Autumn Rose Reo

Go Super Hero with The Marvel Experience Dallas

January 9, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 9 Comments

As a mom of a 6-year-old boy, we’re all about the superheroes. Which is why it’s no surprised we’ll be at the front of the line at Fair Park in Dallas on Jan. 15…

The Marvel Experience is a first-of-its-kind, hyper-reality attraction that covers over two acres and encompasses seven colossal Domes, a life-size Avengers Quinjet, the world’s only 360-degree, 3-D stereoscopic full-Dome attraction and a state-of-the-art 4-D motion ride.

As agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in training, guests of The Marvel Experience will swing with Spider-Man, smash with Hulk, fly with Iron Man and more, all in preparation for an epic battle alongside Marvel’s biggest Super Heroes in a fight against Red Skull, M.O.D.O.K. and an army of evil Adaptoids. The Marvel Experience incorporates next-generation interactive technology including augmented reality, multi-person gaming and RFID progress tracking so you can see yourself in action. Everything happens with bleeding-edge technology and advanced computer animation. There’s nothing else like it. Not only does the audience get to join the adventure, in the end they may even become heroes themselves.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit The Marvel Experience www.themarvelexperiencetour.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Start Your Family Dinner Project with Healthy Comfort Favorites {Recipe}

January 7, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 12 Comments

At the bar. Standing next to the fridge. In stages throughout the night.

Is this the way your family eats dinner?

With all those busy family schedules – work, school, play and all that in between – it keeps us from being what we are supposed to be – a family!

The Family Dinner Project seeks to help all of us to get back to the things that matter like food, fun and conversation at mealtime. A program led by Project Zero at Harvard, the FDP is full of recipes, conversation starters and research to back up the basic concept that a family meal is good for the spirit, brain and health of a family. Actually 15 years of research shows families that eat together experience:

Better academic performance
Higher self-esteem
Lower risk of substance abuse
Lower risk of teen pregnancy
Lower risk of depression
Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
Lower rates of obesity

So now that you know that you know that dinner time together is a good thing – give them something they can’t resist at dinner…fried chicken and macaroni and cheese!

But since it is a new year and a new you and you want to help your whole family be healthier, here are a few twists we’ve made to make sure that dinner doesn’t just taste a-mazing, but is also healthy, too!

I’ve taken fried chicken to new heights with this gluten-free oven fried chicken that uses gluten-free cereal for a crispy crust. And don’t worry, I didn’t forget the sauce either! Paired with this copy-cat signature recipe from a certain chicken spot that has an affinity for cows, you will be making this recipe again and again – and finding new reasons to put this sauce on everything. Add a little (or a lot) gluten-free mac n cheese (with a little healthy twist of winter squash), you will love your time together – eating, talking and just being together.

Gluten-Free Macaroni n Cheese with Veggies {Recipe}

January 7, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 2 Comments

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Gluten-Free Mac n Cheese with Veggies {Recipe}

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Ingredients

Scale

1 pound elbow macaroni
1 winter squash, pureed
2 cups low fat milk
6 ounces cheeses, grated (about 1 2/3 cups) (I like sharp cheddar and Monterrey Jack)
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons bread crumbs and/or parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Boil macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, place pureed squash and milk into a large saucepan on medium heat and cook until the mixture is simmering.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cheeses, Greek yogurt, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine.
Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.
Sprinkle bread crumbs/parmesan cheese over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes until gold and bubbly.

Gluten-Free Oven-Fried Chicken {Recipe}

January 7, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 1 Comment

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Gluten-Free Oven-Fried Chicken

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Ingredients

Scale

1 1/3 cups rice-corn crispy cereal (Crispex Rice/Corn is gluten-free)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 lb. chicken tenders or 4 bone-in, skinless chicken pieces

Instructions

Finely grind the cereal together in a food processor.
Transfer crumbs to a large gallon size plastic bag.
Add the oil, salt, cayenne, paprika, and ground pepper and toss to mix thoroughly. Whisk the light mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together in a medium shallow bowl. Add chicken to mayonnaise and turn to coat all the pieces evenly.
Drop the chicken into the plastic bag, seal and shake until each piece is evenly coated. Place coated pieces on the prepared rack. Spray the chicken pieces evenly with cooking spray, and bake until the coating browns, 35 to 40 minutes.
Transfer to a platter and serve hot or at room temperature.

