Giveaway: Dulce de Leche Cheerios Package

When it comes time to get the wee ones up and out the door, I always feel like I'm behind. The start to the day for us frequently portends how the rest of the day will go. If we don't get it started right, we can kiss the day goodbye. That's one of the reasons a good breakfast is something on which I don't compromise. It isn't always the same thing, but I require that it's something that incorporates protein (yay scoops of peanut butter) and whole grains - and is something the wee ones will eat.

The majority of the time, the wee ones eat oatmeal. They love it, but sometimes they want something different. I was recently sent a box of a new Cheerios flavor - dulce de leche. It was perfect for us, as the wee one are fascinated by all things dulce de leche thanks to her Spanish class. She so wanted to try the dulce de leche Girl Scout cookies she was selling but couldn't because they contain dairy. Let's just say there was a little light in her eyes when she realized the Cheerios don't have any dairy and she could eat them. Me? I was happy with the 19 grams of whole grains per serving offered by the Dulce de Leche Cheerios.

The wee ones couldn't wait to try them out. We had to flip for who got to eat them out of the super cute bowl that also came with the cereal package I received from MyBlogSpark. I do wish that the only sweetener used was pure sugar or agave, but this at least doesn't have any high fructose corn syrup - something my family avoids eating. That said, there are 6 grams of sugar per serving, far less than the yogurt the wee ones like. The bowl was happily scarfed up, and the wee ones are begging to see when they can have it again.

Of course, I didn't just leave it as a cereal to be eaten. Nope. I have a bake sale at Little Miss's school on Friday, so I decided to make a treat for it using the Dulce de Leche Cheerios. There are several recipes on the General Mills website using the new Cheerios flavor. I ended up choosing the Dulce de Leche Cheerios Bars, although of course I modified them a bit. I chose them partly because they looked and sounded really good and partly because I already had all the ingredients in my pantry. Or ummm most of them. I'll post my version of the recipe on Honest & Truly! for tomorrow's Tasty Tuesday.

They turned out really, really good. I am currently working to fight my husband off eating them so that we have enough left for the bake sale. Wish me luck!

Want to win a prize pack like I received with a box of Dulce de Leche Cheerios, a beautiful bowl, a spoon, and a dulce de leche scented candle? You can...So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday February 20 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What Dulce de Leche recipe would you try with your box?


Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "I entered to win a Cheerios Dulce de Leche prize pack #giveaway from @honestandtruly. Have you? http://bit.ly/AgBdr1" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a sample prize pack as described above and the recipes described courtesy of Cheerios and General Mills via MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions remain my own.

Giveaway: $25 American Express GC from Nutrition Possible

Every morning after I get the wee ones their breakfast and milk (or rice milk, in the case of Little Miss), I open our vitamin drawer. I hand over the Vitamin D and elderberry to boost their immune systems in the winter, Calcium-Magnesium to Little Miss since she can't have dairy, fish oil to Mister Man to help boost his focus, multi-vitamins to both - and suddenly I feel like I'm going overboard. I want to do the right things for the wee ones and for me, but it's hard to know what to do, especially when there are so many options out there.

With them, I make sure I've figured out at least some of it. For me, well... I gave up on me. It's just too confusing. Proof? This is the vitamin section at my store. I can't even truly call it an "aisle" because it encompasses multiple aisles. Frequently, even if I narrow down what vitamin I'm looking for, there are multiple dosages available, adding to the confusion. As I stood here yesterday, I actually watched two different people stand in the aisles holding vitamin bottles comparing them back and forth, trying to figure out what they should choose.

See what I mean? Seriously, that's a lot of health being sold every day!

I was recently asked to take a nutritional assessment on Nutrition Possible. The assessment was fairly thorough, I thought, asking about everything from how much I exercise to what foods I eat to my biggest concerns and more. In the end, the goods news is that I get high marks for several areas including fruits and veggies. Phew! I was surprised that my seafood intake needs to increase more. I thought I was doing sort of ok there, but apparently that lobster risotto I chose to eat last night was the right move! Whole grains was my other area where I fell short, which is mostly because I eat few grains most days altogether. Oops. It's a good reminder.

