International Delight Light Iced Coffee: My Secret Weapon! #LightIcedCoffee

December 28, 2012 By 11 Comments

If you follow me on any social media channels, you’ve probably noticed that I tend to be the most active from 10pm-4am PST. Those are my “office hours”- and it’s one of the best & worst things about being a professional blogger. Since I work from home & for myself, I can set my own hours & work when I want, which means I can dedicate my days to spending time with my son and then work while he sleeps. The problem is, it’s still 10pm-4am. &A lot of the time, I’m tired, and very, very unmotivated.

International Delight Light Iced Coffee flavors

But I have a secret weapon: International Delight Iced Coffee! Back in February, I shared my tasting party with you & since then, I’ve been completely hooked. I even made amazing Almond Mocha Bars over the summer using it which were a huge hit!  The International Delight Iced Coffee is perfect for me because I love coffee, and while Justin drinks his black, I pretty much drink mine so full of creamer it’s almost white. But with International Delight Iced Coffee, I don’t even have to mix it {which, let’s be honest, is not always successful- I add too much or too little creamer more often than not} or mess with the Keurig- I just pour it straight from the carton &it’s ready!

International Delight Light Iced Coffee pouring

The one thing that hasn’t been ideal about the Iced Coffee though was the calorie count. While comparable or even better than most coffee shop drinks {the ones I actually like anyway}, they still had a lot of calories. &Since I’m getting married in March, I’ve been trying to cut calories wherever possible. I even went a little over a month without my beloved iced coffee- and I’m telling you, I missed it a lot.

International Delight Light Iced Coffee nutrition facts

That’s why I’m so excited about the NEW Light version! With only 100 calories in each serving & available in both Mocha & Vanilla, this is perfection. To me, the light version tastes the same as the original but with 1/3 of the calories- it kind of seems like an easy choice if you ask me!

International Delight Light Iced Coffee me time

International Delight Light Iced Coffee is the perfect drink for any iced coffee lover, whether you’re just at home enjoying it {I like to grab some “me time” by drinking it by the Christmas tree while everyone’s in bed- it’s just such a peaceful moment!} or are on the run, whether it be to work or soccer practice. There’s no mixing involved so it only takes a second to grab! &It’ll save you not only time but also money over the coffee shop- you can get 8 servings for the cost of one overpriced coffee shop iced coffee. Just check out the widget in my sidebar to see how much I’ve saved since I discovered the new Light version!

International Delight Light Iced Coffee will be available at Walmart beginning on January 21st. You can learn more about International Delight on their website {where you can sign up to get a coupon}, Twitter or Facebook. &Be sure to check out the new Light Iced Coffee at your local Walmart or other grocery store- find it in the milk aisle!

How do you take your coffee?

Note: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study forCollective Bias® and WhiteWave #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions are my own.

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Splash it on & Step it up with Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar

July 9, 2012 By 7 Comments

Lately, we have been making a conscious effort to get healthier around here. I don’t get nearly enough exercise, and while we eat pretty healthy foods, we do little things that hinder our efforts like dip our vegetables in fatty dressing. While it’s been hot outside, I’ve been making an effort to exercise a bit indoors by dancing with Shane around the house, etc. and I’m going to start going on walks with Shane before bed since it’s cooler at night. &To make our eating a bit healthier, I’ve switched to using Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar on my veggies!

Nakano’s Seasoned Rice Vinegars come in a variety of flavors- including Basil & Oregano, Red Pepper, and Balsamic Blend. We had the chance to try the Original and Roasted Garlic flavors and while I liked them both, the Roasted Garlic is my favorite. It has actual bits of garlic in the bottle- and I am just a huge fan of anything garlic. The vinegars were really yummy, and I was even happier about switching after I compared the Nutritional Information between Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegars & my go-to of Ranch dressing:

Ranch Dressing vs Rice Vinegar

One of my favorite {&super simple} recipes that I have tried so far comes from Nakano’s Recipe Finder and is the Easy Veggie Salad:

easy veggie salad

Print
Easy Veggie Salad

Ingredients

  • Assorted fresh seasonal vegetables (asparagus, green beans, broccoli florets)
  • NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar Roasted Garlic, Italian Herb, or Original
  • Olive oil (optional)

Directions

  1. Use seasonal vegetables (asparagus is in season right now) or green beans or broccoli florets.
  2. Microwave veggies in a shallow serving bowl with a tablespoon or two of water until tender-crisp.
  3. Immediately add ice and water to chill the veggies; drain well.
  4. Splash with Nakano reasoned rice vinegar--roasted garlic or basil and oregano.
  5. Swirl in a bit of olive oil, if you want.
  6. Enjoy with crusty French or Italian bread.
http://www.notquitesusie.com/2012/07/splash-it-on-step-it-up-with-nakano.html

There are SO many more things you can do with the Rice Vinegar, too! You can use it with meats, veggies- even breads! Check out all 17 pages of recipes on their Recipe Finder!

Nakano is currently in the midst of a 60-day walking challenge that they are hosting on their Facebook page called Splash it On, Step it Up! They are trying to encourage people to make healthy lifestyle choices {like switching to Rice Vinegar & walking more} and includes fun and helpful features such as a steap tracker that wraps around the globe to show the number of steps walked thus far as well as healthy eating & fitness tips! The first-prize winner of the challenge will receive a one-year free gym membership, and if over 1 million steps are recorded over the course of the 60 days, a second first-place prize will be awarded! The second prize winner will get six personal training session, and the third prize winner will receive a Nakano workout bag! Be sure to enter today!

You can also play Splash for Cash by signing up for the Mizkan {makers of Nakano} newsletter- each month one Splash subscriber has the chance to win $150!

