
Spray skillet with cooking spray and repeat with the remaining challah slices.
To make the filling, mash the blueberries and lemon yogurt together in a small bowl.
To assemble each stuffed French toast, place 1 piece of French toast on a plate.
Spread ¼ cup of the lemon-blueberry mixture over the bread. Top with another piece of French toast, and slice in half.
Just before serving, sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar evenly over the stuffed French toast.

SERVING SIZE: 1 stuffed French toast
NUTRITION INFORMATION (PER SERVING): Calories: 379; Total Fat: 9 grams; Saturated Fat: 3 grams; Protein: 19 grams; Total Carbohydrates: 53 grams; Sugars: 19 grams; Fiber: 6 grams; Cholesterol: 232 milligrams; Sodium: 438 milligrams

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN is the founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition, where she provides nutrition and food safety consulting services. She is a nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com, writing for their Healthy Eats Blog, a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report’s Eat + Run blog, and an adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Toby trained as a clinical dietitian at New York University. Her expertise includes over 14 years of experience in various areas of food and nutrition. Through ongoing consulting and faculty positions, she has established herself as one of the top experts in culinary nutrition, food safety, and media.

The Greek Yogurt Kitchen will be for Sale on May 6, 2014!

Connect with Toby online:
http://tobyamidornutrition.com
Like Toby Amidor Nutrition on Facebook.
Follow Toby Amidor on Twitter.
Follow Toby Amidor on Pintrest.

Visit Grand Central Publishing:
www.hachettebookgroup.com
Follow Grand Central Publishing on Twitter.

Enter below using the Rafflecopter for for a chance to win your own soft-cover copy of THE GREEK YOGURT KITCHEN: More Than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, cookbook. Giveaway is open to residents who live in the main 48 continental United States only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of The Greek Yogurt Kitchen cookbook in exchange for my review
and giveaway post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

#Sponsored: Tips On How To Create Quality Time With Your Family (and Welch’s “Share What's Good” photo contest)

Disclosure: “I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Welch's. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

Sometimes my husband and I are so busy with taking care of our home, getting the kids bathed, dressed, fed, their homework done, the house cleaned up, and more, that we forget to take time out and spend time with our children. I recently discovered that I spend a lot of time in front of my laptop, and I have decided to cut my time online so that I can spend more time with my three children. As they aren't going to remember when I bought them this toy or that toy, as much as they will remember that mommy and daddy played a game with them, took them outside, read them a book, or just took some time our of our busy day to hold and talk to them.

My Tips on How To Create Quality Time With Your Children Are:

1) Play a board game or do a puzzle with your child or children.
It's not too hard to find a half hour or an hour and sit on the floor or at the table and play a board game with your children.

2) Take 10 minutes each day just talking with and listening to your child individually.
Talk to them, ask them how their day went. Ask them about the weather, how was school, how their bus ride home from school was, or what they might like to do more as a family, with you. I never thought that spending just 10 minutes a day with my children, just talking with them, or listening to them, could make such a difference in their behavior, and my relationships with each of them, but it does! Our 10 minute special time together each day, sometimes turns into 15 or 20 minutes, or sometimes longer! But it's fine. Spending time with my children is what I live to do.

3) Have dinner at least one night a week at the dinner table.
Sit together and have dinner at least once a week, as a family, at the dinner table. This means no watching TV while your eating, and all cell phones must be on silent or turned off, and your not allowed to answer them. You'd be surprised what your children might tell you while your sitting around the table together, eating dinner, as a family. They really enjoy this time together, I know that I did, and I still do.

4) Talk with your children when you give them a bath.
I especially enjoy this time! We talk, play, and enjoy some personal time, just me and them, one on one.

5) Hugs.
Yes, it's as simple as that! Hug your children as much as you can throughout the day. Make sure to even tell them that you love them, at least once or twice a day, or more. I find this one tough for myself to do with having three children. I do love them, and I do my best to tell them and remind them, but I forget to actually say it. I know how much it meant to me when my parents would tell me that they loved me. As they didn't say it often, but when they did, I was on top of the world.

I hope that I was able to give you some ideas to help you connect more with your children. I am not the perfect, and I am probably not one of the best parents in the world, but I am trying to be the parent that I want my kids to remember me being. Loving, caring, and present.

Check out the Contest below for ways in which you can Share your special moments with others from Welch's, and enter for a chance to win $5,000!!!

