Chocolate Cheerios (Giveaway)
February 3rd, 2010Oh my goodness…If you love chocolate (and who doesn´t?), you will LOVE the new Chocolate Cheerios-with a perfect balance of whole grain goodness and a delicious touch of chocolate taste in every bite. These little buggers are fabulous. I am normally not a fan of chocolate cereals…they always taste too fake to me. And leave a weird aftertaste. But I do really like the new chocolate cheerios. They aren’t overwhelming if that makes any sense. They are perfect.
Chocolate Cheerios is low in fat, heart healthy*, has 100 calories per serving, contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving (at least 48 grams recommended daily), and is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Made with real cocoa, Chocolate Cheerios can help your family start the day off right with a delicious and nutritious breakfast that is sure to make you smile!They also make a great snack to throw in a baggie and take along with you!
They have even came up with some great recipes using Chocolate Cheerios for you! Here are a few for you to check out:
Chocolate Cheerios® Marshmallow Hearts
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Start to Finish: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Crust
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 cup Chocolate Cheerios® cereal, crushed
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups miniature marshmallows
Topping
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag (11.5 ounces) milk chocolate chips
4 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal
Candy sprinkles, if desired
Heat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan with foil. In large bowl, mix all crust ingredients except marshmallows with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly. Press firmly into bottom of pan.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven; bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while preparing topping.
In large saucepan, place all topping ingredients except cereal and sprinkles. Heat over medium-low heat just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 4 cups cereal. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles. Cool completely, at least 1 hour.
Using foil to lift, remove mixture from pan; remove foil. With deep 2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 18 hearts. Store loosely covered.
Chocolate Hazelnut Marshmallow Balls
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Start to Finish: 15 Minutes
1/2 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
14 large marshmallows
Toothpicks
3 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal
Round wooden sticks with one pointed end or craft sticks
(flat wooden sticks with round ends)
In medium microwavable bowl, microwave hazelnut spread and chocolate chips on high 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Place cereal in shallow dish.
Insert toothpick into marshmallow; dip in chocolate mixture. Roll in cereal to coat completely. Place on large plate; remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining marshmallows. If desired, insert round wooden sticks into each for pops.
Refrigerate 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
14 servings
Strawberry-Chocolate Cheerios® Parfaits
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Start to Finish: 15 Minutes
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Light Fat Free strawberry yogurt
2 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal
In 4 parfait glasses or clear drinking glasses, layer half of the strawberries, half of the yogurt and half of the cereal. Repeat layers.
Serve immediately
And now, you can enter to win a Chocolate Cheerios gift pack that includes a box of Chocolate Cheerios for you to try as well as a chocolate scented spa kit and a ceramic cereal bowl.
To ENTER: leave a comment stating how your family starts out their day and what part of it always brings a smile to your face. All entries must be received by Feb. 12th at 5 PM EST. All entrants must have a valid US mailing address. Winner will be selected by random drawing and will have 3 days to respond to the verification e-mail before another winner will be selected.
Want Extra Entries:
Blog about this contest with a link back to here (leave link where the post can be found).
Subscribe to The Post-It Place (either by a reader or request in your comment to be added to the e-mail list for contests and giveaways).
Place my button on your blog (leave link it can be found at).
Follow me - Its_Jyl and Cheerios on Twitter and Tweet this contest making sure to use the @Its_Jyl (leave ID in a comment and I will follow you back).
Follow Me on Facebook.
Some of the Information and the Chocolate Cheerios gift packs were all given to me from Cheerios through MyBlogSpark. All opinions happen to be my own.
Breakfast is Where it’s at!
January 21st, 2010I love starting my day around the table having breakfast with my family. One of my “things” is that we all eat together as much as possible. I learn more from us sitting at the table and eating together than in any other way. The conversation isn’t always geared toward anything specific, it is just random conversation that is very revealing most of the time. Like this week I have learned that Erin has been chatting with a guy she went to high school with. He is now in the Navy and wants her to come to his base for a visit during her spring break. Oh My…I am kinda freaking out here. He does seem like a great guy though…and she seems to really like him. Tate would like to start taking jujitsu. Bric is going to be on call 24/7 for awhile to make up for all of the call time everyone else had to take while he was out of work for 2 months. Oh, and there is an awesome new restaurant in Dalton (next town over, more on that later).
Anyway, the point is, mealtimes are very important for families. Breakfast being the MOST important meal of the day. In honor of that, General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.
Did you know that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children´s diets.
Other cereal benefits:
Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.
Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.
More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.
Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.
Wow, did you know all of that? I sure as heck didn’t. Yay for General Mills and their commitment to families health! The best part about it is that you can’t even tell that the sugar content has been reduced. Great flavor still abounds! Right now if you visit HERE you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals. Yummm, Lucky Charms!
Thanks to General Mills and MyBlogSpark for making this post possible and for providing me with coupons to help facilitate this post.
Spicy Hash Scramble
January 20th, 2010This is the perfect breakfast for those chilly morning or if you just want to add a little spice to your life. You may need muscle builder supplements just to lift this dish, it is hearty. But, it is easy and delicious and can be changed to cater to your own tastes if needed. We have used bacon, sausage and ham in it…and we like all 3. However bacon seems to be the all time favorite.
