"Goodness" Party Galore!!!

It's no secret that I'm a HUGE Fresh and Easy fan and if you've read my previous posts about their summer items or EatWell meals you'll know why. They recently came out with their new "Goodness" line which is basically nutritious and delicious food that are good for kids and also good for your budget.


They have lots of options such as breakfast cereals, juice, pre-packaged snacks(kettle corn and multi-grain chips), fruit packs and even mac and cheese. The best part about these products is they use wholesome, natural foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables and other foods that are naturally good sources of vitamins and minerals. They also limit the amount of sugar, sodium, and fat in their Goodness products and require them to follow these strict guidelines:

• No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
• No added trans fat
• No high fructose corn syrup
• No artificial sweeteners
• No added caffeine

So when Fresh and Easy invited me to share their "Goodness" line with some fellow moms and their kids and I thought it was such a fantastic idea I asked if I could have TWO parties!!!


The first was a birthday party that was being thrown by a friend who was NINE months pregnant! It was my friend Kerri's daughter's 3rd birthday and I figured preparing food was the last thing she wanted to do while getting ready to pop out a baby in less than a week. I know mothers out there can probably relate because I wanted to do as little as possible at that stage of my pregnancy. Angelina from Fresh and Easy (party-planner extraordinnaire) even decorated and set up all the food to lessen her load.


Kerri at 9 months pregnant!

Angelina and her daughters with Kerri and myself.

It's party time!

Cinderella taking a multi-grain chip break.

Ms. Lucy sporting her Fresh and Easy tattoos during cake time.
The kids at Lucy's party LOVED the Cocoa Boulder cereal, kettle corn snack packs along with the strawberry banana juice! I was amazed to find out that most of the moms had never been to Fresh and Easy because they thought it "looked too expensive". When I told them it was quite the contrary and after tasting all the delicious treats they were excited to find out for themselves.



Sinead and Lisa ready to grab some "Goodness" goodies with their F & E totes!
The second was a Halloween party for my mommy and me playgroup. Half of the moms wanted to sample the products because a new Fresh and Easy store recently opened up in Burbank (which is a city nearby) while the other half raved about how much they already loved Fresh and Easy and couldn't wait to try out their new kid-friendly "Goodness" line. Angelina, my lifesaver, once again came to set up and filled everyone in on the new products.


So many goodies to choose from.

Angelina helping my daughter with the F&E stickers, giving the low-down on the Goodness products and posing with me in my Where's Waldo? costume.
The Halloween party favorites were kettle corn, Cocoa Boulders cereal and apple slices. All the moms received their very own reuseable tote bag along with samples of the multi-grain chips, raisin packs and even some Fresh and Easy coupons.



Our teacher Ms. Loretta with her F&E tote.
Thank you Fresh and Easy for allowing me to share your "Goodness" products with all my mom friends and their kids! Oh, in case any of you are wondering my friend Kerri gave birth to a happy healthy baby girl six days after the party.


Disclaimer: I received products and materials used towards the parties and also a stipend. The views expressed in this post are my personal and honest opinion.

TWO Winners Will Receive TWO $7 Wendy's Giftcards!!!

I am giving away TWO $7 Wendy's giftcards to TWO winners in honor of their new "Pick 2" menu!

Mandatory Entry: What pick 2 combo would you choose?

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 by following my blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
2) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter at bernadette923
3) Earn one additional entry for tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).

Please follow all the rules or your entry will not count.

This contest is open until Sunday November 7 at midnight. 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.

Good luck!

Bern-Baby-Bern

Wendy's New "Pick 2" Menu!!!

Today some friends and I tried Wendy's new "Pick 2" menu and it was DEE-licous! I've always been a fan of their chili and now I can have that AND one of the seven other "Pick 2" menu items for the low price of $4.99. I know! What a deal!

Wendy's recently launched their new "Pick 2" menu which offers a half-sized version of their four Garden Sensations salads along with their ever so populare chili, Junior Bacon Cheesburger, baked potato, Chicken Go Wraps, a small beverage, Dasani bottled water or a small cool and creamy Frosty. I loved the fact that eighteen of the possible twenty-eight combinations avaiable are less than 600 calories (without dressing), and all of them combine fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy and proteins.


I loved the fact they had the nutritional value information right by the counter!

When it came time to order I decided on the chili and their new Apple Pecan Chicken half-sized salad. The nuts and blue cheese mixed with the Pomegranate Vinaigrette was a great combination of flavor. My friends tried the BLT Cobb Salad and the Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad which both got the thumbs up. We all commented on what a perfect size the salads were and couldn't believe it was a "half" portion.


My daughter enjoying some fries with a gallon of ketchup.

My daughter and best friend as my "Pick 2" samplers.
During lunch I learned that Wendy's is one of the few fast-food chains that makes their burgers fresh to order and made with never frozen North American Beef. Fellow mom blogger Amy also informed us that Wendy's creator Dave Thomas who was an adoptee himself started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption whose ambitious goal is to match every foster child with a permanent home and loving family.


Myself, my daughter, and fellow mom bloggers Marsha and Amy enjoying our Wendy's lunch.
If you love real taste made with fresh ingredients and also appreciate value make sure to stop by your neighborhood Wendy's and "Pick 2" for under $5!!!


Disclaimer: I was paid a $150 stipend by Wendy's and TheMotherhood.com for participating in the trial of Wendy's new "Pick 2" menu. The views and opinions expressed in this post are my personal and honest opinion.

Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland!!!

