Banana Nut Cheerios- Review and GIVEAWAY!

Cereal's great.
There's nothin' in the world like that grainy crunch in a splash of milk.
Really, there's something just so familiar and cozy about it. And its good to know that the good folks over at General Mills hold your cereal cravings high on their priority list.
I mean, after all, they are the ones who brought you the Cheerio. And what's not to love?
They have watched and observed tirelessly to discover trends in America's love for cereal snacking. And their latest discovery? Why, this: that there is nothing that goes better with a bowl of the best cereal than a little fruity flavor. I mean, come on, ya got the oats, the creaminess, and what's left? Some refreshing fruit, of course!
There are plenty of people who have implemented this fruit concept into their pre-cereal prep work. And now, your friendly-neighborhood Cheerio is going to relieve you just a bit :)

Introducing.... all new, 100% naturally flavored
Banana Nut Cheerios!!!

Banana Nut Cheerios combine the whole grain goodness of Cheerios with the great taste of real banana - a breakfast your whole family will love!
Yes, I said it- REAL BANANA. Not some fake banana wanna-be. And boy oh boy, is it tasty!
I have found this thing hit home with me in more than one way. So, I'm going to break it down for you.

Tasty. I'm serious, these have they perfect amount of banana tastiness to perfectly compliment the already wonderful Cheerio flavor. I love it! Really, truly- my new favorite.

Nutritionally Savvy. Not only to they taste great, there good for you! Here's the run down:

• Each serving of Banana Nut Cheerios comes equipped with 8 grams of whole grains, only one gram of fat, and absolutely no saturated or trans fat. Yes, my friends, they call this heart healthy.
• Banana Nut Cheerios are packed full of vitamins A, C, D, B6 and B16, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. Check plus.
• Real banana. yep, the ingredients actually read (now, get ready for this) "banana puree". Enough said.

So, yes, I'm sure you've gotten the hint: I'm fond of these things. Banana nutty-ness added to Cheerios is like whip cream on a latte. And that makes me smile.

So, how about you? Want to give them a try? Well, if you answered yes, keep reading!

I am giving away 3 Banana Nut Cheerios gift baskets!

This prize pictured to the left includes: a coupon for a free box of Banana Nut Cheerios, a fruit basket with an attached banana tree, a bread loaf pan, and two cereal bowls! Yay!!

How to WIN:

You have up to three chances!

• First, leave me a comment and tell me about what you add to your bowl of cereal to make it your own!
• For another comment, give your creation a name. Yes, a creative one! Have fun with this!
• And, for a third and final comment, post a link to this giveaway on your blog! Leave a link to it in your comment. Not into blogging? Email three people (+ me) and share the fun by sending them a link to this review/giveaway!

Be sure to leave me a name and email address I can send a note your way should you win!

Sound like a plan? Awesome. By the way, this giveaway ends on March 1st. Oh, and one more thing: visit http://www.banananutcheerios.com/ for discount coupons, great recipes and additional information.

Have fun and I hope you win!!!

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I decided to end this one a little early, since comments stopped comin' in. To those of you who won... CONGRATS!!!!!

Be sure to check back for more fun :)

**My Fruit Roll-Ups Review... GIVEAWAY!**

I told you guys it was coming... and here it is!

Ok, here's the scoop:

We're all quite familiar with the popular chewy candy with it's fruity flavor... and we've all stopped to wonder how on earth the pictures they impict were selected. Well, my friends, say no more to fruit roll-ups with random pictures, because let me tell you- that idea has been defenestrated. Say hello to YOUR fruit roll-ups. Yes, you knew the day would come and now it is finally here. Your chance to design your very own custom fruit roll-ups! Fun stuff, right? Let me tell you from my own experience: YES. Yes, indeed it is.

I was so generously given the opportunity to create my own fruit roll-ups! What did I think? Let me tell you:

The "My Fruit Roll-Ups" web page makes it nice and easy to pick the design for your fruity goodness. They give you several different templates to work with, and once you pick one, the fun begins. Basically, you can do this a couple different ways- you can upload your own pictures, select some they have available on the website, type in your own text, or do a little of each. If you feel like sticking with their pictures, there are also some fun and festive backgrounds to choose from. Me? I decided upload some of my own photos. You can use up to three... which I did.

