Holiday Entertaining on a Budget with ALDI

 

ALDI LogoShopping at ALDI is a given in our house.

(If you haven’t shopped at ALDI before make sure you bring a quarter for the shopping cart and your own bags for your purchases)

I make the shopping list. I visit ALDI to purchase the items on my list that are available there (you can’t beat their milk prices!) and then finish up the  shopping list with a mixture of items at the local produce stand, my garden and  my other go-to grocery store.

By shopping at ALDI first, I know that I’m getting the best price and good quality items….and THAT’S good for my bank account!

Our local ALDI is relatively new and about 2 miles from home.  I love it!  I was always jealous when my friend would tell me of all the yummy goodness she was buying when I couldn’t get it, too.

I do love ALDI for their low prices but I have to admit that I also love them simply because they stock “imported” items I remember from my childhood in Germany. Good stuff like Haribo Gummis, delicious chocolate and stollen. Yum!

My local ALDI store is always neat & tidy and hardly ever busy and since I already shop there, I was thrilled when Mom Central asked me if I would share my experience with you and I’m happy to do so.

ALDI is a great place to purchase good quality items at a low price and stretch that entertainment budget during the busy holiday season.

I was given a budget of $50 and the assignment to purchase items that showcase the versatility of the items available to throw a great party!

Here’s what I bought:

  1. Petite Cheese Cakes $5.99
  2. Cabbage $1.39
  3. Honey Goat Cheese Log $1.99
  4. Havarti Cheese $2.99
  5. Spekulatius (yummy cookies) $1.99
  6. Shortbread Cookies $4.99
  7. Six cracker assortment $2.49
  8. Blackberry Fruit Spread $1.49
  9. Brie Cheese Round $2.99
  10. Chaza Moscato Wine $4.99
  11. Landshut Riesling $4.99
  12. Pecan Pie $3.99
  13. Baklava $5.99
  14. 2% Milk (gallon) $2.99
  15. paper bag .06

Total of $50.02
I have purchased wine from ALDI before.  Their Winking Owl wine is tasty but I enjoy their wine selections because, once again, I’m getting good quality at a great value!
As you can see from the picture above, I was able to offer my guests some lovely treats and stay within my holiday entertaining grocery budget.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of ALDI and received a gift certificate to facilitate my review.”

NOTE: When using an ALDI gift certificate you must purchase more than the face amount.

Here’s a delicious recipe for ALDI Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce, courtesy of Chef Kates, ALDI Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 1 wheel edenVale Brie Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Southern Grove Dried Cranberries
  • 1 cup Burlwood Cellars Chardonnay
  • 1/2 cup Berryhill Blackberry Fruit Spread

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Place unwrapped brie on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Heat in oven 12-15 minutes or until brie is warmed through and soft to the touch.
  2. Meanwhile, bring dried cranberries and white wine to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add fruit spread, reduce heat to medium high and simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring often.  Sauce is ready when liquid has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
  3. To serve, pour over warm brie. Can be eaten alone or spread on crackers.

 

 

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Sylvan Learning Fit 4 Algebra Blog Tour

OK, I have a(nother) confession.  I am NOT mathematically inclined.  Never have been, never will be.

And wouldn’t you know that I, who knows no math, has a son who has been gifted Algebra Help(really!) with the mathematics gene.  (Go figure!)

I live in fear of the days he comes home asking for help with math homework, specifically ALGEBRA homework.  I am hopelessly lost and almost failed algebra when I was in school. He, however, muddles through and typically does a great job of figuring everything out.

There are times, though, when he doesn’t do as well as he should.  I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s a busy kid and has a myriad of reasons why he’s not performing at his peak.  When that happens I encourage him to get tutoring from his peers and teachers.

When Mom Central approached me to review Sylvan’s Fit4Algebra screener, I jumped at the chance to see how it would do up against my gifted math “geek”.

So, what did I think of the Fit 4 Algebra screener from Sylvan?

