Peet's Coffee and Tea

What makes this coffee even more special is that Peet's collaborated with the nonprofit TechnoServe to bring the distinct flavors of East Africa, the birthplace of coffee, to American coffee drinkers while creating a sustainable business model for thousands of farmers and their communities. Through farmer training and improved processing, the farmers are now producing coffee that meets Peet's strict quality standards, earning them around 30% more for their crop.

Uzuri African Blend is available in grocery stores nationwide from February 15 to March 31, 2010. Starting March 3, you can order it in Peet's coffeehouses and at Peets.com, where it will become a permanent addition to Peet's collection of signature blends. The coffee sells for $13.95 a pound on the Peet’s website.

Visit Peet's Coffee and Tea on Facebook and on Twitter to learn more about their coffees.

Peet’s Uzuri African Blend review and giveaway

My husband Paul is the resident coffee drinker in our family, so I had him try the Peet’s coffee sample I received from their PR firm. Paul made it in a Bodum Chambord French Press, the way he likes to make coffee on the weekend.

Then he added his usual amount of milk and sugar, took a sip and said, “Now I know why people are so passionate about Peet’s Coffee. This is good stuff!” I took a small sip and agreed that it was very rich and not too bitter.

Now you can try Uzuri African Blend for yourself! Five lucky readers will receive one 12 ounce bag of Peet’s Uzuri African Blend coffee.

All you have to do is tell me how you like to make your coffee! Do you use a French press or a drip coffee pot? Do you like it black or with lots of milk and sugar? Are you an espresso drinker or do you prefer lattes?

Here’s how to enter my Peet’s coffee giveaway:

1. Simply answer the question, “How do you like to make your coffee?” in the comments below along with your name, email address, and blog URL (if you have one) for ONE entry.
2. Sign up for This Mama Cooks! Review’s RSS feed for ONE entry.
3. Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE entry.
4. Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE entry. You must leave your username for that site in your comment so I can check.
5. If you have done any of these extra activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!
6. Maximum amount of entries at This Mama Cooks! Reviews is FOUR – leaving a comment here (1), signing up for my enewsletter (1), signing up for my RSS feed (1), and using Twitter to let people know about the giveaway(1).
7. If you’ve already signed up for my enewsletter or RSS Feed during another one of my giveaways, just let me know and I’ll count that activity towards this giveaway.
8. You have until midnight MT on Monday, March 15, 2010 to enter.
9. FIVE winners will be chosen at random.
10. You must be willing to send me your full name and mailing address so I can pass your information on to Peet’s PR firm so they can mail out your coffee.
11. I will also announce the winners on this blog. I will not share your mailing info with the public, just your name. If you have a blog, I will link back to it when I announce the winners.

One 12 ounce bag of Peet’s Uzuri African Blend coffee is valued at approximately $9.99. This giveaway is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States or D.C and must be 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. My family or household members may not enter.

Up to FOUR entries per person. FIVE bags will be given out – one bag each to five winners. Void where prohibited by law. By submitting your name and email address, you agree to receive relevant promotional emails and contest follow up communications from This Mama Cooks! Reviews and This Mama Cooks! On a Diet in compliance with my privacy policy and giveaway rules.

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Disclosure: I was given one 12 ounce bag of Peet’s coffee to sample.

All links to OpenSky are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website.

All you need to do is answer “What is your favorite type of muffin?”

Here are the details:

1. Simply answer the question, “What is your favorite type of muffin?” in the comments below along with your name, email address, and blog URL (if you have one) for ONE entry.
2. Sign up for This Mama Cooks! Review’s RSS feed for ONE entry.
3. Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE entry.
4. Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE entry. You must leave your username for that site in your comment so I can check.
5. If you have done any of these extra activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!
6. Maximum amount of entries at This Mama Cooks! Reviews is FOUR – leaving a comment here (1), signing up for my enewsletter (1), signing up for my RSS feed (1), and using Twitter to let people know about the giveaway(1).
7. If you’ve already signed up for my enewsletter or RSS Feed during another one of my giveaways, just let me know and I’ll count that activity towards this giveaway.
8. You have until midnight MT on Monday, March 8, 2010 to enter.
9. TWO winners will be chosen at random.
10. You must be willing to send me your full name and mailing address so I can mail out your sample coupons.
11. I will also announce the winners on this blog. I will not share your mailing info with the public, just your name. If you have a blog, I will link back to it when I announce the winners.

