Treat Greeting Card Giveaway

Spring and summer is greeting card season for our family.  Alfie celebrated his birthday in March, and The Pea had hers in April.  May birthday celebrants include Alfie's 2 nephews, my dad, and ***ME***.  Alfie's dad's birthday is in June, his sister's is in July.  In August, we've got Alfie's mum, my brother and my brother-in-law.  And don't forget Mother's Day and Father's Day!   That's a lot of greeting cards!

et your readers know about the Treat Gifts Twitter Party with @ResourcefulMom on April 12th (if posting prior to the party) RSVP and party information can be found at: http://resourcefulmommy.com/11910/treat-personalized-gifts-twitter-party/

We can't get away with e-greeting cards, especially with Alfie's side of the family, because physical greeting cards that you can display on a mantel or shelf are a Big Deal to them.  With so many cards to shop for, I don't want to be searching through greeting card racks every 2 weeks.  That's what the internet is for, and that's what Treat's online greeting card service is for!  With Treat, I can find a greeting card that's perfect for each person.  I can customize it with their name, personalized message and photo if I want to.  I can get it mailed to me or straight to them.  And I can do it all from home!

Treat is not just for personalized cards; you can also send personalized gifts.  You can add a gift card to popular retailers like Target, Amazon, iTunes, Starbucks and more.  You can send personalized mugs or a photo desktop easel.  Everything you need to let your loved ones know you are thinking of them on their special occasion is on Treat!

Win Five Free Treat cards
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a credit for 5 free Treat greeting cards (value $3.49 per card, $17.45 total)

Required Entry
Visit Treat.com, then leave a comment on this post telling me the name of your favorite card design and who you would send it to.  

Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Follow bonggamom on Blogger (1 entry)

2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry)

3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry)

4) Pin this giveaway on any of your Pinterest boards (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).

5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry):
I entered the Treat greeting card giveaway!  http://ow.ly/jW7rN

6) Tweet this once per day (1 entry per day)
@bonggafinds is giving away 5 free greeting cards from  @treatcards!   Enter by 4/23 at http://ow.ly/jW7rN

7) Join any open giveaway on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for every giveaway you join)

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on April 23, 2013; I will draw a winner at random on April 24 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.



Disclosure: Treat is giving me complimentary credits for 5 Treat greeting cards. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Spring Gift Basket Giveaway from Holiday Gifts & Baskets

Spring is here, and there's no better way to celebrate than a festive gift basket from Holiday Gifts & Baskets.  They have a great selection of spring-themed baskets for all the spring holidays, including:

April 24: Administrative Professional's Day
May 6: Nurse's Day
May 4: Teacher's Day
May 12: Mother's Day

To celebrate spring, I've teamed up with Holiday Gifts & Baskets along with 9 other bloggers to host a Spring Gift Basket Giveaway!  One lucky winner will receive a Spring Themed Gift Basket or Tower from Holiday Gifts & Baskets, valued up to $100!  The winner will get to choose from over 25 designs (you can see the designs in the Raffecopter widget below).

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite Spring Basket Design from Holiday Gifts & Baskets, then use the Rafflecopter widget below to record your entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Extra Entries
Once you have completed the mandatory entry, use the rafflecopter widget above to gain extra entries.


The Rules
* Giveaway ends at midnight EST on April 21st, 2013. The sweepstakes winner will be announced by April 28, 2013.

* Giveaway sweepstakes is open to all residents of the 48 Contiguous States and only to those 18 or older!

* You must complete the specified entry task in order to be eligible to win the contest. If you hit the green entry button without completing the task, your entry will be thrown out (disqualified from winning the prize).

* Winner will be chosen randomly. The lucky winner can choose their favorite design (up to $100 value) from the gifts and baskets shown on this page.

* Winner will be notified via e-mail so make sure you provide the correct address. Winner must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another replacement winner will be chosen.

* Prize will be delivered to the winner by the contest sponsor, www.holiday-gifts-gift-baskets.com

* Click here to see the full set of rules.

Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post.  The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Giveaway: Celebrate Earth Day with Grocery Outlet and win a Gift Card!

