As a way to feed my family a healthy breakfast, I rely on several staples: bagels and cream cheese, pancakes, and waffles. Waffles are huge hit with everyone in the family. Waffles topped with fruit are a sure bet.

I serve fruit with breakfast, but sometimes one kid won’t eat the fruit or one kids wanted another kind of fruit. Frustrating, but cooking for kids is not easy. I wish I had 3 kids who ate everything on their plates. Alas, no.

We tried a new type of breakfast meal the other day.
Eggo came up with an ingenious and innovative breakfast item, Eggo Real Fruit Pizza. Combining fruit with warm toasted granola and berry flavored cream cheese, Eggo can help streamline your morning with this convenient, tasty breakfast offering.

Our verdict on the Eggo Real Fruit Pizza:

Mom — Loved the fruit on top of the pizza. The berries were actual berries not smushed, unidentifiable objects. Delish.

Dad — Loved the pizza. Is not and never will be a fan of granola. He would prefer the pizza minus the granola topping.

Kid — Loved the whole thing.

Tween — Nibbled around the edges. Ate a bit, but wasn’t in to it…if you know what I mean.

Teen — Didn’t try it.

So, the Musings from Me family would give the Eggo Real Fruit Pizza a thumbs up. We have some reservations about the granola. We loved the sweetness of the fruit, the crustiness of the pizza, and size.

The size worked for us. I heated two pizzas in the oven (pizzas can be microwaved) for an after breakfast snack. We each had about 2 pieces.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Eggo Real Fruit Pizza and received a sample of the product and a $20 Amazon gift certificate to facilitate my review.

But, I am struggling with my weight. I lose some. I gain some, but I never get anywhere near my goal weight. My goal weight is largely unattainable to me. Did I ever weigh my goal weight??

You see I love food. Gastric bypass surgery would not be an option for me. I cannot spend the rest of my life eating a portion the size of an egg for each meal How sad! So, I need to find ways to eat less, eat sensibly, and eat healthy all within the structure of my family and crazy/busy/insane kiddie activity schedule.

Healthy eating on-the-go and exercising suffer when schedules become busier, and sorting through the plethora of products and services on the market proves an overwhelming, time-consuming effort in itself.  A new line of products may help me to achieve my elusive weight-loss goals.

I was sent a sample shipment of innovative products from underWAY and Smart for Life to review. We had a family taste testing over a period of days.

Note: Since my children are growing and a healthy weight, I monitor what dietary products they ingest. I didn’t let the kids try to underWay supplement drink as it is a meal replacer. I want the children to eat the healthy meals that I prepare rather than “drinking their meal.” Since I need to lose weight, I find a meal-replacing drink to be acceptable to me. I did let them try the Smart for Life cookies and cupcakes.

The Musings from Me family thoughts on Smart for Life and underWay products:

• underWay supplement drinks — I am not a huge water drinker. If the water is flavored I will drink more. The underWay drink I tried was Acai Pomegranate. underWay is an appetite suppressing drink that curbs hunger. I drank one for breakfast on a day I was on-the-go. Here’s what I found on the underWay website: underWAY™ Curbs Your Hunger Two Ways: (1) its special formulation not only takes longer to be absorbed by the stomach, but it also slows the absorption of what’s already there–making you feel fuller, longer, and (2) its unique ingredients stimulate your stomach, telling your brain you’ve consumed more calories than you really have – which, with underWAY™, is almost zero!
• Smart for Life cookies and cupcakes were pronounced good by the kids and husband. Not an abundance of flavor, but as far as diet products go the flavors are better than most. I like that the ingredients are all natural, 60% organic products. We liked that the products were packaged in small packs. The size of the package was small enough for me to eat in 2 days or the whole family to eat in one sitting.
• Ready-to-Go Vanilla Shakes and Chicken Soup — we have not tried yet. Update to come!
• Smart Crunch, Cupcakes–Chocolate and Carrot, and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes were a hit with all of us!

I’m not sure if I could adopt the new 7-meals-per-day schedule featuring 6 cookies or products plus a balanced dinner that underWay and Smart for Life advocates. But, I found the drinks, cupcakes, and cookies to be tasty and a useful snack in my harried and rushed day.

