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@Bertolli Gets Dinner On The Table Without Brain Strain #BertolliMealSoup

At the end of the day, when it is time to prepare dinner, I’m fairly brain dead. Here we have a photo of me using every ounce of concentration to confusedly mince an onion at about 6:30 pm on a week day.

If you need a night off but can’t afford to treat yourself to a dinner out, you should know that in the freezer section of your local grocery (I found mind at Target), there is hearty, yummy and easy-to-prepare restaurant-quality Bertolli Meal Soup.

These take about 10 minutes to prepare, leaving you time to do something extra fancy like pop a pan of frozen dinner rolls into the oven so that your loved ones think you are the Kitchen Master.

I chose some tasty Bertolli pasta meals in order to create a special weeknight for high quality “me time”.

This was probably one of the hardest weeks of my life. At the very beginning of the week, on Tuesday at 3:30 pm, to be precise, I was laid off.

This is especially stressful because I was already scheming for ways to earn more money on top of my meager salary.

Then I went from “meager” to “two weeks severance”.

I’m not going to be dining out for quite a while.

But, I have a couple of bags of Bertolli Meal Soup…each retails for $5.99 and contains two servings. If you visit http://www.villabertolli.com they even have suggestions for wine pairings for each of their frozen meals!

I think Bertolli Meal Soup are a great winter go-to easy home meal. I would like to see a vegetarian minestrone in the future! A girl can dream!

Last month, Bertolli launched a program called Ladles of Love, aiming to donate 400,000 meals ($50,000) to Feeding America. This donation will benefit local food banks, and Bertolli fans have the chance to click to show their support.  It’s free, quick and easy to help.  Just a “click” on the Ladles of Love Facebook tab and you can help reach the goal of 25,000 clicks.

Check out Bertolli Meal Soups on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. My opinions are not boughten. I do need a job though.

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@ProFlowers Last Minute Valentine’s Day Giveaway

Valentine’s Day almost here!

My mom happens to have a birthday on February 13th, and I arranged a food gift for her from ProFlowers.

I was able to select the delivery date and time, and a tasty gift in my price range.

It wasn’t an easy selection, there was a lot of good stuff to choose from!

ProFlowers has Valentine’s Day flowers…have you taken care of that yet for your love?

ProFlowers has given me a $50 gift code to giveaway to one Mom Most Traveled reader!

I also have a special discount link that gives you 20% off on your entire order (with no minimum required), good now through Valentine’s Day. Go shop for Valentines Deals!

Don’t want flowers? I also have a 20% off link for Shari’s Berries.

 

So! For your chance to win this $50 gift code to ProFlowers.com, you can

1) Comment on this post about what you might get with $50 at ProFlowers.com Who is it for?

2) Share a link to this giveaway on Facebook and paste the URL to your share in a comment on this blog post.

3) Tweet about this giveaway, including a link to this post and @MomMostTraveled. Leave me a link to the tweet in the comments on this blog post.

4) Subscribe to my RSS feed. If you are already a subscriber, comment with the email addy you subscribe with so I can confirm.

This is going to be a quick contest, closing at midnight on Saturday 2/11. I will email the winner their gift code on Sunday before noon.

Good! Do it!

 

 

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Family Travel: New York City With Kids

A family vacation to New York is rife with possibilities. Not everything about New York City is kid friendly, but if you know where to look, a visit to NYC can be a rich experience for visitors of any age.

DECIDING WHAT TO SEE

 

My kids are very much into museums, mostly because they love Indiana Jones. I recommend a New York Sightseeing Pass which allows you to pay a flat daily rate to gain admission into over 40 NYC attractions, including the American Natural History Museum, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, Paley Museum of Television and Radio, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and many many more attractions!

You can totally sightsee until you drop with the New York Sightseeing Pass, hitting as many attractions as you can manage before the pass expires at midnight.

If you need inspiration, MommyPoppins.com has a list of 100 Things to Do in NYC with Kids Before They Grow Up that might be a good starting point. MommyPoppins.com also has heaps of recommendations for current events and year-round kid friendly New York.

Macaroni Kid also has the skinny on kid-centric events each week. Check the Mac Kid closest to your NYC base and see what you can find in Downtown, East Bronx, Manhattan- East Side, and Upper West Side.

Do your children have energy to burn after a few hours of sightseeing? Locate a playground near you at http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/playgrounds/ . Park your bum on a bench, sip a coffee drink, and let your kids run themselves ragged.

Playground listings are organized by area, and handicap accessibility is noted.

EATING

 

New York City has a restaurant in every kid of culinary genre imaginable. Personally, with my two active youngsters, I try to avoid mid to high-end restaurants. I don’t want to nag them silly reminding them to be still and quiet, all while receiving the stink-eye from childless patrons.

The good news is there are plenty of take away options, food trucks you can hit up for a picnic options, and even some kid-friendly restaurants.

