Are you overdue for a coffee break? Call your best girlfriends and join us for an International Delight #IcedCoffee Coffee Hour Party 2/9/12 @ 1 PM EST. Chat about Iced Coffee, recipes, flavors and so much more. RSVP below and participate during the party for a chance to win (3) $25 Walmart Gift Cards and (1) $100 Walmart Gift Card.

Have Fun & Win Prizes!

During our Coffee Hour Twitter party, we will be giving away fabulous prizes! Remember to follow @RebeccaEParsons to win! International Delight will be giving away 4 Walmart Gift Cards!

#IcedCoffee Twitter Party Details & RSVP

WHAT: #IcedCoffee Twitter Party – get inspired to host a coffee klatch
WHEN: Thursday, February 9 th, 1-2 PM EST
WHERE: On Twitter on your computer! Follow and use the #IcedCoffee hashtag during the party, you can also use the Tweetgrid we created for the party – http://bit.ly/w1vJob.
FUN: Tips, coffee talk, faves and giveaways.
FOLLOW: Follow @RebeccaEParsons, @LaurenRodkin, @MonicaJohnson and @inDelight and RSVP below in the Linky tool so we can all follow each others.

NOTE: You will have to follow @inDelight to win prizes during the Twitter party.

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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Follow:
Rebecca Parsons, @RebeccaEParsons
Lauren Rodkin, @LaurenRodkin
MonicaJohnson, @MonicaJohnson

RSVP Here:

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Steal this Badge and Share on Your Blog…link back to this post please!!!

by reporter Michael B. Vickers

When I signed on to do this project, I was excited to have $25 to spend on snack food. This will be the best super bowl experience for me as I got to do the shopping! MurphyUSA had all of my favorite snack foods and I can’t wait to delve into them with my favorite dips!!! Hot and Spicy!!!

You can see from this photo that I was able to buy 16 bags of treats – 16 bags! I will have to invite all my friends over to enjoy these with me while we watch the Super Bowl.

This is my Murphy snack aisle. I like to shop here.

I scored a bunch of $2 snack bags of Munchos and Pork Rinds. That is a real manly meal for me.

Here I am with all my bounty. I was surprised at the bang for my bucks!

Checkout was fast and there was lots of laughter from other customers as the clerk rang me up.

It was such a big purchase that the manager, David, had to bring it out the side door!!! He is always a good sport when my wife and I do these projects for Murphy. He was appreciative of the business and was excited about the fact that this would be on Murphy’s new blog – The Smarter Driver.

Sir Chancelot guards the receipt.

Thanks to Murphy USA for allowing me to take part in this Experience.  All opinions are my own. #smrterdriver

I am so excited to be asked to participate in M&M’S Museum of Chocolate Launch in New York City on February 7th!!! How great is that? You know how much I love my M&M’S candy…so this is a dream come true for this little blogger from Florida!

M&M’S in NYC

I will be visiting New York City to attend the Museum of Chocolate #MMSMuseum with four other awesome bloggers. I will write and blog about my experience with M&M’S and their secret – Ms. Brown. The M&M’S Facebook page says to look for BIG milk chocolate news on today at 2:45 PM EST! You can use your FB profile picture to help create an image of Ms. Brown here.

In celebration of my good fortune, I went to Walmart to purchase a BIGGGG bag of milk chocolate M&M’S for me and pretzel M&M’S for HIMself. I often enjoy milk chocolate M&M’S and love to share them with friends. I also love to cook with them…see my M&M’S pancakes here. See that brown M&M right in front?

M&M's pancakes...yummm

Look for blog posts, tweets and Facebook updates next week!!! What’s your favorite M&M?

M&M’S Website
M&M’S on Twitter @mmsbrown
M&M’S on Facebook

This post has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  All opinions, photos and ideas are 100% my own. #MMSMuseum #cBias

You know my passion is to abate hunger in America. I am committed to doing everything I can to see that no person goes without food…no one. Please read my first post all about the Abbott Champions for Kids mission as it aligns with mine ~ to help hungry children in communities across our country. This month Abbott Nutrition Pack A Snack program is in full swing and I am part of that. I am begging every one of my readers to get involved, educate yourself, share that knowledge and then give from your heart. Join me and become One of Millions!!!

