Giveaway: Super Bowl Party Food Ideas from Boulder Organic!

Planning a Super Bowl get-together? Check out these hearty recipes that start with Boulder Organic! soups....

Boulder Organic! soups are always organic, always gluten-free, and always non-gmo.  And they taste fantastic!  Did you know you can also use these soups to create amazing recipes to wow your Super Bowl party guests?

Green Chile Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. pork shoulder roast
- 1 tub Boulder Organic! Green Chile Corn Chowder

Place a 2 lb. pork shoulder roast in a slow cooker, add one tub of the Green Chile Corn Chowder on top (add a dash of salt if desired). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Pull apart and enjoy!

Chicken Vegetable Chili Nachos

Ingredients:
- 1 tub Boulder Organic! Chicken Vegetable Chili
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 1-2 cups finely shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1 cup of your favorite salsa
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 jar pickled jalapenos, drained (if you like the spice!)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup fresh cilantro

Preheat broiler, place top rack about 6 inches from top. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread tortilla chips over baking sheet. Heat Chicken Vegetable Chili in saucepan until slightly reduced and thickened. Pour chili over the top of tortilla chips. Add cheese to the top of chili (as much as you like!). Place baking sheet on top rack and broil 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Top nachos with salsa, sour cream, avocado, jalapenos, and cilantro as desired.


Don't these recipes sound so good?   In my area, only The Fresh Market stores carry Boulder Organic! soups. You can check here to see which stores carry them in your town.   These tasty soups are found in the refrigerated section of the store, and come in the following varieties:


·         Butternut Squash with Sage

·         Roasted Tomato Basil

·         Red Lentil Dahl

·         Garden Minestrone

·         Cuban Black Bean

·         Green Chile Corn Chowder

·         Potato Leek

·         Golden Quinoa and Kale

·         Chicken Quinoa & Kale

·         Chicken Vegetable Chili


My favorite varieties for a quick meal?  Definitely the Chicken Quinoa & Kale and the Butternut Squash with Sage.   Yum!

Boulder Organic! would like to give one of you free coupons for their soup to recreate these recipes.

Just leave a comment below this post telling me your favorite Super Bowl snacks. (be sure to include your email address in the comment so I can contact you if you are the winner)  I'll use random.org to draw a winner from your comments next week!

Sponsor will mail coupons directly to the winner.  Open to US residents only.  Contest ends 2/12/16.

Thanks for stopping by - and please share my post with your friends using the buttons below this post for Facebook, Twitter, etc!

Disclaimer: I received the recipes and information about these products, as well as coupons for free products in order to try them for this post.  All opinions given are my own, and no other compensation was received.  

If you still need some party food ideas, I have other tasty party recipes from earlier posts here  and here! 

Using herbs & botanicals around the house

We are getting a preview of a channel called Veria on Dish Network this month, and I'm truly enjoying it!  This morning I watched a great show on there called "What a Relief" that talks about using herbs in your house.  I'm going to post some of these uses not only for you to enjoy, but also as a way that I can easily refer back to them! : )

1.  To keep your closet or drawers moth-free, fill a muslin sachet sized bag with equal parts of dried lavender and dried wormwood.  Store in drawer or closet.  After a few months, refresh by crusing bag gently between hands, replace in closet or drawer.  Wormwood is anti-microbial and a natural insect repellent! 

2.  To treat laundry stains:  resoak stains with hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar...a little goes a long way.   Drying your clothes in the sunshine helps as sunlight is a natural bleach. 

 3.  La Lavenderia Herbal Laundry Detergent:  Brew a handful of lavender & wormwood  stems/flowers/leaves in a large pot of water, then strain.  Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of this strained herbal water to an empty glass jar or bottle, then add 1/2 cup castile-based liquid soap (like Dr. Bronners unscented, or lavender scented), or you can shave a solid castile soap bar into the bottle.  Add  2 Tbsp baking soda (which acts as a fabric softener, reduces static cling) & 1/8 cup of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, which is also fabric softener.  Use a bit of this mixture in your wash, and it will smell great and be disinfected naturally!  It's non-toxic, safe on skin, and lavender is not only a natural cleanser, it has a calming scent too!  Sweet!

4.  Safe & Natural Insecticide:  boric acid kills ants, or sprinkle it on your carpets to deter fleas.  Wipe ant trails in your home with the following mixture:   Dilute hot sauce in water, add a dash of cinnamon, and a few red pepper flakes.  Then spray across trail, wipe, and watch them leave: it will upset their ability to pick up the scent of their old trail!  Organic, inexpensive and doesn't burn skin!

5.  To clean your toilets, first scrub with brush, flush, then add 1 tsp each of lavender & thyme essential oil to 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide.  Add to the toilet, let sit for an hour or longer before flushing.

6.  For toilets stained with rust or hard water deposits, baking soda or citric acid can be used to scour those stains without ruining the enamel.

