Maxwell House 100% Arabica Beans – Vanilla Artificial Flavor
To buy or not to buy: Absolutely buy.
I must admit I had a free coupon for this one. I sat on it for a few days because sincerely, I didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary. You know, the ordinary, nearly non-existent coffee smell, coarse grinds, bitter taste, acid reflux. I noticed they had two types of cans on the shelf, as if in a transition of packages. Great, I thought, they changed the packaging (new look, same product), then gave out coupons for free coffee to make everybody feel good about their name.
I picked what I thought was the better looking package – if I was going to try the new Maxwell House coffee, I better have the prettier package displayed on my counter. Then I admired the yellow band at the top of the can with the text “Vanilla artificial flavor” (how fake could this flavor possibly be?). The can also indicates that I am about to enjoy this coffee brewed out of 100% Arabica beans, medium roasted, for almost $5 for 11 oz.
I consider myself a coffee addict, but like I said, I haven’t had much luck in finding the ideal coffee, the one and only that I couldn’t live without. Well, I think that changed today around 4:17pm: I must say that the Maxwell House Vanilla flavored coffee (yes, that artificial flavor) was the absolute best tasting and smelling coffee I have ever had. The house filled with the sweet taste of coffee, the texture was creamy and the taste divine. I would have had a second cup had it not been so late in the afternoon.
How could this product be improved? The only thing I would suggest is price. The price could get lower (how much does that Vanilla artificial flavor cost anyway?). That, and Maxwell House could make a room freshner with their coffee scent – until then I put the aluminum lid from the can on top of the fridge to give the air its wonderful coffee smell.
1 comment May 26, 2009
Tags: 100% Arabica beans, can of coffee, coffee, coffee product review, great coffee, great tasting coffee, how do I pick a good tasting coffee, Maxwell House, Maxwell House best coffee, Maxwell House product review, medium roast coffee, She Speaks product review, the best vanilla flavored coffee, what is the best coffee, wonderful smell coffee
How to Make Your Own Baby Food
I have found that making my own baby food is not that difficult and much cheaper, so I have been making it for a few months now. My baby “graduated” to second and third stage foods so I feel she’ll have no problems with mixed vegetables in the food that I make for her.
What I use:
Steamer – I received it as a briday shower gift (yes, from my mother in law). It has two baskets that stack up to offer two levels of steaming (the most fragile vegetables on top, those that need a little more cooking on the bottom).
Smoothie blender – it’s huge, but works very well. This thing is so loud that it even scares me – I usually make the baby food when baby is asleep or outside for a walk with daddy.
Recycled baby food jars – I like to use the glass ones instead of the plastic ones. I’ll write a separate post on what I do with the plastic baby food containers.
Oven and pot with water – we all have that in our kitchen.
Fresh vegetables – I try to get organic, but not always. I use green and red peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, carrots (one or two as I am aware of the nitrates problem), beets (the same problem with the nitrates), spinach, snap peas, green beans.
Tofu – soft or extra soft for extra protein
Rice – overboiled and cold.
Sterile formula, mommy milk, water (boiled), meat or vegetable broth (boiled), or squeezed vegetable juice.
How to set up the jars for storage and the vegetables:
Put the glass jars mouth down on a clean cookie sheet and place on the rack in the middle of the oven. Turn the oven on to 450 degrees. Let it heat, maintain temperature for 15 minutes. Turn heat off and leave in the oven to cool (usually overnight). Leave in the oven until ready to use and handle only with clean hands.
Place the lids in a pot of water, bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Pour while still hot into a strainer, let them cool/dry for a few minutes and use immediately.
Steam the vegetables until very tender. Let cool to room temperature. Peel skin off of green or red pepper slices. Clean the rough edges off snap peas.
How to make the baby food:
Place vegetables in smoothie maker. I usually place two or three kinds of vegetables at a time to save some time and effort, but I also process one kind at a time too. Add liquid of choice. In some batches I add tofu, in others I add rice, others I leave as they are.
I like to mix cauliflower with carrots and spinach, red pepper with carrot, spinach with zucchini, broccoli with green pepper, snap peas with zucchini, sweet potatoes with cauliflower, etc. The possibilities are endless.
How to jar the food:
I pour the smoothed vegetables into jars trying to touch/handle the mix as little as possible. I quickly add the lid and wipe the jar clean. Since I do not boil the vegetable mix before jarring, I store the jars in the fridge. They have lasted up to 10 days.
Problems:
There is no variety for baby. Theoretically, for 10 days she would be eating the same foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I tend to mix half a jar of bought food with a jar of plain vegetables every once in a while to add taste variety.
Potatoes are not easy to swallow. I have been avoiding regular potatoes as my baby couldn’t swallow it. Try adding enough liquid to the other vegetable combinations to make it easy for baby to swallow.
