shulmanisms

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Pierogi? Nah, Pierogies.

Note: this is a BzzReport. I am a member of the website, Bzzagent.com, which gives me free samples and coupons to create, well, Buzz about products. Today we are talking about Mrs. T's Pierogies for BzzAgent.

Pierogies. Hard to spell. Delicious to eat. Where have they been my whole life? Or, more aptly, why didn't I try them until this campaign? Basically, a pierogi is a dumpling filled with potato and another filling, usually cheese, but they can have other things. Mrs. T's goes with the Potato & Cheese for the most part but have a TON of varieties. See them here.

Instead of a history lesson, let's just get down to brass tacks. They are delicious. They are easy to make. They are not that calorie laden. They make a meal. They make a side dish. 

Preparation: There are numerous ways to prepare the pierogies. I have cooked them in the oven and sauteed them in a pan. I recommend using a cast iron skillet and throwing some olive oil in there. Cook over medium to medium high heat for about 7-10 minutes stirring and flipping constantly until a light, golden browning has formed. Then eat!

Taste: Wonderful. The outer shell has a great texture to it and a good chew. The filling is not second rate. It is real potato and cheese in there. And it's high quality. It is one of those tastes that you start to crave. It's a great blend and mix and ratio of the potato to the cheese so every bite has such a unique "mouth feel" to it.

Nutrition: Surprisingly good. If you are doing Weight Watchers, you can have about half of the package for 11 points. That ain't too shabby. Pair it with a 3 oz breast of chicken and a salad? Boom. You got a great dinner.

Price: Under $4. Dinner for 2 for under $4.

Should you buy this? Yes. Yes you should.

Should I buy this? Going to Kroger tonight to get more. It's now become a weekly thing in our house. 

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80-Foot Ed Koch

This is all I could think of when I heard that Ed Koch passed away.

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Apparently, my friends on FB are 50% male, 50% female. And 22 with no gender.  (via Wolfram Alpha)

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A welcome addition to any salad

Note: this is a BzzReport. I am a member of the website, Bzzagent.com, which gives me free samples and coupons to create, well, Buzz about products. Today we are talking about Lean Cuisine Salad Additions for BzzAgent.

The problem is common. You want to eat healthy, but you are sick and tired of boring salads. 

The solution is simple. Lean Cuisine Salad Additions. Four varieties to spice up your lunch (or dinner). Feeling like Asian food? They got you covered. Cranberries? Done. Southwest? No problem. Just down home chicken goodness? Taken care of.

Is it affordable? Yes. It was about $3 or so at my local Kroger for the box and add in another $1-2 for lettuce and you are all set. 

Is is easy to prepare? Most definitely. You stick a bag in the microwave for about 3 minutes. While doing that, you put the dressing in a glass of warm water to thaw out. Add lettuce to bowl (Here is a hint - do not use a whole head of lettuce). Open bag and deposit contents onto lettuce. Add dressing and toppings. Eat.  

Does it taste good? Yes, it does. The chicken was moist and tender as were the vegetables I had in my bistro chicken salad. The dressing had a good balance and was not off-putting. The onion topping added a little crunch besides the lettuce and it was appreciated. 

Would I have it again? Yah. I would. As I try to lose weight, I know I need to eat more salads and healthier food. But sometimes you forget to make a chicken breast the night before to bring to work. With Lean Cuisine Salad Additions, I just have to bring a pre-packaged salad (even shredded lettuce) and in about 5 minutes, I have lunch. That is not too bad at all.

Questions? Comment below.

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Wake up and smell the antioxidants!(?!)

Note: this is a BzzReport. I am a member of the website, Bzzagent.com, which gives me free samples and coupons to create, well, Buzz about products. Today we are talking about the Green Mountain Coffee® Wellness Collection for BzzAgent.

Do you own a Keurig brewer? I do. It's wonderful as it allows me to have many different types of coffee without having to make a whole pot and without having to worry about having several bags of coffee open (and quickly deteriorating in taste). One of the big producers of K-Cups is Green Mountain Coffee. Their coffee is spot on in taste. It's neither too bitter, too bold, too weak, too light, it's just right. So when I heard they were coming out with two new blends for their new "Wellness Collection," I was certainly intrigued.

The new blends (as seen above) are the Focus Blend and the Antioxidant Blend. At first I was a bit worried about how the coffees would taste with the addition of the vitamins and amino acids found in the blends. Don't worry - they taste just the same. In fact, I couldn't tell there was anything added to the coffee. But, as you will find out, the benefits are certainly there.