Earth Day is approaching, and there's no better way to celebrate being green than by saving some green at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market! With such low prices, you might think that Grocery Outlet only sells thrift store, mass-market brand canned goods, not higher-end, all-natural and organic brands.  But Grocery Outlet has a whole aisle dedicated to organic foods!  I first discovered this all-important fact thanks to my friend Dena, who is an all-natural, organic foods purist -- a regular Grocery Outlet shopper!

To celebrate Earth Day, I went on an eco-friendly shopping trip to Grocery Outlet and challenged myself to find deals on nothing but organic foods.  You could barely call it a challenge; in no time at all I filled my cart with $50 worth of organic goodies ($51.69, to be exact), saving almost half off regular prices in the process!  The 3 boxes of CLIF Kid snacks and 3 Kashi pizzas would have easily cost $50 at any other place.

This box of CLIF Kid Full Moon Brownie ZBars is the perfect example of how Grocery Outlet can keep their prices so low.  Notice the Halloween-themed packaging -- retailers don't want to sell these after October 31, so Grocery Outlet can get them at a super cheap price.  Do I care that there are werewolves and witches on the wrapper?  Heck, no!  Normally I buy these for about $1 each.  You can also buy them in bulk for for about $16 or $17 for a pack of 18.  I've seen them on sale for about $12 -- but I paid $10.47 at Grocery Outlet.

Again, it's worth noting that these are well-known organic brands.  Here are more natural or organic brands I saw at my local Grocery Outlet Bargain Market:

Amy's
Kashi
Pacific Foods
Wolfgang Puck's Organic
Rice Dream
Annie Chun's All Natural Asian Cuisine
CLIF Kid
Plum Organics
Harvest Farms
Walnut Acres
Earth's Best
Bear Naked

The stock at every Grocery Outlet store is different, and it changes frequently, so you never know which brands you are going to find -- but the one thing you can be sure of is the great brands and great prices.  Check out the eco-frugal deals at your local Grocery Outlet ASAP!


Win a $100 Grocery Outlet gift card
Here's another way to celebrate Earth Day with Grocery Outlet: help design the next Grocery Outlet reusable bag!  Just submit your design on Instagram, tag @grocery_outlet and include hashtag #GOGreenBag, and you could win a $25 gift card for Honorable Mention or the grand prize, a $100 gift card.  For details, go to www.groceryoutlet.com/default/bargainistablog/13-04-03/Go_Green_Bag.aspx.

Win a $30 Grocery Outlet gift card
Here's yet another way to celebrate Earth Day with Grocery Outlet:  enter my giveaway for a $30 Grocery Outlet gift card!  One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win.

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite organic or all-natural brand.

Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Follow bonggamom on Blogger (1 entry)

2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry)

3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry)

4) Pin this giveaway on any of your Pinterest boards (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).

5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry):
I entered the Grocery Outlet Eco-Frugal giveaway!  bit.ly/10H3s2G

6) Tweet this once per day (1 entry per day)
@bonggafinds is giving away a $30 @GroceryOutlet gift card !   Enter by 4/21 at bit.ly/10H3s2G

7) Join any open giveaway on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for every giveaway you join)

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on April 21, 2013; I will draw a winner at random on April 22 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.



Disclosure: Grocery Outlet provided me with a $30 gift card to assist me in writing this post.  All expenses over $30 were incurred by me. Grocery Outlet also provided a second $30 gift card for the giveaway.  The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Celebrate Talking Ginger's Birthday with a Talking Ginger Superstar Toy Giveaway!

The Talking Friends apps are a cultural phenomenon, with Talking Tom alone reaching over 40 million app downloads, and all the Talking Friends put together getting over 400 million downloads!  My kids love how Talking Tom repeats everything they say, and I love how my kids laugh when they play with Talking Tom.  One of the Talking Friends gang -- Talking Ginger, Tom's nephew -- is celebrating his 5th birthday today, so the creators of Talking Friends will be celebrating all month long.  Here are 4 fun ways that fans can celebrate Talking Ginger's birthday:

