durhamonthecheap

Monday, January 21, 2013

Product review: MorningStar meatless patties in chicken or burger flavor

Through bzzagent, I was able to obtain a free package of MorningStar meatless patties. They are offered in a variety of flavors and I chose the Chik Patties (see for a detailed description here) and the Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burgers (see the product page here). I chose these two products because I like spicy items and figured the Bean Veggie Burgers were naturally spicy, while the Chik Patties could be combined with a spicy salsa to make a spicy sandwich on their own.

The nutritional information is impressive on both products. The Chik Patties have 64% less fat than regular chicken patties and contain only 5g total fat per serving. The Black Bean Veggie Burgers have 73% less fat than regular ground beef and contain only 4g total fat per serving. I had friends over for lunch and served both products to compare and sample Morningstar products.The flavor was as impressive as the nutritional content.

Both products are easy to prepare. You can either microwave them or grill them for the burgers as well as prepare them in the oven. We microwaved the patties since we were meeting for an informal lunch and people were coming at different times. As you can see in the image above, I paired the Chik Patties with a corn salsa that was somewhat spicy and used an English Muffin as the sandwich underlay. I also had some hash browns that had a little heat added through bell peppers and onions.

The patties and burgers are the ideal size for English Muffin or you can even cut down more on calories by using sandwich thins, which are about the same size as the muffins. One patty is certainly filling and so we ended up mixing and matching both products so that each person could sample burger and chik patties. Everyone was impressed by how well the meatless products tasted - you certainly did not miss the meat and if I did not know any better, I could have sworn the Chik Patties contained chicken meat.

I can highly recommend MorningStar products, especially if one your resolutions for 2013 is to live healthier or watch your fat content during meals. MorningStar patties represent a healthy and satisfying alternative to traditional meat patties for burgers and sandwiches. I certainly will consider adding MorningStar regularly to our diet and may even participate in their Meatless Monday program. You can find information about this great program that has the possibility to let you win prizes here.

Disclaimer: I received a coupon for a free Morningstar product through bzzagent.com. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and have now been influenced by bzzagent or any other third party.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Fighting the Flu coupon giveaway - a collection of high value coupons to get your medicine cabinet stocked up against flu and cold!

Getting you over the flu myself, I know that the bug is still going around and is actually expected to hit real high levels in January / February. To help my readers be prepared against the flu / cold and all the nasty symptoms that go with it - I will host a coupon giveaway for a variety of remedies against the cold / flu and also include items that boost your immune response.

The giveaway package consists of:

2 coupons for $1 off each Advil Congestion Relief
1 coupon for $3 off Afrin Nasal Spray
2 coupons for $1 off any Children's Advil product
2 coupons for $3 off any Non-Drowsy Claritin-D (10 count or larger)
1 coupon for $1.50 off any one Airborne Product
3 samples for Airborne (hot soothing mix, refreshing mix, effervescent tablet)
2 samples of Emergen-C (Blueberry-Acai and Super Orange)

This collection of medication and immune supplements should help in kicking any cold or flu! Now that I am almost fully recovered, I want to make sure that my readers can get bargains for relief, in case the cold or flu hits your home!

Rules for the contest:
1) Subscribe to the blog
2) Add a comment mentioning your favorite flu or cold remedy (can be the most effective or the one you like the best - like plenty of ice cream for a sore throat)

Deadline:
all entries must be received by Noon EST 1-30-12. I want this to be a quick giveaway to make sure that the winner, drawn by selecting a random number, gets their package in time when the flu is supposed to reach its peak!

Good luck!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Product Review: Resolutions Box by Cravebox

I have frequently blogged about Cravebox, a product discovery service that compiles goodies into boxes matching specific themes. The first Cravebox for 2013 was the Resolutions box. I was hoping for items that would ensure 2013 getting off to a good start and Cravebox delivered exactly that.

Since I am currently still struggling with the aftereffects of the flu, no video, but more pictures in return. My voice is still hoarse and so a video would not turn out too good. But the images should tell you that this box was filled with goodness and a lot of items that can make 2013 a healthy year - and as an added bonus provide me with nutrients that boost my immune system and help me overcome the flu!

As you can see from the image above, they did include coupons, but they were for FREE products. One coupon was for a free Wholly product, love their guacamole and cannot wait to buy their appetizer and serve for my Superbowl party! Then they also included a coupon for a free product from Smart Ones - perfect for a lunch at work and healthy at the same time. I know with one product coupon I will face the problem of which product to choose. I am just looking at the selection here, Lemon Herb Chicken Piccata, Fettucini Alfredo or Chicken Enchiladas Suiza - what to select, they all sound sooo good! I also got a nice little paperclip from Wholly that I can use to collect my coupons for each shopping trip. But the goodies did not end there.