In the end, the assessment recommended three Centrum supplements (yes, Nutrition Possible is a Centrum promotion) for me. There was a multi-vitamin, one with phytonutrients, and Omega-3. It was nice to see not just what supplements Nutrition Possible recommended for me based on my assessment but also how much of each I should be taking. That definitely takes out a lot of the confusion and guesswork.

Did I mention that by taking the assessment, I also received a coupon for $10 off any Centrum Pronutrients supplement with purchase of a Centrum Multi-vitamin. The coupon is mailed to me, so I haven't started any new regiments yet!

Beyond just supplements, the assessment's results also recommended other changes. To increase my suggested foods, there was a list provided of foods I could eat more often. And if I'm not into that wheat English muffin? I can simply click the little "x" and it disappears to be replaced by something else - quinoa in this case. Yum, I forgot about how much I love quinoa! There were also suggested activities from dance moves to snacking on nuts instead of chips, with each one showing the benefits I receive from indulging in that activity. It's actually sort of fun, and as I make changes to my diet and activities, I can update my assessment to reflect those changes and get new recommendations.

Are you ready to get un-confused, too? Oh, and while doing so, do you have any interest in winning a $25 American Express gift card? I thought so. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday February 13 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner. Check here for a full list of rules.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What did the Nutrition Possible assessment show you were lacking that came as a surprise to you?

Note: if you try the link and it doesn't work well, try clicking on "create your plan" near the top under main menu and the page will load. I had the same issue!

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Want to win a $25 AmEx GC from NutritionPossible.com? Enter @honestandtruly's #giveaway http://bit.ly/w565WR" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am participating in a sponsored campaign hosted by One2One Network. I received incentives and am eligible for prizing. While all opinions stated are my own, I make no claims about NutritionPossible.com as a product or its effectiveness.

Giveaway: Chicago Girls Night Out Benefitting Go Red For Women

Did you know that my mom has a leaky heart valve? Did you know that my grandmother suffered from a coronary microvalve disease, much of which led to her decline in health and, ultimately, her death? It's genetic. Like as not, this is an issue I'll face, too. I'm not alone, as heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. That comes as a surprise, doesn't it?

I remember the first year I heard this, and mentally I started reeling off diseases that I thought were more prominent, that I heard about more. Well, I may be hearing about them more, but heart disease is what kills us women. February is now National Go Red month that focuses on raising awareness of this oh so frequently silent killer. The American Heart Association is behind the "Go Red for Women" campaign, and there are local events all over the country in support of it.

In Chicago, we have a Girls Night Out at Alhambra Restaurant where all ticket proceeds benefit the "Go Red for Women" campaign. On February 29, you can join Sassy Moms in the City and many others (yours truly included) at an event along with WBBM Newsradio, K-HITS, and B96 from 7-10pm. The $30 ticket price includes red carpet treatment, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, swag bag filled with goodies, mini spa services, a fashion show, and more. Attendees are also encouraged to bring gently used professional shoes and handbags to donate to Dress for Success. Those donations will be accepted from 6-10pm at Alhambra.

I have to say that I attended the event last year, and it was a blast. I can't wait to go this year. And you can join me and Sassy Moms in the City along with WBBM Newsradio, K-HITS and B96 for this fun and charitable event on Wednesday, February 29th. So what do you have to do to win the prize pack? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

When entering, please be sure you can attend the event on Wednesday February 29 at Alhambra! I don't want this tickets to to go waste.

This contest is open until Thursday February 16 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner. Winners must be confirmed by February 17.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: who in your life has been touched by heart disease?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Join @SassyMomChicago at the #GoRed #GNO 2/29 in #chicago. Win tix via #giveaway from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/zmdWBk #spon" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received two complimentary tickets to attend the event courtesy of Sassy Moms in the City. I was not compensated for this campaign. As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.