Pack It: Keep your lunch cold for up to 10 hours! Review and Giveaway!

With the HOT Summer weather right around the corner, this is THE perfect product to keep ALL of your cold food and drink items COLD.

Pack It is a wonderful, new product that will change the way you eat lunch, snacks or even dinner, on-the-go!
Usually, people will use those little, heavy ice packs to keep their lunches and drinks cold in their lunch bags. But, when they are ready to eat, they find that their sandwiches are now flat, soggy, warm and not very appealing to open up and eat. PLUS your yogurt and fresh fruit is room temperature and again, not very appealing to a hungry child at lunch break!

Pack It fixes this problem!
Pack It's cooling system is encased in the lining of the bag. The Pack It bag IS your ice pack!!

We decided to try it out for ourselves.
We put the Pack It in the freezer the night before and let it get nice and COLD.
The next morning, we took it out and started packing.
We packed an apple sauce, a pudding, a cup of peaches, 6 strawberries, a turkey sandwich and  plastic bottle filled with chocolate milk.

Now, my kids or my husband wouldn't usually pack milk in their lunches because ice gel packs or just regular ice would never stay cold enough to keep the milk cold. SO, this was the REAL test!

The Pack It sat on our cupboard from 8:00am until 1:00pm.

I know that pictures can't tell you what temperature food is...but I would not lie to my readers!
Pack It kept EVERYTHING cold! I mean, like right out of the fridge COLD!

Pack It gives us the opportunity to save money on on-the-go lunches AND let's us eat healthier.
Fresh food; fruits and veggies stay nice and cold in your Pack It!
AND this is PERFECT for moms on the go with babies! Keep your baby's bottles cold and fresh with Pack It!

We just LOVE our Pack It and plan on ordering another, probably in a "boy" color so my husband wouldn't feel odd carrying around a pink and orange polka-dot Pack It!!! :)

The wonderful people at Pack It are giving one Saving Green in the Bay reader a FREE Pack It!
Here are the details:

You have the opportunity to have 6 entries!

1. Required Entry: go to the Pack It website and tell me what you like about Pack It and also put in your comment what Pack It color/design you would like to win.

2. Head on over to the Pack It Facebook Fan Page and "like" them AND leave a message on their wall, telling them that Saving Green in the Bay sent you :)

3. Follow Pack It on Twitter @FreezeAndGo

4. Follow Saving Green in the Bay on Twitter and tweet the following:
(then leave a link to your tweet in the comments)

Win a PackIt from @freezeandgo and @SavingGreenMom and keep your food cool for 10 hours! http://bit.ly/gywnud #win #giveaway

5. Follow Saving Green in the Bay PUBLICLY on Google Friend Connect (link is in the right side-bar)

6. Head on over and "like" Saving Green in the Bay on Facebook.

If you are already a fan of Pack It and/or Saving Green in the Bay, that is totally fine! Just leave a separate comment telling me so, for each entry! :)

Giveaway is open NOW and will close Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at  9:00pm CST.

Leave a comment, under this post, for EVERY entry, separately.
You must also leave your email. I have had troubles, in the past, with contacting winners.
SO, if you leave your email, this will not be an issue :)
Winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified by email.
The winner has 48 hours to contact me. If they do not contact me within 48 hours of my email, another winner will be chosen.

*NEW* Purex Complete Crystals Softener REVIEW & GIVEAWAY!

If ya'll don't know, I am a Purex Insider. What that means is that I am given the opportunity to review and giveaway Purex products when they are made available to me, directly from Purex!
Pretty cool, huh?
Well, today I have the pleasure of reviewing the NEW Purex Complete Crystals Softener.
And let me tell you, it really is my new FAVORITE fabric softener!

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Purex Complete Crystals do NOT contain flammable oil, like traditional Fabric Softeners.
Therefore, you don't have to worry about losing the inflammable properties of your kid's sleepwear!
AND, with the ingredients being made of 92% Natural Ingredients, as a Mom, I feel good about using it on my kid's clothes :)

2. Purex Complete Crystals are safe to use on your performance sportswear as it does NOT contain oil to coat the sportswear, therefore letting the wick technology, that lets your sportswear breathe, actually work the way it was made to!