First was the Focus Blend. It contains 50 mg of L-Theanine, which I have discovered is an amino acid that helps relieve tension and improves your focus. I had one at the beginning of the work day and I did seem to have a bit more determination and focus for the rest of the day. And, as previously stated, the coffee tasted great, so it was not a problem getting it into my system. 

The second blend is the Antioxidant Blend. It contains the antioxidant vitamins C & E. Now, I am not saying that it helped prevent me from getting that nasty cold that everyone in the office had, but I was unaffected by that incident at least! That may have been coincidental but I did feel like it was a bit healthier drinking that blend.

You can pick them up at GreenMountainCoffee.com. I think it's well worth it.

Have you tried it? Let me know in the comments. 

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James Bond's most famous villain's cousin

Note: this is a BzzReport. I am a member of the website, Bzzagent.com, which gives me free samples and coupons to create, well, Buzz about products. Today we are talking about the G Collection from Gold Toe for BzzAgent.

No, not Goldfinger. He makes gloves. We're talking Gold Toe! You may recognize them from their very comfortable and affordable line of crew socks. But - guess what - they have a NEW line of products- the G Collection for more dressy affairs (like going to work in an office, out on a date, lounging around and looking snazzy).

I was skeptical at first. I mean, really, socks are socks, right? Not really. I have several brands of dress socks in my drawer and the G Collection may be pushing some out. They are extremely comfortable - even as they are thinner than the normal Gold Toe crew socks (as most dress socks are). But it seems to have a bit higher quality material than the other socks I have bought at my local Kohl's. And they are pretty fashionable as well. I would never have thought of myself as expressing any sense of style through my socks - but - here I am, wearing them as we speak.

Sometimes people will notice your tie, or belt buckle, but when they notice your socks and see how well they coordinate with your outfit AND add a little pizzazz! 

See? Snazzy.

All in all. Good socks. Great value. Find em at Kohl's. I also have coupons. 

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I am so entering this contest.

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Time to get (UN)REAL

Note: this is a BzzReport. I am a member of the website, Bzzagent.com, which gives me free samples and coupons to create, well, Buzz about products.

UNREAL is candy. No, scratch that. It's great tasting candy that has none of the "junk" that you would expect in junk food. No corn syrup. No artificial flavors and colors. And no matter which one you choose it tastes amazing and much like it's counterpart in the "junked" world. 

We had some at home and the wife said the chocolate peanut butter (UN 77) tasted better than the Reese's PB Cups. The chocolate candy shell (UN 41) tastes like M&MS - you can't tell the difference - if anything it tastes better! The chocolate caramel peanuts nougat  was really "satisfying." I was amazed at how good each one tasted. 

Now I understand that UNREAL is not health food. But I do have a sweet tooth. And might as well feed that sweet tooth with more natural foods that cut down on the sugar and still taste great, right?

And the best part? They cost pretty much the same as their "junked" equivalents. So you can't complain about that!

Try UNREAL today. You won't be disappointed. 

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Not really helpful, Fandango, not really helpful. (Closest theater is 7 hours away?)

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I am watching Doctor Who

7821 others are also watching Doctor Who on GetGlue.com

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I am watching What to Expect When You're Expecting

68 others are also watching What to Expect When You're Expecting on GetGlue.com

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I am watching National Football League

83 others are also watching National Football League on GetGlue.com

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I am watching The X Factor

4256 others are also watching The X Factor on GetGlue.com

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Brew, Brew, Brew your (iced) coffee

Note: this is a BzzReport. I am a member of the website, Bzzagent.com, which gives me free samples and coupons to create, well, Buzz about products.

Now that we have that out of the way, today we are talking coffee. I know! It's the middle of the summer and I want to tell you about a hot, steaming cup of joe. Except that it is neither hot nor steaming. It's iced coffee. At home. For a LOT less than a coffee shop. Using your Keurig brewer. You DO have one, right? If not, well this review may not be as exciting for you but let's carry on.

