Food & Beverages

Review {Honey Bunches of Oats Greek}

by sarah on 04/14/2013

I’m sure most of you have heard about the health benefits of Greek yogurt.  US News and World Report suggested that Greek yogurt, “which is strained extensively to remove much of the liquid whey, lactose, and sugar [has] an undeniable edge [over regular yogurt]. In roughly the same amount of calories, it can pack up to double the protein, while cutting sugar content by half.”  As a result, many dieticians suggest eating low-fat or nonfat Greek yogurt as a part of a healthy diet.

But, for those of you who have picky eaters in your family (*cough* my husband *cough*), it might not be very easy to persuade them to toss their tasty, sugary yogurt for a healthy-tasting one.  To help your family be more excited about adding Greek yogurt into their diet, Honey Bunches of Oats just released a new product, Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch.

Honey Bunches of Oats Greek!

We had the chance to be among the first to try it, and it was a huge hit at our house!   When I first offered my husband a bowl of it, he politely refused, because he’s not a fan of Greek yogurt.  But, after some gentle persuasion (“EAT it, as a blogger’s husband, it is your duty!”), he took a few bites, and said, “Not bad!” (guy terminology for, “That’s amazing – I could eat a bowl of this every morning.”) Which he did, until the box was gone!  And, the general consensus among everyone who helped us sample it was that Honey Bunches of Oats Greek tasted like a high-end granola, not overly sweet, but satisfyingly delicious.

The new Honey Bunches of Oats Greek is made with Greek yogurt, crispy whole grain flakes and a touch of honey. With 33 grams of whole grains, one bowl provides over two-thirds of your day’s whole grains.  Nutritionists recommend eating three or more servings of whole grain foods per day (about 16g whole grain per serving or at least 48g per day).

Here is the nutritional information of Honey Bunches of Oats Greek:
o 33g of Whole Grain per serving – over 2/3 your day’s whole grain
o Serving Size: 1 Cup
o 230 Calories
o Provides 12 essential vitamins and minerals
o 5g protein per serving

So, grab your box of Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch to kickoff your morning to a nutritious start!  And, be sure to “like” Honey Bunches of Oats on Facebook or follow them on Twitter to learn more about their products.

Disclaimer: I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom It Forward and Honey Bunches of Oats partnered in support of this campaign. Honey Bunches of Oats compensated me for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Premium Chicken McWrap

This giveaway has ended!  Congratulations to our winners, Tina, Janice, and Natalia!

It’s no April Fool’s joke, McDonald’s just introduced a new menu item: the Premium McWrap.  The Premium McWrap combines fresh vegetables (tomato, cucumber slices, spring greens, and shredded lettuce), juicy chicken breast filet, and tasty sauces in a warm tortilla. Served in a convenient, hand-held package, customers can enjoy it while on-the-go…in three satisfying varieties: Sweet Chili Chicken, Chicken and Bacon, and Chicken and Ranch.  As always, the Premium McWrap is reasonably priced, so you don’t have to worry about hurting your budget, when you need a quick snack or when you’ve forgotten your lunch! [click to continue…]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Mochi Ingredients with Domino Light

This giveaway has ended!  Congratulations to our winner, Debbie J!  I sent you an email!

To help you ring in the New Year (and, mostly because I’ve been too sick to post until now! :) ), Domino Light is sponsoring a $25 VISA giveaway to introduce their newest sugar!

Domino Light is an all natural pure cane sugar and stevia blend with half the calories of sugar. That’s over a 350-calorie savings in each cup! By blending pure cane sugar with a naturally sweet extract from the stevia plant, Domino has created a delicious sweetener with no artificial ingredients.  And, because the stevia in Domino Light is very sweet, you only need to use half the quantity of sugar that your recipe calls for, a great money-saver since your bag of sugar stretches much further!

Finished Product!

I was very excited to try out Domino Light in my baking!  Once a year, on January 1st, our family celebrates “oshogatsu,” the traditional Japanese festivities to ring in the New Year.  This year, since we’re planning to share some of our dishes with friends, I tried my hand at Chi Chi Dango (the “Americanized” version of Mochi, a sweet rice dessert).  It’s so yummy, but also not the best for your calorie intake, so I was thrilled to cut the sugar quantity in half with Domino Light.  Here’s my recipe!

:: 1 Box of Mochiko (found at Wegmans)
:: 1 Cup of Domino Light Sugar
:: 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
:: 2 Cups of Water
:: 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
:: 1 Can of Coconut Cream (found at Trader Joe’s)
:: Dash of Red Food Coloring (if you’d like them to be a pretty pink!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. Whisk together the rice flour, sugar, baking powder, water, vanilla, coconut milk and red food coloring, until smooth.  Cover the pan with foil and bake for 1 hour.  Allow to cool completely.  Turn the pan of mochi out onto a clean surface that has been dusted with potato starch. Cut into bite size pieces using a plastic knife.

