Planet Wise Review and Giveaway

As many of you may know I have recently went back to work. In order to save a bit of money I take my lunch daily. This saves me money but the one thing that I did notice and not like is the amount of snack baggies that I would use up and then toss. To me this is not good for the plane or for economics either. That is why I loved finding the Planet Wise reusable bags.

The reusable window bag have a no leak design and are made with food safe FDA food safe materials. They are a great alternative to plastic baggies because they are better for the planet and more economical. The window bag can be placed back into my lunch bag without having any mess to toss out. Easy to care for simple wash, rinse and reuse but are not recommended for the dishwasher or microwave. They are perfect for any member of the family fun for teens and kids who take their lunch and I love them because they are cute, easy to use and leave no mess behind. There is a great variety of colors and patterns available.

Planet Wise Sandwich bags are just the right size to carry a sandwich but not to big to not fit easily into a lunch pouch. With the same great attractions as the other great products from Planet Wise. The bag features a closure to help the sandwich protected and from drying out. Easy to clean and easy to use are the attractions that I like the most.

Planet Wise snack bags are great for taking along for those times you may need a snack. I love this for my grand-children and their little fish shaped crackers. The bag is just the right size for their little hands and offers them something to keep their snack in. In the past we would use plastic baggies to hold their snacks in. I love the fact that Planet Wise bags can be used and reused and washed for another use.

Planet Wise Sandwich wrap opens all the way in the manner of a napkin. Remember the days when sandwiches would be wrapped for care in paper? This is done in the same manner yet instead of paper is wrapped in a cloth that helps protect the sandwich to be ate at a later time.

Buy: you can purchase these bags and others from the Planet Wise website.

Win: One of Annies Home readers will win a Planet Wise bag set of their own. To enter this giveaway which will end May 21, 2011 Please visit the Planet Wise website take a look around and let me know another product that you would be interested in having

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• follow planet wise on twitter
• like planet wise on facebook
• follow my blog on twitter
• tweet @planetwise @shopannies about this giveaway (2 entries per tweet unlimited)
• comment on any post on my blog
• share another green tip or your favorite brown bag lunch idea

Good Luck Giveaway starts now and ends May 21, 2011 Email must be in comment or on blog profile or entries will not count. Winner will be notified by email and have 36 hours to respond to claim prize Failure to do so will result in prize being donated.

I want to thank Planet Wise for sending me the set of products to review for this blog post as well as sponsoring the giveaway and offering the winner a set of bags of their own.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Stuffed French Toast with Jam Syrup

1/2 cup peanut butter


8 slices bread

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup milk

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch salt

2/3 cup grape jam or jelly

1 tablespoon butter

Whipped cream, for serving

Swap it

Use cream cheese and jam instead of peanut butter and chocolate.

Spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter on each bread slice. Divide the chocolate chips among 4 slices; top with the remaining bread slices, peanut butter side down, to make 4 sandwiches. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Soak each sandwich in the egg mixture until saturated, about 5 seconds. Transfer the sandwiches to a large platter in a single layer. In a small saucepan, cook the jam and 3 tablespoons water over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warm and smooth. In a large skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add half of the sandwiches and cook until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches. Slice and serve with the whipped cream and jam syrup.

recipe source: Racheal Ray

shared on weekend cooking

Creativity For Kids Make Your Own Cupcake Soap Kit review and giveaway

I have shared many cupcake recipes on my blog Annies Home in the past. If you did a quick search you could find a great variety of cupcake recipes. Today I want to share with you a different type of cupcake. These cupcakes are ones that you can make but they are not meant to be ate. These cupcakes are cute little soaps that not only look good but smell great as well.

The super cute Make Your Own Cupcake soaps kit offers everything that is needed to create 3 super sweet cupcake shaped soaps. The soap has been specially formulated to be skin safe. Making the cupcake soaps is easy because they require no melting, no mixing and simply required shaping and decorating. The kit contains 7 colors of lightly scented soap clay, a cosmetic grade glitter, a shaping tool, cupcake holders and bath salt sprinkles. To me this is a fun kit that would be great for anyone to make but I think of mom and the girls making great smelling soaps. How sweet it would be to make and decorate these cupcakes.

