Chiquita Mom Review & Giveaway!

I’m not one for bananas, for the most part absolutely can not stand the way they taste after undressing them. However my feelings are not shared by everyone else in the house.  I do like banana smoothies and banana bread. They eat them straight out of the peel faster then I can keep them in stock. I’m always, ALWAYS replacing them.

The other day I bout a bundle, took them out of the bag, set them on the counter, turned to throw bag away, turned back and what was once 8 had magically dwindled down to 3. This is an every day occurrence here. I’ve tried hiding them, I’ve tired leaving them in the car, putting them in high cabinets, what have you but it never works. Almost like the kids have banana radar in them.

Anyways Chiquita contacted me to see if I would be interested in receiving a healthy kit that had great ideas for nutritional snacks for the kids. This was a complete no brainer in my book! The kids would be so mad if I had passed up this opportunity. Fast forward to a door bell ringing and there sitting on my porch was a white box with a HUGE image on it. The kids were pushing on either side of me to see what arrived and if it involved them.

Of course the excitement followed me into the kitchen as I opened the box to hear a bunch of “ohhh can I have?” and “If you aren’t going to use”.  The kit included some fabulous useful items, such as:

• Chiquita Mom’s Flip Book
• Chiquita Mom’s Freezer Bags
• Chiquita Mom’s Recipe Cards
• Coupon for a FREE bundle of Chiquita Bananas
• Chiquita Banana’s baby safe bowl w/ lid, fork, spoon, and Sippy cup
• Chiquita Banana baby bibs

And last but not lease since this was my favorite part of the kit…

• Chiquita Banana’s Moms’ Reusable Grocery Tote Bag.

(Can't believe I forgot to add a pic of my favorite thing!)

Why do I love being part of Chiquita Moms?

Simply put… spending quality time with the kids while feeding them something nutritional!

It gave us an opportunity to have fun picking out the perfect bunch of bananas, laughing and learning about dark green to bright yellow bananas, plantation bananas, and discuss which recipe we would love to try when we got home. It also gave me a reminder that just because life is busy doesn’t mean we have to push nutrition aside. Banana’s are cheap, easy, and a delicious snack. They curb

Banana Pops

Ingredients:

• Bananas (As many as people eating them can keep whole or cut in half)
• Peanut butter (optional)
• Yogurt (optional and what ever flavor you like)
• Chocolate (optional)

Toppings:

• Sprinkles (optional)
• Rice Krispies (optional)

• Craft sticks (amt depends on how many bananas you are going to use)

Directions:

1. Take the banana insert a craft stick in each one.

2. you can either dip it in the Yogurt/Chocolate or spread Peanut Butter on the banana.

3. Roll banana in the topping of your choice

4. Then you can either freeze them or eat the yummie goodness right there!

!! Giveaway !!

5 lucky followers (yes you read that right! I said FIVE!) will receive a Chiquita Mom Kit to encourage healthy eating while enjoying your family time! You MUST be a follower of my blog through GFC (Google Friend Connect) to enter.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Chiquita Banana’s Health & Nutrition and tell me something you learned from their site.

Additional Chances of Winning: (Don’t forget to leave a separate comment for each entry and to make sure your mandatory entry has your email included)

• “Like” It’s a Hooah Life’s Fan Page (+1 entry)
• Follow @ChiquitaChatter on Twitter (+1 entry)
• Follow @Amuddypaw on Twitter (+1 entry)
• “Like” Chiquita on Facebook (+1 entry)
• Blog about this giveaway & posting a link to your post (+2 entries)
• Place my button for It’s a Hooah Life on your site (+2 entries)
• Tweet “#GIVEAWAY: Win a Chiquita Mom's Kit! @amuddypaw (Ends 01/11) http://bit.ly/h5Y4Un“ (+1 entry per tweet max 2 tweets per day)

Please make sure to include your email address so that I can contact you and have Chiquita send you your very own Chiquita Mom Kit

Giveaway will end at 08:00 PM (eastern time) on January 11th , 2011. This giveaway is open to U. S. residents only. The winners will be selected by random.org and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. 

