Quick Delicious Cakes

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

As most of my readers know, I like to make just about everything we eat from scratch.

Soups, sauces, veggies, all meals, meats, granolas, and most especially the desserts.

I will tackle it all to keep us as healthy as possible.

And one of the main reasons for doing this is so that I know exactly what is in our food.

I don't believe in anything artificial, and those hydrogenated and trans fats are a big no-no in this house.

Don't get me wrong, I use and consume fats, but not a one of them is man made.

And neither are any of the sugars or sweeteners - all natural stuff only in our foods.

It's great to be able to do this, but it is very time consuming.

And when unexpected company makes a visit, it is just about impossible to whip up something quick.

But now I will no longer have to worry about the dessert part of the meal when they do show up without warning.

There is a new line of Upsidedown Cakes that are sold exclusively at  the Kroger Family of Stores that are made by a private label brand called Private Selection.

These Private Selection Upside Down Cakes are the perfect thing to have on hand for a quick dessert.

Made of only all natural, wholesome ingredients, these cakes are a snap to make.

You warm it in it's own pan, flip it onto a serving plate, then serve the delicious cake to your guests.

And these premium cakes do not have a premium price - you could have dessert any night of the week!

With their homemade taste, they come in three different flavors, so there's something for every one.

There is currently a Private Selection Upside Down Cakes coupon available online to save a dollar on any one of these cakes.

And you can double that coupon to two dollars by Liking and Sharing Private Selection Upside Down Cakes on Facebook.

To find the nearest  store where you can purchase these Private Selection Upside Down Cakes, please check out this store locator link: http://www.privateselection.com/store-locator/

Be sure to follow Private Selection Upside Down Cakes on Pinterest too!

Disclaimer:

Coupon ends 6/2/13.  Official Rules. In order to load these coupons to your card, you will need to sign into your Kroger account or set up a Kroger account and enter your card number.  Limit one use per digital coupon.  Digital offers are not eligible on Manager's Specials, cannot be combined with manufacturer paper coupons on the purchase of a single item, and do not double.  Not all items are available in all stores.  A limit of 150 coupons can be loaded per household at one time.

 

 

Finally, A Restful Sleep

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

There are several different kinds of products on the market that are made to help you fall asleep on those occasional times  when it is hard to do so on your own.

And most of them are not very effective, or the sleep they deliver is not a restful, peaceful one.

We received yet another one of these fall asleep products as a sample from P&G, and were excited to try it after reading about it online.

We were sent a sample of ZzzQuil from the makers of Vicks NyQuil, which we know is an effective product when we have a cold.

We received this nighttime sleep aid in the form of a liquid that is in the flavor of Warming Berry.

True to that one of a kind Vick's taste, it was easy going down.

It came with a little cup to measure out the correct amount with no hassle.

In the past, when a sleep aid was used, it would have to be taken a good forty-five minutes to an hour for it to kick in.

We found this liquid to be very quick acting when compared to the pills.  

It worked within half an hour.

And the sleep it gave was a restful and peaceful one for the whole night through.

It is great to find a product that works so well, and the best part about it, it is not habit forming.

The active ingredient, Diphenhydramine HCI, really works to help you fall asleep.

We thank you, P&G, for giving us this opportunity to test your product - you have a winner with Vicks ZzzQuil!

If you haven't yet, check out and Like ZzzQuil on Facebook.  

And if you have tried the product, leave them a note to let them know if you liked it, and be sure to tweet with the hashtag #ZzzQuilNight too!

If you haven't tried it, and you need a good night's sleep, can't hurt to give it a try!

 

 

It's a Beauty

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

Oh where was this little beauty when we were searching for our new kitchen faucet last fall.

And search we did - at all the hardware stores both in person and online.

It took us a few trips to finally decide on the model that we wanted at the price we could afford.

We compromised on the model - I wanted a high one, and my husband wanted one that pulled out with the sprayer in the faucet itself.

We got a pull out one that was just as short as the one we already had in there.

We couldn't find those two features in one model at the time.

But just a few months later the Kiran Spot Resist one-handle pulldown kitchen faucet hits the market at Lowe's.

I wish it had been available when we were looking as it has the features that we both wanted, plus a whole lot more that we could never have dreamed of.

Look at that beauty - so high with the perfect arch.

And it pulls down for easy rinsing and cleaning, and it slick at going right back up with the relex system that it is designed with.

The Moen name is also one of the top brands for quality when it comes to faucets.

But the best part about this little beauty is it's spot resistant finish.

That sleek stainless steel finish resists fingerprints and spots so it stays looking it's best all the time.

We will live the choice we made last year, but it is good to know that if something happens to it, we will be able to replace it with this perfect one for us.

Check out and Like Moen on Facebook to keep up with their new products and be sure to follow @Moen on Twitter too!

 

Grass Fed Beef - What a Treat!

Eating lean and low fat meat is a necessary part of a healthy diet.

We all know that too much fat is not good, but when eating meat, sometimes it's not only the fat that is not good for us.

There are whole new sections in the markets these days for organic and grass fed meats.

We usually check them out, but even on sale, these meats are very expensive, so they don't make it into the cart on a regular basis.

But every now and then, we hit it just right when the market is reducing them for clearance.

That's when we get to have a special treat.

The grass-fed ground beef makes the absolutely best hamburgers one can ever eat.

This meat is all natural and no hormones were used during the raising of the animal.

We would have never known the big difference between the regular and organic if we hadn't tasted this meat.

It is so good!

We now keep our eyes open more closely on this section in the market.

We don't want to miss a deal when it comes around.

Mixing Potions

I have been having some fun with mixing different ingredients for my own creams and shampoos.

In my last post, I was seeking a more natural alternative to all the chemical products on the market for our skin care.

Some of my experiments have been complete failures.

Some have just not been the mixture that my skin, especially my face, needs or likes.

And I have had some success with a couple of great potions that we use regularly.

But I still haven't found the perfect recipe for my face lotion or shampoo.

When I do make up the mixtures, I make smaller amounts so we can test them without wasting too much of the ingredients.

And the mixing of the oils and waters, which is what most lotions and creams are, is quite a learning experience as those two ingredients just do not mix well.

Using beeswax and watching the temps while mixing them will give better results, but it does take practice to get it right.

Finding the right oils for my skin type is also a learning process.

I will say though, I have always used ivory soap for my skin as it has been the only soap throughout my entire life that has not given my skin any problems.

I have tried numerous beauty bars, soft soaps, and cleansers over the years and not a none of them is agreeable to my skin, face or otherwise.

The ivory is pure, real soap, but as I get older, I find it is drying to my usually oily skin, hence the search for a non-greasy moisturizer.

As I mentioned above, I have had a few successes, but I know I need to make some changes to those recipes so they are perfect.

Once they get used up, the experimenting will continue.

I will share the ones that work the best for us.