Better Basket, Better You with Market Street

January 6, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 15 Comments

I actually LOVE to go grocery shopping…or at least the experience of it. Smelling the bread, touching the vegetables, seeing the new deli items, and of course, catching a sample or two. However, reading all those nutritional labels and information can be overwhelming when you have kids in the cart with you and a list of to-dos at home that have yet to be completed.

Sometimes you just need to be able to get in there and go – but still come out with healthy items that you can make a meal with and your family can enjoy.

Market Street has heard my plea.

On January 10 through 11, Market Street will host a “Build a Better Basket Expo” where they will showcase products and tools in stores that can help shoppers build a healthier shopping cart (in addition to free glucose screenings.) AND, they will also be serving several food samples throughout the store that are ideal to help you create a healthier family plan in 2015.

But the two-day expo isn’t the only way Market Street continues to come to the rescue to meet those NYE resolutions.

Dietitian Store Tours

Throughout the month of January, you can actually schedule to have a dietitian tour your local Market Street to teach you about how using the NuVal System works and the store’s new health tags system to assists you in making healthy decisions for your family’s specific diet needs.

If you haven’t heard of the NuVal System – don’t worry! Developed by health experts, the NuVal System provides comprehensive nutritional information with one number between 1 and 100 called the NuVal Score – making it easy for you to make better decisions. You’ll now be able to find the NuVal Score information right next to the price info, all in one place.

Whether you’re trying to be healthier, diabetic, gluten/dairy free or even want to get the kids involved in nutrition education with their Danger Ranger Tour (a fun way to promote healthy eating), you can do it with a dietitian courtesy of Market Street.

Healthy Recipes are Always Available – Including Gluten-Free

Need a healthy idea for dinner right now? Market Street also has you all set with a recipe collection for all meals including a gluten-free options! Considering we have a family member with Celiac’s Disease, we’ve made changes to our family’s diet so we can continue to eat the same meals as a family. However, it is a learning process on how to cook GF, so I love Market Street not just because of these recipes, but this huge list of the gluten-free products they have available. (If you are gluten-free, you know the difference between finding out if your store has that one really good GF pasta you love or the one that turns to mush!)

One of my favorite recipes I’ve found is this Sweet and Sour Chicken! Our kids love to eat Chinese food, but not only is this version GF, but also very healthy and packed with vegetables and all-natural ingredients.

You can find all kinds of healthy options for you and you family at Market Street!

Making Time for Your Us

January 5, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 24 Comments

This is a sponsored post.

When you’re a mom, the idea of “me time” doesn’t exist.

By nature it doesn’t happen without being planned and when it does – with a girl’s night out or just even a few hours to get your toenails done, you barely have enough time to breathe, much less really enjoy it before you get back to being mom (and all the fun that goes with it.) Recently, I was sitting with a group of women and about half of them confessed they sometimes schedule a night out at a nearby hotel just to take a shower, watch TV, eat dinner and sleep – without anyone else.

Recently, I was sitting with a group of women and about half of them confessed they sometimes schedule a night out at a nearby hotel just to take a shower, watch TV, eat dinner and sleep – all by their lonesome – and they love it.

While I would love a little more “me time,” I’ve realized what is really missing is “us time.”

Between kids, work, events, after-school stuff, family obligations, and a little time we set aside for sleep, there’s not a lot of time left for me and the hubs. And I know we aren’t the only couple that doesn’t make time for themselves. Like “me time,” it seems that being good parents means putting your kids first. But actually it’s quite the opposite.