Welch’s believes in the magic of “kitchen table” moments, and has been helping families enjoy them for generations. In the time it takes to drink a glass of juice or share a sandwich, a special moment can happen. That’s why Welch’s just launched a new movement called “Share what’s good™” It’s all about sharing those special moments that occur each day with family, friends and loved ones – whether it’s at home or on the go. At Sharewhatsgood.com you’ll find a variety of great content from fun family ideas to delicious recipes. You can share photos of your every-day moments and see how others are doing the same. 

The “Share what’s good” Photo Contest Details:

As part of the Share what’s good campaign, Welch’s has launched the “Share Your Moments” photo contest! From Now until October 25th, upload a photo of your favorite family moment for a chance to win $5,000! Visit Sharewhatsgood.com to enter.

You can also Share Your photos to Twitter and Instagram, using the #sharewhatsgood hashtag to enter to win the Share what’s good Photo Contest!

LIKE Welch’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/welchsgrapes

Follow Welch’s on Twitter: @Welchs

Follow Welch’s on Instagram: @Welchs

Recess Monkey's "Deep Sea Diver" CD Review and Giveaway! (U.S.) Ends 9/23 (Rafflecopter)

Deep Sea Diver is Recess Monkey's "blue album," an ocean-themed recording set in a submarine that plumbs the musical depths of the sea before becoming shipwrecked on the beach of a distant lost island. Conceived as "the Recess Monkey-est Recess Monkey album ever," Deep Sea Diver is filled with a boatload of the band's over-the-top, super zany, clever, high-energy songs that deliver lots of synth, funk, and everything in between, all written and produced with a high degree of seaworthy musical and creative artistry.

My children both really enjoy singing along with the first song on the album Tambourine Submarine! It's fast paced, which my children love, and they were dancing to the song and having a great time! Even my fourteen month old daughter was rocking out!

My four year old really loved Recess Monkey's song "Shrimp." It was sort of like listening to a child's cute rap music song, but, not as annoying to me as most rap songs are. She's shorter than her brother, and he's always telling her that she's too young or too small to do things. She is, and she isn't. She can amazingly do more than him some days. She is small, but she is mighty!

Finish out your summer with your family and listen to Recess Monkey's "Deep Sea Diver" while driving to the beach, swimming in your pool, hanging out around the house, or at your child's next birthday party! The album is recommended for children ages 2 to 8 years old, but, my fourteen month old loved it! I feel it's for children of all ages, and parents too! 

Deep Sea Diver is available at recessmonkey.com, amazon.com, cdbaby.com, theAVCafe.com, bigkids.com, iTunes, bandcamp.com, Silver Platters, Sonic Boom Records, and Barnes & Noble.

Recess Monkey Live - Fall/Winter - 2013/2014

• Sept. 21 & 22 - Life is Good Festival, Canton, MA
• Oct. - Dec. - Teatro Zinzanni, Seattle, WA (13 performances)
• Jan. 18, 2014 - Symphony Space, New York, NY
• Jan. 19, 2014 - Jammin' Java, Vienna, VA

Check out the Recess Monkey website at http://recessmonkey.com and listen to music samples from their Deep Sea Diver album!

Recess Monkey on Facebook: http://facebook.com/recessmonkeytown

Follow Recess Monkey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/recess_monkey

Check out Recess Monkey's YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKi68m_2R4s&list=PLBFFA8A86E6770B4F

Enter below using the Rafflecopter form to enter the giveaway.
Giveaway is open to residents who live in the 48 continental United States only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: I will receive a copy of Recess Monkey's "Deep Sea Diver" album on CD in exchange for my review and giveaway post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

Back to School with Wholly Guacamole Minis Review and Giveaway! (U.S.) Ends 8/18 (Rafflecopter)

My children and I LOVE Wholly Guacamole! My four year old daughter is always asking me to share my Wholly Guacamole dip with her, and I do, but she likes to double dip. I don't like to eat or share things too much when they are shared with someone else, even my own children. I especially don't like it when we are at a party or get together, and someone is double, triple, or quadruple dipping. I have a cousin on my mom's side of the family that does this!

Wholly Guacamole has come out with Wholly Guacamole 100 Calorie (per cup) Minis (in 4ct or 6ct. boxes) in Classic, Spicy, Avocado Ranch, and Chunky. The Wholly Guacamole Classic is spicy, just the way I like it! The Wholly Guacamole Chunky isn't spicy at all, as it's made of only 100% avocados! Which is awesome for my four year old daughter to eat with her chips! As she isn't fond of eating spicy foods yet. I am not too fond of the Avocado Ranch or Spicy versions, as the flavors are a little too strong tasting for my palate. But other people at my daughter's birthday party seemed to enjoy them!

