Ice Breakers Frost Sugar-Free Mints Review

Ice Breakers Frost™ mints are the only mint frosted with an intense combination of xylitol, cooling and flavor crystals to deliver a surprisingly powerful and enjoyable experience. The Hershey Company invites consumers to embark on this powerfully cool taste experience now available at retail.

• Sugar-free Ice Breakers Frost mints feature a flavored core coated with xylitol, cooling and flavor crystals to deliver both taste and power for fresher breath.

• Ice Breakers Frost mints are available in two surprisingly cool flavors – Wintercool™ and peppermint.

• Ice Breakers Frost sugar-free mints are available in 1.2 oz. containers at participating mass, grocery, drug and specialty retailers.

• New Ice Breakers Frost mints expand on the popular Ice Breakers mints line, first introduced in 1999.
• The Ice Breakers brand offers a variety of mint and gums products that provide a mouth-freshening lift. Each of the great tasting mints and gums contain revitalizing crystals to deliver delicious and cooling taste sensations.

• The Ice Breakers brand product line includes Ice Breakers® stick gum in coolmint and wintergreen flavors; Ice Breakers® Ice Cubes® Gum in peppermint, spearmint, raspberry sorbet, kiwi watermelon, strawberry smoothie, bubble breeze, cool lemon, mango kiwi whitening gum and wintergreen whitening gum flavors; Ice Breakers® Sours in original and berry assortment flavors; and Ice Breakers® mints in coolmint, wintergreen, spearmint and cinnamon flavors.

• For more information on Ice Breakers Frost mints or other Ice Breakers mints and gums, visit www.icebreakers.com


I had the pleasure of reviewing Ice Breakers Frost in Peppermint. I loved it! I love a strong mint that lasts in your mouth after the mint is gone. At first taste, you get the flavor crystals which I think of as a signature of Ice Breakers. When you get to the core, it was refreshing and tingly, just the way I like my mints. The container snaps shut so I know the mints aren't going to fall out all over my purse. I enjoyed this mint and will be purchasing more when I run out.
I received this product free of charge for review on my blog. All views and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Babies 'R Us Sweepstakes Sponsored By Baby Brezza

From January 13th until February 13th, you have the chance to win your entire Babies 'R Us registry*, just by adding the Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker to your registry. That's right, one lucky mom-to-be will win her entire wish-list, including the Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker! It is the only baby food maker that steams and blends in one simple step.

Visit http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=10802151 for full contest rules and to enter.

I was entered for a chance to win a gift card and Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place

CSN Stores...

If you read my blog at all, you've heard of CSN Stores. I've done several reviews and giveaways with this great company in the past and there will be another one very soon. CSN stores is like a virtual mall. You can shop in the comfort of your own home while searching anything and everything including toys, modern decor, kitchen appliances and more.

Check back soon!

homemade box of chocolates

I love chocolate. Every year when Valentine's Day comes around I get excited to see all the chocolate that permeates the aisles at the store. There are so many boxes of chocolate, but I often find that unless you spend a large sum of money to get the good stuff, most of the heart shaped boxes just don't satisfy. You don't get much bang for your buck. This year I thought I would make a few of my own mini boxes of chocolate to give to some friends.

The process was really simple, and much cheaper than buying a box of chocolate. First, find yourself a box and some decorative paper you love.


Next cut a piece of paper that is big enough to fit your box. I picked two papers. One for my box and one for the lid. I then cut slits at each of the four corners so you can easily fold the paper up to glue one side at a time. Use a brush to apply mod podge to the sides of the box.


Pull the paper up and press it on the side of the box to cover it completely. Smooth any bubbles out. Repeat the process until every side is covered, trimming any excess paper as needed. Follow the same process to cover your lid.


I filled my box with my favorite chocolates. Oreo balls! They are so delicious and easy to make. I am not promising any health benefits, however. You can find the recipe at the bottom of a past post HERE.


Tie on a pretty ribbon and you are finished! A pretty, delicious, homemade box of chocolates for you to surprise someone with (it can even be for yourself, I won't tell!).

