Two Happy Dogs and One Sneaky Cat!

 

I love my pets and I love being able to feed them the best food I can afford. One of the best I know out there is Hill's® Science Diet®. I was able to get a free bag of the Ideal Balance™ food for my dogs from BzzAgent. I was thrilled to be able to try the new food out and so were my dogs. We have a Newfoundland Golden mix and a little Chorkie. Yeah, I know quite the extreme in sizes, one giant and one toy, but they are quite the  pair and almost inseparable! Both of the dogs love to eat and they absolutely loved the new Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™. Before I got the box open with the food in it they were excited. They could smell it. Usually in introducing a new food I give them just a little at a time, but this time I let them have a small bowl right away and boy were they happy!

Here's where it gets very funny. While they were eating the food, or should I say scarfing it down, I left the bag of food sitting on the kitchen floor near their bowls. I turned around for just a few minutes and when I looked back our cat who is a Maine Coon had knocked the bag over and was helping herself to some of the food. So not only did the dogs love it, it is kitty approved as well!!

(Top photo is Bender, the Newfie, and Scruffy, the Chorkie. Bottom photo is Elliot our Main Coon. She's a pistol!!)


What's in a balanced dog diet?
Hill's Pet Nutrition and petMD.com, the leading pet health website, have teamed up to develop petMD.com/mybowl, a great resource about how nutrients help ensure optimal health and how much of each should be in your dog's food:

• Carbs – give your dog the energy to run and play and provide essential vitamins, minerals and fiber to maintain optimal health
• Proteins – provide the building blocks for strong muscles, and are essential for your pet's growth, maintenance and energy
• Fats and oils – provide energy, help with vitamin absorption, keep the nervous system working normally and make food taste better
• Vitamins – provide antioxidants to strengthen the immune system and create the proper balance for your pet's good health
• Minerals – help your dog's body to grow, stay strong and promote good health

New Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ dog food contains the perfect balance of natural ingredients to keep your dog in tip-top shape. What else will your friends want to know?

• Includes fresh chicken as the 1st ingredient
• Contains fruits and vegetables, including cranberries
• Noticeably improves your dog's skin and coat
• Contains no corn or artificial colors
• Available in Puppy, Adult and Mature Adult varieties
• Sold at pet specialty stores (including Petco, PetSmart and neighborhood pet stores) 

If you have never tried  Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™

I highly recommend it. My dogs love the flavor and I have noticed a big improvement in their coats. They both look better than they ever have. They also have lots of extra energy too, which I'm still deciding if it is a good thing or not (just kidding!!). I only wish it was more readily available. All of the specialty pet food stores are quite a distance from our house and the local store is very expensive. But every chance I get to buy the food for them I will be!! I do know it is available widely on the net, so it would be easy to find that way.

So let me ask you this, how does your dog food stand up against Hill's Science Diet? Check out the Competitive Dog Food Comparison tool to see where your current food stands against foods recommended by veterinarians. While you're there check into the free bag rebate you can get too!!

A free sample of Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ was given to my by BzzAgent. In no way was my review of the product influenced by BzzAgent or Hill's Science Diet. All opinions expressed here are mine alone.

The Truly Awesome™ Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

We got the nicest box in the mail! It was from BzzAgent and it contained 2 boxes of The Truly Awesome™ Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies from Krogers. The whole family was there to see what they were like when I opened the box. And before I tell you let me fill you in on them.

With chocolate chips as the #1 ingredient, how could Kroger's The Truly Awesome™ Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies not be deliciously satisfying, any time of day?

• Taste as if mom baked them herself, thanks to real, wholesome ingredients
• Warm them up a few seconds in the microwave and they taste like they just came out of the oven
• Free of added preservatives and artificial colors
• Almost 2x the size of other chocolate chip cookies
• Just hit shelves earlier this year
• Come eight delicious cookies to a pack
• Suggested to retail for $2.79
• Exclusively available at Kroger, Fred Meyer and Ralph's stores (Kroger Family of Stores)
• Sure to please and delight the entire family

Well they almost delight the whole family. My son and I thought they were pretty good cookies. He really liked them dunked in milk. I loved how the cookie part really had a nice flavor to it and that even where there were no chips it was good. They certainly are full of chips too. They are just loaded and not just wimpy little pieces either. The chunks are just that, chunks!!

