Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker Giveaway {Sweet Summertime Giveaway Hop}

What sweet treat do you crave on a hot summer day? I'd scream ICE CREAM! If you looking to create custom-made frozen treats at home, I'd like to recommend an entry level ice cream maker from Hamilton Beach, who has been known to offer quality small appliances at affordable prices.

This Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker comes in one of my favorite colors - red. It allows you to make ice cream, frozen yogurt, custard, sherbet or gelato with your favorite ingredients and with minimal efforts. The motor is fully automated to get homemade frozen treats ready in as little as 20 minutes. The neat feature of this model is that it eliminates the need for rock salt, which simplifies the ice cream making process even more! Simple-to-follow recipes are included to help you get started on your new culinary adventure. It has a capacity of 1.5 quart and is on sale for just $26.88.

Have Fun with Otter Pops #YouOtterKnow

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jel Sert. All opinions are 100% mine.

What is your favorite thing about summer? Exciting outdoor activities, creative fashion experiments, or yummy frozen treat? One of the things my children love most about summer is that they can have popsicles every day! If you live in the western portion of the U.S., you're in luck! Because you will have the chance to try out Otter Pops, which come in six fruity flavors, featuring fun characters known as the Otter Pop Stars.

Otter Pop Stars include Sir Isaac Lime, Little Orphan Orange, Strawberry Short Kook, Louie-Bloo Raspberry, Poncho Punch, and Alexander The Grape. My elder son loves all the flavors, but the Little Orphan Orange is his absolute favorite. As far as the character goes, his likes Strawberry Short Kook best because he thinks she looks the funniest of all. And she looks so cool as a female drummer!

Otter Pops are made from real fruit juice and contain no major allergens. Besides enjoying a wholesome snack, your kids may have even more fun with their favorite Otter Pops, including music, dance, art, and more. Visit www.otterpopstars.com to check out all the fun facts about Otter characters and complete interesting activities while on the site!

My children love the music videos because they are funny, cheerful and the best way to see Otter Pop Stars in action. The "Fun Stuff" section is where you can learn something interesting from each Otter character, such as foreign language starters, art projects, pet care tips, and even a berry sweet poem written by Louie. What we finding most useful is "How to Tell a Fruit from a Vegetable".  Are you surprised that tomatoes, cucumbers, zuchini, peppers and coffee actually belong to the fruit family? And we look forward to creating our very own drum set when we have all the materials on hand!

Otter Pops are social beings too. You can connect with Otter Pops on Facebook and follow @OtterPops on Twitter.

Weight Watchers Ice Cream Review

I don't really have a sweet tooth, but the one sweet treat I can never resist is ice cream. It's my favorite snack of all seasons and eating ice cream in winter has been a heavenly indulgence for me. That's why I was overjoyed when Weight Watchers invited me to try out their new line of better-for-you ice cream snacks, which allow me to enjoy delicious treats without feeling guilty about it!

Weight Watchers is known for their holistic approach to weight loss, including the PointsPlus program, which helps people make healthy, sensible food choices by assigning a numeric value to a food item based on how hard your body has to work to process its major nutrients (e.g. protein, fat, carbohydrates and fiber) and how much eating satisfaction it provides. The lower the PointsPlus value, the better the food is for weight control.

With a PointsPlus value of 3 or less, Weight Watchers Ice Cream is a great snack choice for those who want to eat smart in the new year. Weight Watchers Ice Cream also comes in a variety of delectable flavors. The ones I sampled include Weight Watchers Snack Size Chocolate Fudge Bars, Weight Watchers Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bars, Weight Watchers Dulce de Leche Dessert Bars and Weight Watchers Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Dessert Bars.

