Wake Up to a Fabulous New Breakfast Cereal

I will admit it.....I am a cereal addict.   I have loved cereal all of my life and at any given moment you will find a multitude of varieties in my pantry.   Every time I go to the grocery store I find myself gravitating to the cereal aisle and browsing the aisle looking for new flavors to try.  It is my favorite snack at night and I even throw dry cereal in a baggie as a snack throughout the day.

 I was so excited to have the opportunity to try several of the new Weight Watchers cereals through the BzzzAgent® campaign.  I was sent the oat clusters with cherries & almonds and the frosted shredded wheat with protein varieties.   

I was instantly drawn to the oat clusters with cherries & almonds.  Typically, most cereals use cranberries or raisins, so, the addition of dried cherries was a nice twist.   The cereal was packed full of crunchy granola clusters and whole dried cherries.  The serving size is 3/4 cup and counts as 3 WW points plus.  It was flavorful and had a nice contrast of textures.

 I used my husband as my guinea pig and asked him to try the cereal.  He was not enthusiastic about trying "Weight Watchers" cereal and told me he was just going to try one bite.   Before I knew it he had eaten the entire bowl.  He said the chewiness of the cherries made him feel like he was eating something substantial and thought the flavor was fantastic.

The second cereal I tried was the frosted shredded wheat with protein.  It has 40 grams of whole grains and 6 grams of protein per serving.   Serving size is 1 cup and counts as 5 WW points plus.  My husband was not as big of a fan of this variety, but, I really liked it.   The shredded wheat is hearty and filling and was perfectly sweetened.  

There are five flavors of the new Weight Watchers cereal and I can't wait to try all of them.  I am particularly excited about the chocolate frosted shredded wheat.    Look for them in your local grocery store and give them a try.  You won't be disappointed.

I received this product free through the BzzAgent® campaign, but, my review and opinions of this product are solely my own.

MEAL MAGIC with Reynolds®

As an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador I have the opportunity from time to time to work with sponsors.  This month I was very excited to be working with Reynolds®.  I admit I am a Reynolds® addict.  I have a pantry full of their products. I use their parchment paper to line cake & cookie pans, their oven bags for turkeys & roasting hens, their wax paper for all my candy making & their slow cooker liners changed my life!  My all time favorite is their Stay-Brite muffin liners.  They stay bright and vibrant and your cupcakes and muffins don't stick!

This month I had the opportunity to work with their aluminum foil.  I have always used their foil to line my baking pans when baking or broiling and to line the bottom of my oven to catch spills.   Years ago we were camping and my husband didn't have a grill brush.   Someone told him to use foil to clean the grill which was new to us, but, worked beautifully!   Heat the grill to high and roll some foil into a ball.  Using an oven mitt grab the foil with tongs and scrape along the grates.  It works just like bristles on a brush!  I wouldn't use this method every time, but, it is perfect in a pinch or on camping trips or picnics.

One product I tried that was new to me was the Reynolds® Non-Stick Heavy Duty Foil. Where have you been all my life?  F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!   No more spraying foil - food just slides right off. I now have one more Reynolds® product to add to my arsenal.  I think I am going to need a bigger shelf.

I tried two recipes from the Reynolds® Meal Magic Collection using foil packets.  I have used foil packets before many times while camping, but, I don't know why I have never tried them at home.  No heating up the kitchen & no mess!  Just toss the foil packets when you are done.  Perfect!

The first recipe I tried was Grilled Salmon Greek Pitas.  The salmon was unbelievably moist and the flavors worked well together.   I did add some ingredients to the yogurt sauce to make a more traditional tzatzki sauce.  I left out the basil and added 2 tsps. lemon juice, 2 tsps. olive oil, a clove of minced garlic, & 1/2  of a finely chopped cucumber with the seeds removed.  It was a light, fresh, easy summer meal and I will definitely make again. 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Salmon-Greek-Pitas/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

The second recipe I tried was the Grilled Masala Chicken with Vegetables.   I have to admit that no one in my family likes the garam masala seasoning, so, I focused more on the cooking method, but, changed the seasoning.  I prepared the recipe exactly as stated, but, instead of the garam masala used a mixture of olive oil, whole grain mustard, salt, pepper, a touch of brown sugar, & some lemon juice. I also pounded out my chicken to 3/4" for even cooking.    I couldn't believe how moist the chicken was.  I was not a huge fan of the vegetables because I prefer mine browned and not steamed, but, my husband thought they were very good.  

