Back To School Peanut Butter Spread

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


I think there are few things that my family loves more than peanut butter. If a peanut butter recipe pops up on Facebook, there's about a 100% chance someone is going to tag me in that post. To say we are peanut butter connoisseurs would be an understatement. With school back in session, I didn't want Allison to get bored with regular peanut butter sandwiches in her lunch box each week, so I thought I'd try Golden Blossom Honey's spin on a tasty Peanut Butter Spread recipe I saw on their website recently. 

I'll be honest here and say that I usually turn peanut butter into something a lot less healthy. Cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, whip cream are all such yummy mix ins, but this recipe is just the opposite. Nothing but carrots, yogurt, vanilla and raw honey are mixed into the peanut butter, making it not only a delicious spread, but a healthy one too! I was a little concerned that it was going to taste "too healthy", but if you've ever had a peanut butter mousse before, it's really quite comparable. It tastes so much like a dessert spread instead of a nutritious snack. Spread it on bread, crackers, pretzels, grahams and fruit. It's all good! If you make this, do it in small batches because I think it tastes best fresh. I did refrigerate my left over spread and it didn't have the same "pow" factor as a freshly whipped up batch, but thankfully this can be made in under 2 minutes, so making it fresh whenever the cravings hit shouldn't be an issue. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup finely grated carrots
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

 CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

How do you dress up your back-to-school sandwiches?

 

ThunderWorks Offers the Gift of Relaxation

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


It's no secret that my dogs are my babies. I don't play favorites with my kids, but I'll be the first to admit that I do have a favorite dog, and that's my male boxer, Rocky. Maybe it's because other than Jason, we are a house full of girls (he's my baby boy!) or because he's a mama's boy that I tend to gravitate towards him the most. 

When people are meeting him for the first time, they tend to shy away. He's a solid 90 pounds and that makes people put their guard up. Yes, he's a big boy, but once you get to know him, you realize he's the biggest softie in the world. In his mind, he's small enough to be a lap dog, always wants to snuggle, and get will jump for joy (literally JUMP! for joy) when presented with the opportunity to go for a car ride or a run outside. He's got a zest for the good things in life and won't waste a minute expressing his enthusiasm for affection or play. Looks can be deceiving with my boy though. While most days he's very energetic, he does tend to suffer from separation anxiety and is terrified of loud noises.

There was something going around Facebook a few months back that said dogs really hate to be hugged because it stresses them out. I'm calling BS on that story. If I sit on the floor and say "Who wants a hug?" Rocky will immediately come running over, plop down in my lap, and practically beg to be squeezed into a big hug. I'm thinking that dogs with anxiety like mine actually prefer the feeling of being embraced tightly, and since I can't be available to give hugs all day long, I love being able to wrap my dog into his ThunderShirt. 

The ThunderShirt helps to sooth my dog's anxiety by its constant gentle pressure. It works much like swaddling an infant. Simply wrap it around your dog, strap it in place, and your dog feels snug and secure. 

We're past the fireworks stage, which is always a nightmare for us, but we're heading back into the thunderstorm season which always stresses Rocky out. At the first sound of thunder rumble, he'll hide under my bed and shake so hard until the storm passes, it sometimes feels like his shakes are causing an earthquake to go along with the thunderstorm. But, now that he's got his ThunderShirt, the anxiety has seemed to calm down drastically during the storms. 

 There are over 32 million houses in the US that have a pet that struggles with some form of anxiety (thunderstorms, fireworks, separation, exposure to new people or animals, etc) and it is estimated that owners have had to replace $710 million dollars worth of damage done to household items due to the destruction pets caused by their anxiety issues. ThunderShirt has become a household name in the wearable pet anxiety category, but now they have new product offerings that include various other drug-free anxiety solutions for both dogs and cats. From diffuser kits to calming sprays, there are several great options to choose from to help your dog feel less stressed and more secure. 

It's never too early to start thinking about holiday shopping, and there's no better gift than giving the gift of relaxation to your pets. My Rocky adores his ThunderShirt and rests easier feeling snug and secure when mom can't be around to hold him all day. 

Pet owners, be sure to check out the full line of ThunderWorks products to give the gift of relaxation to your pets too.

What are some of the things that make your pet anxious?

