Let's Eat! Archives - Page 7 of 8

“Mommy Time in a Mason Jar” Parfait! My New Favorite Indulgence With DOVE® Fruit!

March 4, 2015 / Food, Let's Eat!, Recipes

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are 100% my own. #LoveDoveFruits #CollectiveBias

I’m a mom, a very busy mom. I’d say that I spend most of my time doing everything but worrying about myself. Yep, I fully admit that I’m guilty of not doing much for myself on most days! I sometimes feel like I wear about 100 different hats…all of them invisible, of course! The running around usually starts around 5 am and doesn’t stop until I fall into bed, well after 10 pm! Honestly, I’m OK with this though, or I should say I’ve always been OK with this until now. I feel like it’s just what most moms do, but and I’m ready to put a stop to it!

I can’t say that I’ll stop doing all of what I do, because I know I wont, but I am learning to take a little time for me now! I’m learning the importance of “me time”. It’s just a small window each day. It doesn’t even happen every day, but I’m trying to make it happen for myself on most days. One of my challenges is that I get so wrapped up in what I’m doing, I forget to eat throughout the day. This usually results with me shoving not-so-great food choices into my face because I’ve gone too long without eating, I’m now trying to make a conscious effort to change my eating habits though and incorporate better-for-me snacks into my day.

I NEED to share one of my new snacking favorites with you! Have you tried DOVE® Fruit yet? This delicious combination of real fruit (cherries, blueberries, and cranberries) dipped in silky smooth DOVE® Dark Chocolate, combines the wellness benefits of dark chocolate with fruit.

The first time I found these in the grocery section of Walmart, I ripped open the bag as soon as I got to my car because I was dying to try them! I also ate the entire bag! Do you see why I needed to share with you? Oh my goodness, they are soooo yummy! My daughter loves them too! I now carry around a couple of bags in my purse, just in case I need to grab a quick snack.

I recently started incorporating DOVE® Fruit into one of my snacks at home that I like to call “Mommy Time in a Mason Jar“! I just mix vanilla Greek yogurt with granola because the smooth and crunchy textures mixed together are delicious. Adding some of the DOVE® Fruit, makes it all taste even better! They are great to have pre-made in your fridge so you can just grab one when you get home from work and school!

Look at how simple the recipe is:

Ingredients:

1 32 oz. container Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 12 oz. bag of your favorite granola (I prefer the kind with almonds in it)
1 bag of DOVE® Fruit (I used blueberry for this recipe)

Preparation instructions:

In a mason jar, spoon a bottom layer of yogurt in the bottom, about an inch thick.
Top layer of yogurt, with a layer of your favorite granola.
Drop a couple of DOVE® Fruit on top of granola layer.
Repeat all 3 steps until your Mason jar is filled to right below the lip.
Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for later.

How delicious does that all look? After I’ve made my “Mommy Time in a Mason Jar Parfait”, I like to take it out on our back patio and enjoy the sunset. Isn’t this a beautiful view? It truly is relaxing…even if it just lasts a couple of minutes before I hear “MOOOOOMMMMMYYYYY!” again!

Walmart carries all 3 varieties of DOVE® Fruit. (cherries, blueberries, and cranberries). As I mentioned before, I found mine on the end of an aisle in the grocery section.

Do you take time for yourself each day? Comment below with something that you do for YOU!

See more great DOVE® Fruit recipe ideas on the DOVE® Fruit social hub. You can also download a coupon to save on your DOVE® purchase, here.

Who Else is Excited That OC Restaurant Week Begins THIS Sunday March 1? Let’s Eat!

February 27, 2015 / Food, Let's Eat!, Lifestyle, Orange County

The 2015 Orange County Restaurant Week begins Sunday, March 1st and ends Saturday, March 7th. More than 100 restaurants are participating in the countywide event. During the event, participating restaurants will offer special three-course menus, many with a cocktail or signature item at no additional charge. Each restaurant will showcase its best offerings by talented chefs who will personalize each menu to reflect their individual culinary style. Participating restaurants will offer prix-fixe menus within the following price categories: lunch for $10, $15 or $20, and dinner for $20, $30, $40 or $50.

Here is a list of this year’s participating restaurants. (each name is linked to its menu):

The list of participating restaurants is also searchable by name, location and price point at http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com!

