The latest from our Heart and Soul
I was recently chosen as 10 women in social media to enjoy “ONE Perfect Day” courtesy of Post Shredded Wheat.
We were abducted for ONE full day of pure, simple bliss.
Why?
Because Post Shredded Wheat gets it. They get that women get very little ME-time. They get that we are so busy planning, managing, caring and doing that we sometimes loose track of the important things. Health, relaxation and reflection are lost in the busy multi-tasking daily life.
So Post Shredded Wheat changed that, for ONE Perfect Day.
I am coming to see, that when we want to learn about products, Experience is Everything. The who, what, when, where -- and why. The whole story.
As Duri Al Ajrami (our brilliant host) says:
And experience we did. Shredded Wheat’s story of simplicity is wonderfully aligned with the theme of ONE Perfect Day. Less is More.
THE PRODUCT
The day was not all about pampering (which, let’s just say it -- ROCKED), it was also about health and how this product, in particular, is a pure nutritional aid to better health. Because Shredded Wheat is made from ONE ingredient, we know exactly what we are putting into our bodies.
I admit - and THEY admit that Post Shredded Wheat has very little taste. Because it is pure Canadian whole wheat. Nothing else - no sugar, salt, preservatives - nadda. But what they did was provide us with an experience of what can be done with the product. We all joked that we had never experienced wheat in so many different ways. Shredded Wheat was incorporated into each and every meal we had. And they were all delicious. One of my key take-aways is that simply crumbling Shredded Wheat on top of our dishes provides added nutritional value and texture.
You can find delicious recipes on their website, or you can take a crack at the recipes we enjoyed on ONE Perfect Day created by Chef Joan Monfaredi at the Park Hyatt:
THE EXPERIENCE
I am fairly certain that Duri and his team at Ogilvy are going to win some wonderful awards for this social media activation. Not because the day was perfect by pampering 10 women, but because they integrated their story into the experience with perfection.
From the initial email to the flight home, everything was, in fact, perfect. Along with a Sony Cybershot camera (squeee!), we received a fab Lululemon outfit branded with “one perfect day” to wear. When I saw this, I realized I had only packed my heels. I shot off a quick dm to Duri saying I might need to run out and get some runners first thing in the am (thinking I really did not want to walk around in heels and yoga pants all day). To which he responded “our team is on stand by, let me know your running shoes size and we’ll arrange all.” Wow, that blew me away. Later I realized, I was being very silly. Running shoes? Really? That’s just crazy talk... So I told him, so sorry, thanks for the incredible offer, but it’s all good. But the point is, talk about perfect care and service.
The suites at the Hazleton Hotel were, as they say, Beyond Extraordinary. I could have stayed in that bed all-day-long.
Our day started with a scrumptious breakfast in the sky at the Park Hyatt. Alongside our Shredded Wheat inspired fare, the story of health was shared by Chef Joan Monfaredi at the Park Hyatt. You can watch her story, it is almost 10 mins long, but if you are curious about health, it is a worthy watch. She spoke about how we are now moving back towards our pure nutritional roots of wellness. I like backwards.
After breakfast, the Shredded Wheat story of Less is More was weaved into the experience of Yoga. Going back to the theme of pure and simple. Although I enjoyed the yoga class, the best part for me was once again the story. Susan Emery, the owner of The Yoga Lounge told me she did not see the centre as a business, yet more of a place of community and charity. The work they are doing in The Yoga Lounge spreads far beyond the walls of the centre throughout the world. Very inspiring.
From there, we moved on to lunch at Pangea in Yorkville where, yes, there was more Shredded Wheat and yet another story based in simplicity. The food was delicious, but the story Chef Martin Kouprie shared was even better. I am so impressed how Shredded Wheat was able to carry their story of simplicity through the entire experience.
During lunch, we were able to meet the Post team to hear more about their product and their vision for simplicity in health. Great conversations were had with the Post team and amongst ourseves. It was wonderful to connect with each other about everything from business to tech to kids to media.
As Duri said, the best was saved for last. You have never seen 10 women in one space melt as you did when we all walked through the doors of the Stillwater Spa at the Park Hyatt. We were simply pampered. One hour sweedish massage (best.present.ever), followed by a mani/pedi. And yes, with wheat based products.
