Salba Chia How Do You Chia? Giveaway

May 21, 2013 By 3 Comments

Disclosure: I received these products and/or compensation as a Salba Ambassador.

ambassador-badge-final

I am lucky enough to be a Salba Chia Ambassador! That means I get to tell you all about Salba and Chia Seeds. Salba is kind enough to do a giveaway with Matthew’s Puzzle readers. To enter all you need to do is leave me a comment answering the question How Do You Chia?

Now I personally love to add chia seeds to our muffins. They are easy to use and are very nutritious. My husband loves to add them to our morning smoothies, and I’ve even seen some people make chia pudding using them. Chia seeds absorb a ton of liquid and get a little gelatinous which makes them perfect for making nutritious puddings. Here are a few more facts about Salba Chia Seeds:

  • Boosts Nutrition:  Salba chia is the richest whole food source of Omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) and fiber found in nature on a gram for gram basis. Every 15g serving of Salba provides over 3,400 mg of Omega-3s (ALA) – 800% more Omega-3 (ALA) than salmon (EPA/DHA). Salba has less than 1 g net carbohydrate per serving.
  • Curbs Appetite:  Each serving contains 5.1g of dietary fiber to support healthy digestion and increase satiety, which can help to ward of cravings and sugar crashes. Salba Chia seeds absorb many times their weight in water, which helps to slow digestion and leave you feeling fuller for longer.
  • Easy to use:  Salba Chia can be used whole or ground to boost phytonutrient-rich shakes and smoothies, or sprinkled into everyday foods like cereal, yoghurt, salads and baked goods. Salba chia is also a quick fix for kid’s diets, helping to add hidden nutrition to favorite foods.
  • Find Salba at Whole Foods Market and other natural foods stores, or order online at www.amazon.com and www.salbasmart.com.  Individual servings of Salba® Chia Premium Ground and Whole Seed (SRP $0.99), fit easily into a purse, wallet, sports bag or backpack for breakfast on the go.

HOW DO YOU CHIA?

Enter to win a gift box of various Salba Chia products. Simply leave me a comment telling me How Do You Chia?

 

 

Post to Twitter

Keka Case Review for Kindle

May 20, 2013 By 15 Comments

Disclosure: I received these products complimentary from Keka for testing and review purposes.

For Matthew’s birthday we got him/the boys a Kindle Fire. I can’t believe we did that. As I was wrapping the box the night before his big day, it hit me that we were spoiling these guys to death. But that is what a parent is for, at least some times. But we forgot to get a case and if you have little boys you know they can’t hold on to ANYTHING! That poor Kindle Fire has been dropped way too many times.

Keka Kindle Case Retro Football-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was where Keka came to the rescue. We got their Retro Football Kindle case. It is really attractive. I love that it looks like a book with rich detailing and is very sturdy. The Kindle simply pops into the molded plastic on the inside. There are openings for you to be able to charge the Kindle and access all the features while still keeping it protected. The Keka case also acts as a stand when in landscape mode, which is one of my favorite features.

The Retro Football design of the Keka case is perfectly masculine without seeming out of place when I carry it. I think for a family case it is much more accessible than one of the more feminine cases, as it seems to fit all personalities. But Keka does have some beautiful feminine designs if that is more up your alley. You can fine the Keka Retro Football Case on line for $39.00, but I have a coupon code for you for 30% off!  Coupon Code: FAMFRNDS

Why don’t you hop over to Keka and tell me what case you would love to have?

product post

Post to Twitter

Palmolive Soft Touch Review #PalmoliveSoftTouch

May 17, 2013 By 35 Comments

 

 

Palmolive Soft Touch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a great Mother’s Day, but even with it being such a great day I still had my mess ups and miss steps. See, I really wanted baked beans. Homemade baked beans to be exact. The night before I soaked the beans just like the instructions. Come Mother’s Day morning I drained the beans and put them in a baking dish. They seemed a little hard, but instead of letting my husband boil them for a little while I said they would be fine if we baked them at a low temperature for several hours. Well, I think you can see where this is going. Come dinner time the beans were still really under done. Larry had to run out and get canned beans so we would have something for dinner.

