Loving my Keurig OfficePRO... I may actually be a coffee drinker

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I have never been a coffee drinker, but do like tea.  I was given the opportunity, thanks to Staples, to try out the Keurig OfficePRO Single Cup Commercial Coffee Brewer and have been loving it!  At home we never brew a pot of coffee or tea, as we each like different things.  I love that with the Keurig brewer I can do all different types of flavors of coffee or tea (and even some other things) one cup at a time and it doesn't take long either. 

Product Details

• Choice of 3 cup sizes (6 oz., 8 oz. and 10 oz.)
• Easy cleaning and refilling with removable 48 oz. water reservoir
• Keurig commercial grade brewers generally brew about 10 times the volume of a typical home brewer
• Auto-off turns brewer off after 2 hours
• Heavy gauge materials for high volume use
• Travel mug friendly
• Drip tray is removable
• MY K-CUP® is not compatible with the OfficePRO brewer
• Included mix of different roasters and top selling varieties of coffee, tea and hot cocoa
• UL Commercial rated
• 13.3"H x 9.5"W x 12.3"D, 14 lbs.

The Keurig OfficePRO came with a selection of coffee and tea samples to try out.  I  have since bought several other flavors to try.  I mostly drink the teas, but found a couple coffees that I did enjoy like the Green Mountain Coffee- Mocha Nut Fudge and Pumpkin Spice.  I even found some Hot Apple Cider by Green Mountain Naturals to enjoy this fall.  They do sell the K cups by Swiss Miss, but I have a big tub of Swiss Miss, and just using the Keurig to heat the water is quick and easy, especially if you want to make more than one cup.

When you first turn the power on it takes between one to two minutes to warm your first cup of water.  Brewing the coffee/tea is pretty quick and takes less than a minute.  The OfficePro would be great for busy offices or homes.  Once it is on and you do the initial cup, it only takes seconds for it to be hot and ready for the next person to brew a cup.  You can turn it off in between, but for busier places its recommended to leave it on for quicker brewing.  It does have a two hour automatic shut off feature if it is not being used. 

The other nice thing is that it has three different size cup settings.  So you don't have to measure it yourself.  It has a decent size water storage container on the side of the machine.  You then can choose between a 6oz, 8oz, or 10oz size cup.  Seeing I like my drinks on the weaker side I actually cheat and use a travel mug and do two brewing's for each mug to fill it.

I love iced tea....and found that brewing the tea hot, and either putting it in the fridge or pouring over ice makes a great cup of tea!  I had a mug in the fridge for three days (it kind of got pushed in the back and forgotten).  I decided to try it out and it still had as much of a fresh flavor as if it was made that day.  I cant see me letting tea bags sit in a pitcher any longer....they just end up having a weird flavor after a couple days if you do not drink it all.  So if you like iced coffee I bet this would be great too.

Now I actually have some choices for my coffee loving friends to have when they come over.   Yes I even have the Earl Grey Tea (and my favorites, green tea and chai latte) for those tea drinkers like me.  Stop on over and have a cup with me!

For more information or to purchase the Keurig OfficePRO visit www.staples.com

Disclosure:  I received the item for free to review.  These are my personal opinions.

The stomach bug has hit us....time to break out the Culturelle Kids Probiotic

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Well it started over the weekend.  Zach woke up throwing up and diarrhea.  Later that day I started giving him some of the Culturelle Kids Chewable Probiotics.  I personally try not to over-do it with using antibacterial everything because I feel our kids need to be around some germs to help their body's learn to fight off illnesses.  However at the same time being a caregiver, and having a medically fragile child, I do try to avoid illnesses....in hopes to not spread them to the others.

After doing a little research on the web, I have read that probiotics can be beneficial for typical children during an illness.  So I decided to give Zach the probiotic to "help alleviate digestive distress". 

Culturelle Kids Probiotics support a child's health by fostering he proper balance between good bacteria and the non-beneficial bacteria that resides in the gastrointestinal tract  They contain Lactobacillus GG, on of the most widely studied probiotic strains.  It is demonstrated to survive harsh stomach acids to get where it's needed most in the intestines and is recognized as safe for regular use.* 

(*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  this product is not inteded to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.)
 

I haven't given the probiotics to my other children because of their medical conditions.  After what I have read on the web I wasnt sure if I should give to my other children seeing they are on other medications.  Personally I like to ask thier doctors before I give any type of medication or suppliment.  I felt giving it to Zach was ok, and if it could help get him over his illness quicker then we were hopefully able to get this bug out of our home quick! 

What's your thoughts on using probiotics?  Do you use them regularly, or just during times of illnesses? 

 You can find more information on these probiotics at www.culturelle.com

Disclosure:  I received these to try for free.  The information in gray was taken from the product's box.  Please consult your doctor if you or your child is ill. 

