Thanks to Product Hoochie, I have recently joined BzzAgent, and unlike other “freebies” websites, this one seems more legit than others. Maybe because I’ve been getting and will be getting a lot of products to try and review, maybe because it’s easier and hassle free?!
Today’s post is dedicated to the Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips, that I got in the mail last week!
What was in my box?
A FREE full-size bag of Green Giant™ Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips with Zesty Cheddar
A FREE full-size bag of Green Giant™ Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt
4 Sample pouches that were immediately utilized by my husband as an addition to his lunch (that I pack every day!)
Pass-along coupons
Here is what Green Giant says:
Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips with Zesty Cheddarare crispy tortilla chips made with real vegetables like carrot, broccoli, and tomato, plus 17g of whole grain
Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt are made with real sweet potatoes and 14g of whole grain, with 40% less fat than regular potato chips*
*Green Giant™ Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips (6g per 28g serving) have 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips (10g per 28g serving).
Here is what I think:
Sweet potato chips taste just like any other sweet potato chips, and are nothing extra ordinary. They are a good snack, and that’s just about it! I am not a huge fan of sweet potatoes to begin with, but I can tolerate it in this shape and form!
Zesty cheddar taste very similar to Doritos, but don’t leave you with orange fingers like the latter, so I guess that’s good! But they aren’t that healthy, as you might think they are in the beginning! I tried them with hummus, and that tasted good, but again, nothing that made my taste buds explode!
Am I going to buy this product? Maybe, depends on whether or not it’s on sale, and whether or not I can use my coupons on it. Otherwise, it’s really nothing new and different!
Let me know what you think of these, whether you got them for free, or bought at the store!
Cheers,
Z
PS. This product was sent to me for free through BzzAgent
Yes, dear readers, I fell a victim to one of the most popular trends that can take place in your kitchen – juicing! Having watched some documentary on Netflix, I think it was called Hungry for Change, I started researching and googling different juicers everywhere I went! I kid you not, I tweeted about juicers, stalked people on Instagram, asking them which one they use, etc etc
And finally I got one! A GE 800 watt Juice Extractor:
This juicer usually runs for about $50, and is considered a good started juicer. I bought it for $25, at the Salvation Army Target Overstock in the Warehouse District in Minneapolis (let me know if you need directions )
There were two juicers there at the time, this one, and another, I forget the brand, but it cost $60! Knowing me, and my husband, who didn’t want to spend the extra money, I got the cheaper one, besides it came with the box, which made me trust it more! I also took it all out, including the instructions, read everything 3 times over, including 20+ reviews on the internet (which went from great juicer to this product sucks) and headed for the check out!
Let me be honest with you, so far it’s great! I am not going to say that it’s the best $25 I’ve ever spent, no I don’t think so, but I got myself a pretty good deal, a great juicer, and a healthier diet thanks to it!
Of course when you buy a product like this your first urge is to juice everything in the house, even the foods that don’t go in there! Hold your urge! Talk to friends or read blogs about juicing, then start your process!
Here is what I learned after 1 week of everyday juicing:
- Never ever juice a grapefruit!
- Tomato juice is actually pink, not red!
- One cucumber contains about 12 oz of juice!
- Carrot juice is neon orange and I love it!
- One 8 oz glass of fresh juice will last you up to 5 hours with no food!
- There are way more people who juice on Instagram than I thought!
- Juicing is considered a part of raw foods movement
- Some people recommend to detox using fresh juice 3 days out of the month, every month!
- I have been doing dishes more regularly with the juicer!
- It’s better to juice into a tall glass than a short glass (just because it’s easier to prevent spilling)
- You can use left over pulp for muffins or combine it with cat/dog food!
There is so much to learn about this, and even though I sound sarcastic at times, I am absolutely happy with my new toy! Sam on the other hand isn’t, he says it’s gross! And asks me not to let him smell it
Now about the juices! I have been trying to document each and every one of them on Instagram last week, to make it easier for me when I was going to blog about it! I think it worked:
Carrot and apple juice (about 2 apples and 4 carrots for 8 oz)
Orange, carrot and kiwi juice (I can’t remember how much I used of each fruit now, but I know for sure there was only 1 kiwi!)
