Making Veggies Fun With Help From Country Crock

This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The other day I downloaded a copy of The Clare Crespo Cookbook. There were so many amazing and fun veggie recipes that I felt like I was browsing Pinterest! I chose MY favorite step-by-step recipe to make for my family and it was a hit!

The recipe is copied straight from The Clare Crespo Cookbook: 

Beautiful Butterflies

4 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

6 small or medium crookneck squash

3 Tbsp. Country Crock  Spread

2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic

12 baby carrots

4 chives, cut into 24  ½ -inch pieces

2 Tbsp. finely chopped assorted fresh herbs (parsley, mint, tarragon, dill, chives)

1/8 tsp. of salt

1/8 tsp. of pepper

Slice fat part of squash into 24 slices (save the necks for another recipe).

Melt Country Crock Spread in large skillet. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add squash and carrots, saute until tender, about 7 minutes.

Once I added the garlic my kitchen smelled like a restaurant!

Arrange carrots on service dish or individual plates. Place two squash rounds on either side of carrots. Using a toothpick, poke two holes in the tops of each carrot and insert chive pieces as “antennae”.

Sprinkle remaining herbs on squash “wings”. Add salt and pepper.

*If you want these to hold together, add toothpicks—but don’t forget to remove them before eating!

Samantha was so excited about the butterflies that she insisted
 on wearing her flower headband.

Dax is my little herbivore,
but this is the first time I have gotten him to actually eat squash!

My kids and my hard-to-please hubby really enjoyed this. We've been putting Country Crock on our veggies for years. It makes vegetables taste good so I don't have to hide them from my little ones. 

Because our little Philly has a dairy and soy allergy I made a separate serving for him without Country Crock. I can honestly say that adding Country Crock to our veggies made a big difference in the taste, and with 70% less saturated fat and 30% fewer calories than butter I don't have to feel guilty about serving it to my family.

8 out of 10 kids think veggies with Country Crock are delicious.
I don't have 10 kids, but the two who can eat it definitely agree!

If you are looking for even more veggie inspiration you should head over to The Crock Country Chronicle. It has tips and recipes for serving veggies to your family, and there is even a How Does Your Garden Grow feature that has advice on planting your own vegetable garden. This will be my first year planting veggies so this will be a big help!

You can also keep up with Country Crock on Facebook and Twitter:

Country Crock’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/countrycrock

Country Crock’s Twitter page: https://twitter.com/#!/countrycrock

Are you looking for quick and simple tips and recipes to make serving veggies more fun? Download the free Clare Crespo Cookbook here for fun and whimsical recipes your family is sure to love!

Holiday Girls' Night In

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

I love the holiday season. There is something so magical about Christmas lights glistening off the white snow, while the aroma of peppermint and cinnamon floats through the air. Unfortunately, that magic is all too often lost in the hustle and bustle of shopping, preparing for guests, and the need for everything to be perfect. Sometimes you just need to take a break with a relaxing girls' night in.

I'm not talking about a girls' night in where you get dressed in your best, sip wine like sophisticated ladies, and try to prove who has it together the most. That is not relaxing! I'm talking about getting together in your jammies or sweats, drinking hot chocolate from mismatched mugs, and gorging yourself on yummy homemade treats while watching a sappy Christmas movie. My favorite is Love Actually.

Well hello, Colin Firth....

If you want to make it even easier on yourself you can bake up a  batch of Duncan Hines oven-ready brownies and skip the dirty mixing bowls.

After you have recharged your batteries, take time to remember what the holiday season is all about: the people you love. In twenty years you won't look back and remember that your house was a mess or your wreath wasn't perfect. You will remember the laughter, the smiles, and the magic of the season.

Who needs perfection when you have this?

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday.

Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Smart Thinking Lifestyle Tips: Save Money On Groceries!

Thanks to Tervis for sponsoring my writing. Visit their website http://www.tervis.com to learn more about the world’s first smart cup.

How much did you spend at your last trip to the grocery store? $10? $100? $300?? Grocery shopping can be expensive. An average bi-weekly grocery shopping trip can easily top two or three hundred dollars. Even more, going to the store over and over throughout the week to pick up forgotten items can really add up. A few years ago my husband and I sat down and did a family budget. When we reviewed our expenses we were shocked that we spent so much on groceries and fast food. To save money, I decided to start planning all of our meals and shop with a grocery list...and STICK TO IT! I am going to share my process with you today. It has saved my family thousands of dollars just over the last few years.

To start, if you shop at one specific place go through their weekly ad for the really good deals and plan your meals around this. For example: when Albertson's does BOGO on their meat you can plan your dinners accordingly. If you use coupons, search for coupons that match the sale items to save even more money. I use www.coupons.com, and I also search The Krazy Coupon Lady database. You don't have to do this, but it can really save money.

Make a menu for the pay period. Plan out every meal, including snacks. You can use a chart like THIS one from the Tip Junkie website, or you can make your own. You can even go the easy route and write them down on a piece of paper.
To make things easier, plan on using every meal twice during the pay period, or make large portions for leftovers. To make things fun you can designate one night a week to be "Breakfast for Dinner" night. We do this every Thursday. It makes the menu easier to plan and guarantees and inexpensive meal.

Write down the ingredients you will need for your meals. These will go on your grocery list if you don't already have them in the house. This seems like a "duh" statement, but I can't tell you how many times I have been in the middle of making something, realized I forgot the ingredient, and ordered a pizza.

Make a grocery list and keep it organized. I make one list for food and one for non-food items like toilet paper and tin foil. This makes maneuvering through the store easier. If you know where you are going you are less likely to browse ans buy things you don't need. Stick to your list. Getting everything you need in one trip will save you extra trips to the store where you KNOW you will buy more than just that stick of butter you needed.

Estimate how much you will spend and only bring that amount in CASH. The thought of going over at the check out is enough to keep my impulse shopping in check and I usually come out at least $20 under budget.

This is a picture from a successful shopping trip last winter. 

I got all of my groceries AND Toy Story 3 for $100.

I know this seems like a lot, but after a few pay periods of following this process it will become part of your routine. The money you save will make it worth the extra time and can be used for the really important things..like yarn and hot glue. :P

Also, since most Target stores have groceries, find coupons online for general Target merchandise, including food.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. To learn more about Tervis, visit their website http://www.tervis.com.

UPrinting Rolled Canvas Print Giveaway!

Hello my wonderful readers. Today I have a special treat for you: A giveaway!!
UPrinting has graciously offered to give away one of there great products to one Confessions of a Stay At Home Mommy reader.
What is this awesome prize? It is a 16" x 20" rolled canvas print with your choice of a 2 inch border or no border! Isn't that great? This would be great for a favorite family picture or a wedding photo.
Also included in this giveaway is 1 business day turnaround free shipping. So once you load up the photo you want you won't have to wait very long to get it!

UPrinting is an online printing company that not only does canvas printing, but tons of other products like letterhead and business cards. Check out their website to see it all.

There are 5 ways to enter:

1. You MUST publicly follow this blog on Google Friend Connect. I'll be checking my followers list before announcing the winner. In the past I have had people tell me that the "Join this site" button wasn't showing up. Refresh the page and this should work. Make sure to leave me a comment with your e-mail address letting me know you are following me.

2. Like Confessions of a SAHM on Facebook. Come back here and leave me a comment letting me know you did it.

3. Like UPrinting on Facebook and leave a comment here.

4. Follow UPrinting on Twitter and leave a comment here.

5. Sign up on Giveaway Blogs and leave a comment.....here!

For shipping reasons this giveaway is restricted to U.S. residents 18 years old and above.

I will be announcing the winner on September 15th.

This canvas printing giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given for hosting.

My New Go-To Snack and Ingredient: Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls on behalf of Dannon. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program but my opinions are my own.

For more information and recipe ideas, visit www.oikosyogurt.com or www.Facebook.com/oikos. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I’ll be honest, when I was offered the chance to try Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt I was a bit hesitant. I’ve tried Greek yogurt before and I thought it tasted like sweetened sour cream. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this yogurt. I started with the Honey on the Bottom nonfat yogurt. The first thing I noticed was the texture. It was rich and creamy-thick. Dannon Oikos is creaked through an authentic Greek straining process which gives it this great texture. Because it is so creamy it is perfect for dipping. I served some to my kids with a side of animal crackers and it was a big hit. 

I love giving them treats that I know are healthy and high in protein.

Next, I gave the Dannon Oikos nonfat plain yogurt a try. I’ve used plain yogurt as a substitute for sour cream in the past, so I decided to do the same with the Oikos yogurt. I put a dollop on my chicken soft taco at dinner and it really amped up the flavor! After my substitution success I looked in to other ways to use Greek yogurt. Here are just a few:

*Salad dressing

*On top of a baked potato or in mashed potatoes

*As a meat marinade

*As a mayonnaise substitute in potato or egg salad. 

I’m a big egg salad fan, so I tried Dannon Oikos in my egg salad and it was so good I decided to share the recipe with you:

For a double serving I hard boiled 2 eggs and  mashed them up with with a tablespoon of Dannon Oikos plain yogurt. I added some diced cucumber and tomato, a little garlic pepper and some sea salt. Oh. My. Yumminess.

I intended to put the egg salad on a piece of wholegrain toast, but it didn’t get that far. 

To try Dannon Oikos for free—that’s right, I said FREE—go to www.facebook.com/oikos for a free coupon.

I'm so happy to have a new go-to ingredient to cook with. How are you going to eat your Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt?