My son and I love to snack.  I am sure he learned it from me.  I could eat several small snacks a day and go without the large meals.  My husband, on the other hand, is a health nut and will only snack on healthy things that are good for him. I usually don’t like those things… until now!

Dole just introduced Real Fruit Bites that are actual chunks of dried fruit covered in yogurt and sprinkled with whole grain oats.  The finished product is delicious and the whole family loves to eat them. TJ and I love them because they taste really good, and my husband loves them because they only have 90 calories per pouch.  They are also very portable and I have been stuffing them into the diaper bag on our way out for a quick snack.

Currently you can purchase Dole Real Fruit Bites in three different flavors; Pineapple, Mango, and Apple.  I have to say hands down that the Apple Bites are my favorite.  I am not a huge fan of pineapple so to be fair that one was never going to be my favorite.  The Mango ones are very good too, I just happen to prefer the Apple.

I am excited to tell you about the launch of the new Dole Real Fruit Bites Facebook application, “3 Steps to True Bliss.” In just three simple steps, you have the opportunity to enjoy a moment of bliss by choosing a dream escape, packing a virtual bag and sharing a postcard with friends. Then enter for a chance win a dream destination getaway, making your virtual plans a reality!

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A huge thank you to Dole who provided the product featured in this post.  This review is my honest opinion and is not influenced by any other source.

One of my biggest struggles with TJ is his eating habits.  I thought I would be the mom who got her child to eat sushi and hummus.  Vegetables were going to be a part of his vocabulary from day one.  It was going to be fantastic!  Well what a fantasy that was.  We have struggled with the eating thing since he moved to table food.  It seems like my perfect little boy was no longer perfect and it has been a tough road ever since.

I have needed all the help I can get when it comes to food.  I recently was sent a copy of the book Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed With Insight, Humor and a Bottle of Ketchup (American Academy of Pediatrics, March 2012) by Laura A. Jana, MD, FAAP and Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP. This book is filled with great information and suggestions for picky eaters.  Here is a short excerpt from the book:

Whining and Dining

According to the dictionary, whining is defined as complaining

through the use of a high-pitched or distressed cry. By our definition,

whining is an incredibly annoying yet seemingly unavoidable part

of childhood that at the end of a long day can have the same effect as

fingernails on a chalkboard. As it relates to dining, children are quick

to learn that whining can be an extremely effective way to get what they

want to eat and/or drink everywhere from the crib to the kitchen table

to the grocery store. It’s not hard to see how a child’s persistent whining

about food can cause a parent’s nutritional decision-making abilities to

become temporarily impaired. After all, it is a whole lot easier to yield

to whining for food rather than something you just can’t give in to—

Whining Away

When you find yourself faced with a child who whines about food, the

best thing you can do is come to the table prepared.

• Expect the Expected. Simply being aware that whining about food

(and just about everything else) is inevitable will hopefully allow you

to prepare yourself and keep it from grating on your nerves quite as

much as it otherwise might.

Whining and Dining

• Keep Your Cool. Whining is an intuitive way for your child to get

what she wants. It’s also her way of luring you into battle. We highly

recommend that you refuse to take part. If it’s food she wants, then

resist the urge to give it to her when the whining intensifies and you

find you can’t take it anymore. If whining is met with reward—or

even if you hold out but it becomes clear that it drives you nuts—

you can expect the agony to be prolonged.

• Let Whining Fall on Deaf Ears. Once your child is old enough to

really get into the swing of whining—usually around 3 or so—start

reinforcing the fact that her whining is going to fall on deaf ears.

If she is sitting at the table whining about what she does or doesn’t

want to eat for dinner, tell her as calmly as you possibly can that you

can’t understand her when she talks like that and ask her if she has

something to tell or ask you. If she continues to whine, go about your

business. If, on the other hand, she makes an attempt to rephrase

her “request,” be sure to acknowledge her efforts. Remember that

stopping mid-whine is a tough task at any age, so don’t expect her

to drop the whine entirely. It’s not settling for less to respond to a

toned-down snivel.

Mealtime Milestones:

What’s in a Whine?

• 9 Months. Starting as early as 9 months, kids learn to point with a purpose

as they figure out the benefits of pointing out what they want, including

food.

• 12 Months. Children typically utter their first words, and “no” is often one

of the stand-alone favorites.

• 2 Years. By this age, you can expect your child to put 2 words together—

as in “no way” or “want that.”

• 2–3 Years. Kids begin to make better use of basic manners such as

“Please” and “Thank you.” This, in turn, allows for the development of the

characteristic “puhleeeeeeeze” so commonly employed in the context of

whining and dining.

