Klondike Rose and Johnny's Seasoning Recipe + Giveaway

Disclaimer: I received complimentary product for the purpose of this review and giveaway. All opinions are 100% my own.

Warm weather has finally arrived to Chicagoland. Like we reached over 80 degrees today and my son couldn't be more excited to break out his shorts. Along with warm weather comes the need for quick and refreshing dishes. The great folks at Klondike Brands Potatoes and Johnny's Fine Foods sent me some Rose Potatoes, Seasoned Sea Salt and Seasoning Salt to use on a recipe.  Potato salad was the first thing that came into my mind, although I've never made it before! It's one of my favorite summer sides so it was time for me to make my own using the Klondike Rose Potatoes and Seasoned Sea Salt. 

Ingredients:

1 (1.5 lbs) bag of Klondike Rose Potatoes

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 hard-boiled eggs

1/4 cup relish

1 Tbsp. mustard

1/2 cup yellow onions

Johnny's Seasoned Sea Salt and pepper

Preparation: 

Wash potatoes and chop into small cubes. 

Place potatoes in a pot of  water and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes until they can be easily pierced with a fork.  Allow to cool. 

Boil eggs. Allow to cool and chop into small cubes

Place potatoes in a bowl and gently stir in onion, relish, eggs, mustard, and mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover mixture and refrigerate for 24 hours. 

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I was so happy with how my very first batch of potato salad turned out. The potatoes were nice and soft and the seasoning salt added the perfect amount of "kick"! I'm looking forward to making a lot more of it this summer. Check out more Klondike Potato Products on the web, Facebook and Twitter. Johnny's also has a Facebook page. You can also get a great coupon for Klondike and Johnny's products, here. 

Giveaway

Klondike Brands is providing some awesome gift packs for my readers! You can enter to win 1 of 4 prize packs that each include 1 5 lb. bag of Klondike Rose Potatoes, 1 bottle of Johnny's Seasoning Salt, 1 bottle of Johnny's Seasoned Sea Salt, and 1 Klondike Brands Potato Cookbook. Four lucky readers will each win one of these prize packs!  To enter, please fill out the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Replenish Multi-Surface Cleaner Review

Disclosure: I received complimentary product for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% my own.

I've definitely been thinking about my carbon footprint this month. With the funky "spring" weather, I've been doing some research on what my family can do to make our presence on earth a little less harmful. So in addition to recycling, I wanted to focus on the cleaning supplies in our home. I know it's really easy to just use baking soda, vinegar and water to clean your entire house. But I'll be honest, I don't like the way vinegar smells. I've used all these products in other ways, I'm just not sure I'm ready to use them 100%. So I've tried a variety of other green cleaning products, but found myself tired of having to throw out empty bottles.

Happy Birthday Shot@Life! #BirthdayBash

This is a busy week! We are celebrating Shot@Life's first birthday and World Immunization Week. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Jen during our Shot@Life Champion Training in Washington, D.C. I immediately gravitated towards her because of her energy and passion for this important cause. Not to mention she's a wife and mom of two amazing kids. I'm still trying to figure out how to bottle her energy because she is so committed to advocating not only for her own children, but children around the world. I decided to ask Jen a few questions about her work with Shot@Life. I know you will be just as inspired as I am by her work! 

Grilling Fresh Vegetables with Mariano's Fresh Market

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Mariano’s. All opinions are 100% my own. #cbias #SocialFabric #MyMarianos

Sundays have become my grocery shopping day. I usually head to the grocery store after church with my eMeals list in hand. This Sunday was a little different since I decided to head to Mariano's to get some fresh produce to add something new to my families diet for the week. I've visited Mariano's a few times before and it's always a fun adventure. I also find a new food and love the sampling stations around the store. Since the weather has been terrible in Chicagoland, it was a nice treat to see so many bright colors from the delicious looking fruits and vegetables. And what better way to bring on warmth into your home than by grilling?!