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Scones

A warm gluten-free scone. Hot tea. Breakfast bliss.

Are you sick of the snow yet? My heart goes out to you. So many of you have been hammered this winter. Spring will arrive this year not a moment too soon. My advice? Bake some scones. Scones are easy to throw together. The oven warms up the kitchen and chases off the chill. And in less than half an hour you have a tender gluten-free morsel to share and savor. Gently spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and studded with sweet bursts of raisins, I predict these cinnamon raisin scones will make you smile.



And speaking of predictions, Punxsutawney Phil better man up and predict an early respite come February 2. My fingers are crossed for all of you shoveling out from under. Not that I'm superstitious, or subscribe to the precognitive powers of double furred rodents, but. I remember the long dreary bouts of cold and gray all too well. I spent almost fifty-five years in the grip of Old Man Winter, praying the illustrious marmot would not see his shadow.



Will we have an early spring?



I hope so, Darlings. I hope so.

Menu Sarapan Pengaruhi Porsi Makan Siang

SARAPAN SEHAT F1 SHAKE

“Mbak, saya pengen banget diet, tapi saya hobi banget ngemil. Gimana ya caranya ngerem nafsu ngemil?” demikian curhat yang sering kali saya dengar dari calon customer saya.

Bila mendengar hal semacam ini, saya biasanya akan langsung bertanya, “Pola makan selama ini gimana? Biasa sarapan, nggak? Menu sarapannya apa?”

Maka rata-rata akan menjawab, “Sarapan? Jarang! Nggak sempat soalnya…”

Nah, itu dia masalahnya!

Tahukah Anda, jika kita tidak sarapan, kita memang akan cenderung memiliki nafsu ngemil yang besar selama seharian?

Menu Sarapan Sehat dan Tepat

Menu sarapan yang sehat dan tepat juga berpengaruh terhadap nafsu makan kita seharian itu. Walaupun menu sarapan umumnya adalah soal kebiasaan dan selera, namun perhatikan jenis makanan yang dikonsumsi saat sarapan. Karena itu juga berpengaruh terhadap nafsu makan dan pilihan makanan kita di siang harinya.

Jika Anda membiasakan diri dengan menu sarapan yang terdiri dari sumber karbohidrat dengan indeks glikemik (IG) rendah, insya Allah itu akan mencegah Anda makan berlebihan saat makan siang.

Makanan indeks glikemik rendah adalah jenis makanan yang dicerna tubuh secara lambat sehingga kadar glukosa dalam darah dapat dipertahankan. (Baca lagi artikel terdahulu tentang Memahami Indeks Glikemik Makanan).

Penelitian tentang Pengaruh Sarapan

Berdasarkan sebuah penelitian, disimpulkan bahwa orang yang menu sarapannya berindeks glikemik rendah, cenderung akan makan dengan porsi kecil saat makan siang dibandingkan mereka yang sarapan dengan makanan berindeks glikemik tinggi atau bahkan yang tidak sarapan sama sekali.

Penelitian dilakukan terhadap 20 responden, yang masing-masing diberi menu sarapan dan makan siang sebagai berikut:

• Minggu pertama: sarapan roti cokelat (100 gram)
• Minggu kedua: sarapan fruit soy bar (100 gram)
• Minggu ketiga: tidak diberi sarapan
• Setiap hari mereka diberi menu makan siang nas uduk 125 gram.

Hasilnya:

• Saat tidak sarapan, mereka cenderung makan nasi uduk dengan porsi berlebih atau harus menambah makanan agar perutnya terasa kenyang.
• Saat diberi menu sarapan fruit soy bar, mereka makan siang sesuai porsi (nasi uduk 125 gram).
• Saat diberi menu sarapan roti cokelat, mereka cenderung menambah makan meski porsinya tidak sebanyak orang yang tidak sarapan.

