Life is hard....dinner shouldn't be! (Review)

I am constantly struggling with time.  Time to get my work done.  Time to spend with Bean.  Time to do things that I like to do.  Heck, some weeks, I struggle to find time to take a shower!  Because of that, and a little bit of being intimidated by cooking, I am a huge fan of convenience foods.  I often teach classes in the evening or even late into the night and having something quick to fix when I get home is a great benefit.  So, I was excited when I was asked by SocialMoms to test out a new Smart Ones product from Weight Watchers and blog a review! 

I've eaten Smart Ones boxed meals off and on for a while, so I was surprised when I saw the packaging.  The new Smart Ones Satisfying Selections come in a steam-in bag.  Its a pretty large size (see the 30% larger serving note on the packaging) and although the varieties are currently a little limited (there are five varieties available), all of them sounded delicious to me.  I received coupons for two free bags and I chose the Ziti with Meatballs & Cheese and the Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry.  I was excited to try the Ziti as the picture looked cheesy and had numerous meatballs.  The ease with which I was able to heat it up in the microwave was GREAT!  There was no stopping in the middle, lifting the plastic cover, stirring the product and placing it back in the microwave, only to find that I didn't stir enough so the middle was cold and the outsides were burnt on to the edges.  Instead, you just place the bag in the microwave with the steam side up and start it, not having to stop until its finished.  No stirring.  No dealing with unevenly cooked food.  Just place the bag in the oven and let it steam!  It was, by far, the easiest cooking of a frozen meal I've done.  And I've cooked my share of frozen meals!

Now, I don't know about you, but often the pictures on the packaging for frozen foods are about as close to reality as the shows I watch with Bean on the Sprout network!  They look so appealing when you pull it out of the freezer, but once the box is removed, all appeal is lost.  That was not the case with the Smart Ones Satisfying Selections.  The ziti came out looking like fresh pasta, there were tons of meatballs and the cheese was plentiful as well!  And the taste was very good as well.  I have to admit that I was starving when I made it, which I suppose could influence my opinion of the meal.  But, the meatballs were tastily seasoned, the noodles were soft and fresh and the cheese was plentiful.  It wasn't the best ziti I've ever had, but it is definitely the best tasting frozen food pasta entree I've had.  And again, I've had my share of frozen meals!

I had the Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry the next day for lunch.  It was also tasty, although not quite as good as the ziti.  The flavor was not quite as good, but the chicken was plentiful (increased protein portion is one of the perks of these selections), the noodles seemed fresh and evenly cooked and there were quite a few veggies in the mix.  I just found the sauce to be a little lacking in taste.  

I have lost about 14 pounds since the beginning of Summer (thanks Hungry Girl) and I was also excited to have new options in the frozen dinner area.  It seems lately that the boxed varieties have shrinking entrees and just are often not that satisfying.  But, these meals are definitely larger (30% larger) and more filling than the boxed varieties I've had lately.  I had a slice of bread with the ziti for a late dinner and it was enough for me to not feel hungry.  The teriyaki at lunch was a pretty perfect lunch portion as well.  For those of you on Weight Watchers, the teriyaki chicken is a 9 point meal and the ziti is a 10 point meal.  Not bad for pasta dishes!  Especially the ziti, which I thought was quite cheesy.  

I would definitely suggest that anyone looking for a good frozen meal that won't kill you in calories to check out the Smart Ones Satisfying Selections! 

This post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been

selected. I’ve been compensated for my time with 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards

Points. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the

opinions of SocialMoms or Heinz.

Things I Love About Chico #1 - Fantastic Foodiness

Today's post is a bit of a departure from my posts as of late.  I am going to try to increase the number of posts on the blog as well as the diversity of posts - so, if you only read to follow Bean's story, you can skip this one as she is but a bit player in today's post (there are some pics though - she loves to have her picture taken, so its inevitable).  But, I will continue to cover her health care story...I will just be writing other things in between.  I'm going to attempt a blog schedule and my Sundays (when I post on Sunday) will be Things I Love About Chico posts.  Simply because I love Chico and its a good way of introducing my readers to some of the things we get to experience up here in the Northern Northern California area! 