Also, in case you hadn’t heard, OC Restaurant Week is teaming with The Girl Scouts of Orange County this year to celebrate the world’s largest girl-led business….Girl Scout Cookies sales! OC Restaurant Week happens to be the last week that Girl Scout Cookies will be available on sale in Orange County until 2016. Select restaurants will offer delicious desserts inspired by and featuring Girl Scout Cookies! Some of the OC Restaurant Week participating restaurants are even hosting local Girl Scouts for a Preview Tasting, where girls will get the chance to taste the sweet treats and meet with the restaurant’s chef, helping them strive towards earning culinary and business badges. To see the full list of restaurants participating in this, click here.

Were you aware that you could also win dinner and a movie for a year? This year, the OC Restaurant Association is offering one lucky diner the opportunity to win! The public is encouraged to post photos from their dining experiences during OC Restaurant Week and use the hashtags #OCRestaurantWeek2015 or #OCRW2015. The photos will be entered to win a grand prize of twelve (12) $100 gift cards and 24 movie passes to enjoy dinner and a movie for two once a month for a year! Diners must post photos between March 1st and March 7th to qualify. How fun is that?

Who’s ready for Orange County’s favorite culinary event to start now? Where should we eat first on March 1st?

Presenting sponsor for the 2015 Orange County Restaurant Week is The Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton Hotel, in Huntington Beach. Other sponsors include Orange Coast Magazine, The Waterfront Beach Resort, A Hilton Hotel, 95.5 KLOS, The Fork Report with Neil Saavedra, Irvine Spectrum Center, Fashion Island, Celebrity Cruises, Sub-zero and Wolf, Orange County Register, OC Mom Network, Archive, Melissa’s Produce, Ketel One Vodka, Open Table, Anaheim Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, Greer’s OC, BREAD Artisan Bakery, and The Toll Roads.

M&M’s® Crispy Are Back! Best Comeback EVER!

February 23, 2015 / Food, Let's Eat!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CrispyIsBack #CollectiveBias

Let’s talk about one of my favorite subjects…M&M’s®! I’m probably one of the biggest fans of these delicious chocolate candies! I love all things M&M’s® and always hurry to try any and all of the new flavors that come out. They are my favorite go-to snack, a movie theater necessity (as a mix-in for my popcorn, of course) and something I love to incorporate into any special occasion and holiday!

It was such exciting news to hear that M&M’s® Crispy were coming back! I have no idea how I missed M&M’s® Crispy the first time when they were around in the 90’s though? Did you try them when they were last available? Watch this adorable M&M’s® “Fans” Commercial sharing the big announcement!

As soon as started seeing the tweets and articles about them and after I watched this, I headed straight over to Walmart to grab my very own stash of M&M’s® Crispy! I may have missed them in the 90s but I was determined not to let that happen again!

I found the bright green “Share Size” bags in the checkout aisles! They’re perfect for sharing with a friend or someone fun in your life! M&M’s® Crispy contain only 180 calories per serving. They are also available in a big bag in the candy/baking aisle. Whatever the case, I stocked up on a bunch of the share-size bags, just in case they ran out. I’m sure once the word gets out to everyone, they’re going to be flying off the shelves!

M&M’s® are something I grew up loving as a child. Now that I’m a mom, there’s an even greater significance behind them. My daughter’s name is “Emily” and early on, we started calling her “M & M” for short. At age 3, she even made a connection between her nickname and the candies and it just sort of stuck. She, too, has grown up loving M&M’s® just as much as I do. Our love for M&M’s® runs deep. I can’t think of a more perfect person to share my new M&M’s® Crispy with! Since we try to set aside some quiet time after school each day to read, I think the next time we do so, I’ll break out one of my share-size bags to share with her while we read.

Of course, with the delicious crunch inside each one, I’m not sure how “quiet” our reading time will actually be, but I’m OK with that! (and I’m sure she will be too).

I also plan on stashing a few bags in my purse to take to my classroom. Sometimes I need a pick-me-up right around 1 o’clock in the afternoon, which happens to be my last hour of teaching each day. It’s going to be a little tricky to eat them during class time without my students hearing the crunch. Oh well, I’ll figure out a way.

Have YOU gotten a chance to try M&M’s® Crispy yet? If not, guess what I’m going to tell you to go do…like right now? You guessed it! (Go grab some of your own!)

See more great M&M’s® Crispy recipe and party ideas on the M&M’s® Crispy social hub where you can also download a coupon to save on your M&M’s® purchase.

Girl Scouts and Chefs Team Up During 2015 OC Restaurant Week! Did Someone Say Girl Scout Cookies?  