Indeks Glikemik Karbohidrat

Karbohidrat sederhana (terigu) dalam roti cokelat memiliki indeks glikemik yang tinggi. Walhasil, makanan ini cepat dicerna tubuh dan cepat pula menimbulkan rasa lapar. Sebaliknya, pilih makanan tinggi serat dan protein yang indeks glikemiknya rendah untuk menu sarapan Anda. Makanan jenis ini membuat perut Anda kenyang lebih lama sehingga porsi makan siang Anda pun relatif sedikit.

Dari uraian hasil penelitian di atas, dapat disimpulkan bahwa sarapan dan menu sarapan sangat penting untuk menjaga kestabilan berat badan. Menu sarapan yang sehat dan tepat bukanlah jenis makanan tinggi karbohidrat dan lemak (nasi, roti, mie, bubur ayam, dsb.) seperti yang selama ini menjadi kebiasaan banyak orang.

Menu sarapan yang dianjurkan adalah yang mengandung karbohidrat kompleks, protein, serat, vitamin, mineral dan sedikit lemak.

my top 5 favorite fabulous craft bloggers

Thanks to Trop 50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 fabulous wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to help grant a friend's wish!

A friend asked me the other day how I keep coming up with new ideas for this blog. I told her I believe there are very few "original" crafting ideas out there. All of us are getting inspiration from things around us and making them our own, whether it be a clothing catalog (think Anthropologie) or a another blogger. I'm not talking about stealing ideas, just taking in colors, concepts, and techniques and molding them to fit your creative needs. I don't spend a lot of time blog-hopping (I would like to, but I just don't have the time!), but there are 5 fabulous craft bloggers that I follow religiously, and they all have something wonderful to offer the crafting world from their own creative perspective. These are a few women who truly inspire me.

Cluck, Cluck Sew
Allison from Cluck, Cluck Sew is a quilter, and she dreams up the most wonderful quilts. My favorite thing about her quilts is the way she puts fabrics together. Not only does she have great taste in fabrics, but she has a real flair for pairing them. That is a real talent! Many of her quilts are pretty simple, but the fabrics make them amazing. She's also got great quilting tips, sewing tutorials, and patterns for sale. She inspires me to make gorgeous quilts! And my husband curses her for all the fabric I've bought and not made into a quilt (yet!). Her posts are short and sweet because who wants to spend all their time on a computer when they could be quilting?


V & Co.
I am also a huge fan of Vanessa Christensen, blogging as V & Co. She is super talented and creative, but also just so REAL! I love the way her voice comes through in her posts. You feel like you know her. She is hilarious! And she's always really honest about, well, everything, but specifically I love how she's honest about how blogging/crafting fits into her life. She has her priorities and if her blog doesn't happen to fit into what's most important to her, she gives herself permission to not blog. So refreshing. Plus, she thinks of things my brain is NOT capable of contriving, like this amazing houndstooth quilt that I am obsessed with! She has lots of great patterns in her shop as well. Love you, V, and all your references to pooping your pants.



Dear Lizzy
One of my friends accused me of having a little crush on my next favorite blogger. It's true--I would like to be her when I grow up. Elizabeth Kartchner is a scrapbooking celebrity to be sure, but her blog is so sweet, silly, humble, and yes, majorly inspiring. I have about 20 of her scrapbook pages bookmarked for future scraplifting, and I looooove her photography. She inspires me to take more pictures and enjoy life more!



HowDoesShe?
The next fabulous blogger on my list is actually several bloggers--friends who collaborated to answer the question How Does She. . .? Their categories include How Does She Celebrate Seasons, Cook & Bake, Love Her Family, Make It, Run A Household, and This & That. All those things that we as women wish we could do! I love their printables and amazing home projects, not to mention their recipes (you've GOT to try their cinnamon bun pancakes--they'll rock your world!). The site is so organized and chock full of stuff--I could get lost in it for days! They've definitely answered the question of how I can do it all--I just go to HowDoesShe.com!