Spicy Hash Scramble
Ingredients:
8 medium red potatoes
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon paprika, preferably hot
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 eggs
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Salsa, if desired
Directions:
1. Bring large pot of water to boil; add potatoes. Lower heat and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; let cool. Skin potatoes and cut into ½” dice.
2. In large skillet, heat oil and melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt and pepper to taste; cook, stirring gently, until potatoes begin to turn brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in the crumbled bacon.
3. In another skillet, prepare scrambled eggs to taste. Serve eggs over hash browns with salsa, if desired.
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The Breakfast to beat all Breakfastes!
September 18th, 2009Is breakfastes a word? I don’t know either…and I really don’t care cause I love breakfast in any form. It is my most favorite meal. I love it on a lazy Saturday morning the most. I also like breakfast for supper. And well, any other time. Everyone that knows me, knows that breakfast happens to be my most favorite and therefore, I get recipes sent to me on a regular basis that are breakfast related. I knew when I received this one it was going to be a favorite just by looking at it…and when I tried it…Oh My, I LOVE it!
5 pounds red potatoes, diced once cool
1 pound thick-sliced bacon, diced
3/4 cup green bell peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
8 ounces shredded cheese ( I used mexican blend)
6 large eggs
Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until they start to feel soft, but not too soft. You want them to hole their shape when you dice them. before they cool completely you want to peel the skins off. Then dice them and set aside.
Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until the fat is rendered. You want to drain off some of the grease, but not all of it.
While you continue to brown the bacon add the green pepper and onion and cook thoroughly.
Add the potatoes to the pan and heat until the mixture is hot throughout.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top, letting it melt down into everything.
Stir in the eggs cooking them till done.
Mmmmm, trust me, you don’t need anything to go with it. Just serve it like it is. Well, unless you are like some people I know and have to have bread with every meal. Then you can throw some toast or a good old southern style biscuit on the side. I had every intention of taking a photo for you…so, after we ate I went back to fix a plate for the photo and this is what I found:
I think my family liked it as well because this is a very large fry pan, and it was FULL. As you see, there wasn’t a bite left.
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Happy New School Year! (GIVEAWAY)
September 9th, 2009THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED!!!
Winner: Melody Hansen
Well folks, it is that time of year. Some of us have been back at school for awhile, some just started this week. Regardless, it is a stressful event in most families. Getting all the school supplies both required and desired together. Finding that perfect outfit for the first day. Making sure all forms are filled out. And the nightmares of transportation. Whew, it is enough to make you pull your hair out.
In light of all of that…I wanted to let you know about a couple of things that can make your school year better and brighter than ever before!
First, there is a contest being conducted by Nestle Family on nestlefamily.com for school supplies with a $5,000 prize for school essentials and a $2,000 literacy grant up for grabs until the end of the month. And there is a daily winner where each winner will receive one (1) Mead® Five Star® Messenger Bag filled with Mead products (products to be selected by Sponsor). You really must run and enter. Some great stuff going on over there.
While you are there you may even want to check out some of the other great things they have to offer on their website. For some really great articles and tips check out the Read Up section. You will find things such as tips to go by on when you should call the school, nutritious lunch ideas, homework helpers and much more. Need a break? Check out the Games section. I could spend hours playing that darned Maze-O-Madness…it will truly drive you mad at times.
Then, as most parents know, we all make those “resolutions” as the school year starts. We will make a nutritious breakfast each morning to start the day out right. We won’t be late. We will pack our child a smart lunch to keep them energized and alert throughout the day. Then, by the end of the first week, we are lucky to have on matching shoes. At least in our house that is the way things seem to go. Thanks to Nestle, keeping those “resolutions” can be easier than ever. They have suggestions for healthy and nutritious breakfasts that don’t take forever to prepare. They have ideas for smart lunches. However, they did say that they can not assure that I will have on matching shoes each morning. They are offering one lucky reader a Happy New School Year Resolution prize package. Start the Day with a Healthy Breakfast prize package will contain:
Free coupons for: Boost Kid Essentials; Carnation Instant Breakfast; Ovaltine
Recipe cards for: Tropical Sunrise Smoothie; Creamy Chocolate Smoothie; Pink Razzy; and Blue Monkey Smoothie
This prize pack is worth over $40 and is a great start to a Happy New School Year!
TO ENTER:
Visit NestleFamily.com Have a look around, enter their great contest and then leave a comment here telling me something that you learned. All entries must be received by Sept. 18th at 5 PM EST. All entries must have a valid US mailing address. Winner will be selected at random and will have 3 days to respond to the verification e-mail.
Want Extra Entries:
Blog about this contest, with a link back to here (leave link where the post can be found).
Subscribe (either by a reader or request in your comment to be added to the e-mail list only for contests and giveaways).
Place my button on your blog (leave link it can be found at).
Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest (leave ID in a comment, mine is @Jillybean01).
Breakfast For Supper
October 1st, 2008Do you ever have breakfast for supper? We do. Of course breakfast foods are my all time favorite so I take any opportunity I can to cook a big breakfast. Sausage patties…yum, on a biscuit, with some mustard. Just can’t be beat. But, there are times that I like to change things up, try something new. And here is what I have tried with sausage:
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 pound bulk sausage
1 medium apple, peeled and finely shredded
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
dash of ground pepper
Stir all of the ingredients together and shape into patties. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Heat a skillet over med-high heat, add sausage patties, reduce heat to med. and cook for 5 minutes, turn. Continue cooking until patties are no longer pink.
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