3 Years. At this age, kids can typically string together 3 or more words in a

single sentence, and 75% of what they say is supposed to be understandable

to parents and other caregivers. This means that the “I want one!” or

“I don’t like it!” is likely to come through loud and clear for all to hear.

• 4 Years. Even innocent bystanders should be able to understand most of a

4-year-old’s speech, whining or not. A more sophisticated form of whining

may ensue, including the classics: “How come she gets to have one and

I don’t?” “You never give me anything good!” and “Please, just this once

can’t I….”

I am still reading my way through the book, but I have learned quite a bit about what things to try and not to try.  While I don’t expect TJ to miraculously start eating everything I put in front of him, I do appreciate the little hints that the book gives me.  I also appreciate the humor, because lets face it, we can all use a little more humor!

For more information about Food Fights, please visit www.HealthyChildren.org, the official American Academy of Pediatrics web site for parents.

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One (1) lucky reader will win a copy of Food Fights!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A huge thank you to rolemommy who provided the products featured in this post.  While I was compensated for this post, all opinions are mine

For Easter brunch I wanted to make something that would be easy.  I was after all 34 weeks pregnant.  I found this easy recipe on the McCormick website that used a cake mix.  It was so fast and simple and yet delicious that it will definitely be a part of my baked goods routine for brunches.

Easy Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Makes 24 servings.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

2 cups flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground

1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into chunks

1 package (18 1/4 ounces) white cake mix

1 egg

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, sugars and cinnamon in large bowl. Cut in cold butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

2. Beat cake mix, egg, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or just until mixed.

3. Spread evenly in greased and floured 13×9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with topping mixture.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool on wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.

(from McCormick.com)

My husband and I loved this cake.  The hardest part was just cutting in the butter into the topping mixture, and it wasn’t hard it was just a little time consuming.  I successfully made this dish a few hours before we left on our Easter egg hunt.  We ate it all week because it made so much and our family is small! Of course we used McCormick spices and extracts when we make our baked goods.  I know I can always count on having the best ingredients on hand when I have McCormick.

Don’t forget about the McCormick contest ending today, April 22nd where you can win a Spring Basket full of McCormick products!  All you have to do is create a Spring Food Board on Pintrest and pin at least 5 McCormick recipes that you would make this spring.  Be sure to follow McCormick on Pintrest and check out my board.

Happy Baking!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for McCormick. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

I am not sure about your family, but one staple in our family is chicken.  We eat a lot of chicken!  I love it because it is so versatile and you can make a lot of different dishes with it.  My husband likes it because it is healthy and cheap.  If you purchase chicken breasts on sale, chicken recipes are pretty inexpensive. We recently made the Mouthwatering Baked Buffalo Chicken Recipe from Hellmann’s Chicken Change Up Challenge and made a delicious dinner for under $6!

MOUTHWATERING BAKED BUFFALO CHICKEN

A chicken dinner with a cayenne pepper kick!

4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes     Cook Time: 12 minutes

• 1/2 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.), cut into strips
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise and cayenne pepper in small bowl; reserve 1/2 for dipping. Combine breadcrumbs with parsley. Coat chicken with remaining mayonnaise mixture, then coat with bread crumbs. Arrange chicken on baking sheet.

Bake chicken 12 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Serve with reserved dipping sauce.

For a fun twist, serve cooked chicken strips on wooden skewers.

While this isn’t like a traditional Buffalo Chicken, it was very tasty and probably half the fat of the regular buffalo chicken you might get at a restaurant.  We used Hellmann’s light mayonnaise and didn’t miss the calories or the fat!  We also used chicken tenderloins because that was what was on sale at our Marsh.  This particular recipe was a hit with mommy and daddy and my very picky eater actually tried it (a big success in its own right).  We paired it with some sweet potato fries and the side sauce was amazing.  Next time I will add a little more cayenne pepper because we like things spicy around here.

To help you spice-up your dinner routine, Hellmann’s® and Best Foods® mayonnaise are launching the first-ever Chicken Challenge, a series of head-to-head chicken dish challenges that will help moms diversify their weekly recipe repertoire. Each week on Hellmanns.com, two chicken dish “challenger” recipes from Chipotle Lime Crusted Chicken to Baked Buffalo Chicken will go up against one of the most popular recipes on Hellmanns.com, Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Try one of the featured Hellmann’s® chicken recipes each week and cast your vote for your favorite! After participating, consumers can enter into a sweepstakes for the chance to win a $5000 grocery store gift card and other daily prizes.