But the mess up doesn’t stop there. No. Instead I took the beans and put them in the slow cooker and let them cook forever. Well that was a big mistake too. Ended up with just a big burnt mess in my slow cooker that I wasn’t sure would ever come out. And we lost some good bacon to that fiasco.

I decided to try soaking the slow cooker in the Palmolive. Then I cleaned it all up. No evidence of the baked bean incident and my slow cooker is back to normal.

Palmolive has a new formula called Soft Touch,  it comes in three formulas: Vitamin E, Aloe, and Coconut Butter. I got to test out the Vitamin E and Aloe formulas. I thought it worked well, but I felt the scents were overpowering and I couldn’t find the list of ingredients. Since I’m such a “green” blogger that did concern me.  Palmolive comes to you at a great price of $2.99 for 25 fl. oz and can be easily found at Target or Walmart, among other retailers.

voxbox-blogimage-popup2

 

 

 

 

“I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.”

Post to Twitter

My Weight Loss Journey

May 16, 2013 By 33 Comments

 

eShakti dress-1

I have struggled with my weight for what seems like forever. I have tried various diets and even starvation (which really screwed me up – whatever you do, don’t do that!) I’ve tried exercise, and usually it didn’t have the results I wanted. I’m even ashamed to admit it, but I tried diet pills a few years ago. They worked, but my doctor didn’t want me on them for very long and so once I stopped taking them, poof, all the benefits were gone. But nothing has really worked with my weight loss journey.

After 3 pregnancies and hitting the big 4-0 I have topped out at a whopping 184 lbs! My heaviest ever. I hated looking in the mirror and despised going clothes shopping. Instead of trying to look nice I opted for Old Navy jeans and T-shirts as my daily uniform. I dreaded those occasions when I needed to look nice, like my friend’s recent wedding. I could never find a dress or outfit that looked nice on me. So this past December, right before the whole New Years Resolution thing, I decided to try Weight Watchers Online. I have tried WW before and had good luck, but for one reason or another I never stuck with it. I know the last time I tried it was after I had Matthew and I was in the depths of depression from learning of his diagnosis. I was doomed before I even started.

Now, I’m down 15.4 lbs and I am feeling much better. I have had some ups and downs along the way (or should I say weigh?). I am really trying to look at this as long term lifestyle changes and I find I am willing to make those changes. WW is not the reason for that change of heart, and neither is the desire to be thin. Actually, learning about Matthew’s autism recovery has been the guiding force behind this change. I have watched, actually, I have been an active member in his transformation and I know so much of it is from making a conscious decision to eat real food. I can no longer eat processed foods. I can’t eat things full of chemicals. I want foods that are homemade and come from whole foods. Larry and I have gotten on a green smoothie kick, and we drink one almost every morning. We start the day with kale, cucumber, celery, parsley and hot peppers. The nutritional value of that drink is just amazing and I feel good for drinking it. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy having a dessert or treat sometimes, but I find myself gravitating to those desserts I make, not bought stuff full of crap. We just don’t eat much of that at all anymore.

And exercise. Well it is super important. But I’m not so worried, at least right now, about gaining huge muscles. No, instead I just try to walk 5 days a week. I get myself on our treadmill when our youngest naps and I go, go, go. I pull out my iPad and watch some episode of Saving Grace, Dr Who or Shameless and when I’m done I feel wonderful. I’m hoping to get into the Couch to 5 K once my PT says I’m good to run again. But until then I’ll just keep up the walking.

Well, that is is a huge update. I have met several of my first smaller goals, and I can’t wait to keep you posted on my progress. How do you keep your weight under check?

Current Stats

Weight: 169 lbs

Dress Size: 14

Waist: 35 inches

Hips: 44 inches

Bust: 41 inches

Post to Twitter