Disclosure: I was provided with Chiquita Mom Kit that was free of charge for the sole purpose of providing this review for my readers. All views and opinions are of my own and my children’s own with no other influences included.

Publish Post

Sitting with swamp ass does not equal a proper education

If the words "I can't find it" are uttered one more time today, you WILL see me featured by Nancy Grace for a mother loosing her grip with reality and wrecking terror on her so called beloved family. Today just started on the wrong foot. Could not sleep to save my life, watched the alarm clock count it's way towards 0515, and then the kids were just icing to the cake.

Faijtas were on the menu BUT since Dirt Diver's unit is doing end of month reviews on everyone, chances are he won't be here till the sun has long since parted company with the skies and the stars have come out to party. Breakfast dinner it is then! Dirty scrambled eggs with country 'taters are in order, I do believe. 

I know it's a long shot but I am holding onto a very small glimmer of hope that during said review, Dirt Diver can get a straight answer for why he was passed for the board. Like I said, I am holding onto a SMALL hope.

One thing that's been eating away at me like crazy is 'Tater's open house for school. I have never in my life heard of a open house that will discuss dress code, rules, etc literally only a couple days before school starts. It just boggles my mind that knowing every student on this post in grades 7th through 12th are required to wear uniforms, you'd think they would do this earlier allowing for parents, especially new ones, the time to search out the appropriate clothing. 

*knocking on my fat noogin*Once again though, we all know logical thinking is just redonkulous when it involves order and prepration. 

Another topic for school that isn't just eating at me but literally makes me want to vomit is the thought that not just my kid but all kids here are expected to participate in PE, whether it's running/walking or playing a sport, in their UNIFORMS! I just find that so incredibly nasty. Especially right now with it being so hot, the poor kids already get swamp ass just walking to and from school each day.

When I was in school (and contrary to Dirt Diver's thoughts it was NOT when dinosaurs were eating cavemen) starting 6th grade is when we had PE uniforms. We changed, had a chance to shower if we choose, or at least wash our smelly pits and douse ourselves in stinky smelly crap pretending we didn't sweat the hour before. 

Now nope not even close. This is the 2nd school district in 2 states that has this horrendous policy. 

Why is it that naptime takes FOREVER to get here, now that it's here it's gone and everyone's stirring.

Guess that's my cue to exit.

In the mean time though, curiosity has struck...

What did you wear for PE while in still in grade school?

Oh no Mr. Elliptical you won't win this battle

Last week I finally hit 155lbs. I was SOOO excited, finally back to my normal weight range that’s been for the last 8 years or so. Twelve pounds down in 2.5 months and I didn’t even have to cut out my beer. Sadly I think I gained it all back by my snacking lately. I am back to 158lbs, but it could be the mountain of sweet tea I’ve been drinking today.

Most woman I know around this time of year are hitting the gyms hard, dieting, not straying; me on the other hand I love my food and snacks well too much to give them up. I even have an elliptical in the living room facing the TV and yet it serves as a coat rack. I hate to say it but I am also lazy to a point. I like to exercise but if I don’t see immediate results then I give up after the 3^rd day. Besides those reasons, I have to be honest for the most part I love the way I look. Yes I would love for my stomach (hold on as I was typing one of my cats just jumped off my bed towards to open door and instead of running out of the room he jumped right into the door and bounced back. Funniest thing today. True story.) to not stick out so far, but really only by 2.5 inches. I would love for my thighs to not rub together all the time but I like having semi-big thighs, they are sexy in a skirt my husband says. I would DIE (yes really I would commit murder) to get rid of the arm pit fat I have so I could wear strapless shirts and not feel self conscious. I wouldn’t mind not having back fat, but it’s really not huge so hmm scratch that. And of course I would kill for a breast lift but no matter how much weight I loose and muscles I gain, I will still have lost my perky girls to breastfeeding and pregnancy. But that’s okay too because I can say with pride that I have carried healthy beautiful children into this world and gave them the nutrients they needed from me.

