It's the Sensible Thing to Do! (Sensible Sippers Review)

You should see my house after school (maybe you shouldn't!). It starts the minute I pick them up - "Mom, what's for snack!". Then we go through the usual litany of options ranging from pretzels with peanut butter to cheese sticks to granola bars. About this time, my 7 year old pipes up with, "Mom, those are all HEALTHY snacks. I want junk food!" And then we have that conversation for the umpteenth time.

Recently I was sent some of the R.W. Knudsen Family’s Sensible Sippers so one day I offered that as an option. You would have thought I had offered toxic waste so I gave one to her youngest sister who happily began to slurp it down. Next thing you know, the 5 year old wanted some and loved it. Seeing this, P1 was not about to be left out so she decided to try some. What do you know? She liked it! Hey, let's get Mikey! Seriously, all 3 girls were soon begging for more.

I, of course, was laughing all the while because, you see, the Sensible Sippers are actually good for you! They are 50% certified organic juice, 50% water to reduce calories and sugar, each contains 40% less calories than traditional juice boxes, and do not have any added sugar, artificial flavors or preservatives! Woohoo!

Now I use them in their lunches or when we need to grab a drink to go. The serving size is just about right at 4oz per box. They come in apple, mixed berry, tropical and banana and so far we have tried and love d both the apple and fruit punch. Another added bonus - they do not have a bunch of added coloring to stain or add problems for those with allergy worries. Seriously, these are real winners. And they are not hard to find either - you can get them at your local Whole Foods store. Their suggested retail price is $3.99-$4.49. for an eight pack - not too bad for something so good for you.

So would I buy them? Absolutely. All the time? Probably but to be used with discretion due to the cost. Would I recommend them? Absolutely! After all, it's the Sensible thing to do!:)

Be sure to check out my other blog, 3 P's in a Pod...You just NEVER know What Might Happen There!!
Sensible +Sippers

Yum Yum Yogurt - Review: Yoplait Kids

Yogurt, yogurt, yogurt, yum!
It's as tasty as they come.
Mom says it is good for me,
And I love to eat it, as you see!

Yes indeed, we are a yogurt-eating and yogurt-loving household. So, when I had the chance to tell you about Yoplait Kids yogurt, I could not pass up the opportunity.

What I Found:
I remember reading when I did an earlier review of Yoplait's Fizzix that the yogurt companies in the US are really trying to up the interest in kids in the US in eating yogurt. Well, Yoplait has again done a good thing here. Yoplait Kids is a line of yogurt products designed with 25% less sugar than most yogurts plus DHA added so we can promote good brain growth and hopefully raise us some smart kiddos! Seriously, this is an added bonus on top of the already great benefits of calcium and vitaamins A and D.

What I Liked:
If you will notice in the picture of P3 above, she is eating the Yoplait Kids unassisted. This is a glorious thing in most Mamas' books. This yogurt has such a great consistency that she can get it on the spoon and keep it on the spoon, all the way to her mouth. The consistency is nice and smooth too so finicky palates cannot discerne there is actually fruit in there that might be good for them and Mom doesn't have to worry about them getting choked on chunks of fruit.

We love to get the drinkable Yoplait Kids as well. In China you could easily buy the drinkable yogurt with a straw, much like our juice boxes here. One of my friends came up with the idea to poke a very small hole in the top of the drinkable yogurt lid here and stick a straw in it. P3 loves it! Slurps it down like it was the nectar of the Gods! Of course, with the flavors Yoplait Kids has, why not? It comes in Strawberry, Strawberry-Banana, Vanilla, Peach, Mixed Berry, and Strawberry-Vanilla. My favorite is the Strawberry-Vanilla...what a great shade of pink.:)

What I Didn't Like:
The cartons are a perfect serving size, especially for a small tummy - 8 ounces. The drinkable containers are 8 ounces also and my kids, well, my yogurt-eating ones P2 and P3 anywho, are always left wanting more. 10 ounces might be a better amount but the bottles themselves are the perfect size for a toddler's little hand.

What I Say:
Absolutely, positively consider buying Yoplait Kids! Unless your child is unable to eat yogurt for some reason or just flat out wont try it, I cannot imagine they won't like it. I mean, they come with Dora and Blue on them for Heaven's Sake.:)

Yoplait Kids retails for about $2.69 and can be found at most major food retailers.

Would you like $1.50 off your next purchase of Yoplait Kids? Click HERE!

This post was done in conjunction with the Family Review Network.



Be sure to check out my other blog, 3 P's in a Pod!
Yoplait+Kids

Are You REady for Some FOOTBALL? Krispy Kreme Style!