Help Feed the Kids

I am donating the above PediaSure® and Zone Perfect™ bars to Elevate, the women’s ministry at The Journey Church here in Fernandina Beach, Florida. They are partnering with Blessings in a Backpack, an organization headquartered in Louisville, Ky., that feeds children in need. Through this program, Elevate will send foods and snacks home each weekend during the school year to about 340 students at Southside Elementary who qualify for the program. For $80, you can feed one child for the entire school year.

Taking part in this simple service project for Champions for Kids, sponsored by Abbott, has been a very meaningful experience for my family. We are so blessed to be able to give back. The cost is so little, but the results can do so much. Children who have good nutritional intake are more productive, learn better and thrive.

Some children only have the meals that they are served at school!!! Weekends can be a lonely and hungry time for them. I want this to stop.

HIMself and I took the food and monetary donation to the church. They were thrilled that I was doing a story about their ministry and the weekend backpack food program. They said, “Every donation helps so much and the children will love the nutritious PediaSure shakes and the Zone Perfect bars.”

They shared stories about the children at the school and how heartbreaking it was…but how much this helps!!! I want to do more…so I decide to go out into the community to talk about the Champions for Kids program. I scheduled visits to my church group and Women’s Club. They were all very receptive to helping the campaign.

spreading the word

We found our Abbott nutritional snacks at Walmart. See the entire shopping experience here.

Visit www.ChampionsforKids.org/simple to find out how you can halp. You can download the Abbott project card to distribute.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are 100% my own. #AbbottCFK  #CBias

Abbott Champions for Kids mission is simple ~ to help hungry children in communities across the country. This month Abbott Nutrition Pack A Snack program is in full swing. I am asking every reader to get involved, educate yourself, share that knowledge and then give from your heart. Become One of Millions!!!

Shocking…Heartbreaking…Truth

More than 16 million children under the age of eighteen in the United States are food insecure—unable to consistently access adequate amounts of nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. Even more heartbreaking is the fact that more than three million children under the age of five are food insecure.

This affects their ability to learn, grow and fight disease. These children are our future and they need help..TODAY!!!

My Simple Service Project ~ Abbott Nutrition Pack A Snack!

There is a desperate need for nutritious food options for children in your town. This simple service project is easy to do and can make such a big difference. I am going to go to my church group and the local woman’s club to speak about the program. Spreading the word is critical. I will encourage them to Pack a Snack bag with nutritious snacks for children like Pediasure®, Pediasure SideKicks®, and ZonePerfect® bars you can purchase at Walmart! Then I will the donate the Abbott Nutrition snack packs I made to an organization in my community that serves children.

I want each of my readers to spread the word and reach more than just one person. I ask you to gather your friends, book club, church, school or PTA group and tell them about Abbott Champions for Kids Campaign #AbbottCFK.  Find ways to help even more because today, right in your neighborhood, there are many families in need of nutritious food.

Ways YOU Can Help!

• LEARN about the hunger needs of children in your community by inviting a teacher, social worker, food pantry employee, or homeless shelter volunteer to talk with your family, friends, and co-workers.
• GATHER your family, friends, and co-workers and ask them to bring nutritious foods like Pediasure®, Pediasure SideKicks®, and ZonePerfect® bars to help children in need.
• GIVE the nutritious food to a school, church, food pantry, or non-profit organization in your community. These organizations need snacks and meals for children who do not get enough nutritious food on a daily basis. This food doesn’t just help children have enough to eat – it helps them have happier and healthier futures.

Please visit Abbott Champions for Kids Campaign #AbbottCFK Simple Service Projects page at www.ChampionsforKids.org/simple. You can download the Abbott project card to distribute during your get together.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are 100% my own.

I was asked to do an analysis of Healthy Food Choices at MurphyUSA. I thought that might be tricky as convenience stores at gas stations are not known for health food items. But I was up for the challenge. So we headed to our local Murphy USA/Express to browse the available snack options.

As you can see, the choices of snacks available is somewhat limited at Murphy Express. I found a wide variety of chips, candy, nuts, crackers and drinks. I would love to see some fresh fruit choices like bananas or apples.

The signage for snacks is bold and colorful. Deals on drinks are everywhere….Smart Water, Minute Maid and Red Bull were the best ’2 for’ deals I saw. For some reason they were really pushing Skittles this week…the signs were large and bright…They even had a box at the checkout counter encouraging a last minute impulse buy…If my daughter had been with us, we would have made that purchase for sure.
I am a big fruit and nut and seed proponent. That is my go to snack, especially when traveling. I have nuts and/or seeds as a snack every day. So this day would be no different…my choice for a healthy snack is Sunflower Seeds and V-8 juice. That is an easy and fairly healthy mid-afternoon snack for me.

