The DeBroff DeBrief

Banquet Fruit Pies

Summertime boasts a number of easily-identifiable "all-American" moments. Watching a baseball game, spending a weekend at the beach, or enjoying a backyard barbecue with close family and friends are a few that come to mind, and no American cookout is complete without delicious staples, like hot dogs and cheeseburgers, chips and soda, and of course, pie for dessert!

Banquet has provided families with delicious meals for more than 50 years, and this summer they've launched new single-serving fruit pie desserts. Each Banquet fruit pie has a half serving of real fruit inside a flaky pastry shell that bakes fresh and hot from your oven or microwave in minutes. The pies come in three classic flavors: apple, peach, and cherry berry and at only about $1 a pie, Banquet pies make it easy to treat guests at a summer get-together, offer a special "finale" for your next family dinner, or just indulge yourself with a mid-day treat.

From August 26-28, before the Labor Day holiday, 650 select Wal-Marts nationwide are offering in-store demonstrations with free samples of the pies topped with Reddi-wip!  We'd love for you to participate in a blog tour to try Banquet's new fruit pies and help spread the word about the in-store demonstrations. To find out if your local Wal-Mart is having a demo, please check with the store manager.

Disclosure: Banquet is a client of Mom Central.

"Beat the Heat" this summer with Gatorade-

With two sports-minded kids, I know the importance of having protective pads, helmets, mouth guards, and a key factor to keeping kids safe on the field: hydration. Proper hydration and fueling have a major impact on an athlete’s safety and performance, especially with heat waves raising the mercury in thermometers across the country. After watching my kids wilt on the soccer field this summer, it doesn’t surprise me that heat injuries account for the second highest but most preventable sports injury for kids.

To help keep athletes safe and performing their best during the hot summer months, Gatorade and the NFL created “Beat The Heat,” an educational program focusing on the dangers of heat-related illness and the importance of taking the proper steps to reduce the chance of illness and injuries. This information is especially important for Moms because children have an increased risk of dehydration and exertional heat illness due to their size and other factors.  

As Moms, we often remind our kids to remember their water bottles, but water does not replace the electrolytes and sodium lost in sweat, so it isn’t enough to protect kids against the summer heat and humidity. The right sports nutrition and hydration, including Gatorade, can play a vital role in helping young athletes get the hydration and fuel they need to stay safe and perform their best. For every unique download of the Heat Safety Kit, Gatorade will donate $1, up to $20,000, to Beat the Heat charities.

Disclosure: Gatorade is a client of Mom Central.

Ronzoni Smart Taste

Pasta has always played an important role in my family’s pantry; it appeased the picky eater going through the “I just want it plain” phase and now provides a versatile base for quick meals incorporating meats and vegetables that give my kids the additional nutrients they need.

But given the fact that less than 60 percent of children age three to five get enough calcium and three out of four pre-school age children do not get enough fiber, I turned to whole grain pasta in an attempt to include more nutrients into my family’s diet. I didn’t mind the nuttier taste and brown look of the pasta, however the rest of my family disapproved. 

Since it looks and tastes like traditional pasta, Ronzoni Smart Taste proves a great solution, combining the nutritional benefits you want as a Mom with the great taste your kids love—plain or not. And with three times the fiber of regular white pasta and the same amount of calcium as an eight-ounce glass of milk, Ronzoni Smart Taste provides the Vitamin D and fiber my family needs. Which means we can keep eating the foods we love, and I don’t have to feel guilty about dishing out noodles a few times a week.

Ronzoni Smart Taste offers some great recipes on their website, demonstrating all the ways you can get creative with pasta. Take a look at this dish that my family and I loved, ideal for the more adventurous eaters in your family!

Rotini with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Ricotta 

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Rotini
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 baby eggplant, diced
1/3 cup prepared vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled ricotta or feta cheese 

Cook pasta according to package directions. In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant and sauté 2 to 3 minutes longer. Stir in stock and cook until eggplant is tender. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss cooked pasta with eggplant mixture and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with cheese. 

Mom Central wrote this post in conjunction with a blog tour campaign on behalf of Ronzoni

Join Us for the Marriott "Nickelodeon Your Stay" Twitter Party!

Sharing tips about traveling with kids, summer vacation, and the chance to win $50 & Marriott/Nickelodeon prizes!
 
What: Marriott "Nickelodeon Your Stay" Twitter Party
When:  Thursday, July 29th from 3-4 pm EST
Why: To talk about summer vacation plans, traveling with kids, and have the chance to win $50 and cool Marriott/Nickelodeon prizes!
Hashtag: #nickyourstay
Host: Mom Central (@MomCentral)
Questions?: Contact Matt at mmoretti@momcentral.com.

FAQs:

How do I join the conversation?

Easy. Just tweet using the hashtag #nickyourstay. Mom Central moderators will help guide the conversation with fun questions and giveaways.

