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Smart Moms Comparison Shop ~ UrbanStone

Fiona Bryan — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:38:42 +0000

Who doesn’t like to know if they are getting the best shopping deals possible? Comparison shopping is just plain smart. If you like to compare shopping prices take a look at UrbanStone. This is a site that will be of interest to our UK readers. Urban Stone.co.uk allows you to search for almost anything you could possibly want to compare the prices of. Everything from clothing, accessories, electronics, appliances, computers, you name it.
In our family, we desperately need an extra freezer. With three kids that are starting to eat us out of house and home I’ve been preparing meals in double, sometimes triple, batches and shopping in bulk at Costco. I’d love to have a freezer chest in the garage. I searched the appliances category on UrbanStone for a freezer and pages upon pages of freezers popped up! I was happy to see that I could narrow my search to freezer chests and from there I was able to narrow my search by size, price range, defrost types, and even by energy efficiency. Once I honed in on what I wanted there were six stores to compare and the prices ranged from £281.00 – £440.00 That’s a huge difference in price!! This would be the perfect site for someone building house or renovating a kitchen, you could compare the costs for dishwashers, freestanding cookers, hobs , kitchen hoods, microwave ovens, gas and electric ovens, and refrigerators. Not only can you comparison shop for the best prices but most of the products have been rated and reviewed by actual customers. So you get a great price and a proven product. My husband is one lucky guy, I may drive him batty with frugality but I sure have saved him some serious money of the years!
So, what are you in the market for? Search UrbanStone and compare before you head out to make any purchases!

*I was compensated for this post. All opinions are mine and based on my experience.

Win a Yes! To Cookies Gift Pack

Fiona Bryan — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:33:39 +0000

I personally know many people who could benefit from knowing about Yes! to Cookies, as they are afflicted with health conditions that give them glucose and gluten problems. So when a box filled to the brim with these treats arrived at my house, I quickly opened them to give them a good ole’ taste test.

Since I have become a chocoholic over the years and am not a huge fan of anything strawberry-flavored, I preferred the Coco-Licious over the Strawberry-Banana Blitz cookies. But I didn’t want to rely solely on just my tastebuds, so I shared the Yes! To Cookies samples with some girlfriends. They all said they were tasty, but just like me, they would pick the chocolate ones over the strawberry. However, when one of my friends shared them with her relatives, many of whom suffer from Celiac Disease, they gave both flavors a thumbs up.

What I find most important than taste when it comes to these products is the fact that they offer people, who might otherwise not be able to eat desserts, an option to quench their sweet tooth.

Facts about Yes! To Cookies:

1st cookie made from fiber instead of sugar
Made with premium, all natural ingredients
Fresh baked without high calorie starch
Zero sugar, fructose, or corn syrup
Zero Gluten (wheat gluten is replaced with calorie free, heart healthy fiber)
A low-carb cookie option

So if you know someone who is unable to eat cookies due to blood sugar, gluten, or weight problems, this is the answer they’ve been waiting for. Yes! To Cookies will allow them to eat cookies and not exacerbate their health conditions.

You can win a Yes! To Cookies gift pack of your own, which includes (2) containers of ready to eat cookies (one of each flavor) and (2) boxes of cookie mix (one of each flavor) by visiting my blog, The (Un)Experienced Mom for details on how to enter this giveaway.

This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only. It ends 12/28/09 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be picked by using Random.org and notified by email.

*I received samples of Yes! To Cookies to review. This review is my honest opinion and I was not compensated in any other manner. Please refer to my product review/giveaway policies for further information.

Stay Healthy This Holiday Season with Earth Footwear Exer-Walk Giveaway!

Fiona Bryan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:59:38 +0000

I was one of six women to participate in Earth Footwear’s Earth Exer-Walk “Change Your Body in 30 Days” Challenge. I was a little skeptical about exactly what kind of changes I might see in my body over a period of just 30 days but I committed to wearing the shoes every day and went about my normal daily life and exercise routines. I could tell that the muscles in my legs were working differently but I was really surprised when I took my measurements and realized that I had lost 2 inches in my hips!