The new 7-meals-per-day schedule allows your body to maintain steady blood sugar and glucose levels, and to burn more fat for a longer portion of the day.

For more information, from the Smart for Life and underWAY products, developed by physician Dr. Sasson Moulavi, a board certified bariatric weight loss doctor, go to www.smartforlife.com and www.under-way.com.

Special Discount Offer for Musings from Me Readers:

My readers can get a special 10% discount code for underWAY and Smart for Life products.

Please use MCUS10OFFUW for underWAY products at www.underWAY.com.

Please use MCUS10OFFSFL at www.smartforlife.com.

Codes good through August 30.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of underWAY and Smart for Life and received samples of the products to review.

Dinnertime is a precious commodity in our house. With kids heading to activities, Dad arriving home late from work, and Mom scrambling to check e-mail and write, dinner time can be rushed. Barilla launched a site called Share the Table to help families make the most of mealtime.

Share the Table encourages togetherness. In the hustle and bustle of family life…especially with a kid, a preteen, and a teen…family time can be fleeting. With summer in full swing we are eating more meals together…even lunch.

I love pasta. I tried to make pasta meals that the kids will eat. I like to  add a little something different each time I make a pasta dish. Some meals are a hit, and some well… I try!

One of the recipes I tried involved Barilla Piccolini or Mini Wheels pasta. Cute and tasty. Small bite-sized pieces of yummy goodness. I added tomatoes, too.

The Barilla share the table site is chockfull of recipes, tips for bringing the family to the table, and Barilla’s Pasta Friday Sweepstakes. By sharing your family’s meal experience you could win a Barilla meal.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Barilla and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review.

I have driven past Noodles & Company in Columbia, Maryland, many times.  I assumed it was a Chinese restaurant. We love Chinese food. I never knew that Noodles & Company had such a varied selection of dishes.

I had a chance to take my family to Noodles & Company last Wednesday night. Once I walked in I took in the restaurant vibe. It is a counter service restaurant where you order at the counter for your party, but the food is brought to your table. We chose a booth at the back of the restaurant. I’m not a fan of booths for the 5 of us due to constant getting in and out of the booth…someone always forgets to get a drink! But, we sat in a booth.

I let each person choose their own meal. We had coupons for a free soup, salad, or entree. The person at the register initially told us that we couldn’t use all 5 at once. I told her we were doing a restaurant review for MomCentral. She rang up each coupon on a separate order. The checkout took longer than usual, but we survived. I encouraged the kids to get a dish with vegetables. Two out of three kids complied. Oh well…

Once we were seated, our food arrived in about 5 minutes. The menu is divided in to three sections: Asian Noodles…Mediterranean Noodles…American Noodles. Here’s what we ordered:

• Me: I tried the Asparagus and Lemon Linguine dish. I was concerned that the lemon would be overpowering. The dish was delicious. The asparagus was tender.  The noodles were tender enough for me to grab with the chopsticks, not slippery at all.
• The husband: He had the Pad Thai with chicken breast. He liked it, but probably wouldn’t order it again. He would like to try the Indonesian peanut dish the next time.
• The teen: She loved the Penne Rosa. She couldn’t finish the large version. She said the dish was spicy, but not too spicy. My husband and I finished her meal for her!



• The tween: She is our least adventurous eater. At restaurants, she orders either a hamburger or Mac & Cheese. Thankfully she loved the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese. She even ate it with chopsticks.



• The Kid: Speaking of chopsticks, my son ate his Caesar Salad with Shrimp by holding a chopstick in each hand and picking up each piece of lettuce…one leaf/crouton/cheese at a time. A surprisingly effective, yet painfully slow way of eating. On the flip side, how many 7-year-old boys order Caesar salad anyway??

The Musings from Me verdict on Noodles & Company? We all agreed that we would go back. We might even add it to our rotation of restaurants we go to regularly!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Noodles & Company and received five Noodles & Company bowl cards to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me a thank-you gift certificate.

