Fun Ideas for Healthy Lunches & A Giveaway!

I don't know about you, but after the fun of Christmas & New Year's Eve has passed, I am not only happy to return to our normal routine, but I am also glad to get back to our usual healthy eating habits after indulging in all the holiday goodies. Yesterday was the first day back to school after Christmas break for my children, so I spent some time on Sunday cutting up fruit and vegetables for creating healthy lunches this week. If you have read my previous posts on packing lunches for kids~5 Easy Steps to Packing School Lunches & School Lunches Made Easy~you know that I like to include fresh fruit & veggies in my children's lunches everyday!

Recently I was contact by the folks at SNACK PACK and invited to take part in their "NO TRADESIES" Blog Tour and to share ideas on creating healthy lunches for kids that they will love.  I know that my children love fresh fruits and veggies in their lunches...the taste, the freshness and the crispness are all very appealing.

The folks at SNACK PACK sent me these fabulous containers{below} to use for packing lunches. I LOVE these containers {I had some like this about 5 years ago, but they wore out, and I haven't been able to find any since.} because they allow you to create a 'dinner plate' effect, where food can be eaten in whatever order, which  is more appealing to children. They can munch on  a sandwich, while also popping in a veggie and a piece of fruit.

Here are some tips for making healthy, "NO TRADESIES" yummy lunches for children:

• Encourage kids to eat their fruit by adding a Snack Pack to 'mix it up' and turn fruit into a tasty, dip-able adventure. Try apple slices with a Toffee Caramel pudding, or Chocolate with strawberries and grapes...reminiscent of a fondue party!

• Sandwich Shapes. Make eating the regular sandwich a bit more fun. Break out the cookie cutter to create fun shapes and use different types of bread to make things interesting. 

• Kebab it! My kids love mini-kebabs on toothpicks. Different fruits on toothpicks, or meat & cheese, or veggies...it doesn't matter....kids just seem to like it better this way!

I used these containers to prepare 2 healthy lunches~

The first lunch included a simple jelly sandwich on whole bread cut with some fun Lunch Punch Sandwich Cutters, cucumbers and red peppers, along with strawberry & pound cake mini-kabobs for dipping in the Lemon Meringue Snack Pack.

My son said it was "delicious!"

{I had never tried the lemon meringue dessert Snack Pack before and it was SO good. I am addicted!}

The second lunch was similar~a peanut butter & jelly sandwich cut with Lunch Punch Sandwich Cutters, cucumbers, red peppers and carrots, with grapes and strawberries to dip into the Ice Cream Sandwich Snack Pack. My son was intrigued with the Lunch Punch Cutters, so I let him cut the sandwich. I love help in the kitchen!

This would also make a fabulous after school snack! Fresh fruit & chocolate pudding...sign me up!

To be honest, I have not purchased pudding cups in a LONG time. Since I can' t remember the last time!

When my son first tried them, he ate 3 Ice Cream Sandwich Snack Packs, with a whole lot of grapes and strawberries. Apparently, he was really hungry AND ready to try something different with fruit, and the great taste sold him!

His hands down favourite was the Ice Cream Sandwich Snack Pack. Mine was the Lemon Meringue! 

Classic Snack Pack flavours include: Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Vanilla & Tapioca, Fat Free Chocolate & Fat Free Vanilla. {Fat free flavours are 90 calories per serving or less!} Snack Pack also comes in exciting dessert flavours that include: Ice Cream Sandwich, Lemon Meringue Pie, Banana Cream Pie, Chocolate Caramel, & Toffee Caramel.

And here's some important nutritional  info about SNACK PACKS:

• Snack Pack Pudding is made with skim milk.
• Snack Pack Juicy Gels are made ith real fruit juice.
• All Snack Pack puddings have no preservatives or trans-fats.

To learn the latest information on  new Snack Pack  flavours and weekly lunch packing tips, be sure to visit the 

SNACK PACK CANADA FACEBOOK PAGE.

Now for the Giveaway Information:

• Giveaway is open to Canadian residents only.
• Runs from January 8th to January 31, 2012.
• To Enter: Please leave me a comment telling me what Snack Pack flavour is your favourite, or what Snack Pack flavour you would like to try.One entry per person.
• 1 winner, to be chosen at random, will win the following Snack Pack Prize pack containing: 2 delicious flavours of Snack Pack Pudding, Lunch Punch Sandwich Cutters, Happy Spoons, a mini portable travel speaker, and a tot-able lunch bag consisting of a cooler bag, and four leak-proof compartmentalized lunch containers. Valued at $50 and to be mailed to your home. 