I took the assessment test on the screener myself. It says that a student will take around 15-20 minutes to complete the assessment. It took me around 10 minutes and had me thinking back (waaaay back) to remember how to do some of this stuff but over all I think I did ok.  The screener said:

Tracy’s Results
Overall Fitness Level
Moderate Strength
You’re in the game and know some of the plays. With a little more effort and some extra practice, these skills will soon be in tip-top shape.

How would I describe the screener?

The screen was simple and easy to understand.  The results gave a clear indication of what I was strong in and what I needed help with along with suggested links to go to for more help.

Why do I think this is important for parents to check out the screener?

Any tools that allow us to help our children succeed in school as well as in life is a good thing to experience.

Here’s what  my son had to say about it, too.

His score?

Adam’s Results
Overall Fitness Level
You’re Strong
Indicates skills are ready for a higher level workout.

In his own words:

Overall, how would you describe your experience with the screener?

It was really user friendly.

What were your impressions of the program and the results page?

It was set up well enough that someone my age could use it.  The results has me a little confused because I’m used to a percentage.  I had to read the help info to understand

Would you recommend the screener to your friends & their parents?

Yeah, definitely because it’s user friendly and useful to help parents and kids figure out their strengths & weaknesses.

According to Sylvan: “A critical gateway subject, algebra is the foundation for higher-level mathematics and science courses in high-school, which in turn can open doors for college and lead to better careers and lifetime earning potential.” Why do you think algebra is so  important for your child?

Did you know?
41% children admit that their algebra work makes them more nervous than the intimidating task of asking someone out on a date!

If you’re interested in trying the screener out for yourself just visit Sylvan’s Fit 4 Algebra

“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Sylvan Learning and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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SeaPak Poptoberfest 2011 and a Giveaway!

I’m a little late sharing this information with you however, after trying some popcorn fish goodness last night I had to get on this right away so you don’t miss out on any more SeaPak Poptoberfest 2011opportunities!

If your family is a fan of quick & easy meals and you love seafood then you’re going to want to try their SeaPak’s popcorn shrimp AND to my utter delight, popcorn FISH! (So much better than fish sticks!)

To learn more about SeaPak, visit their facebook page and learn all about what they’re doing this month -

They’re having a Poptoberfest festival!  The festival is a program for families that is being held this month- October.

Here’s what they want you to know:

SeaPak is celebrating family…and the time they are able to spend together. Not only does SeaPak want families to enjoy delicious meals together, but we also want to encourage families taking a vacation from the everyday routine.

During Poptoberfest, friends and fans of SeaPak will be able to engage on Facebook where there will be weekly trivia, polls, and fun questions that celebrate family time together. There will also be a different prize and special coupon offers given away each week!

SeaPak Popcorn FishMy Lily (6) and Nathan (4) give SeaPak Popcorn Fish a big 2 thumbs up and enjoyed it so much they had the leftovers for breakfast!

I’ve also got a package of popcorn shrimp that I’ll be serving a la coconut shrimp complete with sauce as soon as I figure out exactly how I want to accomplish it and what ingredients to use.  When I do, I’ll come back here and share the recipe with you.

How would you use the popcorn shrimp or fish?  WOuld you cook it straight from the package for a quick easy meal? or get more creative and add it to a recipe?  I’d love to hear your recipe ideas!

AND….if you do then I’ll enter you in my SeaPak Giveaway!

What Can You Win?

A SeaPak Kitchen Pack that includes:

  • a SeaPak reusable grocery bag packed with a spatula,
  • a cooking conversion magnet,
  • a flexible cutting board,
  • and a $3 off coupon good through 12/2011.

How Do You Win?

  1.     Visit SeaPak on Facebook and Like ‘em – come back here and let us know you did in a separate comment.
  2.     Visit Moms In A Blog on Facebook and Like Us  – come back here and let us know you did in a separate comment.
  3.     Leave a comment on this post how you’d use SeaPak’s popcorn shrimp or fish in a recipe in a separate comment.