Tailgating! Face painting! Sticking a giant foam finger in the air, and waving it with reckless abandon! Yes, the football season is in full swing! And we’ve got all our game-day rituals down…and that includes celebrating with Football doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. They're made from the same secret recipe as the incredible Original Glazed--except, you guessed it, Football doughnuts come in the shape...of a football! Now that’s something to shout about. And here are two more plays to shout about: Play number one: Be a loyal fan, call your local Krispy Kreme 48 hours in advance to order a dozen Football doughnuts in your favorite team’s color. Play number two: Go for extra points and make it a Tailgate Pack…that’s a dozen Football doughnuts lined-up against a dozen delicious Original Glazed. But just like the season, this won't last forever. Get down to Krispy Kreme before the clock runs out and share some Football doughnuts with football-loving friends and family. At participating Krispy Kreme stores from August 19 to September 30. Contact your local store to see if they are participating. And to keep you cheering throughout the entire football season here's an added bonus...beginning the weekend of October 3rd, participating stores will be offering football doughnuts on weekends only through February 1st! That's right--weekends only--beginning October 3rd! Thinking football? Think Krispy Kreme!

Be sure to check out my other blog, 3 P's in a Pod!

Yoplait's Fizzix: Fab or Fizzle? Product Review

We are a yogurt-lovin' house. It is true. We devour it in many forms. Of course, by we, I mean everyone except P1. She has, shall we say, very selective taste.:) Ahem. But I digress.
Yogurt.
When I was in France with my Mom several years ago while I was pregnant with P2, it was truly my favorite thing to have for breakfast...along with my hot cocoa and croissant. Thankfully, P2 is as yogurt lovin' as I am and very often, that is what she currently has for breakfast. She especially loves Yoplait's Go-Gurt so when they came out with their new Go-Gurt Fizzix, well, it was only a matter of time before we would try it out. Last week, she was my helper at Ye Olde Grocery Store and so into the basket it flew.

Here is what I found:

Fizzix comes in a box of 8 2.25 oz. tubes. They have 3 varieties of flavor combinations -

• Blue Raspberry Rage/ Strawberry Watermelon Rush
• Wild Cherry Zing/ Strawberry Lemonade Jolt
• Triple Berry Fusion/ Fruit Punch Charge

Each tube has 80 calories, 2 g fat, 2 g protein, 11 g sugars and vitamins A and D and calcium.

Here is what I did like:

It is described by Yoplait as

"Go-Gurt Fizzix™ is a new yogurt snack…

...that mixes the wholesome goodness of Yoplait yogurt with a blast of carbonation for a fizzy taste that your kids will love. It’s a new fizzy sensation with cool new flavors like Blue Raspberry Rage and Strawberry Watermelon Rush. Even better, Fizzix has the same great nutrition as Yoplait Go-Gurt."

How could I, as a Mom, find fault with that? Go-Gurt is a great, transportable way to get a healthy snack in my kids and this seemed to add even more variety and fun. I also liked that it could be just 'cool' enough to entice my selective eldest daughter to try them.

The tubes are easy to open - my 5 year old can do it and now manage to eat almost all of the yogurt without waste or spillage.

Here is what I didn't like:

General Mills' idea is that this carbonation-infused yogurt will lure older children into eating more yogurt. That is not such a bad idea - if it did not have 40 percent more calories and double the cholesterol to a similarly sized container of non-fizzy strawberry banana Yoplait. It does however have double the calcium and more riboflavin and if they are not getting it anywhere else then I would probably be okay with it, especially in place of something worse.

The other thing I didn't like? Sad to say, the fizz. Yep, the very thing that makes the product what it is. Neither did my 5 year old. She described it as being 'too spicy'. As there is no 'spice' to the flavor, she was referring to the carbonation. When I tried them, the flavor was fine then all of a sudden, the carbonation snuck up on me. Not really a pleasant sensation.

Here is what I say:

So far, they are a bit of a fizzle. Since I really like them logically, I wish my kids would eat them. Thankfully we still have plain Go-Gurt available. In reading up on the product, I found the idea of freezing the Go-Gurt and Go-Gurt Fizzix tubes then either including them in school lunches where they will have had time to defrost yet stay perfectly healthy and safe temperature-wise or enjoying them like a frozen push-up. Since freezing them should significantly temper the carbonation, I'll bet the Fizzix will be a Fab seller around here on a hot summer day. (UPDATE 7/16/08: Tried them frozen, we LIKED them. Hey, let's get Mikey!)

Do you have any other clever ideas regarding how to enjoy them?

They are widely available in grocery stores. The suggested retail price is $2.79 for eight 2.25-ounce tubes.

Fizzix+Review