Also my husband was not as pleased! He thought they were fine, but he said they could have been from pretty much any company and were by no means as good as the ones I bake myself. That was sweet of him, and then I giggled and handed him the second cookie after he asked for it!

I think for the price and the flavor they are a good cookie. I just wish there was a Kroger store just a little closer to me. Head out to get some of your own now. It's worth the trip!!

                        

I received sample boxes to review from BzzAgent. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced by BzzAgent or Krogers.

Family Movie Night: Game Of Your Life

Team up with everyone you know for a chance to win $5,000 for your favorite grade school or high school. All you have to do is register and watch the trailer for "Game of Your Life." It's a humorous and heartfelt video gaming drama about a promising young video game designer who has to make a choice that will affect his future and the lives of everyone around him. Then ask all your friends, family, teachers, fellow parents and PTO members – everyone you know – to watch it so they can vote for your school once a day, too. Because if any one of the people you tell wins, your school wins $5,000.

Here's a synopsis of the movie:
Zach, a high school gamer who lands a scholarship to an elite video game design program, has a bright future as long as he can survive the intense freshman year project that eliminates half the class in the first three months. But when Zach learns that his father is in financial trouble, he has to make a choice that will affect his future and the lives of everyone around him. This humorous and heartfelt drama is a great reminder to kids – and all of us – that the choices they make impact the people around them. "Game of Your Life" airs Friday, December 2nd 8/7c on NBC.

Check out this short preview for yourself!


Learn more about this great movie here:
GameLifeBlog

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.) 18 or older as of the last day of the month prior to the date of entry. Ends 12/2/11. To enter and for Official Rules, including odds, and prize description, visit http://tremor.promo.eprize.com/gameofyourlife/. Void where prohibited.

Rare Coupon For Eggs!!

Hurry on over to the Incredible Edible Egg Facebook page, “like” them, then click on the “Coupon” tab to snag a very rare coupon valid for $0.55 off 2 dozen eggs. There are only a limited number of prints available, so be sure to print yours now. They won't last long!! Make sure you print twice by clicking on the button on their Facebook page a second time!

Thanks Hip2Save!!!

Torani Flavored Syrup Review & Giveaway

A few years back I worked for a small coffee shop as the pastry chef and barista. I have to tell you it was one of the nicest jobs I had because I could have coffee whenever I wanted to. Not just any coffee, the coffee there was gourmet and yummy! One of the things we used there on a regular basis was Torani Flavored Syrup. It was fun coming up with unique flavorings for coffee and the pastries I baked. Torani Syrup is extremely versatile and cost effective. The 750 ml bottles go a long way and can flavor a lot of things. They carry over 122 different flavors, many of them being sugar free too. I knew they had a lot of flavors but I had no idea how many. They even have Bacon Syrup! How cool is that?!

Since 1925, family-owned Torani has been crafting great tasting flavored syrups that coffeehouses use to make their flavored drinks taste so delicious. With over 120 flavors in regular and sugar free varieties, Torani flavored syrups are perfect for flavored lattes, mochas, coffees, cocoas, Italian sodas, teas, lemonades, cocktails and smoothies. Coffeehouse professionals choose Torani flavors because they are expertly crafted and made with the highest quality ingredients, like natural flavors and pure cane sugar. The sugar free flavors have no calories and are sweetened with Splenda. Now, Torani Flavored Syrups are widely available at retail so you can easily create authentic coffeehouse quality drinks at home.

A big favorite at the shop was my brownie recipe. I often played with fun flavors to include instead of just the normal vanilla that most recipes call for to make brownies. Recently I was sent 2 bottles of Torani Flavored Syrup from She Speaks. I received Peppermint and Sugar Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon. When I saw that bottle of Peppermint I knew exactly what I wanted to make, Peppermint Brownies! Here's the recipe for you:

Peppermint Brownies

1 c. Butter
2 c. sugar
5 tbsp. Torani Peppermint Flavored Syrup
4 eggs
3/4 c. cocoa
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar and Torani Peppermint Flavored Syrup, mixing completely. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with a spoon. Next add the cocoa until well blended. Add the four, baking powder and salt beating well. Stir in the nuts. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pan (if you can keep your family away that long!). Makes approximately 36 brownies, depending on how big you cut them. (In the coffee shop this made only 12. We served them big!)