In my early married days my husband was the cook while I was the chief bottle washer. When his work, coaching, and graduate school schedule got too hectic once we had children I took on the cooking responsibilities. I was a WAHM managing editorial projects while caring for 2 little children. I made meals that were kid friendly. As you can imagine we ate, fruit, vegetables, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, cereal, waffles, ready-made dinners from Costco, and other easy-to-prepare foods.

My cooking skills improved greatly once I stopped working from home. Overnight I had time to cook. Now, I still wasn’t a very good or enthusiastic cook,  but I had the time to stop buying all the processed foods and start cooking from recipes. Our diet improved considerably.

Since I have cooking issues I try: (1) stick with recipes that I can cook and the family will eat (the eating part is not a given when I am cooking!) and (2) used tried and true ingredients. Uncle Ben’s is a brand we love. My kids love Chinese and Mexican food dishes that feature rice.

Now my husband is still picky when it comes to anything whole grain. My son, could care less. When I found that Uncle Ben’s had created a new Whole Grain White Rice that looks and tastes like white rice, I knew that it would be a winner with my family.

Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice has the look, taste and texture of white rice, but is packed with whole grains (almost a full day’s worth in one serving). Uncle Ben’s new Whole Grain White Rice provides a healthy alternative to plain sides like pasta or potatoes. The rice comes in a variety of flavors from traditional Long Grain to Chicken, Broccoli Cheddar, Taco Style and Sweet Tomato, so you can mix-up meals and still know that you’re getting whole grains on the table. Plus, with a quick 10-minute prep time, Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice provides a great solution for the nights when jam-packed schedules leave you scrambling for a quick, healthy option.

Uncle Ben’s has partnered with Missy Chase Lapine, author of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids’ Favorite Meals. As moms we struggle to find a balance between what kids want to eat and what we want them to eat. I struggle to get kids to eat enough fruits, veggies and whole grains. Lapine’s tips and recipes can help sneak nutrition-rich foods into children’s favorite dishes.

Want to try a box of Uncle Ben’s Whole grain White Rice? Here’s a coupon.

Want to find where Uncle Ben’s rice is sold? Here’s a link.

Do you live close to me? Do your kids attend the same schools as mine? Are we members of the same pool, sports teams, etc.? This giveaway is for you!

I have a box of Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice and an Uncle Ben’s apron for FOUR lucky readers who live close to me. I’ll leave the prizes on my front porch or deliver them to the pool or end-of-year events.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment at the end of this post.

I wrote  this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

The cavity was filled. Thankfully it was in a baby tooth. So far it is the only cavity we have. In the aftermath of “Toothgate,” I gutted our pantry of sugary snacks, fruit snacks, fruit rollups, and chocolate bars. I put both sets of grandparents on notice that we were attempting to cut out candy. Well, our efforts paid off as none of the children have had a cavity since — quick, where’s some wood? Will drywall do? Touching drywall now!

But, as we all know kids love candy. One of my children is a candy lover. While I could keep the candy to a minimum in the pantry, I wasn’t about to ban Halloween candy, Easter candy, Peeps, candy canes, and chocolate bunnies. That would be cruel and unusual punishment, wouldn’t it?

So I did the next best thing. I sought out candy alternatives. I ditched the fruit snacks and fruit rollups in favor of sugar free gum. Still chewy, but not as likely to stick to teeth as a fruit rollup. But, what else could I find?

Our candy issues are now on hold as my tween is now in braces. The kid who devoured her Halloween candy? Well, that kid is petrified of breaking her braces. You can imagine how thrilled she was when I told her of a candy I had found. A candy that she can lick. A candy that will not break her braces…she licks, but does not bite in to the Ring Pop. Sugar Free Ring Pops!!! My tween’s verdict…Sugar Free Ring Pops taste like regular Ring Pops!

The tween was eager to taste them. I asked her what she thought. She said the Sugar Free Ring Pops taster like the real ones! Wow! I never expected to hear that. She flavors are good too. I’m not sure what the flavors are as she devoured the pack. Just checked the site…Sugar Free Ring Pops come in Blue Raspberry, Watermelon, and Strawberry. The nutritional deets — only 30 calories per Sugar Free Ring Pop, made with Splenda, and 0 sugar carbs.

