The Suburban Jungle

Winter Composing Suprises

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:55:00 +0000

The funny thing about composting is that it never ends. We are always eating fruits and vegetables, leaves fall from trees every fall, plants die, and there is a continual need to feed the compost pile.

For the past few years, I had employed an open compost pile. Basically, we dumped our compost items and buried them in the pile. But in the winter, the pile would freeze and I would eventually throw out our scraps (oh the travesty!)

This summer we invested in large rotating compost bin. I could rotate the bin daily and keep the compost decomposing. Since we had a warmer winter, the compost even continued to break down - albeit slower than the hot summer time.

But then it happened. I went out to empty our household compost and saw egg shells littering my raspberry beds. What happened? I figured it out once I couldn't open the frozen locks on the compost bin.

My son had emptied the bin a few days before and also could not open the frozen locks. But instead of telling me about it, he decided to just dispose of the compost in the raspberries and call it a day. But there was no compost left..... only egg shells.

Images of the Rats of NIMH and Mrs Frisby gathering meals for her children danced through my head. I can only imagine how excited the forest animals must have been to have found lettuce hearts, fresh carrot and mango peels, apple cores and other "summer delicacies."

I had to smile - thinking about the joy it must have brought to the animals. But I don't feed wild animals, for all sorts of disease/population control/garden nuisance issues. And since the compost bin is now frozen for the next few months, I am back to the horrid idea of using the garbage. It's been a sad and difficult situation, but one that is bound to come up every winter.

I hope Mrs Frisby enjoyed her winter surprise.

Incorporating Green Tea into your Day

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've surely heard about all the health benefits of green tea. I've read oodles of articles describing the antioxidant benefits of tea, but did not drink my first cup of tea until last year!

And since that first cup, I've experimented with tons of flavors and have come up with a healthy way to incorporate tea into my daily routine.

I drink tea to slow down and relax. So I usually drink tea while I'm sitting on the porch in the evening, enjoying a cool breeze. Or I drink tea while I'm reading a book in bed or in the tub. And I often drink tea when I feel like I need "something" but I'm not really hungry.

It gives you that warmth that you're looking for. It's also a great low-calorie snack/beverage to enjoy while watching a movie, traveling, or just watching t.v.

As you can see, I haven't really associated tea with food. But when you entertain, most people expect tea to go with small treat.

So as I was sampling the assortment of Lipton Green Teas, I paired tea with food for the first time. I had the opportunity to sample Lipton Green Tea Superfruit's Purple Acai and Blueberry, White Mangosteen and Peach, and Red Goji and Raspberry.

They all smelled wonderful, but my favorite tasting tea was the Red Goji and Raspberry.
I set out to pair these teas with the perfect food. I tried pizza, spaghetti, chicken, pesto and tomatoes, salads, and salmon with asparagus.

Of those options, salmon worked the best. But these teas smell like breakfast to me. So I decided to change my strategy. And that's when I hit on the category that I felt worked the best - granola (or any oatmeal based treat.)

I paired the White Mangosteen and peach with a strawberry crisp:

I paired the Red Goji and Raspberry with an apple, coconut, oat muesli:

And I paired the the Purple Acai and Blueberry with a homemade raisin granola bar:

I still think tea is best enjoyed without food - to unwind and take the chill out of the evening or winter. But I think I could get used to having a cup of tea with an oat filled breakfast. What a great way to start the day!

How do you enjoy your tea? What treats or meals would you pair with the Lipton Green Tea Superfruit flavors?

Look below for a chance to win a fantastic prize from Lipton Green Tea - and as a special bonus *** the first 3 people that comment on this post through the widget below will win a box of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit Tea.***

Please be sure to leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you to ship out your tea. You may spell out your address: (e.g. thesuburbanjungle (AT) gmail (dot) com) and I will type it out correctly when I email you.

Now that I have shared what I would pair with these refreshing Lipton Green Tea Superfruits, I want to know, how do you enjoy your tea?

Share your tea time must haves for a chance to win a year's supply of Lipton Tea, a tea kettle, a tea box, a mug/saucer set, a travel tumbler and a $50 gift card to Amazon.com!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Improving your sun damaged skin

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

It wasn't that long ago that I saw a program on television for treating sun damaged skin where a forty-something woman with severe sun damage had a treatment and had almost 100% sun spot removal - all in the course of a 30 minute program!

