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Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo

The Best of the Bowls: Taco Bueno vs. Taco Bell vs. Taco Cabana

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Food Fridays: 


Healthier eating is definitely in store for a more IMPROVED ME, but not dining out is not an option for our family. Sometimes necessity, sometimes a treat – I’ve tried to find the best choices when running through the drive-in is a must on the agenda. 

Recently, Taco Bueno and Taco Bell joined some of their competitors like Taco Cabana by adding healthier choices to their menu with steak, chicken and veggie bowls filled with ingredients like beans, rice, lettuce, cheese and other condiments. Since Mexican food is one our family favorites, we took on the challenge of finding the best of the “bowls.” 

Here’s what we found: 

TACO BUENO

Bueno Steak Bowl
Around $6-7

This bowl came in a rather large great cardboard, recycle-friendly bowl filled with flame-grilled all-white-meat chicken, rice, pico de gallo, black beans, romaine lettuce mix, and 1 ounce of Chipotle Citrus Vinaigrette. While the steak looks ample, after a few bites we didn’t have any meat to eat with the rest of our bowl. The rice was pretty good, made the whole bowl complete and we were adequately full after our last bite!


Nutritional Info: 
I couldn’t locate the specific nutritional content, but was able to calculate the bowl was around 400-425 calories. However, I’ve requested the information and hope I can update this soon!

TACO BELL

Cantina Steak Bowl
Around $5-6
While an upgrade from Taco Bell’s presentation, this bowl still seemed to have that fast-casual deliverable. And even though there weren’t ample size steak fajita meat, the small bites of meat were flavorful. The rice needed a little extra something to it, but a big dallop of guacamole make it all work. The amount of food wasn’t overwhelming though with a good-sized portion to fill you up, but not out! 
Nutritional Info:
Calories                560
Cholesterol         60mg
Carbs                   64g
Fat                       22g
Sugar                     4g
Protein                 26g

TACO CABANA

Build-Your-Own-Chicken-Bowl
Around $5

As pictured, this Taco Cabana BYOB is 925, but omit the shell and it’s only 425 calories! 

Nutritional Info:
Calories                425
Cholesterol        60mg
Carbs                    47g
Fat                         8g
Sugar                     7g
Protein                 26g


So which restaurant had the tastiest bowl? 

Our 5-personal panel (we called in a friend to help) was pretty well split between the Taco Bell bowl and the Taco Cabana bowl. To be honest, Taco Cabana is our personal family-favorite, but Taco Bell is a close second as a go-to dinner choice. One panel member loved the Taco Bell bowl flavor with the grilled corn and beans, while another member loved the Taco Cabana taste. As for fresher ingredients, Taco Cabana also won the contest. 

For the price these two also win the race with Taco Cabana being on top of this one with more choices to suit your taste. Taco Cabana also seemed to provide the most amount of food for the money and most “homemade” ingredients with salsa, pico and other condiments. 

For the calorie count, they all can make the cut at around 400 calories, but it’s all about what you put on your bowl. Taco Bell had the most calories the way it was ordered at 560, but consider what you put in your bowl before your order to try to get it down to a healthier range. Want to reduce the calories? Then consider ordering the bowl without rice or maybe get your good fats from guacamole and not sour cream. At Taco Cabana you can order your bowl with a taco shell, but it adds around 400 calories, so think how much you want that shell before ordering. Taco Bueno and Taco Cabana wins this contest for health. 

Overall – Taco Cabana wins this showdown this time! But we’d love your thoughts!

One note: Wonder why Chipotle or Freebirds wasn’t including in the challenge? After looking at their ingredient choices, price point and lack-of-drive-through, it just seemed we wouldn’t be able to compare them apples to apples! If I could choose a carnitas Chipotle bowl through drive-through, I’d be there every day!

Creating the Not New, but IMPROVED YOU in 2013

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To-Do Thursdays:

It’s quite fitting that this “To-Do Thursday,” I’m putting together a plan for a new better me. (That’s like the biggest to-do, right?)


For many people, New Year’s becomes the impetus for creating resolutions to be a “New You” and unfortunately, after about 90 days, are miserably forgotten, thrown aside, etc.  

However, this year I’ve decided that I won’t set myself up failure to be a “new me,” but instead to be a better me. And maybe my little adventure will entertain, educate or maybe even help you, too. 