As parents it is our job to take care of our children’s basic needs all while instilling good values and difference between right and wrong. However, we’re also supposed to provide them a good example of what love is. How you should let people treat you and likewise how you should treat others.

That why I’m really making this year an opportunity to make my relationship a priority. I saw on Instagram where one woman made a challenge to have 50 dates with her husband in 2014 and took one photo at each one to record the memory. For us then sounds difficult, but I think it’s the best way to make my family even better in 2015.

For my husband and me, traveling, just the two of us, has been the best way to get us to spend time together without distractions. From getting married on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, hitting the slopes in Whistler, or eating our weight in pasta throughout Tuscany, we’ve made some big memories together.

So to start off 2015 with a bang, I have a mega date travel date that you definitely want to enter for…an all-expense paid weekend trip to Cancun!

Sandy beaches, ocean waves, fresh daiquiris, and real-deal tacos are the best way to enjoy any day, especially together with your loved one!

New Year New You with Weight Loss Helpers

January 2, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 3 Comments

None of these are endorsed by GMT or MamaChallenge as diet remedies, but the newest trends in support that viewers and readers have shared for weight management. Check with your doctor before starting any regimen or weight loss program.

The Cabbage Diet. The Hot Dog Diet. Or my personal favorite from The Devil Wears Prada, I Don’t Anything Diet Until I’m About to Pass Out and Eat a Cube of Cheese Diet.

PerezHilton.com

None of them sound good, but certainly have worked to help anyone have long-lasting weight loss. The reason why of course, is diets don’t work.

The last time I was on Good Morning Texas I shared the secret of a long marriage. Today I’m going to share the secret to losing weight: Eat healthy food, practice healthy lifestyle with exercise. Period.

But for many of us that’s a lot harder than it sounds!

However, people are realizing it’s about a lifestyle change; a mindset; a shift, to a healthier version of you!

So we asked our viewers and MamaChallenge.com readers to tell us what they are doing to lose or maintain weight and here’s what we found!

SKINNY STIX BY ZANTREX3

Actress, Host and Ex-Playboy bunny Jenny McCarthy is the spokesperson for Skinny Stix, a proprietary blend you add to 16 oz. water. 1-3 times a day.
SkinnyStix formula was originally designed for weight loss, but it’s been benefitting everyone for powerful appetite control, mood elevation, increased energy, fat burning, stamina, and improved focus.
Starting yesterday you can find Skinny Stix at Walmart for a pack of 21.

DAILY GREENS

Juicing is not a way to lose weight but help you to get in those fruits and vegetables you might not be getting in your regular diet. Take a look – this one bottle has 6 lbs of produce!
Austin-based Daily Greens is a raw, cold-pressed juicing company with products available for sale at Whole Foods and other specialty stores as well as online for nationwide, overnight delivery.
Shauna Martin created this company after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 and discovered juicing was her way to restore her health.

ADVOCARE

A locally based company, Advocare has a strong reach – I bet many of our viewers have tried it or know someone who sells the products.
It’s an overall wellness program to kick start a healthier lifestyle and designed to help you feel better, look better and perform better.
The 24-Day Challenge™ is a comprehensive supplementation and nutrition program. Give your body the jumpstart it needs to help you reach your goals.* There’s something for everyone: weight management, energy, overall body composition or overall wellness.

PLEXUS

Plexus Slim is a natural drink that contains a variety of plant extracts helpful in balancing blood sugar, hormones, cholesterol, and lipids.
Plexus Slim was originally designed to help patients with diabetes regulate blood sugar, but when it was noted that all test participants lost weight, it was then decided to market it as a weight loss product.
Many have had success with relief from auto-immune issues in addition to weight management.

PERSONAL TRAINER FOOD

Successful weight loss is about 20 what you do and 80 what you eat. So if you can’t afford to have one of those celebrity trainers to watch your every move and thing you put in your mouth, you have Personal Trainer Food!

