I participated in a blog tour for new La Choy Creations, organized by Mom Central.  La Choy Creations are new boxed kits that come with rice, seasonings, and sauces, all you add is protein and you make a one-skillet meal.  The kits come in three varieties – Asian Fried Rice, Teriyaki Chicken, and Sweet and Sour Chicken.

I received the Teriyaki Chicken which came with rice and teriyaki sauce, I added a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces. While it was tasty, it was not enough to feed my family of five, I would say it feeds three people max.  The flavors were good,  but I have to say, it was not very appetizing to look at. With the beige pieces of chicken and the light brown sauce, this meal was begging for some kind of color. I’d recommend buying a can of La Choy Stir-Fry Vegetables or adding your own steamed veggies to this dish to boost the color and nutritional value.

La Choy Creations Teriyaki Chicken gets a thumbs-up from me for not containing MSG and for being very easy to prepare. If you like the flavors of Chinese Food and the convenience of one-skillet meals, give these a try. Click here to download a $1.00 off coupon.

disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of La Choy and received a sample for review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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When I wrote my review of the Amon Maternity Bodyshaper, I forgot that I was also supposed to do a $50 gift certificate giveaway!  Oops!  Amon Maternity carries pregnancy undergarments including belly bands and briefs, and also carries wonderful bodyshapers for post-pregnancy and anytime afterwards.  My daughter is 4, and I love my Amon Bodyshaper for it’s gentle tummy support and breathable microfabric.

There is one catch, though. Amon Maternity is changing ownership this month, so the winner of this giveaway must redeem the gift certificate by February 15, 2010.   By entering this giveaway, the winner agrees that they won’t hold me responsible if they forget to redeem the gift certificate and it becomes invalid.  Okay? Okay!

WIN IT: To enter, visit Amon Maternity, then come back and tell me what you’ll spend the $50 gift certificate on if you win. Open to U.S. addresses only, enter by February 10th at 1:00 PM EST.

BONUS ENTRIES: Earn a bonus entry for each of the following that you do or have done. Leave a separate comment for each-

• Subscribe to the MomReviews feed in a reader or by email, leave a comment telling me which way you subscribed.
• Link to MomReviews on your sidebar or grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Stumble the post, submit to Digg, delicious, Mixx, Reddit, Propellor, or other social bookmarking sites. Leave the URL in your comment.
• Blog about the giveaway with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Facebook-Friend me on Facebook and post the link to the giveaway on your Facebook wall. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Tweet the giveaway link, you can tweet once per day and leave a separate comment for each. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter, I’m @Table4Five.

Thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

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Yes, that’s right, I said Power Rangers! I’ll admit I wouldn’t have thought of it myself until I got an email from a PR firm representing Bandai America, the makers of Power Ranger action figures. Bandai America recently refreshed the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers toy line making this a great gift for your energetic kids who are looking for lasting fun and adventure after the boxes of chocolate and candy hearts are long gone.

These articulated 4″ Power Rangers figures bring back the first and most memorable of the Power Rangers seasons – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – which were first introduced 17 years ago in 1993! Each figure comes with basic weapon accessories and 1 collectible coin and retails for  $9.99. These figures are available at retailers nationwide and online through Amazon.com – click here to buy the Red Ranger, click here to buy the Pink Ranger.

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WIN IT: Thanks to Bandai America, one lucky MomReviews reader will win a set of two 4″ Power Rangers figures, one in pink and one in red. To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me who you’ll give the Power Rangers to if you win. Open to U.S. addresses only, enter by Wednesday, Feb. 10th at 12:00 pm EST. I’ll choose the winner at random and email them for their address, shipping will be handled by the sponsor.

BONUS ENTRIES: Earn a bonus entry for each of the following that you do or have done. Leave a separate comment for each-

• Subscribe to the MomReviews feed in a reader or by email, leave a comment telling me which way you subscribed.
• Link to MomReviews on your sidebar or grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Stumble the post, submit to Digg, delicious, Mixx, Reddit, Propellor, or other social bookmarking sites. Leave the URL in your comment.
• Blog about the giveaway with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Facebook-Friend me on Facebook and post the link to the giveaway on your Facebook wall. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Tweet the giveaway link, you can tweet once per day and leave a separate comment for each. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter, I’m @MomReviews.

Thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

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It’s cold and dry here in Michigan, and just as dry indoors with the heat running constantly.  My lip balm addiction keeps my lips moisturized, but my poor four year old daughter, her lips were so chapped last week that there were big pieces of dry skin sticking up across her bottom lip (I know, ewww).  Well, MomCentral and Neosporin came to our rescue when I was invited to participate in the Neosporin Lip Health 3-Day Challenge Blog Tour.

Neosporin has two new products that help improve the look and tone of lips. Daily Hydration Therapy locks in moisture, reduces scaling, improves tone, and has SPF 20 to protect lips from sun damage. It’s clinically shown to restore visibly healthier lips in 3 days. I was glad it had no artificial flavors since I didn’t want to put anything on Kaitlyn’s lips that might taste strange to her.  While this product didn’t completely heal Kaitlyn’s lips in 3 days, it did soften the dry scaly parts (again, ewww) and keep her lips from cracking.  I would definitely buy this for daily use.