New York Magazine has a comprehensive listing of kid friendly dining options in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

WHERE TO STAY

 

Hotels in NYC are notoriously small and pricey. Opting for a home rental instead of a traditional hotel will give you the benefit of a kitchen, laundry facilities, and more room for your family to spread out and recharge after an active day in the city.

Search HomeAway.com to find a home rental for your New York vacation.

TRANSPORTATION

 

Are your kids under 44 inches tall? If so, up to 3 of them can ride the NYC subway for free with one paying adult. Huzzah!

Word to the wise: if you have an infant, opt for a carrier rather than a stroller. Not all subways are stroller-friendly.

HomeAway offers the world’s largest selection of vacation home rentals that provide travelers with memorable vacation experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. Make memories where you stay, not just where you go. HomeAway.com - let’s stay together.

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Dairy Free Delicious Italian With Ronco and @Tofuttibrand

Ronco pasta is having a photo contest happening now until March 4th!

To enter, ‘like’ Ronco at facebook.com/roncopasta and submit your favorite photo with pasta, including a caption that fills in the blank, “Somewhere in America, home is…”

You’ll be entered to win weekly prizes, and one grand prize winner gets a Kindle Fire!

More information and official rules can be found at Facebook page.

I grew up eating pasta several times a week, so pasta does feel like a “home” meal to me.

Now, as an adult with a dairy allergy, I am getting creative so that I can still enjoy Italian style indulgencies without dairy.

Tofutti has a wealth of milk free “dairy” products from ice cream, to cream cheese, and now new Better Ricotta Cheese, all made from tofu instead of milk.

Tofutti products are vegan and gluten free. You go, Tofutti!

Thank you for making the lives of vegans and dairy allergy sufferers WAY more delicious.

This is how I plan to enjoy my Better Ricotta Cheese:

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Free Love Ya Gift for 3 MMT Readers from @popcornfactory

Did you know American’s consume nearly 16 billion quarts of Popcorn every year?

The Popcorn Factory wants to give three MomMostTraveled readers a very special, limited edition, Love Ya gift!

It is a heart shaped popcorn ball and a discount code for 20% off your order. I dunno if the chocolates are part of the deal.

Visit the Popcorn Factory on Facebook and check out this perfectly “corny” video!

First three comments each get the gift! U.S.A shipping addresses only! Comments might go to moderation. The first 3 comments win. DO IT!

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People Stare at Me On The Subway

Since I lived for nearly a decade as a glowing white beacon of conspicuosity in Asia, I got kind of used to people staring at me.

It didn’t matter what I was or wasn’t doing. People want to know: what do white people eat? What does the foreigner buy at the store?

What does a white person’s nipple look like (long story…)?

But in America, TheMerica, The Land of the Free….we don’t stare at people.

It isn’t cool. You just don’t do it.

At the very least, you don’t get CAUGHT doing it.

So when I ride the crowded subway, I make it a point to stare intently at no one. I pick a nice generic spot somewhere, maybe on an advert or on the floor, or out of the window to view the scenic interior of the subway tunnel.

But I notice that others do not adhere to the No Staring Even When There Is Nothing Else To Do protocol.

Almost every time I am on the subway, I can feel not one, but TWO people staring at me.

I try so hard to Go Invisible. I am one with the pole.

Their gazes create a triangle of awkwardness that encompasses my being and sucks the zen out of the subway car.

Because otherwise, subway cars are very zen. Generally speaking.

I don’t understand their leering ways.

 

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La Vida Dulce de Leche Cheerios #MyBlogSpark

 

Cheerios comes in a plethora of flavor options these days!

New to the Cheerios fam is Dulce de Leche Cheerios. with a hint of caramel flavor.

Dulce de Leche Cheerios is made with whole grain and 6 grams of sugar per serving.

I gave them a try with coconut milk, since I have a dairy allergy, but I think I prefer them dry. I use cereal mostly for snacking purposes.

You could also get creative and try these recipe ideas:

• Dulce de Leche Cheerios Snack Mix- combine pretzels, nuts, and other sweet treats with Dulce de Leche Cheerios for a sweet and salty munching mix with a crunch
• Dulce de Leche Popcorn Balls- Gooey popcorn balls that melt in your mouth as you bite into the caramel flavors
• Dulce de Leche No Bake Snack Bars- Hearty bars with bits of fruit and nut for on-the-go snacking
• Dulce de Leche Apple Bread- A hint of caramel paired with refreshing apple flavors that is perfect for any time of day
• Dulce de Leche Cheerios Parfait- Jazz up your yogurt with Dulce de Leche Cheerios and fresh fruit
• Dulce de Leche No Bake Cheesecake- Make your own crust for this rich cheese cake using Dulce de Leche Cheerios

I got a Dulce de Leche Cheerios prize pack that I totally love! It contained a Box of Dulce de Leche Cheerios, an Orange polka dot cereal bowl, a cereal spoon, and a Dulce de leche scented candle.