After tasting all the four varieties, everyone in my family unanimously voted for the Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Dessert Bars as our favorite. Featuring low fat strawberry ice cream with a strawberry swirl dipped in a milk chocolate, each bar has a PointsPlus value of 3 and only 100 calories! They have the perfect blend of chocolate and berry flavors, the most enticing look and the perfect size for eating satisfaction. Our second favorite is the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bars, with a PointsPlus value of 2 per bar and just 80 calories. The Snack Size Chocolate Fudge Bars have as low as 1 PointsPlus value per bar and 45 calories, the best choice if you're really serious about weight loss. I'm not a big fan of caramel, but my husband loves the Dulce de Leche Dessert Bars as much as the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bars.

This is the first time I tried Weight Watchers Ice Cream and I'm truly surprised by how divine it tastes! It has far exceeded my expectations of a snack designed for weight loss. My husband and I love to savor Weight Watchers Ice Cream as our after-dinner dessert, while my son loves it as his afternoon snack. It's also a reward treat for good behavior that we feel comfortable about offering to our child.

Whether or not you're into keeping a healthy weight, I strongly recommend you to check out Weight Watchers Ice Cream--a tasty better-for-you treat to light up your day.

Disclosure: I received free products from Weight Watchers through MomSelect to facilitate my honest review. No monetary exchange took place. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned Shakes and Fruit Smoothies Review

The latest frozen novelties, Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned® Shakes and Fruit Smoothies, are hitting the freezer aisle across the country this summer, sure to shake up the snack routine of ice cream and smoothie lovers. Enjoy homemade milkshakes and smoothies with no mess, no blender, no scooping, no clean-up!

It's super easy to create creamy parlor-style shakes with Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned Shakes. Each single serve shake cup (10 oz) is filled with Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned frozen shake mix. Simply remove the lid, add milk, stir, and a milkshake will be ready to serve in 30 seconds. Better yet, the Slow Churned shakes contain only half the fat and one-third fewer calories than regular shakes. Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slow Churned® Shakes are available in four popular flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Cookies 'n Cream.

Made with real fruit, fruit juice and frozen yogurt, the new Dreyer’s/Edy’s Fruit Smoothies are a good source of calcium and Vitamin D, an excellent source of Vitamin C and contain live and active cultures. They are fat-free when made with fat-free milk. Follow the same simple steps: remove lid, add milk, and stir, and you will have a delicious fruit drink to start the day or pick you up between meals. Dreyer’s/Edy’s Fruit Smoothies come in four yummy flavors: Strawberry Banana, Mixed Berry, Tropical (Pineapple, Mango, Passion Fruit), and Sunrise Blend (Peach, Orange, Banana).

I was provided with several free coupons to try out the Dreyer’s Slow Churned® Shakes and Fruit Smoothies. We found the new products in the Kroger store we frequent for grocery shopping. My son and I picked the Chocolate and Cookies 'n Cream  flavored Shakes and Strawberry Banana and Mixed Berry flavored Fruit Smoothies. The Cookies 'n Cream Slow Churned Shake is our favorite. It's so rich, creamy, and tasty! I love how fast and easy it is to prepare a sweet treat that cools us down, providing a heavenly escape from the heat outside. You can customize the thickness of your drink to your liking by changing the amount of milk to add in. I can feel good about serving the Dreyer's shakes and smoothies to my child because they are low in fat and nutritious. The single serve cups are great for portion control. I did find the cups for shakes a bit too small compared to the mix inside. It was hard to thoroughly stirring up the contents without any spills. This was not an issue for the smoothies though.

Dreyer’s Slow Churned® Shakes and Fruit Smoothies are the first single-serve, drinkable snack treat offered by Dreyer’s/Edy’s. They are available nationwide with a suggested retail price of $1.79 (Our Kroger has them at $5 for 3). For additional product information and to find out where you can buy them, please visit www.icecream.com.

Disclosure: I received free products for review as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club. No monetary exchange took place. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

Popsicle Prize Pack Review and Giveaway-5 Winners!

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~

Popsicle® is a brand I grew up with. Their products filled my summer memories with cool sensations and colorful flavors. I can hardly tell you enough of how much personal meaning the brand has for me. Just think about their inspiring slogan: If It’s Popsicle®, It’s Possible! I got really excited when Popsicle® offered me the opportunity to sample their newest product--Jolly Rancher™ ice pops!