Cucumber, celery, tomato (loved this combo, and cucumber juice alone!)
Pineapple, celery juice
Have you ever tried juicing? If so, how did you like it?
Remember when my Grandma had cancer? And I blogged about it? Recently I was browsing the Internet and came across this poster:
I wish I found this sooner, like February sooner! Oh well, but this is one of my wishes now! For all of you out there who have relatives struggling with cancer, I hear you, I feel you! I know what it’s like!
Today I wish Parkinson’s got Parkinson’s and died! Is there a poster for that? Will I be the first one to create it? Probably not! But there is the Parkinson’s awareness month, and week, and I guess the week is within the month. And that is the month of April! I know it’s a little too late for this awareness thing, but it’s never too late to raise awareness.
Why Parkinson’s? My Grandpa has it! And it’s vascular, which is even worse. Well I guess I should stop calling it Parkinson’s, because it is actually called Parkinsonism. Well here in Zhenya’s world it’s called – my daily frustration, my daily irritation and something that causes anger, and then pity, pity in all it’s forms and variations, pity towards my Grandpa, my mom and self-pity.
Some of you, who are my friends on FB, know that Tuesday my Grandpa was missing for 10 hours. Mom went and filed a missing person report. I went to talk to some neighbors. He was finally brought home by two huge guys, who had to walk him all the way up the stairs. He couldn’t walk by himself, his coordination was seriously off, and his tongue faltered.
That was on Tuesday. He tried leaving again today, but I wouldn’t let him. He spent a total of about 2 hours yelling at me today, plus the two hours from Wednesday.
And this is hard, because I really want to talk back, and it’s so hard to hold it all in! I am sitting here second guessing why this had to happen to me, and all in one year, and one of the most difficult years of my life? Why? And well, God comes to mind. And I just can’t find an answer. And I know you all religious ones out there will start quoting scripture, but when one wants answers, it’s better to avoid bringing up the verses. It’s not something a person wants to see. I am not anti-Christians now, I am just anti this wisdom, and this idea of being helpful, when you are really not. Maybe I am a bitter mean person, but I am going through this, not you. I had people who laughed at everything my Grandpa does. Well if you find it funny, good for you!
Day 6 of my LIVESTRONG Zhenya project went well, I think I got the whole healthy eating under. I did, however, have 2 chocolates, which I know wasn’t the best decision.
My bathroom floor finally got installed, and after the workers left I spent about an hour cleaning everything up, then I went grocery shopping, and also did some ABS exercises before I went to bed.
I also made a milkshake (frozen strawberries, a banana, yogurt, milk, water and sugar sub). Love it, lasts forever too:)
I also witnessed the most touching moment in several months, I witnessed my Grandpa crying over my Grandma, which made me cry as well. It was both sad and amazing at the same time, this was also the very first time I saw my Grandfather cry. (He is a former KGB agent, they don’t cry often, do they?)
I also learned about a new facial soap to try, it contains seaweed (I used to work with a girl who said SEEDweed), mud, and green tea. Supposingly, it clears up your skin better than the birch bark soap I’ve been using, but smells better! So now I am on my quest to find it! Will keep you posted!
Last night I made my first video for YouTube, it’s about my Love and Lace Flowers project, I will be adding a new video approximately once a week. And will definitely keep you posted!
So today was day 2 of my LIVESTRONG Zhenya project, and I felt so good today, you know that light feeling that they mention? Yes, I had that. Now it could’ve been dizziness, but I am not that skilled to tell the difference.
With a shocking number of 50 calories to spare left over from Day 1, I decided Day 2 was going to be better! And it was! The day started off with a shocking breakfast, that consisted of 1 Pancake (I found this recipe for 100 cal pancakes), and some tea. No syrup, no honey, no jam! Yup, that’s me!