Since the mix is not boiled prior to jarring, the food will go bad eventually. Don’t make so much that baby can’t finish it within a week or so. Also, pay attention to the texture/smell of the food before giving it to baby to avoid feeding her stale baby food. Toss all leftover food when you notice one jar that went bad.
This is all I can think about right now. Bon apetit!
Add a comment May 7, 2009
Tags: add variety in baby food, adding protein to baby food, blending vegetables for baby food, cauliflower and red peppers in baby food, homemade baby food, how to make your own baby food, jarring homemade baby food, making baby food, steaming vegetables for baby food, sterilizing glass jars for baby food, storing homemade baby food, what to do with recycled baby food jars
Multi Grain Cheerios Product Review
To Buy Or Not To Buy: Definately Buy
Not long ago Cheerios has launched a new version of their famos cereal: MultiGrain Cheerios. This product promises to offer 100% daily value of 10 vitamins and minerals (whether you need them or not) in only 110 calories per serving. It’s worth to mention that the serving size of these cereals is 1 cup (double of all the sugary cereals) and the package was fairly priced and I had a coupon for it.
I am not a fan of cold cerels, I would say mainly because I don’t like milk. I am also not a fan of the “pure sugar” cereals out there and therefore I tend to stay away from them. But on this particular morning I poured one cup of cereals in my favorite bowl and half a cup of milk. Then I tasted it: the tastiest, crunchiest, most flavorful boxed cereal I have ever had!
I would say the texture is a bit nutty. The tiny oooo’s are glazed with just enough sugar and since they are each made of a different cereal (I assume) they each had different flavors. I finished the bowl and half an hour later I made my breakfast meal 200 calories instead of 100. I couldn’t help myself, it is that good!
From a different point of view, I accidentally gave my baby these Cheerios as finger food. This was a big no-no because they do contain way more sugar than babies should get used to. When I realized the difference between these Cheerios and the regular ones, it was very difficult for her to give these up and accept the others. She finally did, but it was tricky!
How could it be improved? The only thing I could think of is to add honey glazed nuts in the mix. For example, honey roasted walnuts or pecans or even hazelnuts (my personal favorite). Then, the crunch would contain proteins and healthy fats and this cereal would be even better. And launch a variety of these very same cheerios, without any sugar – for babies.
1 comment April 16, 2009
Tags: affordable cereals, breakfast cereals, cereals for baby, cheerios, finger food for baby, just enough sugar cereals, multi grain cheerios, multigrain cheerios, new cereals, nutty flavored cereals, sugar glazed cereals, tasty cereals, whole grain cereals
Coupons in My Driveway
This post is to let everyone know that in Gwinnett County GA we receive free coupons on Sundays. “Gwinnett Daily Post” is delivered to our driveway every Sunday for FREE! It has advertisements, articles, latest news and yes, coupons. All the booklets: RedPlum, SmartSource and P&G.
Oh wait, there is more! On Thursdays we receive “The Evening Edge” portion of the “Atlanta Journal Constitution”. It is delivered in our driveway and yes, it is free. It has recipes, several community articles and coupon booklets.
I noticed that most people leave this great coupon source in their driveway for weeks at a time or they pick it up and throw it directly in the trash (or the recycling bin). This is a great opportunity for anybody who is not familiar with using coupons to start doing so – at no expense to them. Try doing this Sunday. Pick out that newspaper, pick out the coupon booklets and give them a try. Your piggy bank will be happy.
Add a comment April 12, 2009
Tags: clip coupons, Evening Edge, Free coupons, free newspaper, free newspaper delivered, Gwinnett County, Gwinnett Daily Post, P&G, RedPlum, SmartSource, use coupons
100 Calorie Pack – Oreo Mini Cakesters
To buy or not to buy: give it a try
This is a sandwich with golden or chocolate flavored soft cookies with an oreo filling. Each 3 cookies have only 100 calories and they are individually wrapped in a package. Each box contains 5 100 calorie packs.
This product doesn’t bring anything new on the table. Take a look: 3 cookies have 23 grams for 100 calories, while one serving of regular oreo cookies is 34 grams (I believe 4 cookies but I don’t know for sure) for 160 calories. Don’t pull out the calculators, there isn’t any difference between the calorie content of the two products. There are some differences though, and it’s not the cream filling!
These are soft textured cookies – they will melt in your mouth. The golden flavor is divine. The texture of the cookies is just right. Each pack of 3 cookies is easy to grab and put in a lunch box or take in the car for a quick 100 calorie snack. Be prepared to not be able to stop at one pack, though!