Make and Takes
My final top fabulous blogger is Marie from Make and Takes. This site is all about crafty moms and kids. She has the best ideas for simple kids crafts, plus parenting tips, holiday ideas, recipes, and even home decor (that's me--I'm a regular contributor!). But what I really love about this blog is how simple and clean it is. It's easy to navigate, the ideas are fabulous but not over the top. She inspires me to get back to basics with my kids. Think about what's fun for them, not just for me. She strips out all the fluff that I often find myself wrapped in and presents great, wholesome ideas that you can actually do something with. Whenever I get a little stressed out about a post I'm working on for Make and Takes, I think, Marie keeps it simple. You can keep it simple. (I think I can, I think I can.) Marie inspires me to simplify and really enjoy time with my kids!



As a blogger, I know how much time and effort these amazing women put into their sites, and that is inspirational to me. But what I really love is knowing that they're all just regular women, with kids and jobs and homes and everything else we have on our plates, who also have a passion for what they do. I'm so glad they are all willing to share some of that creative energy with me! I hope you will check each of them out and give them a little comment love. And leave me a comment with your favorite craft blogger--who inspires you?

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend's wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

self-bound receiving blanket {idea and link}

I've got a couple of baby showers coming up quickly--I'm so glad to have this great idea (and a link to a great tutorial) from our friend Jennifer. I love these blankets!

Self-Bound Receiving Blanket

Now that Christmas is over and all cleaned up its time to turn my attention to the next big event in my life. I have two daughters expecting their first baby in March and its time to start making baby things. I was in Idaho in September with one of my daughters and we went to a wonderful craft/fabric store called Porter’s. They had so many beautiful flannel fabrics. My daughter didn’t know what kind of baby she was having, but she was sure that it was going to be a girl, so we bought cute girl things. The other daughter knew she was having a boy, so I also bought cute boy things. I even bought extra just in case. Well sure enough after their ultrasounds, both girls are having boys and I am glad that I bought extra.

I wanted to make a self bound receiving blanket for them. I really like the look of having the back fold over the front. The directions looked simple and I figured that it would only take about an hour. Boy was I wrong. The mitered corners were a lot trickier than I expected and I only had written directions, no pictures. After I spent the whole day working on it, it occurred to me to hunt for a tutorial. I found a great tutorial here.

First blanket – all day. Second blanket – just over and hour, but not quite perfect. Third time's the charm.

Just a couple of additional tips: *I prewashed my flannel because flannel shrinks. *My flannel dimensions were 40” back and 30” front, but you can make *My flannel was made by My Mind’s Eye for Riley Blake and perfect flannel for babies, soft and the perfect weight. *These receiving blankets are so much nicer than the single layer flannel ones that you buy.

Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Stew

Hearty and tasty gluten-free slow cooker stew.

Here's a bright and delicious slow cooker stew recipe with sausages - and it's tasty using any sausage you choose, from free-range roaming buffalo to furry-friendly vegan. Scrumptious. Seriously. Make it for the Big Game. You know, the one with a pigskin ball and helmeted men in shiny tights. Throw all the ingredients in a Crock Pot and go root for your favorite tight end. Make a hot artichoke dip and grab some gluten-free chips. Game on.



Go Cubs!

chili con queso dip recipe {it's superbowl party time!}

We had this appetizer on Christmas a couple of years ago and I fell in love. It was so delicious, I could hardly stop thinking about it until I got the recipe from our friends and made some more! It's now our go-to appetizer for holidays, football game parties, or Saturday nights. Not only because it's mouth-watering, but because it's so cheap and EASY!

Queso Dip Recipe

Ingredients:
1 can regular chili (just beans, not meat--we like Nalley's or Hormel)
1 can jalepeno chili (same brand)
1 8 oz. block cream cheese (use the full-fat stuff--it's worth it!)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until cheese is melted and combined well with the chili. Serve warm with tortilla chips.


We usually transfer the dip to a mini crockpot to keep it warm (I seriously went out and bought one of these JUST for this dip).

In case you're looking for other great Superbowl Sunday recipes, here are links to a few more that we love!

Cowboy Caviar


Sweet Chex Mix


Veggie Dip


Sloppy Joe Turnovers


Egg Rolls


MORE GAME DAY RECIPES: Bacon Wrapped Sausages, Super Bean Dip, Hot Artichoke Dip, & Game Winning Meatballs