It’s Salsa Time!!

The weather is beautiful here in New England! I have been enjoying the last few days of my vacation in the sun. It is about time!

I had a great blog post ready to go for today and somehow it did not save and/or post. So I am starting all over. UGH!

I was able to sample two great snacks that to me screams summer time to me: Tortilla Chips and Salsa. Of course in Mom on the Run fashion these are not any ordinary chips and salsa, but high quality and delicious products.

Whales Tails Tortilla Chips

First up in my Saturday snacking is Whales Tails Tortilla Chips. These chips are not your ordinary Tortilla Chips!  According to Ric, co-founder and VP of Sales, Whale Tails Tortilla Chips are certified organic, kosher, naturally gluten free, trans fat free, GMO Free, and are seasoned with ALAEA red gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salt. Alaea is naturally low in sodium and contains over 34 essential minerals. Um..YUM! They also have a great Whale Tail Shape that makes for a dipping party. My girls loved the shape as they are sea creature fanatics!

Daijia with her Whales Tail. It is almost as big as her mouth! She was getting ready for the tails big dip in the Chico’s Pico Salsa.

The family all agreed that the taste of Whales Tails are scrumptious. These chips have just the right amount of salt and seasoning. They were very natural tasting. The ingredients prove that this chip was made for the all natural Mom like myself.

Ingredients: Stone Ground Organic Yellow Corn, Expeller-Pressed Safflower and/or Sunflower Oil, Hawaiian Sea Salt and a trace of Lime. There are No Genetically Modified Organisms or Trans Fatty Acids in our products.

Can’t wait to try your own bag of tails? You can find these chips in California Whole Foods Markets or online here. They are very reasonably priced and a great time for the summer time picnics to come. Your picnic contribution will be the talk of the party.

Now you can’t have a great tortilla chip without a tasty salsa, especially if the chip was made for a good dip! I LOVE salsa! In fact I can even say I PUFFY HEART SALSA! In the few trips I have been able to take to California, I fell in love with the flavor and texture of the many salsas that I had the pleasure of trying there. I love living in New England but we are not know for our salsa making skills. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Chico’s Pico Salsa courtesy of another Rick from California. Rick’s family has perfected the art of Salsa and I was lucky enough to sample a private batch made by his very kind aunt.

As I have already said this is a secret family recipe that is made according to Chico’s “Chico’s fresh tomatoes and jalapenos are grown locally (San Joaquin Valley) and have a short ride to the Chico camp after being harvested. Chico sends his toughest deputies to find the best farmers and freshest product. The farmers know not to mess around with a man wearing a chili-pepper bullet belt!”

A close up of this tasty mix of fresh vegetables and the right amount of spice.

After one bite I was addicted. It was not too spicy but not a wimpy taste either. I personally like a chunky, every bite has a punch salsa and Chico’s Pico does not disappoint. I am just sad because after a weekend of guest and visitors we are out of salsa But I am not upset because Chico’s ships its great salsa! I personally am going to buy a four pack to bring to parties and show the East Coast what real salsa is made of!

I love that both these products ownership have taken such pride in the products that they have produced. You will not be disappointed when ordering these products as you will be getting a high quality great tasting product. Thanks again to Ric and Rick for introducing my family to yummy California products. Now I am working on bringing them to CT!

We have a big race tomorrow and I will be sure to post recipes from my grill!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Don’t forget to enter my great granola contest!! This ends Monday!

 

On the Road Snacks and a Contest!!

As we traveled this weekend I really wanted to save some money as well as keep up with my healthy eating habits. Overall, we are very healthy family and tend to make great snack choices. I had two snacks that were sent to me for my family to try. Both these snacks makes great travel companions

The first snack is Funky Monkey Snacks. This snack is freeze dried fruit and great for long car rides!

As advertised this is the fruit that crunches. It comes in four great tasting kid friendly flavors: Carnaval Mix, Jivealime, Purple Funk and Bananamon.  Each flavor has its own combination of dried fruit and flavoring. With all this flavor Funky Monkey is gluten free, wheat free, and dairy free! Everything in this bag is naturally sweetened and also Vegan.

Bananamon

This is a great combination of freeze dried organic bananas and organic cinnamon spice.

Carnavel (We didn’t get to try this one)

I love this name! This mix includes freeze dried bananas, pineapple, apple, papaya, and raisins.

Jivealime

A simple mix of pineapple and lime. Sounds like a good mixed drink!

Purple Funk

This is my favorite of the Funky Monkey Fruit. This mix is organic banana and my new favorite super fruit acai.

All the flavors are delicious and kid friendly. I like for my girls to have fruit, but it makes a mess on car trips. This is another way for them to have a healthy snack on the road. Want your own “Fruit that Crunches?” Check out the website to see a store near you that sells Funky Monkey or order online here.

