Bare Fruit sent us a 14 oz. bag of Cinnamon Apple Chips to try and they are fantastic.  They have a delicate sweet flavor and are crunchy like a chip should be.  This bag of apple chips is huge, but it won't last long in our house. 

The only ingredients in Bare Fruit Cinnamon Apple Chips are organic apples and organic cinnamon.  They are perfect for on-the-go snacking and packed lunches.  

Bare Fruit products are available in many stores including Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods, Giant Eagle, and Kroger.  The list goes on and on.  

Here's the giveaway:  You can win a case of Bare Fruit Cinnamon Apple Chips!  Use the rafflecopter form to enter.  Open to U.S. residents 18 and older.

Disclosure:  I was not compensated for this review.  Product samples were provided to facilitate the review.  All opinions are honest and are my own.  

I took the boys to a local zoo (one hour from home) last week since they are starting school soon (the oldest already started school) and summer will be coming to an end.  I wanted to have a really fun day together and make lots of wonderful memories - and we did. They had a blast from the moment we arrived until the moment we left.  It is a small zoo that is easily explored in a couple of hours.  We saw some exhibits more than once.  They were so excited about the rain forest that we had to tour it twice.  

There is a really nice playground, water play area, and picnic area adjacent to the zoo so we made a day of it and spent the afternoon playing, eating, and having fun.  The boys were on cloud nine and we didn't have a single melt down, even when they were hot and tired.  We did have two sleepers on the drive home.  So much fun does bring on exhaustion.  

They couldn't resist sitting on this tiger statue.  My oldest said "Don't worry Mommy the tiger isn't real.  He won't eat me."  

The boys love the wallaroos.  The wallaroos were resting when we visited them.  They are completely enclosed in a large fence, but I am amazed at the short fence along the sidewalk in the wallaroo exhibit.  Visitors walk through a large heavy door to enter the wallaroos pen, but then the fence inside is so short.  

Last summer we came with some friends and a toddler climbed over the short fence and started walking around the wallaroos pen.  His Mom quickly stepped over and grabbed him.  The wallaroos must be harmless for the zoo staff to trust them with such a short fence.  It does make for excellent wallaroo viewing.  

One of the highlights was the carousel ride.  

Our youngest had to watch most of the zoo from his stroller.  He seemed ok with this arrangement and didn't complain until the very end.  Then I dressed him in his swim suit and walked him around the water play area until he decided he was wet enough and ready for a nap.  The older boys played for a long time in the water play area.  I'm surprised I didn't have three sleepers on the way home.  

Even bigger was the gift shop.  I rarely buy them anything from gift shops.  We just don't have much wiggle room in our budget for extra splurges and I want them to really appreciate the things that they have and receive as gifts.  I could tell that they were amazed by the gift shop and all of the animal toys and they weren't begging too much, a little, but not too much.  

They were so good on this outing and I knew it would mean the world to them if they got to buy something at the zoo.  Then I remembered they had some birthday money in their spending envelopes in my purse.  I've never given them their money to spend before.  I always saved it for them, until recently I thought about putting some of it in spending envelopes for them.  I handed them each the cash to buy their animals and they excitedly approached the cashier and bought their new treasures.  We sat down at the picnic tables to eat lunch, but there was too much excitement with the new toys - lunch would have to wait.  

I was sent an assortment box of fun snacks to try from Crum Creek Mills.  Crum Creek Mills is an online source for healthy food and drinks, bath and beauty products, vitamins and supplements, and other household items.  The website is easy to navigate and there is a nice selection.  

From the website:
"We created a variety of healthy and convenient snacks that are convenient to take on the go.  Balanced with soy protein, low in fat, and never fried, you can enjoy our guilt free snacks anytime."

My assortment box contained:  

Outragious Onion Soy Bites - These are mild in flavor and my one year old liked them.  

Remarkable Rosemary and Garlic Soy Bites - The rosemary is too strong for me so these were not my favorite.  

