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Hannah’s Summer Adventures with Quaker® Perfect Portions

1 · May 9, 2013 ·

Quaker® Perfect Portions // This is Hannah.

Hannah has almost finished the 6th grade.

Hannah has come to the age where a little independence is quite fun.

You know that time… you almost have your first year of middle school under your belt. You’re feeling pretty cool. The idea of spending the summer at the pool with your little brother and sister makes your skin crawl.

Hannah is definitely at that point in life.

She has big plans for the summer.

Hannah loves to read, and we lucked out when moving here to Lincoln, we live right down the street from a library.

Hannah plans on taking her red bike and making several trips to the library this summer. Not to mention all kinds of adventures with her friends all over exploring our new neighborhood. We not only have a library, but we have parks, a pool, ice cream shops and all must be explored for sure on her red bike.

With all this peddling around our neighborhood, Hannah is going to have to fuel-up for all that exploring. Luckily she takes after her Dad, the oatmeal lover. Her Dad wishes that oatmeal was the ONLY food group. They are a lot alike those two…

Now remember… Hannah is almost twelve… She likes to make her own decisions. That’s what almost twelve is all about.

Hannah was so excited when I introduced her to Quaker® Perfect Portions.

Remember… She’s almost twelve (she likes to remind me of that quite a bit.) She’s not a “kid” anymore.

My stars, she’s almost a third of the way through middle school… She’s almost ready to vote and get her own apartment, right?

She’s at that age where one packet of oatmeal is not quite enough to get her through until lunch, but two packets is just a little too much. That’s why Quaker® Perfect Portions is PERFECT for Hannah.

She gets to decide how much she wants, and it still has the ease of just adding hot water like the typical instant oatmeal. Quaker® Perfect Portions Oatmeal has no sugar added… That way, Hannah can have total control as to how sweet she wants her oatmeal. Let’s be honest… She likes it a little sweeter than her Dad, who is the health nut. Her Dad also likes HUGE portions of oatmeal…

Now, the two of them can sit down to perfectly portioned, perfectly sweetened bowls of oatmeal each day before they begin their adventures.

Every day is an adventure around here and with Quaker® Perfect Portions I know that Hannah, her Dad and the rest of the family are getting the fuel they need for their epic adventures.

What about you? Share how you make everyday an adventure and see other storieson Everyday Health.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Silk Tastemaker Challenge // Silk Fruit & Protein Like a Bowl Full of Berries

0 · May 1, 2013 ·

Silk Tastemaker Challenge // It's interesting how little everyday experiences can draw you back to big, colorful, vibrant, life changing experiences from the past. I was recently given the opportunity to try Silk's new Fruit & Protein drink and then asked the question, "How would I describe the taste of the new drink?"

The very first thing that popped into my head was a photo I had taken a few years back while I was walking through the streets of Paris taking in all the sights, sounds, smells & flavors of my favorite city. Paris is known for their street markets and all of the markets have these out of this world fruit stands. Fruit like nothing we get here in the United States. Beautiful, scrumptious berries that are a feast not only for your mouth but for your eyes as well…

They would have cart after cart filled with berries of various types and they were just stunning to look at, but even better to eat. The berries had a vibrant, fresh quality that I hadn't ever experienced before. Maybe it was the magic of Paris, but they tasted sweet, bold & alive.

Just imagine, you've loaded your market basket with all of your favorite berries and then stopped off at the dairy cart and grabbed a pint of ice cold cream. When you arrive home you fill a bowl with berries, a dash of sugar and poured some cream over the top. That my friends is pure Heaven if you ask me.

That is exactly what I thought of when I tried the new Silk Fruit & Protein drink for the first time…

My kiddos just adore it, and they are PICKY!! My little Gage is especially picky and won't eat any kind of protein other peanut butter. That's it! He LOVES his Silk Fruit & Protein and I know that he is finally getting some healthy soy protein into is little growing body. Not only that, but he is getting 50% more calcium than milk with his Silk as well. Not to mention without all the added fat. Total WIN!

So what about you? Silk has all kinds of flavors for you and your family to try! They have their new Iced Lattes for you coffee lovers, plus they have vanilla and chocolate too. Have you tried Silk lately?

Below you can visit their facebook page and download a coupon to try a new Silk flavor, then you can visit their Tastemaker Challenge on Facebook and describe the new flavor in your own words. One person will win Silk for a year and have a chance to be a Silk Tastemaker!!