Isn't that a great prize pack for any busy Mom packing lunches for her kiddos? I think so!

Thank you so much to the folks at Snack Pack for providing my readers with this wonderful giveaway opportunity!

Okay. All this talk about Snack Pack puddings has made me hungry, and I'm off to eat my new fav~Lemon Meringue with some strawberries! Yum!


{Disclosure – I am participating in the Snack Pack “No Tradesies” blog tour by enCompass Media on behalf of Con Agra Foods. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion}

Fantastic Eco-Friendly Stocking Stuffers & Greenmunch Giveaway!

{Please note: This giveaway is for Canadian residents only.}

 

Since it is that time of year again, I really want to share with you some amazing eco-friendly products that I love and that can be ordered quickly and easily online from this small, family-owned & operated Canadian company...Greenmunch.

 

Greenmunch is based out of Sherwood Park, Alberta,  by a young couple with 3 young children and they work so hard to bring their customers the latest in eco-friendly and sustainable products for every day living. They also strive to source and carry North American products.

 

I first met owner, Joy,  at a blogging conference last March and since then I have been thrilled to test out and try their products! If you have been following my blog, you know that I regularly use their fun party ware....like straws and goodie bags, and then in September, I tested and tried out their wonderful line of products for packing school lunches. 

 

Giveaway:  

I am so excited about this fun giveaway that I can hardly stand it, and I hope you are excited about it too!

One lucky reader will win this fun & festive party pack provided by Greenmunch to make their Christmas merry & bright!

It consists of every thing you see below: 8 red & 8 green polka dot paper bags, a package of striped straws, polka dot straws, and baker's twine...all in Christmas colours!

 

To Enter:

All you have to do is leave me a comment in the comments section telling me which of the products below is your favourite Christmas gift idea and you could win this Christmas party pack. Closes: Friday, Dec. 7 at noon MST.  I will mail it out on Friday, December 7, 2012!{open to Canadian residents only.}

 

Below you will find some of my very favourite products from Greenmunch that I own and have tested myself. They are all high quality products that are eco-friendly, budget friendly and

I love that I'm supporting a small, family-owned Canadian business!

 

~Art Supplies~

 1. Endangered Pencils-made from recycled newspapers and feature endangered species. There are 5 animals to choose from and come in packs of 2.
2. O'BONanaza Coloured Pencils {12]-beautiful high quality colour pencils made from recycled newspapers.
3. Wax crayons- beautiful, high colour quality crayons made in Germany's oldest crayon & chalk factory.
4. Pastels- 6 lovely pastels for art projects made in Germany's oldest crayon & chalk factory.Love the retro packaging!

~Men, Pets & Kids~

 5. PoopBags-get the toughest and biggest bags for your pets. Completely bio-degradable too! Comes with dispenser and 1 roll of 15 bags for $2.00! Terrific price!
6. Ice pack-designed perfectly to fit into your child's lunch bag.
7. The Freaker-Keep your hands warm and dry with this one size fits all bottle/cup insulator! Love the lumberjack pattern!!!
8. Beer Soap-Made in Montreal with 66% organic ingredients, gentle & non-irritating!

~Partyware~

 9. Partyware- Who cannot love these amazing paper straws and baker's twine, especially if you order them in colours for Valentine's Day?

~Pure Wool Organic Dryer Balls, Handmade in Canada~

 10. Love these balls! They are a safe, natural alternative to fabric softeners!

~Mason Jar Must Haves!~

 11. reCAP mason jar lid  I LOVE this product! Turns any standard size mason jar into a pourable container...great for homemade salad dressings, gravies, etc. I use it all the time!

 12. Transform any mason jar into a PIGGY bank with this lid.

13. Another product that I LOVE! The CUPPOW will turn any mason jar into a travel cup or sippy cup! This is brilliant! Last week, when my house was all sick with the flu, this sure did come in handy! Comes in standard size and wide mouth sizes.