Follow Sugar Free Ring Pops on Facebook.

Check out the Sugar Free Ring Pops site.

I was given a pack of Sugar Free Ring Pops for my review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Well, yes I did. My burning question? Who is Chef Jesse? Jesse who? I know! I saw Chef Jesse on Private Chefs of Beverly Hills. I watch way toooo much reality TV. I DVR. I watch. I channel surf. It is my release after writing posts, etc. I CANNOT watch TV and write at the same time. Multitasking is not my strong suit.

As I watched the episode where Jesse and his co-chef cook a three-course meal for dogs and their owners, I was consumed with the thought that I had seen Jesse before. Yes…the chefs cooked gourmet hamburgers for a group of over privileged dogs. But where had I see Jesse before?

I was stumped. I ran through the list of suspects. Was he on the Kardashians…that show with Flavor Flav…American Idol?? Grabbing at straws here, people.

IMDB to the rescue. Jesse was on Workout. Do you remember Workout? The exercise fitness show with Jackie Warner…she was the very scary, blonde-haired boss who called clients to see why there weren’t at the club exercising. Remind me not to join her club!

Jesse was one of the trainers on the show. So how do you make the switch from trainer to chef. Is it a reality show thing where actors audition for reality shows…any kind of reality sh0w? Are the actors hired for the show based on their acting rather than skills? A kind of jack-of-all-reality show actor? Sounds like it to me.

Oh and for even more trivia…Chef Brian on the Private Chefs of Beverly Hills? He was on Top Chef in 2006 for one episode. Now, that makes more sense to me to move from Top Chef to a cooking show, but to move from a fitness show to a cooking show sounds like a stretch to me. Oh and I found out that Chef Brian owns Comfort Truck – a mobile catering business in LA. Comfort Truck is on twitter, too.

I should be free of kids from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. each day, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans, right? So first there are the days when I work and work and get nothing done! And let’s not forget errands! Every time I have day all to myself I find I have a 100 errands to run from picking up a pair of lacrosse gloves on one side of the county to driving in the opposite direction to get a science fair board. I would not begrudge my children anything…well, I do have some limits, but you know what I mean! I want to do the best for my children, but why do errands take so long. I live in a rural area so driving is a way of life for me.

At the end of a long week of staying home to work or racing around running errands, I unwind. I have to. Have you tried wrangling a 7-year-old to do his writing homework? It’s not pretty. What about letting an 11-year-old know that music practice needs to start NOW or else? Short of having a live-in masseuse…I use the next best thing to unwind. What is it?

I drink a Diet Coke or Pepsi or a bottle of flavored water — not exciting, but since I gave up caffeine a few months ago, I need a little lift to get me through the evening and night of working. Eeek. The drink whether caffeinated or flavored is welcome and refreshing!

I’m not a fan of tap water, water from the fridge dispenser, or bottled water. I recall choking down 8 glasses a day while pregnant, but lately I drink water only when rinsing after brushing my teeth.

I sampled some very tasty bottled water drinks at a local mom blogger event hosted by MomCentral for Aquafina Flavorsplash water. The above picture features my friend Holly and new friends Rachel, Jocelyn, and Jocelyn’s friend. The event was at a very trendy, and I would think high-end night club — I go out so little that I am not sure what a night club is supposed to look like. The Red Maple featured bench seating with delicious tapas and desserts — tapas is single serving items with dip. The mousse filled strawberries were delish.

I sampled several flavors of Aquafina FlavorSplash. Aquafina’s lightly flavored FlavorSplash waters provide a sweet and refreshing alternative to regular water, combining the benefits of drinking water along with a great variety of tastes. FlavorSplash comes in six flavors – peach mango, raspberry, strawberry kiwi, lemon, wild berry, and grape – so you can find your own personal flavor favorite. Of note, the waters are sweetened by Splenda and have zero calories. My fave flavor was Wild Berry.