I am getting ready to head out to my third Taste of Chico.  For those unfamiliar with this type of event, let me explain.  The city's (and surrounding area's) restaurants, caterers, stores and other businesses set up a booth on downtown streets and provide small "tastings" to ticket holders.  You buy pre-paid punch cards for so many food and drink tastings and the vendors punch them as they provide your tastes.  In addition to the food, there is a beer/wine garden for adult beverage tasting, bands playing all day in multiple places and a lot of coupon/discount offers from many vendors.  Its a really fun and tasty day and you get to sample some food that you might never otherwise know about.  I discovered one of my favorite Chico foods at Taste of Chico two years ago - Bacio's catering and their BBQ chicken or pork sandwich!  I've now eaten multiple things at Bacio's (which has a counter service as well as catering) and all of them have been fantastic - but without Taste of Chico, I may have never eaten there!  This year will be especially nice because it isn't horribly hot (it has often been in the 100s, but right now it is high 70s and at the peak today it will only be 92), which will make the whole experience much more enjoyable!  I can't wait to make a new discovery this year!

Speaking of new food discoveries, I have been participating in Upgraded Living's "Secret Menu" challenge and so far it has been a blast!  Basically, the challenge is to visit 18 local restaurants in the month of September, order the "Secret Menu" item listed in the magazine (some are not actually secrets, but are just the hidden gems on the menu), take pictures and post them on the magazine's Facebook page.  They are giving away $50 gift certificates to each of the restaurants and a $200 cash prize to one participant.  So far, I think I've been to the most places, but its still relatively early in the month.  But, it has been a lot of fun to try new places and new items at old places.  It is amazing how a relatively small city like Chico has so many great places to eat and so many hidden little places around town.  I think I'm close to being half way done with the 18 places and so far there has really only been one thing that I would not get again - and it is not a reflection of the restaurant, but the fact that their item was a gluten-free pizza, which wasn't bad, but not having a gluten allergy, I would prefer my usual pizza crust, thank you!  But, its nice to know there is a pizza option for those with gluten allergies in town!  I have gone to three new places due to the challenge (Donut Rising, Farm Star Pizza and Left Coast Pizza) and ordered a bunch of new and really good items at places I had been before.

Because of these food adventures, Bean has tried some new foods as well.  She really liked the donuts

 and very much enjoyed the dough on the pizza from Farm Star Pizza.

I have always loved the food choices in Chico, but this is bringing me a whole new appreciation for the variety and quality of food here!  Thanks Chico!  I'm not a foodie, but I love food and Chico is perfect for a food-loving non-foodie like me!

Finally, the last food thing I love about Chico is the Saturday Farmers' Market.  Its a year round farmers market with lots of great produce, some specialty food items and great gift possibilities from local artisans. This past weekend, my friend Theresa and I took some photos to give you a "taste" of this local event.  Enjoy!

Bean's Halloween

Just thought I would share a few of our highlights from Halloween!  We celebrated the whole weekend, with Bean's Grandma and Grandpa from Bakersfield in town.  We had some professional pictures taken at the Picture People on Friday - and they turned out beautiful!  They are located in just about every mall (we got Bean's first professional pictures taken there between hospital stays, but in Bakersfield) and because I am a horrible person about planning ahead, the fact that they seem to be able to fit us in when we walk in the door is great for us.  Our photographer this time was great with the Bean, who can be a handful when she is the center of attention!  I have mixed in the pictures from the session throughout the blog post.  If anyone wants to order any pictures (friends and/or family who may be reading) and I haven't sent you the online ordering form, just shoot me an email and I can do that - these are copyrighted, so if you try to enlarge they get distorted, but I thought they were cute, even if small.

It was like Bean was in a parade as we made our way through the mall to the picture place!  She was, of course, quite noticeable in her cow costume, so people were commenting and saying how cute she was, and she was waving at them and blowing kisses to them and had to stop and smile and babble to people along the way.  It was actually quite ridiculous and slightly embarrassing.  She is one of the biggest hams I've ever seen!  And definitely not shy in any way!

 

On Saturday, we didn't do much Halloween related, but my MIL and I went downtown for the farmer's market, but ended up skipping it because of the rain.  We went shopping instead, checking out my favorite stores in downtown Chico - Made In Chico, Powell's Sweet Shoppe, Bird in Hand, and The Silver Sandbox!  We didn't buy much, but we got some great ideas for Christmas and I did get Bean a cute bib that says "I want my Mummy!" and a ceramic wall hanging that says "Witchy Woman" for myself!  I love Halloween!

