cbias Archives - Look What Mom Found

Snack and Meal Ideas with Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spreads

April 4, 2014 by Melissa

It’s the end of the school day and I’m anxiously waiting for the kids to barrel through the front door. They come in and it’s like a tornado. Shoes are kicked off, jackets are slung on chairs, backpacks opened and papers are in the swirling in the air. Mom, Mom, Mom, MOM. Guess what happened at school today? Maxim got in trouble again. I got a perfect score on my test. Can I have a snack?I ripped my jeans on the playground. What’s for dinner? Can we have a snack? Can I watch Frozen again? Can I have a snack? Mom is spread thin these first few moments, time to #spreadtheflavor with Philadelphia soft cream cheese.

Time to take a deep breath, sit them down at the kitchen island and start the wind down process. I get them to each talk about their day, go over papers and start homework. This is usually when we break out a snack. Keeping it easy is usually the way to go. There is always something happening within the next hour such as Lacrosse practice, Youth in Government, Vet appointments or errands. There is nothing simpler than flavored Philly Cream Cheese.

Snacks can vary from cheese sticks to fruit to crackers & peanut butter. I always try to keep it small, light but tasty. Pretzel sticks or wheat crackers dipped into Garden Vegetable Philadelphia Cream Cheese has been a new favorite. It’s enough richness to satisfy their grumbling tummies but still wholesome so I don’t feel the mommy guilt like when I feed them less nourishing options.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spreads aren’t just for snacking and bagels either. I’ve been known to doctor up my staple Chicken, Pasta and Veggie dinner with a big scoop of Chive & Onion or Garden Vegetable flavored philly cream cheese. It transforms the tasty but simple meal into a decadent feast where no one is picking out ingredients they don’t want.

Food and cooking doesn’t have to be rigid or tedious or dull. Take the meals that you already prepare and give them a makeover. I choose Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spreads for this one because it a BIG change with little effort. Adding them to to pan drippings to make a sauce or stir into mashed potatoes for a delicious kick. Variety is key in making sure meals are satisfying and gobbled up.

#SpreadtheFlavor with these creative ideas

Chive Onion stirred into homemade mashed potatoes topped with crispy onions
Strawberry smeared on toasted waffles
Blueberry spread on a warm biscuit
Jalapeno mixed in your taco fillings
Garden Vegetable spread on a flatbread topped with mozzarella and veggies then baked

Is your mind working on how to incorporate this little bins of creamy goodness into your meal plan? Let me know what genius meal idea you come up with. As you can see my Walmart has so many flavors to choose from, I can never pick just one.

#SpreadTheFlavor #CollectiveBias #Shop

Bringing Back Memories with Glade #meltsbestfeelings

February 11, 2014 by Melissa

My grandmother passed away almost 5 years ago but something happens every once in a while where I swear I can feel her standing right next to me. Her apron hangs in my kitchen and if it gets moved or handled it releases the smell of her perfume even after all these years. The memories start flooding back. It makes me want to stay in the kitchen and spend time with the kids and bake and cook and create our own memories.

Sawdust is another scent that brings back tons of memories. Personally I don’t think it’s a pleasant scent but it reminds me of my pop-pop who I love and cherish dearly. I remember sitting at the lumber yard kicking around sawdust with my feet and spinning in an office chair.

Scent might be one of the strongest senses. It has the ability to trigger memories and emotion and often there is no explanation for it. The simplest of acts like walking into a grocery store or past a group of people will set off a series of feelings that weren’t there minutes before.

Glade® wants to help you create a space for the #bestfeelings in your home that is warm, inspiring and inviting with their Wax Melt Warmer and variety of scented refills. My local ShopRite carries a good mixture of scents including the new Limited Edition Spring Collection with fragrances like Live Loud, a fruit and floral blend of peonies and orange blossoms.

Introducing a new scent into your home or work space can be invigorating or relaxing, whatever your mood dictates. Right now I’m sick of seeing the snow fall outside of our window and piling in our driveway so I’m melting Hawaiian Breeze to bring on the daydreams of white sand beaches, fruity umbrella drinks and warm sun.

Glade® offers a scent for just about any situation. With so many blends of fruit, spice and floral and anyone can produce a environment that is calm, soothing or electrifying.

Take advantage of the ShopRite’s everyday low price of $2.99 for Glade® Spring Collection Wax Melts. Plus when you shop for 5 Glade® Products and use your Price Plus card during 2/16-2/22 you’ll receive $3 off your NEXT shopping trip. You too can enjoy the #MeltsBestFeelings like the #CollectiveBias team.

