Friday, October 10, 2014

Kiss Me Organics Matcha Tea Review



When people see 'Matcha Tea' typically they think
What is Matcha Tea?!
Oh yeah, hot tea...isn't that Japanese or something?
Now THAT is how I feel great!

Matcha tea is what is used in the traditional Japanese hot tea ceremony called, chanoyu (which means hot water for tea in Japanese). I have never had the pleasure of experiencing a real chanoyu with fancy hand movements and the proper preparation with a tea whisk, but I have had a few cups of it before. It is definitely a strong tea. What is great about this tea it that you don't have to just drink it to get the full benefits....benefits you ask? Oh yes, here are some:
  • Increased Energy and Focus
  • Calorie Burning Booster
  • 137% More Antioxidants Then a Regular Cup of Green Tea
This matcha tea is the entire leave ground up into a powder, therefore containing more antioxidants than a regular cup of green tea (1 cup of matcha is equal to 10 cups of green tea). This dramatically increases the nutritional content. Now you might be thinking, "I have heard of antioxidants, but what are they?"

Antioxidants:

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, "Our bodies are battlegrounds against infection and diseases. Normal body functions such as breathing or physical activity and other lifestyle habits such as smoking produce substances called free radicals that attack healthy cells. When these healthy cells are weakened, they are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers. Antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E and carotenoids, which include beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein, help protect healthy cells from damage caused by free radicals."

Uses:
As I mentioned before, there are many uses for Kiss Me Organics Matcha Tea.
  • Lattes
  • Smoothes
  • Baked Good
 If you do choose to make a simple cup of hot tea use 1 teaspoon of tea to 8 ounces of hot water. I use my Keurig for procuring hot water for my teas.
Once the water is added to the powder whisk until frothy. Add sweetener if desired.

Mint Matcha Milkshake

Ingredients:
  • 1 teaspoon Matcha tea
  • 2 teaspoons warm water
  • 1/2 cup of mint ice cream
  • 4 mint leaves (washed and dried)
  • 2 tablespoons of milk
  • 1 tablespoon of mint chocolate chips
1. Combine warm water and Matcha tea, stir until blended
2. Add remaining ingredients into a blender and run until smooth.
3. Pour Matcha mixture into mixture and blending again for another 5 to 10 seconds (or until mixture is a nice green color).
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Enjoy! 

(Yields 1 serving)
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Ebook Review - Terry Treetop Finds New Friends

When raising a child there are so many morals and values we try to instill. Throughout our daily lives, as we interact with each other, we are showing our children how to behave. They roll play and imitate our every move. Therefore, we need to be sure to expose them to positive and constructive situations and experiences.

Terry Treetop Finds New Friends is a book which allows your child to step into the life of Terry and learn with him. In this Ebook they learn the importance of being self motivated and how not to give up. Children (and us adults!) easily become discouraged when things get hard. Terry shows our children the importance of persistence.

My daughter loved reading this book with me. The colorful pages and bold pictures made her excited with every turn of the page. She loves pointing to the pictures and telling me what she saw.

This is a fun and easy to read book, but most importantly, it has a wonderful lesson for your little one to learn.

notice her smiling cheeks




I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Animals Tails a book By Dan Jackson - Review




Once children hit a certain age they become curious little sponges. They ask questions like, "why?" 500 million time in a day. As a parent you want to supply those little growing minds with all the best information and answers. Now if your kids are anything like my daughter, then they LOVE animals. Looking at them, touching them, but especially learning about them.

I was blessed with the opportunity to review the book Animals Tails by Dan Jackson.  This book is just filled with facts and beautiful pictures. Best part, it's digital! So when I need to entertain the kids while out and about and don't have wi-fi, we have books for them to read on the tablet; it's still "playing with the tablet". These kids now-a-days are tablet obsessed. We want them to learn the technology and to grow, but need them to be tools of growth and development, so this is when a book like Dan Jackson's Animals Tails is the perfect solution.
My daughter loved pointing out the different body parts and tell me what they were.

By viewing real animals she is able to see the anatomy and true nature of each creature


 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Sweet'N Low Party

As the child of a diabetic mother I grew up using Sweet'N Low as our household sweetener instead of table sugar. My mother is unable to have very much sugar, but as we all know, you need some sweetness in your life! So for our cooking, drinks and now coffee I choose to use Sweet'N Low. I not only grew custom to using their product but have acquired a preference for their product. I have tried all the other new and old sugar replacement sweeteners but always go back to old faithful: Sweet 'n Low.


I was chosen to host a party on behalf of Sweet'N Low. I was supplied with complimentary products and some recipes to help assist me on their behalf. What a great experience it has been. I was able to gather 11 of my closest friends and easily talk them into having a party during our normal bible study meeting time. We all bought food and I supplied the sweetest and most refreshing drinks you can imagine! We snacked on hotdogs, chips, dips and homemade cookies but the hit of our party were to drinks.
Here are the recipes for the drinks we sipped upon:

Strawberry Granita Freeze:

                                                                                                
  • 1 package (16 oz) frozen strawberries
  • 2 cups cold water
  • 1/4 lime juice (I used 2 fresh squeezed limes)
  • 16 packets of Sweet'N Low zero calorie sweetener
Place frozen strawberries, water and lime juice in a blender and mix until well blended (about 30 seconds). Garnish with fresh strawberries (they are out of season in here...I looked at 2 places for fresh strawberries, sorry readers).

Sunny Citrus Soda:

  • 2 cups fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice (4 limes)
  • 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice (I did more with 4 lemons)
  • 24 packets of Sweet'N Low zero calorie sweetener
  • 1 1/2 liters of club soda, chilled
  • Ice
  • Lemon and lime wedges

Mix all ingredients over ice. Garnish with lemon and lime wedges or circles.


Both drinks were a hit! and didn't last long at all. All the husbands loved having a fun and sweet drink with dinner. The lemons even inspired an impromptu lemon eating competition! A bunch of them put a while wedge of lemon in their mouth and whoever ate it fastest won...rind and all! It was a hilarious memory we will always cherish and are so glad Sweet'N Low was what brought us together.

So swing by your local grocer and pick up a box of Sweet'N Low to try out these drinks for yourself! 

...Don't forget, they are husband approved