Gourmet Gifter Review

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Krissyar

I received product in exchange for my honest opinion. This post may include affiliate links.

One of the favorite types of gifts I love to give (especially for those hard to buy for family and friends) is gourmet snacks and sweets. Recently I found an awesome site called Gourmet Gifter and was offered a few items to try. I love being able to pick out individual items to send to people. Over the next few months I am going to  be sharing some of the great items you can pick from Gourmet Gifter, and remember the holidays are almost here! So keep an eye out for items those picky (or out of town) family would love!

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Salty Sweet Addiction Kettle Corn is one of the first things I tried. I have to tell you I have a horrible addiction to kettle corn. It’s just the perfect amount of salty and sweet. Colby’s Kettle Corn definitely delicious (and addicting of course, I had to be careful and make sure I  didn’t sit there and eat the whole bag!) But my favorite part? It’s 100% all natural. and Gluten-free! Also only 105 calories for a cup and a half of this delicious goodness. The next best thing? It’s only $3.95 a bag!

Chili Cheese Puffs  I have to tell you I was a bit unsure about these. I’m not a big fan of chili flavored stuff, well unless it’s chili. I was pleasantly surprised that it was more cheesy than chili, and it was pretty tasty. I probably wouldn’t order these for myself,  but my spice loving daughter loves it!

Peanut Brittle is one of my favorite holiday treats. My Grandma and Mom make these every year at Christmas, and I wasn’t sure if this could compare. It’s actually  really good, a bit chewy,but I am used to eating fresh out of the oven still hot brittle. I will confess I ate a few more pieces than I planned to when I was taste testing for this review.

PurEarth Meal Replacement Bar (pineapple flavor)- you guys know I like to eat healthier, but I’m not a health nut. I’m not a big fan of entire meal replacement bars because  -eww. I did try the meal replacement bar and it was uh..Ok. Now it is cold pressed, so nothing is baked, cooked or heated so none of the nutrients in any of the ingredients are degraded. It’s easy to digest (which is an issue with other meal replacement bars). It has 8 grams of fat, 32 carbs, 20 grams of protein and no added sugar. I would definitely purchase a few of these to keep in my hiking backpack, or in my car for emergencies.

Don’t forget to check out their awesome gift baskets too!

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Tech Back to School Essentials at Best Buy

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Krissyar

It seems like more and more our lives are going more ‘techy’. I can’t even remember the last time I actually printed a photo – even sending pictures to grandparents and great-grandparents  can all be done online.

Though it makes it super convenient, you also have to be super cautious about keeping all your photos,  apps, and documents safe & secure – which is why SanDisk memory cards are an essential item for back to school!

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Best Buy is the place to go to get the memory card storage for all of your devices.

 

·         SanDisk for Digital Imaging: SanDisk products, from professional-grade camera memory to point-and-shoot SD cards to microSD cards, deliver industry-leading performance and reliability. SanDisk SD cards are also designed to meet the security, capacity, performance, and environmental requirements of next generation devices—because your stories span generations and your memory solutions should too.

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o   Capture more fast action , Record more 4K Ultra HD and Full HD video, AND Transfer speeds up to 60MB/s FOR SMARTPHONES, TABLETS AND ACTION CAMERAS

o   Over 10X faster than ordinary cards3 AND Transfer speeds up to 80MB/s FOR DSLR CAMERAS AND CAMCORDERS

·         Add a SanDisk microSD™ card to your smartphone or tablet, and you can carry more of the media and apps you love. Thin and light computing devices, tablets, and smartphones demand the compact form factors of SanDisk microSD cards.

·         Mobile devices help you share stories every day, no matter where you go. Make sure their performance can keep up. SanDisk microSD™ cards give your smartphone or tablet a more responsive camera function and smoother media playback. Whether you want more storage for your phone or a card that makes it easy to shoot high resolution video on the go, you can choose the way you want to add fast, reliable data storage with capacity options from 4GB to 200GB.

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o   USB FOR IPHONE AND IPAD  ALLOWS FOR Easy transfer between iPhone, iPad, and computers AND Frees up iPhone and iPad memory with both lightning and USB connectors

o   Dual USB for ANDROID devices ALLOWS FOR Easy transfer between Android™ device and computers AND Frees up space for photos, videos, music and more

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Get #DFreeDefense with Head & Shoulders and Enter to WIN

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Krissyar

This post is sponsored by Vocalpoint and Head & Shoulders. All opinions are my own. 

