Holiday How-To #3: How to make healthy food choices {Giveaway for FREE Healthy Choice food}

If you haven't checked out your calendar today, it's December 13, which can only mean one thing...

With less than 2 weeks until Christmas, it's officially crunch time.

There are presents to buy, houses to decorate, Christmas cards to send, parties to plan, food to buy, and plans to be made. And, as much as we'd like to think we can do it all, we just can't.

While we're all trying not to lose our minds, it's important that we remember to delegate things, to ask for help, and to accept help.

Shoot, if you're workin' your little booty off trying to get 36 hand-decorated cookies made for tonight's cookie exchange while religiously watching that ebay auction so you get the best deal on this year's latest annoying singing, dancing, neurotic Elmo AND ironing your pants for work, for goodness sake - make your husband do a load of laundry, tell your kid to put away his OWN Legos, and declare tonight a "Cook Your Own Dang Dinner" night.

We may be burning the candle at both ends at this point of the year, but there's at least one area that we can choose to simplify, and that is cooking for ourselves and our families.

Healthy Choice realizes we're juggling a crazy amount of stuff right now, and these are just some of the ways they can help us this holiday season:

*This is the best time of year to enjoy hot soups, but if we're being realistic, this may not be the best time to spend boat loads of time starting from scratch. Healthy Choice has a variety of hearty soups that are as good as homemade, like Traditional Lentil and Tomato Basil. This is a great idea for yourself, your family, or your guests. Shoot, you could even put a few containers of it in the crock pot, and when your dinner guests arrive, they'll never know you made it in the microwave 10 minutes before they got there.

*We're all struggling to fight the temptations of all the holiday treats, and our trips to the gym have probably dwindled, but having some options from Healthy Choice on hand will help you stay on track. They have the Weight Watchers Points value for their foods right on the package. One idea Healthy Choice has is to enjoy a yummy Cafe Steamer or a Healthy Choice soup with a salad for lunch or dinner. And did you know that Healthy Choice is the only brand FDA approved to call their products healthy?

*Eliminate the stress of wondering what to feed those pesky unexpected guests by keeping some quick appetizers on hand like Healthy Choice All Natural Entrées Asian Potstickers or Pumpkin Squash Ravioli.

We've all got our own stresses about food when it comes to the holidays, but there are several ways Healthy Choice can help us eliminate stress related to preparing foods, and making sure our families and our guests have full bellies.

Now...here's the fun part!

Healthy Choice has offered to treat one lucky reader to some coupons for FREE Healthy Choice frozen foods, and here is how you can win:

1. Leave a comment telling me one way Healthy Choice can help YOU this holiday season.
2. Earn an extra entry by visiting the Healthy Choice website (www.healthychoice.com) , and tell me which frozen food item you want to try most! (you'll also find coupons on the website!)

Giveaway ends December 18! Be sure to leave your email address in each comment so I can contact you if you win.

During my recent trip to Las Vegas for SITScation I had the opportunity to attend a luncheon sponsored by Healthy Choice, and I was so impressed. That particular luncheon was one of the reasons I decided to become VERY picky about which companies I would agree to partner with on my blog because this is a company that really care about moms and families, and aside from providing frozen foods that taste like they came from a restaurant rather than your freezer, they do some amazing charity projects to fight hunger. I'm so excited to work with them, and I can't wait to share more about them with you in the future!

Thanks to Healthy Choice for providing coupons for free Healthy Choice foods for myself and one of my readers.

***This post is also a part of a Holiday How To blog carnival going on over at my dear friend Summer's blog - Le Musings of Moi. She's teamed up with a few other bloggers, too. So, head on over and get tips on everything from how to stay fit during the holidays to how to feel guilty about everything (you read that right).***

Holiday How- To #1: Take the stress out of cooking and ENJOY your Christmas {$25 American Express gift card giveaway}

I'm all about keeping things simple and eliminating stress. And, I'm a big believer in the fact that you don't need to spend a lot of money to eat good food and keep your family (and dinner guests, should you have any) happy.

Hellman's (as in Hellman's Mayonnaise) has partnered up with this guy...

...chef Bobby Flay in order to bring you a website that is sure to make your holiday easier.

When you visit the Hellman's Real Holiday Helpings site you'll find easy recipe ideas for everything from turkey, leftovers, main dishes, appetizers & dips, sides, and my favorite - DESSERTS.

So, no need to stress about your holiday menu. Seriously - this site has all the bases covered. And the recipes are made with ingredients that normal people actually EAT, so you don't have to worry about tracking down some obscure spice or something you've never heard of.

While you're there, you can download a coupon for Hellman's mayo (because the recipes on the site are made with Hellman's - duh). You'll also be able to enter to win free groceries for a year, and you can waste away your day playing a matching game while you try to win a $50 grocery gift card.

Now, we all know I've scaled back on the giveaways in order to make sure I'm only giving away stuff that I get really excited about, and that I think you'll love, too. I am so excited about this because - hello?! - who doesn't need some extra cash flow right now?