This contest is only open to US Residents and will end at Midnight (Eastern), Wednesday, October 26, 2011.

Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified via email so make sure to include it.  You will have 3 days to respond with a shipping address or another winner will be chosen.

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Chocolate Lovers Will Love This: Dove Chocolate Discoveries

Dove Chocolate Discoveries $79 Starter Kit

October is Women’s Small Business Month and quite frankly, any month is a good month for chocolate so when I was asked if I wanted to share the yummy goodness of owning your own business and the deliciousness of chocolate – how could I resist?

So I’m going to break this post down into 3 parts.

  • An Opportunity to Start Your Own Business
  • An Interesting Discussion about Chocolate
  • An Opportunity to WIN some Chocolatey goodness

You still with me?

Good.  Let’s get started.

First off let me tell you that making money outside of having a “real j.o.b.” does exist.  I do it every day from the comfort of my own living room, sometimes in my PJs and always in my flip-flops.

I started working from home to make extra money but I quickly realized that I could do it full time, make more money that working at the local retail outlet AND create a lifestyle that my family absolutely loves.

There are many ways to start a business from home and outside of starting up a blog there is no easier way to get started than via a direct sales opportunity. Dove Chocolate Discoveries is one of those companies.

An Opportunity To Start Your Own Business

DOVE CHOCOLATE DISCOVERIES™ launched in February 2007 as one of the latest ventures from Mars, Incorporated. In the 1880′S, when Frank Mars was a young boy, his mother taught him to hand-dip chocolate. With his wife, Ethel, Frank started a home candy-making business in Tacoma, Washington, that eventually grew into Mars, Inc., a world-wide industry leader in chocolate confections.

Going back to its direct-selling heritage, Mars created DOVE CHOCOLATE DISCOVERIES™. Since then, the Chocolatier sales force has taken off. There are now Chocolatiers in 48 states.

I love Mars’ products.  Although Dove is pretty yummy, who doesn’t love  M&M’S®,  MILKY WAY® and TWIX?
And frozen Snicker bars are my absolute favorite – eaten layer by layer.  How do you eat yours? The quality of the company’s products is pretty outstanding.

Direct Sales is perfect for women that would like to get out of house and help with the family budget.  But did you know that you can also use direct sales as a way to conduct fundraisers and even build a business around your family?

Here are six benefits of choosing Dove Chocolate Discoveries:

  • Freedom: Work for yourself and be independent, setting your own business goals.
  • Flexibility: Set your own hours and schedule work around family priorities.
  • Finances: Pay bills, take that special vacation or replace your full time income. How much you earn is entirely up to you!
  • Fuel your development: With top notch training programs and tools, you’ll gain entrepreneurial business skills and savvy that will make you a hot commodity in any market.
  • Friends: Meet new people through Tasting Parties and a supportive network of Chocolatiers.
  • Fun: Love what you do and share that joy. It doesn’t feel like work when you make people happy! After all who doesn’t love chocolate?

What does it cost?

Every Chocolatier needs a Business Kit, and we offer two! Choose the Standard Business Kit or step up to the Master Chocolatier Kit. Both Kits provide enough products and printed materials to hold your first four to six Chocolate Tasting Parties. There’s even a rolling cooler bag to help keep products cool on your way to parties!

 Standard Business Kit: $159 ($300+ retail value)

Master Chocolatier Kit: $449 ($800+ retail value)

The kit I received was the Introductory Kit (pictured above) $79 ($200+ retail value)

The chocolate made it into the house just fine and I live in Florida.  It was packed nicely in dry ice and nothing arrived short of perfect.  I did, however, have trouble with a certain teenaged boy trying to “borrow” the chocolatey goodness.  I did relent and let him and the other two kidlets share a bit of the milk chocolate and while I was going to save the bounty to share with my Ladies Fellowship this weekend, I have to tell the truth and let you know I sampled a piece or two, you know, just to make sure it tasted ok before I took it.