February 22, 2015 / Food, Let's Eat!, Lifestyle, Orange County

Girl Scouts of Orange County is partnering with OC Restaurant Week from March 1st – 7th to celebrate the world’s largest girl-led business, Girl Scout Cookies sales, during Orange County’s favorite culinary event!

Slapfish Girl Scout Cookie Dessert

During OC Restaurant Week – which happens to be the last week that Girl Scout Cookies will be available on sale in Orange County until 2016 – select restaurants will offer delicious desserts inspired by and featuring Girl Scout Cookies! Some of the OC Restaurant Week participating restaurants are even hosting local Girl Scouts for a Preview Tasting, where girls will get the chance to taste the sweet treats and meet with the restaurant’s chef – all important as many of them strive to earn culinary and business badges.

Provenance Girl Scout Cookie Dessert

Featured desserts include:

Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour Restaurants – Lemonades Cookie Cream Soda
Maro Wood Grill – Girl Scout Cookie Crunch Sundae with Gluten-Free Trios Crumble
Pascal – Thin Mints Mousse Cake
Paul Martin’s American Grill – Homemade Ice Cream with Assorted Girl Scout Cookies
Provenance – “Girl Scouts Rock” – Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mousse Torte with Gluten-Free Trios Cookie Crust
Slapfish – Caramel deLites Chipwich with Thin Mints-studded Ice Cream
Slater’s 50/50 – Peanut Butter Patties Push Pops and Caramel deLites Push Pops
Sundried Tomato American Bistros and Catering – Lemonades Cookie Sandwich
In 2015, new Gluten-Free Trios were added to the traditional cookie lineup. These Girl Scout Cookies feature chocolate chips nestled in a gluten-free peanut butter oatmeal cookie. Meet all the cookies here!

Maro Wood Grill Girl Scout Cookie Dessert

Watch this video featuring adorable Girl Scouts of Orange County as they prepare a decadent dessert! https://vimeo.com/channels/foodenthusiast/119776627

ABOUT OC RESTAURANT WEEK
The 2015 Orange County Restaurant Week will be held Sunday, March 1st through Saturday, March 7th with more than 100 restaurants participating in the countywide event. During the weeklong event, participating restaurants will offer special three-course menus, many with a cocktail or signature item at no additional charge. Each restaurant will have the freedom and flexibility to showcase its best offerings by talented chefs who will, no doubt, personalize each menu to reflect their individual culinary style. Participating restaurants will offer prix-fixe menus within the following price categories: lunch for $10, $15 or $20, and dinner for $20, $30, $40 or $50. Guests will have the opportunity to search the list of more than 100 expected participating restaurants by name, location and price point at http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com.

Pascal Girl Scout Cookie Dessert

Presenting sponsor for the 2015 Orange County Restaurant Week is The Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton Hotel, in Huntington Beach, who will host the event’s official launch party on February 28, 2015. Other sponsors include Orange Coast Magazine, The Waterfront Beach Resort, A Hilton Hotel, 95.5 KLOS, The Fork Report with Neil Saavedra, Irvine Spectrum Center, Fashion Island, Celebrity Cruises, Sub-zero and Wolf, Orange County Register, OC Mom Network, Archive, Melissa’s Produce, Ketel One Vodka, Open Table, Anaheim Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, Greer’s OC, BREAD Artisan Bakery, and The Toll Roads.

Will You Be My PFF? Let’s Be PEEPS®Friends Forever This Valentine’s Day!

February 2, 2015 / Celebrations, Food, Holiday Fun, Let's Eat!, Printables

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! It’s my most favorite holiday! This year I got a head start on my Valentine’s treat preparation and stocked up on PEEPS® Valentine’s Day products. You can’t go wrong with PEEPS® because they’re irresistible and everyone loves them!

As you can see, our Valentine’s Day this year is going to be all about the PEEPS®! They come in a variety of shapes and seasonally-inspired flavors to satisfy your Valentine’s sweet tooth.

This year’s PEEPS^®Valentine’s offerings include:

Pink Marshmallow Chicks
Pink Marshmallow Bunnies
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Crème Flavored Chicks
Marshmallow Hearts
Cherries Drizzled and Dipped in Chocolate
Chocolate Covered Raspberry Flavored Hearts
Strawberry Crème Flavored Marshmallow Hearts
Vanilla Crème Flavored Marshmallow Hearts

In addition to serving as a savory token of affection, PEEPS® Valentine’s Day products are also fun to incorporate into snacks at home and Valentine treats for others. I put together a couple of cute printables to add to some of the PEEPS®Valentine treats I’ll be sending to school with my daughter, for her classmates and teachers!