I am also getting my bathroom floor redone! So today the workers came to tear down the floor, and after they left, I put on my shoes, and off to the tile store I went. They also sell linoleum (we all know how much I love putting linoleum in different things), sinks, toilets, wooden floors, carpets and other fun stuff. And I came to realize that I love these stores more than thrift stores. Why? Because thrift stores I can afford, and construction supplies stores are something I drool at!
So I was out and about for an hour and a half, running errands, paying bills, and apparently burning a lot of calories!
I had a mushroom omelette for lunch, with some whole grain toast, and a banana for dessert! I also had some white grapes and walnuts for snack before dinner!
Now I am planning on having some of my not so infamous salad for dinner, with some whole grain toast and some fruit for dessert! I am also planning on doing another workout after two more lesson tonight before bed! This is the one I am planning on doing today:
I made it open to public! And feel free to add me as a friend if you have a profile too!
I think the most difficult thing for me to do today was avoid snacking while cooking! See, my problem is I snack when I cook, and when it’s time to eat what I’ve cooked, I am not hungry anymore. Then I remembered an advice I heard from a friend in Connecticut – drink a glass of water 30 minutes before the meal. So that’s what I did tonight before dinner. And it really helped.
Workout wise, I did 2 10 minute workouts (aka 10 minute solutions) that I found on YouTube, here is the link to the channel where you can watch those videos too! They are in Russian, but you can often hear English in the background!
Have you ever seen Myth Busters? I read on Wikipedia today that Coke dissolves teeth. I have recently seen an experiment on TV that showed Coke removing lime buildup in an electric tea kettle. Which let me tell you, was pretty exciting (the kid inside of me appreciated that little “miracle” very much).
It was also mentioned that Coke can dissolve your teeth, and that you are supposed to drink it through a straw, so here is my experiment today!
A tooth…
A jar…
And a bottle of Coke…
Put the tooth in the jar…
Now the tooth is trapped in Coke…
And now we wait:)
I will keep you updated!
Experiment started at: 1.42 pm, Friday, March 25, 2011
This was better! And I am extremely excited that tomorrow is the first day of spring! And even though it snowed like crazy here in Russia yesterday, my hopes are up, and I know that “the Spring is a Coming”!
Now this spring I have decided to challenge myself to do these 10 things, and you are more than welcome to do them with me, because it’s going to be FUN!
1. Create Spring Art!
I came across this beautiful watercolor pastel of Cherry Blossom trees in Central Park, painted by a Brooklyn artist. And I was so inspired and moved by it, that I decided to create some spring art of my own!
I have noticed that lately I’ve been wearing a lot of blacks and grays, and decided to brighten up my life and my outfits this season. I found a great inspiration on www.fashionfame.com
Love the parrots!
3. Hear the birds singing!
I wake up to birds, there are two trees outside my window, that seem to attract the most annoying kinds of birds – crows and jackdaws. But I found this amazing video and you can hear the birds singing no matter where in the midst of the busy city jungle you are!
4. Eat Healthy!
Am I the only person in the world who didn’t know about all the amazing resources www.livestrong.com has to offer? I found some great homemade hair care recipes yesterday, that I have mentioned in my previous post. But there is also a giant section on healthy eating, recipes included! So let’s all eat healthier this spring!
5. Do Some Yoga!
Whether you choose to follow the lifestyle of a yogi, or simply do some exercises to become more fit, you won’t regret it. I have already mentioned Namaste Yoga by Kate Potter. My new favorite is Yoga with Rodne Yee! If you are a Mac lover like me, check out some great Yoga Apps that are out there! And remember – stay motivated!
6. Begin your day with Laughter!
I learned this from Sam, he always checks what I call “his” websites with some comics, funnies, or humor! There is a great blog here on WordPress, that makes me laugh so hard, esp. the latest post on Easter Bunnies, make sure to check it out! http://sketchybunnies.com/
And don’t forget about the many many videos on YouTube of Kathy Griffin, Dane Cook, and other great comedians out there!