It completely rocked my idea of beauty, the sun, and health. She was healthy - in her forties - and extremely active. She surfed every single day. Do you know any surfers with unhealthy bodies? Me neither. But her skin was like crocodile skin.

I really have a hard time with sunscreens because of all the chemicals they contain, and I wonder if they are really doing us more harm than good. But then I saw her face (and neck and arms) and thought - holy smokes, the sun can be damaging.

I firmly believe the sun can be healing (vitamin D, lessening depression, etc.) but there is such thing as too much. It's nice to know that there are real, viable solutions to repair the skin damage that happens when you get a little too much sun.

My Winter Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:05:00 +0000

This winter has been unseasonably warm and when we were mid-50's and not a trace of snow by January, I started to get giddy. Surely, this wasn't normal. But running outside to turn the compost bin, I caught a glimpse of the garden.

It looked perfectly ready to plant - like early May readiness. I immediately got the urge to plant something. Could I really have a garden year-round? I was almost too excited. You know, mental hospital excited.

Then before I knew it, we had real winter. I'm not complaining - we missed almost 3 months of it, and spring will be here before you know it. But now I had the planting urge. It cannot be cured without planting....

Lucky for me, I had something in storage that was going to work beautifully. This summer, we stopped at a 10 cent garage sale. WHAT? Yes, everything was 10 cents. Most of it was total junk, but I did happen to find a brand new herb planter - complete with dirt and seeds. Old seeds, but hey, 10 cents, right?

So last week, my daughter and I planted it. Correction - she planted it. She gets just as excited about gardening as I do, and there was no need for "perfection" so I let her do all the work.

Here are the results - one week later. I included a few "green shots" for those of you need need of some winter green.

Fully planted "herb garden." There are 4 "sides" and the top for planting.

Catnip seedlings

Basil and Cilantro seedlings

In all - we planted Basil, Cilantro, Catnip, Thyme, Parsley, and Marjoram. The only one that hasn't germinated is Parsley. The rest are coming along nicely. If all goes well, we can transplant many of these to the garden in the summer - come on Parsley!!

This was a super fun activity and at Ten cents - you can't beat it.

Perricone MD $150 product Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:19:00 +0000

If you're a woman, then chances are good that you've been battling with your skin ever since you left grade school. It's a never ending battle, but good products really do make a difference.

Perricone MD products are some of the best out there, and they are giving one Suburban Jungle reader a chance to win a Perricone product valued at $150 or less.

The products are Perricone are extremely varied. You can find creams for eyes, stretch marks, products that contain chia omega 3 and products with the health benefits of capsaicin. There's almost no limit to the products you can find.

So fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win a product of your choice:

a Rafflecopter giveaway *The Giveaway product is provided by Perricone MD. No compensation was received for this giveaway.

The Diet Detective's All-American Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:43:00 +0000

I read a lot of books about health and nutrition, and usually I pick up one or two useful pieces of information. But not with The Diet Detective's All-American Diet. This book shocked the core of what I believe about nutrition!

The gist of what this book says is: "its great if you grow your own organic foods, shop at the farmer's market, and prepare all your meals - but most American's won't! - so let's move past that and create a plan using the foods that American's eat." I paraphrased that, by the way.

I have never read a health book that advocates eating what American's typically eat! But it really made sense.

One of the biggest battles I have when discussing healthy food options with others is that they do NOT want to change WHAT they are eating.

The entire book was a plan to eat correct portions and do it using processed foods. Plus some optional (I SAID OPTIONAL!!!) fruits and vegetables. There were literally pages and pages of meal options (all with color photos) from fast food restaurants, grocery store shelves, and frozen prepared meals.

Every day's meal plan contains 2 snacks and A DESSERT! Whoa!

And what does this book have to say about exercise? I'll let you read that for yourself, but I'll give you a hint - easy stuff that every single person with 2 legs can do. There is no running, high intensity intervals, or anything that would scare the time-stressed American away.

This book is all about making it easy. Not really changing your current lifestyle at all - just monitoring your portions. And it shows you a myriad of options that you can pick up at your local grocery store or fast food restaurant - no cooking required.

I am still in shock after reading this book. I just never thought I'd see the day. I would still advocate that people eat a mostly organic, whole foods diet. But since most American's refuse to do it, this is a great start.