From now until April 30, 2012, parents across the country can participate in the Hellmann’s® Chicken Change-up by trying one of the featured Hellmann’s® chicken recipes, sharing their recipe reviews and providing their own advice for managing dinnertime obstacles.  After participating, consumers can enter into a sweepstakes for the chance to win a $5000 grocery store gift card and other daily prizes.

Does your chicken need a change up?  Be sure to head on over to the Chicken Change-up Challenge on facebook for more recipes and enter to win a daily prize giveaway as well as the $5000 grocery store gift card!

How do you change up your boring chicken routine?  I would love to hear some of your suggestions!

This is a sponsored post.  Hellmann’s product and additional incentives were provided to me.  All opinions stated are my own.

My husband and I are a little health conscious.  Well, okay, my husband is and I just kinda follow along.  We try to eat a healthy balanced diet, but sometimes when eating out it becomes more and more difficult.  While we cook mostly at home, we do enjoy treating ourselves every once in a while.  We were very curious when we heard about LongHorn Steakhouse’s new menu that includes five meals all for under 500 calories.  It features five satisfying steakhouse meals, including fresh steak, chicken or fish entrees, all fewer than 500 calories when paired with steamed vegetables or green beans and a side salad.

We had never eaten at a LongHorn Steakhouse before and were pleasantly surprised by the service and atmosphere that we experienced.  Our server was very helpful and polite and was very patient with our 3 year old toddler.  We ordered the Sierra Chicken off of the Flavorful under 500 menu and another sandwich to share.  The chicken was cooked to perfection as well as the vegetable side dish.  My husband loved the vegetables and probably could have eaten a plateful.  I thought the chicken was cooked well and tasted great, I just wished it had a little more spice to it.

Overall we were very happy with our visit to LongHorn and will be visiting again shortly.  The service and food were very delightful and the attention they paid all of their guests was appreciated.  I want to go back and try out their steaks because if they can cook chicken this well, they probably have wonderful steaks!

If you are counting your calories be sure to check out the 5 menu items on the “Flavorful Under 500″ menu.  It is a delicious way to keep yourself on your diet!

Win It

One (1) lucky winner will receive a $15 gift card to LongHorn Steakhouse.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment and tell me which of the Flavorful Under 500 you most want to try!

Bonus Entries:

• Follow me on Twitter and Tweet: Win A LongHorn Steakhouse Gift Card @AMomsImpression http://amomsimpression.com/?p=6548 (You may enter daily, just leave a comment with each Tweet’s link)
• Like A Mom’s Impression on Facebook
• Blog about this giveaway (Please leave a link to your post)
• Grab my Button and post it on your blog.
• Subscribe to A Mom’s Impression by Email (2 Entries, please leave 2 comments: Please remember to confirm your subscription)
• Comment on any non-giveaway post on A Mom’s Impression. (just tell me what post you commented on)

Please leave a comment about each entry, include a valid email address or you may contact me directly with your contact information.
Open to US residents only. This giveaway will end at midnight on April 5. Winners will be picked from Random.org. 
Good Luck!

This product review was made possible by LongHorn Steakhouse.  I received a gift card to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% mine.

We all have those brands that we just trust and feel comfortable feeding our kids.  For me Kraft is one of those brands.  Between pasta and peanut butter, my son rarely eats anything else.  As for my husband and I, we use Kraft products in our cooking as well.  The other day I tried out the new Fresh Take Cheese & Breadcrumb Mix to spice up our chicken dinner and absolutely loved it.  While I could have made the mix myself from scratch, it saved both time and money to purchase the already prepared mix from Kraft.  I can’t wait to try another of the flavors!

I use a lot of recipes from Kraft and their website and now they have made getting your hands on these recipes even easier! Kraft is excited to announce that they have joined Google+ and Pinterest and we can’t wait to get 1+ing and pinning with you! The Kraft Foods Google + and Pinterest pages will be updated regularly with insights into everything Kraft including new recipes and food ideas that the whole family can enjoy.

Kraft Foods is also hosting a “Pin and Win” sweepstakes starting Tuesday, February 28 to encourage Pinterest members to create a pinboard of their most delicious spring menu, featuring kraftrecipes.com recipes. So join in on the fun and get pinning because you could win a KraftStore.com gift card valued up to $500 and be repinned on the Kraft Foods.

Want to win?  Here are the steps to follow:

• Step 1:  Go to pinterest.com and follow us. Then, in your profile, create a new board called Kraft Recipes Pin and Win Board – Make sure you categorize it under Food & Drink.

