Don’t Wait For The Truck Make An #IceCreamRun To Walgreens

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Ice Cream is a HUGE weakness for our family, especially on hot Georgia Summer days. Sadly the ice cream truck is a thing of the past. Well at least the clean, non creepy ones. Seriously the only ice cream truck that drives around our neighborhood plays Christmas music and is filthy. Thank goodness there is a Walgreens only 10 minutes from the house.

A few days ago I made an #IceCreamRun to Walgreens to satisfy our craving and pick up some of our favorite Unilever brand ice cream treats for a family ice cream party. Did you know that Unilever brands include Magnum, Fruttare, Popsicle, Breyers and Klondike. There were so many options I had a hard time choosing. So I decided to go with a variety, that way I was bound to please everyone. I got a container of Breyers Neapolitan Ice Cream, a box of Strawberry and Milk Fruttare Pops and several individual treats including 2 Rainbow Popsicles, a Klondike Original bar, a Klondike Choco Taco, and a Klondike Mrs. Fields Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich. I got all of this plus a bottle of chocolate syrup, (because you cannot have ice cream without a tasty topping) for a little under $20!

After dinner that night it was time for our family ice cream party. After much deliberation the children choose to go create an ice cream sundae topped with a cookie and chocolate syrup. I went right for the Choco Taco and my husband had the Mrs. Fields Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich.

My favorite item out of the selection we tried was the Choco Taco. It was crunchy, sweet and chocolaty. And the ice cream was so creamy. It is totally my new addiction! The children loved the Strawberry and Milk Fruttare Pops which are oh so creamy and filled with real strawberries. They begged for these at breakfast, lunch and dinner. My husband loved the Mrs. Field's Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich. He said the cookies were amazing and the ice cream was creamy and delicious.

And because I made an ice cream run to Walgreens and not to the ice cream truck our party was able to continue all week long! Because there were more tasty treats waiting to be devoured in the freezer! Ice cream totally makes any night a party!

Do you have a favorite ice cream treat? I’d love to know what it is, leave a comment below!

Disclosure:

I was sponsored by Global Influence to write a review regarding Walgreens and Unilever brand. All opinions are mine alone.  For more information please read my full disclosure page. 

Breakfast On The Go - Gluten Free Muffin Pancakes

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

We are always on the go, as a matter of fact this week we are on a South Georgia Adventure. So for us on the go breakfast items are a must. But finding easy, healthy breakfast items can be quite a task. These Paleo Egg Muffins are what we normally take with us on the go. But thanks to a recommendation from my mom we now have another healthy on the go breakfast item. These can be made in advance and eaten cold or popped into the microwave for a few seconds before heading out the door. The kids absolutely love them and can easily devour an entire batch in one morning.

Gluten Free Muffin Pancakes
Makes 12

Ingredients:
-1 cup of gluten free all purpose flour
-1 tablespoon ground flax seed (flax meal) (this can be omitted if you choose)
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-4 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
-1 cup of milk (or non dairy)
-Favorite topping (chocolate chips, blueberries, strawberries, raisins, cooked bacon, etc)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together.
3. In a separate bowl, mix maple syrup, vanilla, applesauce, and milk.
4. Slowly pour 1/2 of the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Continuously mix until all the lumps are out of the batter. And more liquid as necessary being careful not to make it too runny or too thick.
5. Pour the batter into a 12 cup muffin pan (I use this silicon muffin pan and get great results). If you are not using a silicone pan be sure to grease the cups or use paper liners. Top with your favorite topping (blueberries, chocolate chips, strawberries, raisins, cooked bacon, etc).
6. Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done.

On-The-Go Meal Solution - Revolution Foods Meal Kits Review

*I participated in an Influencer Program on behalf of Mom Central for Revolution Foods. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating. This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details. 

Revolution Foods was founded by two moms who had a dream to transform the way America eats by providing access to healthy, affordable meals at schools. They serve over one million freshly prepared meals every week to K-12 schools nationwide and their retail products are available across the country. They believe that proper nutrition is a cornerstone of providing today's youth the nourishment they need to lead successful, healthy lives. 

A moms review:
Last August we made a decision to start eating healthier. We ditched the boxed, preservative, sugar filled foods and started eating "real, whole foods" instead. It has been a fantastic journey and we are all so much healthier because of a simple change in our diet. However during our journey to eating healthier I encountered one small problem..... 