I keep a tube of lip balm on my bedside table and apply it every night before I go to bed. I hate to tell my regular brand this, but I’m switching permanently to Neosporin Overnight Renewal Therapy.  It’s a rich cream in a little pot that you apply with your finger. I was so used to using a stick form of lip balm, it never occurred to me to look for a cream. It’s SO much more moisturizing! Like a rich body lotion except for your lips! This product is clinically shown to repair and nourish lips, and restore visibly healthier lips in 3 nights.  I liked how quickly it absorbed into my lips, and that there was no artificial flavor.

Learn more about Neosporin Lip Health at www.neolips.com, and click here to register for a coupon. Find out for yourself just how well Neosporin Lip Health products work in only three days!

disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Neosporin and received a sample of the Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy and the Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Avoid Dry, Chapped Lips This Winter with Neosporin Lip Health Products! (susanheim.blogspot.com)
• Neosporin 3-Day Challenge (betterinbulk.net)

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Thanks to MyBlogSpark^TM , my kids have a new favorite cereal – Chocolate Cheerios! I mean honestly, it wasn’t that hard to get them to agree to help with this review, all I had to say was “chocolate” and they came running. I’ve been eating Cheerios since I was a kid, it was a popular finger food when my kids were each first learning to feed themselves, and Honey Nut Cheerios is one of the cereals I regularly buy. So it sure wasn’t a stretch to imagine that we were going to like Chocolate Cheerios. Which we do!

It’s not too chocolatey, there are some pieces that have more cocoa than others, so the chocolate taste is well-balanced. In fact, the taste reminded us of another General Mills cereal, Cocoa Puffs. I still think of chocolate cereal as more of a “treat” cereal, but I’m definitely going to be adding Chocolate Cheerios to our regular cereal rotation. Here’s some nutrition info:

Chocolate Cheerios is low in fat, heart healthy (diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Chocolate Cheerios cereal is low in fat, saturated fat free and naturally cholesterol free), has 100 calories per serving, contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving (at least 48 grams recommended daily), and is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Made with real cocoa, Chocolate Cheerios can help your family start the day off right with a delicious and nutritious breakfast that is sure to make you smile!

You can also use Chocolate Cheerios to make tasty snacks and desserts, like this one:

Chocolate Hazelnut Marshmallow Balls

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Start to Finish: 15 Minutes

1/2 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa (edited to add: look for this near the peanut butter in most grocery stores)
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
14 large marshmallows
Toothpicks
3 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal
Round wooden sticks with one pointed end or craft sticks
(flat wooden sticks with round ends)

In medium microwavable bowl, microwave hazelnut spread and chocolate chips on high 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Place cereal in shallow dish.
Insert toothpick into marshmallow; dip in chocolate mixture. Roll in cereal to coat completely. Place on large plate; remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining marshmallows. If desired, insert round wooden sticks into each for pops.
Refrigerate 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
14 servings

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Now, on to the GIVEAWAY! Through MyBlogSpark, Cheerios sent me a box of Chocolate Cheerios and a terrific gift pack with a large (and very heavy!) ceramic cereal bowl, and a spa pack with chocolate soap, body wash, and bath salts. Yummy!  One lucky MomReviews reader will win the same gift pack by entering this giveaway.

WIN IT: For your main entry, leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite variety of Cheerios.  Open to U.S. addresses only, enter by Friday, Feb. 12 at 12:00 PM EST.

BONUS ENTRIES: Earn a bonus entry for each of the following that you do or have done. Leave a separate comment for each-

• Subscribe to the MomReviews feed in a reader or by email, leave a comment telling me which way you subscribed.
• Link to MomReviews on your sidebar or grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Stumble the post, submit to Digg, delicious, Mixx, Reddit, Propellor, or other social bookmarking sites. Leave the URL in your comment.
• Blog about the giveaway with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Facebook-Friend me on Facebook and post the link to the giveaway on your Facebook wall. Leave a comment with the URL.
• Tweet the giveaway link, you can tweet once per day and leave a separate comment for each. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter, I’m @Table4Five.

Thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

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You’re probably already familiar with Expo writing systems, from their dry erase boards to their dry erase markers.  Dry erase boards are wonderful for leaving messages for family members, keeping a running grocery list, and they are also terrific for kids to use to practice writing or just for coloring on. My husband brought home a big dry erase board from work when someone’s office was being cleaned out, and Kaitlyn spent WEEKS coloring on it (before spilling chocolate milk on it and ruining it, oops).

The Expo Learning Board, which I received for review, is a double sided dry erase board with a plain side for coloring, and a ruled side for practicing handwriting. The price is great at $4.49 for the 9″x12″ board, available at Staples.  I take it in the car along with some dry erase markers and an eraser (use the kind meant especially for dry erase boards), and even my older kids will doodle on it. It’s great for games of Hangman, Tic Tac Toe,  or just doodling.  In addition to the Learning Board, here’s some other products recommended by Expo:

- Expo Click Fine-Point Dry-Erase Markers: these AP Certified nontoxic markers are click, which means no cap to remove or lose. Use these on-the-go along with their new learning board!

- Expo Bright Sticks Wet-Erase Fluorescent Markers: they will love writing silly notes on the whiteboard attached to their bedroom door with these fun colors. These markers work on windows and mirrors and, also, show up as neon under black lights!

- Expo Dry Erase Board Wipes: this easy pop-open container that keeps the sheets moist will easily remove the markers in one swipe.

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