Download Talking Ginger's birthday app
Talking Ginger is getting his own birthday app in just a few weeks!  In the app, Talking Ginger is celebrating his birthday in Talking Tom's back yard with treats, party whistles, candles and more.  Every time you feed Talking Ginger, make some noise with the party whistle and blow all the candles out, a new puzzle piece of Ginger's birthday party memories unlocks. Check out this trailer for a sneak peek at the app:



Create a birthday card for Talking Ginger (and enter to win a Talking Ginger Superstar Toy!)
Young Talking Ginger fans are joining the celebration by creating their very own cards to greet Talking Ginger a Happy Birthday.  Since my boys are fans of Talking Tom (and now of Talking Ginger as well), they sent their birthday greetings as well.  Here's the birthday card that Jammy made:

And here's 3Po's card:

You can see more birthday cards at www.talking-ginger.com.  If your child wants to create his or her own birthday greeting for Talking Ginger, just email it to tom@talkingfriends.com, and your child could see his or her greeting posted on Talking Ginger's page!  Even better, one lucky birthday greeter will be selected to win a Talking Ginger Superstar toy!

Check out the Talking Friends store
Did you know you can get your own Talking Friends merchandise?   You can get iPhone cases, shirts, plush toys and other merchandise featuring Talking Tom, Talking Angela, Talking Ben and more.  You can also get the 3 Talking Superstar Toys:  Tom, Angela and Ginger.  These plush toys can talk and interact with you when you download Talking Friends Superstar and other Talking Friends apps!  The app acts like a remote control; you can make your Talking Tom, Angela or Ginger Superstar make funny sounds, say phrases and sing songs.  If you get all three Superstars, they even talk with each other!  Here's a video of Jammy demonstrating how Talking Ginger works:


Win a Talking Ginger Birthday Prize Pack
This is the best party of the birthday celebrations -- one lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a Talking Ginger Birthday Prize Pack worth $150!  The prize pack contains:

* Talking Ginger Superstar plush toy
* Talking Ginger toothbrushes and toothpaste
* Talking Friends notebooks
* Talking Friends water bottle
* Talking Friends iPhone case
* Talking Friends magnets
* Talking Friends plush keychain
* 2 $20 gift certificates to the Talking Friends shop

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which Talking Friend you like the most.

Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Follow bonggamom on Blogger (1 entry)

2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry)

3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry)

4) Pin this giveaway on any of your Pinterest boards (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).

5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry):
I entered the Talking Ginger giveaway!  http://ow.ly/jQ0lk 

6) Tweet this once per day (1 entry per day)
RT @bonggafinds U could win a Talking Ginger Superstar Plush toy + other Talking Friends goodies!   Enter by May 1 at http://ow.ly/jQ0lk

7) Join any open giveaway on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for every giveaway you join)

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on May 1, 2013; I will draw a winner at random on Mmay 2and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.



Disclosure: I received a Talking Ginger birthday prize pack to facilitate my review. Product information (in italics) is provided by the featured company/product. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Racinne Skincare Review and Giveaway

I received a sample for review

Now that I'm in my ahem! early forties, I think a lot more about aging, or more specifically, the appearance of aging.  There's nothing we can do about getting older, but there's a lot we can do about looking old!  Staying hydrated, getting lots of rest, exercising regularly, eating good foods, removing stress from your life and maintaining a good skincare routine can really go a long way towards keeping mind and body young.

I recently received an invitation from Racinne USA to try out their Ultimate Youth Power Series anti-aging collection, which utilizes plant stem cells (Koren Ginseng Callus Exracts). Like human stem cells, plant stem cells have great regeneration ability, so the idea behind using these plant stem cells is that they increase the skin's regenerative abilities, actually teach your skin to repair itself!  Combined with other anti-aging ingredients like Adenosine and SH-DP-9 neuropeptides, the plant stem cells in Racinne's Ultimate Youth Power Series collection claims to get your skin looking younger in 30 days.

