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.

Daddy & Company - Scrubba Dub Dub with Daddy Duck & Rubber Duck Gift Set Review and Giveaway! (U.S.) Ends 5/18 (Rafflecopter)

We had a change to review the Scrubba Dub Dub with Daddy Duck & Rubber Duck Gift Set from Daddy & Company! My twenty two month old daughter loves the duck bath book and rubber duck! The duck actually stays afloat and doesn't tip over in the bathtub! This gift set is perfect for any infant or toddler for the bathtub, or to play with outside this summer, in the kiddie pool! The bath book is soft and easy to use for little hands.

The Scrubba Dub Dub with Daddy Duck & Rubber Duck Gift would be a perfect gift for any baby shower or Man shower, which seems to be the newest thing lately!

Hailey enjoys playing with the book and duck inside and outside of the bathtub. I couldn't get a decent photo of her playing with them while taking a bath, so above is what I got!

“Like” Daddy & Company on Facebook.

Follow Daddy & Company on Twitter.

Follow Daddy & Company on Pinterest.

Follow Daddy & Company on Tumblr.

Subscribe to our YouTube.

Follow them on Instagram with your smartphone! Search: daddycompany

Subscribe to the Daily Daddy Blog.

Use the code GIFTSFORDAD or PAM14 (Through 5/31) to receive 15% off your total order! Or if that doesn't work, try code BLOG14 for 10% off your total order.

Buy a Scrubba Dub Dub with Daddy Duck & Rubber Duck Gift Set from Daddy & Company for your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews today! Daddy & Company has many great gift options for new fathers and current fathers too for Father's Day! It's coming up soon on June 15th!

Or enter to win a Scrubba Dub Dub with Daddy Duck & Rubber Duck Gift Set from Daddy & Company here on my blog using the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway open to residents who live in the 48 main continental United States only, sorry. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: I received a Scrubba Dub Dub with Daddy Duck & Rubber Duck Gift Set from Daddy & Company. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

Daddy & Company - Daddy's Disposable Diaper Changing Pads Review and #Giveaway! (U.S.) Ends 5/18 (Rafflecopter)

I love Daddy & Company products! My family have really enjoyed their Bag O' Books, Toddler tees, and Men's Pajama Pants! Now we've had a chance to review their Daddy Disposable Diaper Changing Pads! My husband and I both love these! As the Daddy's Disposable Diaper Changing Pads are so easy to keep inside of the diaper bag and on our night stand next to the bed to change our twenty one month old daughter's diapers. I keep a few inside the diaper bag for those times when there are no disposable changing pads available to use when we are out and about, which is quite often.

My daughter Hailey also loves them! They don't feel like paper at all, they are soft. They aren't slippery at all on the bottom side, and they are long enough to go under her little body from her head to about her knees. They are also wide enough to cover the whole changing table at one of my favorite restaurants that serves healthy chicken nuggets, sandwiches, and other awesome meals with chicken. The designs on them are super cute too! Hailey kept saying "drum, horse, and baby." This was before I changed her diaper!

“Like” Daddy & Company on Facebook.

Follow Daddy & Company on Twitter.

Follow Daddy & Company on Pinterest.

Follow Daddy & Company on Tumblr.

Subscribe to our YouTube.

Follow them on Instagram with your smartphone! Search: daddycompany

Subscribe to the Daily Daddy Blog.

Use the code GIFTSFORDAD or PAM14 (Through 5/31) to receive 15% off your total order! Or if that doesn't work, try code BLOG14 for 10% off your total order.

Buy some Disposable Diaper Changing Pads ($7.95 ARV) , or other products from Daddy & Company today for your husband, son, or grandson from Daddy & Company.

Or enter to win a pack here on my blog using the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway open to residents who live in the 48 main continental United States only, sorry. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: I received a package of Disposable Diaper Changing Pads from Daddy & Company. No other compensation was exchanged or received.

SAT-10 Tests and TCAPS. #StopCommonCore

I sent a copy of my opt out letter to my son's teacher, edited just for her. Then I took a copy to the principal. But after talking things over with my husband, we decided to let our son go and take the tests anyways. I still feel that he should have stayed home. I wouldn't have cared if he missed 5 days of school for the testing. He has only missed 5 days of school so far this year, so 5 more days wouldn't have mattered.

The schools have been making the testing nice for the kids. They have been giving them candy, letting them play outside for up to 2 hours or more a day, and more. I had a friend of mine's 3rd grader tell her mom that she would love to do testing everyday because it's so much fun!