Studies have shown that women wearing Earth Footwear burn 4x the fat than normal shoes. The secret is in the patented Kalso Negative Heel Technology, which positions the toes 3.7º higher than the heels. The slight angle shifts your weight back over the heels, and helps strengthen and tone the body while also burning more calories.

Join us for a discussion with tips on how to enjoy a healthy holiday season! I will be a panelist Tuesday December 1st for the Earth Footwear sponsored #GNO Twitter Party (9-11pm EST). Enter the giveaway at Mom-it-Forward ~ Three lucky winners will win a pair of Earth Exer-Walk from @earthfootwear!

And lookie! I’m famous — I’m in an Earth Footwear ad! I’ll also be included in an ad that will run in Weight Watchers, Lucky & More Magazine!! I just wish they had airbrushed “Fred”, that pesky zit that is always hanging out on the left side of my chin….

100 Calorie Steak From Chef’s Requested. Try this tasty Steak Salad Recipe!

Fiona Bryan — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:59:49 +0000

We often think of steak as a meat high in fat and calories. This can be the case when you compare to chicken or fish but honestly, sometimes you just need a little red meat!

I first learned about Chef’s Requested Flat Iron Grill Boneless Steak at Type A Mom Conference. I was intrigued by the idea of a 100 calorie steak and was happy to test them out. We were sent a package of steaks and when they arrived my husband acted like it was Christmas. He fired up the grill and set about cooking them. We ate them straight up off the grill with baked potato and broccoli. They were quite good and definitely a decent portion size. My hubby was over the moon. We’ve been following Weight Watchers and he was really thrilled with the serving size and kept asking me if I was sure it was only 100 calories. The next day I sliced up the leftovers and made a salad with some feta cheese and tomatoes. Even the next day the steak was quite moist and tasty.

Try this easy low-cal Steak Salad recipe ….

2 cups mixed salad greens
1/8 cup low fat Feta or Goat cheese
6 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 Tbs chopped walnuts
100 calorie Chef’s Requested Flat Iron Grill Boneless Steak – sliced
2 tbs your favorite dressing – I love Walden Farms Calorie Free dressings

Want to try the 100 calorie Flat Iron Grill boneless steaks? Chef’s Requested is offering a $3 off coupon – visit HERE – to download.

Changing My Body In 30 Days

Fiona Bryan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:39:00 +0000

I fell in love with Earth Footwear a few months ago just before the Type-A Mom Conference. I purchased a pair of the Kalso light shoes because my buddy Leah from Bookieboo swore they were comfy and that I’d burn calories just by wearing them. I’m an exercise freak but if I can tone and burn calories just by wearing a pair of shoes? I’m all over it! I was skeptical though. I’ve spent a gazillion dollars on the ugliest MBT shoes you’ve ever seen, simply because my skinny minnie gal friends wear them. Honestly, I don’t think they did much for me except that I did feel mighty tall in them.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I felt totally SORE after working out with Tracey Mallet and Leah at Type A Mom Conference Earth Footwear booth. Keep in mind that I’m a strong girl that hits the gym hard consistently. A fluke, perhaps … or not?

I was totally excited when Earth Footwear contacted me and asked if I’d like to participate in the “Change your Body in 30 days” program. Who doesn’t want to change their body?

They sent me a pair of the new Exer-Walk shoe that will be released to the public in January. (They “sent me” means FREE, just in case you are the FTC) It is a nice enough shoe – designed with the patented negative heel technology. It’s a little heavier than the Kalso that I like so much but it’s a comfortable enough shoe. I didn’t truly appreciate this shoe until today…. when I weighed in at Weight Watchers…. the week after Halloween. Halloween is a chocolate infested holiday that holds my sweet-tooth hostage for a good week every year. This year was no different and I fully expected to weigh in with a gain today. BUT…. I neither gained nor lost and let me tell you friends, that is a victory!