The series consists of 4 main steps:

1) Cleansing
2) Apply Ultimate Youth Power Serum
3) Target aging problem areas with Ultimate Youth Power Neck Emulsion, Ultimate Youth Power Eye Serum and Ultimate Youth Power Eye Cream
4) Finish off with Ultimate Youth Power Lotion (for the day) and Ultimate Youth Power Cream (at night)

(You can read more about each product in the Ultimate Youth Power Collection on Racinne's website)

I've only been trying out the collection for about a week, but here are several things I've noticed:

* Getting into the routine of using these products has been very easy.  To make it even easier, you might want to get a permanent marker and number all of the bottles so you remember the correct order!
* My skin certainly seems to like these products -- no rashes or irritation or discoloration whatsoever.
* I love the fragrance, it's very subtle and pleasant.
* I love how the creams and lotions feel on my skin, light and absorbent.
* I love how the creams and lotions make my skin feel after I apply them (all soft and smooth!)
* I'm surprised that the Ultimate Youth Power collection does not contain a cleansing product.
* I'm disappointed that none of the creams, serums or lotions in the Ultimate Youth Power collection contain SPF protection.

Like I said, it has only been about a week, so I can't make any claims about my youthful appearance, but they do feel great on my skin, so I'm happy to keep using the in my quest for smooth, wrinkle-free skin!

Win the Racinne Ultimate Youth Power Collection
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive the complete, full-sized set of Racinne anti-aging products (value $267):

• Power Cream
• Lotion
• Serum
• Eye Serum
• Neck Cream

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and share a tip for looking and feeling youthful.

Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Follow bonggamom on Blogger (1 entry)

2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry)

3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry)

4) Pin this giveaway on any of your Pinterest boards (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).

5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry):
I entered the Racinne Ultimate Youth Power giveaway!  http://ow.ly/jQ2gO

6) Tweet this once per day (1 entry per day)
RT @bonggafinds U could win the complete Ultimate Youth Power skincare collection by Racinne USA!   Enter by 4/21 at http://ow.ly/jQ2gO

7) Join any open giveaway on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for every giveaway you join)

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on April 21, 2013; I will draw a winner at random on April 22 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.




Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Bonggamom's Friday Finds -- list your giveaways here

Welcome to Bonggamom's Friday Finds! I'm glad so many of you are finding this to be a useful way to get more traffic to your giveaways. And as a person who loves entering giveaways, I have to admit it's a great, easy way to find out where all the best giveaways are.

So feel free to leave links to your giveaways, everyone. And don't forget to get cracking and enter everyone else's, too!

Tweet this!

Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Little Big Planet Karting lets kids create their own race tracks!

I received a review copy of this videogame

Like many boys their age, 3Po and Jammy love racing Hotwheels cars.  They love building things with LEGO or K'nex.  And they looooove videogames.  And thanks to the Little Big Planet Karting game for the PS3, they get to combing all three passions.

On the surface, Little Big Planet Karting might seem like any other racing videogame.  Players are put behind the wheel of a go-kart, they race each other on a track, and the one to cross the finish line first wins.  Along the way they can "pop" bubbles that appear on the track in order to pick up weapons or gadgets than can help them finish first:  grapplers, grenades, etc...

As with many racing games, players can customize their racing cart, choosing from a variety of frames, wheels, paint and stickers.  They can also customize Sack Boy (the main character that players race as) by giving him different kinds of hats and accessories.  The more you play and the higher levels you reach, the more customization options you can unlock!

But here's where Little Big Planet Karting differs from the rest:  you can actually build and customize your own race tracks!  Just like with Little Big Planet and Little Big Planet 2, building your own world is half the fun.  My boys spent almost 2 weeks just building race tracks before they even tried a single race!  Players can lay out pieces of track in a variety of materials (i.e. brick, road, etc...), they can make the track go straight or curve it around a bend or go 360.  They can add obstacles like walls or (Jammy's favorite) sheets of lava.  They can drop weapons and gadgets throughout the course, so racers can pick them up to help them go faster, or to slow down a rival racer.  It really appeals to kids' creative side, and being able to actually race on the track they created is icing on the cake.

Little Big Planet Karting has a few other cool features that we have yet to try:

* Once you create a race track or game, you can share it online through the PlayStation Network with other players in the LBP community.

* Up to four players can race against each other locally, and up to eight players can race against each other via the PlayStation Network.