So over the next month, I’m planning to explore all things in the name of being a better me…

  • the newest diet plan? I’m trying it (or at least reading it)
  • the healthy recipe plan? I’m making it (I hope I can taste it if it’s edible)
  • the latest skin care product or procedure? I’m putting it on (if I can afford it) 
  • the trendiest fitness craze? I’m there! (Spandex here we go!)
Whether you are looking for real ideas or something just to make you laugh, stay tuned for “Better Me 2013!” 

What plans do you have for 2013? 

NYE 2013: What’s Your Resolution?

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Me Mondays:

It’s that magical end of the holiday season day where I decide to be better at…, do better at…and of course, eat better to lose…

Are you resolving this year to make any changes? You’re in good company; so are a lot of other people as you can see below. 

However, this year it’s going to be easier to be better because we’re gonna do it together. Yep – the whole reason I created this baby was to help me be better and share my experiences with others so they could be better – hence the name MAMACHALLENGE! 

So be ready this January to start the challenge of being the best we can be in 2013! I have lots of surprises in store for us! However, ff course, like any good southern girl…I’m going to think about that tomorrow! Until then, take a look at the top resolutions and how can start to create your plan for betterness tomorrow as well! 

Until then, HAPPY NEW YEAR’S!

Thanks to CalorieCount.com for this greeat graphic.


Capturing the Year with The World Almanac for Kids 2013

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Sharing Saturdays:
Do you need a reminder that Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift are two of the most interesting people in 2012? Probably not since they may own the title in 2013, but it is amazing so many other people,  little-known facts and stats  comprised 2012 in a nutshell. The World Almanac® for Kids 2013 provides timely and timeless information on popular subjects such as animals, science, sports, music, U.S. history, and more. Readers will find out what’s hot in 2012 with full-color photographs and facts about favorite sports and entertainment superstars. 

What a great staple volume to talk about current events and capture 2012 for your family as you step through 2013 this NYE! 

The World Almanac for Kids 2013
Sarah Janssen
World Almanac
DISCLAIMER:
I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

Fill Up on Good Luck with Texas Caviar & Cosmo Jello Shots {Recipe}

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Food Fridays:

In our home, Christmas cheer has been replaced with coughing, aching and runny noses… However, we aren’t going to let it slow down our NYE festivities (at least not for the meantime.) 

Considering I have a household of people who find cabbage (the symbol for money) and black-eyed peas (the symbol for good luck) to be completely distasteful, I have to work hard to mask the foods while still ensuring we get in all the opportunity for money and good luck as we can get (can you tell I’m superstitious?) 

So I’m sharing one of the best ways to make black-eyed peas acceptable on New Year’s Eve with this family recipe for Texas Caviar. Best of all, there’s no cooking involved, so you can’t mess it up AND your kids will be sure to like it (as long as you don’t tell them it’s made with black-eye peas.) 

TEXAS CAVIAR  
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 (8 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing
1 can black beans, drained
1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
2 avocadoes, peeled, pitted and diced
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together onion, green bell pepper, green onions, jalapeno peppers, garlic, cherry tomatoes, zesty Italian dressing, black beans, black-eyed peas and coriander. Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours. Toss with desired amount of fresh cilantro to serve.

One of the other must-haves at NYE are a little adult cocktails! Even if you can’t imagine trying to sip your “so-sophisticated martini” with two kiddos running around the house, consider taking down a few Cosmopolitan jello shots courtesy of Shannon at “Milk and Cuddles.” I can attests she made these a few weeks ago and not only were they delicious and easy to devour…making it possible to have a little adult beverages without keeping them around the house with the kids! The best part was the orange zest on top.

Get the recipe for Cosmo Jello Shots on MilkandCuddles.com.
Clink, Clink! Slurp, Slurp!


To-Do: Round Up Your Herd for NYE 2013

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To-Do Thursdays: 

I’ll be honest and tell you the only thing I feel like doing this Thursday is sitting in my warm bed with a cup of cocoa…however, the to-do list is too long to just waste a perfectly good opportunity to enjoy my kids and the holiday season. 

So here’s my picks for a few things you and your kids can do this weekend and of course, the kick-off to the new 2013 year!

Living this close to “The Rodeo Capital of Texas,” take the family out to the Mesquite Pro Rodeo Winter Classic, Dec. 28-29 for bull riding, buck riding and best of all mutton competition and calf scramble!