Personal Trainer Food is a direct home healthy meal service based in Fort Worth!
It’s just real food without the processed fillers – that makes it easy for you to eat right because it’s easy to do. No grocery shopping, cooking or cleaning, no calorie counting – just a way to learn to eat right.
The food truly tastes great. Many people are afraid of trying the food because they’ve tried Nutrisystem, Lean Cuisine, Jenny Craig, etc. However, it really is restaurant-quality food.
It is realistic on this program to lose 2-4 pounds per week just by eating right and walking 15 minutes/day. They also offer weight loss coaching with all programs.

RISE

There are tons of apps that can help you stay on target, but you have to find the right one for you.

One of the ones that is getting a lot of praise is Rise, an app that is highly endorsed by Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson.
Rise connects people with their very own nutrition coach – all registered dietitians – with one-on –one, 24/7 access.
She talks about how Rise helped her in her new book, Shift, a book about how she was able to find the SHIFT within in her to change her life for good to a healthier living and lose 65 lbs. in a year.
Just for Good Morning Texas viewers, you can visit Rise.us and use the code SHIFT for 20% off your first payment!

Have you used any of these products? What do you do to lose or maintain a healthy weight?

Italian Night In Date Night

December 30, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 148 Comments

I love the holidays, but after all the hustle and bustle of traveling, eating grandma’s stuffing and sleeping in beds other than my own, there’s nothing better than coming home to enjoy the comforts of my own house in front of the TV watching a movie, enjoying a glass of vino while biting into the perfect meal. For our family, Italian cuisine is the one we all love so if you are trying to make us all happy, it has to have pasta, bread or cheese it in.

Too bad I’m not in the mood to cook for five hours to make marinara sauce, my famous lasagna or cut fresh noodles. However, a quick trip to the store and less than an hour in the oven, I can have the ideal Italian night in without the work. And you can too with Michael Angelo’s.

As a third-generation Italian-American family, company founder Michael Angelo (yes, that really is his name) and his mother Sara loved entertaining and felt that the most memorable evenings can be held around the dinner table while eating copious amounts of delicious food. In honor of these simple, yet satisfying dining occasions, Michael Angelo has created quick, yet delicious dinner options based on family recipes that can warmed up in your oven and to your table in less than an hour. And best of all, the meals are made of 100% natural ingredients with NO preservatives just like you’d expect homemade should be.

Even with the kids, we were able to enjoy a nice family evening playing Scopa, an Italian card game while nibbling on our antipasto platter I had made to start off the dinner’s events. We followed up with both the meaty lasagna and buttery shrimp scampi (the gal at the grocery store had almost demanded I buy it because it was so good) and then followed by an Italian sweetie of canoli. We paired our meal with a light Rioja and finished the evening watching a very apropos A Roman Holiday. The evening may not have been just like dinner in Rome, but it was close to it in my living room in Texas.

Want to enjoy your own “Roman Holiday” with Michael Angelo’s meals? You can with this incredible giveaway!

Voucher for 2 Michael Angelo’s Multi-Serve Entrees of your choice
$50 Walmart gift card to purchase side dishes, salad, dessert, or perhaps some Italian wine to accompany your Michael Angelo’s entrée
Ferrero Rocher Chocolates
Wine Bottle Opener & Charm Set
“Scopa: the Italian Card Game”
2 DVDs of Italian Classics – Roman Holiday and Under the Tuscan Sun – to enjoy after dinner

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jackson Gives Michael Angelo’s Two Thumbs Up!

Ring in the New Year with Prime Rib {Recipe}

December 27, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 10 Comments

There’s nothing like celebrating the holidays with delicious, special occasion meals. One of my family favorites is Prime Rib. Tender beef with a seasoned crust, paired with creamy spicy horseradish dipped into the rich flavor of au jus. Unfortunately, I have always had to rely on some restaurant OR someone else to make it – until now.

With help from my nearby Market Street DFW, I can pick up certified Angus Genuine Texas Beef Prime Rib AND know how to prepare it with cooking tips straight from Chef Chris. The beef from Genuine Texas Beef is made by Texans for only Texans and is available at Market Street.