Popsicle® Jolly Rancher™ ice pops are not only colorful and flavorful, they are also quite healthy. At 45 calories, each pop is made with 10% fruit juice, is fat free, and provides 10% of the daily value for vitamin C per serving. Each 20-pack includes 10 pair of pops, each coming in four flavors in four color-coded layers: Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Grape and Sour Apple. This is the first time my son has tried an ice pop. He's absolutely fascinated by its interesting look and rich fruity flavors. He started to ask for a popsicle instead of yogurt during snack time. He usually got a green light when we came back home from outside. Who can resist a cute child's request for a delicious summer treat that even adults (including myself) crave for?

On the stick of each Jolly Rancher™ ice pop, there is a riddle with its answer hidden under the colorful ice pop. Older kids may have fun trying to resolve the riddle while gulping down their frozen treat. In fact, this bonus feature could make you eligible to win some great prizes! You'd better start collecting these cute sticks now.

To make the Summer of 2010 one to remember, Popsicle® is giving away three grand-prize family trips to dig for dinosaurs in Wyoming, dive with dolphins in Florida and explore the universe by going to Space Camp® in Huntsville, Ala. From now through September 30, 2010, you can enter the Anything's Possible Sweepstakes for your chance to win the grand prize trips and the daily prize, the National Geographic Kids™ “Big Book of Fun”.

I also received a copy of the Big Book of Fun for review. As you can see from its cover, the book is filled with colorful pictures, fun games, trivia tests, and lots of activities to keep kids engaged for hours. You can request a FREE copy of the book if you buy any four participating kids products or download the Small Book of Fun for free here.

In addition to the Anything's Possible Sweepstakes, Popsicle® is also hosting a Stick Joke Contest on Twitter. Simply submit a kid-friendly joke to the Popsicle® Twitter page  for a chance to have your joke included on a Popsicle® stick or on http://www.popsicle.com. See official rules here.

Popsicle® has partnered with National Geographic Kids™ on the "Slow the Melt" campaign, which encourages kids to take easy steps to help slow the melt of the polar ice caps. As a reward, kids may play four new fun games in the Slow Melt Game Zone. Between now and August 15, 2010, Popsicle® will donate $1, up to $25,000, to the National Geographic™ Polar Fund for every Tweet containing the hashtag #SlowTheMelt. Funds raised will support research and exploration efforts of the polar ice caps and global warming issues. Thank you in advance for contributing to this great cause with a simple tweet.

The Giveaway

To maximize your summer fun, Popsicle® has generously offered to give five of my lucky readers a Popsicle Summer Fun Prize Pack! Each prize pack includes two coupons each good for a FREE Popsicle product valued up to $4.00 and a copy of the 80-page Big Book of Fun (Retails $6.99)! A total of $75 worth of products are being given away here!

Required Entry: Visit Popsicle.com, and leave a comment telling me your favorite product besides the Jolly Rancher™ ice pops. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• Follow Popsicle on Twitter and leave your Twitter handle (1 extra entry)
• Tell me which Slow Melt game would be your kid's favorite (1 extra entry)
• Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
• Subscribe to my feed via email and leave your email address (1 extra entry)
• Follow Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler #Summer fun #giveaway! Win #FREE @Popsicle products & Big Book of Fun! 5 winners! http://bit.ly/stmpop #fbz #SlowTheMelt
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• "Like" me on Facebook and leave your name (1 extra entry)
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• Sign up at EZWin via this link and leave me your username on the site (3 extra entries)
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• Grab my button and tell me where to find it (1 extra entry)
• Add icefairy's Treasure Chest to your blogroll and leave the link (1 extra entry)
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to Popsicle and Me. Then leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 7/22/10

Open to US Residents Only

Winners will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: I received free products to facilitate my review. I didn't receive monetary compensation for writing this post and thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.