Buy: you can purchase the Make Your Own Cupcake Soaps Kit from the creativity for kids website

Win: One of Annies Home readers will win a Make Your Own Cupake Soaps Kit of their own. To enter this giveaway visit the Creativity for Kids website and let me know another great product that you like

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• like Creativity For Kids on facebook
• follow Creativity for Kids on twitter
• follow my blog on twitter
• tweet about the giveaway leave link to tweet in comment
• comment on any post on my blog
• share with me a cupcake recipe or do a quick search here on my blog and let me know a cupcake recipe you found that you liked

Giveaway starts now and ends May 21, 2011 Good Luck Email must be in comment or on blog profile or entries will not count. Winner will be emailed and have 36 hours to claim win failure to do so will result in prize being donated.

we prepared this review and received the same kit that is being offered in the giveaway from Creativity for kids to use for review Creativity for Kids also is supplying a second kit for the giveaway. Thank  you to creativity for kids

Sandwich Weather Is Back

Spring and warmer days is here and that means to this family that sandwich days are back. This is a dagwood sandwich that I shared some time back and have got many hits on it since that time. Find the recipe to this sandwich here

Spring Time Flower Craft

Construction paper -Green and Pink (or what ever color you want the flowers to be)
Green Oak tag for bottom or a piece of cardboard to glue Construction paper too.
Glue Stick
Scissors

Glue Construction paper to Cardboard
Cut one inch Strips for Stems
Fold Stems accordian style, keep folded for a few minutes under a book (if you have green oak tag, you can use this for sturdier stems)
Cut out flower shape from pink construction paper
Cut out green circle for inside flower
Glue circle on flower
7.Glue Flower on Stem
8.Glue Stem on base
9.Repeat for however many flowers you want to make!!

source: toddler craft

Giveaways I Entered

As many of you may or may not know I am a new grandma (our little man is now 3 months old) He has quite a time finding the right formula, bottles, etc... Many babies do This ThinkBaby system interest me because there are many features that I like about it. You may want to read more about the system over on the blog Katydid and Kid She is also hosting a giveaway for the set shown above head over there to enter the giveaway which ends May 20, 2011

Breakfast Pizza

Eggs


8 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Eggs 3 tablespoons milk1 tablespoon Land O Lakes® ButterPizza

1 (10-ounce) (11-inch) thin prepared pizza crust 6 (3/4-ounce) slices Land O Lakes® Deli Smoked Provolone Cheese4 slices crisply cooked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces*DirectionsHeat oven to 450°F. Beat eggs and milk in medium bowl until well mixed.



Melt butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet; add egg mixture. Cook, lifting gently and stirring slightly to allow uncooked portions to flow underneath, until set (2 to 3 minutes). Remove from heat; set aside.



Place pizza crust onto large baking sheet; top with 4 slices cheese, cooked eggs and bacon.



Stack remaining 2 slices cheese, coarsely chop. Sprinkle chopped cheese over pizza. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cheese is melted.



Cut into 6 wedges. Serve hot.


recipe source : Land o Lakes

Pedigree Ambassador Program Part 2

As I mentioned in an earlier post here on my blog Annies Home. I am a Pedigree ambasador and along with Corky have been on a route to find out all about Pedigree. Before Pedigree he would eat a combination of soft food that would come in a can as well as dry dog food at times. The food in the can would come in combinations that would interest some of us by the name alone because they sound like dinners we would serve. That does not mean that Corky was always interested in them or that they were the best for him. So we started off on the route to see if Pedigree would please him and me.

So far I have noticed that his teeth look better and are whiter. Pedigree allows him to bite into them and chew while offering a flavor that he enjoys as well While it may not be something that everyone will want to discuss I thought I might share another difference that we have noticed. Corky takes walks several times a day and on these walks he will take out time to use the bathroom both ways. Our teens noticed that his poop had a change and I asked our vet about it he said that it was because Corky had a diet change and it may have been better for him.

