Review: Whole Fruit Sorbets

The warmer it is, the more tempting it is to cool off with a cold sweet treat like ice cream. But step away from the calorie laden full fat flavors, and say hello to the naturally fat free Whole Fruit Sorbets.

Whole Fruit Sorbets are made with chunks of real fruit and come in a 16 oz pint size - so you can't go crazy and overeat, too much. ;) They are available in seven different flavors: Mango, Black Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Lemon, Peach, and Valencia Orange Sorbet. Thanks to the folks at Whole Fruit Sorbets, I received a complimentary sample package with several flavors to try out at home.

I admit it: I love frozen treats in the summer. We've even made ice cream from scratch last summer using strawberries out of our garden. When I purchase it from the grocery store, I try to only purchase it in pints because it's just the right size for my family to enjoy as a treat and not overstuff our faces on. (All things in moderation!) So knowing that Whole Fruit Sorbet come in pints is a good thing for my family! I also love knowing that they are a little more healthier for me than some options, because they are gluten free and soy free - both things I am supposed to be avoiding. They are also dairy free, so if someone in your home suffers from dairy allergies or intolerances, they can indulge in these without worry!

We received pints of Mango, Black Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Lemon to try out. Now as much as I love chocolate, I actually prefer my ice cream to be on the fruity side, so these flavors were perfect for me. They average between 120-150 calories per half cup serving, so I don't have to worry I am inhaling a ton of calories. (Not that I am one to head to the beach in a skimpy bikini, but I still don't want to worry about scaring young children. LOL)

See? You can see the chunks of fruit in the sorbet. Pictured is the Black Cherry, which was my family's hands down favorite. A close runner up was the Raspberry. They have a creamy taste to them, and they are definitely refreshing on a warm day.

The only negative I can see is that they do contain corn syrup solids, so if you are avoiding certain ingredients like that, do be aware. It would be nice to see this as an organic option, wouldn't it?

You can find Whole Fruit Sorbets in your favorite grocery store's freezer. Right now if you visit their website, you can snag a printable coupon for $0.35 off any Whole Fruit product. (They also have fruit bars!)

I received complimentary product samples from the brand in order to try the product out and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

DVD Review: Slugterra: Slugs Unleashed

My family and I recently received a complimentary copy of the new animated DVD Slugterra: Slugs Unleashed to review.

Airing on Disney XD, the series Slugterra follows Eli Shane and his friends - known as the Shane Gang - who spend their time deep underground trying to defeat the forces of evil. In order to do this, they collect, train, and duel with live, ahem, ammo - called slugs. It's Eli's dreams to become the greatest Slugslinger, ever. This series is geared more towards boys, ages 5-11, and has some minor cartoon violence.

The DVD contains the next five episodes of season one: "The Slug Run", "Shadows And Light", "Dawn of the Slug", "Club Slug", and "Endangered Species". The honorary zombie nod goes to the "Dawn Of The Slug" episode, where the Shane Gang gets chased by zombies into the mall, and tries to find the cause, only to have Pronto turned into a zombie by the bad guy Mr. Saturday. Other episodes include slug racing and slug hunting. (Hey, they can just come into my yard for that one, lol)

There is a little bit of bonus features included on the DVD: some "Slugisodes" and a look behind the scenes called "Writing Slugterra".

I just have to say, the slugs on this show are a lot cuter than the ones I have to argue with in my garden every day. ;)

Slugterra: Slugs Unleashed is available on DVD today, June 18th, 21013. Widescreen format, the show is rated TV-Y7-FV (see above), and it has a total running time of 110 minutes long. The suggested retail price is $14.97, but Amazon has it available for $12.99 as of this posting.

I received a complimentary copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Never Say Never By Victoria Christopher Murray

I recently received a complimentary copy of the new book Never Say Never: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray to review.

Miriam and Emily are having lunch with their best friend and reporter Michellelee when she gets a phone call: there's been a bad fire at a local school, and children and firefighters have been taken to the hospital. Both Miriam and Emily's firefighting husbands are part of that firehouse, and go into panic mode: are their husbands alright? The worst happens when Miriam's husband Chauncey passes away from his injuries. All best friends band together to help Miriam cope and make arrangements, including Emily's husband Jamal. The more time she spends reminiscing and grieving with her friends, the more time she is spending with Jamal - and suddenly she is finding herself becoming closer and closer to him.