I'm actually cutting out the restaurant section to put in my husband's car - not because I think he needs to lose weight, but because it gives a detailed "menu" for eating at familiar restaurants and my husband travels for work. It's nice to have that information before you pull up to the drive-thru. In fact, I think the author of this book should come out with a "take-along" restaurant guide that people can keep in their cars. Just a thought.

*I received a complimentary copy of The Diet Detective's All-American Diet for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.

Whole Grains First Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:21:00 +0000

The front of any food product rarely gives you the whole story. I am a notorious label reader, and hopefully by now you are too. One of the biggest changes in "front of the package" labeling has come in the the claims of "whole grains."

You absolutely must read the back of the label - ingredients and nutritional information to get the truth about what is in the products you eat!

By looking for the White Check on the front of the box, you can be sure that item you are about to purchase lists Whole grains as the first ingredient on the back.

General Mills is offering one Suburban Jungle reader to chance to win 5 boxes of their popular cereals that have the white check.

To Enter to win - fill out the rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But that's not your only chance to win! General Mills has developed an online educational game called "Fast Lane for Whole Grain" to help you identify products with whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check.

Visit www.WholeGrainNation.com to enter the sweepstakes and play "Fast Lane for Whole Grain.

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Progresso Souper You Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:45:00 +0000

January is almost over! How are you doing on your New Year's resolutions?? If you have weight loss as one of your 2012 goals, then Progresso wants you do know that you can have your soup and eat it too!

Progresso has 40 delicious soups with 100 calories or less per serving, so you can take your pick to keep your diet interesting. Plus, this year the Souper You Contest will provide three lucky winners with an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood; which includes a trip for 2 to Los Angeles, California where the winner will receive a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season’s live finale of NBC’s The Biggest Loser

Yes, you read that right - tickets to The Biggest Loser finale! To enter: submit your photo at www.SouperYou.com with a brief essay about why you love Progresso soups and why youdeserve a makeover, by no later than February 22nd

Fans can check back on March 12th for the announcement of the top ten finalists, and to vote for their favorite finalist until March 25th
In addition, visit http://bit.ly/ProgressoCoup to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off the purchase of four (4) cans of Progresso Soup today, and feel free to share with your blog readers so they can take advantage of the savings as well

Check out this video of the 2011 Souper You Winner: This could be you!!

You also have a chance to win a Biggest Loser and Progresso Prize pack right here! One Suburban Jungle reader will win (2) VIP coupons for Progresso soup and a Biggest Loser exercise DVD.

To enter to win: Fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The Progresso^® Souper You^® prize pack, information, coupon, and giveaway have been provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

It was the joy of all joys when a big box arrived at our house filled with Brother's All Natural Fruit Crisps. I had agreed to review them but the truth is, I have tried them before.

For some odd reason, 2 years ago, the CVS near my home had a batch of Brother's Strawberry Banana crisps. I bought a pack on a whim and ate it on the way home. I turned around and bought the whole display. I think there were 40 packages.

In case you're new to this blog, I love, love, love berries, and freeze dried fruit.

My kids loved the strawberry banana crisps, and we finished the entire lot of them in just a few days. I went back to CVS hoping they had restocked the shelves. Nope!

A few more visits to the store and I realized they were never selling them again....

Fast forward 2 years, and the Brothers fruit crisps pop into my local Costco. To my dismay the carton was mostly apple and pear - no berries and knowing my history with fruit crisps, I knew that I'd eat the 24 pack in just a few days.

And then the box arrives at our door. And to my awesome surprise, the packages are of "just strawberries," peaches, strawberry banana, pear, apple, banana, and pineapple.

OMG - JUST STRAWBERRIES. After devouring the package, I went online and ordered the 24 pack of whole strawberries online. I mean, why didn't I look for this before? Yes, I am going to eat them all in one day - but it's worth it!!

In case you're wondering, all of the other flavors are awesome too. Of course, nothing beats strawberry (except maybe raspberry.) But I have to tell you that I have a new love for the just bananas and pineapple.

The pineapple comes in bite size bits so you can eat one package for a long time (kind of like chips but way tastier.) I am tempted to order a 24 pack of pineapple chunks because Brothers' are having a 15% off special on pineapple and offering free shipping.

And yes, I am going to eat them all in a very short time span. What's a vegan girl to do? They are like yummy, crispy candy. Except they are not candy. They are real fruit, without any preservatives or added colors or any other ingredients. And my kids absolutely LOVED these!!!