In the kit I received a bottle of their chocolate martini mix and I’m just dying to find some good recipes for it.  Oh! and I got mousse mix and brownie mix and chai tea mix and I just can’t wait to try them.  When I do, I’ll try to remember to share the memories and some pictures with you.

 An Interesting Discussion About Chocolate

Didja know?

•    American consumers average 10-12 pounds a year, while our friends in the UK eat almost twice that

•    Aggregated, this is 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate per year consumed in the U.S. – nearly half of the world’s supply

•    More than 50% of adults prefer chocolate to other flavors

•    Men and women purchase chocolate in equal amounts

•    More chocolate is consumed in winter than any other season

•    $16 million in chocolate was sold in the U.S. in 2010

•    While milk chocolate is the preferred chocolate flavor, dark chocolate consumption has increased perhaps to its suggested health benefits.

Do you know any odd or interesting chocolate facts?

An Opportunity to Win Some Chocolatey Goodness

Giveaway Alert

Want to win a Dove Chocolate Discoveries Starter Kit of your own (you are under no obligation to join as a consultant – merely enjoy the taste of chocolatey goodness).  Here’s what you need to do.

  1. Visit Dove Chocolate Discoveries on Facebook and Like ‘em – come back here and let us know you did
  2. Visit Moms In A Blog on Facebook and Like Us  – come back here and let us know you did
  3. Leave a comment on this post with your favorite chocolate tip, hint or recipe

This contest is only open to US Residents and will end at Midnight (Eastern), Monday, October 10, 2011.

Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified via email so make sure to include it.  You will have 3 days to respond with a shipping address or another winner will be chosen.

The Introductory Starter Kit Includes (see the image above)

Products

1½ Pounds of Milk Chocolate
1½ Pounds of Dark Chocolate
4 Chocolate Mousse Packets
1 Chocolate Martini Mix Bottle
6 Chai Tea Packets
1 Blue Heart-Shaped Fondue Set
1 Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix
1 Box Chocolate-Covered Almonds

Printed Material

1 Welcome Pack
1 Tasting Party DVD
1 Share the Sweet Life DVD
25 Host Coaching Guides
25 Tasting Party Invitations
25 Fall/Holiday Catalogs
25 Fall/Holiday Entertaining Guides
50 Order Forms

 

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of DOVE Chocolate Discoveries and received a Starter Kit to facilitate my review.

AND THE WINNER IS…..

JUDY!

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FyrFlyz at RiteAid

Last week, we told you about an opportunity to get FyrFlyz at a discount from ToysRUs.  Fyrflyz

Well, good news for you if you missed out on that opportunity!

If you have a Rite Aid store near you and you use your wellness+ card you can get Fyrflys for only $9.99

 

This offer is going on now through October 6th for the Western U.S. and through October 8th for the Eastern U.S., Fyrflyz are just $9.99 when you use your wellness+ card at check out! The promotion is In-Store ONLY.

Did you know that Fyrflyz was just named one of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio’s Best Toys of 2011, receiving the Platinum award? These awards represent the most innovative, engaging new products of the year. Fyrflyz is also a nominee in Time to Play’s 2011 People’s Play Awards in the “Active Toys” category, as well as a nominee for the TAGIE Award for Excellence in Toy Design.

Fyrflyz is shaping up to be THE toy of this Christmas season (and they’re kinda cool for parents to play with, too)

You can find out more about FyrFlyz by visiting them on Facebook

Get thee to a Rite Aid before they’re all gone!

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Watkins Holiday Giveaway


Greetings Everyone!

It’s time for another Watkins Holiday Giveaway! Are you making plans for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays?

The winner of this giveaway will be chosen at random on Monday November 30th. The products will be shipped USPS Priority Mail so they will arrive the first week of December before the Christmas holiday in time for your holiday baking and entertaining!