Two boxes of Fiber One muffins are valued at approximately $7.98. This giveaway is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States or D.C and must be 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. My family or household members may not enter.

Up to FOUR entries per person. TWO prizes will be given out – two sample coupons each to two winners. Void where prohibited by law. By submitting your name and email address, you agree to receive relevant promotional emails and contest follow up communications from This Mama Cooks! Reviews and This Mama Cooks! On a Diet in compliance with my privacy policy and giveaway rules.

Disclosure: I was given four sample coupons by Fiber One’s publicist to hold this giveaway.

Fiber One Frozen Ready-to-Eat Muffins review

Pros:

• Delicious – sweet, moist, flavorful. As good as you’d get at a store bakery but without the guilt.
• Fairly inexpensive - $3.99 for 4 (about $1 each)
• High in fiber – 7 grams per muffin
• Calories/Weight Watchers POINTS – 180 calories and 3 POINTS
• Mostly made from “real” ingredients like sugar, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, eggs, etc. Click here for full nutrition information.

Cons

• Need to keep refrigerated or frozen. (There are Fiber One muffins that don’t need to be refrigerated. Here is the list.)
• High in fat – 4 grams per muffin
• High in sugar – 15 grams per muffin
• Inulin (for fiber) and invert syrup are used. The rest of the processed food list (contains 2% or less) are ingredients like fortified vitamins, high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, etc. Click here for full nutrition information.

Want to try Fiber One Frozen Ready-to-Eat Blueberry Muffins yourself? Enter my giveaway!

Weight Watchers Blueberry Muffins review

Pros:

• Yummy – sweet and moist.
• Bigger – 3.3 ounces versus the 2.3 ounce Fiber One muffins
• Convenient – no need to refrigerate or keep frozen
• Calories/Weight Watchers POINTS – 190 calories and 3 POINTS
• Less fat – 2.5 grams per muffins

Cons:

• More expensive – 3 muffins for $3.19 ($1.06 per muffin)
• Highly processed – enriched wheat flour bleached is the first ingredient, followed by sugar, water, blueberries, nonfat milk, glycerin, whole eggs, soy fiber, dextrose, soybean oil, inulin, salt, leavening, and a bunch of stuff you need to have a degree in food chemistry to understand.
• High in sugar – 21 grams per muffin
• Low in protein – 2 grams per muffin
• Lower in fiber – 4 grams per muffin (full nutritional breakdown available at Walmart.com)

Winner in the diet muffin smackdown?

Neither!

While both are delicious and convenient, they’re both too processed for me. Still, they’re a tasty treat to have once in awhile when you are dying to have a baked good and don’t have time to bake up a batch of healthy, high fiber muffins or you’ve run out of 1 POINT super high fiber Vitalicious Blue Bran Vita Tops. (See my review of Vitalicious Vitatops here.)

However, if I had to pick between the two, I’d go with Fiber One Frozen Ready-to-Eat Muffins because they’re higher in protein and fiber and slightly less processed that the Weight Watchers muffins. I like that you have to keep them in the freezer, too.That way you’re not constantly reminded that you have muffins in the house every time you enter the kitchen. Out of sight, out of mind.

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Disclosure: All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website.

Publicists for Weight Watchers and Fiber One sent me sample coupons to facilitate this review. I was also sent sample coupons to giveaway by Fiber One.

I am excited to announce the opening of the This Mama Cooks! store at OpenSky! It’s a place where I recommend and sell products I love and use (or lust after) in my journey to eat and live in a more healthful way.

I only have a few items in my store at the moment but will be adding more over the next few days and weeks.

What’s OpenSky?

OpenSky is populated by Shopkeepers like me who sell what they love with passion and a point of view. They help me connect with suppliers who fill my shop with the products I adore and write about. Then OpenSky HQ takes care of the legwork: product sourcing, fulfillment, delivery, and customer service and marketing.

You can find out more about OpenSky in their FAQs page or on their About OpenSky page or at the OpenSky Blog. If you’re a blogger who’d like to find out about opening your own shop, Apply to be a Shopkeeper.