Certified Organic Soy Nut Mix - This was good and this is what you can win in this giveaway.  It contains organic Non-GMO dry-roasted soybeans, organic chocolate chips, organic sunflower seeds, organic pumpkin seeds, organic raisins, and sea salt.  

Almond Biscuties - These are my favorite.  I could eat the whole package in one sitting because they are so addicting.  I love them with hot tea with lemon and honey.  

You can try Crum Creek Mills for yourself with my exclusive 15% off discount code:  faith15

And for the giveaway:  

You can win a month's supply of Crum Creek Mills Soy Nut Trail Mix which was featured in Oprah's O magazine as part of Dr. Oz's "28-Day Plan to Renew Your Body, Mind and Soul," the Soy Nut Trail Mix is a perfect organic blend of slightly sea-salted soy nuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chocolate chips.  


To enter use the rafflecopter form.  There will be one winner chosen at random from the rafflecopter entries.  If Crum Creek Mills gets 100 newsletter subscribers they will award a 2nd winner, 200 newsletter subscribers a 3rd winner, 300 newsletter subscribers a 4th winner, etc.  So with more newsletter subscribers, there will be more winners.  


You can subscribe to their newsletter here or on the rafflecopter form.  You will want to make sure and enter your entry on the rafflecopter form if you sign up for the newsletter.  It is the last option on the form and it is worth the most entry points.  


Open to U.S. residents 18 and older.


Disclosure:  I did not receive compensation for this post.  I received product samples to facilitate my review.  All opinions are honest and are my own.  

Tomorrow our oldest goes off to school again.  He is really excited.  He is returning to the same preschool that he attended last year and he is feeling confident and can't wait for school to start.  I am so glad.  It was a difficult decision to make.  Kindergarten or another year of preschool?  I think we made the right decision.  

We decided to celebrate the start of the new school year by having a special dinner tonight.  He planned the menu - hot dogs, coleslaw, cantaloupe, and corn on the cob.  We'll be doing this again in two weeks when our almost 3 year old plans his pre-first day of school special dinner.  Wonder what he'll choose?  

Do you do anything special to start the school year?  

These are delicious and so filling.  Enjoy them warm with a cold glass of milk.  We've been blessed with such juicy ripe peaches lately so when I saw this recipe at Joy the Baker, I had to try it.  I adapted it a little by using cold coconut oil instead of shortening and using two peaches instead of one.  I try to avoid shortening since it is an unhealthy fat.  The recipe makes eight scones which is a lot for us, so I baked four the first morning and refrigerated the other four and baked them the next morning.  They were just fine wrapped in plastic wrap overnight and baked beautifully the next day.  I waited to brush the buttermilk on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar until right before I put them in the oven.  These are a truly wonderful summer treat.  

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1/4 cup cold coconut oil crumbled or cubed as best as you can or an additional 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup buttermilk, cold

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ripe peaches, sliced thin

1/4 cup buttermilk, for brushing

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.  In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Use a pastry blender or two butter knives to cut in butter and coconut oil until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  


My 5 year old loved this part and yes some of our flour mixture did go flying out of the bowl, but most of it stayed in.  Notice the mess (toy boat and sticker art) on top of the microwave.  This is what a home looks like when there are three wonderful boys 5 and under and their mom is too busy to put everything away.  

3.  In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and vanilla and beat lightly with a fork.  Add the liquid to the flour mixture all at once, stirring enough to make a soft dough.

4.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead about 15 times.  If the butter has warmed too much in the making of the dough, shape the batter into a dish, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.  If the butter is still cool, shape the dough into a disk and on a well floured surface, roll dough to a little less than 1/2-inch thickness.  The dough will be rolled just thinner than a biscuit dough from which you would cut biscuits.  


(To knead the dough, press down on the dough disc, then fold it over itself and press down again.  Repeat 15 times.)

5.  Brush half of the rolled out dough with buttermilk.  Arrange peach slices in a single layer across the buttermilk moistened dough.  Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. 