Corky is enjoying the new Pedigree food that we have switched to and from the results we have noticed I must say we do as well As far as sharing our thoughts on Pedigree I must share that we have all ready. Our opinion would be that if you are looking for a good food to feed your dog be sure to check out Pedigree you may just think it fits your dog well like we do.

You can find Pedigree on twitter or facebook

I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Pedigree and received dog food to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

5 question friday

1. Have you ever had roommates?


well I have sisters that I shared rooms with and then I got married and shared the room with my husband


2. How many names do you/your children have? (i.e. Prince Charming William Phillip Arthur Louis John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt)

we all only have a first and middle name I have had friends to give several middle names to their children
3. Did you watch the Royal Wedding?

in re-run form

4. What is the messiest room in your house?

I have teens does that give you a hint that it is their rooms and just which one is the one that has been flying under the radar and not been in trouble as of late this changes rapidly

5. What is your ideal mothers day?
 
attending church with my children and then a large family dinner where we all spend time catching up

Bacon Hot Sauce Review

Bacon is everywhere and many members of our family love hot sauce as well. So when I saw Bacon Hot Sauce I knew that it would be a product that we would have to try. Well, who doesnt love bacon and there are times that we all just need to kick life up just a bit. Check out this great recipe shared on the Bacon Hot Sauce website

Abe Shamrock's BHS Burgers

– Raw Burger Meat

– One raw egg

– Handful of breadcrumbs

– Several healthy glugs of Bacon Hot Sauce

– Kosher Sea Salt

– Fresh Ground Black Pepper

– Handful of freshly chopped onions

– Handful of freshly chopped parsley

Mix together well and separate into patties!



We prepared these burgers and let me tell you they were great. The extra breadcrumbs and egg helped us to stretch the use of the hamburger and the Bacon Hot Sauce sure did provide an extra kick. Now you may want to use just a bit or more if you like it a bit hotter.


One thing that I loved about Bacon Hot Sauce is that they don't hide what they place in the bottle of power. In fact their list of ingredients is found on their website at http://www.baconhotsauce.com/pages/ingredients This says a lot to me we never know who we will be entertaining and if we have guest with allergies I always want to know what is in the food that we share with them.

Want to get some of this amazing sauce for yourself? Then visit the Bacon Hot Sauce website

Aloha Friday: Mothers Day and a bit more about me

Today is Friday and no better than to do like those in hawaii do and take the day easy and prepare for the weekend. Aloha Friday is a meme hosted by An Island Life where bloggers come together to ask others an easy question that requires and easy answer. With this Sunday being mothers day I thought I would love to ask a question but so many started to run through my mind

what would you like for mothers day? what would you like to give your mother for mothers day if you could give her anything? and the list goes on and on so since I can only ask one question so my question today is:

Are you a mother? If you choose to tell me about your children or mothers day I would love to hear about anything you want to share in comments



1. Growing up, I was the only one in my family who____

2. On a typical morning, before I leave the house, I _______
3. No matter how hard I try, I am still afraid of _____________
4. ___________ is the first thing I notice about people.

1. got straight As
2. I eat breakfast, get dressed, kiss my husband, take my meds leave for work
3. dentist
4. A smile

Check this out Recipe featured on another blog

The recipe that I shared last week for Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Bake was featured on the Lets Do Brunch meme hosted by My Sweet and Savory blog. Thank you to them and if you have not checked this out just look and see what you are all missing (by the way this would be a nice piece for mothers day breakfast)

Do you remember this recipe

recently my stats have shown that this delicious cake recipe has received a lot of hits. Whether it is new to you or you remember it I think it is a perfect mothers day cake You can find the recipe for this Pineapple Dream Cake here and while here check out some great printable mother day coloring sheets here

Through much of this time of the great flood of 2011 there have been many individuals coming together to try to save homes, land and cities here in Southern illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. There is one special group of individuals in particular that I am proud of. The young people teen, preteens ad even some young children have helped move people, sandbag and do whatever is needed. My hat is off to these young heros for you are the light of tommorow.