"Wow! I get to go to Disneyland!" These were my exact words when my mom told me the family was moving from the Philippines to the United States of America. I was only 9 years old then but boy was I excited. So excited that when we finally arrived in the U.S. I thought a miniature golf course (with a castle and windmill) on the side of the highway was Disneyland. I told my mom, “It doesn't look very big." You can imagine how shocked I was when I finally went to the real Disneyland. It was definitely bigger than a miniature golf course.

Since then I've only been back a handful of times but this past weekend I was lucky enough to bring my daughter and husband to share in the Disneyland experience. This trip was even more special because it was Mickey's Halloween Party and also a first for both father and daughter. I loved the fact that most of the people standing in line for the event, my daughter included, were wearing costumes. She dressed up as Snow White even though I knew she would've rather dressed up as her favorite Disney character Minnie Mouse.

Me as Where's Waldo (without the hat) and my daughter as Snow White.
When we first entered the park we took photos with Pluto, Donald Duck and my daughter's favorite Minnie Mouse. They were dressed in Halloween costumes which made the photos extra-special. My daughter's face lit up when she spotted Minnie Mouse in her purple and orange Halloween dress and hat. She smiled from ear to ear as Minnie knelt down to pose next to her. The joy on her face alone was worth the trip.


Michael, Me, Isabella, Pluto, my niece Elizabeth and my sister Gerry.

Donald Duck with daddy and Izzy.

The happiest girl in the happiest place on earth.
Our next stop was The Pirates of the Caribbean. We rode with two toddlers and in hindsight I think they could've waited a few more years before this ride. The talking skeletons and firing canons were probably a little more than they could handle at that age. I hadn't seen it in about 15 years so I noticed a lot of improvements especially the addition of Jack Sparrow.


Giant pumpkin on Main St.

After that traumatic experience, we decided to leave the kids with my friend's nanny so the grown-ups could go through the Haunted Mansion. (I guess we learned from the "Pirates" experience). The inside was decked out with spooky decorations from the classic movie, "The Nightmare Before Christmas".







We worked up an appetite from all the walking and riding so we decided to stop by the Hungry Bear for some burgers and fries. But we took a slight detour to trick-or-treat at numerous stands that had candy and healthy treats available for all the guests. The candy they were giving away were what you would call the "good" candy. I mean Kit Kat, Snickers, M & M's and even apple slices and baby carrots for the health conscious trick or treaters.

We then took a relaxing train ride around the park and got a chance to see all the Halloween decorations in Tomorrowland, Main St. and New Orleans. The ride brought back so many memories for me. I felt just as excited as I did when I was nine years-old.


Me, Isabella, Aubrey and Amy.

Our view of Toon Town on the train ride.
Before you knew it, it was time for the fireworks spectacular "Halloween Screams-A Villainous Surprise in the Skies". I have seen lots of fireworks in my day and I have to say this one was the best.



Watching the fireworks with fellow mom blogger Jessica
After more trick-or-treating (because a pound of candy simply isn't enough) we headed toward Tomorrowland. My daughter fell asleep in my arms while daddy rode Captain EO and Space Mountain. His face in this souvenir photo says it all.


Once her power nap was over my daughter insisted on ending the night with a game of skiball at the arcade. We danced our way out to some party music that played in Tomorrowland while picking up more candy on our way out.


If you haven't been to Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland be sure to check it out before October 31st. You'll leave with memories that will last a lifetime!



The traditional family photo in front of the grass Mickey in the main entrance.

Thank you to Disneyland for making our first family trip to "the happiest place on earth" such a memorable one! It definitely will not be our last.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post. I was given tickets to attend the event and the views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.

Cat Cora and the Muppets Cook Up Some Yummy Treats Along With Some Laughs!

My two year old and I have started taking turns on the computer. She'll watch youtube videos of her favorite shows and when she's done I'll check email or look for recipe ideas. Now with The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora we've finally found something we can both enjoy at the same time.



Last week, we attended a live demonstration of this entertaining and educational new web series starring my food network idol, Cat Cora, along with Chef Angelo and Pepe the King Prawn. Cat prepared a delicious popcorn trail mix that was both healthy and tasty. Chef Angelo and Pepe the King Prawn were witty and charming and kept the whole audience laughing throughout the cooking segment. Pepe even gave every audience member a red rose in the vein of the Oprah giveaways. Cat gave us great tips such as involving our children in the preparation process so they can be more interested in the food they are eating.


Cat and the muppets in action.

My rose from Pepe the Prawn.
After the cooking show we got to sample some Mediterranean pinwheel hummus wraps, mini red velvet cupcakes and the delicious Trail Mix popcorn Cat prepared.



Cupcakes galore and colorful hummus pinwheel wraps. DEE-lish!
She was also kind enough to sign a copy of her cookbook Cat's Classics With A Twist and pose for photographs. I tried not to act too star struck since she is the only female Iron Chef and a food network star. Did I mention I was a HUGE fan of hers?!


The stunning Cat Cora, my little Isabella and me.
We watched episodes of the web series while waiting for our turn to meet her. One of my favorites was "The Really Cheesy" episode which showed how to make a simple and quick cheese sauce. One of the great things about the segment was it was only around three minutes long. Another feature of this site was the Hasty Tasty Cooking Tips which provides all the recipes that Cat prepared.

I think the most memorable part of this whole experience was the look on my daughter's face while she watched the muppets. She sat in complete silence with her eyes wide open the whole time. She proudly wore a Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora apron while eating more than her fair share of cupcakes.



Pretty sure that's cupcake #3...or 4.
One thing's for sure The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora is already a favorite in my house. Thank you to Disney for allowing us to share in such a memorable experience.


Disclosure: I was not paid for this post. I was invited to the event and the views and opinions expressed are my personal and honest opinion.