Trust me these will be a big hit with your family! My guys go through them way too quickly and often ask for more. They're a favorite at my church too for carry-ins and parties.

The Sugar Free brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup is absolutely yummy!! I mixed it in with some pancake batter and they turned out so good. Using it is a lot of fun. You can add a little for small flavor or add a lot for big, pumped up flavor. The pancakes had a kind of streusel flavor to them when we added the maple syrup. Sooo good!!

The Torani site is chock full of great recipes for all kinds of drink, hot and cold, coffee and non-coffee. You can spend hours just oohing and awing over them because they all sound so good. One we tried is called a Candy Cane Steamer. Here's the recipe:

Candy Cane Steamer

1 oz. Torani Pepermint syrup
8 oz. milk

Steam together the milk and syrup. Pour steamed flavored milk into a tall glass and stir gently.

If you don't have a steamer you can heat it on the stove just as easily! This is such a good drink and very festive too. I'll be serving this during the holidays this year for sure. But I'll be serving lots of others too. The flavor possibilities are amazing! I can hardly wait to try more and more of them and to re-try some of the old favorites from my coffee shop days.
 
Torani and She Speaks were kind enough to share with us a special discount code for purchasing the syrup online at Torani's new online store. When you go to the Torani site use the code "shespeaks" to get a 10% discount on your order or click on the little badge just above. And if you really don't want to order it online most major grocery stores now carry it as well as Walmart. So what are you waiting for? Discover your favorite flavors today!

Win a 750 ml bottle of Torani Flavored Syrup (in the form of a free coupon). She Speaks was kind enough to send me 2 coupons to give away for free bottles. Just follow the simple entry rules bellow! I will be checking each entry so please follow them closely! There will be 2 Winners!!


Mandatory: 
Comment - Leave a comment letting me know what flavor syrup you want to try is and you must be a public follower through GFC here. Just click the "Join This Site" button in the right side bar.

Extra Entries
1. Subscribe – Sign Up for email updates located in the right side bar . Leave a separate comment and let me know you are a subscriber. Make sure you confirm your subscription!
2. Tweet - Follow @MinistersWife on Twitter and Tweet the following message. Leave a separate comment letting me know you are a follower & the link to the tweet.

Enter to Win a 750 ml Torani Flavored Syrup Bottle from @_TORANI_ & @shespeaksup  http://theministerswifestampsandsaves.blogspot.com/2011/11/torani-flavored-syrup-review-giveaway.html  #SSTorani

3. Like - Make sure you “Like” Torani and “Like” She Speaks and "Like" The Minister's Wife on Facebook . Leave a comment letting me know you did so.
4. Share - Share this entry on Facebook. Please leave a link with your share in the comment.

Open to all 18 or over in US only. Begins 12:01 AM CST 11/13/11 and ends 11:59 PM CST on 11/30/11.
Winners will have 48 hours after winning notification to confirm win or new winners will be chosen. Not responsible for lost or stolen mail!

I received sample products from She Speaks for the purpose of this review. It did not influence my opinion in any way. Opinions expressed here are mine alone.

Ostimo Gourmet Popcorn!

Who doesn't love popcorn?! I know it's a favorite here at our house. It's not just for watching movies either. My guys will snack on it pretty much every chance they get.

Well Ostimo Gourmet Popcorn is launching next week and they want to start out with a "Pop"! Pun intended!!  They are giving away $10 gift cards to anyone who signs up for their emails today. And you'll be entered for a chance to win popcorn for a year. Well at this house that would be a lot of popcorn!!

Go here to sign up!

$1.50/3 Peter Pan Peanut Butter!

Peanut butter is supposed to be going up in price soon, so now would be a great time to stock up. There will be lots of sales coming up with all the holiday baking people do now. So be on the look out for some great savings! Personally I think Peter Pan is one of the best out there so I'm thrilled to see this.

Get your coupon here!

And if you have never gone to their site, you really should. They have some great things available from recipes to games for the kids to play. Check out the site here!

We'll be making our traditional Peanut Butter Crinkles cookies and of course Buckeyes. What will you be making this holiday season?

Blog It Forward Tuesday!!

It's my first Blog Hop! I'm so excited!! Make sure you check out all the fantastic giveaways you can enter. Some great prizes are up for grabs!! have fun.