Celebrate #HeartHealthMonth with Cheerios + Ancient Grains & $15 Paypal Cash #Giveaway #ad #HealthySnacksHealthyHeart

Last year my husband had a wake-up call when the doctor explain to him that his lifestyle had to change immediately. He is a lawyer by profession, one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. That, coupled with his diet and lack of exercise, was not doing his body any favors. He'd gained quite a few pounds since we met many years ago and was also suffering from high blood pressure, so we knew it was time for us to become heart healthy.

My boys, including my husband, are all very picky eaters, so thinking outside the box has always been a must when in the kitchen. I thought eating healthier would make this more difficult, but it actually opened us up to a world of new food and recipe possibilities. Heart-healthy foods are those low in fats, sodium, and other ingredients that are bad for heart. There are many delicious foods that fit into this category, including three great new products from General Mills: Cheerios™ +Ancient Grains, Gluten Free Chex™ Granola Mix, and Nature Valley® Nut Crisp Bars.

Yesterday was our weekly shopping day, so I loaded up the kiddos and headed to our neighborhood Publix. We love our Publix and have gotten to know almost everyone at the Laurel Canyon location because they are so friendly. My kids actually look forward to going shopping there, which is a total miracle and makes shopping so much easier. Our first stop was the breakfast aisle for cereal. I was super excited to get our Cheerios™ +Ancient Grains because I love all Cheerios and wanted to give these a try.

As you can see from the photo, they were on sale this week (a buy one, get one free special). Plus, you can print the $.75 off Cheerios Publix coupon making them $1.44 a box! What a bargain!

Cheerios™ + Ancient Grains is so appealing to me not only because my husband and I love whole grains, but it also only has 5 grams of sugar! This delicious cereal contains quinoa, oats, KAMUT wheat, and spelt, making this a wholesome treat for the entire family. I knew exactly what I wanted to create with my new cereal and got to work on it as soon as I got home.

Fresh Fruit & Cheerios + Ancient Grains Probiotic Yogurt Shooters

This is a super easy recipe and something you can throw together for breakfast or snack time. You can use your choice of fruit and yogurt. I, however, love vanilla yogurt with bananas, grapes, and apples. Strawberries and blueberries are also great when in season. I didn't have shooter glasses, so I used some reusable containers that make a perfect snack size.

 

Ingredients:

Fresh Fruit

1 cup Vanilla Yogurt

Cheerios + Ancient Grains

 

Just chop up your fruit to the desired size:

 

Then, create layers by placing a handful of one fruit, 2 teaspoons of yogurt, another fruit, etc. When you get to the top, add your Cheerios + Ancient Grains! This way they stay crunchy until it's time to eat. As you can see, I made two different cups. One has more yogurt added in for myself, but my kiddos prefer more fruit than yogurt, so the other is for my son. You can really make these to your own liking. That's the great thing about this recipe. Cheerios + Ancient Grains make a perfect topping for yogurt!

Ready For A Giveaway?

One Lucky Reader Will Win a $15 Paypal Cash Credit! (If the winner does not use Paypal, a $15 VISA Gift Card will be provided)!

To Enter just use the GiveawayTools Form below! This giveaway ends on Saturday, February 21st at 11:59pm.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: The information, products and Publix gift cards were provided by General Mills through Linqia.


 breakfast - green tea

Preparing For A Big Day #Tomorrow with Kellogg's @KelloggsUS #BigDay #sponsored

Being a parent is overwhelming sometimes (understatement of the year), but there are ways to make each day a little easier and to plan for a better tomorrow. Mondays are especially hard for us because we honestly go off our schedule most weekends. Sunday night it is hard to get the boys in bed and, when 6:30am rolls around the next morning, those eyes are looking tired and the boys are usually moping. There are many ways to prepare the family for tomorrow and, once you establish a good routine, mornings really do get easier, I promise.

Mornings have always been tough for me because I am a night owl, so preparing the night before is key to a successful tomorrow.

What do we do to have a successful big day?

1. I check all book bags to make sure everything is ready to go. This means making sure the agenda/paperwork is signed and homework is completed/correct!

2. Make sure the laundry is finish, folded, and clothes are picked out for the next day. I hang both Josiah and Liam's clothes on the stairs next to their shoes so they can get up in the morning and immediately get dressed. I cannot tell you how much this has helped, especially with shoes because they always get misplaced. I used to run around like a mad woman trying to locate them.

3. I help the kids pick out a healthy snack to take with them to school. They especially love taking some dry cereal in a bag along with a juice for snack time. Liam loves picking out a snack! In fact, it isn't unusual for me to fill a cup with some dry cereal as a snack for myself. Cereal isn't just a breakfast food!

4. Ask the kids what they'd like for breakfast in the morning. Josiah wants cereal every single morning, so we have an entire cupboard of healthy cereal choices from Kellogg's. I didn't realize just how many we had until I started writing this post. One of his favorites is Frosted Mini Wheats because they are great dry or with milk.

5. Set the alarm and get some sleep! We are in bed by 8pm to ensure a good night of rest and I always set the alarm for 6:30am to make sure we have plenty of time in the morning. Running around late is never a good way to start the day.

 

How Do You Plan For The Big Day Ahead?

Kellogg's is a brand I've known, trusted, and purchased for many years. I suppose you'd say it is a tradition because my mom always had a variety of Kellogg's cereals in the pantry, too. Some Kellogg's cereal and milk in the morning is a great way to start the day, so that's exactly what we do!

Twitter Party Alert

I love Twitter parties and am so excited to announce the Kellogg's #BigDay #Tomorrow Twitter Party on Tuesday, February 10th at 12pm ET It will be hosted by The Motherhood and co-hosted by Dr. Travis Stork, star of the TV show "The Doctors"! He will share some great tips on staying healthy and having a successful big day by preparing the night before. In fact, he has already provided some helpful tips to share with my readers, some of which are similar to my own!

• Lay out your clothes the night before to help streamline your morning routine.
• Create a “must achieve” list for the morning to help yourself stop stressing about those tasks at night, leading to a more restful night’s sleep.
• Plan out what to have for breakfast, and nothing is easier than setting out a bowl and spoon for a quick, nutritious and tasty bowl of cereal in the morning.
• If you’re travelling or on-the-go, making sure to pack a nutritious snack (like a baggie of cereal) in your bag to help you avoid hitting the mid-morning lull and picking something unhealthy.

In addition to chatting with The Motherhood and Dr. Travis Stork, attendees will also have a chance to win some awesome prizes, including a $50 Amazon Gift Card, Kellogg's cereal, and other branded items!!! Children Teaching Mama will be joining the fun and we hope to see you there, too! If you'd like to join the Twitter party, be sure to use hashtags #BigDay and #Tomorrow! Also, don't forget to follow @ChildrenTeach, @TheMotherhood, @KelloggsUS, and @TravisStorkMD.