It truly helps that while my husband pushes for me to eat healthier and work out more, it’s not because he wants me to lose weight. He likes my curves and I think he would die if I lost them. He just wants to see me firmer, which I admit I would love to see too. Unfortunately the Peanut Butter Reese’s cookies that Wal-mart’s bakery sells disagrees; and fortunately for the cookies my love for peanut butter and cookies over powered the urge to lose those dreaded 2.5 inches.

With that said, I have to share last night’s dinner. It was the best in the world, better than any restaurant I’ve been too but maybe that’s because I didn’t have to send it back two or three times reminding them to take that nasty horrible disgusting sauerkraut off it.

First marinate a brisket in a can of beer and water. (don’t mind the mess on the cooker another causality of the children’s FABULOUS washing skills) I prefer to cook my meats in a slow cooker frozen, therefore as it thaws the water keeps it moist. Depending on how big your brisket is you can use one or two cans. Cook on high for 2 hours then turn to low on for the remainder till dinner time.

Once ready, take out and cut into thin slices or shred it, your choice. Heat up a skillet, butter 1 side of two pieces of rye bread. Place 1 slice in skillet, pour some 1000 island dressing, Swiss cheese, corn beef, Swiss, 1000 island, and top with the other slice. Toast on either side. Serve with a side dish of 1000 island if you like to dip ‘em.  And for the kids made cheesy garlic mashed ‘taters since we couldn’t find ‘tots in the freezer.

It’s okay to drool, just don’t let it hit the keyboard. And this my friends is why I can’t go on a diet. Food is pure love.

Can't go wrong w/ Chicken Stroganoff and Eco-Friendly furniture Polish

I love it when I find a recipe that I’m hesitant to make but still try it and I fall madly in love with it. A couple weeks ago I made Chicken Stroganoff and it was to die for. We’re running low on groceries and I’m lagging on going to the store since it’s been raining cats and dogs. It’s super quick to make, uses my crock pot, and makes the house smell absolutely delicious too.

Chicken Stroganoff

• 4 skinless boneless chicken halves
• 1/8 C. butter
• 1 package of dry Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 package of cream cheese
• 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup (Have found that all the cream of soups can work great with this)

1. 1.       Cut chicken into strips and place in crock pot along with butter and Italian dressing mix. (Normally I just place the chicken in, then cut the butter into small pieces and scatter it around, then sprinkle the mix over both) Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. (if your chicken is thawed or half way thawed you can cook on high for about 3 hours)
2. Cut cream cheese into pieces, place cream cheese and soup in crock pot, mix.  Cook on high for another ½ hour. (Depending on if you have let the cream cheese warm up, it will melt faster and actually a little bit easier) Mix well.

After the chicken is cooked you can leave it in strips or as my kids like it; I just chop it up with a spoon till it hits shredded chicken. Now I normally serve this with no yolk egg noodles BUT we were out of them today and went with Penne Pasta, a much bigger hit with the penne pasta. As ‘Tater said, “you get a extra burst of sauce when you bite on the penne’s”. ‘Tater made homemade drop biscuits and brushed them with her concoction of melted butter and garlic salt. I was going to add some veggies into the mix but honestly I forgot until we were half way through. Oh well.

Yesterday I attacked Drop Zone #1. Took longer than I thought because I have a short attention span and kept getting side tracked with watching TV, playing video games, and the lovely FB games. Afterwards I polished it with a homemade eco-friendly polish. Works great, no strong odors, and I don’t even mind throwing the polishing rag into the washer with the regular laundry. I haven't dived straight into going green but I have noticed the kids are a lot more receptive to small changes along the way.

I really need to find some old shoelaces to tie up those cables but until then they will just have to sit there.

The furniture polish recipe:

• 4 TBSP Lemon Juice
• 2 TSP Olive Oil (I just used EVOO)
• 3 TBSP water

If you have a spray bottle, add all together, shake and spray. I don’t so I use an old Rubbermaid container, pop on lid, shake, and then just dip my cloth into the mixture. If you have left-overs just rinse it out as oil can go rancid after sometime.