Fridays In Your Freezer #TGIFGameDay

February 3, 2014 by Melissa

Being on the East Coast we have to deal with the late start time of the Big Game. This usually means smaller scaled parties because our group of friends and family either have kids or live a bit of distance away. While that makes get together a touch more intimate it doesn’t mean we skimp on the goodies and appetizers.

This year we kept it easy by incorporating T.G.I. Friday’s frozen products instead of making a whole slew of sides. This let me hang with friends and watch my team win instead of spending all my time in the kitchen tending to dips and salads.

T.G.I. Friday’s offers lots of tasty appetizers to serve many different appetizers. One of my favorites is the Loaded Cheddar & Bacon Potato Skins. The bubbling cheese and extreme bacon toppings really hit the spot especially next to a plate of saucy wings and perfectly smoked pulled pork. We were left with piles of empty dirty plates.

Having a little something for everything is the key to being the perfect host. I try not to overdo it on one dish but instead offering smaller dishes with lots of variety. I made sure to have selections that would appeal to kids and to those that don’t like spicy foods. A good variety is best for my group of friends and family. I was lucky enough to snag a coupon from a T.G.I. Friday’s Demo at my local Walmart. They were out of food to try but were handing out more reasons to buy.

Whether it’s #TGIFGameDay, a birthday or a holiday make things simple on yourself with T.G.I. Friday’s appetizers right from your freezer. Shop Walmart, like I do, for great prices on favorites like Honey BBQ Chicken Wings. You won’t sacrifice on flavor but you’ll gain time with your loved ones.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs #recipe with Tyson Foods #WhatsYourTopping #CBias

June 13, 2013 by Melissa

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Cooking is my job. While Rob is usually on weekend breakfast duty the bulk of the dinners and planning is my responsibility. I like to plan out what is going on for the week so that all ingredients are on hand. This week since the kids are on summer vacation I planned a couple meal solutions besides sandwiches. One of them was Pepperoni Puffs. This muffin shaped fluffy bite is a treat for Shaun and Rob and they can often be found in lunch boxes year round.

Using Tyson Foods Diced Pepperoni has never crossed my mind. In fact I had never heard of it before until I was sent to Walmart to shop for it.

Our Walmart is a one stop shopping center. We go there for everything; groceries, household items, sheets, toys and games and more. Shopping for Tyson Foods Diced Pepperoni I thought was going to be easy but finding it turned into an adventure. I stood in the Meats section looking around with no success. I had to ask an employee. We both located the diced bacon (which I also bought) but it took some digging to find the Pepperoni. Finally! On the top shelf, fallen over in a black box we found them. Not an ideal spot for such a great brand I thought. Luckily I bought 2 because when I went back 2 more times there was none to be found on the shelves.

When making the Pepperoni Puffs I snuck a few bites of diced pepperoni and was surprised at the level of spice. This is how I like my pepperoni. The first bag we used was gone in a day or two. It was used for a pizza topping and for pizza quesadillas. We use a ton of sandwich pepperoni in our house so I see having this on hand regularly for adding spice and flavor to a ton of different recipes.
The puff recipe is something I found somewhere online and doctored to suit our tastes. It can easily be adapted to house sausage, bacon or even chicken.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBLS Italian seasonings
pinch of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1tsp chopped garlic
1 cup shredded pizza blend cheese
2 TBLS parmesan cheese
1 cup Tyson Foods Diced Pepperoni
1 cup of pizza sauce, warmed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24-cup mini muffin or 12 regular size muffin pans with liners.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and seasonings.
Add milk, egg, garlic, cheese and pepperoni and gently blend till combined using wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Scoop into muffin tins.
Bake for 21-24 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
Serve warm or room temperature with pizza sauce for dipping.

https://lookwhatmomfound.com/2013/06/pepperoni-pizza-puffs-recipe-with-tyson-foods-whatsyourtopping-cbias.html

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBLS Italian seasonings
pinch of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup shredded pizza blend cheese
2 TBLS parmesan cheese
1 cup Tyson Foods Diced Pepperoni
1 cup of pizza sauce, warmed

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24-cup mini muffin or 12 regular size muffin pans with liners.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and seasonings.
Add milk, egg, garlic, cheese and pepperoni and gently blend till combined using wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Scoop into muffin tins.
Bake for 21-24 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
Serve warm or room temperature with pizza sauce for dipping.