6.  Carefully fold the empty side of dough over the peach slices.  Press gently together.  Add a bit of flour to your hands and press the edges of the dough in, creating more of a rectangle shape than a half circle shape.  Slice dough into eight pieces.  

The picture below is half of the dough which will make four slices.  I refrigerated this half wrapped in plastic wrap and cut and baked it the next morning.  

7.  Place dough on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2-inches of room around each scone to spread while baking.  If dough has warmed, and feels mushy, place in the fridge for 20 minutes to rechill.  Remove from the fridge.  Brush each scone top with buttermilk, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.  (I never had to refrigerate my dough as I was working and found it was pretty easy to work with.)

8.  Bake scones for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.  Scones are best served warm.


This is what they look like right before cinnamon sugar and baking.  

This was such an easy dish and delicous too.  

You only need 3 ingredients in addition to Tilapia fillets.

With a basting brush, apply olive oil to each side of the tilapia fillets.  Sprinkle each side with Old Bay seasoning and Creole seasoning, then grill 5-6 minutes on each side until done.  That's it.  Simple and delicious.  

This is a healthier recipe that I adapted slightly from The Nourishing Home.  I made these for my boys and they loved them so much they begged for them.  I kept them in the fridge and let the boys have them for snacks.  I made them with almond butter, but will try them with less expensive peanut butter next time.  I made 13 cookie dough bites from one batch.  

• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter or peanut butter
• 1/4 cup, plus 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup, plus 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 3 tbsp ground golden flax seed*
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips or carob chips

*I have whole flax seeds that I bought in the bulk bins at the health food store so I put some in the food processor and ground them.

I saw this recipe at Eating Well and had to try it.  It is easy to prep and then it cooks in the crock pot so of course I liked it.  Actually it really is quite delicious.  I served it over rice which was so good with the juices from the crock pot.  This is comfort food at its finest.  For an extra treat bake some Bread Machine Buttery Rolls.

KLUTCHclub is a membership club in which you sign up and pay a small fee and then each month you receive a box full of over $50 worth of products and services such as healthy and tasty snacks, fun new workouts, and body care products.  

I received the July KLUTCHclub box to review with everything pictured below.

Mighty Leaf
Three packs of Mighty Leaf, delicious handcrafted tea blends from around the world.  
(I love this tea.  The tropical green tea made my afternoon and the Earl grey was perfect.) 

Molecule R
A natural emulsifier that allows liquids to transform into foam, making your sauces light, voluminous, and incredibly flavorful.  
(I haven't tried this yet, but looking forward to it.  We will be making Lemon Cloud.)

1st Step Pro-Wellness/ High Performance Fitness
A natural liquid Vitamin B-12 supplement helping to combat chronic fatigue, regulate metabolic pathways, and maintain the central nervous system.  
(I tried this today.  It was too sweet for me, but I think it gave me an extra burst of energy.)

Truvia® Natural Sweetener
Truvia® natural sweetener is the first natural, great-tasting, zero-calorie sweetener born from the leaves of the stevia plant. Try it in coffee and tea, sprinkle it on fruit, yogurt and cereal and add it to anything that needs a little sweetness.  
(I used this to sweeten my tropical green tea and it was just the right hint of sweetness without being too overpowering.)

Nia
A movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts. Nia has created a customized class for KLUTCHclub members and their guests this month, worth over $50!  
(I still have to check out this workout.  It sounds really fun.)

Zoye
A healthy vegetable oil low in saturated fat, and rich in Vitamin E and Omega 3 and 6.
 (I used this oil to make salmon cakes and they were wonderful.  My husband even asked me what oil I used because he liked the flavor so much.)

Mineral Hygenics
This makeup contains four ingredients and is 100% all natural, allowing your skin breathe in hot summer months. Included is a $15 gift certificate with no purchase restrictions!  
(I ordered the sheer perfection mineral powder and can't wait to try it.)

Goulibeur 
Gourmet shortbread cookies made with just four natural ingredients. This 100-year old recipe comes from France and can be the perfect, delicious finish to a summer party.  
(These cookies were not my favorite, but the boys loved them.)

