Mommy, can I have a pancake on a popsicle?

Bet your child didn’t ask you that this morning!

Jimmy Dean has created what I consider a mother’s solution to eating on the run, the Jimmy D’s Griddle Stick!  This pancake on a stick has a delicious turkey sausage in the middle.  After just 60 seconds in the microwave your child is holding their breakfast and ready to munch on the run. The 160 calories and 7 grams of protein also they make Smart Mama happy, too!  The griddle sticks sell for about $4.99 and come with 6 in a box.

I had my first griddle stick at BlogHer, a conference for bloggers, this past August. I was captivated by its design and most importantly nutritional content.  My family loves pancakes and turkey sausage. How great would it be, I wondered? Fantastic! Ideal for moms, ideal for kids and dads.  Ideal for families! When will you enjoy your first Jimmy D’s Griddle Stick?

Want to try?  I am offering 4 lucky readers a coupon for a FREE Jimmy D’s product up to a $6.99 value! This will allow you to quickly pick up a pack of Jimmy D’s Griddle Sticks just in time for the first few weeks of school.

Learn more at JimmyDean.com and even print out a $1.00 off coupon!

PS – They have been a hit with my BIG child, Daddy, too!

Giveaway

To enter the giveaway answer,

How can Jimmy D’s Griddle Sticks make your morning rush better? (1 comment entry)

More ways to enter:

1. Fan/Like my Facebook Page: www.Facebook.com/SmartyPantsMama (1 comment entry)
2. Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/smartypantsmama (1 comment entry)
3. Post this on Twitter:
   Yes, @SmartyPantsMama loves Jimmy D’s Griddle Sticks & now I want to win a pack at SmartyPantsMama.com! (1 comment per day)
4. Fan/Like the Jimmy Dean Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/JimmyDean(1 comment entry)
5. Leave a comment of the Jimmy Dean Facebook Page letting everyone know: I want to win a coupon for a package of FREE Jimmy D’s product (up to $6.99 value) at http://SmartyPantsMama.com! (1 comment entry per day)

Giveaway ends at 9:00 AM EST on Sunday, September 14. Winner will be announced soon thereafter and the coupon will be mailed immediately.

OTHER TINY DETAILS
Please provide email contact information in entry.  If no contact info is provided it automatically disqualifies your entry. Winner selected by Random.org.

Home Depot is giving your “Handyman” Hubby a great chance to actually learn how to do something refine his craft with their Home Depot Workshops through the Home Depot Home Improvement Club.  These courses are offered at no cost, yes FREE, throughout the year. Many of the courses are super ideal for this time of year!  He can learn tips on saving energy in the home and about the flooring options for your home. To find out more about these trainings and to get other valuable (AWESOME coupons) just join the Home Depot Home Improvement Club.

Fall Face Lift: Interior & Exterior Painting

• Learn about patching, prep and maintenance for refreshing your home’s interior and exterior
• Find out about some of the basic tools and accessories to make your project easy, fast and clean
• Locate the best quality paint and products for the job

Decorative Flooring Solutions

• Explore the range of laminate, tile or carpet flooring options that make your projects easy and affordable
• Discover the many products exclusive to The Home Depot, designed especially for easy décor coordination and installation
• Learn about the range of colors, textures and innovative benefits like stain resistance and warranties
  

  

Save Energy. Save Money

• Identify several exclusive Eco Options and Energy Star–rated products that can help you start saving on energy costs in the fall
• Begin weatherizing your home with a range of low-cost sealants and insulation that make your home more comfortable and save you money
• Learn about other easy-to-install products that help you get lower electricity and water bill

Fall Planting and Maintenance

• Maintain your yard year-round with the right products for the right climate
• Learn tips for eco-friendly gardening and weatherizing your yard
• Find out tips for maintaining curb appeal year-round

Also, if gardening is more of your thing, make sure to also join the Home Depot Garden Club where you will always receive coupons, savings and other valuable gardening advice!   Lastly, the Home Depot Movers Club gives you a 10% coupon to help offset the cost of projects you encounter in your move.

As a mom, I fear what’s lurking out there when children and teens use the internet.  We, Smart Mamas, need to be watchful for our children, just like when we bring them to the park and are carfeful that they are always safe. We teach them not to talk to strangers, and how to handle bullies and more.  Now, we need to teach them proper behavior at the “online” playground, the Internet.  I’m sharing a great piece by BitMoms.com, including access to a superb guide that provides excellent information on ways to protect our children online.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to join BitMoms.com. Leticia, Chief Bit Mom, shared information on this community in June.  I continue to strongly recommend it for all Smart Mamas who are interested in staying on top of the latest information regarding Internet safety for our children.  Who isn’t? We all should be! When you join, be sure to “friend” me and leave a note on my page!

