Save $1 on Alexia Foods & review!

I'm a huge French fry fan. I have been as far back as I can remember. I love French fries with burgers, French fries with hot dogs, French fries with chicken, French fries all by themselves! I love French fries in every shape and size. I love waffle fries, tater tots, steak fries, crinkle cut fries, shoe string fries, etc.

Now there is a bit of a debate in my house about the proper condiment to dip French fries into. Sarah18 insists on mayonnaise. David13 goes for ketchup. I love mine with vinegar and Marty refuses to dip his into anything. You can tell we're sort of French fry fanatics here.

When I have time, I make homemade French fries but I don't always have time and sometimes when I have time, I don't have potatoes. So it's easiest for me to keep some type of frozen potato product in the freezer for just those times when we're craving French fries.



At Alexia Foods, they offer food that's all-natural, gourmet-inspired, and absolutely delicious. They have a delicious selection of Onion Rings, French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, and Sweet Potato Puffs. You can find fries in every conceivable shape and flavor from crinkle cut to waffle fries and Yukon gold julienne to spicy sweet potato.

I was sent a variety of their products to enjoy and we definitely enjoyed them. All of Alexia Foods products are all natural so no worries about what I'm feeding my family. They have a fantastic selection so no matter what kind of fry my family wants I can get it. I love that their fries taste like real potatoes and real sweet potatoes no some weird overly processed potato flavored side dish.  I think that of the varieties I tried, the Waffle Fries and the Sweet Potato Puffs were my favorite.  The Waffle Fries were crispy on the outside but still soft inside which is perfect in my book.  The Sweet Potato Puffs were delicious too.  They weren't as crispy as the waffle fries but just perfect to give them a light tender texture.  I am definitely buying both of these again.

Check for a retailer near you and download this $1 off coupon for Alexia Foods.  Connect with Alexia Foods on Facebook for all the latest product news.

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review these products.

As required by the FTC:  I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Win a skoopz Natural Sweetener Prize Pack

I'm a huge believer in being in shape. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces your chance of health problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Sadly, obesity and diseases like this are becoming more and more common not only in adults but in children as well.

One of the ways I try to keep my weight in check is by watching what I eat and the amount of sugar and high fructose corn syrup my family and I consume. You will almost never find me bringing something with high fructose corn syrup into the house for us to eat. It's not healthy for those watching their weight or for diabetics. I certainly don't want my kids eating it either.

There are lots of alternative sweeteners out there. We don't use the artificial sweeteners because I don't think sweetening my food with chemicals is a good thing. We look for natural sweeteners especially those that use stevia. Sometimes stevia has an aftertaste so I try to be careful which products I purchase.

I recently learned about a new all natural sweetener call skoopz. Skoopz is a blend of natural ingredients including erythritol (found naturally in melons, grape, soy and wines), Xylitol (found naturally in fruits and veggies), Malitol (a naturally occurring sugar substitute), Stevia (an all natural herb) and Maltodextrin that gives skoopz the natural feel of sugar. skoopz can be used by the whole family, including people with diabetes and children of all ages.

skoopz has zero calories and no aftertaste. It has a low glycemic index so it's diabetic friendly. It's tooth friendly and sweetens all naturally. It even tastes like sugar and is gluten free!  I've been using skoopz in my coffee and on my cereal for about a week now.  I'm really loving it.  It's granulated not powdered like some sweeteners.  There really is no aftertaste to it and I like the taste.  You can use it to sweeten just about anything including coffee, oatmeal, fresh fruit, homemade yogurt, lemonade, iced tea, etc.

It's currently available in packet form but they are working on a baking alternative that will be able to be used cup for cup the same way that sugar is used now.  They have a section with recipes that will give you more ideas of how to use skoopz.  You can check out their store locator to find a store near you that carries it or you can purchase it directly from their website.  In Vermont, I can find it at Price Chopper.

MySkoopz, Inc. is heavily involved in fighting for a cure against diabetes. In fact, they are sponsors of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and are involved in fundraisers and events with them. I love companies that give back!  You can connect with skoopz on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the latest news.

One of my lucky readers is going to win a skoopz Natural Sweetener Prize Pack containing skoopz, a skoopz organic cotton tee, skoopz mug, and skoopz usb drive.  Here's what you can do for a chance to win:

To enter you must follow my blog & visit the sponsor’s site.  Leave a comment telling me what you learned there.