Cascal 
At 60-80 calories per can, Cascal is a great substitute for sugary soda. This natural soft drink is crafted with natural juices and fermented for fuller flavor.  
(This was a fun and delicious drink.  I tried it, but my husband loved it so much he drank the whole thing.)

Check it Out:
There are three ways to sign up for KLUTCHclub.  You can sign up for one year at $16 a month, 3 months at $17 a month, or 1 month at $18.  It's a fun way to try new products and services with a minimal investment.  Anyone else have a workout dvd you spent $30 on and have only used a handful of times?  I do.  With KLUTCHclub I could have tried the workout first before investing so much money and then decided if it was right for me.  

I just checked out the August KLUTCHclub box (look under the "Box") and it looks awesome.  It has another great lineup of products and services and even includes a $50 gift card towards Tieks designer leather ballet flats.  

KLUTCHmen coming soon - great for gifts.

Read this review in Glamour, impressive.

You can like KLUTCHclub on Facebook and follow on twitter.



Disclosure:  I did not receive compensation for this review.  Product was provided to facilitate the review.  Any opinions expressed are honest and are my own.  The links provided above are my referral links.  

Safees are personal reflectors that are worn on your clothing, backpacks, strollers, etc. to increase visability after dark.  I was sent two safees to review and tested them on my 5 year old.  They are easy to use, highly visable, and my son likes them because they come in cute, colorful designs.  

Learn more about Safees:

"On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 120 minutes. Almost two-thirds of pedestrian fatalities occur when the light condition is either dark or dark with street lights. 

Safees are hard prism reflectors that are attached by a simple pin to your clothes at knee or thigh height. By letting the Safees swing freely, facing traffic, it will reflect oncoming cars’ headlights and increase your visibility, alerting drivers to your presence on the road and giving drivers more time to stop or steer clear and thus avoiding accidents.

Scandinavian countries have the best traffic safety records in the whole world and reflectors are household staples. In fact in Sweden every school child wears one and traffic fatalities involving children are the lowest in the world (WHO: Global Status report on Road Safety).

Safees are manufactured in Finland and are CE and Lloyds certified and adheres to all relevant ISO standards as well as meeting the very high EU standards for environmental consideration; no waste is produced when manufacturing Safees and, naturally, Safees are themselves 100% recyclable.

By attaching an inexpensive, cute and fun Safees to yourself and your child, you can greatly reduce the risk of you or your child getting hurt. Wearing a Safees will reduce the risk of being hit by cars by up to ten times."

You can see how much the reflector in my son's hand really did reflect the camera flash.

How Safees began:  

"Safees was founded by Johanna Denize who is originally from Sweden and who grew up always wearing a reflector. When Johanna had her first child in 2010 she immediately noticed that strollers are at great risk for being hit since cars simply do not seem to see them. Johanna desperately tried to find quality reflectors (i.e. hard prism reflectors) to attach to her son’s stroller and herself. Not finding any reflectors that live up to the high quality found in Scandinavian hard prism reflectors, Safees was born. 

Johanna is on a mission to increase traffic Safety for children in the US and reduce traffic accidents and fatalities. ‘Something as simple as wearing a reflector will de facto reduce your risk of being hit by a car and potentially being injured for life or even killed. So why not take this easy, inexpensive precaution? says Johanna.“ Our whole family wears them, we have Safees on our clothes, our bikes, our strollers and even on our pets.”

This short video helps show the difference in visability of pedestrians with and without safees.  

This is a great product and perfect for back to school.  You can order them at Safees website.  Safees has generously offered my readers 15% off with code 'Safeessummer2012'.  Simply enter the code at checkout for the discount.

Even more generous:  Safees has offered to give the winner of this giveaway 5 safees reflectors.  Enter on the rafflecopter form.  This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada.


Disclosure: I received product samples for review.  I was not compensated for writing this post. All opinions are honest and are my own.