3. Purex Complete Crystals are EASY to use! You just measure out the crystals into the cap from the bottle for small, medium or larger loads and add it RIGHT into your washer at the beginning of the wash. That way, the Crystals spend MORE time with your clothes, infusing them with freshness! AND You don't have to worry about filling a fabric softener dispenser, just fill the cap with the appropriate amount, pour the Purex Complete Crystals into the washer with your clothes and you are good to go!
AND I am happy to report that they work with ALL Washing Machines...even HE machines!

4. Thanks to Purex Complete Crystals, our clothes, towels and bedding come out of the dryer smelling
FRESH and extra cozy!
Upon taking his favorite blanket out of the dryer, my son said, "Mom, my blankie is nice and soft! It smells so very clean, mom!"

Pictures don't lie, folks!
My little man is happy to have his favorite blanket smelling fresh and super cozy with our NEW Purex Complete Crystals!

Now, WHO would LOVE to WIN one these COOL Purex Complete Crystals Softeners???
HA! I KNEW you would want to :)

Purex has generously offered to giveaway 3 FULL SIZE Bottles of Purex Complete Crystals Softener to 3 of my WONDERFUL readers!

Here are the details:

For your required entry, please check out the NEW Purex Complete Crystals Softener and tell me what you like most about this product. (you can also print out a $1.00 coupon there, too!)

For a 2nd entry, head on over to the Purex Facebook page and "like" them.
(be sure to come on back and leave a separate comment telling me you "liked" Purex on FB)

For a 3rd entry, Follow Saving Green in the Bay PUBLICLY on Google Friend Connect
(be sure to come on back and leave a separate comment after you follow me!)

For a 4th entry, Follow Saving Green in the Bay on Twitter AND Tweet this Giveaway! Copy & Paste the tweet from below into your twitter :)
(be sure to come on back and leave a comment with a link to your tweet!)

Enter to #win a FREE bottle of Purex Complete Crystals on Saving Green in the Bay! @SavinGintheB #giveaway http://tinyurl.com/6xa593j

The giveaway is open NOW (March 3, 2011, 7:35pm CST) until Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 7:35pm CST.
This giveaway is open to all U.S. Residents.
The 3 winners will be chosen RANDOMLY using Random.org. You may have up to 4 entries. You will need to leave a separate comment for EACH entry. I will then verify all entries.
I will contact the winners by email and they will have 48 hours to get back to me with their information for me to share with the sponsor for the sole purpose of mailing their prize. If the winner(s) do not contact me within 48 hours after I have tried to contact them, they will forfeit their prize and I will then pick another winner.

Thank you so much and GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!


disclosure: I am a Purex Insider. I was not compensated for this review and the opinions I express are my own. My opinions were not swayed in any way. Purex did supply me with a free bottle of Purex Complete Crystals to review and will supply 3 of my blog readers with a free bottle for a Giveaway that they are sponsoring. Saving Green in the Bay/Saving Green Mom only recommends products that we would personally use. Your personal opinions may vary. Sponsors are responsible for mailing the giveaway prizes. Saving Green in the Bay is not responsible for lost or not received prizes.

iPad app Review: Kraft's Big Fork Little Fork

I tried this app. out after receiving the review opportunity from TwitterMoms (now, Social Moms) and just LOVE the idea of my kiddos helping me out in the kitchen! AND with this app, it's so much fun AND it's easy!
Big Fork Little Fork is a cooking iPad app from Kraft Foods. It gets you to LOVE cooking with your kids!