In my opinion, the nutritional value of my snacks is pretty good as you can see in the following photos…only 260 calories. I can make no health claim about the snacks I purchased,  but you can make that evaluation for yourself from the following ingredients and nutritional labels.

You can see the shelves and what choices are available in the photos. There is something for everyone’s taste, budget and nutritional needs. MurphyUSA does a pretty good job of this in a limited space.

The other choice I might have made was the pumpkin seeds. I was surprised to see them there. But HIMself like sunflower seeds better, so I will try those at a later time.

You can see more photos of the shopping experience here. When we travel, I always get my gas and snacks at MurphyUSA. I love the always available ’2 for’ deals on drinks for HIMself and me. And the gas is always at the best price. We always take advantage of the MurphyUSA gas savings deals also…

This experience has been part of a study with Murphy USA. All opinions, thoughts and photos are 100% my own.

I am excited to be playing with the iPad app ‘In the Kitchen with David‘ on QVC. It also can be used on an iPhone and iPod Touch. One of the best parts was the tweetup during the show last Sunday, January 15 at Noon EST with several other Blogger/Tweeps (@momhatescooking, @tweetestsavings, and @wahmdiva). We chatted about the items as they came on and each ordered something from the oh so many wonderful items on the show!!! Downloading and using the app was easy and seamless…the whole experience was fun!!!

What Did I Order?

“Eat More of What You Love” Cookbook by Marlene Koch
Hot Pick! Advance orders ship 3/5/12.

The chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter filling sold me!!! The book is about guilt-free goodness. Eat More of What You Love makes it easy to enjoy your favorite foods while watching your waistline. This comprehensive cookbook presents 200 recipes that are low in sugar, fat, and calories but full of flavor. The lightened-up delights include pan fried onion dip, General Tso’s chicken, cheesy skillet cornbread, chocolate chip quick cake, pecan pie cups, and more. It comes in hardcover with jacket and is 352 pages with index. It has color photos throughout and, best of all, it is printed in USA!!!

What Kind of Foodie are You?

the quiz

Prior to watching the show, I headed to David’s Facebook page to take the foodie quiz.I ended up as a Healthy Foody…was sure I would be a Comfort Foodie!!! Go check the quiz out…it is just a few questions and takes only a few minutes to complete. Come back and let me know what type of foodie you are. See a slide show of the process here. My results…

my results

My Fave Recipe of David’s

Since my cookbook was advance order and will not arrive until March 14th, I will share one of my favorites of David’s recipes. When I receive the cookbook, I will be posting several recipes from it…so watch for an update.

Rebecca's Baked Corn Casserole

David’s Baked Corn Casserole

I usually serve this with pork chops or ham with a side of fried apples. Today I will be serving with my favorite chocolate chili. This is really easy to make and take for a pot luck dinner.

INGREDIENTS
1 box corn muffin mix
14 oz can creamed corn
2 cups fresh corn (cut from the cob) OR 14 oz can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 stick butter (softened)
1 cup sour cream
1 egg

TECHNIQUE

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 3-qt. casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350°F for 55 – 60 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes until the top is crusty and golden brown. Serves 6.

Tip: Garnish with diced red and green peppers.

You can find David on the Internet:

David’s Blog
David’s Recipes
David’s Facebook
David’s Twitter
QVC Recipes

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  All opinions, photos and ideas are 100% my own. @DavidVenableQVC #ITKWD #cBias

We so love college football in this house. Last night we enjoyed the BCS game between Alabama and LSU. I created some yummy dishes for us while we watched the game. I found them on Kraft Recipes dot com. It is one of my go to places for quick, easy and tasty food ideas. I need quick and easy since we are in the process of moving. Check it out soon and enjoy what I created below…

As you can see below HIMself and Sir Chancelot enjoyed the meal…I usually go overboard, but since we are moving, I kept it simple…

Sir Chancelot licks his chops....