Thank you, to Duri, the entire team at Ogilvy and Post Shredded Wheat for inviting me to share the experience of health and simplicity and hooking me up with 9 other brilliant gals in social media. (@YummyMummyClub, @KelliDaisy @YukariP, @ABusyMommy, @NummiesBras, @Erin_Bury, @EringBlaskie, @CanadaCool, and @WonderMoms_CA)
It was truly ONE Perfect Day.
*ONE Perfect Day was provided for entirely by Post Shredded Wheat. EverythingMom.com was not compensated outside of the experience. This experience and other conversations we have had are paving the way for how we manage our review process. Read Everything is Editorial to find out more.
Whether it’s an afternoon snack for the kids, munchies for family game night or nibblies for when friends pop in, snacks seem to be a staple in our house. Now there are more and more healthier snacking options being made available in stores, like the new Tostitos® Blue Corn tortilla chips.
You may be wondering how healthy blue coloured snack food can be; I know I was. We don’t eat orange cheese in our house because it’s artificially coloured. The Tostitos Blue Corn tortilla chips aren’t artificially coloured to get that blue shade, they’re made from real blue corn; blue corn that comes straight from the cob, which is naturally blue. Pretty cool.
I decided to try these out on my kids as a Friday after school snack. Instead of just serving the tortilla chips on their own I whipped up Tostitos Spicy Yogurt Cucumber Dip (without the spicy part since my kids aren’t big on spicy)
Spicy Yogurt Cucumber Dip
Mix the following ingredients in a bowl and enjoy with Tostitos Blue Corn tortilla chips:
2 cups diced cucumbers (leave skin on); not too small to avoid extra liquid
2 cups plain yogurt (higher fat % is better)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (which I left out in my recipe)
1/2 tbsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder
The kids loved it, the dip and the chips. I found the Tostitos Blue Corn tortilla chips a little sweeter tasting than the standard tortilla chips we’re using to having with salsa. The chips didn’t seem as rough as tortilla chips we’ve had too but that could just be the brand of chips.
The dip was great but the tortilla chips were just as tasty on their own. They come in large triangle shapes and they held up being dipped even by my kids. The blue colour of the Tostitos Blue Corn tortilla chips make a great colour addition to snack time too. You can buy these tortilla chips in most retailers across Canada ($3.49 for a 250g bag). You can also find more great recipes on Tostitos.ca
* Product was provided for the purpose of this review
| GIVEAWAY! |
The folks at Frito Lay Canada want to add a little colour to your snack time. They’re giving one (1) EverythingMom member their own Tostitos Blue Corn tortilla chip gift basket (2-250g bags of Tostitos Blue Corn tortilla chips, blue plastic serving bowl and a stack of blue napkins). To enter tell us what do you like serve with your tortilla chips?
This contest is only open to EverythingMom members. Not a member? It’s quick and easy to join. Contest is only open to Canadian resident and ends May 16, 2010. One (1) EverythingMom member will be randomly chosen after that.
We always seem to be running around with work and school and swimming and everything else so as a family we really enjoy movie night. And nothing goes better with movie night than popcorn.
We’ve tried and reviewed a few of the new flavours from Orville Redenbacher, including the Select White and as well as the Lime and Salt mini bags. Most recently we were sent a box of Orville Redenbacher’s new Flavour Shakers Salt and Vinegar popcorn.
Now I’m not a big salt and vinegar lover to begin with, I don’t even like the flavour on chips, but my seven-year-old loves it. So combining salt and vinegar AND popcorn was a dream come true to her.
The physical box looks the same as a standard 10-pack box of popcorn but there are only 5-packs in the box (5-packs of popcorn and 5 smaller envelops with the salt and vinegar seasoning).
I was pleased to see the salt and vinegar flavouring comes in a separate pouch from the popcorn. So after you pop the popcorn you shake on the flavour. This means you can control how much flavour you want. Not only that, but I can tailor the flavour to each person if I want, which is important when you have three kids with very different tastes. I can sprinkle just the right amount on each bowl.