The opening screen shows a wooden cutting board background just littered with so many wonderful things to do!
Here are some of the fun things you can do with this WONDERFUL app:

• You can Watch How-to videos, Recipe videos and videos from celebrity chef, Marcus Samuelsson. ALL of these videos teach you how fun and easy it is to get your kids in the kitchen with you, and cook up some YUMMY Food!
• Learn FUN facts about your food and ways to stay fit
• Check out LOTS of Tips and helpful information from tips to thawing your food to what kind of kitchen tools to use to help you out more in the kitchen
• Check out the Tools section to see your favorite recipes, make your shopping list, browse through your recipe history and MORE!
• Can you believe there are even FUN games to Play? We just LOVED opening our own little deli with Berwyn's Deli! You can also make a funny doodle in the little flour mess :)
• And of course COOK a TON of kid-friendly and family YUMMY foods!

My daughter was eager to try out the Saturday Morning Pancakes recipe with Marcus Samuelsson, and let me tell you...the finished product was a HUGE HIT! They were soooooo good...like melt in your mouth WONDERFUL!
The EXCLUSIVE recipe collection by Marcus Samuelsson for the Big Fork Little Fork iPad app is also available for download for $4.99 and will ALWAYS be worth EVERY penny! His guidance and how he talks to the children in the videos in invaluable to their learning experience in the kitchen!

For our next recipe, I let my little 4 year old son help me make Quiche Lorraine au Fromage.
He had SO much fun cracking open the eggs! He did a pretty good job, too...well, I only had to pick out a few pieces :)
Here is a pic of our finished, YUMMY Quiche, thanks to Big Fork, Little Fork!

I had some broccoli flowerets left over from dinner, so we threw those in...ohhhh sooo yummy!


The videos are my favorite part of this app. Even if you are "afraid" to cook, or have never invited the kiddos into the kitchen with you and are nervous about how the food will turn out...the Big Fork Little Fork ap takes ALL of that worry away. The videos are amazing! There is just NO WAY you can mess up these awesome recipes :)

I LOVE having my kids in the kitchen with me! We do have a pretty small kitchen, but having an iPad AND this Big Fork Little Fork app makes things MUCH easier!
How? Well, because there aren't 50 million cookbooks taking over valuable countertop space, no ripped up, old printout recipe papers or cards that you can't even read AND the Big Fork Little Fork app on the iPad is always RIGHT there, with a WEALTH of helpful information, at your fingertips! 


I wrote this blog post while participating in a TwitterMoms program, making me eligible to get an iTunes gift card in order to purchase the Marcus Samuelsson recipe collection on Big Fork Little Fork free. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Kraft Foods' Big Fork, Little Fork iPad App Preview :)

Last month, we purchased an Apple iPad. I was kind-of against it in the beginning, but now, a month or so later...I am OH SO GLAD that my husband wanted this! It is now a wonderful addition to our family! :)

After looking through the TONS of apps that are available for it, I realized how EASY it would be to take this into the kitchen with me, in it's case that also doubles as a stand, and follow recipes from it!
First of all it doesn't take up as much space as my laptop and 2nd, it's WAY easier to read than a flimsy printout from a website.

Thanks to TwitterMoms, I just stumbled upon this wonderful recipe/cooking app from Kraft Foods called Big Fork, Little Fork AND they also have EXCLUSIVE content from celebrity chef, Marcus Samuelsson!
I am very excited to try this out this weekend, for some before Christmas meals! Before Christmas meals, in our house, are easy-to-do meals, that the kiddos can help me with :)
Because with Christmas coming up FAST, we will be cooking like crazy in my kitchen! OH, and this app will be GREAT for the family Christmas cooking too!!!
My little guy LOVES helpin' Momma in the kitchen and now this app will make our cooking time more fun and enjoyable :)

Here are some of the features of the Kraft Foods' Big Fork, Little Fork App:

• Tips and Tricks, giving Parents and Kids cooking ideas
• 50 EXCLUSIVE Recipes including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack-time recipes that are focused on families interacting in the Kitchen
• 10 How-to Videos demonstrating cooking tactics with kids and offering step-by-step, professional instructions

I will be following up with a Review post on this wonderful iPad app, I hope you will come on back and check it out!
If you would like to test out the Kraft Foods' Big Fork, Little Fork app on your iPad, for yourself (which I HIGHLY recommend) you can do so HERE. This app is FREE ONLY until December 31, 2010. I also recommend downloading the EXCLUSIVE Recipe Collection from celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson content for $4.99

