Brown Rice Junkie (A MINUTE RICE GIVEAWAY!)

Thanks to the wonderful folks at the Minute Rice Company -- I've become a Brown Rice junkie. :0


Not a bad thing!

I had been reluctant to try Brown Rice. For some reason, I didn't think I'd like it. But I found the Ready-To-Serve at my grocery store and decided to give it a try.

Oh. Oh, my.

What a wonderful flavour. It was rich... nutty... almost creamy in it's texture and mouth-feel. Hooked. I'm absolutely hooked.

One of the very best things about Minute Brown Rice, aside from the deliciousness, is the 10 minute cooking time! No waiting 30 minutes for the rice -- just 10 minutes to a perfect dish! Love it!

Brown Rice is amazing. It is an excellent source of Whole Grain, has a low glycemic index, and is a complex carbohydrate. Complex carbs fuel your body and gives you the energy to keep going longer!

From the website:
"A whole grain is all of the parts and naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. Whole grains are powerhouses of nutrients and fiber, and even when the grain is processed, such as when its ground, extruded or cooked, it delivers nearly the same powerful punch as that of the original grain. Researchers are continuing to unlock the importance of whole grain’s vital role in helping to protect the body from cancer and heart disease."

The Ready-To-Serve packs are wonderful, both as stand-alone lunches or as a quick addition to any meal. Just pop the serving cup into the microwave for 1 minute and it's done! Piping hot and delicious!

Recipes utilizing Brown Rice are endless. Just this week, I've used my samples in three dishes! Of course, I also ate a cup of the Ready-To-Serve Brown Rice by itself as mid-afternoon snack to tide me over until dinner. Yummy!

The Ready-to-Serve package contains 1 cup of Brown Rice. 230 calories (only 40 from fat!), 140 g potassium, 2 g fiber, and 5g protein! Very healthy! Very low sodium, too, with only 150 mg per serving.

The Minute Rice folks would love for you to try their Rice products and have generously donated some wonderful sample packs for me to share with you.

Two Lucky winners will receive three boxes of Regular Brown Rice and two packages of the Ready-To-Serve Brown Rice!

Here are a few ways to enter for your chance to win!

1. Visit the Minute Rice Website and come back and leave a comment telling me how many Ready-To-Serve products are offered.

2. Leave a comment with your favourite rice-based recipe.

3. Follow Minute Rice on FACEBOOK

4. Follow Minute Rice on Twitter -- Minute_Rice

5. TWEET this post

6. Link this post back to your blog

7. Post a link to this contest on your Facebook Page!

Leave a comment for me when you follow Minute Rice on Facebook / Twitter and when you link back to your blog!

The contest will run from today (November 27) thru Sunday December 6th. Winner announced on Monday, December 7th!

You'll receive your sample package just in time for planning your Holiday Feast!

Good luck!

Honours, Awards... I am gobsmacked by it all!

Awards and honours… for me? WOW! That's overwhelming!

I've been very honoured to receive two lovely recognitions this week. First, the The Fab Fatties touched me deeply by including my blog in their list of 60 Most Inspiring Blogs.

Thanks, ladies. You made me cry! :)

I was then nominated for the Superior Scribbler Award by Debbie at Weigh to Go: Diary of a Fat Chick.
Debbie, thank you! I’m honoured!

As a new member of the Superior Scribblers, I’d like to nominate 5 others for this award.

But first, here are the particulars:

The Rules & Regulations are as follows:

Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass the award on to five most deserving bloggers.
Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author and the name of the blog from whom s/he has received the award.

Each Superior Scribbler must display the award on his/her blog, and link to The Scholastic Scribe, which explains the award.

Each blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit THIS post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List.

That way, they'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives this prestigious honor.

Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

There are so many inspiring people out there it's really hard to only name five. These five have made special impact on me during my journey thus far:

1. http://danasafattymcbutterpants.blogspot.com/

2. http://inweighovermyhead.blogspot.com/

3. http://memyfourchinsandi.blogspot.com/

4. http://myfinaljourney08.blogspot.com/

5. http://www.hotmamasweightloss.com/

If you don't already read these blogs, please take a few minutes to check them out! They are fabulously inspiring, motivating, and determined people!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

May Your Day Be Blessed!

I hope that you are having a simply wonderful day with your family and friends! If you indulge today, don't fret and don't stress over it! Just get back on track tomorrow!