If you have questions about any of the products, you can contact me through my store. You can also contact OpenSky’s Customer Service department at customerservice@theopenskyproject.com or call them at 1-877-734-OPEN from 9am to 6pm, Eastern Time (Monday through Friday).

Disclosure policy for my OpenSky shop

In my future posts when I mention things like slow cookers or electric tea kettles, I’ll be linking to my store. Anytime I do, I will place a full disclosure notice in my post similar to the one I include when I include affiliate links to Amazon.com in a post. That way you know that I may be earning some income from my recommendations.

You may also see a little a little OpenSky product widget, like this one for BioFreeze, a product I use on my sore back. (Great product at a great price. I paid $12 for the tube I have. Even my carpet and tile guy keeps it in his toolbox.) If you click on it and buy the product, I’ll make a commission. Again, full disclosure will be somewhere in the post.

Now go shop!

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Disclosure: All links to OpenSky are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website.

Not only are BOCA Burgers a healthy source of soy protein and fiber, but keeping a box in your freezer means you always have a quick and easy way to make a healthy meal. I like using them in wraps. I heat up a patty in the microwave, cut them into strips and place them and a handful of baby lettuce leaves in a whole grain wrap - very delicious, healthy and satisfying.

BOCA and Weight Watchers

That’s right! All BOCA meatless burgers, chik’n patties, breakfast links, and ground crumbles are now endorsed by Weight Watchers since they’re three Weight Watchers POINTS value or less per serving. You can learn more at WeightWatchers.com/BOCA.

BOCA giveaway

To celebrate this great BOCA news, they’re providing me with FIVE BOCA gift bags(approximate retail value: $100 each) to give away here at This Mama Cooks! Reviews.

The BOCA gift bags include:

• 5 BOCA product coupons
• a reusable tote
• a BOCA yoga mat
• a BOCA branded journal
• a BOCA recipe booklet
• a weekly planner

Here’s how to win…

The giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to my winners:

• Sarah G.
• Stephanie G. of The Grant’s Giveaways and Sweeps
• Sappho W. of the Frugal Wife Blog
• Cathy B. of a Life Less Sweet
• Michelle M.

1. Simply answer the question, “What is your favorite healthy snack?” in the comments below along with your name, email address, and blog URL (if you have one) for ONE entry.
2. If you have a blog, feel free to post about this contest on it for ONE entry.
3. Sign up for This Mama Cooks! Review’s RSS feed for ONE entry.
4. Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE entry.
5. Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE entry. You must leave your username for that site in your comment so I can check.
6. If you have done any of these extra activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!
7. Maximum amount of entries at This Mama Cooks! Reviews is FIVE – leaving a comment here (1), posting about it on your blog (1), signing up for my enewsletter (1), signing up for my RSS feed (1), and using Twitter to let people know about the giveaway(1).
8. If you’ve already signed up for my enewsletter or RSS Feed, during another one of my giveaways, just let me know and I’ll count that activity towards this giveaway.
9. You have until midnight MT on Monday, March 1, 2010 to enter.
10. FIVE winners will be chosen at random.
11. You must be willing to send me your full name and mailing address so I can pass your information on to the people at Kraft Foods so they can mail out your BOCA gift bag.
12. I will also announce the winners on this blog. I will not share your mailing info with the public, just your name. If you have a blog, I will link back to it when I announce the winners.

Each gift bag is valued at approximately $100. This giveaway is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States or D.C and must be 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. My family or household members may not enter.

Up to FIVE entries per person. FIVE BOCA gift bags will be given out – one per winner. Void where prohibited by law. By submitting your name and email address, you agree to receive relevant promotional emails and contest follow up communications from This Mama Cooks! Reviews and This Mama Cooks! On a Diet in compliance with my privacy policy and giveaway rules.

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Disclosure: I was one of the bloggers selected by BOCA to host this giveaway. Kraft Foods provided the prizes for this program – five gift bags for my readers – at no cost to me. I received free product sample coupons to do the product review. The opinions of BOCA products are entirely my own. This program is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but is done solely by me.

Weight Watchers for services and POINTS® are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used with permission.