Who are the moderators?

Stacy Debroff (@MomCentral) along with Mom Central staffer Allison (@aeparker) will be on hand to guide the discussion and chat with participants. Make sure you're following them before the party starts!

How do I follow the conversation?

Use the hashtag #nickyourstay to follow along. To help keep up with the conversation, we suggest that you follow the hashtag by
    1.    Setting up a #nickyourstay search on search.twitter.com or on your twitter program (e.g. TweetDeck or Twirl)
    2.    Using a twitter aggregator such as twubs.com

Epic Summer Vacation Recap

If you’re still looking for a last-minute get-away this summer that the whole family will enjoy, check out Epic Summer. It’s an all-inclusive, guided 7-day program in Keystone, Colorado run by Vail Resorts that ranked in the Forbes Top 10 Family Vacations last year. My family embarked on the Epic Summer program last summer, and we’ve all been talking about it since! My two teens, ages 16 and 17, who have extremely high vacation standards, keep raving about it – even a year later.

Finding Chandra: Pulitzer reporters tackle a true D.C. murder mystery

A true Washington murder mystery, Finding Chandra follows Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters, Sari Horwitz and Scott Higham, as they try to uncover the truth about the 2001 murder of twenty-four year old California native, Chandra Levy. Five years after Chandra’s remains were found, Higham and Horwitz reexamine the case and question whether the homicide investigation had been mishandled years ago, leading to an unsolved murder mystery. 

In their riveting book, the two Washington Post reporters uncover how the police, FBI, and the media focused all of their attention on the wrong suspect based on rumors and scandal alone and ignored all other vital clues and leads. Horwitz and Higham uncover critical mistakes throughout the original investigation, which finally lead police to a new suspect, in hopes that justice is finally served for Chandra Levy six years later.

A magnificently compelling, wonderfully written real-life who-dun-it?

Disclosure: Mom Central received a copy of Finding Chandra in order to facilitate this review.

3M's Clever New Organizing Products

As I treasure the numbered summer days that lead up to my daughter’s college departure, I am searching to discover innovative products and methods that will make her transition to college a breeze. Though some college-bound kids don’t like to admit it, homesickness ranks as one of the top issues teens face while adjusting to college life. One tip to steer clear of homesickness: help decorate your college kid’s dorm room to feel more like home.

Decorating projects open up an opportunity for your teen to express her personality and independence within the walls of her new dorm. Pictures, jewelry, posters, and sports memorabilia will find their way onto walls of previously bare and boring dorm rooms. Damaging the school’s  walls or property, however, tends to pop up as a difficult problem to avoid when decorating a dorm. Losing the room deposit due to such circumstances can cause a noticeable dent in your wallet.

The 60-Second Toddler Car Seat: Just Click, Click, Push

Guest post by Michelle Fernandez

For any family, a car seat is a serious safety purchase, not to be taken lightly.  Moms and Dads tend to do a lot of research and ask their friends for advice. There are also many considerations: do we need one for our second car?  For grandma’s house? How easy is it to install?  Do we need to take it on the plane?  How much should we plan to spend? 

I don’t know about you, but our infant car seat was a nightmare to install and adjust.  I could never get those hooks on or off without jamming a thumb and it seemed to take at least 10-15 minutes each time we installed it. We were always pulling and tugging on it to make sure we got it right.  So now that the little one outgrew his infant car seat, we recently went to the store for a toddler car seat. 

The Jensen Project – A Thrilling Ride for the Whole Family

Guest Post By: Michelle Fernandez

Recently I was invited to see an early showing of The Jensen Project – which premiers Friday, July 16 on NBC at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central.  The movie stars Kellie Martin as the super-smart working Mom who struggles to keep her teenage son, cutie Justin Kelly in line.  When Mom finds out that her son has skipped school (again!) she doesn’t know how to handle the situation.  The undertone of the first part of the movie is that the Mom has some life regrets that she’s unwilling to discuss, causing problems in the family dynamic.  We quickly learn that she was formerly a super genius in a secret society dedicated to solving the world’s problems.  It’s called The Jensen Project.

Jamba At-Home Smoothies

Jamba Juice has come out with a line of smoothies you can make yourself at home, so that you can enjoy your favorite smoothie drinks whenever you want, all summer long. They call their new line “Jamba At-Home Smoothies” and gave it a catchy motto: “All’s Well That Blends Well.”

The all-natural smoothies come in three flavors: Strawberries Wild, a blend of strawberries and banana, Razzmatazz, a swirl of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, and Mango-a-go-go, a mango and pineapple mix. All three flavors contain non-fat yogurt, real fruit, and an antioxidant boost. The smoothies also have no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, and no high fructose corn syrup, either. Each eight-ounce serving contains no trans fats or other fats and are 120 calories or less.