Easy Chili Dinner ~ Review

I was recently given the opportunity to try a few of the products from Olde Westport Spice & Trading Co.  They were all things I had never tried before which I love.  I received their Mesquite Seasoning, a package of Chili, Chicken Enchilada Soup, and Chili Verde  I really loved all four items but my favorite was their chili seasoning which was just delicious.

It was so easy to make and with the Chili Mix you only need a couple other ingredients which is great.  I actually had everything on hand already.  You need 2 lbs of ground meat.  I choose ground beef.  A can of tomato sauce and a can of beans.  I love to use Spicy chili beans.

The recipe comes right on the back of the package and was super easy to make while watching my two boys.  I am a huge fan of one pot meals.  You just brown your meat and drain the grease.  

Then you add the Olde Westport Chili Chili Mix, tomato sauce, and a can of water.  Let that cook for ten minutes.  Next, drain and rinse your beans, add them to the mixture and cook another ten minutes.  I use my timer on my stove because as a mom at home I am easily distracted and it keeps me on track.  

That's it!  You have a delicious satisfying meal.  I only cook dinner when I am not working so it is a special treat for the hubby to come home to a meal waiting and he was thrilled.  We gobbled up our bowls of Chili.  They were so yummy.  I added a sprinkle of shredded cheese to the top as a garnish.

CHAMPIONSHIP CHILI SPICE BLEND - This championship spice has helped chili creators win 12 state and national championships throughout the years and all over the US! But what is most important to us about our Olde Westport Chili Spice Blend is that our customers love to use it in their chili whether it's for a national championship cook-off challenge or simply for their own family in their cozy kitchen on a cold winter's night. We've heard from countless customers that our attention to detail and quality is what makes this chili spice blend stand out above the competitors. We know you might put beans in your chili or maybe you add apples and sausage or perhaps you have a special recipe that is top secret but starts with thick-cut bacon... however you concoct your chili we hope you'll try our chili spice blend

Get 10% off your order!!

Olde Westport Spice Company ~ Discount

Olde Westport Spice & Trading Company is a 33-year-old spice manufacturer that is still going strong. This online company operates a small plant in Goodland, Kansas, and knows a thing or two about spices, seasonings and soups. This family owned and operated company was originally founded in the Kansas City area and has stayed true to its mission of making custom spice blends for main meal dishes and appetizers as well as nearly 20 varieties of dry soups. 

The products are available online at www.oldewestportspice.com; at food-related craft and trade shows throughout the Midwest; and at gift and gourmet food shops. Olde Westport's spice blends and seasonings include Italian, Cajun, Taco, Fajita, Chili, Jalapeno, Beef Sauce, Salsa, Garlic and many more. All of the products use quality ingredients for a balanced flavor that compliments meats, pastas and vegetables. 

The company also invented dry soup mixes that are simple and easy to make including Antonio's Minestrone, Country-Style Creamy Potato, Chipotle Black Bean, Creamy Broccoli and Cheese, Kansas City Steak & Ale, Gold Coast Garlic Pasta Alfredo, Mesa Flats Chicken Enchilada, New Orleans Red Bean & Rice, Southwestern Tortilla, White Chili Soup and more. 

Olde Westport Spice and Trading Co. is owned and operated by Bill and Judy Petersen, who along with their daughter, Ann Myers, also own and run a restaurant (Westport Grill) in Goodland featuring the products. Bill first custom created all of the spices and seasonings in the kitchen of his home. Today the company has a manufacturing facility where Bill still researches and develops new recipes and dishes for future products. For more information or to place an order, please visit www.oldewestportspice.com or call 1-800-537-6470. 

GOLD COAST GARLIC SHAKE - Gold Coast Garlic Shake spice blend is truly one of those special blends of garlic, herbs and spices that our customers use in sour cream dips, sprinkle over steamed vegetables, fresh vegetables from your garden, garlic mashed potatoes or steak on the grill. There are more than 50 recipes in the Olde Westport Gold Coast Garlic Cookbook that will give you lots of ideas for quick simple meals with that high-end restaurant flavor. A garlic experience you will never forget. Check out the Olde Westport web site for a few recipes and placing orders.