When my strawberry packs arrive, I'm even tempted to hide them in my room. Moms don't always have to share, right?

My only complaint is that they aren't sold in my regular grocery stores. But I am always in the nut and dried fruit aisles so when they do pop up in say...Target...I'll be cleaning out the shelves. Especially the strawberry packs.

*A very special thank you to Brother's for sending me all of your wonderful flavors to try, especially the strawberries! I'm hooked and will be asking for them at all my regular stores.

Raw & Beyond - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:41:00 +0000

If you've taken any steps toward a Raw diet, then you know some of the amazing benefits. Over the past few years, I have ventured into various aspects of the raw and vegan worlds.

To be honest, I love everything about raw, whole foods. But.... like the well respected authors of Raw & Beyond, I found that being 100% raw wasn't for me.

For one - it's just too dang hard to get enough calories from healthy, whole foods. Yeah!! Think about that! Perhaps if we all added more raw veggies (or honestly, veggies of any accord) to our diets we'd have a lot less of a weight problem.

But I digress. The books authors recommend a mostly raw or what's called a High Raw diet. And I couldn't agree more. They discuss the reasoning behind it, and like all aspects of health it centers around inflammation. In this case: the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

I found the food chart in the book to be extremely interesting and I'm thankful to the authors for including it.

The bulk of the book is full of recipes to incorporate more omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. I really enjoyed the salad dressing recipes (especially since many of them included hemp seeds and I have been trying to find new ways to incorporate seeds).

I enjoyed reading the authors journeys with raw food and really enjoyed the food chart. The recipes looked great but mostly left me longing for summer when I live a truly High Raw lifestyle. Nothing beats picking fresh fruits and veggies from your own backyard.

If you're a Raw foodie or if you'd like to delve into the Raw world, then I recommend you take a look at this book. Both to find out what others have done before you, but also to learn from their very important message of Omega-3/Omega-6 balance.

*I received a complimentary book for review purposes. No compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

Protect Infants NOW !

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:46:00 +0000

As a mother, your job is to protect your children. So many things are common to look out for - chokable food/toys, hot/sharp surfaces, strangers, and germs.

Something you may not think of is Meningococcal Disease - the best known complications are Meningitis and sepsis. It may come as a surprise to you, but Meningococcal disease is among the leading causes of preventable infant death.

The keyword here is: preventable. 50-60% of cases are prevented with vaccination. And this disease strikes infants (and teens) hard. 1 in 7 people that get the disease will die from it. And of those that survive 1 in 6 will suffer from limb amputations, paralysis, strokes, seizures, hearing loss, blindness, organ damage, brain damage, severe scarring, and more.

A vaccine was recently approved to stop Meningcoccal Disease and is indicated for babies as young as 9 months. The CDC is gathering information to make recommendations for their infant vaccine schedules right now.

To make your voice heard on the issue of Infant Meningoccal Disease - take a look at the petition - Protect Infants Now - and share your thoughts on this important issue. You can sign the petition online and encourage the CDC to include the meningoccal vaccines in their recommendations.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central and Meningitis Angels. This campaign was made possible in part through support provided by Novartis Vaccines. A small donation to a charity of my choice was made in my name from Mom Central as a thank-you for participating. All opinions in this posting are 100% my own.

Looking for the Ultimate Gift for around $20?!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:17:00 +0000

Are you looking for the perfect gift? Or do you have a birthday coming up (hey, Mother's day is just around the corner) and you need to give people ideas?

Here's what I recommend:

Sure, you're going to think I'm a little "pull up" obsessed lately. But that's only because I AM! I got mine off of Craigslist for $10 and it has been the best gym purchase I have bought in a Looooong time. Maybe even one of my better purchases of all time.

I'd recommend looking for these at garage sales, on ebay, or on Amazon. People buy all sorts of great fitness equipment each January. They maybe use it a handful of times before it gets stored - and later resold for WAY less than they paid.

That makes it almost new. Plus pull up bars last for-eva. I had resisted buying one in the past because I thought they damaged your door. Then I saw my sister's pull up bar and thoroughly checked it out. No damage.

She has the Gold's gym pull up bar - which admittedly is a little nicer and comes with a few extra handles, straps, etc. I have the Iron Gym version. A more basic model but it definitely gets the job done! And hey - it was $10!!

If I happen to find a more "deluxe" model at a garage sale this summer, I'll upgrade. But I can still get a killer workout with my $10 model.