For more information on any of these natural recipes, check out veria.com!  : )

Giveaway: Kate's Pastries Gluten-Free, Organic Baked Goods

Time for another giveaway - and this one is soooo sweet! : )

My wonderful friend Deb sells her herbs and plants at local farmers markets. While working at the Suwanee Market, she met Kathleen, who is the owner of Kate's Pastries. Kathleen makes super-delicious treats that are heart healthy but still taste great.

She sent us a loaf of her delicious Sweet Potato Bread to sample and it was...incredible!! It's gluten-free, which I have to admit, initially made me think it might not taste as good as "regular" baked goods. Was I ever W.R.O.N.G.!!! There is so much flavor packed into each slice, and it is very rich and moist! Such a treat for breakfast or a snack. Even Mr. Picky Pants (my seven year old) asked for seconds. I love Sweet Potato anything (click the link for my delish Sweet Potato Pie recipe!), but this bread is now at the top of my Fall Favorites list!

Kate's Pastries' Sweet Potato Bread
(photo from Kathleen's Etsy shop page)

Here's what makes Kathleen's baked goods so special:  They are gluten-free and baked with natural and organic ingredients. All are homemade! Here's what she says on her Etsy page:  "We have made it our passion to incorporate natural and organically grown ingredients in all our products such as: organic stone ground whole wheat flour, organic unbleached white flour, organic flax seed, raw wheat germ, etc. Oh, did we mention that our pastries are hand-made and baked? Yes...each Kate's Pastries product is made with the T.L.C. that your tastebuds deserve. We are dedicated to giving you a unique snacking experience while keeping your heart healthy!"

Deb had the opportunity to try most everything Kathleen sells at the market, and she said it's ALL delicious! In addition to Sweet Potato Bread, she offers Banana Bread, cookies, and mini pastries filled with cream.  I plan to order some holiday treats from Kate's Pastries ~ they are just too good!

Kate's Pastries'  Chocolate Hazelnut Mini Pastries (available with or without Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Filling)
photo from Kate's Pastries Etsy shop page

Now on to my favorite part:  Sweet Kathleen has offered a $10 credit (plus shipping for the $10 in products) to her Etsy shop to one of my fantastic friends here. My Rafflecopter form makes for a quick, easy entry process!  Just click the "Read More" below to enter. 

The credit is good through December 1st, so she can be sure you have your baked goods in plenty of time for the holidays. Her yummy products are priced at $3, $5, and $7 each so you can get a couple of things with this wonderful prize!! A HUGE Thank You to Kathleen for sponsoring this giveaway ~ she rocks!!

Shaklee Giveaway ~ FIVE winners!! (Ended)

UPDATE:  Congrats to my 5 winners!! Ces, Tiffany, Brittany H., Jill, and Andrea!! Emails have gone out, I've heard from Ces already, but if I don't hear from any of the other 4 winners, I'll draw again tomorrow night!  If you're a winner, pleaes check your email and get back with me ASAP! : )

Thanks to all who entered, and please check back later this week for my next HUGE giveaway - a 2 night stay in Florida!!


Happy Sunday, friends!  It's been the most beautiful Fall Sunday here in Atlanta - the temps were in the 60's and life is GOOD!  And now...I am so very excited to share this giveaway with y'all!

Erin Branscom is the sweetest lady!  She is a fun mommy blogger and a Shaklee Distributor.  She asked if I'd be interested in reviewing their Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate which is all natural and non-toxic.  Since Katie has asthma, cleaning can be dicey if I'm busting out the bleach or other stinky cleaners.  They can really mess with her, and lately I've had a problem with the fumes from bleach - I have to open every window, turn on fans, etc to be able to breathe! So a non-toxic cleaner really sounded great - IF it would clean as well as my bleach or other cleaners.  And get this - one 16 oz bottle makes 48 GALLONS of cleaner!! She sent me a vial of their Basic H2, which made two spray bottles of cleaners.  One bottle of all-purpose kitchen/bathroom cleaner one bottle of window and glass cleaner. (I grabbed two spray bottles at Dollar Tree to use for this)  I was really impressed with how much cleaner I was able to make from the small vial, and it worked great!

I cleaned the master bathroom sinks and the mirror in there, and my kitchen windows too, all with great results.  Then I tackled the fridge - it was a job I'd been putting off! Are my kids the only ones who let ketchup drip down the side of the bottle as they put it up and then it gunks up under the jar/bottle? Same with caramel sauce and chocolate syrup....it was a mess in there! But the Basic H2 spray cleaners took care of the glass shelves, the walls of the fridge, even the drawers and door shelves!  I used both the all purpose cleaner and the glass cleaner to get this big job done, and now my refrigerator is sparkling clean again! And there's no strong fragrance left behind from the cleaner - that might be my most favorite thing about using Basic H2! 

     My sparkling clean fridge - love it!  No "before" pic of this - I completely forgot to charge my camera!

Erin also sent me a container of Shaklee's Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste.  Oh, how I love this stuff!! It smells like bubble gum according to my kids - very pleasant!

