Pork Belly, Lettuce, and Tomato Bites

Pork Belly, Lettuce, and Tomato Bites

I had it in my head to try pork belly for a while now. As I was checking out the new Fairway Market near my home, I spotted a package of pork belly ribs. Score! One day during lunch time my hubby decided to fry up a batch, after he cut it in small bite sized pieces. 

Fried Pork Belly

He seasoned it with salt and pepper. Pretty simple and tasted great. We then added some tomatoes and lettuce to make little bite sized appetizers. I'm a huge fan of classic BLT's so this made sense to me.

Snack Time

Ingredients:

-Pork Belly

-Lettuce

-Grape Tomatoes

-salt & pepper

Quick & Easy Directions:

1. Season and Fry your pork belly.

2. Let them sit on a paper towel.

3. Put the pork belly, tomato, and lettuce on a toothpick.

4. Pop it in your mouth and enjoy!

This could be used as a snack or appetizer. I will definitely be buying pork belly again. These could also be good with thick cut bacon or prosciutto. 

Double Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches With Immaculate Baking

Immaculate Double Chocolate Cookie Mix

Immaculate Baking has launched a new line of dry baking mixes. They use only wholesome ingredients and offer baking options ranging from natural, organic and gluten free. Their 8 new dry baking mixes do not contain artificial preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. Which is a good thing. You can find these delicious dry baking mixes at Target.

I received 4 boxes to try out. The Immaculate Baking All Natural Brownie Scratch Baking Mix, all natural yellow cake scratch baking mix, all natural chocolate cake scratch baking mix, and the Gluten Free Double Chocolate Cookie Mix. 

We wanted to make ice cream sandwiches with the Gluten Free Double Chocolate Cookie Mix. These mixes are very easy to use. Basic instructions and delicious results. 

Fresh out of the oven

These cookies are awesome. After they cooled, I tried one. They have a nice crunch to them and I love the chocolate chips. There is a whole lot of chocolate chips inside this mix. These would go great just with a nice tall glass of milk.

Ice Cream Sandwiches with Vanilla 

We added some vanilla ice cream in the middle of our cookies to make ice cream sandwiches. The crunchiness of the cookie was a good mix with the ice cream. It is so easy to make your own ice cream sandwiches that I think I will continue to do so.

Ice Cream Sandwich using Immaculate Baking Mix

I was so glad these tasted awesome because I've tried gluten free snacks in the past and didn't like the texture. These Double Chocolate Cookies were quick to make and quick to be eaten.

I can't wait to try the rest of the Immaculate Baking line of dry mixes. Another added bonus of the Immaculate Baking company is that they support Folk Art. You can see some of the art work on the boxes.

If you are curious to see what products are Non-GMO Verified check this list out.

You can Like Immaculate Baking on Facebook to get the latest news on their products.

Do you like to bake at home? What is your favorite thing to bake?


*Disclosure-The information and prize pack have been provided by Immaculate Baking through Platefull Co-Op. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Our First Summer in SwimZip Swimwear

*Disclosure- I received a complimentary product for the purpose of this review. All thoughts are my own.*


SwimZip is the UPF 50+ clothing brand people trust to keep themselves and their children sun safe. They offer swimsuits for children and adults. My daughter, Nia, got to try out the Ruffle Me Pretty swimsuit. I loved this because it is cute and sun safe.

At the beginning of the summer we went to the beach and I put my daughter in a bikini my mom had sent. I thought I lathered her up with sunscreen but that night I realized I missed a spot. I felt horrible. Her top shoulders were red. If she was wearing her SwimZip swimsuit she probably would have been fine.

SwimZip Swimsuit in action

Ruffle Me Pretty is super cute. I love the ruffles. The bottom fit perfectly. The top was a little large but still looked great. A friend of mine gave us a water table for the kids to use on the patio. I took the legs off of it because Nia kept climbing into it.

SwimZip Swimsuit 

She does try to unzip her SwimZip top once it gets wet. It's pretty funny to see me chasing her and telling her to keep the top on. Oh the things kids will do.

Ruffled Bottom

This photo is just to show you the cute ruffled bottom of the SwimZip Swimsuit. I was very happy with the SwimZip and will buy a swimsuit for my son next year. You can outfit the whole family in SwimZip because they have sizes for men and women too. Have you ever seen Shark Tank on TV? SwimZip was featured on the show. I love success stories like this.

Follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook for sales and contests.

What is your favorite thing to do during the summer? I hope you all check them out.

Kids Love Baking HERSHEY'S S'mores Dessert Bars

HERSHEY'S S'mores Dessert Bar Mix

Betty Crocker and Hershey teamed up to bring you three new delicious dessert bar mixes. Featuring classic Hershey varieties such as REESE'S Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Heath Toffee, and many people's favorite HERSHEY'S S'mores. We were able to try out HERSHEY'S S'mores and REESE'S Peanut Butter & Chocolate dessert bar mixes. 

Noah ready to help

My son will be 6 years old in October. He loves his sweets and enjoys baking. I asked him which mix he'd like to try first and he was quick to pick HERSHEY'S S'mores. These mixes are great to do with the kids because they are fairly easy. It also helps with getting the kids to follow step by step instructions. Noah is my personal reminder to check on the goodies. I sometimes forget to time my cooking. (Yes, I know he shouldn't be sitting on the table. I pick and choose my battles. This was a time for fun.)

The crust layer

It was a quick prep for the crust and bar mix. We didn't need to use a mixer for this mix. I let Noah mix them up. They turned out great. Sometimes it's nice to use mixes because it cuts down on the prep time.

