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Shrek Forever After Game and Books

June 18, 2010 By

Did you see Shrek Forever After? I really enjoyed it! It was great to see all the characters come together again for a new adventure. Thanks to MomCentral, I got to play the new Shrek Forever After game for Xbox 360, and also got the Shrek Forever After movie Storybook and a set of Shrek Forever After Mad Libs!

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It’s hard for me to find Xbox 360 games that I enjoy playing, because I’m not at all interested in first person shooter games. I want to solve puzzles, I don’t mind fighting bad guys, but I don’t want splattering blood and all that. Shrek Forever After is a PERFECT family video game because it’s all about solving puzzles in a fun, cooperative way.

In the game, you control four characters – Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and Puss in Boots. One player can switch back and forth between all four, or up to four people can play at once. Each character has their own special abilities and they will often have to work together to solve a puzzle. For example, only Shrek can carry heavy things, and only Puss in Boots can climb up walls. There is fighting, but defeating bad guys means they go *poof* and leave behind health and coins for the characters to collect.

I’ll confess to having to look up a walkthrough for this game a few times; some of the puzzles require really thinking about which characters need to do what in what order, and there are also times where you can’t do something yet because you haven’t unlocked that ability. So you’ll find yourself going back and forth between the different lands completing tasks as you pick up new skills.

Overall, Shrek Forever After is a video game I recommend for families who game together. It’s available for Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, Nintendo DS, and PC.

Continue the fun by also picking up the Shrek Forever After storybook or the Mad Libs, both are available at Barnes & Noble.  And if you can, see the movie in a theater, it’s really great!

disclosure: as mentioned above, I received products through MomCentral to facilitate this review. As always, these are my opinions only.

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New Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Blog Tour and Review

March 16, 2010 By

I signed up through MomCentral to participate in a blog tour for a new line of frozen entrées from Healthy Choice. I first received a box with two frozen meals in it, but FedEx had damaged the original package, scooped everything up and threw it in a new box, then delivered it anyway-yuck. Matt from MomCentral came to my rescue by sending me two coupons to purchase new ones!

Last month, Healthy Choice introduced 11 new entrées to its Café Steamers, All Natural Entrées, and Select Entrées product lines. Nutrient-rich and preservative-free, the new entrées provide even more options for those busy days when you don’t have time to prepare a meal from scratch but still want something that’s delicious AND good for you.

In a time crunch but still want to eat healthy? Try one of the new Healthy Choice Mediterranean Inspired Café Steamers. With varieties like Grilled Vegetables Mediterranean, Balsamic Garlic Chicken and Lemon Garlic Chicken & Shrimp I feel confident knowing Healthy Choice is the only major brand in its category FDA-approved to call its products “healthy.” This means each meal must have low fat, low saturated fat, controlled sodium and 10% of the daily value of three beneficial nutrients. For more information about these new entrées, visit www.HealthyChoice.com.

With my coupons, I bought Balsamic Garlic Chicken and Lemon Garlic Chicken and Shrimp. In a word – YUM. I always wish there was more chicken in frozen meals, but I think the meat is more of a flavoring than the main focus. Here’s the description of the two meals:

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Featuring grilled chicken tenderloins, whole-grain pasta, mushrooms, spinach, and a supporting cast of vegetables, this savory dish is lightly drizzled in balsamic garlic sauce for a Mediterranean-inspired taste that will take your taste buds on a journey.

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Transport your taste buds with a Mediterranean-inspired seaside retreat that features succulent shrimp and chicken tenderloins mixed with whole-grain pasta. This entrée packs in the flavor with spinach, onions, tomatoes, and olive oil in a lemon-garlic sauce.

I’ll definitely buy these again, especially if I see them on sale. Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers should retail for around $3.00 at grocery and discount stores like Kroger, Meijer, and Target. Visit the Healthy Choice website for more information.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Healthy Choice 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.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: , ,

Kellogg’s Apple Jacks and Froot Loops with Fiber

November 20, 2009 By

KidsCereals_185x185When I was a kid, my Mom rarely bought sweetened cereal. Because she was a diabetic, she couldn’t eat it, so she bought plain cereal like Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies. We were allowed to sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar on top, that was it.  Imagine how I felt when I went off to college, and on my first morning there, walked into the cafeteria and saw a table filled with boxes of sweetened cereal!  I spent the next couple of weeks trying different kinds, until I narrowed it down to a few favorites. One of those favorites, that I still love and buy regularly, is Kellogg’s Apple Jacks. LOVE THEM.

As a Mom, I want my kids to have a breakfast that will fill them up and give them energy to get through their morning before they have lunch.  Since they prefer to eat cereal for breakfast, I do try to find cereals with at least 2 or 3 grams of fiber per serving so they will digest it slower and feel full longer. It can be hard though, to find high fiber cereals that also appeal to kids’ tastes.

So, when I got the email from MomCentral about an opportunity to review new Apple Jacks and Kellogg’s Froot Loops with Fiber, I replied back right away! I was so happy when the package arrived, with TWO boxes of the new Apple Jacks with Fiber, a box of original Froot Loops, and  box of the new Froot Loops with Fiber. My kids were also very excited about helping me with this review :)

Both cereals now have 3 grams of fiber per serving, which moves them up from “treat” cereal to “okay to buy” in my book!  The best part is, the taste has not changed one bit!  Being very familiar with the taste of original Apple Jacks, I found no difference at all in either the taste or texture of Apple Jacks with Fiber.  I’m less familiar with the taste of Froot Loops, but I poured bowls of both and tasted each, and again, couldn’t taste any difference.  Way to go, Kellogg’s!

For more information on what fiber is, how it benefits the body, and how many grams a day to eat, check out Kellogg’s Nutrition. Look for Froot Loops and Apple Jacks with Fiber in stores now!

disclosure: This post is part of a blog tour for MomCentral and Kellogg’s. I received four boxes of cereal from Kellogg’s, and I will receive a gift certificate from MomCentral to thank me for taking the time to review the products.  All opinions are my own, no other compensation was received.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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