* The game is compatible with the PlayStation Move controllers when used with a PS Move Racing Wheel. (If you have the PlayStation Move system but don't have a PS Move Racing Wheel, don't forget to disconnect your PlayStation Eye Camera off and turn off all your PS Move controllers, or the videogame will forever be looking for them!)

The bottom line?  I love the way Little Big Planet Karting lets kids get creative, develop their "spacial senses" and exercise their "building" urges  in the virtual world  It has given my kids many hours of fun and I expect it will give them many more to come.


Disclosure: As a PlayStation Family member, I received a review copy of Little Big Planet Karting.  I have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Celebrate Springtime with Shari's Berries

I received a sample for review

Funny story: We first discovered Shari's Berries about a decade ago, when someone delivered a box to our doorstep, addressed to someone we didn't know, but with our home address.  There was no one by that name living on our street, so whoever it was who addressed it got both the house number and street incorrect.  There was no way to contact the intended recipient, so Alfie and I decided to steal the box and eat the berries ourselves.  We've been eating and loving their berries ever since!  These chocolate covered berries are so sweet and succulent.  The strawberries and chocolate are a match made in heaven!  Shari's Berries make great Mother's Day presents, hostess gifts, birthday presents, anniversary presents, every occasion in between, or no occasion at all.

Note to any blogger: when Shari's Berries invites you to review one of their products, you NEVER say you're too busy.  You thank your lucky stars and start drooling!  Since it's spring break and The Pea will be celebrating her birthday this Sunday, I ordered the Cheesecake Trio & Full Dozen Mother's Day Strawberries.

Yes, they're perfect for Mother's Day, but these chocolate covered strawberries are decorated with sweet pastel swirls and flower sprinkles, so they work for any spring party, spring birthday (especially for girly girls like The Pea!) or spring occasion.  The strawberries were gigantic and amazingly sweet, and they were covered with just enough chocolate for the two tastes to blend harmoniously with every bite, neither taste overpowering the other.  What.  A. Treat.

You can order these berries by the dozen or half dozen.  And to make the occasion even more special, you can go all out and order a baked treat to accompany them!  You can choose from dipped cookies, dipped pretzel sticks, cake pops, chocolate covered cherries, mini cheesecakes, even a chocolate occasion card (a slab of chocolate with a greeting for a birthday, Mother's Day, Easter or other occasion, depending on the season).

As you can see from the photos, I chose the Cheesecake Trio to accompany my order of chocolate covered strawberries.  They came in a box of 3 mini cheesecakes, about 3 inches in diameter.  Don't be fooled by their size, they pack a powerful taste punch!  Each of the 3 varieties -- Classic New York, White Chocolate,  and Rocky Road -- features cream cheese and chocolate, but each is unique and distinct. I have never had these before, so it was a wonderful new experience.  Each bite is so rich, you really don't need more than a mouthful to savor the yumminess... but it was truly impossible to stop after one bite.

I could have taken a photo of myself with chocolate smeared all over my lips, my mouth stuffed with chocolate, to make the point that I can't recommend Shari's Berries highly enough -- but I'm sure you'd rather look at photos of yummy Shari's Berries, so I'll take pity on everyone and just say I can't recommend Shari's Berries highly enough.  Without reservations.  Seriously.  Just go and try them for yourself!

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to review the product of my choosing from Shari's Berries. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Totino's Pizzeria Rolls Review and Giveaway

Attention, pizza lovers -- and that's everybody!  -- Totino's is bringing the flavors of an Italian pizzeria to your home with new Totino's Pizzeria Rolls!  I received coupons to sample Totino's Pizzeria Rolls, and my kids were super excited to try them out because who wouldn't love little bites of fried dough with pizza filling?!  They come in 3 varieties: Cheesy Garlic, Chicken Parmesan and Meatball Marinara.

Totino's Pizzeria Rolls bake up hot and crispy in your oven in 13-15 minutes.  A couple of tips:

* Don't overbake, because the rolls will split and the filling will spill out of them. We learned that the hard and messy way with our first batch!

* Don't eat them right out of the oven.  The filling is super-hot, and will scald your mouth!

Totino's Pizzeria Rolls taste FANTASTIC, but let's face it, they're not the healthiest of snacks, so in the interest of balanced nutrition I served them with a healthy salad.  I also think they would make amazing topping for minestrone soup!