Baked and Ready to Eat

The only thing I would do different next time around is use an 8x8 pan instead of the 9x9 that I had already. 

REECE'S Dessert Bar Mix

We tried the REESE'S also but everyone seemed to agree that our favorites were the HERSHEY'S S'mores bars. 

Are you a REESE'S or HERSHEY'S person? I like them both at different times. You can't go wrong with chocolate. You can find these delicious dessert bars at Target. Which is one of my favorite places to shop. 

*Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op. All opinions are my own.*

Schwan's Home Service and Deals

Schwan's Home Delivery

For over 60 years, Schwan's Home Service has provided superior frozen foods with convenient home delivery. Their foods are flash frozen at the peak of freshness and flavor. Choose from USDA Choice meats, wild-caught seafood, flavorful skillet meals, Grade A fruits and vegetables, plus our heritage ice cream, distinctive desserts and much more.

Schwan's offers delicious foods to satisfy everyone, including family members with special dietary needs including:

- No gluten ingredients
- Vegetarian
- No sugar added
- Heart healthy
- Low calorie
- Low sodium choices

Schwan's offers weekly specials, coupons, online hot deals and new customer special offers. Join the Schwan's Rewards program and earn 5% back on every online purchase, to be used on a future order. 

100% Guarantee! Love It or Return It! If you're unsatisfied with one of their products - for any reason - they will gladly replace it or provide a refund.

My Readers can Save $ On your First Order at Schwans Home Service! - $5 off $25 Order - Coupon Code: JULIEN2
$10 off $50 Order - Coupon Code: JULIEN2
$15 off $75 Order - Coupon Code: JULIEN15

Quick Pickled Radish and Cucumber Snack

Radish

My new favorite vegetable to snack on is the radish. Maybe it's because we have been watching a lot of Kung Fu Panda 2. Baby Po in the radish box is so cute. My husband and I were trying out some quick pickling ideas. I like something that is quick and easy to make, especially for a snack.

What We Used:

-Radish 

-Mini Cucumbers

-Soy Sauce

-Rice Wine Vinegar

-Salt

-Garlic Powder

At the very end, we added some olive oil...because we love olive oil.

Mini Cucumbers

We also used these mini cucumbers for the first time. I like them. Great bite size pieces and they pickle faster. My daughter likes walking around with them just as they are. 

Slice or dice your veggies. Throw them in a bowl with the Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Salt, and Garlic Powder. You can omit garlic powder if you want. You should probably wait at least an hour before you eat your snack but I ate mine like within 30 minutes. I still enjoyed it. If you ever had a radish plain, then you know it has a bit of a spicy kick. The quick pickle radish isn't spicy and has a nice taste. 

Quick Pickled Radish and Cucumbers

Next time we will try white vinegar and maybe some dill. What else could I pickle? 

Do you have a favorite veggie?

Chicken Dinner With Suddenly Grain Salad

Harvest Grains Suddenly Grain Salad

Betty Crocker has come out with a Suddenly Grain Salad line up which consists of Harvest Grains, Tuscan Grains, and Southwest Grains. Each variety includes delicious rice, quinoa, and fruits and spices. I love the fact that it is boil in a bag, to make it easy to prepare. We do a lot of chicken dinners because chicken is affordable. 

Harvest Grains was awesome. My husband was skeptical of it being a "cold salad" side dish. I was curious how it was going to taste too, since we normally have hot rice as a side dish. It has all the elements that I enjoy. Almonds and cranberries were perfect in this dish.

Harvest Grains Suddenly Grain Salad

It even looks appealing to eat. I also like how it has quinoa in it. I've heard really good things about quinoa. 

Chicken thighs, broccoli, and Harvest Grains

We added chicken thighs and broccoli along side the Harvest Grains dish. It all came out really yummy. I would actually eat the Harvest Grains as a lunch. It would also be good if you are doing a meatless Monday.

 

Check out the Suddenly Salad products here. I think I'm going to look for their pasta dishes at my next grocery store visit. 

What are your favorite side dishes to make? 

*Disclosure-The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op. All opinions are my own.*

KIND's Newest Nuts & Spices Flavors Review

KIND Nuts & Spices

*I received complimentary products from Tomoson for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I've always enjoyed KIND bars and was excited to try their new flavors. KIND has added Caramel Almond & Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond to its line of KIND Nuts and Spices bars. That brings the line to eight flavors total. They are a good example of a snack tasting great with low sugar. Which is great for me because I need to lower my sugar intake. Both flavors contain 7g of fiber, 6g of protein, and 5g of sugar. I love a snack that will give me that much protein. You can find their Nuts & Spices line here. 

Coffee Break with KIND Caramel Almond & Sea Salt

My husband and I both tried these bars and loved them. We both agreed that the Caramel Almond & Sea Salt was our favorite. I am a coffee drinker. Just two cups a day. Around 2 or 3pm, I will be ready for a mid-day snack and second cup of coffee. Instead of grabbing the cookies or cupcakes, I will go for the KIND bar instead. It makes me feel a lot better about having a snack since it is healthier for me.

My husband travels a lot for work and is on the go, these bars are great to throw into his brief case for a quick pick me up. 

What else do I love about these bars? They are gluten free, all natural, and non-gmo. Go ahead, try one. Take them with you to work or on a hike. 

Follow KIND on Twitter and Like them on Facebook.

Have you ever had any of the KIND products? What did you have? Let me know in the comments.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.