Ready to make the switch to Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar? You can learn more on their website, Facebook page and Twitter!

Note: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Nakano and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Filed Under: food, recipes, reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Go Greek with Stonyfield YoKids Greek! {Giveaway}

June 15, 2012 By 35 Comments

It seems like once every year or so, a new healthy food comes out that no one has really heard of or used much &suddenly, it’s everywhere. Usually it’s because that food really has some great benefits, and that’s certainly the case with the recent popularity of Greek yogurt!

The Benefits of Greek Yogurt

-Greek Yogurt contains 15-20 grams of protein per 6-ounce serving- about the same as 2 to 3 ounces of lean meat. {As someone who rarely eats meat, I definitely appreciate this.}

-It contains about half the amount of sodium as “regular” yogurt at about 50mg per serving. It also contains about half the amount of carbohydrates at about 5 to 8 grams per serving {compared to about 13 to 17 grams for “regular”}.

-Greek Yogurt is great as a healthier alternative to many common ingredients. Try using it in place of sour cream or even instead of using eggs in baking!

You may have already discovered the benefits of Greek yogurt, and if you have, you know it’s got a bit of a different consistency than the traditional variety. &If you have a picky eater like I do, you know that means that your tot won’t be seeing any of the amazing health benefits that Greek yogurt has. &Luckily, that’s not necessarily true.

Stonyfield {one of my favorite food companies ever- both because of their yummy products & their business practices} has recently come out with an addition to their popular YoKids line. It’s- you guessed it- YoKids Greek!

YoKids Greek Yogurt 1

As the only Greek yogurt available for kids, the new YoKids Greek yogurt is available in both raspberry & strawberry and both are organic & lowfat! Each 1-container serving {which is 106g, or roughly 3.7 oz.} is 100 calories, only 1g {2%} of Total Fat, contains 290mg {8%} of Potassium, and packs 6g {12%} of Protein & 20% of your daily amount of both Calcium &Vitamin D! That’s a lot of goodness for one little container!

&All of that is well and good, but the ultimate test of course lies with the toddler or kid that you’re trying to get to eat it. And, despite Shane being a very picky eater, he LOVES it! We tried the Strawberry variety & as soon as he had finished his container, he was already asking for another. He has always loved yogurt but I’ve tried giving him Greek yogurt before without success, so I’m happy to finally have a variety of it that he likes!

I’m not sure if it’s the kid-friendly consistency or the yummy flavor that he went for, but Shane can’t get enough. &Even though it’s geared toward kids, I love it, too!

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Buy It: Stonyfield products are available at several grocery stores as well as natural food stores nationwide. Check the store finder to locate it near you!

Win It: One reader is going to win four {4} total coupons for FREE products- two {2} coupons for YoKids Greek Yogurt & two {2} coupons for the YoKids products of your choice! Just fill our the form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Susie’s Note: I received a sample of the yogurt to facilitate this review. All experiences are authentic & all opinions are my own.

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Review & Giveaway: Natural Bliss Coffee Creamers by Coffee-mate!

August 26, 2011 By 15 Comments

This month, I went back to work at my old job. I am part-time, but I work about 18 hours a week there, and about 20 hours a week from home for Monster. So I work about 38 hours a week, which is just about full-time- and that’s not including blogging & the things involved with that, making meals for my family, cleaning, playdates, potty-training, checking emails, doing the dishes, the laundry, etc.

Let’s just say if I could hook myself up to an IV drip of caffeine, I would. Since I can’t, I’m doing the second-best thing & living off of energy drinks and of course, coffee.

I didn’t use to drink coffee very often, and I was convinced that it didn’t affect me because I never had that extra “pep” when I drank coffee. But now, I drink it every day. &I can absolutely tell if I skip a day!

Coffee definitely helps me start my morning off right- and not just because of the caffeine. I’ve always loved the smell of coffee, and of course I love the taste of coffee {with creamer… black coffee is disgusting} or else I wouldn’t drink it. So once I’ve made my coffee & let it cool down, I sit and I sip it for a few minutes, enjoying every bit of it.

I like to take those moments to think about the day before and to plan the day I’m facing- whether that day will see me going to work or spending time at home with Shane. Once I have done this, I feel much more prepared to accomplish what I need to do.

So since coffee has become such a necessity for me lately, I was really excited to try the new Coffee-mate Natural Bliss creamers! I already swear by Coffee-mate, as I’ve gotten their French Vanilla & Vanilla Nut creamers for years. While I never stray from those two, once I learned that the new Natural Bliss flavors {Vanilla, Sweet Cream, and Caramel} have only four ingredients in them, I had to try them out!

Since the Natural Bliss creamers are made by Coffee-mate, I knew they’d be great, and I feel better knowing exactly what it is that I’m putting into my body. Each creamer has just milk, cream, sugar and flavor- all things I can pronounce, which is a good sign. & They all taste great, too- the Caramel reminds me of my favorite Starbucks drink, the Caramel Macchiato; the Vanilla reminds me of the regular French Vanilla creamer I am used to getting from Coffee-mate, and the Sweet Cream is like an extra-sweet Vanilla, and I love everything extra-sweet. {Which is awesome, because Hubby doesn’t, and so it keeps him away from my ice cream since I get- you guessed it- Sweet Cream flavored!}


Told you I can’t stand black coffee- I use so much creamer, it’s almost white!

You can get more information about all three flavors at the Coffee-mate site here!

&Now, one lucky {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker reader is going to win two coupons for their own FREE Natural Bliss creamer! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Good luck!



Susie’s Note: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Coffee-mate and received coupons and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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