So one bag of Orville Redenbacher Flavour Shakers Salt and Vinegar popcorn ends up being a customized snack for each family member.
Orville Redenbacher's Flavour Shakers Salt and Vinegar is available in major grocery retailers now ($3.99-$4.99 per 5-pack box)
It’s a rainy afternoon and the kids are driving me crazy; a perfect excuse to make and decorate cupcakes. Now I could dust off my recipe book and pull out all my baking ingredients but I don’t have much time before we have to head out again. That doesn’t mean we can’t make cupcakes. Dr. Oetker claims to have developed a product that will make impromptu baking fun, easy and mess-free. Dr. Oetker Shakers.
Last week my kids and I attended a hands-on baking event using the Shaker product. All you need to do is add milk to the container and shake. You can add any kind of milk you like, including soy or rice milk, even water. We were told there are no milk solids in the mixture at all. There’s a fill line marked right on the bottle so you don’t even need a measuring cup. Now the fun – shake, shake, shake.
My kids loved this. They went wild shaking the bottles all around. It’s recommended you shake for about 30 to 60 seconds to ensure everything is mixed. I did a few shakes at the end too since the first time we tried a package there was some unmixed powder in the bottle. You’ll notice a change in the liquid as you shake also, it will feel less like liquid and more like a batter.
For the cupcakes we just poured right out of the container into lined muffin tines. You would do the same with the muffin mix too and pancakes can be poured right onto a hot griddle. Each container makes about six cupcakes; perfect for a rainy afternoon snack.
The Dr. Oetker Shakers promised an easy, mess-free baking experience and based on our trial they deliver. Unlike other baking exercises, I didn’t have one measuring cup, spoon or bowl to wash-up when finished. The kids could do everything themselves: adding the milk, shaking and pouring into the tins. This meant we could spend more time on the fun part of making cupcakes: decorating and eating them of course.
No it won’t taste like the cupcakes your mom use to make from scratch but the Dr. Oetker Shakers won’t be as messy or take as long to make either. With that said, my kids devoured their cupcakes and give the taste a thumbs up. If you’re looking for a quick play-date or rainy day activity or just something fun to do with the kids spur of the moment, than the Dr. Oetker Shakers might just be what you’re looking for.
* Dr. Oetker Shaker products were provided for the purpose of this review
| GIVEAWAY! |
The folks at Dr. Oetker want to give one (1) EverythingMom member the chance to shake up a little fun baking with their family. They’re offering a great Shake and Bake giftpack consisting of 6 different Shaker varieties (cupcake, muffin and pancake), a box of Sherriff Chocolate Mousse, a variety of coupons for a FREE Shaker product and Casa di Mama Pizza, a mini pizza board (for cooking your pizza), and a CD to put you in the baking mood, all stored in a wonderful branded canvas bag. To enter just tell us which Dr. Oetker Shaker brand you would love to try with your kids.
This contest is only open to EverythingMom members. Not a member? It’s quick and easy to join. Contest is only open to Canadian residents and ends March 28, 2010. One (1) EverythingMom member will be randomly chosen after that.
If you read my review on Orville Redenbacher's new Select White popcorn, than you know popcorn is a very popular snack in our house. So I was pleasantly surprised to receive a box of the new Orville Redenbacher's Mini Bag Lime and Salt popcorn.
The whole line and salt combo in snack food isn't new; one of our favourite snacks is lime and salt corn chips. But in popcorn? I'm not a big fan of flavoured popcorn so I wasn't sure how much I would like this, even though I like the lime and salt combination.
My daughter could smell the popcorn popping from two floors up (but she seems to have a nose for popcorn). The aroma of lime filled the air. I was expecting a very strong lime taste but instead I was pleasantly surprised. The lime flavouring is subtle, more of an after taste. And the popcorn wasn't all powdery or covered in some sort of coating (that ends up all over your fingers and the kid's clothes) like you would expect with a flavoured popcorn.
The Orville Redenbacher's Mini Bag Lime and Salt isn't a popcorn I'd eat all the time, but in the mini bags it makes a really nice treat.
A box of eight mini-bags sells for about $4.99-$5.99 Cdn. (depending on the store)
* Product provided for review.