• Step 2:  Pin Your Favorite Kraft Recipes that would represent a delicious Spring Entertaining Menu on that board – You can either go to the Kraft Recipes Pinterest Boards http://www.pinterest.com/kraftrecipes or http://www.kraftrecipes.com to select 10 – 20 of your favorite Kraft Recipes and put a #kraftrecipes in the description of each pin.

• Step 3: Email Your Board Link to Enter the Sweepstakes – Email the URL link to your Kraft Recipes Pin and Win board to kraftrecipes-pinterest@kraftapps.com  for a chance to win one of ten $200 KraftStore.com gift card first prizes OR the grand prize of a $500 KraftStore.com gift card

The sweepstakes begins 2/28/2012. No purchase necessary. For official rules regarding the sweepstakes, please visit http://www.kraftrecipes.com/pinterest

Win It

I have a prize package from Kraft to give away to one lucky winner!  This package is filled with new products from Kraft that I am sure you will enjoy as well as a storage container set and lunch tote!

The prize package includes:

• PLANTERS new Natural Peanut Butter – A nutrient-dense energy source and plant-based protein that builds on the heritage and quality of PLANTERS in a tasty and nutritious option for adults. This is the Natural Creamy No Need to Stir Peanut Butter!
• CRYSTAL LIGHT Energy On-the-Go Sticks in NEW Citrus – Helps you through the day with energy releasing B-vitamins and just enough caffeine. All for just five calories per serving. You’ll be able to try the NEW Citrus flavor that just launched, and the product is also available in Wild Strawberry, Grape and Peach Mango flavors.
• New KRAFT MILKBITE Milk & Granola Bar (coupon for free product) – Combines real milk, calcium and granola in a convenient refrigerated bar, providing the calcium of an 8 oz. glass of milk.
• SNACKWELL’S new Peanut Butter Pretzels and new Cinnamon Crème Drizzled Caramel Popcorn – New flavors to fulfill sweet & salty tastes with unique, delicious permissible indulgences.
• New KRAFT FRESH TAKE (coupon for free product) – The perfect blend of Kraft Natural Cheese, unique spices, and breadcrumbs… all in one bag! Just mix, coat, and bake and you are on your way to a fresh and flavorful take on your favorite chicken, fish, pork, or beef recipes. Available in six flavor varieties, including Southwest Three Cheese and Italian Parmesan.
• New JET-PUFFED Mallow Bits – An innovative shaker makes adding Mallow Bits to your treats fun and playful. Currently available in Vanilla and Peppermint, Mallow Bits is sparking imaginations and creating new recipe uses across the country.
• Lunch Break Insulated Zebra-print Lunch Tote
• KLIP-IT by Sistema 14-piece Food-to-Go Storage Set

How to Enter:

Leave a comment and tell me what product you are most excited to try.  (You must complete this entry before completing any of the bonus entries)

Bonus Entries:

• Follow me on Twitter and Tweet: Win a Kraft Prize Package Including New Products @AMomsImpression http://wyn.cc/msnhb (You may enter daily, just leave a comment with each Tweet’s link)
• Follow A Mom’s Impression on Facebook
• Follow Me on Google+
• Follow Kraft on Google+
• Blog about this giveaway (Please leave a link to your post)
• Grab my Button and post it on your blog.
• Subscribe to A Mom’s Impression by Email (2 Entries, please leave 2 comments: Please remember to confirm your subscription)
• Comment on any non-giveaway post on A Mom’s Impression. (just tell me what post you commented on)
• List this giveaway on any giveaway site, or share on Facebook.

Please leave a comment about each entry, include a valid email address or you may contact me directly with your contact information. This giveaway will end at midnight on March 17. Winner will be picked from Random.org. 
Open to US residents only.  Good Luck!

This product review and giveaway was made possible by Kraft.  I was not compensated for this review other than a product sample and prize package shown. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband and I enjoy our dinners together.  I wish that we could all eat as a family every night, but with my late work schedule, my husband often has to feed our son before I get home.  Lately, as the weather has been colder, we have been enjoying all different types of soup.  Recently Bertolli challenged us to try their new Bertolli Meal Soups.

Bertolli Meal Soups come in Chicken Minestrone, Roasted Chicken and Rotini Pasta, Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken, and Tuscan-Style Beef & Vegetables.  You can find Bertolli Meal Soups in the frozen foods section of your local supermarket.  They are loaded with vegetables frozen at the peak of freshness.