It's pretty simple. You need a Keurig brewer. You need a K-Cup. Does it have to be the special Brew over Ice K-Cup? Well, it certainly helps, but I will explain more further down. And you need a tumbler. No, not a Tumblr. A tumbler. And even then you don't really need that. But you also need ice. That's kinda key. So you need:

Keurig Machine

K-Cup

Tumbler

Ice

Sweeteners or creams to your liking

Basically you brew the K-Cup at either 6 or 8 oz. That way it concentrates the flavors. And the Brew over Ice K-Cup has a bit more coffee beans in it - allowing for the ice to melt a bit and not dilute the flavors of the coffee. Of course, you can use ANY K-Cup but know that the strength may not be the same. In particular, light roasts sometimes are a bit weak but the flavored coffees are wonderful over ice.

And you need a tumbler of some sort. You can get some at like Bed, Bath, and Beyond or from the Green Mountain Coffee site or they give them away a lot on the Brew Over Ice page. Or you can just use a thick plastic cup (NOT a solo cup, for example). Pour in the ice, add your cream, sugars, whatever, and then brew. Put the lid on the cup, shake it up, and boom, you got iced coffee.

It's THAT simple. Seriously. I did it. And do it pretty much every morning. It costs me about 65 cents a cup. That's a pretty good deal. And the Brew Over Ice K-cups are actually pretty good.

But wait! There's more! They also do Iced TEA. Like 1/2, Southern Sweet, Peach, etc. And they all taste pretty good. I mean, they are K-Cups - I have yet to find one that I really didn't like!

As you can see from the photos, it doesn't take long, looks great, and tastes great.  So go on and join Tumbler Nation - we need some more residents!

So what's your favorite flava? Post it below!

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Brew over ice!

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Great taste, great price?

In today's segment of Andrew reviews something (which he was given a sample of the potato chips for free), we talk about Private Selection brand from Kroger.

Note: this is a BzzReport. I am a member of the website, Bzzagent.com, which gives me free samples and coupons to create, well, Buzz about products.

For years, you have been hearing about how the generic foods are a good way to cut costs in your grocery budget. But, oftentimes, the generics tasted ... well, generic. They lacked any bold flavors and frankly tasted like you spent a lot less on them than the premium brands.

Can Kroger's Private Selection Brand undo years of bad generic food?

Short answer: mostly.

Longer answer after the jump: 

There are a lot of Private Selection selections to choose from. The kit I was given included Salt & Pepper chips. They were delicious. The wife asked what brand they were and was surprised when I told her it was Kroger's brand. She was quite impressed. There are many flavors of chips available and come in some interesting flavors, so you should check 'em out at your local Kroger.

The Private Selection ground beef is also quite good, and is 100% Angus beef. And that comes in several fat % selections as well. Probably am going to be loading up on that tonight for the 4th.

And you need to cool off during this hot summer. The Private Selection ice cream comes in pints, so you don't feel too bad about eating it, AND has many different flavors. I like the black raspberry, personally. The price tag also helps - it usually is a lot less than other similar type premium ice creams.

So those are the Pros but there are some major cons

 Private Selection brand doesn't cover everything. So you can't replace all your premium brand shopping with Kroger's. 

Along with not covering everything, the variety in the brand itself is sometimes limited. There are not enough low-fat versions of their products. I wish they came out with a baked chip, or a super low-fat ice cream, for instance.

Overall, I liked the Private Selection brand. The price was quite reasonable and the flavors were there. I just wish they had some lower fat/calorie selections. Try it one day - in fact you can do a blind test - and I bet you can't tell the difference.

Up next in the Bzz world: Iced Coffee. 

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SoBe It

Note: this is a BzzReport. I am a member of the website, Bzzagent.com, which gives me free samples and coupons to create, well, Buzz about products.

Today, we deal with the question of hydration. We all need to drink more water. It's good for us, right? Refreshes us, cools us down, keeps us going. But after a while, water just gets boring. Because water tastes like water which tastes like water.

But wait, there is a BETTER option. SoBe LifeWater. 25 flavors. no artificial sweeteners. Exotic flavors. Not so exotic flavors. Fruits you have heard of. Fruits you will insist they made up (Yumberry ?!). All delicious.

In the kit I got, they gave me the Coconut Water. Now, if you like coconut or have heard about the benefits of coconut water, you will like this drink. It tastes quite "coconutty." Almost like drinking a Jelly Belly coconut jelly bean. It had a few more calories than I wanted in water, though.

But, here is the great thing.  They have lots of flavors that have ZERO calories. Which is wonderful. You don't have to sacrifice taste when you are cutting the calories. It's a win-win situation.

And SoBe isn't that much to try one next time you are at Kroger. It's about the same cost as a bottle of soda, but you get a lot more benefit out of this bottle. 

Got questions? Post em below.