 We then went to lunch at the Sierra Nevada Brewery - another of my local faves.  I didn't drink any of their world famous beer this time - just had a fantastic pork tostada that was sooooo good!  Bean wasn't liking sitting around so much after her busy morning, so we didn't stay long, but if you're ever passing through or visiting Chico, be sure to set aside a meal to visit the brewery.  They offer tours as well during certain hours!

 On Halloween, we went to the annual Treat Street celebration downtown.  We ate for the first time at the new Burgers & Brew and had a pretty tasty meal in a relaxed, but nice atmosphere!  After we ate, we took Bean around to the local merchants that were handing out candy and we all loved seeing all the fun Halloween costumes the little ones were wearing!  Once again, Bean had the time of her life waving at people and seeing all the other little kids.  It was great fun, if a little exhausting!

 We stayed home for the evening hours, and Bean helped me answer the door and hand out treats.  She was so excited every time the doorbell rang or a knock was heard on the door!  She would run with me to grab the bowl of candy and take a close look at all the Trick or Treaters, then say "bye" and blow kisses to them as they were leaving.  It made Halloween all the more fun for me!

 We ended the weekend on Monday morning with breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa at Country Waffle.  We were sad to see them go, but will be spending some time with them during the Thanksgiving break, which is coming up really fast (how has it already been a week since Halloween weekend began?)!  Thanksgiving won't be quite as much fun as Halloween, but maybe it will encourage Bean to eat a little more.  Her nutritionist visited again this week and she had gained 4 oz. in the last 3 weeks, which isn't bad, but isn't great (esp. since part of that 4 oz. was a wet diaper).  But, as you can tell from my report of Halloween weekend, the rest of us more than make up for her poor eating habits!  :)

 She is progressing quite well developmentally!  This morning at her therapy session she was matching toys with related pictures, which is pretty advanced according to her therapist. She is quite the smarty-pants most of the time, but I worry about her becoming something else that begins with Smart...hopefully she keeps her pleasant disposition!

Not Vegetarian, But Maybe Meatless Monday?

I was reading Gwyneth Paltrow's blog Goop, which I love, even though its a little more high brow than my life.  Its nice to dream though!  Anyways, in early February, she had a post about a new campaign kicking off called "Meat Free Mondays".  Yes, I said early February.  I'm so far behind in emails, google reader reading, etc. that I am still back in early February.  But, hopefully I will soon be able to bring my online life to within two weeks of my real-time life.  We shall see.  Back to Meat Free Mondays though.  I have considered going vegetarian numerous times.  I have even tried to actually do it a couple of times.  But, in the end, I always come back to meat.  I like meat.  I like chicken, I like steak, I even like pork sometimes.  But, I realize there are environmental reasons, health reasons and even some ethical reasons for not eating meat.  Its just so difficult to give it up completely!  But, this "Meatless Mondays" concept sounds doable.  Very doable.

Meat Free Mondays was started in the UK and it has now moved in to the US.  In all honesty, there are a lot of days when we don't have meat in our meals, but we would probably do ourselves good to give up meat at a meal where we would otherwise have it.  The campaign is based in environmental reasons, but with Bean's heart, I am also aware of the health issues related to eating meat, especially red meat.  Bean is not eating much meat at this point in life, but it is a good reminder to us to cut back on the red meat.

So, here's to Meat Free Mondays - or whatever day you choose it to be during the week.  Its great for the environment and great for your health!

Good-bye 2009...Hello 2010!

I am closing out 2009 at home tonight, thinking about all the ways my life has changed over the last year and enjoying good food, family and some funny stuff on TV.  We're watching Robin Williams' "Weapons of Self Destruction", which is hilarious.  Some much-needed laughs.

The good food was the product of some DELICIOUS Food Network and Pioneer Woman Cooks recipes.  I made two things that I saw on Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade this past week.  Our friend made a recipe she got out of the Food Network magazine from this month.  I love Sandra Lee because I'm a lazy cook. I don't like doing anything difficult and Sandra Lee truly takes the complications out of cooking.  So, I made two things:  Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts, which were A-mazing and Basil Mashed Potatoes which were so easy and really, really tasty.  Our friend made Olive Cheese Bread which was really deli - icious as well.  My hubby barbecued a Kindle's  ball tip roast that we got at Costco, which was one of the best tri-tips I've ever had.  So, overall, it was a really tasty New Year's Eve and its convinced me that I really need to start trying out more recipes and cooking at home in the new year!