Now, I'm gonna make a confession.  My oven had not been cleaned in over a year.  About two years ago, the self cleaning function stopped working.  So last year I had to clean it with one of those super stinky spray on/wipe off cleaners.  Not. A. Fun. Job.   To say I'd been putting off doing that chore again is an understatement!   When I got the Shaklee scouring paste I knew the time had come to tackle this job again.

I'm almost embarrassed to show the "before" picture to you, but I want you to see how well it works! (don't judge!!)


                                                                   Gross "before" picture:

and after:

Not perfect - but almost! There are still a couple of places I may have to chisel some permanently burned-on things off, but I'm thrilled with how it looks now.  To my surprise, it was truly pleasant to clean with this scouring paste from Shaklee!! 

I love that these cleaners are natural and that they are affordable!  Shaklee has a membership option where you get a nice discount when you order products, or if you would like to become a distributor and sell these products yourself, Erin will give you extra free products for joining her team! You can contact her through her blog if you are interested in finding out more about joining Shaklee - make sure you tell her Aimee sent you! : )

So now on to the giveaway:  click the "read more" link to enter through my rafflecopter widget.  There is one mandatory entry, and lots of extra entries too.  Good luck!!

Disclosure:  Erin provided me with Basic H2 Cleaner and Heavy Duty Scouring Paste to review.  All opinions written above are my own honest feelings - I LOVE these Shaklee cleaning products!! She is also providing five vials of Basic H2 Cleaner to my winners.  No monetary compensation was received.  :  )

Some tips for couponing this week!

There is a print out coupon on either smart source or coupons.com for Taco Bell dinners ( at the grocery - includes dinner kits, taco shells, sauces, etc) that is for $1 off. Use that with the BOGO Publix sale - you get 2 for $2.69 - $1 coupon = 85 c each.

Marie Callender dinners are BOGO for $2.99 ~ use a $1 off coupon (I am pretty sure it is from All You magazine, this month), you get two for under a buck each - I got two of the Pasta Al Dente dinners.

Hunt's catsup is bogo for $1.39 - buy one, use 20 c off mfr coupon from the paper a few weeks ago = 29 c catsup!

Stayfree Pads are $2.85 e - use Publix BOGO coupon plus two $1.00 off coupons = 43 cents each
these are a great thing to donate to a women's shelter!

Kraft Cheese is 2 for $4 ~ there is a blinkie coupon (I got mine at Kroger this week) for $1 off 2 = $1.50 per bag

AT CVS: If you have any Extra Care Bucks to "play" with - get the Ban deodorant for $2.99, use $1 off coupon. Get back $2 ECB. Also buy 3 Power Bars (two flavors for this deal - peanut butter or cranberry oatmeal) for 99 cents each, get $2.97 ECB back. If you haven't bought a green bag tag - you should go ahead and get one for 99 cents. Attach to your own reusable bag, or just keep on your keychain and place your purchases in your purse after you pay - you earn $1 for every 4 visits that the tag is scanned!! It's an easy moneymaker - especially if you go to CVS often. We have 3 or 4 within a 5 mile radius, so I can pop in often and I always have them scan the tag!

Walgreens - Ecotrin is on sale for $2, and there was a coupon a few weeks back for $2 off. I only found 1, so I bought 1, paid 12 cents tax, and got $2 in Register Rewards. Bought a 2nd bottle, paid 12 cents plus the Register Rewards. I am planning on giving one to a new friend who takes low dose aspirin, and one to my mom if she does. If not, we'll find a place to donate it. The RR did not roll over (meaning if you pay with a RR from Ecotrin, it won't print another $2 RR for you) on this deal, unfortunately. But if you had a bunch of the $2 coupons, you could walk away wth a bunch of $2 register rewards (just make sure to do seperate transactions ie - buy one box, get the RR, buy the 2nd, get RR, buy 3rd, get RR) if you by them all together, they will only print one $2 RR. My Publix takes RR as a competitor's coupon so I save them to use at Publix!


At Kroger: One tip I can share about finding HEALTHY, good food for cheap involves Kroger. I prefer to go either super early, or in the early evening. I always make a beeline for the produce department and look for items with the orange/yellow markdown tags! Today I got: a bag of salad with cabbage nd carrots for 79 cents, 2 iceberg wedge salads with bacon/bleu cheese dressing for $1.99, a pack of 5 bags of Chiquita apple slices with cinnamon dip for $2.19 (and used a $1 off coupon!) Also the bakery had a wonderful loaf of garlic bread for $1.29 - with salad, that was a perfect dinner! I also picked up a pack of premium hamburger rolls that had been 2.49, but were marked down to 55 cents. If we don't use them by tomorrow (I've got chicken burgers in the freezer that would be perfect with these!), then I'll freeze them for later. Kroger often marks down their organic dairy products in an open refrigerator chest near the milk cases. We've gotten Silk milk for under $1, organic sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese and more - all for under $1. They also mark down tofu items, veggie hot dogs, etc. Many of these can be frozen to use later.