7. Believe!
Believe in God, believe in yourself, believe in others! Believe that you can, that you have the strength, the ability! Believe in opportunities, chances, fate! Believe in good, love, hope!
8. Take up a New Hobby!
One of my friends and fellow bloggers has recently started making her own soap, you can check it out here!
There are millions other hobbies out there! My mom does quilling! Here is a link to her website! I know that it’s all in Russian, but you can still see the works and how they are made!
I always felt iffy towards house plants, but I love herbs, they smell great, and make food taste so much better! I am planning on planting a small herb garden and put on my kitchen windowsill! (Pictures coming soon!) I also believe that working with your hands, planting, gardening (which I don’t think I will be doing anytime soon) is good for your body, health and mind! And the smells of fresh herbs are also known to be great mood enhancers!
10. Redecorate your house, room, wall, table, shelf, ANYTHING for SPRING!
I found this amazing blog, that has some great redecorating ideas, the picture above shows a craft room, but there are other ideas there as well
I am planning on redecorating my TV stand, and maybe my desk! I am tired of the old dark brown color, and want to make it more vivid and exciting! (Pictures and DIYs to come!)
I hope you all enjoyed these ideas, and will be willing to give some of them a shot! Make sure to get back to me and tell me what changes you’ve made and whether you found this post helpful!
It’s extremely difficult not to be stressed these days. People face stress at work, at home, on the way to work, on the way home, at the grocery store, at the bank, and all the other lovely places.
A lot of us are trying to make our homes a stress free zone, where we can finally sit back & relax.
Unfortunately my home has been filled with stress since last Friday. My grandmother, who is sick with cancer fell on the bathroom floor and couldn’t get up by herself. With the help of my dear friend Erin, I was able to carry her to bed. A couple hours later, after making several phone calls and consulting with a doctor, the ambulance arrived. My grandma got a painkiller shot, all I got was a stress filled life.
How do you live with someone with cancer? That was the question I was asking myself before I moved in with my grandparents again. How do you take care of someone who now can’t get up from bed, wash themselves and go to the bathroom by themselves? That is the question I had to answer in a matter of two days.
I learned to give shots, change diapers on an elderly person (trust me it’s different from changing them on a child, which I have done more than once!), disinfect surfaces and get rid of odors.
My grandma weigh 20 more pounds than me. Turns out weight watching can be a foe for some people. I never let my weight go over 120lb. I am at 115lb now. It’s impossible for me to pick her up, lift her, move her. I can barely put a diaper on her, and changing sheets is a game of tug of war, that I am losing desperately.
Drug store associates know me and give me discounts, grocery store clerks sigh when they see me leave with two heavy bags of food, my neighbor told me that maybe she will get better?
My grandpa’s ideas of a portable toilet are endless, the one we used before failed us today, literally. I was taking a shower after my 45 minute workout, and as I was getting out of the shower I heard my grandma falling, and screaming for my grandpa. Neither of us could get there soon enough. My grandpa has a hard time walking, he is obese and comes in a package with an armchair and a television set. We managed to pull my grandma up with a help of a towel that we put under her arms.
I have been face to face with fear this week, with insanity, with regret, remorse, grief. It is all in my grandmother’s eyes.
I am not quitting my job though, neither am I cutting back the hours, but every morning when I wake up the realization of what I have to go through today and it makes my day bad.
My mother who lives in Moscow keeps saying that she’ll take a week off, that she’ll take 2 weeks off, I don’t see the point. I simply asked her to come for the weekend, so that I can have a break.
Another thing that my mom likes talking about is how long does my grandma have left. That type of conversation can of course be easily interrupted by her pondering about what type of dress to wear to her former colleague’s Birthday Party. Last night all she could talk about were her new artificial nails. All my attempts to tell her those are tacky went down the drain.
Monday I woke up with strange bumps under my tongue and one on the side of my leg. Knowing that the cause of those was stress I quickly put Cortisone on the latter, and hoped the ones under my tongue would simply pop, which they did:)
)
So burritos are coming up tomorrow! Stay tuned!