We have been talking about possible New Year's resolutions and different strategies for making them more realistic.  I was thinking that I should have a resolution for each month - or a commitment for each month.  So, you only have to do the thing for 30 days total, but since 28 days are needed for a habit, many of those things may stick in the end.  So, now I am trying to figure out the 12 things I would like to do in the New Year.  I definitely want to make one of the months to walk or take the dog to park everyday that month.  I don't want to make it January because the weather is often bad.  So, I should make that sometime in April or May.  So, I need one for January, to start tomorrow off right.  I was thinking about a whole month of cooking at home, but I'm traveling quite a bit this month - actually all the way through March.  So, maybe that would be good for April and the dog walking in May.  So, still need one for January...I think I should do something time management related.  It gets me off to a good start...

I think that following the daily schedule I wrote up for Bean and myself would be a great start.  It includes doing daily and weekly tasks and not spending all day on the computer.  Both things I can use help with.  So, I think I will make that my January resolution - following the daily schedule.  It will be especially difficult when we're traveling, but I would like to integrate a more regular schedule even while we are traveling.  Bean needs some consistency in my life and I could use some myself.  So, that's figured out.  Now I need February, March, and June on...but, I have time for that.

Well, I wish any of you out there reading a very Happy New Year and I'm looking forward to bloggin' up a storm in 2010.

Great Food From a Box and a New Online Store...

This has already been a week of firsts and its only Tuesday!

I told you last post that I received a couple of free boxes of Dinner Kits and I cooked one on Sunday!  The Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken Restaurant Favorite Kit was our first choice.  It was a pretty easy mix to use.  I had defrosted four chicken breasts (and that turned out to be way too many - two would be plenty) and I had to slice them into one inch chunks.  This was the most time consuming part of the process.  I then rolled the chicken in the dry sauce mix from the box.  While doing this, I cooked the rice that came in the box.  Once the chicken was rolled thoroughly, I put oil in a frying pan and fried the chicken up in the pan with hot peppers until it was brown on all sides. I then added the liquid sauce from the packet in the box, which smelled DIVINE.  The whole  process was pretty easy and the food tasted magnificent.  My husband said it was "restaurant quality" - which is funny because he had no idea it is called "Restaurant Favorite", but it definitely reminded both of us of our favorite dish from PF Changs.  I would say two things in criticism of the kits:  First, it says it serves five, but I don't think its really enough for more than three people, and those have to be pretty light eaters!  Second, it definitely needs some vegetable action with it.  I would add one of those steam packs of Chinese vegetables in the future!  But, overall, this stuff is great!  Again - if you are interested in a $1.25 off coupon, just leave a comment and I will get back to you with it!

Second new thing this week is Alice.com.  I got an email about this service and went over to check it out and ended up immediately ordering some formula off of it.  Basically, Alice.com is an online shopping service that allows you to keep track of your home essentials - food, cleaning supplies, paper products, etc. while eliminating trips to the store, cutting coupons, etc.  I have not had the time to explore all the options, but the price on the formula was better than both diapers.com and amazon.com, so I ordered six cans of it and got free shipping to boot.  I'm excited to figure out the coupon option - it looks like they will find and apply any coupon available on the internet, eliminating the need for me to go trolling around the internet looking for coupons, figuring out when and where to print them, etc.  That in itself is quite exciting!  I figure in the next few weeks, I will test it out with smaller purchases like the formula and see how it goes.  I will let you know.

The third and final new thing this week is my first "daily schedule" for me and Mackenzie!  I modeled mine after Heather's over at Want What You Have.  Although I am not officially a "stay-at-home" mom, I used her Daily Schedule for Stay-At-Home Moms because I only work a few days a week and I don't usually work typical hours, so it seemed pretty applicable.  Yesterday was the first day and although I couldn't stick to it because of a work meeting in the morning and a final last night, it was super helpful just to have some goals and timelines in front of me for both myself and Bean!  I got up an hour late this morning because Bean didn't sleep well last night, so I'm running an hour behind schedule now, but it still is working to keep me on task.  For example, although I'm an hour behind, I can see its time for me to get off the computer and go take care of some home cleaning tasks!