Here is a quick tour of the Kraft Foods Recipe website…see how easy it is to find a great recipe complete with shopping list…

What I Created with Kraft Recipes

Neely’s Favorite Bacon-Cheeseburger Mac

Oh My Gosh…Himself said this was better than his favorite Tuna Casserole dish. That means a lot because that has been his birthday meal since he was a child…he kept popping into the kitchen saying that smells heavenly!!! I love compliments…you can get your own recipe here.

Ingredients
1 pkg. (12.6 oz.) KRAFT HOMESTYLE Macaroni & Cheese Dinner Classic Cheddar Cheese Sauce
1 lb. lean ground turkey
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
4 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

to make it

PREPARE Dinner in large saucepan as directed on package, except do not top with Bread Crumb Topping. Meanwhile, brown ground turkey in large skillet on medium heat.

STIR ground beef and tomatoes into prepared Dinner; cook 5 min. or until heated through.

SPOON into serving bowl; top with bacon, crumb topping and chives.

Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

HIMself is not much for salads, yet he gobbles this on down and asked for more!!! That is a big compliment. You can find the recipe and shopping list here.

Ingredients
3 fresh peaches, pitted, quartered
2 Tbsp. oil
8 cups torn romaine lettuce
1/2 cup coarsely chopped PLANTERS Deluxe Whole Cashews
6 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, coarsely crumbled
1/2 cup KRAFT ROKA Blue Cheese Dressing

to make it
HEAT grill to medium-high heat. BRUSH peaches with oil. Grill 3 to 4 min. on each side or just until tender and heated through. Cool slightly. CUT each peach piece in half. Cover platter with lettuce; top with peaches, nuts and bacon. DRIZZLE with dressing. Enjoy!!!

see my shopping experience in photos here…

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All photo, opinions and observations are 100% my own.

Take the Pledge in Support of the Community of Brave Women!

Leaving a life of domestic violence is a series of moment-by-moment decisions requiring brave choices and bold actions. It can be hard to believe in ourselves when we have been beaten down by circumstance. This cause is very close to my heart and I encourage you to Take the Pledge today please!!!

I am taking the Brave Woman pledge because I was once in need of an organization like this. It was 1981, I had 4 children…three under 5. I was scared, alone, and worst of all, nobody believed me!!! Had I stayed, I believe that I would not be here to write this testimony today…it was that bad. And he probably would have gotten away with it!!! Even my family did not believe me until the children became old enough to talk about it.

He was a professional, well respected, and his father had been mayor of the town. I was the mother of four struggling to protect my children and the facade. I stayed years too long because I felt I had nowhere to go. It is a mind-control issue…abuse takes away your rational thinking and is replaced by ‘just let me keep everything perfect so he won’t blow up’ mentality. And there is no perfect in this situation or anywhere!!! Please, please do not judge a woman who stays longer than you think she should. Be there, listen and love them.

Take the Pledge …

Someone you know needs this information today…trust me!

One in four women experience abuse sometime in their life. There are brave women all over the country who are gathering around other brave women who are faced with major life decisions. They have messages about overcoming the fear, picking yourself up and starting over again. If you are in an abusive relationship, please know that you are not alone…even when you feel small, unsure and maybe even terrified.

What Is Brave Woman?

Brave Woman is a grassroots movement to shift personal and public perception of women facing domestic violence situations from a victim mentality to one of courage and strength. The ultimate goal is action to create a world community that:

• Supports difficult decisions involved in creating a new life of safety, healing and independence.
• Is aware of the presence of domestic violence and its impact on families.

OUR SHARED VISION is that every woman and child will have the supportive resources they need to live without fear in their homes and see themselves as courageous victors, finally free from family violence.

We are networking with international advocates to end domestic violence one woman, one family at a time. Become a Brave Woman Champion. Take the pledge today and join other brave women in your area. Everyone who joins the Brave Woman community receives a free download of Jana Stanfield’s song, What Would I Do Today If I Were Brave and other sources of reflection and encouragement.

What Can You Do? Become an Advocate

In addition to taking the Brave Woman pledge, I urge you to speak out against violence, talk to your legislators, review the laws in your state and local municipality. Oftentimes, the laws are not strong enough to protect women and children and, in some case, are punitive.
BraveWoman.org helps women find a way out!

I encourage you to Take the Pledge today please!!!

Connect with BraveWoman on:
www.BraveWoman.org
Twitter
Facebook

This post has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for CollectiveBias. All opinions, ideas, and photos are 100% my own. #CBias, #BraveWoman