And let me assure you that I would NOT put these up in my house if I had even an inkling that they would cause damage. I spend way too much time taking care of our house to do that. The only thing that might make them cause damage is if you are over 200 lbs. But for most women - this shouldn't be an issue.

The other "under $10" items you should consider adding to your gym are a swiss ball, kettle bell, heavy dumbbells or medicine balls. Heck if you come across any inexpensive kettle bells, dumbbells over 25lbs or medicine balls (over 10lbs) - give me a call. I'm always in the market. :)

Ocean Spray Fruit Snacks Review & #Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:55:00 +0000

Fruit snacks have been OFF of my grocery list for so long, but somehow my kids end up getting them anyway. They are a favorite of moms and teachers to hand out at school events. So when I heard that Ocean Spray was coming out with fruit snacks made from real fruit juice and natural colors and flavors, it only made sense to give them a shot.

To be fair - I would not buy fruit snacks of any kind for my kids as a regular snack. But I would buy them as a better alternative when I'm asked to bring fruit snacks to school or parties.

And these really do seem to be a better alternative. Looking at the ingredient list, you won't find the artificial colors and flavors you find on most fruit snacks. But you will find Corn syrup, sugar, corn starch, dextrose, a host of preservatives, juice, and "natural flavor."

One pouch has 80 calories, 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C, and 12 grams of Sugar. They also have double box tops. My kids love collecting box tops for their school, so getting double is pretty special.

Okay, back to the sugar. 12 grams of Sugar per serving is pretty high, but moms need to know that 1 cup of white milk also sports 12 grams of Sugar (plus some protein and vitamins/minerals.) You need to read everything!

I would consider the Ocean Spray Fruit snacks to be candy, but a better alternative to the candies loaded with artificial colors and flavors. And of course, this includes "regular" fruit snacks too.

And if you're wondering how they taste, they taste great. They come in yummy flavors like berries and cherries. My kids never thought they were "missing" anything. They loved them and wanted them: over and over and over again!

Want to give Ocean Spray Fruit Snacks made with Real Fruit Juice a try in your home? One Lucky Suburban Jungle reader will win 6 boxes of Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks (3 of each flavor).

You can also download a coupon for $1.10 off of the purchase of (2) Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored snacks here.

To Enter to the contest - fill out the rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure: Ocean Spray^® Fruit Flavored Snacks, information, and giveaway have been provided by Ocean Spray^® through MyBlogSpark.

The Gluten-Free Good Health Cookbook Review

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:05:00 +0000

If you want to improve your health, then I'd recommend you take a look at The Gluten-Free Good Health Cookbook. I love new cookbooks and I can't say enough about this one.

For one, it's based on eating more whole, nutrient dense foods. And besides that - it actually teaches you how to cook well!

I can tell you from experience, that once you start eating a diet of whole foods (prepared well) you will lose a lot of your tastes for processed food. Even gluten and sugar loaded "foods!"

If you've ever thought about going gluten-free or even want to know WHY it's important, then this book is for you. It begins with an overview of what and why gluten can be dangerous. It then goes into how to cook correctly, and then starts on recipes.

Oh the recipes!! This book is loaded with recipes. Aptly, it starts with gravies and sauces because if you thought about removing gluten, the first thought in your mind might have been - "but what about gravy or cream sauces?" How would you make them without flour? This book shows you how.

It also shows how to make great soups, meat dishes, even pizzas and pastas! My only complaint would be a lack of recipe photos. I am a sucker for recipe photos. But the recipes themselves are great and use whole, natural ingredients.

I'd recommend you check it out - for an education and for the recipes.

*I received a complimentary book for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.

Having Fun with Uncommon Goods

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:04:00 +0000

I love unique gifts and finding things that no one else has seen or used. That was part of the fun when we opened the "Family Fun Set" from Uncommon Goods.

Ironically, my son was having a pretty grumpy day when we opened the package and the first thing that popped out was the Emergency Clown Nose!

The timing couldn't have been better. And what a super cute, little gift. If you have kids, or even if you don't - I'm sure you could come up with a ton of uses for this! This is a great site for birthday gifts, heart gifts, even money clips.

The second item that we pulled out was a table top ping pong set. What a great item to bring out on a rainy day or when you're travelling. This would have been so great to bring on our holiday road trip. When you stop at a hotel - you can bring this out and get out some of your sitting frustrations.