I wanted to make our night a little special, so after I started heating up the soup, I made some bread sticks with a little garlic and Parmesan cheese.  We tried the Roasted Chicken and Rotini Pasta and were extremely happy with it!  I was amazed at how fresh it tasted.  My hard-to-please husband also enjoyed it and said that he would love to have it again!  I was really excited to hear that because this working mom loves to find yummy, healthy meals that can be prepared in no time.  I actually bought two more this weekend!

Snuggle up close this Valentine’s Day with a loved one and a bowl of Bertolli Meal Soups!  Be sure to check them out on facebook and follow them on twitter to learn more!

This review was made possible by Bertolli.  I was sent a coupon to try the new Meal Soups for myself for purpose of this review.  I will also receive a gift card. All opinions are 100% mine.

We are huge football fanatics in our house!  While our Colts didn’t do what we had hoped they would have, we still enjoy watching the games every Sunday.  We are especially excited to host the Super Bowl this February.  With all of the football hoopla happening around us, of course it made me think of food.  Food and football just go hand in hand!  Recently Tyson and Collective Bias invited me to use their all new Mini Chicken Sandwiches to create a perfect after the game snack.

My experience began at Walmart where I purchased my Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches with cheddar cheese.   Be sure to read all about my shopping trip and see photos on my Google +1 shoppertunity post.  If you love saving money like I do, be sure to check out this great deal from Walmart: Buy 2 Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches at a participating Walmart and receive a $5 Walmart Gift Card. Click here for more details!

 I love being able to choose what goes on my sandwiches.  I have particular tastes like everyone else.  I wanted to be able to make as many people happy with my snack as possible so I decided to do a make your own Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwich bar.  During my trip to Walmart, I picked up several sauces that would go well with chicken.  I also made sure that I got some pickles (I have been craving pickle like crazy since I have been pregnant).  I also picked up some fresh tomatoes and lettuce to add to our chicken sandwiches.

After following the easy directions on the package to cook the mini chicken sandwiches, my husband and I added our favorite condiments to each of our little sandwiches.  I loved the creamy buffalo sauce, but I tried both to see which one I liked better.

We paired our sandwiches with sweet potato fries and ketchup.  I try to put my ketchup in small containers so that it doesn’t spread all over the plate.  Having these little cups of ketchup with the platter makes it easy for guests to get their own ketchup.

To end our football feast, I found some adorable Oreo cookies in the shape of footballs that everyone enjoyed!

I hope you enjoy the big games, and be sure to try the Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches.  They taste great and are very portable.  Perfect for lunches!

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

Is it a fruit or is it a vegetable?  While the controversy may continue (The US Supreme Court ruled that the tomato is a vegetable for culinary purposes) I know that this is one product that I couldn’t live without.  I love tomato juice, fresh tomatoes in my salads, chopped tomatoes in my tacos, and just about everywhere you can add it to a meal.  Every year I try to grow tomatoes in pots that have to go in the front of the house so that my dog doesn’t eat them.  There is nothing better than fresh tomatoes.

The next best thing to fresh is Red Gold canned tomatoes.  Red Gold was founded in the ’40s and takes pride in growing during the true seasons of the Midwest, where the country’s best soil and climate for tomatoes can be found (even the winter is crucial, which breaks up the soil for tiny root systems). At farms in the Midwest, Red Gold grows some of the best tasting tomatoes around. Red Gold’s headquarters is located right here in Indiana!

Here are some fun Tomato facts and finds:

In pregnancy @ 19 weeks: Baby is the size of an heirloom tomato! Your baby equals a large heirloom tomato in size and weighs 8 1/2 ounces. (length: 6 inches, head to bottom)

I love these tomato red Uggs!

Photo courtesy of harpersbazaar.com

I love all these beautiful tomato red Oscar dresses!

And of course I couldn’t forget one of my favorite drinks, a Bloody Mary!

My husband and I mixed up a batch of these tasty beverages using Red Gold Crushed tomatoes!  Here is our recipe:

Bloody Mary Mix

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp horseradish
• 1 Tbsp hot sauce
• The juice of 1 lemon
• The juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 cans of Red Gold crushed tomatoes
• 6 ounces water

Directions

Mix together all of the ingredients except for the tomatoes.  I opened the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and ran an immersion blender through it for a few seconds.  I added the tomatoes to the ingredient mixture and then stirred in the water.  Since I am pregnant, I added my celery stick and went for it.  My husband added some vodka to his and had a refreshing drink.

How do you enjoy your tomatoes?

I wrote this as an entry into a blogging contest through Red Gold.  I was sent 6 cans of tomatoes to facilitate my post.  The official rules of the contest can be found here: http://redgold.com/bloggers.