And while there are several different options for NYE in Big D, the biggest one of course is the Big D NYE. It’s slated to be a [free] good time for the whole family including the biggest, loudest and best fireworks, entertainment, prizes and more. 

However, while we are still trying to figure out our New Year’s plans, consider all your options available with Your Holiday Helper: Celebrate New Year’s with Adventure Kids Playcare!

For those of you planning to be homebound on this special day, I’ll be sharing some great recipes for your own NYE party. 

Return, Exchange or Regift?

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Wow-Mom Wednesdays: 

Now that most the holiday gifts have now been unwrapped…the biggest question remains: 

To regift or not to regift? 

That is the question a recent national survey conducted by Bookoo.com, the online yard sale community, asked respondents as they prepare for the holiday shopping season. According to Bookoo’s 2012 Holiday Regifting Survey,  the holidays are the most common time of year for people to regive presents that they previously received from someone else. While frowned upon by some, a whopping 92 percent believe it’s completely acceptable to regift items, and more than 87 percent believe they too have been a recipient of a regifted item. And, with shoppers looking to save more and spend less this holiday season, more than 62 percent plan to regift an item to a friend, neighbor or colleague for the holidays.

Would you keep or regift these babies? (Found on Bookoo.com) 
Frequent regifters feel they have mastered the art of regifting and take precautions to ensure it stays a secret. Some popular techniques include re-wrapping the item to look new (53 percent), inspecting the item and removing any gift cards or receipts from the previous giver (50 percent) and planning ahead to make sure they do not give the gift to anyone associated with the original gifter (66 percent).
Most commonly, people regift because they feel that someone will appreciate the item more than they do (62 percent) or because they couldn’t use the gift personally (53 percent). Additionally, regifting has its cost-saving benefits with 82 percent of people estimating that they have saved up to $150 by repurposing gifts.
While most respondents suggest sticking to more commonly acceptable regifted items, including home decor pieces, antiques, books, toys and jewelry, others shared rather untraditional, less desirable regifted items that they received in the past, including: 
  • Two year old fruit cake
  • Box of chocolates with bites taken out of several pieces
  • Monogrammed items with someone else’s initials
  • Used toilet seat
  • Electric toothbrush
  • False teeth
  • Fingernail clippers
  • Outdated old desk calendar
  • Items the recipient had originally given to the gifter
  • Toys with broken pieces
  • Gift cards that were partially used
While regifting is most popular around the holidays, it is a common practice throughout the year. In fact, other popular times of year to regift items include: birthdays, baby showers and as housewarming and thank you gifts. No matter the occasion, women are more likely to regift items than their male counterparts 3:1.
To view more survey highlights, visit the Bookoo Blog.
About Bookoo
Based in Oswego, Ill., Bookoo offers a network of hyper-local online yard sales for hundreds of communities around the world. Each Bookoo site connects neighbors, allowing them to safely buy and sell their treasures locally, and to view a map of upcoming yard sales in their area. Free and easy to use, anyone can search and post items for sale on Bookoo.com or through the free mobile app for iPhone and Android. Inspired by their passion for finding hidden treasures at yard sales, brothers and yard sale fanatics, Adam and Austin Allgaier , founded Bookoo in 2004 and continue to expand into new markets worldwide. Today, more than a million people buy and sell just about anything on Bookoo every month.

Five Free Christmas Apps to Entertain Them (and Save You)

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Sharing Saturdays:

For all of you that will be traveling like our family this holiday, cartime togetherness may be wonderful one minute and whoa-is-me another. While talking and sharing time together may be a more positive option, sometimes it’s ok just to turn around and hand them your Iphone. So prepare yourself just in case with these 5 free apps to entertain your kids and save your sanity this holiday season!

Hungry Santa
Fatten up Santa before Christmas. Tilt the device to move Santa’s mouth under falling treats, but watch out for the healthy broccoli. Santa gets fatter and fatter as he chomps on all the goodies. Give him some fatty bonuses by bouncing the treats off his belly before he eats them, or eating long strings of treats all in a row. Go for the elusive “Crazy Chomp” bonus. You can’t play this one without laughing out loud.


Gingerbread Crazy Chef Cookie Maker
The tradition of leaving cookies for Santa has never been as fun and no-fuss as this. Gingerbread Crazy Chef is an innovative app that kids and parents can use together to create the most colorful, playful and crazy holiday cookies to leave for the Jolly Old Elf on Christmas Eve. Choose the shape, mix the ingredients and make “digital cookies” for Santa. Best of all? No mess and no clean-up! Great for kids, families and parents with children.



Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift
From the creators of Cut the Rope, comes the Special Holiday Gift game, which combines all the outstanding physics, devilishly tricky levels, and bright colorful visuals of the original — with a festive winter feel. SHAKE your iPhone for a special surprise! Swipe your finger to cut the ropes and feed Om Nom candy. Don’t forget to collect stars as you play. Think before you cut, and be sure to avoid spiders, spikes and other obstacles … getting that candy to Om Nom won’t be easy!




Santa’s Village
The perfect game for the whole family. Help Santa by building a bigger and better village, and save Christmas from being ruined by the Grumpkins. Start by building homes for Santa’s elves, create a toy factory and make lots of toys, teach reindeer how to fly, and meet magical neighbors like Yobo the Yeti. Unlock special buildings and colorful decorations to make your village even merrier.



Snowman Maker Plus
The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful … and since we’ve no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Yes, you can sit by the fire AND build an adorable, realistic looking snowman when you play Snowman Maker.




Healthy Holiday Cocktails {Recipe}

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Food Fridays (Extra): 


Because you never can have too many cocktail recipes! I wanted to share these Antioxidant Rich Holiday Cocktails from DailyBurn.com so you can continue with your diet while still enjoying the flavors of the season.
healthy holiday cocktails
Hot Apple Toddy
This hot toddy is juicy thanks to the hot apple cider base, and spicy cloves add an antioxidant punch.
 Serves 1
 Adjust recipe for number of guests
Ingredients:
2 oz whiskey or apple brandy
1 tsp sugar
6 oz apple cider
Lemon wedge for garnish
Cinnamon stick for garnish
2-3 whole cloves for garnish
Directions:
In a small saucepan, slowly heat apple cider, sugar, and whiskey (or apple brandy). Pour into a mug and serve with cloves, a cinnamon stick, and a lemon wedge.
Almond Peppermint Patty
This dairy-free chocolate peppermint martini contains antioxidant-rich cocoa. It’s also high in magnesium, thanks to the almond milk and chocolate combo.
Serves 1
Adjust recipe for number of guests
Ingredients:
3/4 oz peppermint schnapps
6 oz chocolate almond milk
Cocoa powder for garnish
Ice
Directions:
In a cocktail shaker, pour chocolate almond milk and peppermint schnapps over ice. Shake for a few seconds, and pour into a martini glass. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top of the martini.

Pomegranate Bellini
This bubbly antioxidant-rich bellini looks and smells like the holiday season. When you think of Christmas, pomegranates are a classic decorative, healthy, and tasty festive food.
Serves 1
Adjust recipe for number of guests
Ingredients:
6 oz prosecco
1 oz pomegranate juice
1 tsp pomegranate seeds
1 splash simple syrup
Directions:
In a champagne flute, add simple syrup and pomegranate juice. Fill glass with prosecco and garnish with pomegranate seeds.


Mulled Wine
This warm drink is spicy, warm and aromatic. Cloves and ginger add a kick and plenty of antioxidants.
Serves 1
Adjust recipe for number of guests
Ingredients:
5 oz red wine
1 oz brandy
1 tbsp honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange peel
1 clove
1 slice ginger
Directions:
In a small saucepan, slowly heat red wine, brandy, and honey. Do not attempt to boil. Add cinnamon stick, orange peel, clove, and ginger. Simmer on low heat for 10 – 15 minutes and serve immediately.

Secret Trick to Peanut Butter Fudge {Recipe}

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Food Fridays:

A holiday tradition in our home is the making of the Peanut Butter Fudge. I felt it was such a momentous occasion I even shared it with my Junior League anniversary cookbook a few years ago…too bad when I submitted the recipe, I forgot one ingredient. Can you guess what it was? 


Yes, it was the peanut butter! Worst of all, I didn’t notice until the NEXT year when I used the recipe to make sure I was forgetting anything and saw I left out the most important part. Thankfully, I did include the substitute just in case someone wanted to make normal chococlate fudge. 

However, since I’ve been asked about this recipe for many years (which is actually not mine, but my mother-in-law’s as I explain in the cookbook), I thought I’d share with you as well. 

It’s quick, it’s easy and as long as you don’t forget the one cup of peanut butter (LOL), it’s amazing. It’s perfect, cheap and quick to make for neighbor gifts and more!

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