Getting back with #Mamavation Mondays

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Right now I am joining in the first Mamavation Facebook party.  This and the fact that a bunch of Mamavation Mom graduates are once again competing, have gotten me motivated to get moving!  It has been a long time since I have even exercised.  I have had lots of excuses like having a baby/toddler in the house and going back to work to get me out of it....but I need to quit with the excuses and get going. 

I have a goal to be back to where I was before I was pregnant with Lauren by my 40th birthday....and well that is creeping up on me very quickly.  I can't believe that it has been over two years since I was being so good, and had been smaller than I had been since high school.  A lot has been going on in those two years....which means I have to start over and start new routines. 

One thing that helped was when I was busy, scheduling my workouts.  So after all this tonight, I am going to look at my schedule and pencil in some workouts.  I think if I start working out more, I will put the fork down more too.  I know how to eat healthy....I just have to put it into practice. 

So good luck to the teams of Mamavation Moms competing again, and to any others that might be starting over like me! 

Looking for some dinner ideas? Try out Progresso Recipe Starters #Giveaway

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I have been trying to figure out some different things to make lately.  It's been seeming like the same old thing day in and day out.  Thanks to Progresso Recipe Starters sauces I have been coming up with new ideas. 

Progresso Recipe Starters sauces are available in five flavorful varieties that can each be used as a starter to create numerous home-cooked meals. For added inspiration, Progresso created 80 recipes utilizing this new line of cooking sauces that can be found on Progresso.com/RecipeStarters. Many of these recipes are classic family favorites, such as Bacon Mac n’ Cheese, Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken Parmesan, and utilize ingredients your family may already have on-hand. In addition, all of the recipes on the site include a Rate and Review feature, so we encourage you to leave a rating and review of your own, in which you can even include a link back to your blog post about that recipe! Look for Progresso Recipe Starters in the soup aisles!

Inspired by the five “Mother” Sauces that form the basis of classical French cooking, including Béchamel, Velouté, Tomato, Espagnole and Hollandaise, Recipe Starters use a variety of ingredients and the best techniques to make sure you have delicious options to take on the school days dinner dilemma. The five varieties are:

• Creamy Parmesan Basil: This creamy, full-bodied and indulgent sauce that was inspired by alfredo and creamy pesto sauces can be used to make dishes such as Crispy Garlic-Parmesan Chicken, Creamy Chicken Alfredo, Basil Chicken Ravioli Carbonara and Basil Chicken Thai Noodle
• Creamy Roasted Garlic with Chicken Stock: With caramelized, roasted chicken broth, garlic and a touch of cream, this stock is perfect for dishes such as Creamy Lemon Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken Enchiladas
• Fire Roasted Tomato: A medium-thick tomato sauce, accompanied by flavors of roasted, caramelized tomatoes, oregano and bell peppers, which can be used as a great way to begin creating Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, Easy Weeknight Chicken Parmesan, Cheese-stuffed Mini Meat Loaves and Mole Tacos
• Creamy Portabella Mushroom: Creamy and highly indulgent, this smooth sauce is rich with sautéed Portabella mushrooms, giving you any easy way to start delicious dishes like Easy Weeknight Beef Stroganoff, Steak and Mushroom Sandwich and Tetrazzini
• Creamy Three Cheese: Rich and creamy with a blend of yellow and white cheeses, and a savory background of chicken stock, onion, garlic and cracked pepper, this is a great way to satisfy cheese lovers with Easy Weeknight Bacon Mac & Cheese, Twice-Baked Potato Pizza and Cheesy Egg Breakfast Tacos

I used the Creamy Parmesan Basil to make some Chicken Alfredo.  I did not necessarily follow the directions on the can, but did come up with my own recipe using Progresso Recipe starters.  These are a good way to experiment and come up with something new.  I think they will be handy to use left overs in a different way.

In addition, visit http://goo.gl/nkayO to download a printable coupon for $.65 off the purchase of 1 can of Progresso® Recipe Starters Cooking Sauce. Be sure to share this coupon with your family, friends and readers so they too can take advantage of the savings and try Progresso Recipe Starters!

Win it! 
One lucky reader can win a Progresso Recipe Starters Prize Pack containing:

Two cans of Progresso Recipe Starters

$10 Gift Card to purchase your recipe ingredients

Progresso Recipe Starters recipe book, including 5 recipes to get you started

Baking dish

Measuring Cups

Sauce Scraper

(My husband loves the baking dish, and I am on the search for some more.)

To enter:
Leave me a comment telling me which recipe/type of Recipe Starter you would most like to try.

Extra entries:
Follow me with any of the links in my sidebar.  1 entry for each follow.
Share this giveaway on facebook or twitter.  1 entry for each share (only 1 of each daily)

This giveaway will end on Oct. 18 and the winner will be chosen randomly.  Please leave a seperate comment for each entry, and a valid email in one of your comments. 

Disclosure:   The information, products and Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ gift packs were provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark