Time to tailgate!

Football season is in full swing now. Tailgating has begun. But we don't want to start packing on those pounds with the snackage. So here's some great snack ideas to keep you on the right path as you cheer on your favorite teams. 
My family has always been a fan of Mediterranean Snacks. Especially their new Bean Stalks. Add hummus or a fat free dip!

Peanut butter and crackers is another one we love. Its easy and doesn't require refrigeration. 

Even better is that you can add in other flavors by melting a little chocolate or white chocolate morsels to sweeten the taste just a touch. 

Nuts.com inspired me to post about my favorite snacks that were healthy and light.

But they also shared some of their great suggestions. So check them out by going to their Healthy Snacks Page and see what they have to offer. Nuts are high in protein, encourage a healthy digestive system, and can be so many styles! 

After school snacking made easy

I spent the day getting stuff done. But the kids are done with school and in the midst of being overwhelmed, I have to get a snack ready so I'm not hearing "Mom, I'm hungry" every 5 minutes before I make dinner. 

Today's choice is cupcake pizzas. It's quick and tasty. 

You will need: 

1 can of pillsbury biscuit dough

1 pack of pepperoni 

Shredded cheese

Pizza or even spaghetti sauce

Remember, you're making pizza. You can add whatever you like. 

Pop open your dough. Knead it out in your hands until you have a flat round piece. Lay it out in your muffin pan.

Once each on is flattened and laid out, it's time to put sauce in each one. Spread just enough to cover the muffin circle like you were making a mini pizza.

Add your toppings and put them in the oven to bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until the dough is a golden brown. Even if you don't want them in cupcake shape, you can flatten the dough and make mini pizzas. My kids preferred the pizza shape but still weren't that into them. 

Which brings me to another alternative in the snacking realm. Mediterranean Snacks! They sent me another case of their latest product, the Beanstalks.

My kids and I love these! Three flavors of crunchy that are packed with fiber.

These are straw-like chips made from beans! Extra crunchy with that salty flavor that is still better than your leading brand chips. Plus the beans give these snacks added fiber value which is better for your digestion. You won't have colorful fingertips for your kids to decorate the furniture or their clothing with either. They use cannellini, green and pinto beans to make these. There are three flavors; BBQ, cheddar, and sea salt.

My kids definitely devoured the BBQ and cheddar ones first. I love the crunchy and flavorful addition they bring to our snacking habits. They have 50% less fat than regular chips. This is how its put when you pose the question, Why beans? 

"Beans have been a staple in the Mediterranean region for centuries, packed with protein and nutrients our bodies crave.

This modern day super food, allows us to create better-for-you snacks with simple, ancient ingredients."

So check them out and look for them in a local store as there are many that carry the Mediterranean Snacks. 

Mediterranean Snacks have a new product review

I love being a brand ambassador for Mediterranean Snacks. They always send such yummy treats to try out. The latest big box they sent out was filled with what they call Bean Stalks.

These are straw-like chips made from beans! Extra crunchy with that salty flavor that is still better than your leading brand chips. Plus the beans give these snacks added fiber value which is better for your digestion. You won't have colorful fingertips for your kids to decorate the furniture or their clothing with either. They use cannellini, green and pinto beans to make these. There are three flavors; BBQ,

cheddar,

and sea salt.

My kids definitely devoured the BBQ and cheddar ones first. I love the crunchy and flavorful addition they bring to our snacking habits. They have 50% less fat than regular chips. This is how its put when you pose the question, Why beans? 

"Beans have been a staple in the Mediterranean region for centuries, packed with protein and nutrients our bodies crave.

This modern day superfood, allows us to create better-for-you snacks with simple, ancient ingredients."

As a bonus, they sent me this nifty little notepad with pen.

Its perfectly pocket-sized and good for someone constantly writing while on the go! 
I sent some out to friends and family. One bag accompanied my friend and her family on the road from Texas to Florida. They sent me this picture when they stopped to snack. 

So check them out!

Guest post of healthier living by Mediterranean Snacks

Occasionally I received emails from Mediterranean Snacks that I feel are worth sharing. This is one of them. Let's stay healthy and live better, not just this year, but every year to come! 

 

3 Ways to Make This Your Best Year

1. Clean Eating: Here's the trick to shifting your diet to a more balanced and clean routine.  Start small. Many of us go "all in" before really thinking through our goals and knowing what are the best steps to take. Jumping to extremes or going full force can make it harder for us to maintain. We suggest you make a list of all the things you would like to work on, evolve, or change in your diet.  Maybe it's cutting out soda, swapping fried chips for baked lentil chips, eating fewer carbohydrates, adding more greens, or simply drinking more water. After you make your list, pick the top 12 and use those as your guide, one for each month of the year.  So each month you make one temporary change with a goal to make it a habit. By the end of the year, you will have made 12 improvements to your diet, how awesome is that? 2. Get Active: How many times have you tried to get active, yet sometimes, you feel you may have failed? Same rules apply as in step 1. Start small and make it gradual. We also recommend focusing on your interests and find an accountability partner; a buddy to check in with weekly. Start with getting active once a week for a month, then twice a week, then three times a week and so forth.  Make sure you and your accountability partner check in with one another to ensure success. 3. Stay Positive: The first two steps may not succeed unless you work to stay positive. Change is not always easy, but if you want things to be different in your life, then being open to change is a great start. Find your gratitude in each day and in each experience because this will open up your mind to new ideas and make it easier to stay positive.  Make this your best year-you deserve it!

Mediterranean Snacks review and information on promotions

My love for Mediterranean Snacks has not diminished since the first tasting! It still grows as I recently received a package containing their newest flavor; Fiery Tomato Baked Lentil Chips.. These are gluten-free, natural, a good source of fiber, and have 70% less fat than most chips. They make the perfect snack for my family. These especially are great as you can dip them, top them or just snack right out the bag.

First of all, they weren't really hot. They do have a kick to them but its tangy. Just a slightly spicy taste amongst the tomato flavoring. I also love they are not drenched with flavorings and salt but have just enough to make them delicious. Its a crispy, crunchy appeal when you need an on-the-go snack.
Now I have some bonus information to share for you... They are always looking for Ambassadors. You fill out a form, if they accept you, you will be notified of upcoming events in your area that could earn you some sweet swag!

Another reason to check them out would be their sweepstakes that is going on now. Check out their Facebook page and read up. Its so easy! Grab any bag of Mediterranean Snacks, snap a picture of you muching down, and upload it to their media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram). Remember to tag them in your pictures and/or email them via the social website you upload to and let them know. You could win over $300 in awesome prizes! Each picture uploaded to each media outlet gets you an entry.

The prize package includes: TimBuk2 Messenger Bag, A NikeFuel Band, Snacks, and more!

Rules and Guidelines:
Our Snack & Snap Sweepstakes runs until December 20, 2013 with three (3) lucky winners selected at random. You only need to enter once for all three drawings.

First winner will be announced on: June 3, 2013, second winner on September 3, 2013, and third winner on December 20, 2013!
What MUST be included in your post:

• 1. Use hashtag: #LiveSnactive™
• 2. Name the store (or event) and location (city,state) of where you purchased/received our snacks.
• 3. Be sure to TAG us in your posts! NOTE: In order for us to see your post, you must be connected to us on the social platforms and the tag is active.

Twitter: @Medsnax
Pinterest: @MedsnacksFaceBook: @MediterraneanSnacks
Instagram: @Medsnax

Mediterranean Snacks contest open to everyone!

I wrote a post about a delicious and healthy snack  company. that my whole family enjoyed - http://foreveranerdmom.blogspot.com/2012/11/mediterranean-snacks-review-and-giveaway.html. Now I'm here to tell you about a promotion they are holding that could win you over $300 in prizes! They have a contest going on which you can read the guide lines on here. Grab a back of Mediterranean Snacks, snap a picture of you with them then post it to any of their many social media outlets! You will be entered to win automatically. Each place you post on earns you another entry!
The contest lasts from now until December 20th of this year.
Guide Lines are as follows:
Rules and Guidelines:
Our Snack & Snap Sweepstakes starts now until December 20, 2013 with three (3) lucky winners selected at random.
First winner will be announced on: June 3, 2013, second winner on September 3, 2013, and third winner on December 20, 2013!
What MUST be included in your post:

• 1. Use hashtag: #LiveSnactive™
• 2. Name the store (or event) and location (city,state) of where you purchased/received our snacks.
• 3. Be sure to TAG us in your posts! NOTE: In order for us to see your post, you must be connected to us on the social platforms and the tag is active.

Good luck to everyone! Let me know if you post or even if you win!

Mediterranean Snacks review and giveaway

I'm still researching healthy products. And I've come across another bunch of goodies to tempt you with. Mediterranean Snacks sent me some things to try and write about. They provide gluten free, no trans fat, and 30% less fat than regular potato snacks in their snack foods. They sent me the Original Veggie Medley Straws, Rosemary Herb Lentil Crackers, Organic Popcorn, and the Original Veggie Medley Chips.

The Straws were a huge hit with my family right off the start! My picky son and even my husband would have devoured the whole bag in one sitting if I didn't limit them both. They are a potato snack-like chips but shaped like square straws instead. So light and airy in texture, not drenched in some salty flavoring - they make a great snack.

Then we tried the Organic Popcorn. Normally the only popcorn I like eating is covered in cheese or caramel. But I really enjoyed this! It’s so light and fluffy. They are air popped with a hint of sea salt and olive oil. My husband even LOVED them. He usually complains if he doesn't have his absolute favorite brand name popcorn, saying that everything else just "isn't as good" or "tastes so-so". And since popcorn is always on hand in our home, this is a snack I truly appreciate having around.

The Original Veggie Medley Chips tasted the same as the straws, but were shaped just like a normal wavy chip. Again, very light and airy in texture. Not drenched in high sodium content. You don't end your snacking with colored sticky fingertips.

Rosemary herb is an interesting taste. I’m not used to it, but these lentil crackers were actually pretty good. It’s a very strong herb and it was good with my moms homemade salsa.  

The prices are comparable to most other store brands you might go for, so if you're paying that much anyways, why not get something much healthier for your family? They also have Hummuz Crispz, Baked Lentil Chips, and Multi Grain Chips. So many different flavors to choose from, great prices, and they may even have a store that carries them near you! Just check the Store Locator here: http://www.mediterraneansnackfoods.com/store-locator/. And to see more about them or what they offer, just go here: http://www.mediterraneansnackfoods.com/. You can also follow them to see what's new: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MediterraneanSnackFoods, via Twitter @medsnax. They also have store fronts on Amazon and Alice.com.

They are supposed to have a $1.00 off coupon on their website, but I was unable to get it to work on my computer. You can still give it a try and perhaps get it to work on yours.  http://www.couponfactory.com/share/71d858a9deef8c71486a972810f7bb05ed3d3364/

I foresee a trip to the store in a couple days when my boys run out of these good snacks!

***I was not paid anything for my reviews. They sent me the product in return for my honest opinions.***

Now for the fun part! A GIVEAWAY!!! That's right, one lucky winner will receive a mixed case of the Mediterranean Snacks Baked Lentil Chips (full size products). Just get your entries in below and good luck!

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