You see we are an on-the-go family. We drive about 600 miles a week around Georgia on our many adventures. And since eating at fast food restaurants is pretty much out of the question, we needed an alternative. So several times a week you will find us packing lunches. We pretty much have it down to a science now and the children enjoy assisting with the packing, but there are days that we are in a rush and forget to plan ahead and that is where Revolution Foods saves the day.

Revolution Foods Meal Kits are a convenient way for children to eat a meal made with natural, high quality ingredients. There are no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The meats have no added nitrates and the kits come with real cheese.

There are currently 3 meal kit flavors to choose from:

• Ham and Cheddar Meal Kit
• Turkey and Cheddar Meal Kit
• Cheese Pizza Meal Kit

Each Revolution Foods Meal Kit contains at least seven grams of whole grains, one serving of fruit and is packed with protein. 

We picked up 3 Revolution Foods Meal Kits at a local retailer during one of our recent adventures and ate them in the car. Each meal kit ingredient comes in its own little, easy to open, mess free package. They are even easy to eat while driving. I tried the Ham and Cheddar, Gwyn had the Cheese Pizza and Rowyn had the Turkey and Cheddar and of course we each thought our choice was the best. Gwyn loved the idea of building their own pizza (though they did inquire as to why there was no pepperoni). I loved the taste of the nitrate free meat and real cheese. Rowyn loved the honey, wheat crackers and kept saying how tasty they were. And I couldn't agree more with him. And both children couldn't wait to dig into their fruit snack. On the inside of the boxes there were also fun activities printed (word search and postcard) to keep the children busy during the rest of our trip.

These meal kits are truly a life saver. They are a great tasting, ready-to-eat option for home, school, camp or on-the-go. As a mom that is now very concerned about what her children are eating now I felt good knowing that they were eating a product that contained natural ingredients and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. I highly recommend these meal kits over competitor brands because of the taste, price and quality. 

Be sure to download your $1.00 off coupon before you go! Revolution Foods Meal Kits are available at Safeway stores nationwide, check the store locator for details. Retail price is around $3.49 (may vary).

Links to follow:

-Revolution Foods Website
-Revolution Foods Facebook 
-Revolution Foods Twitter

How important are healthy lunches to your family? Will you give Revolution Foods Meal Kits a try?

Fresh Express Salad - Fresh, Healthy And Tasty #SaladSwap

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

We started our Paleo/Primal diet journey in August 2013. Our journey to eating healthier has been a fantastic one! One of our weekly family meals is salad. It is a quick, easy, healthy and tasty meal. And thanks to the Fresh Express 30-Day Salad Swap it's a fun meal too!

Have you checked out the FREE 30-Day Salad Swap app yet? This app was created by Fresh Express and provides families with instant access to an extensive library of recipes and salad swaps, a progress tracker, motivation, inspiration and even Fresh Express coupons. It's the perfect way to eat and feel better this year!

About Fresh Express Salad:
We received free product coupons from Fresh Express Salad for the purpose of this review. Fresh Express has been in business since 1989. They created the very first ready-to-eat garden salad available in grocery stores nationwide. Today, Fresh Express is the leader in delivering delicious, nutritious, fresh salads to healthy consumers. The brand has an amazing selection of fresh salad mixes, complete kits, and wholesome, USDA-Certified organic products.

For our Fresh Express salad buffet dinner night we tried out the Spinach, Caesar Salad Kit and Farmers Garden. We found the salad at our local Publix store and there was a wide selection to choose from. I cooked up some bacon and cut up an assortment of toppings and our salad buffet was ready to go in less than 20 minutes. And because Fresh Express salads are thoroughly washed, rinsed, and gently dried I was able to just open the bags and serve. The bags are patented "Keep-Crisp" breathable bags so they the vegetables keep their just-picked freshness, without any nasty preservatives.

My husband had the Spinach Salad. He said it was crispier and better tasting than the brand I normally buy. Our bearded dragon also had the spinach for dinner and gobbled it right up! We had some salad leftover so we just folded the top down and places a clip on the bag. I was delightfully surprised at how crisp it remained over the next few days.

The kids had the Cesar Salad Kit. The kit included dressing, cheese and croutons. They both agreed that the salad was very tasty and they each went back for seconds. These salad kits are perfect for a quick meal or even an on-the-go meal! Because eating out has become more difficult for us (it is very hard to find healthy fast food) we often take salad with us on our adventures. Gwyn loved the salad so much she even made herself a breakfast salad the next morning. Her creation was a Cesar Salad topped with grapes, oranges and ranch dressing!

I had the Farmer's Garden Salad. This salad comes Butter Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Grape Tomatoes, Carrots, Radishes. I agree with my husband, the salad was much crispier and fresher than our normal brand! I tend to go with Spinach normally as my salad choice, but I really wanted to try something a little different and I am glad I did. The butter lettuce is divine!

I highly recommend Fresh Express Salads. They are healthy and great tasting. Salad is the perfect healthy dinner for those busy days...you know the ones I'm talking about moms!

Links to follow:
-Fresh Express Website
-Fresh Express Facebook
-Fresh Express Pinterest
-Moms Meet Website

Where to purchase:
Fresh Express products can be conveniently found at Target and Publix stores across the country and many other major retailers. To find a store near you, visit freshexpress.com/store-locator.aspx. Fresh Express salad mixes can vary in price, depending on the retailer, but they typically cost between $2-$4 per bag.

Before you go don't forget your FREE coupon!

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC. or the manufacturer of the product.

Paleo Zucchini and Ground Beef And Make It Monday Link Up

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

I made this yummy zucchini and ground beef meal a few weeks ago and it was a huge hit with the family. If you like Italian dishes then this is one you will definitely need to try. It is inexpensive, quick and easy to make!

Paleo Zucchini and Ground Beef
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground beef
-2-3 tomatoes, chopped
-2-3 zucchini, sliced
-1 onion, chopped
-2 bell peppers, chopped
-1 tbsp onion powder
-1 tbsp garlic powder
-1 tbsp italian seasoning
-1/8 tsp pepper and salt
-1/8 tsp basil
-10 mild or hot peppers, chopped
-25 oz of your favorite tomato pasta or marinara sauce
-Parmesan cheese (optional)
-Mushrooms (optional)

1. Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium, heat. Drain the fat.
2. Add tomatoes, zucchini, onion, bell peppers, mild peppers and spices and saute about 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in pasta/marinara sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Top with parmesan cheese and mushrooms if you desire.

Hello and welcome to my new link up Make It Monday! If you or your children made something awesome recently link it up. It can be a Lego creation, a beautiful masterpiece, a creative craft or a delicious recipe...you get the point! If it is something you made and created with your own two hands you can link it up

If you have a creation to share

please link up at the bottom of this post!

Feel free to copy this button to share

somewhere on your blog.

Paleo/Gluten Free Prune Brownies And Make It Monday Link Up

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Is there such a thing as healthy brownies? You bet. Prune brownies. I made these a couple weeks ago and the kids loved them.

Paleo/Gluten Free Prune Brownies

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup of almond flour
-6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 cup of honey
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons coconut oil
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-4 ounces of pureed prunes (I made my own using my Bullet)
-2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 inch square pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, cocoa, honey and salt together. Pour in the coconut oil, vanilla, prunes and eggs.Mix everything together, until blended.
3. Spread the batter evenly into the pan.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean.

**If you are able to eat nuts you can add them on top prior to putting the brownies in the oven. 

Hello and welcome to my new link up Make It Monday! If you or your children made something awesome recently link it up. It can be a Lego creation, a beautiful masterpiece, a creative craft or a delicious recipe...you get the point! If it is something you made and created with your own two hands you can link it up

If you have a creation to share

please link up at the bottom of this post!

Feel free to copy this button to share

somewhere on your blog.

Link up: Make It Monday with Kathy's Cluttered Mind.

KIND Healthy Grains Bars Review - #kindawesome

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details. Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

KIND healthy snack bars began in 2004 with only 8 bar varieties. They now offer over 22 bars and 6 Healthy Grains snackable clusters, and a variety of new recipes being perfected and refined to the standards in the KIND kitchen. All of the KIND products are healthy, tasty and made in the USA! They believe that their customers deserve both and they call it-their brANd philosophy!

A moms review:
We started eating healthier last August after I discovered that I have malabsorption and food intolerance issues which were causing me to have health issues for the last several years. After going to a mostly primal/paleo diet and cutting out almost all gluten, artificial sugar, dairy, GMOs, dyes and soy the entire family has noticed a major difference (the entire family does not always cut out those items, but I do). We feel better, look better, have more energy and are less grumpy. And my type 1 diabetic husband has even had better blood sugar levels. One thing I have been searching for though was a healthy, affordable on the go snack. Well thanks to KIND I have found it!!!

Their NEW KIND Healthy Grains Bars are amazing. They are chewy, crunchy and loaded with flavor. The entire family loved the KIND Healthy Grains Bars, the kids kept calling them crispy snacks. They were perfect for an afternoon snack or on the go breakfast. The granola bars are made from five super grains and are mixed with yummy ingredients like pumpkin seeds, toasted coconut flakes, dark chocolate chunks and more. Each bar contains 18-22 grams of whole grains sourced from a blend of 100% unique whole grains including amaranth, quinoa, gluten-free oats, millet and buckwheat. They are all Non-GMO and Gluten Free. Some do contain dairy and soy, however the amount is low because even when I ate one with dairy or soy I didn't get the headache that I normally do when I consume those ingredients.

Flavors include:

• Dark Chocolate Chunk
  Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate
  Vanilla Blueberry
  Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt
  Oats & Honey with Toasted Coconut

We got to try all of the flavors and all of them were delicious...but my favorite was the Peanut Butter Chocolate. The kids liked the Dark Chocolate Chunk and hubby liked the Oats & Honey with Toasted Coconut.

KIND is a pretty awesome company too. They donate money every month to a KIND project, they help with disaster relief, and they encourage everyone to, "Do The KIND Thing" and publicly share who and what makes life #kindawesome. 

So I thought I would share who makes life #kindawesome for me. My husband is my personal superhero. I know this may sound cliché, but he really is. He is not only my spouse, but also my best friend and my everything. And he is my ROCK! When I am stressed or feeling down he picks me up and tells me everything will be okay. He is always there to support me no matter what. Because of his hard work and determination I am able to be at home with the kids, so they can be homeschooled. I love him dearly and am so proud of him. He is #kindawesome!

Links to follow:

- Website
- Facebook 
- Twitter

Where to buy:
You can purchase KIND Healthy Grains Bars at your favorite grocery store or Amazon. Three, 5 pack boxes run about $11.97 on Amazon.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Yummy Pouches Review - An Easy Way To Take Healthy Snacks On The Go

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details. Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Yummi Pouch is a family owned and operated business in Issaquah, WA. The company started in 2013 and is blowing up in the media. They have been featured on Parents, Huffington Post, Mom Invented and more. The owners are a husband wife team, Andy and Katie, who created an innovative product to help parents make snack time easier and healthier for their children.

"We are passionate about serving people and pursing adventures together, and we are honored to be able to impact people's lives with our Yummi Pouch products."

A moms review:

I am always searching for products that will make our on the go family lifestyle easier! Now that we are eating a healthier diet we pack all of our breakfasts and lunches, instead of stopping by a gas station or fast food restaurant like we used to. Packing a meal generally involves water bottles for beverages, ziplock baggies for dry snacks, plastic containers for liquid snacks and plastic sandwich containers. But all of these items create a very heavy lunch bag that I have to lug around on our adventure. And ziplock baggies are not very ecofriendly or leakproof. But thanks to Yummi Pouches I now have a simple, ecofriendly, cost effective, lightweight option for packing healthy snacks...both liquid and dry!

We received a set of 8 Yummi Pouches to review. We received 2 - Brights 6 oz, 2 - Sport 10 oz and 2 - Classic 6 oz Yummi Pouches. I loved how much easier Yummi Pouches made our on to go meal preparation! The kids loved them and thought they were easy and fun to use. Even my car seats loved them...no more milk, applesauce or berry smoothie stains! There are a variety of sizes and designs to choose from. There are even cozy pouch covers, name labels, stickers, spoon attachments and more for Yummi Pouches. The pouches fit great into our lunch bag and are much lighter than water bottles and plastic containers. They are just the right size for little hands too. Plus you can freeze the pouches so they can double as an ice pack too, keeping your meal cool until lunch time rolls around.

The only thing that I would love to see the company add is a strap, to keep the cap attached to the neck of the pouch. You know how kids can be with misplacing stuff. Yummi Pouch does sell replacement caps though (6 pack for $2.99).

Mixed Berry Breakfast Smoothie:
Serves 6

Ingredients:
-3 cups of almond milk (or coconut milk)
-2 cups of frozen or fresh mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
-1 tsp of honey
-Splash of orange juice

1. Blend all the ingredients together.
2. Fill your Yummi Pouch and go!

For more Yummi Pouch recipes check out the Yummi Pouch website.

Yummi Pouch Features:

- Each pouch holds up to 2.5, 6, or 10 ounces of your favorite homemade smoothies and blended snacks.
- Food grade material is BPA-free, PVC-free, and phthalate-free.
- Dishwasher safe, just expand the bottom and stand upside down over the prongs.
- Freezer safe.
- Reusable and recyclable.
- Great for healthy, on the go snacks.
- Easily to fill through the reinforced, wide top, leak proof zipper opening (bottom in case of the minis. 