Brass Music

when I was in school I was in the band and boy did I have a crush on a tuba player It was my eight grade year, the year we moved to Southern Illinois. He had never been in band before and by this time I had been in band for three years and really liked it. J.D. found this fact interesting and decided he would join the band as well When he talked to the band instructor he had the perfect instrument for him. He would play the Tuba. We have remained friends for over 20 years and I still love the fact that at one time he played the biggest instrument in the band. This is international Tuba Day and I thought I would share a little tuba music with you hope you enjoy

Wee Bit Wednesday on Thursday

{one} when was the last time you used a pay phone (if ever)? wow thats been some time ago the last time I can remember is when I called my husband while away with my parents on a reatreat.
{two} did you ever fail a subject in school?No not I was a good kid a straight A child the only class I had trouble in was Algebra 2
{three} where do you go to get your favorite hamburger/cheeseburger?Not that I get to go there often but I love fudrockers near St. Louis Missouri
{four} have you ever served jury duty?No
{five} how old were you when you moved out of your parents’ house?I started life on my own quite early Age 16 I was a married woman with child and 24 years later still happily married
{six} what is your favorite color to wear?I don't know why but pink is my favorite color to wear my tanish skin goes well with it
{seven} do you have a pair of shoes that you wear all the time?work shoes are the ones I wear most often if I had it my way I would go with no shoes nearly all the time
{eight} do you enjoy talk radio?yes depending on what the subject is
{nine} if you could turn one unhealthy food into a healthy one, what food would it be?I love greasy fried food now I know this will probably never be healthy still we can always dream
{ten} who is the best speaker you’ve ever heard in person?There was a preacher many years I can not think of his last name now but his first name Brady

Nacho Potatoes

check out this awesome recipe for nacho potatoes on the Simply Potatoes website. I believe these would please my teens who love mexican food

A short while back I shared a post here on Annies Home about my first experience with nutella you can read it here This sandwich would be delicious as a snack, light lunch or breakfast or even as a little follow up to any meal.

8 slices white bread


1/2 cup Nutella

2 6-ounce packages fresh raspberries


Spread 4 slices of bread with the Nutella.  Top with the raspberries and sandwich with the remaining slices of bread. Cut each sandwich into 4 pieces.

recipe source: my recipes

Allergy Season made easier with Achooz and Boogie Wipes

We live in beautiful southern Illinois and while the beauty is almost everywhere you look (or at least I think so) our children also suffer from seasonal allergies. There are many factors that allergies affect my children. From farming to coal mining to the beauty of the land pollen and spring blooming allergies can be overwhelming. Some things that seem to work are

Staying inside is one of the best ways to treat allergy symptoms because it helps to stay away from coming into contact with allergens in the first place. While not always fun when the pollen count soars keeping kids indoors as much as possible can help reduce the effect that allergies have on children and adults.

Seasonal allergies often arrive with nasal congestion and sneezing. One thing that you need to remember is to stay hydrated. Keeping a bottle of water within reach helps to encourage your child to drink as well as reminds yourself to stay hydrated.

Feel like taking a warm steamy shower? Well it may just make you feel less congested and a bit better. The reason is that the steam helps to open you up just a bit.

Allergies may leave your eyes a bit irritated as well. A cold compress can help with this symptom. Warm compresses may help to sooth sinus pressure and pain. So remember cold for itchy eyes and warm for relief of sinus pressure

Nasal congestion because of allergies is something that bothers children and adults alike. There are many products on the market that can help offer relief Saltwater or saline is one of the first things that is recommended Boogie Wipes for children and Achooz for adults are products that I have both tried and trust. My daughter loves the boogie wipes for my grandchildren nose and the Achooz offer relief for adults, something that I really need when suffering from allergies.

What is a boogie wipe?


"Boogie Wipes are made with saline to dissolve boogies (mucus) caused by the common cold, allergies or otherwise booger-filled kid moments. Extra soft, alcohol, phthalate and paraben free, Boogie Wipes are available in Great Grape, Fresh Scent, Magic Menthol and Simply Unscented. Recommended by pediatricians as a gentle, effective alternative to a dry tissue."


My daughter loves to use boogie wipes with her little ones. We all know how difficult it is to get a child to wipe their nose. After numerous times of wiping their little nose gets sore and their desire to wipe their nose is definitely not there. The boogie wipes are gentle enough to use and allows wiping that does not hurt. 
 