I’ve been wearing my Exer-Walks for almost two weeks now and had definitely been noticing my glutes and inner thighs feeling a bit tighter. I wasn’t giving them any credit for calorie burning though because it all seemed a little “black magic” to me. I’m sold now though, because this weekend we were in the mountains doing our usual activity (we are active, keep in mind) and I wore my Exer-walks most of the weekend…. while shoving Twix, Snickers, and Milkyway chocolate into my trap for three days straight (not that there was any candy in the house earlier in the week …). Honestly, I should have gained weight this weekend and I normally would have gained. When I weighed in today with my jeans and winter gear I still hadn’t gained a single pound. I was exactly the same weight I was last week. Phew…. so, do I think it is because I burned 4 times more calories, as Earth Footwear claims? I have no other explanation. It has to be the shoes. So, is my body changing two weeks in to a 30 day program? I have to say yes, despite the chocolate train that threw me off track, I do think that wearing the Exer-Walk every day has made a difference. I do feel that my legs are toning and for sure, I feel my glutes are tighter. I’m a runner so I’ve only actually exer-walked three times in these shoes on the treadmill, but even just wearing them in my daily life has definitely made a difference.

PUR Flavor Options Pitcher Review and Giveaway

Fiona Bryan — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Most of you have heard me on air encouraging everyone to drink more water. Drinking water is important to your health and weight goals no matter whether you are losing or maintaing. Water has no calories and can often stave off feelings of hunger. Those of us that exercise know that we need to replenish fluids lost during those workouts and that without water we can easily slip into a state dehydration.

We were recently given the opportunity to review the new PUR Flavor Options water filtration pitcher. We’ve been using the pitcher for just over a week now and it has actually been quite a hit! The great part about the pitcher is that it gives you the option of having plain or flavored water, so I have even started filling up my water bottles from the pitcher. My kids LOVE it most because they can have flavored water and it switches things up for them. They like the lemon flavor best. They also get a kick out of the light that flashes green to tell them that the filter is still working each time they pour water!

I am particularly happy that I don’t have to buy bottled water anymore. Did you know that PUR filtered water is about one-tenth the cost of bottled water, and can lead to a savings of up to $600 a year? And that each PUR pitcher can replace up to 2,000 16 oz. plastic bottles of water in one year? I didn’t know that, but I do now and I’m all over it!

Win a PUR Flavor Options Water Filtration Pitcher:

To Enter: Visit PUR Flavor Options and take the “What’s Your Flavor?” Quiz – come back and post your answer in a comment.

For Extra Entries:

1. Favorite MomActive and sign up for show reminders on BTR

2. Subscribe to MomActive RSS feeed.

3. Become a follower of MomActive

4. Tweet about this giveaway as often as you want!

sample tweet:

Win a PUR Flavor Options water filtration pitcher! http://tiny.cc/hkpLI

5. Blog about this giveaway

6. Become a follower of BanteringBlonde blog

* Please leave a separate comment for each “entry”
* The deadline for entries is September 19, 2009, Midnight CMT.
* The winner will be notified via email on September 20, 2009 (make sure your email address is in your profile or comment).

Arnold’s Oroweat Sandwich Thins

Fiona Bryan — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:44:00 +0000

I love bread, I hate bread. OOOoooh I really love breads. I’ve always eaten whole wheat and whole grain breads. My children have never had a sandwich with white bread and I hope that they never do.

I’m not sure why I hadn’t heard of these before but apparently “other” parts of the country have had Arnold’s Oroweat sandwich thins for some time. I saw them at our local store and instantly caved to the buy one/get one deal. I tried both the whole wheat and the multi-grain varieties.

Did I like them? You bet! They aren’t huge fluffy rolls but they are quite delish and I’ve made a gazillion things with them! The obvious things are sandwiches and veggie/turkey burgers, but here are a two of my favorite things to do with them:

Mini Pizza:

I just use sliced tomatoes, bit of fresh basil and some LF Mozzarella

Panini:

Use a bit of Pam spray in a sandwich press (or pan) and grille your favorite sandwich

Are you avoiding high fructose corn syrup? I have become vigilant at looking for this. I actually buy a lot of the different Arnold’s breads and most (if not all?) do not contain high fructose corn syrup. These contain 19 grams of whole grain per serving, another thing I look for when I buy breads. The best part? They are only 100 calories and if you are a point counter like me, they are only one Weight Watcher point!

Have you tried the Arnold’s Oroweat Sandwich Thins? What have you made with them? Share your ideas with us!