Not only did Hellman's send me a $25 American Express Gift card as part of the Hellman's Real Holiday Helpings program, but they're giving one away to one of YOU, too!

Woo hoo! So...you can use it for turkey, stuffing, cranberries, cookie mix, frosting, chocolate, or for whatever your little heart desires.

You all know that we've been doing our best to cut back on things and save money in as many ways as we can think of, and I am sure most of you are doing the same thing.

So, I'm super excited that one of you will be getting $25 this holiday season. Can I get a "What, WHAT?!?!?"

How can you win?

Leave a comment (please include your email address so I can get your info if you win) telling me what your favorite holiday food is. Good luck!

Contest runs until Sunday, December 13th so you can get your moolah in time for Christmas.

A BIG thank-you to MomSelect and Hellman's for sponsoring this awesome giveaway.

***This post is also a part of a Holiday How To blog carnival going on over at my dear friend Summer's blog - Le Musings of Moi. She's teamed up with a few other bloggers, too. So, head on over and get tips on everything from how to stay fit during the holidays to how to feel guilty about everything (you read that right).***

It's fiber-licious. Seriously. I'm not even kidding. {Fiber One yogurt review and giveaway}

I know, I know, you hear the word "fiber" and you think bland, dull, lots of farting, cardboard-y, and YUCK all at the same time, right?

It's no secret that I'm in love with fiber, and I'm especially in love with Fiber One goodies. It started with the Fiber One Oats and Chocolate bars (which I've talked about here and here), and then it developed into a love for some of the Fiber One cereals, and now I have a brand new Fiber One love to rave about, and the even better news? For a very special three of you, if you're not already fans of Fiber One, you will be after you receive THIS:











It's a Fiber One Healthy & Fit Weight Management gift pack that includes a coupon for a $1.00 off a pack of the new Fiber One yogurt, two sporkives (a spork with a knive on the side, duh...), an insulated lunch box (with a separate bottom compartment for an ice pack or sandwich), a large cup with lid and measurements on the side (I'm thinking...smoothie on the go?) and a 3-section plastic container with lid.

I'm a big fan of yogurt, but since going back on Weight Watchers, I've been disappointed to discover that even though the yogurt I've been loving lately is "light" it still costs me 2 Weight Watchers points (point values are assigned to different foods based on calories, fat content and fiber content, and you're alloted a certain amount of points per day). That's not TOO bad, but yogurt doesn't exactly fill me up, and I could have a couple cups of fruit for 2 points and feel more full. (Or I could have a small piece of chocolate. Mmm, chocolate.)

So...when I found out that the new Fiber One yogurt has a points value of ZERO - yes, I said zero - and packs 5 grams of fiber (that's 20% of your Recommended Daily Value, peeps!) and just 50 calories you know I did a little happy dance.

This stuff is De.LISH! Mmmm, mmm, mmmm.

I've tried the Key Lime Pie and Peach flavors, and both were delicious. I love that I can have one of these and not use up any of my daily points, plus I'm getting some good ol' fiber in my diet for the day. In my quest to find snacks that are both healthy and delectable, this one definitely makes the list.

You may have heard of Hungry Girl or her book 200 Under 200, which features 200 healthy recipes that have 200 calories or less. She's given the new Fiber One yogurt her seal approval. Click on the video below if you're interested in seeing what she thinks of it.



Three of you will win the gift pack pictured above, and entering to win is super easy. There's only one thing you HAVE to do, and there are a few other ways to earn additional entries.

The only thing you MUST do is leave a comment telling me what your guilty snacking pleasure is.

Earn one additional entry for each of the following things - be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so they all count!

* Follow Laughing Through the Chaos - if you already follow, just tell me that you do
* Follow me on Twitter - ChaoticMama
* Blog about the giveaway
* Tweet about the giveaway

Giveaway ends on Wednesday, September 2nd. Only entries received by midnight on September 2nd will count! Open to U.S. residents only.

My thanks to MyBlogSpark for providing me with a Fiber One gift pack and a coupon to try the new Fiber One yogurt.

And the winner is...

Molly from Stilettos and Diapers!

She won a free copy of the ebook The Healthy Moms Guide to Potty Training.

Molly is SUPER sweet and has a great blog - please go check her out and congratulate her. Thanks to everyone who entered. :)

Yeah, so...I'm an idiot. I emailed Molly yesterday and told her she won, and today I'm looking at the blog, and I realize I never hit PUBLISH to announce it for everyone. Derrrrrr...

Chalkin' it up to good old Mommy Brain.

Congrats, Molly. :)

Only YOU can prevent heart disease

So, we've already established that I love Cheerios. But, now I love them even more.

This week I want to draw attention to a little something that Cheerios is doing to help the cause of women's heart health.