The next on the go snack is a Mom on the Run Favorite find, Kingslake & Crane Granola!! This granola is meant for on the road snacking for a health conscious Mom. I brought two of the snack mixes along in the Seals family snack bag.

Pictured is the Coconola Mix and  Mahalo Mix.

I started with the Coconola Mix because of course it had chocolate in it. As stated best by Kingslake & Crane: “Indulge your chocolate craving in a healthy way with Coconola. We pair our award-winning premium granola snack mix with a decadently rich natural premium cocoa and lots of almonds to produce a delicious and healthy chocolate snack alternative with no added fats! Eating chocolate has never been so good, and good for you!” This granola is exactly as it described. It had just the right amount of chocolate and one of my favorite nuts almonds. I loved the big snack chunks that were great for me while I navigated the road for my husband. Another great use for the granola was breakfast on the go. It was a great filling breakfast for all the walking we did in D.C.

I also tried the Mahalo Mix. It was like a day at a tropical beach. Here is the description: “Take your taste buds to the tropics! A generous amount of macadamia nuts and almonds kissed with coconut makes this premium granola snack mix a delicious addition to our family of whole grain healthy snacks.” I have not had granola like this ever. It was a fantastic combination of flavors!

Want to try your own sampling of Kingslake & Crane Granola? Here is your chance to try this premium granola! What do you have to do you ask?

Here is how to get 3 chances to enter:

1. Go to the Kingslake and Crane Granola site and comment on which flavor you would like to try.

2. Become a follower or add me to your blog roll. If you have already done this it will be an automatic entry.

3. Link this contest back on your blog. Please comment that you have done this.

This is a great contest so you don’t want to miss out! It will end on Monday, April 27th, 2009.

Mom on the Run Meets Top Chef Spike!

Hello Everyone! Long time no post for me.

Here is the short story of a very long blog absence. I am finally (only after 2 1/2 weeks) am feeling like myself. I am still a little tired but at least I can function. The coughing has seized and I no longer feel like I have been hit by a truck. I never want to have bronchitis again. My family was so out of synch and my house is a disaster zone.  So with all that being said I am back on track!

We decided to go on our planned April vacation despite my illness. I did not want to disappoint the girls and I was doing much better by Saturday. I am so glad we did because it was a much needed break for the everyday life of home.  I will post about my foodie finds in Washington D.C., but I really wanted to share my exciting encounter with a celebrity Top Chef Season 4 contestant, Spike Mendelsohn. I was able to meet, chat, and eat some of his tasty culinary fare at his Capitol Hill Restaurant, Good Stuff Eatery. 

A view from the outside. Good Stuff Eatery is located at 303 Pennsylvania Ave S.E. if you are ever in the DC area looking for a great place to eat!

The menu is simple but with lots of great choices. The specialty is burgers and shakes, but this is no ordinary burger joint. Good Stuff Eatery and Chef Spike pride themselves in using farm fresh ingredients and high quality products. Each of the burgers has it’s own unique name and ingredients. One of the featured burgers is the newly crowned Rachael Ray’s South Beach Burger Bash winner, the Colletti Smokehouse Burger. This burger features Applewood Bacon, Sharp Vermont Cheddar, Fried Vidalia Onion Rings With Chipotle BBQ Sauce. In the words of Rachael Ray…YUMMO!

My husband could not resist this great sounding burger and ordered it. I was drawn to the Free Range Turkey Burger because of its ingredient combination: Chunky Avocado & Sprouts
Muenster Cheese & Ruby Tomato, on A Pennsylvania Dutch Whole Wheat Bun.

My biggest food blog restaurant mistake is forgetting to take pictures of the food I am reviewing. Here is one last bite with my friends Carissa’s Toasted Marshmallow Shake. Great combination!!

The menu has lots of other great choices to please your palate. You can also order hand cut fries and a handspun milkshake for a complete Good Stuff Eatery experience.

A picture of the live action of Good Stuff Eatery!

This was an extremely family friendly atmosphere that was also wallet friendly. It was a nice treat after a morning full of walking and lots of sight seeing. During our meal Chef Spike was walking through the eatery to check on diners. My husband started to talk to him and I realized who he actually was. Chef Spike was extremely welcoming and willing to stop and talk about our dining experience. I was so excited!! I am a huge fan of all cooking shows but Top Chef is my favorite!

Chef Spike with Mom on the Run (on the right) and my good friend Carissa who was our tour guide for the afternoon!

This was a great foodie experience for everyone in the family. It was an even better experience to meet and interact with the brains behind the restaurant. I appreciate Chef Spike taking the time our to talk to my family.

Daijia with Chef Spike!

I will be posting a ton more in the next few days, including a contest! I am so glad I am back in action because I have truly missed writing!

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