Category Archives: Products

Tuttorosso Tomatoes Giveaway & Stew Recipe!

I received complimentary Tuttorosso Tomatoes to use for this post. This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own.

After doing my post for Redpack Tomatoes, I was approached by another brand from the Red Gold family – Tuttorosso Tomatoes, to do something similar. (That includes a GIVEAWAY at the end of this post by the way.)

Special delivery!

Special delivery!

That means I received another tomatoe-y gift pack – but this one with a nifty tote, which has since then obviously been used to tote around wine.

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Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole!

I received complimentary products from Pacific Foods. They did not ask me to write a post, nor is this post sponsored. My (positive) opinion is my own.

Every now and then Pacific Foods sends me a variety of products to sample, and I honestly have had the Organic Vegan Mushroom Gravy they sent me in my pantry for almost a year now! But what better occasion to use gravy than right after Thanksgiving, when leftovers are abound? My mom sent me home with plenty, plus a bag of fresh Brussels sprouts. When I got back to Boston on Sunday, I could hardly wait to get this casserole prepped!

Once my casserole was in its pan I just put it in the fridge, and the next night I put it in the oven and I was ready to chow! Plus I ended up with leftovers…of these leftovers. Does that qualify as inception?

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Lightlife Lights Up Meals (Plus Giveaway!)

I received complimentary product coupons for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this post and opinions are my own.

Firstly, let me announce the winner of my Redpack Tomatoes giveaway…it’s Annie of Avocado Athlete! Congrats, girl!

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Now I know it seems a bit meh for me to do two product/giveaway posts in a row, but I’m keepin it real: both were due this week, and I do like to give you guys a chance to win products that I actually enjoy. And I seriously enjoyed (and am still enjoying, because there’s some Smart Dogs in my freezer right now waiting to be used) Lightlife veggie products! I have been a fan of cooking with vegetarian “meat” for awhile, and was excited for the chance to try a new brand.

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Redpack Dinners & Giveaway!

I received complimentary Redpack products in exchange for writing this post. All opinions are my own and I received no monetary compensation.

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Redpack Tomatoes approached me about not only receiving a slow cooker gift pack, but also giving one away to a reader. I love reviewing products that I get to give to readers too so I was all on board! They sent me a can of Tomato Sauce and two cans of Crushed Tomatoes in Thick Puree. Plus a charming wooden spoon!

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A Dare from Dove Hair


Everyone has their “thing” that they spend extra money on. For some it’s running shoes. For others it’s makeup. For me…it’s NOT hair products. I stick with the affordable brands I can find at CVS. So I jumped at the chance to try out the new Pure Care Dry Oil collection from a brand that actually falls within my preferred price point – Dove Hair.

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I received the shampoo, conditioner, and African macadamia oil.

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Asics GEL-Pursue: My Half Marathon Shoe!

I received a pair of Asics for the purpose of this review. This is not a compensated post and all opinions are my own.

Shortly after my review of JD Sports and the Asics I got from them, the Asics brand folks themselves contacted me about reviewing the Runner’s World Best Debut Running Shoe of Fall 2014 – the GEL-Pursue. I’d so far had success with my first pair of Asics helping my shin splints, so I was open to trying out another style. The GEL-Pursue is “neutral, but responsive”.

 

The ankle/heel definitely had plenty of that responsive cushioning, but the shoe itself felt very flexible and easy to move in. After just one three miler, I knew I wanted to try out a long run in these shoes. And after that one long run, I knew I wanted to run my first half marathon in them!

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Reach the Beach Part 1: Pre-Relay

In case you missed last Wednesday’s announcement about participating in the Reach the Beach Relay as a member of the New Balance media team, you can read it here!

Oh. Man. Recapping the events of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday is going to take 2-3 posts, and I don’t know if I’ll get through it all this week, but I’ll try! So Thursday morning after a quick 30-minute solo spin session, I headed over to the hotel to meet the other eleven bloggers/members of Team Pumped Up Kicks:

I was a bit nervous at first because the only team members I’d already met were Christine (at the Fitness Magazine Meet & Tweet) and Theodora (at various events). But many of the other girls were in that same situation, and bloggers are certainly good at being friendly and making new friends! It didn’t take long at all to feel comfortable around everyone, especially the fellow members of Van 2 (my van).

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Relay-ing An Announcement

At the end of Monday’s post I teased an announcement yesterday or today. Well I’m barely making that deadline seeing as it’s almost 8PM in Boston as I write this, but here I am. Time is short because I still have packing to do so I will cut to the chase.

A few weeks back, I was approached by New Balance to run in the Reach the Beach Relay – as part of one of their media teams! The race takes place in New Hampshire – it’s a 200 mile relay race from Cannon to Hampton Beach. Our team is called Pumped Up Kicks (love it, right?!) and consists of two vans of six runners each – twelve runners total. It’s pretty hardcore…24 hours, meaning Friday night I will be sleeping in a van, and I may end up running in the middle of the night. I am a notorious sleep diva, and am probably more nervous about not getting sleep than the running itself.

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The shoes I will be running in – the New Balance 860v4.

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Five Things Friday: Currently

I often see blog posts written in the “currently…” style as in, I am currently doing/feeling/loving/eating/insert-verb-ing-here this. I thought I’d mash that up with Clare‘s Five Things Friday and do five “currently…” updates. (And if you missed yesterday’s restaurant post, be sure to check it out – it’s been awhile since I wrote a good old restaurant visit recap!)

Link up with Clare if you are sharing five things on this Friday!

1. Currently snacking on…Sweet & Salty Chex Mix Popped. I was sent a couple of new Chex Mix products (and honestly can’t remember who did so…but thank you to the mystery network/PR company that did so) from the lower-fat Popped line. I opened the bag and thought I was being all smart portioning out a bit to mix into my chocolate pudding…until I instantly became addicted after bite #1. I even got out of bed to get more after I’d finished my first helping. Foiled by crack-like snack products! Screw portion control.

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MorningStar Farms Meatball Bake

MorningStar Farms products were a staple in my household back when I was still living at home with my parents. My mom often liked to “sneak” the Meal Starter “Crumbles” into family meals (I say sneak because my siblings and dad are not quite as open minded about plant-based protein as my mom and I are!), like her Mexi-Casserole. But I hadn’t tried any other products from this brand aside from the crumbles, so I was excited to have the chance to try some new stuff, thanks to this Clever Girls campaign.

I was also fortunate enough to receive this lovely glass/plate set with wooden utensils, napkin, and a placemat!

I was also fortunate enough to receive this lovely glass/plate set with wooden utensils, napkin, and a placemat!

I was challenged by MorningStar Farms to pick a theme and build a recipe around it, so I selected 15-minute meals. I am a very busy person and quick is certainly a component I look for in a recipe, as well as “Does it match what I have on hand?” and “Is it healthy?” Luckily I was given the ability to choose which MorningStar Farms goodies I wanted to try, and the decision was tough since the products are so varied and versatile. But I was inspired by this Lightened-Up Meatball Casserole by Julie of PB Fingers, so that made my decision to try the veggie meatballs an easy one. Almost as easy as my recipe 😉

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