 

Take A Deep Breath & Let Go with GuruNanda

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


It's been a really hectic month, but I finally feel like I am getting caught up on all of the things that have been pushed to the back burner this summer. On the last day of our vacation, Mariah came down with a nasty head cold and ended up sleeping away the remainder of our trip. Don't you know, as soon as we all got home, the rest of the family slowly started getting sick too. It was a long few weeks of dealing with illness! If you've been here a while, you know that I always look for natural healing relief methods before jumping onto pharmaceutical healing. For the past few years I have been obsessed with using essential oils for our overall health and well being. At first, Jason scoffed and thought I was jumping into some kind of hippy trend, but once he experienced the healing power of some of my oils, he can't stop singing their praises now, too. 

For the most part, I have stuck with the mainstream oils: peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree, so when I heard about essential oil blends, I was intrigued and wanted to see how well they worked. I partnered with GuruNanda recently to sample 4 of their 100% natural essential oil blends: SLIM, CALMING SLEEP, BREATHE EASY, and THRIVE.

Calming Sleep delivers a blend of lavender, marjoram, and chamomile to help clear the mind and accelerate sleep. 

Thrive combats fatigue, energizes, purifies, and boosts immunity with a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary.

Slim supports a healthy metabolism, boosts energy, manages cravings, improves circulation and helps remove toxins with a blend of black pepper, grapefruit, cinnamon, lemon, peppermint and ginger. 

Breathe Easy is a natural remedy for nasal congestion and better overall respiratory health.  It has a blend of eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, basil and rosemary essential oils.

I do usually mix a drop or two of my essential oils into a carrier oil and put it directly on my skin, but GuruNanda oil blends are made to stimulate the senses by breathing the scents in, so they work best when used with an ultrasonic essential oil diffuser. 

I've been using this super adorable GuruNanda Honeycomb Essential Oil Diffuser with the essential oil blends this past month. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing with it's soft glow color changing lights, it's really simple to set up and use.

Simply pop the top off, fill with 100ml of water, add a drop or two of your preferred GuruNanda essential oil blend, put the top back on, plug it in, then sit back and just breathe in all of the goodness these oils have to offer. 

I was really impressed that once I filled the tank with water and oil then hit the power button, it immediately started diffusing the oil into the air. I didn't have to sit and wait for the unit to warm up. The steam coming from the diffuser was instantaneous.

While we were suffering from that nasty vacation bug, I was switching between BREATHE EASY and CALMING SLEEP to help us find much needed relief from the head cold and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the oil blends did an amazing job at delivering the relief that we so longed for. Since ridding ourselves of the bug, I have been frequently using THRIVE. As some of you know, my autoimmune disorder leaves me feeling weak and fatigued as well as knocks out my immune system, so I love the feeling of having more energy when I breathe in the THRIVE blend. 

These four GuruNanda specialty aromatherapy blends are able to address specific health and wellness concerns by using a blend of 100% pure and natural plant essences grown and distilled on the world's most reputable farms. These are not synthetic "knock offs", they are the real deal. And, at $7.99 each, they are quite affordable. You can find them in the pharmacy section of Walmart or on the GuruNanda website. 

 

What is your favorite essential oil? Do you think the essential oil blends would help you maintain a healthy lifestyle?

How Mamma Chia Fuels Us For Back-To-School

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Well, the day is just about upon us. Today marks the last day of summer vacation and Allison is less than thrilled that tomorrow she'll be walking into the school as an official 8th grader. I admit, it would be nice if we could stretch the summer out a wee bit longer, but then again, I am looking forward to the normalcy that the school year routine brings. This year won't be so hectic for me since I'm down to having to corral only one kid in the morning, but I am still going to have to make sure I'm awake enough to pack her a nutritious lunch for school. I don't know about you guys, but even with the menu changes in recent years, school lunches here are atrocious so I make sure Allison has good food to fuel her body and brain so she can finish the school day on a high note. 

In recent years, I've become a huge fan of chia seeds. I sprinkle them in our smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt and puddings. Not only do I like the texture they add to my recipes, I love the health benefits you get from them too. Chia seeds are the richest plant-based source of Omega-3s and are a great source of dietary fiber and complete protein. That's why I am looking to Mamma Chia® this school year to help us power through our day.

Mamma Chia® is a revolutionary in the beverage industry, launching the first-to-market chia beverage in 2009. Since then, they have developed an array of innovative products to spread the magic of chia. 

I relate to the founder & CEO of Mamma Chia®, Janie Hoffman quite well. Janie suffers from an autoimmune disorder, like myself, and turned to incorporating chia into her wholesome, organic diet and was soon noticing she had more vitality, energy and strength, and was becoming symptom-free of her autoimmune disorder. Enthused for the nourishing power of chia, she headed for her kitchen to whip up tasty treats and beverages for family and friends, and anyone with the desire to change their body for the better. 

