Milk Unleashed Review &How Shelf Safe Milk Works

February 4, 2013 By 8 Comments

Shane is a picky eater. He has a tendency to find a food that he likes & then refuse to eat anything but that food for days. {Obviously, we get him to add other things in addition to that favorite, but nothing short of bribery works sometimes.} But then suddenly, he’ll decide that he no longer likes that food anymore- and then we’re left with a freezer full of chicken nuggets he won’t touch, or 6 boxes of waffles he no longer likes. It’s annoying, and depending on the food, it makes us waste money & food when his flavor of the week goes bad before he gets back into it.

milk unleashed

That’s why I love shelf safe milk- while normal milk goes bad within a few days of purchase, shelf safe milk typically has an expiration date that’s up to six months out. I encourage Shane to drink milk daily, but sometimes he only wants water. So I make sure to keep some shelf safe milk in the fridge at all times so that it’s cold & ready when he wants it.

how shelf safe milk works

But how does milk stay good for months- and without refrigeration? It’s simple really- instead of being heated to 161-167 degrees for 15-20 seconds, it’s heated to 275-284 degrees for 3 seconds. Then, instead of being poured into typical cartons, it’s stored in Tetra Pak shelf safe cartons that keep out air & light. {Bonus points: the cartons are also recyclable.}

I love keeping shelf safe milk on hand for on-the-go nutrition as well! They make great additions to picnic baskets &I’m sure when Shane is in school they’ll be in his lunch box. & They make great additions to food drive donations as well since they are non-perishable.

Milk Unleashed Brands

Shelf safe milk is available from several different companies, like Horizon Organic, Hershey’s,  Organic Valley, LALA, and more. It’s available in traditional white milk- anywhere from fat free to whole- as well as flavored varieties. No matter what your preference is, you can find it on the shelf!

You can find out more about shelf safe milk & how it works at the Milk Unleashed website, or on Twitter or Facebook!

Note: I received samples to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

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Scents of the Season

November 21, 2012 By 1 Comment

They say nothing is more powerful for evoking memories than scent, and I believe it. We all have favorite scents- the ones that instantly bring back happy memories. The smell of marshmallows reminds me of the lotion I used to put on Shane when he was a baby. &When I smell rain, it reminds me of when I was growing up in Chicago.

There are also quite a few scents that remind me of the holidays! Some of the most magical memories of my life have revolved around the holidays & so I love when they come back to me through scent! There are actually quite a few scents that remind me of this time of year:

Dunkin 4

-Tomorrow, the smell of turkey will waft through homes all over the country. Whenever I walk into a house that has a turkey in the oven, I instantly feel warm {and very, very hungry}.

-Peppermint: I could eat & drink peppermint everything year-round, but they really only make things with it this time of year. So I definitely get my fix- Mocha Mint coffee, anyone?

-Cookies: Whether they’re sugar cookie cut-outs or gingerbread cookies, there’s no better time to make them than the holidays! I’ve never gone a year without making sugar cookies & I have been known to put together a pretty elaborate gingerbread house. {Although, I totally use hot glue instead of frosting, so they’re not exactly edible. But it’s the only way they don’t crumble for me. Hey, I said the houses were elaborate, not that they were actually good.}

-Coffee: Speaking of coffee, it’s a major memory trigger for me too! I drink coffee every month, but not nearly as much as I do in the winter. I just love how it warms you up & comforts you- and it’s great to enjoy while sharing memories with friends and family!

Dunkin Donuts Seasonal Coffee

You can spark your memories this holiday with Dunkin Donuts & their new Flavors of the Season coffees! You can find Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread Cookie, and Mocha Mint at your local grocery store for a limited time. {&They even have a cute gift tag on them, so they make a great hostess gift or stocking stuffer!}

Note: Thank you to Dunkin’ Donuts® packaged coffee at grocery for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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Lipton Tea & Honey: A Beach Bag Must-Have!

