This Mama Cooks! Reviews

Fish tonight? Win a Bonefish Grill $25 gift certificate

With this winter weather I wish I was someplace warm. Sounds like a good time for a little culinary escapist entertainment with Bonefish Grill's founder Tim Curci. He and some friends venture out in the Gulf of Mexico, discover the secrets of oyster farming, and prepare several grilled feasts. You can watch the new series of five webisodes  along with other videos from Bonefish Grill’s Video Channel on YouTube.

One of the videos on their channel features a demonstration of plank grilling Wild Alaskan Salmon and a fish called Arctic Charr. I’m glad to see that they’re featuring wild caught fish as it’s so much better for you than farm raised salmon, which are not sustainable. No surprise that Bonefish Grill is dedicated to the responsible management of our ocean fisheries.

Find the recipe for Wild Alaskan Salmon Cedar-Plank Style with Mango Rum Sauce & Arctic Charr Cedar-Plank Style with Chorizo here.

Win a $25 Bonefish Grill gift certificate

I hope watching the videos have given you an appetite. If so, how about entering my giveaway for TWO $25 gift certificates? These would make a nice present for friends, families or teachers. Or keep it for yourself and take your sweetie to dinner.

Congrats to my winners:

• Denise at Eat Play Love
• Tuesday Girl at A Girl and Her Life
  

Give your kids some BrainFuel

One of the things I love about our new school is that my kids have technology lab at least once a week. My kids were fairly computer savvy before, but when I tell them to “close the browser and then relaunch the program” they actually know what I mean.

Another advantage of sending my kids to a tech savvy school is that the teachers recommend websites for the kids to visit to play learning games or help them with assignments. So visiting sites like BrainFuel at BrainFuel4Kids.com has become part of our afternoon homework routine.

BrainFuel aims to help take your child’s learning to the next level. Research suggests key changes in diet, exercise, and sleep can enhance cognitive abilities, so BrainFuel features sections like Brain Food, Healthy Brain, and Brain Games aimed at engaging kids and parents. The site also runs a Brain Forum, where parents can discuss our kids eating habits or ask a question of the forums’ registered dieticians.

ZenSoy Organic Soy Pudding review

One of the biggest daily dietary challenges I face is sending my kids off to school with a nutritious lunch and several snacks. I’ve slowly replaced the junk I used to give them with items like frozen Horizon Organic Tuberz (yogurt in a tube), snack bars from Kashi and Cascadian Farms, YoKids yogurt, and my daughter Lucie’s favorite, Organic Cheddar Bunnies.

But what about pudding? My kids have always loved having a cup of chocolate pudding in their lunch bags or as a snack at home. And I liked having them on hand because they’re shelf stable and you don’t have to worry about refrigeration. But there’s a trade off to that convenience – partially hydrogenated oils, oodles of sugar and fat.

So when ZenSoy, the makers of ZenSoy Organic Soy Pudding and Soy On the Go, asked me to review their product, I was hoping to find a healthy alternative to traditional pudding packs.

ZenSoy Organic Soy Pudding and Soy On the Go are USDA certified organic and lactose free. (All ZenSoy products are vegan friendly, gluten free and lactose free, too.) Yummy ZenSoy Organic Soy Pudding comes in chocolate, vanilla, banana or chocolate-vanilla swirl and Soy On the Go comes in chocolate, vanilla or cappuccino flavors. Both are excellent sources of Omega-3 DHA, low-fat protein, and heart-healthy isoflavones from the soy protein.

Get Yoplait Fiber One yogurt for free!

Yes, you read it right. The first 50 readers that click on “Try It Free!” in the widget below and sign-up will receive a coupon for a free 4-pack of Fiber One yogurt!

Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt is the only leading nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber. Available in four flavors – Strawberry, Vanilla, Peach and Key Lime Pie – Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt is a delicious snack that is good for you, contributes 20% of the recommended daily value of fiber, and is a good source of calcium as well as vitamins A and D.

Instead of munching on boring lower-calorie foods, you can now snack with zero guilt on Fiber One yogurt, a tasty way to help watch waistlines and keep calorie counts in check. Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt features a ‘Hungry Girl Seal of Approval’, the first nationally distributed yogurt to receive this endorsement. Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt is available in the yogurt section of grocery stores nation-wide

Celebrate National Pork month and win a Pork Party Pack

As a healthy lifestyle blogger, I try to point out that pork loin is actually a lean meat and has only one Weight Watchers POINT per ounce (similar to chicken, turkey and wild game.) Of course, even I cannot resist the siren call of bacon, because we all know that life is better with it. Just try to limit your consumption OK?

So, thanks to the National Pork Board*, the folks behind TheOtherWhiteMeat.com, Im celebrating National Pork Month by giving away FOUR official “Pork Party Pack” that includes free pork, and oodles of fun party goodies to get your celebrate pork month party started!

Each party pack (valued at $100 each) includes:

• a reusable grocery tote bag
• wine carrying bag
• pig wine stopper
• pig wine charms
• $10 pork gift certificate
• $15 iTunes gift certificate (Can I recommend downloading some rockabilly music by the Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs? Seriously, they’re one of my fave bands from San Diego.)
• Farm to Table brochure
• Grill Mates Pork Rub
• pig cutting board

The Pork Party Pack is a great start to a great party featuring some pork loin, ribs or chops – perfect for having friends over to watch football or the World Series.

Contest Closed

Congrats go out to my winners:

• Corrine of Oh Hey What’s Up, Hot Dog in the City, and Broke as a Spoke
• Carolyn G
• Deanna of Beautiful Memories to Movies
• Rachel of A Southern Fairy Tale