These are something the kids have eaten for school lunch that doesn’t have to be kept cold or warm, room temperature is just perfect. The mini muffin size makes for a great pop-able treat for after school and for parties. Doubling the recipe is simple so they can be frozen for eating later on. Sandwiches and salads can get boring so this is a tasty alternative

Building Forts With Energizer Work Headlight #lightmyway #cbias

June 3, 2013 by Melissa

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Yesterday while Melinda and I were out running errands we picked something up that we thought would be perfect for Shae. Since she loves to build forts in the house out of blankets we picked up an Energizer Night Headlight that we knew she would love and I knew it would be perfect for her and I to use while playing in her fort.

Every one of my kids had an obsession with building forts out of blankets anywhere they could in the house. They would use the coffee table, couch, ottomans or whatever else they could get their hands on. All three were pretty creative when making a fort but Shae has taken it to a whole new level.

Like I said Sabreena and Shaun would use living room furniture and even turn their bunk bed into a fort but Shae used her head and made the ultimate fort using the kitchen table. I am sure Sabreena and Shaun are thinking to themselves why didn’t they ever use the kitchen table but if you ask me it makes the best fort.

Since she uses the kitchen table she can only keep it up until dinner time but she makes sure she spends hours in her fort once it’s built using night headlights. Shae loves when her and I play games in her fort and now that I bought her a new night headlight I can see her and I spending a lot more time in her forts.

I must admit that I am pretty impressed with the Energizer Pro 6 Headlight that I bought for her as we used it yesterday as soon I got home from Walmart. Below are a few details on the Energixer Pro 6 Headlight that I bought:

Push button switch with 4 Light Modes; Red Night Vision and White Spot, Area & Flood Light
Focusing lenses project 46 Lumens of Light for a 33 meter beam distance
Packed with 3 AAA Energizer® MAX® batteries that provide a 18 hour of runtime
Pivoting headlight adjusts beam up to 90o to point light where needed
Durable case and an adjustable headband

Shae loves her new work headlight and I am sure she will try to use it in bed every night once we tell her it’s bedtime and who could blame her. I was thinking of trying to use it in bed tonight but I am fairly certain Melinda would shoot me down, LOL.

Next time you are out and about be sure to check out the Energizer Headlight if you are in need of hands free light.

Also, be sure to follow Energizer on Twitter and Facebook.

Mohawk #LicensetoSpill Tour Philadelphia #cbias

May 20, 2013 by Melissa

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

This past weekend I was invited to visit the 9th Street Italian Market Festival. The Italian Market in Philadelphia is the nation’s largest outdoor market. On any given day your senses will be assaulted by the rainbow of colorful produce, the scent of baked goods and coffee and the variety of fresh seafood and meats at the butcher shops.

The Italian Market Festival is a gathering of the entire community to celebrate with music, food, shopping and crafts. We were able to be an Italian for a day with food from Chef Peter McAndrews of Paesanos and pastries from Isgro Pasticceria.

This is also a spot for brands to show off some of their newest and best products to the thousands of people walking by. Mohawk Flooring, #LicensetoSpill tour was in attendance to share their newest technology, SmartStrand® carpet flooring. Chip Wade from HGTV’s Elbow Room was on hand to show off the beauty of design of the carpet.

SmartStrand® has permanent stain and soil resistance without the addition of treatments or aftermarket barriers. We watched as children were allowed to spray a carpet remnant with soy sauce and fruit drinks and the stains were removed with water. Plain, room temperature water brought back a tan carpet back to it’s original color.

In our own homes a spray bottle isn’t going to get our entire home clean. A carpet cleaner with warm water and mild soap (like dish soap) is all that’s needed to get out surface dirt, spills and soil.

Not only is it easy to clean and maintain but it’s eco friendly, Dupont Sorona. SmartStrand® is produced using renewable sources, reducing our dependence on energy for production and manufacturing. This makes choosing SmartStrand® flooring a great choice all around.

Mohawk is the world’s largest flooring manufacturer, selling its beautiful flooring products through retail partners. Enter to win your own 6′ x 9′ SmartStrand® Silk bound carpet rug from Mohawk Flooring. We are already Mohawk users for our living room area rug. It’s withstanding the abuse and traffic from a family of 5 and 2 dogs quite well but I’d love to see SmartStrand® in action on the rest of our home.

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