Monday, December 31, 2012

NEW Healthy Choice Baked Entrées


As a member of the Healthy Crowd on Crowdtap, I was recently selected to redeem a $1 off coupon for myself and 5 friends for Healthy Choices' new line of Baked Entrées. "Fresh-baked taste from the microwave." I posted a link on Facebook and emailed the link to a few of my friends and family members. They were excited to try the new Baked Entrées as well! One of my friends said she especially liked the Four Cheese Ziti Marinara and would be purchasing more in the future!



I found the Healthy Choice Baked Entrées in the freezer isle of my local grocery store and  used the coupon to purchase the Italian Sausage Pasta Bake. I also picked up the Roasted Chicken and Potatoes, because it looked really good and they were on sale, to save back for a dinner or lunch!







The Italian Sausage Pasta Bake is only 270 Calories, 6g of Fat, is super easy and quick to prepare, and tastes delicious! The rich garlic marinara is tangy and sweet drizzled over the whole-grain rotini pasta, paired with the spicy Italian sausage which adds a little kick, topped off with some yummy mozzarella cheese is a tasty combination! I was very impressed, was pleasantly full and thoroughly enjoyed it. It smelled great cooking in my microwave and was ready in less than 4 minutes! And it gets 4.6 out of 5 stars from reviews on Healthy Choice's website! (And it's a Value 7 in Weight Watchers PointsPlus.)






Looking forward to trying more of the entrees soon!  If they had had the Chicken & Rice Cheddar Bake at my store I would have bought that as well. I love anything with cheese, chicken & broccoli!

The Healthy Choice Baked Entrées are a great option for a quick, healthy, tasty and affordable meal!






Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Keep Cozy this Season in Old Navy Sweaters!





I was super excited when I found out I’d been chosen to participate in Old Navy’s SWEATER event! As a member of the Old Navy Style Council I was given a coupon for a free sweater of my choice and a coupon to give to a friend for a free sweater!! Before going to the store I made sure to check out the sweater selection on oldnavy.com and knew I would have a hard time narrowing down my choices to just one!!


Here are some of the questions that Old Navy wanted to know about my sampling experience along with my responses:

Tell us the details! Did you have a fabulous sweater sampling experience? Did you have fun browsing through Old Navy’s Sweater collection? What did you think of the selection?

 

I had a wonderful sweater sampling experience! The staff at Old Navy were so friendly and very helpful at my local Palouse Mall Old Navy store! I brought my two boys because I went in the middle of the day. They had fun looking at the mannequins all dressed up. And there was a kid’s bench in the children’s section (photos farther down on page) that made noises. That thought that, along with the huge ball dispenser machine, was awesome! I’m so glad that the store is kid friendly! It makes shopping there with children so much easier!

 

I had so much fun browsing through all the different sweaters. I thought the selection of sweaters this season was great! A huge variety of styles, colors, patterns, weights, and materials. I think I literally could have bought every sweater I tried on. I was immediately drawn to the navy blue and white polka dot and the grey sheep sweaters.










Which Old Navy sweater print are you excited to wear? Do you like the bold solids, mixed patterns, animal prints or color-blocking styles?


I am not afraid to wear a print, in fact, I really enjoy wearing them. I don’t like to wear boring colors or clothing so I am typically drawn to the more happy, colorful prints and patterns like blues, pinks, purples, greens. But this time I really liked the simplicity of the grey sweater with the adorable three stacked white sheep sweater. Maybe it’s because I am a mom of young children and we are constantly reading books about farm animals or playing with their Little People Farm, but I was really drawn to it. And the fit was GREAT!

My Little Helpers ~ Levi & Wyatt

My son liked the sheep sweater too!


I also LOVED the bold print of the navy blue sweater with big bright white polka dots. I thought it looked really classy and looked even cuter on. I had such a hard decision to make between these two favorite sweaters that I actually got the navy sweater with my free coupon and purchased the sheep sweater with a gift card I’d received from my husband for my Birthday earlier last month. So it was a win-win!


From belted open-front cardis and rib-knit Henley tops to pullover sweaters and classic button-front cardigans, Old Navy has sweaters in every style! What features do you look for in the perfect sweater?

 

The features I look for in the perfect sweater are first of all color/pattern. I want something that catches my eye and that I love. If I don’t like the look of it, I won’t wear it and there is no since in adding it to my wardrobe if it will just hang in my closet. Secondly I feel the texture. If it is rough against my skin, which a lot of wool blend ones are, I walk right past it. And lastly the fit. When in the store, I try everything on before purchasing it. I don’t like sweaters that are too clingy or tight.

 

I love that Old Navy’s sizing is pretty standard. I can pretty much pick up the same size every time and know it will fit. I do order from oldnavy.com every now and then and typically have pretty good luck because of their standard sizing. I appreciate that a lot!!








Check out Old Navy’s sweater collection by clicking the link provided. Do you see any stylish cozy must-haves? Which one would be your go-to sweater on a chilly day?


There were so many great choices and sweaters that caught my eye that I had a hard time narrowing down my top choice to just one but these came out pretty much as a tie on top:

  


These were also close runner ups:


Women'sButton-Front Cardis ~ in black & grey striped
(I actually purchased this one was well because I liked it so much!)







My sister Melissa wasn’t able to meet up to shop with me at the same time but her favorite pick was the Women’s V-Neck Softest Sweater in the Raspberry Punch color. This is what she said about it:

"Great length and is perfect for work or a holiday party... I love this new sweater look in a v-neck!"




AND, Here is my Old Navy Inspired Pinterest page! Check it out!!



Such a great sweater sampling experience!

Thank you so much Crowdtap and Old Navy for our free sweaters!!!!