-Stand up on their own once the bottom gusset is expanded. 

-Received National and International recognition.
- Backed by a 30 day product guarantee.

- Recyclable and fully CPSP compliant.

-Small business owned in the USA. 

How to use:

1. Choose your desired Yummi Pouch size 2.5, 6 or 10 ounce. 

2. Open your Yummi pouch using the leak proof zipper seal and expand the bottom gusset (6 and 10 ounce pouches).

3. Fill your Yummi Pouch with your desired homemade blended snack. There is a fill line on each Yummi Pouch so you don't under or over fill. Read more about filling your pouch here.

4. Take your Yummi Pouch with you on your adventure and enjoy!

5. To clean your Yummi Pouch simply expand the bottom gusset by filling the pouch with warm water add a little bit of dishsoap and rinse a few times. You can also use a bottle brush or scrubber. Then stand it upside down on the top rack of the dishwasher. Read more about cleaning your pouch here.

Gwyn's (age 8) review:

I love Yummi Pouches. They are cute and fun. They make eating easier. And I don't make messes!

Links to follow:

-Website

-Store

-Facebook page

-Twitter page

Where to buy:
You can purchase Yummi Pouches directly from the Yummi Pouch store, prices range $7.99 (2 piece set) - $35.00 (gift set). Use code PARTY4YP to save 10% off! You find Yummi Pouches on Amazon! All of the Yummi Pouch products are also backed by a 30 day product guarantee.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

10 Must Have Items In Your Primal/Paleo Pantry

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

photo credit valueinvestingworld.com

I mentioned recently in my Not Jut Tacos Review (Free eBook Promo) that we started the Primal Diet. I have also been posting pictures daily on Instagram of our yummy Primal Meals. We started eating Primal simply because we wanted to be healthier. I was very skeptical but thanks to my friend Almost Supermom we dumped the junk over 8 weeks ago and haven't looked back. After dealing with headaches and muscle pain since January (and refusing the treatments my doctors wanted to prescribe) I knew it was time to try something else...something natural and simple!!! I had only one doctor recommend a diet change over the last several months and that was my OBGYN. I began reading and getting information from my best friend and decided that changing the way we eat might be the answer I was looking for. During my research I had read about how the Primal Diet can help with alleviating muscle pain, stabilizing blood sugar levels in diabetics and overall mood...REALLY???? I still was skeptical but after our move we cleaned out the pantry and said goodbye to the oatmeal, cereal, chips, boxed food, bread, canned soups and cookies. I visited Aldis and filled our shopping cart with fruits, veggies, meats, milk, lots and lots of eggs, nuts, seeds and cheese instead. I paged through cookbooks, pinned recipes online and of course continued bugging my friend for advice.

It has been amazing!!! My muscle pain has improved a little and my reflux is pretty much gone. I am not completely healed though and fatigue and pain does still affect me. So I am also giving up dairy and soy as well. My husband who has Type 1 diabetes has notice significant changes with his blood sugar levels. They are staying consistently lower (he even had to back off his basal and bolus on his pump). His GI issues are on the road to repair. And the kids are less whiny and distracted.

I NEVER thought a diet change could our lives but it has! Thank you Almost Supermom for the encouragement!

Here are 10 Must Have Items In Your Primal Pantry:
1) Coconut Flour and Cocanut Oil
2) Spices
3) Fruit - I buy fresh, canned (no syrup), dried and frozen.
4) Eggs lots and lots of eggs. We are going through about 3 dozen every 2 weeks.
5) Veggies - Again I buy fresh, canned and frozen.
6) Dairy products including milk, a variety of cheeses (sliced/blocked/shredded), cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and yougurt (my family eats these but I no longer do)
7) Maple Syrup (the real stuff) and Organic Honey - great to use as a sweetner
8) Meat - Choose a nice variety to mix things up. I normally get ground beef, sausage, bacon, chicken, steak and pork chops.
9) Sunflower, Almond Butter or Natural Peanut Butter (great on celery with raisens)
10) Seeds and Nuts

And there you have it that is pretty much my Primal grocery list.

I should also mention that it has been over 9 weeks since I have had a coke!!!! Instead I drink tea to get my dose of caffeine!

Because of the impact this diet has had on our lives I will be blogging more about the Primal Diet. Be sure to visit my Recipes Pinterest Board for Primal recipe ideas. I also have a few posted here on my 365 Days of Pinterest Posts.

Be sure to browse through all of our other Top 10 Posts!

Do you follow any particular diet?

Linking up with: Top Ten Tuesday