The best part of this set is that it fold down and fits into a small bag. The net rolls up into the pillars - and the balls store inside the pillars too! The only downside - the balls aren't quite springy enough. I happen to have ping pong balls lying around (why??) and replaced them with the heavier balls in the set.

Because of the age of my children, the last part of the Fun Set was their favorite. A fingerprint art set.

They had hours of fun using this set, and everything stores neatly inside the tin. I would recommend this gift for travel, birthday parties, rainy days, or anytime. My kids absolutely loved creating with this set.

Uncommon Goods has graciously offered one Suburban Jungle reader a $50 gift certificate to use on their site.

To enter to win: Fill out the rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Looking for a good Vegan source of Protein and Omega-3 Fatty Acids??

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:03:00 +0000

I am always on the lookout for new plant based nutrient sources. And I may have found something truly awesome that even a non-vegan would love! Hemp seeds!

I know what you're thinking. Hemp!!! You wouldn't believe the looks I get when I tell everyone I meet about these amazing little seeds. Yes, I'm a blabber mouth. And I carry them with me for friends to try. Guess that they think?

They taste good! Really! They taste sort of like a creamy, nutty sweet pea. But not sweet. I love flax seeds and add them (freshly ground and raw of course) to many of my meals, but I wouldn't say that flax tastes "good." It just is.

I'm the kind of girl that could eat a whole big bowl of peas and call it dinner. I do love them...and hemp seeds remind me of peas so what's not to love. Plus, they have a lot of protein for such a small (and non-animal) food.

Plus they are portable. You can pop them in your mouth as-is (no grinding required), put them in your granola, oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, or salad dressings. Did I mention they are a great source of non-fish (and non-sea) omega-3's. And since they aren't heated, you'll get more benefit from them.

I've shared them with a ton of people and everyone has liked them, even trying to grab seconds! So consider them if you're looking for another healthy food source to add to your diet. And no worries - they do not have any of the THC found in marijuana. ;)

Next stop - chia seeds. And in case you're wondering, I tried these on my own and will buy them again. I was not sponsored in anyway to try or write about Hemp seeds (or flax.) I just like them.

Making Fitness Progress when you have No Weight to Lose

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:02:00 +0000

Because I'm pretty frugal, some people might say that I'm obsessed with money. But those people are wrong. I'm obsessed with fitness.

If you're a relatively fit person, do you ever find yourself jealous of obese people because they see "results" on a regular basis? I do! I love to watch people on The Biggest Loser drop pound after pound after pound. How exciting!!

My fitness tracking is way less exciting. Sure there were the baby pounds that came off for a few weeks, but then the scale was pretty much stuck in a small 5 lb range. I'm at a healthy weight, so I'm not complaining. I just wish my "results" were a little faster/more noticeable.

So if you don't measure weight (and really, weight shouldn't be the main motivator anyway!)- what can you measure to keep track of your success?

Measure body fat, speed, endurance, amount of weight you can lift, and how much more you can do!

I have been keeping a fitness journal for the last 2 years. I write down what I eat, what I do in the gym, and how I feel. It's awesome to go back and see my wimpy assisted pull-up moves and now to see I can do 4 sets of 4 reps of unassisted pull ups. Someday I hope to write down 3 sets of 20! Then weighted!

I'm getting closer and closer to doing a long enough handstand that I can start walking on my hands. Do you know how amazing that would be?

I went from not being able to do a single push up to being able to do 60+ and even plyometric push ups. I can run. I can run fast. I can walk for forever. I can jump and do crazy P90X or Crossfit style workouts.

But I would have given up or even stopped years ago if the scale was all that mattered. After all, I was at a "healthy" weight years ago - but I wasn't in the fighting condition I am now - or the condition I hope to be in as time goes on!

My advice - ditch the scale and start keeping track of your REAL progress. Keep track of how much stronger you are, how much tighter your muscles are, how much better your clothes fit, and how much faster you've become and how much better you feel! Fitness allows you to LIVE better, not just look better.

Frosted Toast Crunch Review & Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Have you seen the new "Frosted Toast Crunch?" It just started showing up in my local grocers this month, but we had the chance to try it out before it hit stores.

My first thought was: "Really???" I mean, wasn't Cinnamon Toast Crunch sugary enough? But after reading the box, it turns out there are only 9 grams of sugar per serving. Not a "low sugar" cereal but lower than some of the sugary favorites that kids love.