For extra entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter @scentednights & tweet about the contest. +1

Win a skoopz Natural Sweetener Prize Pack @scentednights #giveaway #win @myskoopz http://tinyurl.com/6ahhy4j

2. Be my friend on Facebook & post this contest on your wall. +1

3. Follow the sponsor on Twitter +2
4. Like the sponsor on Facebook.  Please tell them I sent you (optional)! +2
5. Blog about this giveaway on your blog AND leave a link back to my site. +5
6. Leave a comment on a non-contest post on this blog. +1

7. Put my button or text link on your blog side bar. +1

8. Enter another of my current contests. +1 for each contest

9. Subscribe to my blog. +1

Remember, to please leave a separate comment for each entry. And please enter only in the ways listed above. I reserve the right to delete comments not adhering to the above entry guidelines.  You must be 18+ years old & live in the USA. The last day to enter is 5/3/2011.

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review this product.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Please note that  I am not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner I will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize but ultimately I am not responsible if they do not fulfill your prize win.

Win Tavern Direct Asian Lemon Marinade, Dipping & Finishing Sauce & recipe

Tavern Direct is a philanthropic organization that was created to to support the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's® (NCMEC) efforts to provide education about how to keep every child safer.  For every product you purchase on TavernDirect.com, they'll make a donation to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Tavern Direct offers a variety of gourmet marinades & sauces, balsamic vinegars, flavored oils, dipping oils and bbq & grilling sauces that are used in their New York restaurant, Tavern on the Green.  I recently had the opportunity to try the Tavern Direct Toscana Garlic Parmesan Marinade.  This marinade is a zesty, Caesar-style blend of olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and lemon.  I was thrilled to find out that it's not only kosher made but gluten free!  The ingredients are natural with nothing that isn't easily recognizable: olive oil, parmesan, garlic, lemon, white wine vinegar, and spices. It doesn't get much better than that!

I recently had the chance to try the Asian Lemon Marinade, Dipping & Finishing Sauce. This is an all natural sauce that's perfect for salmon, chicken, mushrooms, eggplant, tuna, steak, wild game & swordfish and can be used on the grill, in stir fry or even on a roast. We chose to use the Asian Lemon Marinade, Dipping & Finishing Sauce in a Chicken Stir Fry.  

The  Asian Lemon Marinade contains soy sauce, water, expeller pressed canola oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, herbs & spices. It is the perfect addition to a stir fry and is sort of a blend of soy, garlic and lemon. Definitely delicious!

Asian Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

1 pound of chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package stir fry vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
1/2 cup Tavern Direct Asian Lemon Marinade
2 cups of cooked rice

Cut the chicken breasts into bite size pieces.  Saute in olive oil until cooked through. 

Add 1/2 cup Tavern Direct Asian Lemon Marinade and 1 package of stir fry vegetables.  Cover and cook about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Serve over rice.

Now for the chance to win.  One lucky reader is going to win a bottle of Asian Lemon Marinade & Sauce.  Just go here to enter & let them know Confessions of an Overworked Mom sent you.

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review this product.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.  I am a Tavern Direct Preferred Blogger.

Bagel Spice to spice up your life!

I really love bagels. For as long as I can remember, a bagel has been my very favorite breakfast or lunch. I love them for breakfast covered with cream cheese. I love them for lunch with peanut butter and jelly. Or used like bread for a tuna sandwich. Or turned into pizzas with a little tomato sauce and mozarella cheese. Doesn't matter how you slice it, bagels are an amazing food.

Well I just found something to make my bagels even more amazing than they are already. Bagel spice is a 100% natural seasoning that sprinkles on spreads like butter, cream cheese and hummus to add a little pizazz to your morning bagel. Bagel Spice was inspired by the Everything Bagel and comes in three different varieties: Original Recipe, Zesty Jalapeno and with Sea Salt Flakes.

I received the Sea Salt Flakes variety of Bagel Spice. It contains minced onion, minced garlic, white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, black caraway seeds, poppy seeds and sea salt. It's 100% natural and contains no sugar, no salt, no preservatives and best of all no MSG. It comes in a 2.6 oz bottle with a shaker top so it's really handy to shake onto my bagel with cream cheese. I love that this is a spice mix that can be enjoyed by people watching their sodium intake.  You can even enjoy Bagel Spice if you're not a big bagel fan because it tastes yummy sprinkled on salads, mashed potatoes, tuna fish, potato salad or even fried eggs.

I tried Bagel Spice Sea Salt Flakes on my bagel with cream cheese and on my salad.  I enjoyed both very much. It gives a bit of a crunch to my bagel which is neat and the flavor is really amazing. I used it with a plain bagel and plain cream cheese but I can see it tasting just as delicious with other flavors of bagels and cream cheese like onion or egg.   I also enjoyed it on top of my salad with light ranch dressing. Again, a nice crunch to the salad which was very enjoyable and nit definitely gave it much more of a zing than a plain salad normally would.  I'm looking forward to trying it a few more ways too.

Bagel Spice can be purchased directly from their website or use their store locator to find a store near you that carries it.  Connect with Bagel Spice on Facebook and Twitter.

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review this product.

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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.