The title for MY fruit roll ups: Three Bugs in A Rug. Yep.

There we are. On a fruit roll-up. How seriously awesome is that?!?!

This is a picture of my design... not an actual fruit roll-up (because it was way to hard to capture a picture on a piece of glossy candy).

True, sometimes the pictures came out a bit deformed, but I suppose that's a little predictable for a gooey kinda candy. But let me tell you, they're yummy. And even yummier when you know your picture's on it! :)

All in all- I think this just may be one of the FUNNEST things EVER!! Come on you guys, seriously. You know it is.

Now, I would never go on and on bulking this up just to tantalize you. As always, there's some fun to share!!

If you find "My Fruit Roll-Ups" as fun as I do, leave me a comment describing how you would design your fruit roll-ups, and I shall randomly select a winner Saturday, February 7th at twelve noon. The winner will receive a promo code for a box of 30 individually wrapped Fruit Roll-Ups - custom designed by none other than YOU!!! Yes, for absolutely no cost whatsoever. No shipping, no nothin'. Be sure to leave your name and email address so I can notify should you win!

Happy commenting!

NEW Progresso Broth Recipe Basket GIVEAWAY!

Here it is! Romanian Escapade's first ever GIVEAWAY! And I rather like it.

Progresso has just come out with a new line of soup broths, that I actually had the privilege of reviewing.

Here is the low-down:

The broth comes in Chicken, Reduced Sodium Chicken, and Beef. They are 100% all natural, 99% fat-free, and contain no preservatives or artificial flavors. Now, if you're like me, I get pretty happy when I'm eating something whose ingredients I can read, pronounce, and understand. Progresso's broths certainly succeeded in this. Further, it comes in convenient, re-sealable 32 oz. containers. (If you're ever bored- the little snap lid is extremely entertaining. Sorry, just a side note).

My cousin and I made some potato-pea soup, just to try it out. (By the way when recipe nomenclature such as "potato-pea soup" is used, you know we need to hit the grocery store). It was de-lic-ious! I know, you're probably thinking "It's soup broth for crying out loud. What difference does it make?" Let me tell you- more than you might think. It was richer, and much more flavorful than the average powdered soup broth we normally use. It complimented the other ingredients quite nicely, if I might say so myself! My only compliant is that I do wish it came in vegetable.

I may not be a soup broth condesour, but I really do like this stuff! I love that you can add a little broth to practically any dish, just to give it a little extra "umph".

My overall rating? An "A"!

But don't worry my friends, it only gets better from here! You too can have the opportunity to try it out! Here is a disocunt coupon Progresso has provided for their new broth, valid through December 17th.

Now to the Giveaway! I am giving away 3 Progresso "Perfect Recipe" gift baskets- which includes a wicker basket filled with a recipe card holder (with dividers), a set of serving spoons, a spoon rest, and a coupon for a free 32 oz. container of Progresso Broth. If you are anything like me and love new cooking gadgets- this is the prize for you!

All you have to do is leave me a comment with your name, email address, and a brief description of your favorite holiday recipe! On Monday, December 8th I will use a random number generator to select 3 lucky winners! Have fun!

Bonus:

Progresso, in order to add a little extra fun would like to share with you one of their favorite holiday recipes. Here's the link for "Mashed Potato Gratin".

Enjoy!

Giveaways Coming To A Blog Near You! Perhaps Nearer than you thought...

And with the fun of blogging comes many perks... this being one of them.

So, here's a little bit of foreshadowing on what's to come:

I will be adding a fun new feature to this good ol' blog of mine. A way for me to say "thank you!" for supporting me in my efforts to head over to Romania this coming summer. Sporadically I will be testing out some new products, and if I happen to like them, giving a few of them away to you! So stay tuned... giveaway posts to come. This oughta be great.