This giveaway includes:

Pumpkin Bread Mix
Pumpkin Butter
Original Double-Strength Vanilla Extract, 2 fl oz
Butter Extract, 2 fl oz
Irish Cream Extract, 2 fl oz
Bakers Size Almond Extract, 6 fl oz
Mexican Soup and Seasoning Base
Roasted Turkey Gourmet Gravy Mix
Food Colors – Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
Black Pepper, 4 oz tin
Roasted Garlic Snack and Dip Seasoning
Bacon Cheddar Snack and Dip Seasoning
Cinna-Cream Sprinkles
Cinnamon
Body Oil
Winter Pine Holiday Room Spray
Menthol Eucalyptus Room Freshener
Lemon Cream Hand and Body Lotion, 1 fl oz Travel Size
Natural Beeswax Lip Balm
Vanilla Lip Balm

Total Product Value $122.05

(Because of Shipping Charges This Giveaway is For US Residents Only)

To enter the Holiday Giveaway, place any size order at my Watkins web site, by phone, or by mail. Watkins sends me a notification when you place an order. I will acknowledge your order by email or mail and enter you in the contest. You can also send me an email at eleisiawhitney@watkinsonline.com

Order online at http://www.watkinsonline.com/eleisiawhitney

Order by phone – call 1-800-WATKINS (1-800-928-5467)

Order by mail. Send order to

Watkins Incorporated
P.O. Box 5570
Winona, MN 55987-0570

Give my name and Watkins ID# when placing your order, Eleisia Whitney ID# 335001.

The winner will be announced here on December 1st and I will notify the winner by email or mail.

Good Luck!  

Merry Christmas To All!

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Have You Ever Won a Blog Contest?

PhotobucketWinning is everything right?  Have you ever won a contest or even a sweepstakes? I have and I have some tips on winning a blog contest!  First of all let me tell you a little about me.  I have been entering and winning contests, sweepstakes and giveaways for five years.  I have not entered consistently over all those years which means I haven’t won consistently either, but I have been winning.

Blogging is a big part of my life

Now that blogging takes a central role in my life,  the natural thing for me, a sweepstakes fanatic, to do is enter blog contests.  To be honest, blog contests are not my favorite thing to enter.  The reason why is because they take a heckuva long time to enter.  I have to take the time to think about a comment I want to leave.  With other sweepstakes all I have to do is use Roboform (form filling software), I push one button and then enter and I am in.  Blog contests slow me down!

Benefits of  entering a blogging contest

Even though a blogging contest is a speedbump in my entering giveaways online, I still enter them.  A blogging contest has great odds for winning.  The reasons why are less people enter, bonus entries, short entry period and sometimes more than one prize. Let’s go over each one of these in more detail! [Read more...]

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Real Moms Talk About Romano’s Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites.

I was recently given the opportunity to taste and review Romano’s Macaroni Grill’s new boxed dinner kits thanks to MyBlogSpark

Romano's Macaroni Grill Creamy BasilWe received the Creamy Basil dinner and I have to say that my children loved it! All four of them! (Needless to say we need two boxes to feed everyone)

I cooked some chicken while the noodles boiled then added the sauce packet and voila’ ~ yummy goodness that we’ll be purchasing from the store on a regular basis from now on – it’s that good.

The dinner kits include everything needed to create a high-quality meal in one box including premium ingredients such as such as vine-ripened tomatoes, select cooking wines, specialty herbs and 100% semolina pasta. All you have to do is add one pound of chicken or your choice of proteins such as shrimp or Italian sausage. Varieties of Romano’s Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites dinner kits include Garlic & Herb Chicken Penne, Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken & Pasta, Chicken Alfredo with Linguine and Chicken Marsala with Linguine.

When I received my Romano’s Macaroni Grill Creamy Basil Dinner it came with some lovely accoutrements.

macaroni-grill-gift-imageAlong with the boxed dinner I received a colander, a spoon and the sweetest little cheese grater you’ve ever seen.