The prevalence of computers in our daily lives means that our children are exposed to them at a very early age.  Our kids watch our every move, including those online, and want to emulate the behavior they see.  Regardless of the many benefits that constant internet access brings, the online world remains a risky place for kids.

BitDefender’s new Protecting Children Online guide is a downloadable PDF that’s designed to be shared with friends, family members, and community groups to spread the word about online safety.

Protecting Children Online provides an overview of the risks and dangers kids can be subjected to on the internet and e-threats designed to target personal data.  It also contains tips for children, teens, parents, and teachers with practical advice and easy to implement solutions that can assist you in protecting your family online.

This printable guide that can be emailed, printed, and shared with friends and loved ones alike in order to keep everyone safe in cyberspace.

This article was provided as exclusive content by BitDefender because of my role as a BitMom Blog Network Member.  No compensation was received for sharing this post however, BitMoms does provide me with a conference stipend and other materials to help me facilitate sharing topics of internet safety and security with my readers and through the BitMom Community.

About BitDefender®- BitDefender is the creator of one of the industry’s fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified security software. Every day, BitDefender protects tens of millions of home and corporate users across the globe — giving them the peace of mind of knowing that their digital experiences will be secure. More information about BitDefender and its products are available on the company’s website.

How many princesses and pirates will be knocking on doors next month?  The selection for these adorable costumes is unbelievable at The Disney Store at the mall and even better online.  Today through Monday, September 6, 2010, you can get FREE SHIPPING on your entire order when you use the promo code FREESHIP at DisneyStore.com! So save your gas money and aggravation finding parking at the mall and order online!

Not ready to think about Halloween, so take a look at the fantastic items on sale instead, maybe you need to let Santa know!  You’ll find a Disney Princess and a Lightening McQueen lunch tote each on sale for $3.99, regularly $12.50!  Or the many Club Penguin clip-on’s on sale for $2.99.  Think about birthday parties to come this school year.  Get your shopping done today! Ok, go look and let me know what you find.  Remember, the FREE SHIPPING promotion is good only until Monday, September 6, 2010!

CLICK HERE to access the promotion!

Are you wondering what is Hood Simply Smart Milk?  I was.  Here’s what I found out:

Hood found an innovative, natural technique called ultra filtration to remove some of the water that makes lowfat milk look and taste watery.  The result is simply delicious milk rich in nutrition and taste.  Simply Smart: All the taste, without all the fat.

Not bad. Right? Many of us love milk and most of us use it in cooking. But the skim milk we typically drink does not provide the proper consistency that we need in recipes.  Secondly, the skim milk, well it tastes like skim milk; milk that has been watered down to be of the desired calorie and fat content.  Hood has felt our yearning for the richer tasting milk that we all drank once upon a time; with its Simply Smart milk products.  Simply Smart Fat Free, 1% and Fat Free Chocolate are available!

Last month I had the chance to hear from one of the greatest tennis players of all time on the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

Chris Evert with Caroline, Smarty Pants Mama

Chris Evert, the 18 Grand Slam Singles championsh, is the spokesperson of Simply Smart® and she is quite enthusiastic about it! At a event during BlogHer10 conference week, Chris shared ideas on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She reminded moms that pushing the stroller around the block does not count as exercise. We need to get our heart rate up, we need to sweat.  As a mom of 2 growing boys who love milk, she relies of Simply Smart® to give the boys, and her, the taste they crave without the added fat and calories.  Makes sense.

Many recipes were shared that evening, including Chris’ favorite of a frozen banana, peanut butter and Simply Smart® fat free milk smoothie. Sounds so good!

Below is a recipe that I tried that evening and LOVED! I hope you do too!

Simply Smart® Cheddar Chive Mini Muffins

Ingredients
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup canola oil
1 cup Simply Smart® Fat Free Milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400° F.  Coat mini muffin tins with cooking spray.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
• In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil and milk, and add this mixture to the dry ingredients.  Mix just until the batter is blended. Gently fold in the cheddar cheese and chives. Do not over mix.
• Fill the muffin tins about ¾ of the way full.  Bake for a8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to wire racks.  Enjoy!

If you are interested in trying Simply Smart, be sure to visit the Hood site to print out a coupon to save $1.00!

This recipe was provided by BeSimplySmart.com.