I LOVE these Vanilla Creme PEEPS®Marshmallow Hearts! I made this little “In Case of Emergency: Break Seal!” labels to stick onto this package. I think I’ll give these to my daughter’s teacher. Being a teacher, I’m SURE there are times she has an “emergency” and will be able to utilize these properly, don’t you think? It’ll be as easy as breaking open the package seal and enjoying them!

I made these little heart “You’re one of my favorite Peeps!” printables to attach to these 3-packs of new Strawberry Crème Flavored Milk Chocolate Dipped PEEPS^®. I know the instructional assistants for my daughter’s class are going to love them!

I also made these “Will you be my PFF?” tags to attach onto a single pack of the new flavor, Milk Chocolate Covered Raspberry flavor! “PFF” stands for Peeps Friends Forever!

I cannot wait for Valentine’s Day to get here! Do YOU love it as much as I do? What’s YOUR favorite part about Valentine’s Day?

Try one or all of the seasonal varieties and express your PEEPSONALITY® by incorporating them into your favorite Valentine-inspired creations! PEEPS^®Valentine’s treats can be found nationwide at grocery and drug stores, PEEPS & Company retail stores or at http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com.

I was provided with some PEEPS^®Valentine’s treats in order to write my feature. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

McCafé Is This Mom’s “Happiness in a Cup”!

January 30, 2015 / Food, Let's Eat!, Lifestyle, Motherhood

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #McCafeMyWay #CollectiveBias

As a busy mom, I look forward to mornings when I can enjoy a little bit of “me time”. It’s the only time of day where my house is calm and quiet and everyone else is asleep. With a nice, warm cup of home-brewed McCafé coffee in hand, I can relax before all of the rushing around begins. I’ve learned the importance of carving out some time for myself each day. It’s what gets me through a very busy daily schedule. Seriously, take a look at my daily routine! If I don’t grab some time for myself in the wee hours of the morning, it’s just never going to happen!

I get excited when my alarm goes off, even if it’s 4:30 a.m.! I set the timer on the coffee maker the night before so I can wake to the smell of freshly brewed McCafé coffee downstairs. I’ve actually learned to love getting up this early because you accomplish a lot more.

McCafé is now available at Walmart. It’s made with 100% Arabica beans and is harvested from the rich soils and mountainous regions of the foremost coffee-growing areas of the world.

McCafé coffee also comes in coffee pods, which can be brewed in your home brewing system. I have both a traditional coffee pot AND a home brewing machine in my kitchen and love the convenience of having flexible brewing options with McCafé.

During one of my recent shopping trips at my local Walmart there was an in-store McCafé demo going on. I got to sample some of the different flavors. I think the Breakfast Blend & the Premium Roast are 2 of my favorites!

Let’s get back to talking about my morning “me time”. I like to enjoy my McCafé with toast or even some freshly baked muffins. You have to treat yourself sometimes and honestly, it makes my day go much smoother. I sometimes even get a few minutes to sit out on my back balcony, in my robe, and drink a cup at sunrise. (or when it’s cloudy like in this picture). It’s very peaceful. I can sometimes even see the beach from my balcony. McCafé is this mom’s “happiness in a cup”!

It was easy to find the McCafé coffee pods on the coffee aisle at Walmart. I found the Premium bags of coffee on the end of an aisle.

Well, I’ve let you take a peek into my morning routine and told you about how great McCafé is at helping make my day run smoothly. Do YOU make time for yourself each day? If so, how? If not, I think you need to start doing so today!

For recipe inspiration, sweepstakes, loyalty programs, coupons and more, check out the Cooking Up Good website. What’s not to love? If you’re looking for a new dinner idea or a chance to win some awesome prizes, be sure to check it out!

The Great Tater Creator at Farrell’s Starting February 1!

January 25, 2015 / Food, Let's Eat!

Starting February 1st at all Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour Restaurant locations those sides of fries finally get the respect they deserve! Farrell’s kicks off The Great Tater Creator® program where guest will be able to create over 75.5 million different tater masterpieces to compliment the burger or sandwich they accompany. Using Farrell’s The Great Tater Creator card, guests will create their own tater masterpiece from four different tater choices, six sauces, 15 regular toppers, 4 premium toppers and six tater dunks.