{Giveaway Details}
Now, to everyone’s favorite part!  Domino Sugar is generously offering one of my readers a $25 VISA gift card.  To enter, just let me know your favorite dessert.   This contest is open to the US and will close at 11:59 PM on January 7, 2013.  I will draw the winner by Random.org, and they will have 48 hours to respond to the email notification that they won.

:: For Extra Entries ::
1)  “Like” Capitally Frugal on Facebook. (Leave your Facebook ID.)
2) Follow Capitally Frugal on Twitter. (Leave your Twitter ID.)
3) Follow Domino Sugar on Twitter. (Leave your Twitter ID.)
4) Tweet this giveaway, please include @capitallyfrugal and @dominosugar in your tweet.  (Leave a link to your tweet, please!)

{Disclosure: Domino Sugar is generously sponsoring this giveaway, and gave me a gift card to try out a recipe of choice.  But, all thoughts and opinions in this post are my own.}

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Just in time for the holidays, Old World Gourmet is introducing  “The Original” Cracker Smack, a slightly spicy, savory coating that will take your everyday saltine crackers to an uptown gourmet experience!  Cracker Smack comes with a spice bag and a large plastic mixing bag.  All you have to do is add 1 1/2 cups of canola oil and 4 packs of your saltines (or your favorite crackers!), then toss it and leave it overnight.  Once the crackers are done marinating, it’s suggested that you store them in an airtight container to keep them from getting stale.

Cracker Smack in the Making!

We had the opportunity to try out the Cracker Smack, and thought it was a great appetizer!  My family isn’t a huge fan of saltines, so I substituted Keebler Club crackers.  The result was quite yummy, and it wasn’t as time consuming as I thought it might be!  We paired our crackers with a dip, and everyone thought I slaved in the kitchen to create such a mouth-watering dish.  :)

Cracker Smack is a great hors d’oeuvres to serve your friends, and with holiday parties in full swing, you’ll appreciate having an easy appetizer to make.  Just head to the Old World Gourmet website to purchase Cracker Smack for $5.00!

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Unreal Candy Party

by sarah on 11/04/2012

The Unreal Candy!

What happens when a teenager sets out to recreate his favorite candies, just with less sugar, so he’s allowed to eat them?  The Unreal Candy line!  The Unreal mission is to make junk food differently “with better ingredients, without the junk, with great taste, and at the same price.”

Despite many naysayers, Nicky (the aforementioned teenager) and his family finally found a team of top European scientists and chefs, willing to help them unjunk “junk food.”  Together, they took our favorite M&M’s, Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, and Milky Way, and reduced their sugar content by 40% per serving.  Plus, they eliminated artificial coloring and flavors, hydrogenated oils, artificial preservatives, corn syrup, and GMO’s.  And, in their place, they used real cane sugar, up to twice as much cacao, real milk (without artificial hormones), and more protein and fiber.

Unreal Chocolate Candy Shell Peanuts

At first, I was a little wary about how the candy would taste – after all, I’m sure most of you have tried those “healthy” candy bars that are similar to chewing on a handful of vitamins!  But, surprisingly, the Unreal Candy is amazingly similar to their famous counterparts!

Goody Bags!

Last weekend, Unreal Candy sent me their entire line of chocolate candy to sample and share with fellow moms.  Despite the blustery weather that Hurricane Sandy sent our way, we had over 15+ ladies give their opinions on Unreal!  Here are a few of the comments we heard:

“This chocolate tastes really delicious!”

“I love the fall colors of these candies.”

“I like that it’s made from real ingredients and is safe for my kids to eat.”

“I dislike that the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have such crumbly peanut butter, and Unreal did an amazing job of developing a peanut butter cup that is smooth and decadent.”

“Unreal made sophisticated peanut butter cups. Very good!”

“The Unreal Chocolate Shell Peanuts taste as good as my favorite peanut M&Ms.  And, other than the fact that they are not brightly colored, you really can’t tell a difference.”

“I love their color palette. Sophisticated. Smart move to be very visually different.”

“I like the fact that the Unreal Chocolate Caramel Nougat is not so sweet. I love Snickers but think it’s too sweet. I think I would actually prefer this one to the original.”

The Unreal candies were a huge hit; and, all the moms thought they were a great substitute for the sugary candies that overwhelm us, especially during the holiday season.  And, now, they are in stores across the nation – you can visit their website to find a distributor near you.  Some of the stores in the DC area that carry them are Target, BJ’s, Michaels, CVS, and Staples!

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Our Maggiano's Spread

This giveaway has ended!  Congratulations to our winner, Carolyn!

Maggiano’s, renown for its authentic Italian dishes, has been at the top of my “must-try” restaurant list for many years.  Our friends have raved about Maggiano’s mouth-watering flavors that transport you back to the European countryside; but, with a rambunctious four-year old, it’s difficult to make the 45 minute trek from our house to the Maggiano’s in Tyson’s Corner and dine with a bored child. Click here to read more

{ Comments on this entry are closed }