June 14, 2012 By

It gets HOT here in the Summer- we hit 100 in May, get to 115 by July & don’t cool off again until September. This means we have to take extra care to stay cool & try not to get dehydrated. We do a lot of indoor activities, and when we are outdoors, there’s always water involved: splash pads, pools and sprinklers become our best friends. &We drink water- LOTS of water.

But water gets really boring after awhile. It’s obviously good for you, but I just get sick of the same thing all the time. So, I use powdered drink mixes to sweeten it up a bit!

The new Lipton Tea & Honey drink mix is my new go-to. With only 5 calories per 8 oz serving, I can drink a lot of it without adding it to my waistline. It’s made with real tea leaves & real fruit and sweetened with honey, so I can feel good about enjoying it! It also comes in several flavors: Strawberry Acai, Blackberry Pomegranate, Lemon, Peach Apricot, Black Currant Raspberry, & Mango Pineapple. I’ve tried three of them and so far my favorite is the Blackberry Pomegranate, but I can’t wait to try them all!

Summer is a time of relaxing and having fun whenever possible. I like to keep a pool bag {think a beach bag, except we live in the desert} packed & ready to go at all times. In it, I keep:

A beach towel
Shane’s swimsuit
2-3 swim diapers
A regular diaper
Pool shoes {These especially come in handy at the splash pad!}
An extra t-shirt for Shane {since he tends to run in the water before I can actually get him changed}
Lots of sunscreen
Lip balm with SPF
A water bottle {or two}
A couple of Lipton Tea & Honey packets

I actually keep the Lipton Tea & Honey in my actual purse as well. It’s great for me to have on hand when I’m craving something sweet- rather than blow my diet & drink a slushie or other sugar-loaded beverage, I can just pour my mix into my water bottle, shake it up & voila! It even helps me quell cravings at the grocery store.

Buy It: You can buy the tea at your local mass or grocery retailer. They are available in a 10-ct of single to-go packs {$2.99 MSRP}, 6-ct pitcher packs {$2.99 MSRP} & 3-ct Sample Packs {$1.00 MSRP}

Try It: If you want to try a sample of the new Lipton Tea & Honey for free, head to their Facebook page & fill out the form!

Win It: Tell me how you add flavor to your life and the first three people to comment on my blog will win a sample of Lipton Tea & Honey to try for themselves!

For an extra entry to win the Lipton Tea & Honey kit share this sweepstakes with your friends on Twitter and Facebook by clicking the buttons below. &Learn more about the amazing Lipton Tea & Honey Flavors on their Facebook page!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton Tea. The opinions and text are all mine. Official sweepstakes rules.

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Recipe: Groovy Apple-Orange Smoothie #FloridaOJ

February 24, 2012 By 7 Comments

We’ve been on a real health kick lately since I started the Nutrisystem plan- we’ve started working out, eating better, and drinking lots of smoothies. There’s a place near us that has AMAZING smoothies, but I’m sure they’re loaded with sugar- plus they’re like $5 each. So, we’ve been making most of our smoothies at home!

groovy apple-orange smoothie

Smoothies are fun to make because you can personalize them in several ways- what fruits {or even veggies} you include, the consistency, and most importantly the amount of sugar in it. We’ve found a lot of great combinations, but we’ve really been on an orange juice & apple kick this week.

Here’s the recipe {named by Shane- bonus points if you get the reference}:

groovy apple-orange smoothie

Print
Groovy Apple-Orange Smoothie

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 18 oz 100% Florida Orange Juice
  • 1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 3 tbsp sugar or sugar substitute
  • A whole lot of ice {about 25 pieces}
  • 1 medium apple, cored & diced

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend!
http://www.notquitesusie.com/2012/02/recipe-groovy-apple-orange-smoothie-floridaoj.html

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I get the feeling we’re going to be enjoying these a lot in the upcoming months as it gets warmer & warmer outside!

Find more great recipes using 100% Florida Orange Juice on their website &be sure to join them on their Facebook page!

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?


Susie’s Note: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All experiences are authentic & all opinions are my own.

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