 

 14. Square 8 oz. mason jars are so pretty for dry soup mixes and dips!
15. Daisy and star mason jar lids are perfect for dressing up mason jars into pretty cups  & perfect for striped straws.

 16. Let's talk about the freaker again! Keeps your hands dry and insulates any travel cup!

~More Partyware~

 17. SO many fun goody bags in prints, stripes, polka dots, and chevron patterns!

~On the Go~

 18. We are now in the habit of using reusable shopping bags, so let's enjoy the first eco-friendly tote to go for drinks on the go! Great for carrying drinks from home to the car too, to save money on those drive-thru trips with kids! Folds up neatly for storage too!

Be sure to visit Greenmunch to see their amazing collection of fun, unique and eco-friendly products.
 Hint: I believe they have 10% off orders until December 6th, so go check it out!

{Thank you so much to Joy & Phillip of Greenmunch for providing me with all of the above products to try, test & enjoy! All opinions are my own.}

Make Your Moments Golden...And A Chocolate Giveaway.

{This giveaway and contest is open to Canadian residents only.}

 

Hello dear readers!I am so excited to bring you another great giveaway just in time for Christmas!

And the giveaway is for this 200 gram package of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. I have loved these chocolates for years....they are one of my favourites! I don't know about you, but for me, a little piece of chocolate can turn a bad day right around! The answer is always chocolate!

 

Ferraro Rocher is hosting a special contest: Find a PIN in specially marked Ferroro Rocher 200 gram chocolates and you could instantly win over $500,000 in prizes including 1 of 10 Mercedes Benz All-New 2013 B-Class Vehicles or a Fererro Rocher Holiday Hosting gift basket. PINS can be redemmed on the the Ferrero Rochers Canada Facebook Page.

Please look for specially marked 200 gram Ferrero Rocher chocolates at your local retailer and you could win one of these fabulous prizes brought to you by Ferraro Rocher! {Here's a tip: The 200 gram box is the box of 16 wrapped chocolates in 2 layers of 8...turn the box over and it should say be marked with the Pin/Mercedes-Benz promotion in a red logo.}

Now here is a chance for you to win a 200 gram box of Ferraro Rocher chocolates. Please leave me a comment telling me who you would buy these chocolates for.  I will leave the comments open until Friday, November 30, 2012 at 6 pm MST. Then 1 random commenter will be chosen to receive a 200 gram box of Ferraro Rocher chocolates.

Goose Creek Candle Giveaway...

The lovely folks at Goose Greek Candle contacted me a few weeks ago and asked me if I would like to try out their candles and host a giveaway for my readers, and I was so excited to say yes and pass this giveaway on to you!

With winter here, we are inside all the time and it is so nice to have a lovely scent to warm things up a bit. Goose Greek Candle kindly sent me 2 beautiful American Heirloom candles...a 16 oz. in Orange Berry Slush and a 39 oz. candle in Maple Toddy. I love the multi-sided shape of the jars and they have a beautifully polished silver embossed lid which provides a quality look in any home decor. These scented candles smell so good and are top quality...the 16 oz jar candle will give approx. 90 hours of burning time, while the 39 oz. jar candle will burn for approx. 215 hours!

 

My 16 year old daughter is so thrilled with these candles that she confiscated the Maple Toddy jar candle from our living room to hide up in her bedroom and she lights it every day. She thinks they are just absolutely divine...and I do too!

 Here are the details of the giveaway:

1. Please visit the Goose Greek Candle website to view the candles. Choose the scent of the 16 oz. American Heirloom jar candle you would like to win.

2. Leave a comment on this post, telling me which scent you would like to win. Comments will be open for one week.{One entry/comment per person only.}

3. One winner will be chosen randomly from the comments to have their choice of a scented 16 oz. American Heirloom candle shipped directly from the Goose Creek Candle Factory directly to their home. {This contest is open to continental US residents only. Sorry to my Canadian readers!}

4. Goose Greek Candle is also offering 25% off entire orders to my readers until November 30, 2012. The coupon code to enter for this discount is: 1050.


That's it! That is all you have to do to win yourself a fabulous scented candle right before Christmas! How cool is that?

{Goose Greek Candle provided with me with 2 American Jar Candles to review for this post. However, all opinions are my own. This giveaway is open to US continental readers only. My Canadian friends..please come back later this week as I have 3 more giveaways coming up for Canadians only!}