So this product was new to me. I never had a Sunrype bar before, but the blueberry pomegranate fruit bars taste so good and they do provide you with two servings of fruit in a handy bar. I took one to work the other day and did not have to worry about mushy bananas or bruised apples, yet still was able to eat my serving of fruit for lunch! So convenient are these bars, but they also taste good!

The Cravebox also included another new product, Cocoavia drink mixes. These mixes are based on Cocoa, but you can mix them into milk or just water. This is a variety pack that contains two chocolate flavored as well as two fruit flavored mixes. They are low calorie mixes and according to the company's website, the Cocoa flavanols contained in the mixes are scientifically proven to help support healthy circulation by helping your blood vessels stay flexible and expand as needed. You can read more about the health benefits here.

I got a nice nutrition bar from Simple in Cranberry Almond and a sample of healthy tea by Celestial Seasonings. The Metabo Balance Wellness tea could not have arrived at a better time to get me over the flu. It is advertised on the Celestial Seasonings page as a green tea to support metabolism and combined with garcinia cambogia and other botanical ingredients. So it will be good to drink a cup of that every day!

I can always use soda in the house, so convenient to take to lunch at work.These are new to me, I have not even seen them in the store.I already sampled the 7UP and it tastes really good. I cannot detect a chemical aftertaste, so I am optimistic about the rootbeer as well. Anyway, soda in cans is not that often found in my house, so this is a nice treat to pack for lunch and use instead of the drink mixes and lemon slices in water for a couple of days.

To top off this box - keep in mind it only cost $15 - was a full size product from Mary Kay that alone cost $40! The wonderful people at Cravebox decided to include the Timewise Eye Repair. This should make my eyes look better after haven spent several sleepless nights with the flu. I know it is a Resolutions box, but it also works wonders when getting over the flu. I also get a sample of Pantene Moisture Whip Mousse, which I had been able to sample earlier and loved. So I am excited about getting another sample because I love how this product straightens my hair and adds a nice gloss.

Overall considering the price I paid for the box, this was an outstanding Cravebox. I really liked that this box had some totally new products for me and every product included fit the Resolutions theme for a healthy 2013.

Disclaimer: I received the products included in the Resolutions Cravebox for a nominal fee and in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and have not been influenced by Cravebox or any other third party.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Influenster - Palmolive Fresh Infusions Voxbox

Through the Influenster Voxbox program, I frequently receive new items that are just appearing on the market. Last week, when I was still suffering from a bad flu (despite getting the flu shot!), my day was significantly brightened by the arrival of a Voxbox. This Influenster box contained three full-size bottles of a new Palmolive dishwashing detergent in wonderful scents.

The new line of Palmolive premium dishwashing soaps is called Palmolive Fresh Infusions and came in three different scents:

White Tea and Ginger
Lime and Basil
Lemon and Thyme

The soap is available for around $2.99 at local Walmart and Target stores. You can read more about the new dishwashing soap by Palmolive here.What I really was impressed with was how little of the soap I needed to clean even stubborn messes, such as baked on tomato sauces. Just a drop into the water was enough to remove the caked on dirt and the smell would have been overpowering had I added more to the dishes. I am currently using the White Tea and Ginger variety and I really, really like the scent. It does not smell like your usual dishwashing soap, but much better and leaves the dishes and the whole kitchen smelling refreshed. The scent of ginger and white tea is not overpowering, but the dishes smell clean and for someone like me who does not like overly strong perfumes, this dishwashing soap is the perfect scent for my kitchen.

I had some friends over last weekend and they were also commenting on the new dishwashing soap. First, the bottle does not look like your usual dishwashing soap bottle and then, as I was doing dishes after lunch, they also commented on the scent and how refreshing it smelled. I showed them the other bottles and one of my friends really liked the lemon / thyme scent, but the other two friends agreed that the ginger / white tea combination is outstanding.

As you can see from the video below, I am a big fan of Palmolive dish soap to begin with, but these new scents are outstanding and I really like the look of the bottle. It has the perfect smalllish footprint to put and LEAVE right next to the sink and it is still powerful to clean your dishes.

Disclaimer: I received free full size products of the Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soaps thanks to Influenster.com in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and have not been influenced by Influenster, Palmolive or any other third party. Additional reviews for the Palmolive soap can be found on the Influenster page here.