But, my son came home from school yesterday in a strange mood, which is unusual for him. When I went to put his pajamas on last night, he fought me. So I had to grab his hand and take him to my bedroom where his pajamas were at. When I got him in my room, he sat down on the floor and cried and complained of not having snack time. He told me that him and his friends were really hungry and that they didn't get snack time. I told him that I was sorry that happened to him and his friends, and that I would talk to his teacher about it.

When I emailed his teacher and told him that, I found out that my son had been put into a different classroom with only a few of his friends and some other kids in the school that have a special needs IEP for the tests. So he was in a classroom with a teacher or person that he didn't know. He has major issues with change and he has OCD. So he likes routines, and when anyone changes that routine, it upsets him. When my son came back into the classroom, it was around 8:15am, and he was asked if he wanted to have his snacks or go to centers. My son decided to go do centers instead. So it was his own choice to skip his snacks. I don't think that he realized that he was hungry. Poor guy.

But to remedy him being upset last night, I told him that before he left for school this morning, that he could have his snacks after breakfast, and that worked really well and when he left, he was really happy. I made sure he still had snacks in his backpack too. But that extra sugar punch is probably what he needed yesterday after sitting and being quiet for so long, but he didn't realize it. I mean, when it's snack time, and testing, make the kids eat their snacks, period. Don't offer them to do something different!

So it's up to you, as a parent, and protector of your children. Do you send your kids to school to take these tests? I know that some kids aren't taking them for a few more weeks, or until June in some states. Some of the teachers some of them are being not so nice to the kids and telling them that they have to pass these tests in order to go onto the next grade, which IS NOT true! It can count for up to 20% of children's grades, which for some kids, is a drop in the bucket, and really not a big deal. But it can drop an A student down to a B student at report card time, and so on. So a child getting C's, D's, or F's, they might want to take the TCAPS. But know, that the SAT10 tests usually do not affect your children's grades at all! Just ask the principal, most of them will tell you the truth, if you just ask. I know it's scary, and that your afraid, don't be. Speak up, because if you don't speak up now, who else is going to? If you do speak up, and tell others about your experiences, you are helping to empower them and give them the much needed courage to do the same.

What if we all spoke up, and opted our children out of the SAT-10 tests and TCAPS? What if there were no children in schools on the testing days? Could you imagine the attention that we could draw to CCSS and to people in other states, like California, who have NO clue what they are about to get themselves and their children into?

The letter does work, as long as it's in writing, they should honor it. It's scary to do. Make sure you talk to your husband about it first. My husband stated that it's nice for the kids to have the practice when they are younger, so that when they do get to the TCAPS, they aren't anxious, and they know what to expect, and what is expected from them.

We, as parents, need to do what we feel is right for our children, even if it means standing up for what we believe and feel inside. But when you have a husband who doesn't feel the same way that you do, sometimes, it's not so easy. But I am breaking him down! Someday, I am hoping that he might see my side of things, and understand that not everything about the Common Core is so great, and that we need to help change it.

Is it ok for children to write notes like this in class? What if your child did so? What would you think? Would you tell her that it's only temporary? Would you opt her out? What would you do? This is how many of our children feel!

I also heard from a teacher, who said that "Other counties have opted out and were hoping that our county will catch on to how inappropriate it is to test 5 and 6 year olds for over 2 hours! Parents have to call and write state and county representatives because when we as teachers speak up, it's viewed as complaining."

She also thanked me for my blog posts about writing the letter to our schools and fighting the testing. It's not ok to test children like this, no matter how old they are. 5 and 6 year olds are too little to have to sit still for over 2 hours and answer question after question, half of the questions are about topics that they haven't even studied yet. Why in the world would you test a child in kindergarten about stuff he doesn't know about yet? I can tell you, in the two days that my son has taken the SAT10 tests, he seems changed. I know that it's not just me, something in him has changed. I hope that he doesn't lose his trust in me for not protecting him against this, because I told him that I would try to keep him from taking them, and because of his father, my husband, I failed to do so.

BUT, I will keep fighting, keep emailing, keep writing letters, keep sending letters to the district, principals, state and county reps, etc. We need to fight this for our teachers, but especially, for our children, YOUR children, and grandchildren.

Discount Codes In My Inbox!

Put Me in The Story
20% off code - SPRING (expires 5/7)

I See Me (personalized children's products)
10% off code - mail10bvn8jhvz (expires 5/16/2014)
10% off code - SPACE10 (expires 5/30)

Loveless Cafe
25% off code - SWEET14

Daddy & Company
15% off code - GIFTSFORDAD or PAM14 (Through 5/31)