So what are you waiting for? Grab your iPad and your kids and have a cooking date in the kitchen! :)


I wrote this blog post while participating in a TwitterMoms program, making me eligible to get an iTunes gift card in order to purchase the Marcus Samuelsson recipe collection on Big Fork Little Fork free. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Red Gold Tomatoes Review and Giveaway!!! :)

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the Red Gold Company to see if I was interested in receiving a FREE box of goodies and products from Red Gold Tomatoes to try out.
Of course I said yes, since I LOVE LOVE LOVE cooking with tomatoes. We LOVE Chili, Spaghetti...shoot...ANYTHING we can put diced tomatoes in!
AND, my 2 favorite boys are ketchup FREAKS! Seriously. We go through this stuff like crazy!

I did a little research and was happy to learn that Red Gold Tomatoes are grown in well-tended fields, right here in the Midwest, and harvested at the moment that the tomatoes are at their ripest. The people of Red Gold take great pride in their products and have been very passionate about their tomatoes since the family company began in 1942. Now, 4 generations later, the Red Gold family keeps their mission alive..."To produce the freshest, best tasting tomato products in the world."

So, last week I received the big white box in the mail with 4 cans of various Red Gold diced tomatoes,  a bottle of Red Gold ketchup, a nice sized reusable grocery bag, keychain, magnet, recipe cards and my NEW favorite cookbook! The cookbook is titled "Heartwarming Recipes for the Busy Cook" and flipping through the pages, I soon found out that I will probably be making like 90% of the recipes in this book! Yes, they are JUST THAT YUMMY looking :)
Just to make sure everyone would like what I made, I had my pickiest eater choose a recipe for me to make and she picked out the Sonora Style Spaghetti. And, being a BIG Italian food/Spaghetti loving family, we are ALWAYS looking for yummy ways to spice up our plain ol' Spaghetti...and I DO have to say that this recipe DID THE TRICK :)
I made that up for lunch, and it took maybe 40 mins. from the start until I was serving it up!

 

I shredded some mozzarella on top and added a few of my meatballs and OH MY GOODNESS! It was SO GOOD! The diced tomatoes just burst at the perfect time in your mouth! The wonderfully fresh tomato aroma never left...even after cooking them!

The wonderful people over at Red Gold are giving one of my readers the opportunity to win the same Red Gold prize pack that I was given to sample :)

Isn't that awesome!?! I soooooooooo LOVE Givewaways!

The Red Gold Prize Pack includes:

-4 cans of Red Gold Tomatoes

-Red Gold Recipe Book titled, Heartwarming Recipes for the Busy Cook

-1 bottle of Red Gold Ketcup

-1 reusable Red Gold grocery bag

-1 book of recipe cards

-1 keychain

-1 refrigerator magnet

Now, for the Giveaway details:

This Red Gold Prize Pack Giveaway will end Friday, December 17, 2010 at 11:00am CST. I will draw the winner using random.org and will notify them by email that afternoon/evening. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their shipping information.

You will have up to 4 chances to enter.

(be sure to leave an email in the entry!)

Required Entry:

1. Go check out the Red Gold Recipe site and find a recipe that you would LOVE to try out and tell me on your entry form, which one looks yummy to you :)
2. "Like" Red Gold on Facebook.
3. Follow Saving Green in the Bay on Google Friend Connect. (sign up on the right side of the screen, right above the coupons.com vertical banner...just click on FOLLOW)
4. "Like" Saving Green in the Bay on Facebook.

You must fill out this entry form for your entries AND Leave ONE COMMENT letting me know that you have filled out the entry form. Filling out this form will give you the chance for 4 entries :)
*your entry will only be viewable by me, so your name and email are safe :)



Thanks SO much and Good Luck to everyone! :)

* A free sample was given to me by Red Gold Tomatoes for review. All of my comments and opinions of the product(s) are my own and are not of the manufacturer.