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Masala-Chicken-with-Vegetables/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

Reynolds® products are just like having an assistant in my kitchen and makes all prep work and clean up easier.  I love easy without losing any of the flavor.   Check out the Meal Magic recipes.  They are perfect for summer meals!

Here is a link to to both the Reynolds® recipe hubs on Allrecipes and  the Reynolds® website.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Trusted-Brands-Recipes-and-Tips/Reynolds/Main.aspx?prop24=hn_browsedeeper&evt19=1

http://reynoldsmealmagic.com

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I am not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com  Products received from advertiser are only used for experience based reviews.  The reviews, content, & opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of myself.  To learn more about the Allrecipes Allstar program visit, http://allrecipes.com/howto/allrecipes-allstars/detail.aspx.

Journey to Healthier Living

As Spring approaches my husband and I are committed to make changes towards a healthier lifestyle.  We want to make better choices in what we put in our bodies.  Coincidentally, my husband came home from work and announced he was joining a "Biggest Loser" competition at work.  My first thought was "Oh, boy....I am going to have to channel Jillian Michaels and start him on a 24 hour workout regimen."  This is not realistic for those of us who work a full day, live a busy life and don't have the luxury of a personal trainer and nutritionist at our beckon call.  What it does mean is that we need to eat a healthier and balanced diet with exercise. Look out!  It's time to break out the Wii Dance and get my groove on.   A perk of this contest is each participant gives $ 20.00 and the person at the end of the 12 week period that has lost the highest percentage of weight based on their original weight wins the money. The BIG win is our more health conscience lifestyle, but, extra cash is a nice bonus!

Also this month I have had another opportunity to help kick start our journey to healthier living through the Allrecipes Allstar program that I am involved with.   Being an Allstar I get to participate with Allrecipes and various brands to test their products and recipes.  This month's sponsor is Mazola corn oil.  I have to admit I  have never purchased corn oil before, so, this would be a new experience for me.   The Mazola campaign is promoting the importance of a heart healthy lifestyle and has a variety of new recipes to try on Allrecipes and on their website. Mazola states that studies have shown corn oil lowers LDL cholesterol more than extra virgin olive oil by 10.9% as compared to extra virgin olive oil at a 3.5% reduction.  I know this may be contrary to what you have read about EVOO, so, I suggest you educate yourself, do the research, & make the most informed decision for you and your family.  If you would like to learn more about Mazola corn oil  I invite you to go the the link below.

http://www.mazola.com/healthandwellness.aspx

I prepared two of the recipes created by the Mazola team and I am pleased to say my husband and I enjoyed them both very much!

The first recipe I made was the Pork Carnitas with Tomatillo Salsa. We love Mexican food and I was excited about this recipe.  It was different than some pork carnitas I have had in the past because it was cooked in a spicy sauce on the stove top and not fried.  The meat was fall apart tender and really packed a flavor punch!  Fresh tomatillos are used in the salsa and if you haven't had them before they are tart.  If you are not a fan you can substitute a little salsa verde.  I drizzled mine with a sauce made of 50% light sour cream and 50% salsa verde.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pork-Carnitas-with-Cilantro-Tomatillo-Sauce/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

The second recipe I prepared was Sweet and Spicy Salmon with Grapefruit Salsa.  I keep a lot of spices an hand and I had everything in my pantry to prepare the rub.  The spice rub was truly fantastic!  It was exactly as stated...sweet, spicy, & just plain yummy!  I think the rub would be wonderful on pork or chicken also.   My husband cannot eat grapefruit, so, I decided to prepare the salsa two ways.  I prepared one recipe with the grapefruit and another version substituting mandarin oranges.  I also added a little salt, pepper, and lime juice to the mandarin orange version. Although I loved the bright flavor you get from the grapefruit salsa, I did prefer the orange variation.  I think the sweetness of the mandarin oranges worked better with the fish for our palate.   

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-and-Spicy-Salmon-with-Grapefruit-Salsa/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

I highly recommend you check out the Mazola recipe hub on Allrecipes for some fresh, flavorful recipe ideas.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Trusted-Brands-Recipes-and-Tips/Mazola/Main.aspx?prop24=hn_browsedeeper&evt19=1

I think we are off to a good start in my house and I am excited to begin this new healthier way of life.

Now if you will excuse me....I need to close my blinds and start that dancing!

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary postion) and I am not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.  Products received from Mazola are only used for experience based reviews by The Southern Fried Ginger.  The reviews, content, & opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of  The Southern Fried Ginger.