Taters:

Fries
Potato Tots
Sweet Potato Fries
Waffle Fries

Pour-Ons:

Brown Gravy
Buffalo Sauce
Cheese Sauce
Farrell’s Chili
Farrell’s Sauce
Tangy Balsamic

Regular Toppers:

American Cheese
Anaheim Chilis
Bacon Crumbles
Black Olives
Bleu Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Chopped Onions
Crushed Garlic
Fresh Basil
Grilled Onions
Jalapeños
Parmesan Cheese
Pico de Gallo
Scallions
Sour Cream

Premium Toppers:

Fried Egg
Ground Beef
Guacamole
Sautéed Mushrooms with Truffle Oil

Tater Dunks:

BBQ Sauce
Bleu Cheese Dressing
Chipotle Sauce
Farrell’s Sauce
Honey Mustard
Ranch

The Great Tater Creator program starts at an additional $2.29 and can be added to any entree that comes with a side of fries. Available at all participating Farrell’s California and Hawaii locations.

Find Farrell’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Farrell’s Kicks Off January With Some Gridiron Grub to Get Us All Pumped For “The Big Game”!

January 5, 2015 / Food, Let's Eat!

Starting January, 1, 2015 Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour Restaurants began celebrating everything delicious about football by introducing, for a limited time, a new burger and fry combo and a football themed sundae! Plus, guests will be able to enter-to-win for Farrell’s to come out and cater their “Big Game” party on February 1, 2015.

The Tailgate Burger is an action packed burger that slams two stadium favorites together into one hardy burger. A delicious cheeseburger and nachos in one! It all starts with a fresh 1/2 lb. Angus patty with melty Pepper Jack cheese, and crisp lettuce, then, thrown on top of that, a pile of nachos built with a crisp heaping helping of Doritos® nacho chips, melted cheddar cheese, sour cream, black olives, fresh guacamole and house-made salsa. This beast is served with Bleu Buffalo waffle fries on the side. (Farrell’s waffle fries drizzled with zesty buffalo sauce and tangy bleu cheese.) Farrell’s Tailgate Burger and Bleu Buffalo waffle fries combo is priced at $13.99.

To top that off, don’t settle for the field goal… go for the extra point and get Farrell’s 4th and Goal Sundae. A 4-scoop sundae fit for a linebacker heaps up two scoops of Vanilla, a scoop of Chocolate Malted Crunch and a scoop of Cookie Dough ice cream dripping with warm caramel and chocolate topping, a mound of fresh whipped cream and a cherry on top. Not “Super” enough? Under your souvenir, take-home Farrell’s helmet, you’ll find a pile of Oreo® crumbs to top that sundae off just right. The 4th and Goal sundae with take home helmet is priced at $11.99.

Guests also have the chance to win Farrell’s catering at their own personal “Big Game” party on February 1, 2014. All guests need to do is fill out the enter-to-win card when dining at any participating Farrell’s location.

All items are available at participating Farrell’s California and Hawaii locations. Locations and complete details and rules for Farrell’s Caters Your Big Game Party can be found at FarrellsUSA.com.

Find Farrell’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

This is not a sponsored post. I was provided with information from Farrell’s to share with my readers.

Granny’s Apple Fries at LEGOLAND Are Delicious

January 1, 2015 / Food, Legoland, Let's Eat!, Travel

If you know me, you know that my love for food is not something I’m shy about! If I see something posted on social media that looks yummy, it sometimes gets stuck in my head until I finally just have to try it. I recently saw someone tweeting about Granny’s Apple Fries from LEGOLAND California and I knew that I needed to try some for myself. The problem is that I don’t get to visit very often. So, when I had the opportunity to go to LEGOLAND for Holiday Snow Days, I was determined to try them!

Granny’s Apple Fries is located on Castle Hill and we hit it up after coming off of The Dragon! (that’s a super fun roller coaster). My mouth was watering as we approached the window to order and I could see the apples! Luckily there was a short line that day.

They’re made with Granny Smith apples, lightly fried, dusted with cinnamon sugar, and served with vanilla cream dipping sauce! We shared one but I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to take the whole thing, run away, and eat them in a corner all by myself! That would make me a bad mom though, right?

I miss LEGOLAND’s apple fries every single day (that’s not too big of an exaggeration either). I got really excited when my friend, Wendy (Yep, we have the same name!), posted her own copycat recipe for homemade apple fries a few weeks ago! They look really easy to prepare and yummy too! I’m going to be making them soon!

So tell me…have YOU had the chance to try Granny’s Apple Fries at LEGOLAND? If not, you need to try them one day! Trust me, you’ll be hooked!