Totino's Pizzeria Rolls even taste great when cold!  The other day I packed some Totino's Pizzeria Rolls in my kids' lunchboxes, along with some lettuce, tomatoes and dried pineapples.  Their lunchboxes came back home completely empty.

Unfortunately my supermarket only had Meatball Marinara variety so I didn't get to taste the other two.  That's something to look forward to!

About Totino's Pizzeria Rolls
Bring the flavor of an Italian pizzeria into your home! Totino's is introducing three new flavors of pizza snacks with their all-new Pizzeria line. The new Cheesy Garlic, Chicken Parmesan and Meatball Marinara are flavors everyone in your family will enjoy. Look for Totino's® Pizzeria Rolls next time you're in the freezer section of your local grocery store and bring home the Italian pizzeria taste kids and adults love. In just 60 seconds, you can’t get more Italian!


Save on Totino's Pizzeria Rolls
Don’t forget to like Totino’s on Facebook and redeem a coupon for 50¢ off on one package of any new Pizzeria flavor (while supplies last).


Win a Totino's Pizzeria Rolls Prize Pack
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a Totino's Pizzeria Rolls Prize Pack, which includes:

• 3 VIP coupons, so you can try each of the 3 new flavors FREE
• 4-tile wood handle tray with salt and pepper shaker set

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which flavor of Totino's Pizzeria Rolls you would most like to try.

Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Follow bonggamom on Blogger (1 entry)

2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry)

3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry)

4) Pin this giveaway on any of your Pinterest boards (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).

5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry):
I entered the Totino's Pizzeria Rolls giveaway!  http://ow.ly/jGTyv 

6) Tweet this once per day (1 entry per day)
RT @bonggafinds You could win an Italian bistro serving set + coupons for FREE Totino's Pizzeria Rolls!   Enter by Apr 15 at http://ow.ly/jGTyv 

7) Join any open giveaway on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for every giveaway you join)

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on April 15, 2013; I will draw a winner at random on April 16 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.



Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information (in italics), review sample and giveaway prize were provided by General Mills and Totino's via MyBlogSpark. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

Barbara's Cookie Pies

 I received a sample for review

Remember those days when the only kinds of baked treats were cakes, cookies and pies?  Thankfully for sweet teeth like myself, creative chefs have concocted a crazy number of yummy treats for the whole world to enjoy!  In the past decade or two alone, we've seen the introduction of some wildly popular desserts: ice cream sandwiches, cookie cakes, cupcakes, whoopie pies and macarons, to name a few.

Now it's time to get ready for the next wave:  Cookie Pies.  More specifically, Barbara's Cookie Pies.  Barbara's sent me an Apple Caramel Cookie Pie to try, and I can tell you from first hand experience, these babies are part pie, part cookie, and ALL YUM.

A Barbara's Cookie Pie looks a small 6-inch pie, but instead of a pie crust, it has a butter cookie crust (that's the "cookie" part).  It's also shallower than a pie; the closest comparison I can come up with is a tart or a gallette.  A Barbara's Cookie Pie crust is thicker than your typical pie, tart or gallette.  Each Cookie Pie also has a layer of filling that you might see on a regular pie -- key lime, apple caramel, raspberry chocolate -- as well as some varieties that you don't see every day -- peppermint pattie, oatmeal raisin, rocky road and more (check out all varieties on Barbara's Cookie Pie webpage!).

The crust is flaky and buttery, with just the right amount of sweetness to complement, not upstage, the apple caramel filling.  It's quite dense and filling, so one pie can easily be shared by six people (okay, maybe four people if you really don't want to share).  The caramel apple filling was likewise not too sweet, with a wonderfully cinnamon-y taste.  Honestly, I would have preferred the apples to be slightly more crisp, but that certainly didn't stop my whole family from eating every last crumb.

One note: I was a bit surprised that the pies arrived in the mail in a regular box, without any ice packs or warnings to refrigerate immediately.  And if there were any expiration dates or refrigeration/storage instructions, I didn't notice them.  Maybe they assume that their cookie pies won't last past the first day, so storage and spoilage isn't an issue.  Given how quickly our sample disappeared, maybe that's not such a bad assumption!