It’s back to school time again, which means not only do we have the early mornings, packing lunches, and homework, but we also have sports practices starting up (didn’t baseball season just end?). Whether it’s baseball or football, our kids are wearing helmets and not only getting helmet head, but did you know

                              wearing helmets can actually cause dandruff?

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Since my step-son plays football, (and well he’s a teenager on top of it), I always make sure he has Head & Shoulders dandruff shampoo and conditioner. He loves the Old Spice scent, so it’s the perfect wash and go dandruff shampoo for him.

VocalPoint loves Old Spice Head & Shoulders too, and they are giving you the  opportunity to win tickets to a NCAA game of your choice.

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To enter to win two tickets to the NCAA football game of your choice,post your best D-FACE photo to Instagram, Twitter or Vocalpoint with the hashtag: #DFreeDefense

Here’s the steps you need to take:

1. Take your best game face pic, (you can download your own printable helmet here).
2. Share with the hashtag #DFreeDefense on Twitter, Instagram or Vocalpoint
3. That’s  it!! You are entered to win NCAA tickets for 2. See official  rules here.

Contest ends on 9/1, so make sure you get your entries in!!

 

 

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Mexican Brownies

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Krissyar

MEXICAN BROWNIES

Yields: 24 servings

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total: 40 minutes

 

Ingredients:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

¾ cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 cup all purpose flour

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Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 13×9” baking pan.
  2. In a large microwavable-safe bowl, add the chocolate and butter and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
  3. Stir in the sugar.
  4. Blend in the eggs and vanilla, stirring to combine as much as possible (there may be some egg that doesn’t completely mix in).
  5. Add cinnamon, cayenne and flour and mix thoroughly.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out with crumbs.
  7. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

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Notes: These are dense, rich and fudgy brownies and not too spicy at all! Instead the cayenne and cinnamon spices give the flavor depth and add a warm spiciness.

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Back to School Essentials for Busy Moms

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Krissyar

A lot of my Mom friends are ecstatic that back to school time is fast approaching – but with my already busy mornings just trying to look office-presentable, and out the door on time the thought of adding the stress of getting my kids ready and on the bus makes me feel more than a little anxious.

So this year I am going to do my best to make life a bit less stressful – I’m going to plan ahead, keep things simple, and have fun!

We went to Walmart earlier this week to pick up the remainder of the school supplies off the kids never-ending list. (with 3 kids, 3 entirely different list it took me a few days to just comprehend all that I needed to pick up!) While we were there I decided to go ahead and work on one of my least favorite parts of back to school –

lunch packing.

No one likes to eat the same thing everyday – especially kids. So getting creative with lunch ideas that don’t need to be heated up, or doesn’t take too long to eat or put together is a must. I am a Pinterest junkie,so I had some ideas on how to keep it interesting and healthy.

Fresh fruit and veggies – one of the first things that I pack for the kids lunches. To make sure I have the best and freshest I will usually visit the store about twice a week. I stock up on all my other necessities during the weekend, so the quick-trip mid-week isn’t so stressful.

Water bottles – Each of my kids have a reusable water bottle to use each day. When allowed, they will fill it up during the day to drink at school, and then use it at lunch too. Water is obviously the healthiest drink choice, and saves unneeded calories and sugar in their daily diet.

One snack all of my kids can actually agree on is Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers. With all the flavors to chose from, it’s a perfect snack that I know will be a win. I picked up a few different flavors, including my favorite cheddar!

Another must-have essential – and I can’t stress this enough – is Wet Ones® Singles for your child to carry in their lunchbox, or backpack. I was shocked to find out how many schools don’t give the kids time to wash up before lunch. We are very particular about making sure we are germ free before we sit down to eat – and with all the germs floating around at school – my kids know to always use their wet ones to wash up.

I love these individual packs (which can actually be found in the school supply area) that they can carry in their backpacks. I also carry a pack in my purse, and have one in my car for emergencies.

I have a ton of great lunch time ideas to share with you later this week, so keep an eye out!

Enter for a chance to a years supply of Wet Ones® for your home & your child’s classroom, plus $1000 cash!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones® + Pepperidge Farm® . The opinions and text are all mine.

Posted in Fitness/Health | 2 Comments