The possibility of losing your loved one is a daily nightmare for anyone whose spouse is in a dangerous job - from firefighters to police to our military heroes. I have a family member as well as friends back home who are/were firefighters, plus my DH has contemplated joining as well, so it was almost too close to home for me. (Seriously folks, if you haven't thanked a firefighter recently for putting their life at risk to save you, your pets, and your possessions - what are you waiting for? Support these brave men and women!) I felt horrible for Miriam when she learned of her husband's passing - I can't even imagine. You'd have to scrape me off the ground if anything ever happened to my husband. I understood her turmoil, but on the other hand, I'd never come between a friend and their spouse. That's just morally wrong to me, but I know life isn't always simple - which gives us the title. I kind of didn't like the book jumping between multiple points of view between Miriam and Emily, either. Stick with just Miriam's side! But the author does a really good job with letting the characters come out with their story, so don't let me scare you away from this book - especially if you enjoy this author.

At the end of the book there is a Reading Group Guide, with some discussion questions, as well as a short Q & A with the author.

Never Say Never: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray is a paperback fiction book published by Touchstone. It is 400 pages long. The suggested cover price is $15.00, but Amazon has it available for $12.39 as of this posting. It is also available as an e-book for the Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Random Thoughts Tuesday

Well, crud. Our planned project for the house this weekend is now put on hold for a few weeks. Eventually I'd like to go sleep back in my bedroom?!

Well I guess that means if the weather is nice, we can hit the road.

I love cats - clearly I must since we have five - but I am tired of all the neighborhood cat fights all day and night long. Half those fights could be avoided if the owners would just get their cats fixed. With all the free/reduced spay/neuter programs in the area, there really is no excuse.

Speaking of cats, we have another stray calling our porch home. Funny thing is that this is about the same time last year that Solstice started to call our porch home. Look at him now - big fat lazy housecat. You'd never know he was a throwaway:

Excuse the lousy photo, I was just trying to find one that showed off his, um, uniqueness. ;) I have the worst time trying to get decent photos of that cat. They always end up blurry or cut off - and I don't have an excuse that he's moving because he's a sloth. lol

The Civilizational Significance of Zombies That is actually one of the best zombie related articles I have read in a very long time. It sums up pretty well the current state of affairs. And I love the book World War Z, but I am fairly certain I am going to hate the movie. I'll go along to see it, drag my heels. I was already cranky at Brad Pitt in it, but the second I heard they changed everything (what was the point of calling it by the book title, anyways?!) and saw those stupid ant style zombies I was ready to scream. What is with Hollywood and ruining perfectly good things?!

Zombies from A to Z Yeah, I kind of agree on the assessment of the state of the world today on page 1. At the latest trip to the drive-in movies, all I saw were zombies glued to their smartphones waiting for the movie to start. People weren't talking, they were hardly moving around, just staring. Sad. I even see it when we are out in the woods - they are sitting there, glued.

Oh and by the way, it's Emergency Preparedness Week. I hope you'll take a few moments out of your day to go over plans should anything happen - from fire escapes to car troubles - and double check that all emergency kits in your home and vehicles are up to date and have nothing missing from the contents. (We all know band-aids are the first to disappear! lol) Don't forget to check the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as the ones in your flashlights. It's always better to be prepared than be a zombie snack! ;)

Book Review: Red Dawn Rising By Sue Duffy

I recently received a complimentary copy of the new book Red Dawn Rising: A Novel by Sue Duffy to review.

Evgeny Kozlov is a former KGB assassin who flees his home in Russia to pursue a phantom figure, known as the Architect, an evil terrorist mastermind who plotted to destroy Americans' confidence in their country and the powers who protect them. On the opposite side of world is Cass Rodino, a young set designer on Broadway who has some secrets of her own. Their paths cross when both are swept into a major CIA/FBI dragnet, only to discover that the target of their search is conspiring to resurrect the Soviet Union from the grave and announce a secret that could devastate the administration of the United States' President. Will they stop him before it's too late and innocent people lose their lives?

This is book two in the Red Returning Trilogy. while you don't need to read this first book in the series to understand what is going on in this one, you might want to just for the sake of continuity. If you love political thrillers and espionage stories, then I think you are going to enjoy the suspense of this book. It's not a far stretch at all to think of the events happening in today's world, and that's what keeps this book a page turner.

Visit the author's website here. If you're interested in checking this book, the e-book for the Kindle will be free on June 20 and 21 only - so mark your calendar and don't forget!

Red Dawn Rising: A Novel by Sue Duffy is a paperback Suspense/Christian Fiction book published by Kregel. It is 288 pages long. The suggested cover price is $14.99, but Amazon has it available for $11.84 as of this posting. It is also available as an e-book for the Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.

Menu Planning Monday 6/17 - 6/23

We're getting ready to rip up part of the house later this week, so dinner's not on the complicated side. lol I'll make some side dishes like potato salads, coleslaw, etc so anyone can serve themselves when they are hungry - hence, the Free For Alls. (FFA)

Monday: homemade pizza night

Tuesday: taco night

Wednesday: burgers, grilled potatoes, veggie sticks

Thursday: FFA

Friday: FFA

Saturday: FFA

Sunday: FFA

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!