I am so thankful for my beautiful daughter, Morgan, and my wonderful Kilted Laddie, Mike. They light up my life daily.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Giveaway post! If you're a brown-rice junkie... er... addict... well, you get the picture... You'll LOVE this giveaway!

Now, go forth and eat turkey and pecan pie!

For tomorrow, we shall be back on track!

Gratitude and Thanksgiving

I am so very thankful that I found and have become a part of the weight loss / healthy lifestyle community. You've all helped me so much more than you can possibly imagine.
Thank you for your comments and your support over the past few months.

I am grateful and thankful for my darling husband, Mike. He is my rock.

I am grateful and thankful for my beautiful daughter, Morgan. She's an amazing young woman and I love her so very much.

I am grateful and thankful that we have a home, food, clothing... we have good health (this flu is just a blip!), and a good business.

We have family and friends.

G-d Bless and keep you all on this Thanksgiving.

WE HAVE A WINNER! (Baconnaise Giveaway!)

Congratulations to Crystal at the Slender Swan blog! She's the winner of my Baconnaise Giveaway! Enjoy it, Crystal!

I have had a fairly blah week. I've felt... off-kilter... since Tuesday. Today, I know why. Mike has a bad cold (praying it isn't the flu) and he's given it to me.

Morgan has Nutcracker rehearsals this afternoon -- and I don't want to go. But, I hate for Mike to take her alone because he feels so bad.

I haven't eaten on plan very much this week -- Not bad, mind you, but just not as 'on plan' as I would've liked. Not going to stress over it. I'm sick and I'm eating what I need to eat.

A moment of silence please for dearly departed UGA VII. The beloved mascot of the University of georgia died a few days ago. He left behind a record of 16 - 7. There was a lovely spray of roses on top the Dawg House at last night's game for him.

I've become addicted to LUNA Bars. If you've never tried them... you should! The Blueberry Bliss is KILLER.

I can't write anymore right now. I've eaten my Strawberry Crumble LUNA Bar and a banana... and I am going back to bed.

Remember to stop by the Slender Swan blog and congratulate Crystal on her win!

See y'all tomorrow!

Everything Tastes Better With Bacon! (GIVEAWAY)

Everything tastes better with Bacon!

So say Justin and Dave, the founders of Baconnaise products.
They’re right, too!
They devised a line of bacon-flavoured products that are delicious!
Just what the bacon-loving doctor ordered. :)

Justin and Dave were kind enough to provide me with some marvelous samples of their products and even kinder to provide a sample package for one lucky reader!
Products include Bacon salt, Baconnaise, Baconpop (Popcorn), and Bacon Ranch Dip / Dressing Mix!

The Bacon Salt is Low-Sodium. It comes in original. Peppered, Hickory, and Natural. I tried the Hickory on home fries, and the Natural on roasted chicken. The taste was incredible – bacon-y (!) yet not too salty at all. I added the Original to popcorn – now, folks, that was amazing -- YUMMY!

Right now, I have ham & beans cooking away on the stove top with a teaspoon of Original Bacon Salt added. The smell is intoxicating.

I used the Baconnaise Light with tuna to make an amazingly delish tuna salad. Loved it.

The Baconnaise has a mild bacon flavor. It’s very creamy and smooth and I’m already planning a grilled cheese and baconnaise sandwich for later.
It’s also great when added to a cup of Greek Yogurt to make dip. Yep, we did that, too!

If you’d like to give Baconnaise a whirl, just leave a comment below .

For extra entries, TWEET or post a message to your Facebook page!

The winner will receive a sample package from Justin and Dave!

Contest ends on Saturday -- Winner announced on Sunday!

Ramblings...

We had a busy weekend. Saturday, we were in town all day and that night, Mike and Morgan went to see the Jackson Browne concert. Sunday, it was Nutcracker rehearsals and then the Johnny Mercer 100th Birthday Concert!

Today has been nice and quiet.

I've been sampling some wonderful products over the past few days and you can expect reviews and giveaways in the next few days!

Shall I give you a hint ot two? HHHmmm... do you like bacon? Rice?

LOL! We shall see!

I haven't weighed in this week and probably won't. I'm feeling a bit "off kilter". I don't know why but I'm just not going to worry too much about it. It's just one of those weeks.

Stay tuned... tomorrow promises a giveaway!