Sunday, June 3, 2012

My McCormick Grill Mates Grill Ambassadors Party

I was really excited to be chosen to host a McCormick Grill Mates party as a member of Crowdtap.  Here is the Crowdtap link if you would like to join and get in on some of these great opportunities to connect with brands you love and possibly get some products to try and share with others!  It was a great opportunity to get together with friends Memorial Day weekend.  We had a ton of fun down at the beach house.  We got the grill going with some help from McCormick Grill Mates.  They sent us a bunch of great items in our party kit:



  • Party Booklet
  • Grill Mates® Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade
  • Grill Mates® Slow and Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub
  • Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend
  • Grill Mates® Molasses Bacon Seasoning Blend
  • Grill Mates® Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce

  • We grilled up a ton of yummy Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade chicken wings and the Grill Mates Molasses Bacon Seasoning made the burgers taste out of this world.  I made up a big batch of yummy pasta salad with fresh orange peppers, scallions, zucchini and green squash.  I tossed it with a quick sauce made with dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, pepper and a few other secret additions.  Of course I made a giant salad with lots of fresh arugula and summer baby tomatoes. We baked some fresh brownies for dessert with ice cream.   It was a beautiful day and the weather held up all afternoon.  

    Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day. 

    Friday, May 25, 2012

    Book Review: Sass Yourself Slim!

    Cynthia Sass has written a simple book called Sass Yourself Slim about healthy eating for people that are looking for quick results without crash diets. Her book introduces a 30 day eating plan plus a Fast Forward plan to help you start to see the results super fast!

    Sass Yourself Slim shows you what you need to eat and and when you should eat it.  She makes it very easy to follow too.


    The author even explains how to make the diet work for you and increase your self confidence and learn to love walking.  She gives you all the tools and resources you need to improve your mind and your body.

    Cynthia Sass includes a critical section in the book on S.A.S.S, which explains fully about integrating certain seasonings and flavorings into your foods.

    I am already a healthy eater and I exercise but let's be real:  no one is perfect including me.  My weight doesn't stay constant and everyone, including me needs a jump start now and then. Especially for bikini season!  The author writes this book with an easy step by step approach that anyone can follow.  She gives you simple steps to change your eating habits for the better. 
    Even if you can't do the Fast Forward part, that is okay.  Just move forward and follow the rest of the plan, girl!   Cynthia even says that it is okay to skip the Fast Forward and don't stress about it.

    The S.A.S.S part of the program, which includes information about seasonings is totally new to me and I thought it was fascinating!  It is a novel way of thinking about eating and satiety and makes alot of sense to me.  Speaking of satiety, she also gives the green light to including some chocolate in your everyday diet. Let's not go crazy but there are benefits as long as the portion is reasonable!

    I love her recipes and she gives your some great ideas for healthy cooking and eating. You sure can incorporate your own recipes and ideas into the plan as well so no worries there ladies.

    Sass Yourself Slim is really a mind and body approach to good health. This is not any kind of crazy crash diet that you won't be able to maintain long term. This is a plan for good health that you can continue for years to come!  Check out her website and let me know what you think.






     I was given the opportunity to read and review the S.A.S.S Yourself Slim book through One to One Network.  I was given the book by One to One Network to provide an honest review that included my own personal opinions and experiences.  The opinions in this post are all my own.

    Thursday, May 24, 2012

    Save Big and Eat Healthy with Green Giant Coupon!

    I recently found out that  Weight Watchers endorses Green Giant Boxed Vegetables.  What great news.  Frozen boxed vegetables by Green Giant are a great way to get your veggies in and now you can save at the same time! 

    You can visit http://bit.ly/greengiantcoupon to download a printable *coupon for $0.60 off the purchase of two boxes of Weight Watchers® endorsed Green Giant Boxed Vegetables.

    I  received this information and the coupon offer from Green Giant and Weight Watchers through MyBlogSpark.

    Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted Crowdtap Party

    You can't have Madagascar Movies without popcorn!

    My Super Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted Party

     Crowdtap has all these wonderful opportunities to get involved with fun products and services for you and your family.  You really should check it out. It is fun, easy and you never know what you might find or recieve!  Recently, I qualified for a party opportunity coinciding with the June 8th premiere of Madagascar 3:  Europe's Most Wanted.  We had such a fun time this past weekend playing and watching the first two Madagascar movies too!
    My Rainbow Circus Cake

    DreamWorks Animation  and Crowdtap sent me this super Madagascar Digital Party Kit (that helped me create my own circus at home with family and friends.  I already had the DVD's Madagascar 1 and 2 so the timing was perfect!  The kids loved all the games and decorations.  I added a few of my own as well.  They loved the face painting...thanks to my neighbor and friend Tammie, they all looked so realistic!  Alex, Melman, Marty, Gloria and our fave characters joined us at our party this past weekend while we ate, played and watched the DVD of Madagascar 1 and 2 to get us hopped up for the upcoming movie premier. Check out what I received to help get my circus adventure going!

    This is what I received in my Party Ki:

    • - A crack-a-lackin recipe for Marty's zebra cake
    • - A classic game with a "mad" twist featuring Gloria
    • - Decorations, masks and face paint to get everyone into the Madagascar mood
    • - Fun activities and games to keep the party movin'
    A little more about Crowdtap for you ladies and men out there that may be wondering. 
    Crowdtap  is a new kind of social marketing and research platform that enables you to be rewarded for working with and promoting great leading brands, entertainment properties and many other types of companies.  You can earn cash for rewards and charity too for taking surveys, sampling new products and promoting your favorite brands to your friends and family.

    These are some of the potential rewards out there with Crowdtap:
    • CASH REWARDS - Activities launched by brands will earn you cash rewards
    • GIFT CARDS - Your cash can be redeemed for Amazon.com gift cards
    • HELP CHARITIES - Your cash can also be used to help your selected charity
    • FREE PRODUCTS - Some activities will also offer you free products and other goodies 



    My Marty's Zebra Cupcakes!

    #Crowdtap