If you have seen the commercial, there is a picture of a white bowl filled over the top with 3 cookies. This commercial is very misleading, as each cookies is the size of a quarter. One bite. Pretty dissapointing, as you don’t actually have time to satisfy your sweet tooth before they’re gone. Then you want to open another pack, bringing the sweet snack to 200 calories… then 300. Might as well sit with a pack of regular oreo cookies in front of the TV and finish the whole thing in one sitting.
While the golden ones were very tasty to me, the chocolate ones weren’t that tasty and their aftertaste was a bit chalky. The sweetness is a bit overwhelming in such a small bite (at least for my taste).
How could this product be improved: Cut down on the sugar and the fat, add some fiber and make those cookies bigger for the same amount of calories. Reduce the waste of wrapping used to package every 3 cookies! The packaging is very pretty but since these packs come in a larger box they can’t be seen anyway and they are such a waste! Finally, make a variety of cookies sandwich with a jelly filling – it adds a bit of variety and it should have less calories.
Add a comment April 12, 2009
Tags: !00 calorie packs, cookies, Golden Oreo Mini Cakesters, individually wrapped, nabisco, oreo filling, soft sandwichees
Grocery Shopping? What?
I haven’t been grocery shopping in at least 2 weeks. We’ve been eating dry beans and frozen meat for forever. But I am so busy and it feels so good!
I’ve started making hair clippies. Handmade hair clippies. For babies, toddlers, teenagers, mommy, aunty, and Granny. Yes, they all like wearing something sweet and feminine. Even the rocker chick you know would like a small clippie in her hair – just ask her!
I have a couple of items listed and I mostly do custom orders. Tell me the colors and I will make the clippie. I try to make them affordable so you can get one for everyone without breaking the bank. Check it out at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7153341 and tell me what you think. Check often, as sometimes I even have sales going on in my shop – I like sales.
Anyway, all things are better handmade and I spend late night hours working on this new adventure of mine. I guess the grocery store visits will have to be appointed on my calendar, otherwise we may continue to eat dry beans for a long time.
Add a comment April 11, 2009
Tags: advertise etsy shop, baby hair clippies, baby shower gift, butterfly hair clippies, buttons, buttons and pearls, custom order hair clippies, etsy hair clips, etsy shop, girls, hair accessories, hair bows, hair bows for babies, hair clippies, hair clips, handmade, hip mom hair clips, non slip hair clippies, party favors, pearls, ribbon hair clippies, ribbons, started etsy shop, teenager hair clippies, teeny tiny baby clips, toddler hair clips, work from home
Renuzit Aroma: Natural Crystals With Premium Fragrances
To buy or not to buy: Not to buy.
For me, this was the typical impulse buy. It is a new product. I had seen a coupon for it – I actually had it in my coupon box. Then, I noticed it on the shelf – there were only two left and it was easy to notice because of the unusual almost empty spot on the shelf. And it was on sale. I didn’t think twice before picking it up.
Through a window in the box you can see a glass jar containing a bag of crystals. I quickly sniffed at the box with the red crystals. No smell. I sniffed at the box with the green crystals. Nothing. Couldn’t the manufacturers put a scratch and sniff patch on the box? They could have, but they didn’t – they didn’t lose anything so far as I still purchased the product. I put the red crystals in my basket.
I cut the bag and poured its contents in the glass jar. They are very pretty. The smell, however, was very strong and extremely fake. The kind that gives you a headache. I wouldn’t say the smell was berries, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I had to hold my breath and go in another room to read the instructions.
Oh, you can adjust the amount of crystals to pour in the jar. Maybe I wouldn’t have destroyed the bag during opening, had I seen a zipper on it. But the bag is not reusable in any way. So now here I was intoxicated by the strong, fake smell, needing to get a zipper bag to store some of the crystals.
Then I thought, wait, there has to be a lid for this jar! Guess what, there isn’t. Why isn’t there a lid? Mystery. Not to mention that the smell causing stuff is dyed juice on the surface of the crystals, that wipes off everything and stains. Do not purchase if you have chidren, they will want to taste the “candy”! Do not accidentally spill the crystals or touch them when pouring into a zipper bag.
How could this product be improved? Keep the jar, keep the crystals, keep the non-reusable bag and keep the coupon inside the box. Add a pretty lid with a vent on it, that can be opened or closed depending on the desired strenght. And add a scratch patch on the box so people know what they’re bringing home.
Add a comment March 7, 2009
Tags: bathroom freshners, coupons, decorative air freshner, red crystals, Renuzit Aroma, room fragrance, room freshner, room freshner crystals
When Brand Name Costs Less Than Non-Brand Name
I am one of those consumers who don’t care to buy only brand name products. Unless I notice an obvious difference in quality between manufacturers of the same product, I will go with the cheaper choice every time. I don’t care about the pretty packaging (which by the way is starting to be a ridiculous waste these days) and I don’t care about seeing a certain brand name in big bold letters every time I open my pantry. In my recipes, I am using salt, not “Morton” salt. I care that my sourcream tastes like sourcream, not like “Daisy” sourcream. And I care to use a laundry detergent that cleans my clothes, not the one with the best commercial.