Plus the cereal has 11 grams of whole grains and who doesn't love frosted squares?

Would you like a chance to try out new Frosted Toast Crunch? One lucky Suburban Jungle reader will win the prize package shown above - including a box of cereal, spilt milk bowl, lickety spoon and frosted pitcher.

To Enter: Fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

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Disclosure: Frosted Toast Crunch, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark

Back to School - $25 Sams Club Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Heading back to school after the long Holiday vacation is almost as exhausting (and exciting!) and heading back in the fall. It takes a lot of work to get back on schedule and Sam's Club wants to help make that transition even easier!

Some of your favorite General Mills brands are offering even more cash for your local school with the Sam's Club "6 Box Tops on a Pack" promotion.

Plus you can find notebooks, computers, clothes and much more at Sam's to help get you back to school.

To make it even easier - Sam's Club is offering one Suburban Jungle reader a $25 Gift Card to Sam's Club.

To Enter - Fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: The Sam’s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Express Scripts Prescription Program Changing

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As a consumer, it's important that you stay on top of all of your insurance needs. It's your responsibility to know what services are covered, paying your copays, and getting the best service possible.

If you are a Walgreens and Express Script customer, then it's important for you know about a few changes in the Express Scripts Prescription Plan. Walgreens is no longer part of the Express Scripts' pharmacy provider network, effective Jan. 1, 2012. This includes all Walgreens pharmacies and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area.

Changes in your health care can be confusing. Be sure to check with your insurance provider to find out what this means to you. As you can imagine, most customers are confused and angry.

To minimize the disruption, Walgreens has created the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. Only certain certain prescription coverage plans are forcing customers to leave Walgreens.

The Walgreens Prescription Savings club is a plan that an individual can join for only $5 or $10 for a family memberships. This club allows you to save on more than 8,000 brand name and generic medications. This promotional prize is valid in January and will give you access to more than 400 generics in three month supplies for less than $1 a week.

Regular annual membership is $20 for an individual and $35 for a family.

You can also get discounts on supplies (like nebulizers and diabetic needs) and save on photo finishing. Follow Walgreens on Twitter and Walgreens on Facebook to keep up to date on this new program and other savings.

Got a Messy office?? Enter to win Money for your Messiness!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Is your office a dump? A paper wasteland? That probably means you're not be being as efficient as you could be - which usually means less money.... I said USUALLY! But not this time!

If you have a messy cubicle or office you could enter to win the Pimp My Cube Contest. Pimp My Cue is looking for the worst, most pathetic, messy cubicle or office. You can have bad furniture (70's anyone?,) old technology, old food, and any assortment of dirty, dark, or messy surroundings.

What do you do? Upload a video showing your office or cube space while you explain the details of why it's so horrible and why you want Contest Factory to come in and "Pimp" your cube!

Then you have your friends and family and internet buddies vote for your video. You get sweepstakes entry points for registering, voting, commenting, and inviting others to register. My desk space is messy - most of the time. But other than that, I can't complain. I'd love to hear about your office conditions though.

The Grand Prize is getting your cube "pimped" and it will be selected by Contest Factory judges based on various criteria - including most votes, best video and most compelling story. Approximate value: $1200 and includes one of three prize packages:

New high end computer system
New Desk, chair and decorations
New Entertainment Package with high end stereo, espresso machine, etc.

Entries are super low -so your odds of winning are HIGH. Plus, it's easy enough to take a quick video and upload it. You could even do it from your phone.

The second sweepstakes prize is a $200 gift card - it will be awarded to a randomly drawn registered user at the end of the contest.

The contest runs from 12/5/11 at 12:00PM to 1/31/12 at 12:00PM. So hurry and enter today!

Social Media to Make you WELL

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cafe Well for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Social Media can be a big time drag and fitness bloggers have even coined the terms "Twitter butt" and "Facebook Thighs." But what if it didn't have to be that way? What if social media could be used for wellness?That's where Cafe Well comes in. Cafe Well is a social media site - easy to use to connect and make friends, and full of information.

On the site, you can find communities that focus on your interests: such as Cancer, Mental Health, Heart health, Parenting & Pregnancy, to name a few. You can read blogs, search for information, and join groups. You can even find Challenges - to motivate you to make changes.

Right now there is a challenge to run through the holidays. You can use Cafe Well to not only motivate you but keep you accountable.