I have a prize pack to give away, too!

Keep an eye on the Mom Most Traveled facebook fan page for your chance to win!

Also visit Cheerios on Facebook!

“Disclosure: The new Dulce de Leche Cheerios information, product, and prize pack have been provided free of charge by Cheerios and General Mills, through MyBlogSpark.”

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Tide Coldwater @SheSpeaking Review Program

I always use cold water to do my laundry. I feel that it extends the life of my clothes, plus its cheaper on the bills.

So imagine my delight when I learned that Tide Coldwater existed! It is detergent specially formulated for use in cold water!

WhaPOW!

You can use Tide Coldwater on all your laundry - stains, bright colors, and whites.

Through SheSpeaks review program, I was given a full sized bottle of Tide Coldwater to try.

Since I am pro-cold-water-washing in the first place, I feel super special to use Tide Coldwater. I don’t have to worry about it not dissolving or being activated properly, and it smells magically delicious.

I am happy that Tide Coldwater came into my life.

Tide Coldwater is part of Proctor & Gamble’s family of “Future Friendly” products. By using cold water on your laundry you can save energy, and save money, too.

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Eating, Moving, and Being Healthy and Stuff

SunRidge Farms offers a wide variety of delicious and sustainably-made organic and natural snack mixes, nuts, confections and more.

I like that SunRidge Farms products are available in bulk, which means less cost and less waste in packaging.

SunRidge Farms has a commitment to natural ingredient sourcing, and provides nutritious products that are free of unhealthy refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, artificial colorings and preservatives.

All SunRidge Farms’ products are manufactured in a facility that is powered by 70 percent solar energy at peak usage, making these products eco-friendly AND magically delicious.

….

Wacky Apple features an array of certified organic apple juices and sauces that stretch from straight-ahead apple to versions blended with organic cinnamon, apricot, cherry, berry and mango fruits.

Wacky Apple also makes a line of organic pocket-ready “flat fruits.”

The Wacky Apple Line is a unique entry into the rapidly growing organic foods trade.

In addition to being certified organic, kosher and free from pesticides, Wacky Apple items are naturally higher in fiber and vitamin C. Why? They include the healthy apple peel typically removed in products made with non-organic apples. Wacky apples are also naturally sweeter thanks to the chilled air that floods down from the Rocky Mountains each night.

Yums.

The Simple Diet: A Doctor’s Science-Based Plan has been clinically proven to be more effective than the Zone diet, the Ornish diet, and the Atkins diet.

Dr. James W. Anderson is a Professor of Medicine and Clinical Nutritionist at the University of Kentucky, and his science based method is simple, effective, and inexpensive.

By taking advantage of easily found meal replacements to supplement daily fresh fruits and vegetables, he has created a total meal plan that can be bought at the supermarket for an average cost of $61 per week!

The Simple Diet: A Doctor’s Science-Based Plan includes comprehensive recommendations for frozen meals and snacks from brands like Lean Cuisine, Slim-Fast and Banquet, recipes for fresh homemade shakes and smoothies, guidelines for a healthy mix of meal replacements and whole foods, suggestions for eating out at restaurants without derailing progress, and worksheets to chart your progress.

Stay on a budget even cheaper than fast food!

…

Phil and Amy Parham, contestants from NBC’s The Biggest Loser: Families, season six, offer a solution for parents in their new book, The Amazing Fitness Adventure for Your Kids: 90 Days to Raising Healthy Children.

Using principles and practices they’ve used successfully in their own family, Phil and Amy equip parents with the tools they need to help their children become healthier and happier.

The Amazing Fitness Adventure for Your Kids: 90 Days to Raising Healthy Children is about raising fit kids and sharing a healthy lifestyle together for a more closely knit family.

The guide is both inspirational and easy-to-follow.

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Top Three Sexiest Uniform Kits in UEFA 2011-2012

In order to prove my theory that Barcelona has the sexiest uniforms in all of the UEFA, did some research to cull the three sexiest kits from the 48 UEFA Europa League teams.

So I’m sharing this with you, in case you know nothing about soccer, you can have something to get excited about. Eye candy.

Obviously the sexiest:

1). Barcelona.

 

These uniforms are like Chuck Norris. Each one is made from like 15 recycled bottles, so when they make a jersey, the earth rejoices.

Black (away), Red/Blue (home), Yellow (practice)

2.) Sevilla

What can I say, I’m a purist.

Clean and not spammy. I also dig a v-neck.

3.) Juventus. I wanna take your pic-cha!

 

 

Dishonorable mention:

1) Getafe: Um. Your athletic shirt says “Burger King” quite giantly in the center. Gross!

Not even in an ironic or hipster sense.

2) Real Betis: NO ALIBI!

Kit so ugly, they mama slapped theySELF.

3) Marseille, say what!?

1992 nightmare.

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