Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta

June 15th, 2010

elbowsIf you are a past reader of Through Hazel Eyes, then you know that I’m always on the lookout for healthy food that doesn’t sacrifice taste. I don’t like lite or non-fat, but I do like to add whole grain and other nutrients in whenever I can. Pasta and I have always had a love-hate relationship. I love how versatile it is and how it tastes with a variety of very fattening different sauces, but I hate what it does to my behind. In addition, it’s always really been just a filler that happens to taste good with sauce, because until now I have not found a pasta that has much nutritional value to it.

This is where Ronzoni comes in. From their website:

RONZONI® SMART TASTE™ is a new member of the New World Pasta family of brands. What’s so special about RONZONI SMART TASTE? It’s the first white pasta to be enriched with Fiber, Calcium and Vitamin D– and lots of it. RONZONI SMART TASTE is an excellent source of Fiber and contains Calcium and Vitamin D equal to an eight-ounce glass of milk. Studies show that many diets are lacking in these three important nutrients. Plus, RONZONI SMART TASTE is lower in calories and fat than traditional pasta. That means RONZONI SMART TASTE is the same great taste — the smart taste –your family loves but with greater nutritional value.

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I can tell you with absolute certainty that our family will be using Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta from now on out. The kids and my husband noticed no difference between the usual and Ronzoni. I prepared it two different ways and it did not phase them, they inhaled it as they normally do on pasta night.

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If you visit the Ronzoni website you can find Recipes, Facts, Tips and more. Additionally a $0.75 coupon for your perusal.

“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Ronzoni and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review and photo contest entry. In addition, I received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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Oreck Platinum Pilot 360 Review and Giveaway

June 1st, 2010

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My ultimate goal is to make cleaning as easy and pain free as possible. Cleaning and sanitizing are part of my daily routine. While having children has made this a top priority it also proves that I have less time to do so, not to mention I’d much rather be running around playing tag, action figures, baby dolls, etc. than be on my hands and knees scrubbing floors. When I choose the products I clean with I think of my children; whether or not something could be harmful to their health and/or safety.

Like many people, we have several types of flooring throughout our house: carpet, tile, linoleum and majority hardwood. When it comes to taking care of the floors the last thing I want to do is pull out several different tools for each variety of flooring. This is how it was for quite some time, broom here, vacuum there, duster thingy somewhere else. That all got old fast and I started researching something I could use from room to room seamlessly leaving no dust behind. At first it seemed there weren’t very many options, and then I found the Oreck Platinum Pilot with 360° glide.

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What I love about this vacuum:

  • The height, this vacuum is taller than the average bear, er, vacuum. I’m not incredibly tall myself at 5′6″, just average I suppose. Even at an average height though I hadn’t realized until my review of the Oreck that I was slouching with my previous vacuum.
  • The weight. Again, I didn’t know what a difference the lack of a couple pounds could make. This vacuum is incredibly easy to maneuver and carry around because of it’s low weight of 10 lbs.
  • The anti-microbial agent built right into the vacuum leaves your house smelling fresher and the air feeling easier to breathe in.
  • The fact that when you are vacuuming underneath a piece of furniture, the vacuum will lay flat so it can slide under effortlessly.
  • Hands down, the fact that I can go from room to room with only having to switch outlets a couple times makes this vacuum worth every cent.
  • The 5 lb hand held vacuum that came along with the Pilot.
  • I love that my husband loves this vacuum. I kid you not, when he uses this vacuum he actually enjoys it and I have found him vacuuming a lot more often these days.

The one and only thing that I don’t love about the Oreck is that you have to purchase replacement bags. I’m left feeling torn about this, because I realize that when it comes to actually keeping that dust trapped that the bag is more powerful than a unit that you have to dump from. I’m that person though, the one who calls to get her hair cut 2 weeks too late. You know? In the end it’s not that big of a deal, especially if you order from the Oreck website. They are affordable and you can order package deals including several bags.

Oreck offers a variety of products to keep your home in tip top shape. Remember, you can try any product risk-free in your home for up to 30 days. “If you don’t love it, you don’t keep it.” So take a look around!

The Giveaway:

Oreck is offering one lucky Through Hazel Eyes reader the chance to win their very own Oreck Platinum Pilot with 360° Glide. To enter leave a comment here after browsing Oreck.com and tell me of another product that intrigues you.

Additional Entries:

1 Entry each:

  • Subscribe to Through Hazel Eyes
  • Follow via Google friends connect
  • Follow me on twitter @tarank and tweet about this giveaway-once per day

Giveaway ends on June 15th when I will draw a winner using random.org and announce here after.

Some or all of the material used in this post have been provided to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

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Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice

May 14th, 2010

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Those of us with children have all been there, creating healthy eating habits for our children that they will (hopefully) carry with them through adult-hood. Even if you don’t have children I encourage you to read on, as I’ve found the solution for those trying to be healthier but just want to keep certain foods in their diet, like white rice. Uncle Ben’s accomplished something I wasn’t sure I could believe. They took your white rice and made it whole grain, without really changing the texture, taste or color. It’s now healthier in general with lower fat, a good source of fiber and nearly the recommended amount of daily whole grains.

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Personally, I like to change up our dinners, a lot. There is nothing worse than getting stuck in a rut and serving something over and over and over. I am always scouring, re-inventing and experimenting for new ideas that the whole family will enjoy. I also like to get the whole family involved in the preparing process. This not only ensures that my children are more likely to try new things (even with me pressuring), but if they helped with dinner they don’t complain at all when it comes time to eat. On the contrary, there are a few staples that I do use weekly, or sometimes daily. Rice, pasta, garlic, onion, etc… Whenever I can find a healthy alternative for something that we regularly use, that tastes just as good if not the same, we  use it.

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I could not be happier to have been introduced to Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice, as rice is a perfect add in for so many meals to get those carbs and now whole grains in to create the perfectly balanced meal. For my initial review of Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice I made a simple rice and chicken casserole that in itself is a balanced meal, however I added a salad. The whole family loved it and there was plenty left over for my hubby’s lunch the next day and then some.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1 12-14 oz bag frozen peas

1 can cream of (you insert your favorite kind) of Campbells soup, I used Cream of Chicken

1.5 cups water

1 package Lipton Onion Soup mix

Combine all ingredients and bake covered for 1 hour, remove, remove aluminum, top with shredded cheese of your choice and bake another 10-15 minutes.

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There are several varieties to choose from. You can browse through them at UncleBens.com as well as at your local grocery store. You can also find recipes and money saving coupons when visiting UncleBens.com. Enjoy!

“I wrote  this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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