These cute little Wholly Guacamole Minis are perfect for school lunches and for people who would like so pack a little special in their own lunch too! Children who love to dip their veggies and chips in guacamole can now dip them at school with Wholly Guacamole Minis! Not to mention, one of these minis, is the perfect portion to put on a piece of toast with butter! My favorite thing to do with avocados and guacamole!

I am also not a big salsa fan. But I tried the NEW Wholly Guacamole Roasted Tomato Salsa, and I finally found a Salsa that I like!!! The salsa has the sweet and smokey flavors of roasted tomatoes and it really tastes good too!

If you LOVE Wholly Guacamole products as much as I do, make sure to Print out a $1.00 off coupon to take with you on your next shopping trip! If you LIKE Wholly Guacamole on Facebook, you can also print out a $1.00 off coupon from their Facebook page!

Would you like to receive a cooler of the NEW Wholly Guacamole Minis, Wholly Guacamole Salsa, a Wholly Guacamole Bag Clip, and a Wholly Guacamole squeezable avocado to help you host your next party or get together, or for you and your family to keep and enjoy for yourselves? Of course You do! Enter below using the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win a Cooler full of Wholly Guacamole Goodies!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: I received a cooler from Wholly Guacamole that included some Wholly Guacamole Minis samples, Wholly Guacamole Salsa, a Wholly Guacamole Bag Clip, and a Wholly Guacamole squeezable avocado in exchange for my review and giveaway post. No other compensation was received or exchanged. The above opinions are mine, and mine alone. This review and giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pintrests, or Google Plus. The photos above are also mine that I personally took, please do not steal them, or copy and paste any part of my post without my permission. All of my blog posts are copyrighted.

Spicy Subscriptions Giveaway on Mommy Splurge! Ends 7/28

Enter for a chance to Win a Deluxe toy and some samples from Spicy Subscriptions on Mommy Splurge!

 

Giveaway Ends 7/28.

Enter the giveaway using a Rafflecopter form!

Open to residents of the 48 continental United States only, 18 years of age or older.

Low Entry Giveaways Ending Tonight, Wednesday 9/26

$25 GC to Publix - U.S. - Airplanes and Dragonflies (one easy entry)

Ego Girl Dress - U.S. - Sarah Scoop *RC

Complimentary lunch or dinner for four at Zoe's Kitchen (for every entry received, San Antonio Mom Blogs will donate $1 to the San Antonio Food Bank (up to $200) - San Antonio, TX or around there - San Antonio Mom Blogs *RC

Watch it! Elapsed Time Clock - U.S. - Having Fun Saving *RC

Zipfizz prize pack consisting of a water bottle and Zipfizz variety pack - U.S. - The Children's Nook

Plush Snoopy Doll (5 winners) - U.S. - The Staten Island Family

Melissa & Doug Suspend game - U.S. - Musings From Me

Rice Krispies Prize Pack - U.S. - Married My sugar daddy

Wacky Wand Bath Toy from B Kids - U.S. - Lille Punkin

Milk Unleashed variety pack consisting of four shelf safe milks (white and chocolate) from: Hershey’s, LaLa, Horizon and Organic Valley*! Plus the variety pack will have a cow stress ball and information on shelf safe milk - U.S. - Because I Love Coupons *RC

One e-cloth Deep Clean Mop and one Paperless Kitchen skoy cloth 4 pack to help make your cleaning greener ($47.98 value) - U.S. - Family Focus Blog

Junior Orioles Dugout Club pack (1 General Admission ticket to 10 special Dugout Club games, Official Junior Orioles Dugout Club hat, Dugout Club lanyard, Official Membership Card Members-only giveaway item at every Dugout Club game, Subscription to Orioles Kids Magazine, Orioles Drawstring Bag, Plus family and friends can purchase additional Upper Deck General Admission tickets for only $6 or assigned Left Field Lower Box seating for $15) - U.S. - Musings From Me


$25 GC to TinyPrints.com (9/27 @12noon CST) - U.S. - Break For Moms


*Giveaways with over 200 entries, but under 500:  

Go Green Lunch Box Set (Insulated fabric carrier, a four-compartment food container, and a bottle that will hold eight ounces of water or your child’s favorite drink – all leach- and lead-free ($32.99 value) - U.S. - Family Focus Blog