Click on the image below to print your coupon!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Keeping the Little Guy Fueled for Life’s Epic Adventures

0 · Apr 4, 2013 ·

Quaker's Epic Adventure // It's beginning to feel like everyday is an epic adventure these days. With four kiddos and a busy husband life is always full with a plethora of activities. Spring especially seems to get a little crazy after our winter hibernation. If you have school age children you know that your last few months after Spring Break are filled with all kinds of projects, assemblies and concerts. With all of these extra activities on top of our normal day to day routines it can become a little difficult to keep the family fueled and ready to go.

I especially have issues remembering that my little guy needs those little snacks to keep him happy and ready to roll on a moments notice…

Gage just turned three, and he's really good at it. If his tummy is rumbling, he's not a whole lot of fun to be with. The problem is, he's not quite old enough to know that when he's hungry, and he just needs to ask for a snack. It translates into a tantrum. The real issue here is that he is the caboose and has three busy older sisters so, sometimes his tummy needs can be forgotten about.

I've gotten into the habit of keeping some Quaker Chewy Granola Bars in my bag at all times to thwart of those lovely public tantrums that three year olds are famous for… Well, at least my three year olds are famous for.

I know that packed in these new BIG Chewy bars are not only the goodies that Gage adores, like a little chocolate… But, it also has some nutrition that can help him get through those middle school choir concerts, elementary science fairs and high school awards assemblies. That's an epic adventure for sure! Don't you snicker, we've all been there and you know exactly what I'm talking about!

I never know what my days will have in store for me and my family, so keeping Quaker® Big Chewy Granola Bars on hand help make sure we have the fuel necessary to get the day. Now the Quaker® Big Chewy Granola Bars have chocolate drizzled on top and are 60% bigger – perfect for my hungry family!

Share what activities you need fuel for everyday and see other stories on Everyday Health.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Tips and Tricks for a Great Steak Grill-Off

1 · Apr 2, 2013 ·

One of my favorite things that happens when the weather starts to warm up, is the grilling season shouldn't be too far behind. I LOVE grill season. I truly think there is nothing better than a good steak right off the grill.

My husband has become quite the grill master at our house and his steaks are by far some of the best that I've ever tasted. He just has a sense for when the meat is ready to turn and ready to rest. However, when we first married, we had a differing opinion as to how to prepare the lovely meat before we cooked it. I came from a marinade family and he came from a simple salt and pepper family. To be fair, he has a bit of a cattle background. His grandparents helped run a cattle ranch for several years when my husband was younger. So, he had learned this simple lesson, that it's better to season the meat with just a good crust of salt and pepper and let the natural flavor of the meat shine through. Bobby Flay the famed grill master has the same philosophy.

I, on the other hand, loved to marinade the meat in all kinds of lovely flavor enhancing goodies like olive oil, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. It gives the meat a nice rich flavor and has always been my favorite way to dress a good steak. But which way is better? The enhanced marinated steak or the rustic version? We decided to have a grill-off!

We each had a lovely premium ribeye steak from Walmart's meat department and went to town.

Just check out that marbling of fat throughout the meat, that's where flavor town resides. Always look for a steak with a fair amount of marbling, that's the kind of steak that is full of flavor and has a nice texture as well.

We actually used our indoor grill pan and finished the meat in the oven. It's a perfect alternative to an outdoor grill. Here's the secret though…

Preheat a oven safe pan (cast iron if you have it) in a 450 degree oven. Get you grill pan screaming hot on the stove top. Generously season your steak with salt and pepper and cover it with olive oil and place in the hot grill pan. Turn your heat down to medium high and grill on the first side for two to three minutes. Turn and do the same on the second side. Then place the steak in the preheated pan in the oven and finish your steak to it's desired temperature. This is how a good steak house generally cooks your steaks. You get some great grill marks and smoke flavor and then place it in the over for a good all over heat to finish the steak off.

We had the family give each steak a try and I will humble admit, that my husband and Bobby Flay are right. The rustic treatment of the meat with just a simple salt and pepper crust was by far the best!!

The steak was buttery and tender full of flavor that draws you in and compels you to want more. Our Walmart steaks were amazing and trust me, we've tried many different kinds of steak. The only thing I added was a pat of a garlic basil compound butter that just kicked the whole experience up a notch.

What about you? Are you ready to experience Walmart’s Steak-Over for yourself? Find out why you should choose your steaks at Walmart here. We shared our winning grilling tips – now tell us yours!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine.

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