National Hot and Spicy Food Day with Tandoor Chef!

This is not a paid post. I was provided with coupons to purchase a free Tandoor Chef item.
All views expressed are the honest opinion of Just Say I Told You So.

August 19th is National Hot and Spicy Food Day and I'm celebrating with Tandoor Chef!

I have always been a big fan of spicy food! I love the flavors, but mostly I love the tingling sensation. That's why I enjoy Indian food so much, plus there are plenty of vegetarian options. They ofer 11 certified vegetarian appetizers and entrees - it's like veggie heaven!

Tandoor Chef has lots of traditional Indian dishes to choose from like...

• Vegetable Pad Thai
• Paneer Tika Masala
• Chicken Curry
• And so much more!

My daughter tried the Vegetable Pad Thai last night and here's what she had to say:

"It's a great alternative to the usual frozen dinner. The unique flavors danced across my palette... the spice wasn't too much, but just enough to be pleasantly surprised!"

You can find Tandoor Chef in the frozen section of your local grocer. They are also available online through Amazon.

I encourage you to visit the Tandoor Chef website, it has a ton of great resources and information about Indian cuisine and culture.

LAWRY’S® Signature Southern Oven Bake Mix - Review - #GotItFree

I received free products through BzzAgent to aid in the facilitation of this review.
All views expressed are the honest opinion of Just Say I Told You So.

I love to cook, well mostly I love to see other people eating a great tasting meal. And the people I love to feed the most are also the ones I love the most. So I'm always keeping my eyes peeled for new takes on old favorites (and new favorites too). And my friends at Lawry's have introduced me to something new/old!

Lawry's Signature Southern Oven Bake Mix is a new twist on an old favorite. They've combined the zesty flavors of their original seasoned salt, with herbs, spices, and panko bread crumbs. The result is Mmm... Mmm... good!

Since I'm vegetarian, I thought I would try breading some chicken-less strips, and I was pretty impressed!

Baking chicken (or chicken-less) strips in the oven is a great alternative to fried chicken. And with Lawry's Signature Southern Oven Bake Mix you won't have to sacrifice the crunch!

You can find Lawry's products in your local grocer. Check out their website for recipe ideas and product information from the McCormick/Lawry's family of products. And be sure to follow them on Facebook too.

Save-A-Lot Food Stores ~ back-2-school lunch #Sponsored

I received a free gift card in order to facilitate this review. All views expressed are the honest opinion of Just Say I Told You So.

School is back in session! 

By now everyone has settled into a comfortable weekday rhythm that includes carpools, homework, lunch, and so much more. One of the things that I've always found challenging is keeping lunch interesting. When I was a kid I got so bored from eating the same stuff over and over again. Although my daughter has never given me a hard time about that, I still strive to make sure that lunch stays interesting.

I was invited to the #SaveALotInsiders program, and this past week I went shopping for lunch supplies at Save-A-Lot Food Store. The nearest store was 71 miles away from my home, so my daughter and I decided to make a day of it. On the way there we stopped for coffee and visited my mother at work, which was very nice. It was a sweltering day, so by the time we arrived to the store we needed cold drinks - STAT! Thank goodness Save-A-Lot had a fully stocked refrigerated beverage section... what a relief!

Like most stores, the weekly specials are spotlighted at the front of the store:

Since the store is on a smaller scale it's fairly easy to maneuver, but the selection is pretty limited. The produce department was extremely small. I also thought the healthy snack options was almost nonexistent. There was plenty of chips, candy, and soda. Now don't get me wrong there was also fruit juices, crackers, and fruit snacks as well, but in much smaller quantities. There were also a lot of brands that I was not familiar with, so in all honesty I was a little hesitant about choosing those items. 

I was able to get a pretty good stash for the buck, but I would have preferred to have stocked up on more wholesome items. Yet and still I was able to pull together a fairly healthy portable lunchtime snack:

PB&J with Bananas, Cheez-it's, and milk

All in all my Save-A-Lot experience was not great. Even if there was a store closer to my home, I would probably not be a returning customer. 

I'm required to disclose a relationship between Just Say I Told You So and Save-A-Lot. This could include the Save-A-Lot providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

Delicious Holiday Recipes from Safeway!

No compensation was received for this post.

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about the holidays is the food! I love serving up delicious food, but I also get bored with food pretty easily. So I'm always on the look out for new and exciting recipes! 

 

Although Thanksgiving and Christmas are now in the rear view there is still one important holiday coming real soon... NEW YEAR'S! 

 

What's on your New Year's menu?

 

No clue, huh?  Well it's your lucky day because I have some meal ideas for you! Courtesy of my friends at Safeway/Vons.