It just happens that products manufactured by the companies with the pretties packaging and the commercials all over the place cost more than the rest of the manufacturers. You may have noticed, a can of soup Kroger brand costs 50 cents, while Campbell’s or Progresso, cost $1.50, respectively $1.80 for the same product. But it also just happens that these same companies issue coupons. Most of the time I buy Kroger brand – and I am very happy with the quality of the products. But when coupons and sales enter the picture, I have found that brand name products end up costing less than the more economical alternatives. I guess the name of this post should have been “How to buy expensive-brand products for less than regular-priced-brand products.”
The same idea applies over and over: wait for a sale and use a coupon. Today for example, I wanted to buy some yellow rice. Mahatma yellow rice is on sale for 79 cents a package, while for the same package, Kroger yellow rice is on sale for 50 cents a package. Does the Mahatma yellow rice actually contain gold? I don’t know, it might. I used a coupon I had for Mahatma rice: 75 cents off 2 and I paid 42 cents each package. This way I got to take the gold in my pantry.
This is just one example. Did you notice similar situations during your grocery shopping? I would like to hear more examples, so post them as a comment!
Add a comment March 6, 2009
Tags: brand-name for less than non-brand name
Kroger Likes Coupons, I Like Kroger
One time I had 12 coupons for the same item. It was a good deal and I wanted to use all of them before they expired. So I took my coupons and went to Target, who had the item on sale at the time. I took a special trip to the store, filled up my basket with 12 boxes of the same product and walked to the counter with my 12 coupons. The cashier looked at me weird and I took her look to mean that something wasn’t right. So I told her I have a coupon for every single item in that basket. “Well, I don’t think you can do that!” she said. Why not? The coupon states I can use one coupon for each item. She called the manager and the manager said the same thing: I could only use one coupon, if I wanted to. I said OK, I will stay in line 12 times, purchase one item at a time, make you pay for each credit card transaction and use all my coupons anyway. They both said no, I could not do that either! I was not outraged, but I was a little pissed. I purchased one item, left the store, and went to Kroger.
Nothing of thins kind has ever happened to me at Kroger! Their cashiers have gone out of their way to make it easy for me to use a coupon. One time I needed to spend about $3.00 more, to be able to use a $10 off the entire purchase coupon. I told the cashier that, and told him I wanted to purchase a Kroger brand yellow cake that I had seen on the shelf. He walked in the bakery department and brought me the item I had asked for, without even blinking. I couldn’t believe it!
At Kroger, they accept printed coupons, free coupons (coupon that will give you an item for free), several identical coupons in the same transaction, coupons for items on clearance, eCoupons, and they even double coupons. They have coupons on the back of your receipt and they print customized coupons for you on the spot! Periodically, they offer coupons on the shelf by the exact item. They even send you Kroger coupons in the mail! Shopping at Kroger is heaven for the coupon addict that I am.
There is one thing in terms of coupons that I would like to see Kroger doing. Put a box at the end of each isle (or by each type of product on the shelf, or at the cash registers where people can see them when they wait in line, or even only at the entrance in the store) where people can donate their extra coupons. A “give a coupon, take a coupon” kind of thing. This would bring in the store people who don’t have time for clipping, or just don’t usually use coupons. I wouldn’t swear, but such a coupon swap opportunity would make me not even open the Target flier again.
Add a comment February 17, 2009
Earn and Manage Fuel Saver Points at Kroger
Points are earned on purchases made from the first to the last day of the same month. It “costs” 100 points to apply the 10 cent discount on gas. Any points above the hundred earned in a certain month, are wasted since they are not enough for a discount and are not transferable. Any points not used by the end of the following month will expire.
So towards the end of the month I make sure to gather up to the nearest hundred points, then I stop shopping for the rest of the month. On the first of the next month I start shopping again. This method has been very useful for maintaining a grocery budget and I strive to spend less and less cash for the same amount of points earned.
To fill up a whole tank or for just 3 gallons of gas with a 10 cent discount, 100 points get deducted from your account. We even got tricked to “spent” 100 points even for one gallon of gas that fits in the scooter tank. I have found that the best thing to do to maximize the savings is to fill up the nearly empty tank. How about filling up the scooter tank? This started not long ago, but when scanning your card you now get to choose whether you want your 10 cent discount to apply or not. If you choose to keep your points, a 3 cent discount still applies, which still makes me want to shop for groceries and gas at Kroger.
Add a comment February 17, 2009
Tags: fuel at Kroger, Fuel saver points, Kroger, managing fuel saver points, maximize savings
Figmom's Blog 