I wrote this post after attending an event sponsored by Aquafina FlavorSplash and Mom Central. I received FlavorSplash goodies and a gift card as a thank you for posting.

Pringles are still a staple in our pantry. I am delighted to let you know that Pringles is tackling the important issue of childhood hunger. As a mom, I need to have a well-stocked pantry…I take it for granted. It is inconceivable that families in this country cannot afford to feed their families, but it is a reality.

Pringles has rolled out “U Taste. We Donate.”  Initiated by Pringles Multigrain and supported by celebrity chef, Tyler Florence, the campaign seeks to aid Share Our Strength with its mission to end childhood hunger in America.  For the 17 million children facing hunger in America, every dollar counts.

Here’s how it works.  Enter the UPC code from any Pringles Multigrain product at PringlesMultigrain.com, and Pringles will donate $1 to Share Our Strength through June 30, 2010.  You can choose from any of the three New Pringles Multigrain flavors including, Truly Original, Cheesy Cheddar, and Creamy Ranch.

To support the “U Taste. We Donate” campaign, Tyler Florence created three unique and incredible recipes to go along with each flavor of Pringles Multigrain – a perfect snacking inspiration. I can’t wait to enter the codes from the Pringles Multigrain snacks I received for my review. BTW, the Pringles Multigrains were delish. My 7-year-old has a fairly sophisticated palate for a little kid — he loved the Cheesy Cheddar flavor. My tween who does not care for unusual flavors loved the Cheesy Cheddar flavor. I found myself crunching in to the Creamy Ranch…like in my college days.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Pringles Multigrain and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate

I had the pleasure of participating in a roundtable discussion with Shoppers Food Warehouse nutritionist, Jennifer Shea. Shoppers Food Warehouse rolled out its nutrition IQ program last week.

• nutrition IQ program is designed to “help consumers make better-informed, better-for-you food choices right at the grocery store shelf.”
• nutrition IQ was developed with the Joslin Clinic, which is part of an academic medical center affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
• nutrition IQ is available in the 62 Shoppers Food Warehouses in the greater D.C. and Baltimore area.

The nutrition IQ program comes as research shows that consumers are having difficulty making sense of nutrition guidelines. Consumers want to find an easier way to make informed decisions about what they feed their families. The nutrition IQ program uses easy-to-see, color-coded shelf tags, hung near the items price tag to help consumers quickly identify healthier food choices for their families.

The tags — details about the program can be found at nutritioniq.shoppersfood.com — help consumers find an easy way to eat smarter. The color-coded tags on each shelf represent the following nutrients in products:

• Excellent Source of FIBER (orange tag)
• Good Source of FIBER (orange tag)
• Excellent source of CALCIUM (blue tag)
• Good source of CALCIUM (blue tag)
• Low SODIUM (green tag)
• Healthier Level SODIUM (green tag)
• Excellent source of PROTEIN (yellow tag)
• Good source of PROTEIN (yellow tag)
• Whole GRAINS (orange-red tag)
• Low Calorie (purple)
• Low SATURATED FAT (red tag)

I toured the Shoppers Food Warehouse in Potomac Yards, Virginia, with the Shoppers nutritionist, Jennifer Shea. After checking out the cereal, yogurt, and pasta aisles, I got the hang of examining the labels. I compared the brand name product to the generic in the cereal aisle to see why one of the products had the label and one did not.

The next time I shop at Shoppers I will look at products with a more critical eye now that I know more about nutrition and the nutrition IQ program.

DC — MD — VA Readers of Musings from Me! I have a fabulous giveaway for my cost-conscious LOCAL readers. What is it? What is this fabulous item? A Shoppers Food Warehouse $25 gift card! One comment = one entry. There is one winner. Enter now!

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I was given a bag of food and a Shoppers Food Warehouse gift card (I am giving away the gift card as I live a little too far from a Shoppers Food Warehouse) as part of my participation in the nutrition IQ tour. The views expressed in this article are my own. The giveaway will end May 25 at 11:59 p.m. The giveaway is open to those near a Shoppers Food Warehouse in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.