Using only five ingredients and this video, my family can enjoy a meal I normally I can only get at my favorite four-star restaurant at my own family dinner table.

And a juicy prime rib dinner wouldn’t be complete without a hot bowl of au jus sauce to dip it into. Even easier the Prime Rib, with just a few ingredients and just a little bit of time, you’ll have a Prime Rib that your friends and family will ask you to make again and again.

Easy Prime Rib Au Jus Dipping Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1/4 cup beef fat drippings from prime rib
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef broth (can use packaged variety)
salt and black pepper

Instructions

Melt fat in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Whisk flour into drippings whisking constantly until the mixture thickens (3 minutes.)
Pour beef broth into mixture.
Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil.
Boil mixture until it thickens.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve.

Need more assistance to create the entire meal? Genuine Texas Beef also shares their best recipe picks for the perfect Prime Rib meal including Green Bean Casserole, Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and Cranberry Citrus Sauce.

What a way to celebrate the end of one year and welcome the next one! However, if you just don’t have the time to make it homemade, then rely on Market Street to create your perfect holiday…all you have to do is choose what you want and they will do the rest.

Don’t Forget Fido: Holiday Picks for Your Pooch

December 24, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

I’m not sure how I missed the popup of several local hot spots designed for the pupperdogs and kitty cats in DFW over the last few months. However, when I finally entered the doors of this hot spot known as Hollywood Feed in search of Hollywood Feed in search of Birddie’s stocking stuffers, I understood why you might name your pet store after the destination for the stars. If your four-legged friend doesn’t feel like a celeb once they leave this place, I don’t know what will.

With eight locations in the DFW, Hollywood Feed is a boutique/groomer/grocery store that’s gone to the dogs (and the cats.) With beautiful plush beds (available in S – XL), matching leashes and collars, photo frames, food and treats of every kind and all the stuff in between. Don’t miss the self-serve station for you to wash your pooch without making a mess at home (which is only $4.95 on Mondays) as well as a service just in case you don’t have time for that little bit of bonding.

Normally, my lab scores snacks and toys at Christmas, but I couldn’t help but match her collar and leash to her new ultra-soft donut bed! And her stocking still got filled with a delicious dog cookie – perfect for holiday giving.

[Tweet “More than 63% U.S. households have 1 pet, so don’t forget them at the holidays! @HumaneSociety #Holidays”]

If you don’t feel like your pupper dog needs a new bed or closet of matching outfits, at least consider their health for 2015. I participated in the Purina ONE 28-day Challenge and have seen the difference the right dog food can make for your dog. But I’m not the only one. Purina actually went to Asheville, North Carolina, one of the dog-friendliest towns in the U.S. to see how what changes happened in 28 days.

Just like these families, our Birddie dog not only was eating a better class of food, but it showed in her shiny coat, healthier teeth and gums and overall better health.

Do you want to see the difference in your dog? Take the 28-day Challenge by Purina ONE:

1. Register for the 28-Day Challenge
2. Choose which Purina ONE dry dog food is right for your dog
3. Create a profile for your dog and follow our guidelines for switching to Purina ONE and get $3 off on her bag of Purina ONE.
4. Track and share the changes you see in your dog.

Do your pets get holiday gifts?

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Go Super Hero with The Marvel Experience Dallas

Start Your Family Dinner Project with Healthy Comfort Favorites {Recipe}

Gluten-Free Macaroni n Cheese with Veggies {Recipe}

Gluten-Free Mac n Cheese with Veggies {Recipe}

Ingredients

Instructions

Gluten-Free Oven-Fried Chicken {Recipe}

Gluten-Free Oven-Fried Chicken

Ingredients

Instructions

Better Basket, Better You with Market Street

Making Time for Your Us

New Year New You with Weight Loss Helpers

Italian Night In Date Night

Ring in the New Year with Prime Rib {Recipe}

Easy Prime Rib Au Jus Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

Instructions

Don’t Forget Fido: Holiday Picks for Your Pooch

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