  A team of doctors and chemists created the unique non-medicated formula to break down mucus and soothe the nose while wiping. It includes the same gentle, patent-pending magic of saline, vitamin E and aloe as the Boogie Wipe products and is available in Fragrance Free for everyday use and Cool Menthol for extra stuffy noses.


Adults suffer from allergies as well. I am one of the many and was sent Achooz to review. I must say that you can surely tell a difference. The softness of the Achooz is awesome. We all know how after a few wipes on the tissue that we use our nose often ends up red and rough. Achooz was a great alternative just like boogie wipes which allowed the unpleasant time of allergy season to be a little easier.

we thank the moms of Boogie Wipes for sending us products to review. The thoughts and opinions shared in this post are those of mine alone

My mother loves rocky road candy and in honor of her and Mothers day this Sunday I thought I would share this recipe I found on My Recipes

11-oz. package peanut butter and milk chocolate chips


2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1 cup miniature marshmallows

3/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped



Preparation

Microwave peanut butter and milk chocolate chips in a large glass bowl on high for one to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in peanut butter until well blended.

Stir in rice cereal, miniature marshmallows and chopped peanuts. Spoon mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls evenly into miniature paper candy cups. Chill one hour or until firm.

Cancer, the big C as it is reffered to in our family has affected many family members in both my family and my husbands. I recently found a great blog post that helped to share points that we should be aware of you can read this post here

Oh!!! Catfish Sandwich

I have loved catfish for as long as I can remember, well maybe even a bit longer. My mother tells me that at 5 years old I requested that we have catfish on my birthday. No I do not remember this but being that my uncles all loved to fish I can imagine it. Now that we live in southern Illinois where catfish is king there is always a hankering for a good catfish sandwich that we often get from a restraunt on the river. Due to the massive amounts of rain and flooding that we have been seeing I am not sure when the next time will be that we will be able to eat at the restraunt on the river. When I recived this recipe in an email from Rachael Ray there was nothing that I could do but share it with you all.

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs.), each sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges

1/4 up EVOO

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 tbsp. cider vinegar, plus more for dipping

2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 bag (14 oz.) coleslaw mix

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 catfish fillets (7 to 8 oz. each), halved lengthwise

1 sourdough baguette (1 lb.), halved lengthwise and quartered crosswise

Preheat the oven to 450°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potato wedges with 2 tbsp. EVOO, 1 1/2 tsp.salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Arrange in a single layer and roast, turning once halfway through, until soft and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, vinegar, 1 tbsp. EVOO, 1 tsp. mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Stir in the coleslaw mix and scallions. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat. Season the catfish with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. On a baking sheet, arrange the bread cut side down and toast in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Spread the remaining 2 tbsp. mustard on the cut sides of the bread. Assemble the sandwiches with the fish and coleslaw. Serve with the sweet potato wedges and some vinegar for dipping.

Diabetic Recipe : Peach Salsa

3 cups Chopped Peeled Peaches


1/4 cup chopped cilantro (Optional, I don't like cilantro so I use very little)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large tomato chopped


In medium sized bowl combine all ingredients.

use this with chicken, pork and steak

Mothers Day Tea Cookie Recipe

Cheesecake Cookies




1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup flour

1/3 cup melted butter

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the brown sugar, nuts, and flour together. Stir in the butter and work it by hand until it resembles course crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture for the topping and press the rest firmly into the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes. Leave the oven on. While the crust is baking, cream the cream cheese and sugar together. Add the egg, lemon juice, milk, and vanilla, beat thoroughly, and pour it over the baked crust.
Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top of the cream cheese layer and bake for another 25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Makes 16 2" cookies.



recipe source: Great Party Recipes

Flood of 2011

two young men in town who went to school with our children were out in a boat in the flood waters 

not sure what this lady is doing possibly trying to get her stuff out of her apartment during the flood

they created a rush of water to save some towns here in the midwest

but today a sign that God gave Noah all those many years ago. A rainbow may it lead not only to the pot of gold but also to the end of the rain that is causing the great flood