As I was preparing for this trip, I did look up some ideas for fruits and vegetables to put on my George Foreman Grill. I do have a grill in my backyard, but find it so much easier and quicker to put items on my George Foreman Grill. In the past, I've primarily used it to grill meats or make quesadillas. I found an easy recipe from Giada de Laurentiis that gave me some ideas on which seasonings to use on my veggies such as Balsamic vinegar and basil. I've never used either on grilled vegetables before.

Rocawear Kids Giveaway

Disclaimer: I am being compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

I'm excited to offer you an opportunity to add to your child's spring wardrobe, courtesy of Rocawear Kids! Rocawear Kids is providing one of my readers with $100 gift certificate. RocThe Rocawear Kids Spring 2013 Collection is full of bright colors and fun patterns that you and your child will love.

The Chicago Promise Walk and 5K Run for Preeclampsia 2013

The Preeclampsia Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing maternal and infant illness and death due to preeclampsia, is proud to launch the fourth annual Chicago Promise Walk and 5K Run for Preeclampsia™ on Sunday, May 19, 2013 at the Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village/Schaumburg, Illinois. This annual event is part of a nationwide effort to support innovative research and raise public awareness about the warning signs of preeclampsia, a life-threatening disorder of pregnancy. 

Everyone Can't Be In Your Front Row

Photo Credit

Everyone Can't Be in Your Front Row

 Life is a theater - invite your audience carefully.

 Not everyone is spiritually healthy and mature enough to have a front row seat in our lives.

 There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you LET GO, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships!

 Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to:

 Which ones lift and which ones lean?

 Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? 

Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? 

 When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? 

 Which ones always have DRAMA or don't really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you? 

 When you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life. 

 You cannot change the people around you...but you can change the people you are around!

 Ask God for godly wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life. 'Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level, doesn't mean you sink to theirs!'

(author unknown) 

Single Moms Go Camping. Don't They?

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This single mom has never been camping.

The thought of sleeping outside, in a tent, has never appealed to me. All I can thinking about is the bugs, the hard ground, and the bugs. Granted I know there are these awesome things called pop-up campers, I'm still not entirely sold. Heck, I didn't have my first s'more (which I associate with camping) until I was in my late 20s. So why am I thinking about this now.

My son, of course.

I like to imagine that if I had a husband this would be something he would organize and drag me to participate in. However, I don't so I'm going to have to figure this out. There are lots of options and equipment to investigate. I think I'm going to start small and rent a cabin in the "middle of no where". Sounds like I'm leaning towards glamping until he's old enough for me to send off to a camp where he can go rustic

So I decided to do some research. I found Reserve America which seems to be the Orbitz of camping grounds. This site is perfect for someone like me who is on a budget and wants a cabin with electricity. I started to start small and plan out a weekend trip. I decided to check out dates for Memorial Day weekend and found a cabin for only $100. The cabin comes with 2 bunkbeds and a full bed so I could invite some friends to join us and it make it a great getaway.

Have you ever been camping? Any tips for a newbie?

I'm participating in BlogHer's NaBloPoMo for the month of April. 

Am I Really a Morning Person?

I've been fascinated by the Early to Rise challenge over on Money Saving Mom.

During the month of March, Crystal challenged herself and her readers to make the most of their mornings by waking up early and having a plan for the day.

Sounds simple.

And then I started seeing the times that folks were up.

I've always thought that I was a morning person because I feel that is when I'm the most alert/productive. Then I remembered that I struggle to get up at 6:30am and often have to sprint to get my son to the bus stop on time.

So I began to wonder. What could I really do if I woke up by 5:30am every day?

I could enjoy breakfast at my kitchen table instead of my desk at work.
I could do my daily devotional and write in my journal.
I could watch the news and know the weather before I head outside.
I could make my son one of those cute bento style lunches that looks like an edible diorama.

The possibilities are endless.

The question is, am I really a morning person?
That would require me to get in the bed a little bit earlier and do more evening prep.
In the end, it's about my motivation and desire for having a more balanced day and not feeling so rush.

I think I can be a morning person.

We'll see.