 

Let's start with the main course... Cocktails!

Hot Gingered Pear-Wine Cider

3 cups canned unsweetened pear nectar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup dry Diablo Creek Sauvignon Blanc

Lemon slices (optional)

Serves 5 / Prep Time: 3 Minutes / Cook Time: 7 Minutes / Ready In: 10 Minutes

1. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan over medium-high heat, mix pear nectar, sugar, ginger, lemon juice, and wine. Cook, uncovered, until hot, about 7 minutes. (Or heat in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart microwave-safe container in a microwave oven at full (100%) power until hot, about 7 minutes.)
2. Pour cider into mugs or heat-proof glasses, and garnish each with a lemon slice. 

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Now onto the second most important part of any good holiday meal... Dessert!

Pumpkin Truffle Pound Cake w/Browned Butter Icing

Cake  

2/3 cup (from 14-oz can) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated) 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz) 

3 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour 

2 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. baking soda 

4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 

1/4 tsp. salt 

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

6 eggs 

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) 

Icing  

1/4 cup butter (do not use margarine) 

1 cup powdered sugar 

1 tsp. vanilla 

1 to 2 tbsp. milk

Instructions

Prep Time: 25 min

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening; lightly flour (or spray with baking spray with flour). In 1-quart saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat; set aside.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt until blended; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups butter, the granulated sugar and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed about 2 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with pumpkin until well blended (batter will be thick).
4. Spoon 2/3 of batter (about 5 cups) into pan, bringing batter up about 1 inch on tube and on outside edge of pan. Stir chocolate mixture; spoon into center of batter, being careful not to touch sides of pan. Spoon remaining cake batter (about 2 cups) over filling; smooth top.
5. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and center of crack is dry to touch. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
6. Place cooled cake on serving plate. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Pour browned butter into medium bowl; stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until spreadable (mixture will thicken as it cools). Let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly cool; stir. Drizzle over cake.

These delicious recipes are just the tip of the iceberg! For more delicious holiday inspired recipes visit Safeway's Recipes & Tips. You're sure to find just the right dish for you and your family!

  

No compensation was received for this post. Recipes provided by Safeway. 

All views expressed are the honest opinion of Just Say I Told You So.

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Review

Let's face it, staying fit is a never ending job. You must remain conscientious about the things you eat, each and every day. I have found one of the most important components of a healthy lifestyle is portion control. Weight Watchers Smart Ones is a genius way to eat well, with controlled portions, and loads of flavor!

I recently tried the Pasta with Ricotta and Spinach and I was really surprised at how tasty it was. The flavor was spot-on and it was seasoned just right, I didn't have to add anything to it, it was delicious right out of the package.

My daughter's favorite is the Broccoli & Cheddar Potatoes!  She's been eating it for years, long before she became a weight conscious teen, which is great because it doesn't feel like she's sacrificing anything to eat a meal that she already enjoyed.

One of the reasons that Weight Watchers is wildly successful is, it's not a diet, it's a way of life. Smart Ones makes it easy to live :-)

Smart Ones are available in the freezer section of your local market. Print the following coupon and save $2.00 off any 5 Smart Ones products:

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Smart Ones. I received free product coupons to aid in the facilitation of this review. All views expressed are the opinion of Just Say I Told You So.

Land O' Frost Wrap Kit - Review

As a working mother, finding things that my daughter can make for herself (without burning down the house) is important.  I like to buy things that are simple and easy for her to make, with minimal mess and clean-up.  Although I am a vegetarian, my daughter is not and she LOVES just about anything that looks or feels like a sandwich!

The Land O'Frost Wrap Kits are the answer to my prayers! Each package contains 5 wrap kits (25 pieces of meat, 5 slices of cheese, and 5 tortillas).  There are four delicious flavors to chose from:

• Black Forest Ham and Swiss
• Oven Roasted Turkey and Pepper Jack
• Chipotle Turkey and Cheddar
• Roast Beef and Cheddar

My daughter enjoyed making the wraps as an after school snack.  The other morning I added scrambled eggs, fresh spinach, and tomatoes to the Black Forest Ham and Swiss wrap kit for a well balanced, breakfast on the run and it was a hit!

These wrap kits are quick and convenient, great for snacks, lunch, or a meal-on-the-go.

Visit the Land O'Frost website, follow them on Twitter, and like them on Facebook.  Download a coupon for $1.00 off Land O'Frost lunch meats on Land O'Moms, just in time for National Sandwich day on November 3rd!

I received free Wrap Kit from Land O' Frost.  I was not required to write a positive review. The views expressed are solely the opinion of Just Say I Told You So!