Mamma Chia® is USDA Certified Organic, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Kosher, and Non-GMO, so I am excited to be including Mamma Chia® snacks and beverages in Allison's lunch box for a healthy treat. And, I love that 1% of sales support healthy, local food systems!

I'm huge on the various chia beverages, but Allison is really digging the Chia Squeeze Pouches and the Chia Vitality Wild Blueberry Clusters Granola.

 
While she does love to eat the granola straight from the package, I did whip us up some easy-to-make Blueberry Fool layered with the Wild Blueberry Clusters that will also make for a delicious after school snack.

Yield: Serves 4Author: Theresa M

Easy Chia Blueberry Fool

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup Mamma Chia® Wild Blueberry Clusters Granola

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Over medium heat, cook the blueberries, water and sugar for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, set aside to cool.
2. Pour the whipping cream into the mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Stir in vanilla.
3. Stir the cooled blueberry mixture into the whipping cream until completely incorporated. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Spoon the dessert into the bottom of 4 serving glasses. Layer with the granola, then top with more blueberry cream mixture. Garnish with mint, fresh blueberries, and more chia seeds if desired. Serve.

http://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2017/08/how-mamma-chia-fuels-us-for-back-to_15.html

Created using The Recipes Generator

Since chia is loaded with brain-friendly Omega-3s, fat and fiber to fill bellies, and protein for growing bodies, you can see why we are choosing Mamma Chia® for our back-to-school lunch and snacking needs. Not only is it great for kids, but moms like me enjoy it because it gives us the energy we need from the time the morning alarm rings until we're crawling back into bed after a long day.

Mamma Chia® can be found in most health food stores and mainstream grocers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Mamma Chia® can also be purchased online at www.ShopMammaChia.com

WIN IT! 

One lucky Theresa's Mixed Nuts reader is going to win a prize package of Mamma Chia® products. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and ends 8/30. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email before a new winner is selected. Please enter on the giveaway widget below.

Entry-Form

Back To School Giveaway!

We knew summer couldn't last forever, but why did it have to go by so fast!? On Tuesday we'll be driving Mariah down to college, and on Wednesday we're back to the hustle and bustle of middle school life with Allison. I still have quite a bit of back-to-school shopping to do, so I better get on it, right? Are you a last minute bts shopper too? If so, don't worry! I've got you covered with the giveaway I'm hosting today. Enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card to help with your last minute bts shopping needs!

The giveaway is open to all and ends 8/21/17. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email before a new winner is selected. Please enter on the giveaway widget below. Good Luck!

Entry-Form

Beer + Coconut + Shrimp = A Match Made in Heaven

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


I don't think there are many things in this world that make me happier than travel. If an opportunity presents itself to pack my bags and go, I'm all over it. I don't care if I'm going to where I can dig my toes in the sand, feel the crunch of mountain rock under my feet, or even bundle up in heavy winter clothes to feel snowflakes on my cheeks. If it leads me to new adventures, I want to see it all! However, on our most recent trip, we were gone for 10 days. While I wasn't feeling homesick for my couch, bed, or familiar surroundings, I did start to get homesick for my kitchen. I've never been a huge fan of dining out, only going to restaurants for special occasions or for a rare date night out with the hubby, so by day 2 of our trip, I was longing to be back in my own kitchen making my family a home cooked meal. By the end of our vacation, "Where do you want to eat?" were words that just sounded pure evil.

Once we arrived home, I wasted no time making myself tacos, but Allison was all but begging for shrimp. Normally she's a scampi kind of girl, but we had some beer left over from our summer parties that I wanted to use up, and I had been wanting to try my hand at Golden Blossom Honey's Coconut Beer Shrimp recipe, so coconut beer shrimp was served to the rest of the gang. 

I'm not gonna lie, the seasoning is a bit spicy, but paired with the marmalade dressing, you won't even notice the heat. To describe it in Jason's words, "This sauce is kick ass!"

Ingredients

Dipping Sauce:
13 ounces orange marmalade
8 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
5 Tablespoons RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

In a small pan, combine ingredients and heat until blended.

Seasoning Mix:
2 teaspoons ground red pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Batter:
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup beer
1 Tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 Tablespoon baking powder

Mix together in a bowl and set aside.

2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled leaving tails on
3 cups coconut
CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!