CHAMPIONSHIP CHILI SPICE BLEND - This championship spice has helped chili creators win 12 state and national championships throughout the years and all over the US! But what is most important to us about our Olde Westport Chili Spice Blend is that our customers love to use it in their chili whether it's for a national championship cook-off challenge or simply for their own family in their cozy kitchen on a cold winter's night. We've heard from countless customers that our attention to detail and quality is what makes this chili spice blend stand out above the competitors. We know you might put beans in your chili or maybe you add apples and sausage or perhaps you have a special recipe that is top secret but starts with thick-cut bacon... however you concoct your chili we hope you'll try our chili spice blend. 

Readers would get 10% off of their order just click here for the coupon!

Perrigo Nutritionals Toddler Food & Formula ~ Review and Giveaway

Disclosure:  “The Perrigo Nutritionals product, information and two gift packs have been provided by Perrigo Nutritionals.”

Having two toddler boys we go through tons of food.  Sometimes it seems like I go grocery shopping and within a day tons of items are already gone.  Toddler snacks are one of those items..mainly crunchies, puffs, and yogurt bites.  They will eat their entire dinner and then want a snack and the entire package will be gone.  Going through so many toddler snacks I see myself turning to store brands because they are normally the cheaper option.  It is actually one of the categories where I regularly buy store brands.  You save a great deal of money no coupons required!

You have probably seen many of these store brands in stores already.  Here are the brands I received:

• Up and Up at Target
• Parent's Choice at Walmart
• Cottontails at Giant
• Comforts for Baby at Kroger
• Meijer Baby at Meijer

I was actually surprised to learn that they are all made by the same company, Perrigo Nutrionals. Here is some fun information about them:

 About Perrigo Nutritionals

·         Many moms are not aware that they can save up to 50 percent on infant formula by choosing a store brand over a national brand

·         Store Brand Formula is nutritionally comparable to the national brands, yet are typically up to half the price, and can save you about $600 a year

·         Perrigo Nutritionals is the largest supplier of Store Brand Infant Formula and nutrition products in the world and one of only four companies recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for meeting the strict FDA requirements for safety, nutrition and quality for infant formula-manufacturing in the United States

·         Same standards and expertise used to develop infant formula applied to toddler foods

·         Toddler foods are appropriately developed for variety of stages of growth and motor skills with quality, nutritional ingredients to create foundation of good nutrition

Even though I am already a fan of store brands it makes me feel more confident purchasing store brands knowing they are all made by the same company.  When I went to the grocery store this week I compared what I would have spent on toddler food and snacks had I bought national brands instead of store brands and my savings was around $16 for a weeks worth of toddler snacks.  In a year that is over $800 in savings for me.  So what do my boys think of the brands we tried?

No complaints at all as these boys chowed down!  I actually had to hide everything from them so I could take a pic before they ate it all.  My older son Chris reached for the Comforts Baby strawberry flavored puffs.  My younger one, Nick, grabbed the Comforts Baby berry flavored yogurt bites.  

While the boys were chowing down I glanced through this awesome book I received with everything.  If you know me I don't read anything aside from children's books but I was hooked!  The book is called, "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode," by Crystal Paine.  If you are reading my blog then you just might of heard of her as she hosts the popular blog MoneySavingMom.com.  I pretty much can't stop reading it.  I love all of her ideas a lot of which I already do.  I try to keep life simple so there is less stress and her book focuses on a lot of ways to do just that.  Here are just a few of her money saving tips!

Crystal Paine’s 5 Money Saving Tips for Families

Create a Budget
A budget gives you parameters and purpose, it gives you boundaries, and it gives you freedom to live creatively within those boundaries.

Shop With Cash
When you shop with a credit card (or even a debit card, for that matter!) you can have your budget in your head and you can do the best to stick with it when you check out, but it’s so much easier to go just a little bit over here and there when you’re swiping!

Plan a Menu
When you have a plan in place for what you’re supposed to be eating each meal and you’ve already purchased the ingredients for those recipes, it’s a lot harder to justify chucking the plan for takeout.

Use Coupons
Coupons are a great way to save a lot of money on your grocery bill, but they can be hard to keep up with. Clipping, sorting, and organizing coupons takes time — so enter a coupon database! You’ll have access to printable and other coupons currently available and it’s one of the most effective and efficient ways to save money on groceries.

Buy Store Brands
One way to save a great deal of money on your grocery budget is to learn to like and use a variety of brands. The sooner you can get over being a brand-snob, the more your pocketbook will thank you.
For example, while I breast fed my children, moms who choose to formula feed can save up to 50 percent by switching to store brand formula, which meets the same FDA quality standards as expensive name brands. There are also coupons available at a website - StoreBrandFormula.com.  This one simple change can save moms about $600 a year. 