Book review: A Gift from Tiffany's by Melissa Hill

Sometimes the best laid out plans fall apart and then anything can happen. This is exactly what Ethan Greene experiences. He had it all planned out with a romantic vacation in New York during Christmas time accompanied by his little daughter and girlfriend. This vacation was supposed to culminate in a proposal with the perfect ring from Tiffany’s, ending the loneliness after the loss of his wife. But it all turns out differently because right after he leaves Tiffany’s with engagement ring in hand, he witnesses an accident and all things go haywire from there.

Ethan’s romantic adventures become intertwined with those of Gary Knowles, the accident victim, who had also been to Tiffany’s to pick up something for his girlfriend. He wants something not too marriage material, but still likeable, just like he views Rachel, his current girlfriend. Unsure about his commitment to Rachel, he asks for a nice gift for his sister, figuring that anything from Tiffany’s will make Rachel happy and a sister-like gift will not raise too high of an expectation in Rachel about their future. As it turns out, each man is in for a big change from their anticipated New York vacation because a tiny mix up happens.

Melissa Hill creates a wonderful romance story that teaches out that life sometimes has other plans for us and going with the flow can often be better than planning everything to the tiniest detail. Her story A Gift from Tiffany’s contrasts two male protagonists and their very different approach to life, one easy going and carefree, the other filled with responsibility to this daughter and careful action. In the end, both find happiness, but in different ways than either one expected.

This was my first book by Melissa Hill and while her story can be described as traditional romance, the book is anything by boring and predictive. The ending is surprising, the tone upbeat and the events described comical. The characters are well developed and very believable. I really enjoyed the comical reactions of the characters to some of the events they experience. This book was a very quick read because I had a hard time putting it down once started and I really enjoyed the style in which the author describes both characters in the story and the events in the storyline.

Book review: Becoming Clementine by Jennifer Niven

A follow up to her bestseller Velva Jean Learns to Fly, Becoming Clementine continues the exploits of Velva Jean Hart during World War II. Velva Jean Hart, originally from Appalachia and now a member of the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASP), moves from a WASP to a no-nonsense Allied spy in occupied France. In the process she changed her identity to Clementine Roux, but at the same time she continues to draw from her roots growing up in the tough mountains of Appalachia to survive as an enemy agent in occupied France.

Velva Jean, a co-pilot on a flight to drop off agents in occupied France, finds herself literally stuck in occupied France after her plane crashed and all but a handful of passengers are dead. She meets Emile, a member of the French Undergound, becomes Clementine and continues to collaborate with other members of the Underground to successfully complete missions, while at the same time trying to find her brother Johnny Clay who is missing in action. Despite the action-heavy adventures of Velva Jean, the book is written like a story that still invites the reader to cuddle up in front of a roaring fire and enjoy the storyteller that Jennifer Niven is. The romance angle is covered as well since in Emile, Velva Jean also finds love, a love for which she is willing to risk her life.

I have to admit that I did not read the earlier books by Ms. Niven that dealt with Velva Jean’s life prior to this book and I am not certain if it would have made a difference. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it is a mix of romance, adventure and history book. I learned quite a bit about the role and origin of the WASP, an organization that I knew existed, but its meaning and relevance really I had not fully grasped until this book. The storyline is fast paced, romance is definitely present, but plays a minor role in the story.

Living in North Carolina, I am always interested in reading books by authors from this state and Ms. Niven, as I found out while researching this author, hails from North Carolina and has written her heroine Velva Jean to be from this area as well. This may explain to some degree why I enjoyed the book so much, but I really have to give credit to Ms. Niven’s excellent historical research and her writing style, which reminds me of the storyteller tradition in Appalachia. Her book is reading like a story, easy to follow, despite the storyline full of adventure. Ms. Niven is a true modern day storyteller.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Harris Teeter Bargains - Saturday 1-5-13

Today, an early morning run to Harris Teeter generated some great bargains.

The Saturday special were Lysol wipes (35 count), priced at 97 cents a container. This was combined with a 50 cents coupon of the Lysol.com website that doubled, generating a saving of $1 and pricing two Lysol containers of Lysol wipes at less than 97 cents.

In addition, I found at my South Durham Harris Teeter Biscotti from Biscotti Brothers (7oz.) on sale, likely reduced for the after Christmas clearance. Originally priced at $4.99, they rang up at $3.50 and the two containers I grabbed had another sticky coupon for $2 off.

My total purchased ended up being $4.06 with a total saving of more than $13.00. Not bad for an early morning shopping trip.

Do not forget, tomorrow Harris Teeter has a Sunday special of 18 HR large eggs for $1.97. This offer is valid for Sunday only.