You've probably heard the statistics about how coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death among women. Did you know high cholesterol is one of the major factors in coronary heart disease? This can be prevented, people! High cholesterol can be controlled with diet and medication, but if you don't get screened, how can you prevent it?

This is where Cheerios comes in. Their campaign - Cheerios Circle of Helping Hearts - is working hard to get the word out there about this important cause. You'll find specially marked boxes of Cheerios that have codes inside. When you go to www.cheerioshelpinghearts.com and enter your code, Cheerios will donate $1, up to $200,000 to raise awareness about women's coronary heart disease and to fund cholesterol screenings for women in need.

Never in my life have I believed in preventative medicine MORE than when I started working at a hospital.

I see men and women come in there in their forties with serious heart problems, cancer, all sorts of stuff that could have been prevented, if only they had received preventative medical care.

Ladies, you already get the girls and the hoo ha checked by a doc every year - it doesn't take much more time or effort to add a cholesterol screening to that tiny list. You, and your heart, are worth it.

And remember to go to the website when you finish your boxes of Cheerios (or, after your kids dump the entire contents of the box on the floor...) to enter the code and help spread the word about this cause.

So, three of you are going to be receiving beautiful freshwater pearl bracelets, courtesy of My Blog Spark and Cheerios. Each bracelet has a heart charm to represent women's heart health. I received mine in the mail, and it's gorgeous!

I love pretty things, and I love me some BLING, so I know there are some of you out there who want one, too.

So, here's how you can win! Be sure to follow the directions, ok? They're simple. Really.

In order to win, you MUST:

• Leave a comment telling me what YOU do to take care of your heart OR tell me about a woman you know who suffers from heart disease

If you want EXTRA entries:

• Follow my blog. I love followers - you are my favorite. And occasionally, I do giveaways that are ONLY for my followers, so it's best that you just go ahead and jump on that bandwagon 5 minutes ago, okay?
• Blog about my giveaway - the more of us spreading awareness, the better.
• Follow me on Twitter. Click here to do that, and leave me your Twitter name in the comment so I know you're not pullin' my leg.

Leave me a separate comment for each entry so you get all the chances you deserve, okay?

Contest ends on Sunday, March 22nd at midnight - I'll announce the winner on Monday, the 23rd.

Now, mosey along. Go eat your morning bowl of Cheerios and dream about the beautimous pearl bracelet that COULD be yours...

*This post is a part of Tuesday's Tribute, hosted by Jay at Halftime Lessons and Deb at Dirty Socks and Pizza.

Just call me the stain vigilante

A few days ago I sat down at my little computer to share this very cute picture with you.


We had just introduced Kaylee to blueberries, and she was just the cutest little purple mess I'd ever seen in my life.

Then it occurred to me...her new found love of blueberries was going to mean many a ruined outfits unless I put a smock over her and covered every square inch of her hair/skin/face/appendages with plastic wrap or something. And I'm not really crazy about wrapping my kid in plastic wrap just for the sake of saving her clothes - it seems a wee bit risky, if you ask me.

So, in my blueberry post, I made a remark about how the Tide to Go pen was going to become a much bigger part of our lives now, and wouldn't ya know...someone who works with Tide doing PR work emails me. :)

Know what I got in the mail today? A box full of Tide to Go pens. Some are to keep on hand and some are to give away to my readers. (More details on how you can win one of these handy little doo dads as well as a mini motherhood survival kit tomorrow...)

But, before I just start handing these things out like hotcakes, I figured it would probably be a good idea to tell you a little bit about why I love them.

This is what happens to Kaylee's onesies when we let her delve into a full rack of ribs at Chili's. Since we were not at Chili's and since my child was busy crying about her vampire teeth poking her tender little gums, I decided to do a little test. I had to do something to distract myself and to avoid throwing a shoe through my living room window at record speed.

So, here you have it. A barbecue stain on one of Kaylee's perfectly white onesies.

Oh, dear me. What ever will I do? Hmmm, I don't know. Perhaps it's time to bust out a little piece of magic I like to call the Tide to Go Mini.

Yes, you heard me. Mini. Meaning it still packs the same mean punch as the regular Tide to Go pen, except that it's smaller, leaving more room in your purse/diaper bag for other important things, like pieces of chocolate, or a small bottle of vodka.

So, I bust out the pen, press it into the stain, and then basically just color the stain away with the pen. It's so awesome. See for yourself.


You'll notice a little of the bbq sauce color, but I didn't work it in for too long (screaming vampire baby, remember?) So, now we're good to go and I'll just add a little extra pre-treating to it before I wash it. It works great on things like juice, ketchup, bbq sauce, coffee - all the stuff that we usually spill on our clothes at the most inopportune of times.

Dennis is a teacher, and one of my lovely readers who also happens to be a teacher said these things work great for getting coffee stains off the front of shirts.

So, there you have it. My new best friend. The Tide to Go Mini.

Now, if I only I can resist the urge to go purposely stain things in my house, just for an excuse to use my little pen...it's that fun. You know you want one...