Get a copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode:  9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion For Life.

I also have the wonderful opportunity to awesome a package filled with all the goodies I received above to one of my readers.  Just enter in the Rafflecopter below!  And remember don't forget the store brands :)

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Del Monte Fruit Burst™ Squeezers & $50 Walmart GC Giveaway!

 “The Del Monte products, information, gift pack, and gift card have been provided by Del Monte.”

When I was given the chance to try Del Monte's new Fruit Burst Squeezers I was thrilled because my children LOVE any type of food they can squeeze from a pouch.  I love anything that incorporates more fruit and veggies into their diet.  Children have mall stomachs so it is important that every bite they eat is nutritious as possible.  Here is a little info about their new line of squeezers:

About Fruit Burst™ Squeezers

Made in the U.S.A., Del Monte Fruit Burst™ Squeezers contain 1 ½ servings of fruit or fruit and veggies and are an excellent source of vitamins A and C. In addition, Del Monte Fruit Burst™ Squeezers contain no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup.

                Fruit + Veggie Varieties:

-          Peach-Mango: Pear puree concentrate, water, pumpkin juice concentrate, peach puree concentrate, pear juice concentrate, carrot juice concentrate, carrot puree, mango puree concentrate, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid.

-          Blueberry: Pear puree concentrate, water, pumpkin juice concentrate, pear juice concentrate, natural flavors, carrot puree, blueberry puree concentrate, fruit and vegetable extracts for color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid.

Simply Fruit Varieties:

-          Apple Cinnamon: Pear puree concentrate, water, apple puree concentrate, pear juice concentrate, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), cinnamon, malic acid.

-          Mixed Berry: Pear puree concentrate, water, pear juice concentrate, natural flavors, strawberry puree, red raspberry puree concentrate, blueberry puree concentrate, fruit and vegetable extracts for color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), malic acid.

-          Strawberry: Pear puree concentrate, water, pear juice concentrate, strawberry puree concentrate, natural flavors, carmine, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), malic acid.

 I love snacks that are simple, require no thought and are easy for a mom on the go!  I can just throw Fruit Bursts in their lunchbox, diaper bag, my purse or hand them to the kids as we are walking out the door.  They are happy and mom is happy.  My favorites are the fruit/veggie combos.  My kids will not touch, look at or even allow on their plate veggies of any kind.  So I have learned to be sneaky.  My boys think they are getting "applesauce" when they are really getting fruit and veggies.  Shh, don't tell them because they absolutely loved all the varieties and they are now a staple in my hidden veggie rotation.

The package came with cute little signs with suggested ways to eat them.  Day 1, an after school snack.  Day 2, on-the-go.  Day 3, lunch box favorite.  Day 4, mom's treat (these are not just for kids, I love them too!).  Day 5 was your own idea so I chose before bedtime snack.  Its inevitable that when bedtime comes around your kids decide they are hungry so reach for something healthy and easy.

Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers are available at your local Walmart, be sure to add these squeezable snacks to your cart while picking up essentials for your family!  I am even giving away a $50 Walmart gift card to one of my readers thanks to Del Monte!! (Think of all the Fruit Bursts you can get with that!?!?!)

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Biscuits & Gravy Casserole ~ Recipe

Lately I have been in the mood to cook and bake.  This is really not normal for me but my hubby is loving it.  Tonight I decided to try a new dish.  I had all the ingredients on hand aside from breakfast sausage so I grabbed some on the way home from work.  It takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare and then you just bake for 35-45 minutes and voila a perfect dinner.  I love dishes you don't have to watch over so this was perfect.

Here is what you need:

Biscuits & Gravy Casserole

1 package of breakfast sausage
1 package of biscuits
1 package of country gravy mix
1-2 cups of shredded cheese
5-6 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
little bit of salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and start browning the sausage in a pan.

2. While the sausage is cooking grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and layer the bottom with the uncooked biscuits.

3. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt & pepper together in a bowl and then pour over the biscuits in your baking dish.

4. When the sausage is done cut it up (I used meat scissors) and add it to the dish.  Cover that with as much or little cheese as you like.

5.  Make the gravy according to the instructions on the package and pour that on top.

6. Put it in the oven and wait 35-45 minutes and voila!

Everyone really loved this dish and you could add any of your own ingredients maybe some peppers or corn.  Hope you enjoy it as much as my family did!