One challenge that is extremely exciting is the "Race to the Moon". Race to the Moon is a corporate wellness program that encourages people to walk/run more often. Participants receive a wireless pedometer that tracks their mileage.

Employees are rewarded with incentives for participating. Check out the site to see if your business or employer could benefit from this program. There are rewards, it's easy, and it's fun!

I'm thinking about adding my own Challenge on Cafe Well - it will be called "Pulling Your Own Weight." The Challenge will be to encourage people to build their upper body strength enough that they can "pull their own weight." The goal for newbies would be to complete one successful pull up.

For those of us that can already do a few pullups, the challenge would be to do more. Once you can do 20 pull ups in a row - then add weight to your feet and build up your strength even more. I'd love help encourage people to build their body strength.

MrChewy.com Review

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:45:00 +0000

My cat eats a high quality diet. She's fully primal - no grains of any kind, and in order to find her higher quality food, I have to shop at a specialty cat food store.

You can imagine how annoying this can get. I'd rather just dump it in the cart at Target and go on with my day, but good cat food is not sold at Target. Sorry, it's just the truth.

So, once a month, I take a separate trip to the (out of my way) pet store and pick up her spendy cat food.

Then - in a moment of pure "duh!!," I realized I could be buying her cat food online. No driving to the store. No waiting in line with people that bring their pets to the store. No lugging large quantities of pet food and griping to myself about the price all the way back to the car.

What had I been thinking? I use the internet for almost everything and yet I wasn't even looking for her food online. Actually, I take that back. I had scoped it out on Amazon and a few other online stores, but found it to cost way too much compared to shopping in person.

That was - until I found MrChewy.com. Mr Chewy is all about dog and cat food, treats, and pet supplies. And they carry my cat's fave food! Woo! Oh - and they carry it for less than the in store price.

At the time I ordered my cat's food, shipping was free for orders over $49. If you buy pet food regularly, you know that your order will easily add up to $49. But if it doesn't, shipping is a reasonable $4.95. Yes, $4.95 to ship really heavy pet food.

I was so happy to find my cat's food at such a steal of a price. I even decided to try out some new cat treats. The site was easy to maneuver, search and buy from. And did I mention the low prices??!

My only beef would be the low selection of treats. My cat's favorite treats (freeze dried salmon, chicken or tuna) were not for sale on MrChewy.com. But to be honest with you, I don't buy treats all that often. I usually give my cat raw meat for treats. And I am satisfied enough with the food selection and prices.

If you buy cat or dog food, you will want to check out MrChewy.com and see if your favorite brands are for sale. Compare the prices to other online or brick and mortar stores. You just might be pleasantly surprised. Imagine crossing off "buy cat food at ...." on your to-do list. I crossed it off of mine and I am super excited to be free from that chore!

*I received a complimentary gift certificate to try out MrChewy.com. All opinions expressed are my own.

Pecans Gone Wild!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +0000

While visiting my sister over the holidays, look what she pulled out:

Raw, organic pecans that she gleaned herself from her the University she attends. Wahoo! I love pecans! And I have to tell you that raw and wild pecans are even better.

It makes me smile to think that she does some of the same things I do - exercise just for fun, crazy races, shopping for deals on cute outfits, hunting for wild berries and nuts. It's awesome!

Mega Bloks Police Force Pursuit Review

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:58:00 +0000

Building blocks rule!! I can not tell you how many hours my kids have spent building. But their favorite building sets (hands down!) include people and real life buildings, vehicles, or equipment.

This winter, my kids had the chance to play with the Blok Squad Police Force Pursuit from Mega Bloks. They absolutely loved it, and I was super impressed with it too.

First of all, you get a lot of action for only $19.99. If you buy building sets on a regular basis, you know that $19.99 usually buys you a super small set with limited pieces.

But this set was awesome. It included enough blocks (391 to be exact) to create an ambulance, squad car, and police boat. Plus, it came with officers and road blocks.

My son spent an entire evening putting them together and has mixed them in with his sets, playing with them daily. Moms - this is QUIET, non-sister fighting playtime!!

And it enhances his ability to imagine with his play sets. Now that he has police officers, he can have robbers and jails. He can have high speed chases and rescues. It's pretty awesome.

This set appeals to children, has a lot of imagination potential, and is a great value for the number of usable pieces. I highly recommend you check it out.

*Disclosure: I received a complimentary building set for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.