About Barbara's Cookie Pies
Barbara's Hand-Made Cookie Pies are the evolution of the cookie into something bigger and better... a decadent fusion of traditional cookie & candy classics with a modern artisan touch. They look like a pie, but eat like a cookie!
It all starts with an authentic butter cookie dough made from a 3 generation family recipe. This buttery cookie dough (a treat by itself) forms the bottom layer of each Cookie Pie; then each is filled with popular cookie & candy toppings. It’s a cookie-in–a-cookie!

Each Cookie Pie is hand-made from scratch in small batches, hand-pressed and hand-decorated. Barbara’s Cookie Pies only use high-quality ingredients to ensure love is baked into every bite. Great for gifts, parties, desserts, holidays, snacks & catering. Barbara’s Cookie Pies and Butter Cookies are delivered fresh to your door locally and nationwide.

Disclosure:I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information (in italics) is provided by Barbara's Cookie Pies.  The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...

PROBAR Meal Review and Giveaway

I have always been skeptical of meal replacement bars.  The idea is tempting -- Eat on the go!  All the nutrition you need in a square! -- but the reality never seems to live up to it.  More often than not, they're just sugary bars that are far too small, never fill me up, and leave me hungry halfway through the morning.

The only -- and I mean the ONLY -- exception is PROBAR Meal.  PROBAR sent me a box of PROBAR Meal bars to try, and I've been having one for breakfast almost every morning.  Amazingly, I have never been tempted to eat anything till noon.  Yup.  No morning snack, no mid-morning cravings, nothing but a PROBAR Meal and glasses of water.  This truly is a meal replacement bar!

About PROBAR Meal
We mean it when we call it a meal. This PROBAR weighs in at a solid three ounces of fruits, nuts and seeds with enough nutrition to make a fresh, tasty, satisfying meal replacement. It's rich in raw ingredients and the right nutrient-dense calories for lasting energy and nourishment.

PROBAR Meal comes in twelve flavors:
Chocolate Coconut
Double Chocolate
Koka Moka
Mint Chocolate
Oatmeal Raisin
Original Blend
Peanut Butter
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
Superberry & Greens
Superfood Slam
Superfruit Slam
Wholeberry Blast

So far, I've tried .  I've loved every flavor I've tried, but my favorite is Peanut Butter -- another surprise!  I'm usually meh on peanut butter (unless it's accompanied by chocolate), expecially with energy bars, but the PROBAR Peanut Butter Meal bar has a wonderfully nutty, fresh, sweet taste!

I'm really impressed by how they can pack so much into a single bar.  You can actually see real food in PROBAR Meal: nuts, dried fruit, seeds and grains.  Each flavor looks different (i.e. the Oatmeal Raisin has lots of oats, the Mint Chocolate is darker, the Wholeberry Blast has lots of fruit, etc...) so you know it's not some artificial substance with different flavorings.

Breakfast has always been a difficult meal for me.  My stomach doesn't seem to wake up till 10AM, but I know that having a good breakfast in the morning really sets up my metabolism and my energy levels.  With the PROBAR Meal, I can take a few nibbles before 8AM, then finish the bar between 8:30 and 9:00AM.  I get a nutritious, filling meal for less than 400 calories and never have to feel faint with hunger.   What a great way to start the day!

Win a box of PROBAR Snacks
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a box of PROBAR Meal bars!

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which  PROBAR Meal flavor you would most like to try.

Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Follow bonggamom on Blogger (1 entry)

2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry)

3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry)

4) Pin this giveaway on any of your Pinterest boards (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).

5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry):
I entered the PROBAR Meal giveaway!  http://ow.ly/jDv5R

6) Tweet this once per day (1 entry per day)
RT @bonggafinds You could win a box of  PROBAR Meal bars from @theprobar! Enter by April 14 at http://ow.ly/jDv5R

7) Join any open giveaway on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for every giveaway you join)

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on April 14, 2013; I will draw a winner at random on April 15 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.


Disclosure: I received a product sample to facilitate my review, but have not been paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information (in italics) is provided by PROBAR. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Tweet this!

Continue reading...