My Blog Spark is letting Moms In A Blog giveaway not one or two but THREE of these gift sets to a few of our lucky readers.

How do you win?

Simply answer these three questions in your comments

  • How often to you eat dinner together as a family?
  • What is your biggest struggle with preparing dinner for your family?
  • What is your favorite thing to talk about with your family at the dinner table?

Or better yet, create your own blog post mentioning our contest and the answers to the questions.

This contest is only open to US Residents and will end at Midnight on Friday May 15, 2009.

We’ll choose three winners from the comments & blog posts submitted.

This stuff is good~ you really want to win this ;-)

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Real Moms Talk About The Spice Depot

The Spice Depot - Grinders

The lovely people at The Spice Depot sent me a few of their Grinder Top Spice Blends to try. The minute I received them I was intrigued and ultimately fell in love with them.  They are easy to use & provide fresh spices with every use.  I received Spicy Sea Salt, JoJo Potato and Salad Seasoning

These nifty little spice bottles have a grinder incorporated right into the tops of the bottle essentially giving you the ability to have “fresh” spice with the flick of your wrist.

I adore cooking with spices and the blends I was able to try were well put together and enhanced my dishes with fresh flavors.

An incredibly simple but tasty meal I cooked for my family was a simple tilapia.  I placed a little olive oil on a baking sheet, placed the fish on top and used the freshly ground Spicy Sea Salt right on top.  The result was a lovely fish dish that every member of my family from age 1 to the adults enjoyed.

The Spice Depot Grinders can be purchased locally at your neighborhood Walmart.  I am personally cleaning out my spice cabinet and replacing almost everything with my new favorite spices.  Yes, they are really that good.

You can find some really great recipes in The Spice Depot Recipes pic-spicy-sea-salt

From their site:

All-natural, always fresh-ground flavor each and every time. Each twist of the spice bottle top’s built-in grinder releases essential oils and aromatic flavors and essences locked deep within the fresh-dried spice pieces. Always Grind Fresh™

WINNER: Baba from http://babasfarmlife.blogspot.com/

The Spice Depot has graciously offered to giveaway a set of 3 assorted spice grinders to one of our readers.

How Can You Win?:  Visit The Spice Depot take a look around.  Come back and leave a comment to let us know which spice you’d like to try the most and sign up for their newsletter.

Want Extra Entries: SimplyStumble, Twitter, FaceBook or Blog about the giveaway and leave a link  to your post, tweet, etc.  in our comments section.

When Does It End?:  You have until Midnight on Monday, April 20, 2009.

The winner will be notified via email so please be sure to include it or your entry will be disqualified.  The winner will have 3 days to claim their prize.  If we have not heard from the winner by then an alternater winner will be chosen.

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Real Moms Talk About Bella Sara Treasures & Miniatures

We love Bella Sara at my house and thanks to the Team Mom we got the chance to review a couple of their newest products:

Bella Sara TreasuresBella Sara Treasures

Each Treasures card pack contains 5 random horse and/or treasure cards, a random sticker card, a random tattoo card, a mini-game, a card checklist, online codes, and positive messages.

My daughter immediately opened up the packages to oohs & ahhs and carried them around the house showing everyone for day.

Included in our package were

Bella Sara MiniaturesBella Sara Miniatures Series 1  Phoenix

Each Bella Sara Miniature Pack comes with a random velvety horse, a code to receive a digital prize at BellaSara.com, and a colorful checklist so you can check of the miniatures as you collect them.

These little miniatures were an even bigger hit than the trading cards.  My daughter carried them around for days and got really distressed when they were misplaced for a few days – at just over an inch they are really easy to lose.  We eventually put them on the shelf to admire to avoid the return of tear.

Every time we go to our local Target store we have to stop and admire the Bella Sara display ;-)

Connected to the online world of Bella Sara the trading cards and miniatures are sure to be a favorite gift for the little girls in your life.

Thanks again to Bella Sara and Team Mom for making this review possible.

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