Share Sam's Club with a Friend & Plan a Party

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Sam’s Club. All opinions are mine alone.

When my friend Bree and I see each other work always seems to be the reason, but the times we all get together and have some fun are the best. We try to make time outside our busy lives of working full time, me being a Mom and Bree a full time student to just hang out.

Bree and I know many people all with birthdays right around one another and were thinking of planning one big party. Being the money savvy gals we are we decided to see what the cost would be like for a big party. I live down the street from Sam's Club so we grabbed some coffee and made a list. Sam's Club is one of those stores you can shop and get everything you might need all in one stop. It is my go to when we are planning a big party.

The first thing Bree said to me when we walked into Sam's Club was "I have never been in a Sam's Club but I have been in other big warehouse stores". I knew this was going to be a great trip to show her the prices and quality of the products for a party. Bree is known for the great parties she throws and the goodies she bakes. My son even knows the Bree makes all the goodies I bring home from work. He asks me if I have a "special treat" for him and I know he means did Bree make me anything lol.

Being the baker she is and her busy life I wanted her to see how convenient Sam's Club can be for parties and baking. The first thing we had on our list was disposable plates, cups and utensils. The only not so fun part of a party is the clean up, so I figured if we bought all disposable items it would keep clean up simple.

We started with Disposable party supplies and quickly the cart became full

We wanted to have healthy options for our party so we shopped for fresh food like fruit and a veggie party platter. Beverages are essential to a party as well. At Sam's Club they have a huge assortment of beverages to select from. We picked the basics of apple juice, water, soda and juice boxes.

Our favorite section in Sam's Club is the bakery area. I showed Bree how all the items can be used for semi-homemade treats. I know she loves to bake from scratch but I wanted her to see how she can save time while planning a party with pre-made items. We decided we would make bite size cake treats instead of a traditional birthday cake.

We purchased vanilla pound cake, chocolate chips, heavy cream and fresh blue berries & raspberries to make our chocolate covered cake topped with fruit.

Fresh Fruit Chocolate Covered Cake:

3 pk of Vanilla Loaf Cake
18 oz pack of fresh blueberries
18 oz pack of fresh raspberries
36 oz bag of chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
1 quart heavy cream

Pour 4 cups of chocolate chips into bowl, set aside. Boil 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream, pour over chocolate chips, stir slowly until blended. Cut vanilla cake loaf into even slices, cut in half. Drizzle chocolate glaze over cakes, top with fresh fruit, place in fridge 30 min to set.

Now that I have shared Sam's Club with a friend and planned a party we will spend the rest of the afternoon eating all the delicious food we bought and made. I am sure Bree will be shopping Sam's Club for her next party.

If you would like to #TrySamsClub for you or a friend you can read more on facebook and twitter. #CollectiveBias

Cowboy Dinner with Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken #MealsTogether

My family loves to eat chicken. We have it at least every other night. There are so many ways to cook it and many options to serve with it. Since I have started working I do not have as much time to cook whole chickens like I have in the past. There is a great flavor that comes with whole chicken that you can't get in breast or legs. I have been looking for a product that is easy to make and with great flavor for chicken. When I heard about Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken at Sam's Club I knew I had to try it.

Dinnertime can be more than just a time to eat, we like to have themes and make it fun. We eat everyday of course but that does not mean we cannot make it a reason to celebrate. My son LOVES cowboys, Woody the cowboy from Toy Story and horses. He has the boots, hat, toys and yells YeeHaw when he rides his stuffed giraffe around the house. He even thinks he Papa (his grandpa on my side of the family) is a cowboy since I did not know how to explain where Texas is. I told him its where the cowboys who ride horses live. So he know thinks his Papa is a cowboy and last time I was on the phone with my Dad my son asked me about Papa's horse lol.

We decide to have a Cowboy Dinner this week to make an everyday dinner a special occasion. We planned our menu around the new Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken. I was thrilled to be able to have a premade flavored chicken to just stick in the oven to reheat giving me time to make delicious side dishes.

For my Cowboy Dinner I will be serving:
Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken
Jalapeno Cornbread
Hasselback Garlic Potatoes
Ranch Beans with Sauteed Red Onion
Corn on the Cob

Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins Recipe

• 1 cup ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers (seeds removed)
• 1/3 cup corn kernels (can or fresh)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

-In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with a whisk until the yolks and whites are blended then whisk in the milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Then add the corn kernels and diced jalapeno. Pour into cupcake liners half full. Add shredded cheddar cheese to the tops of the muffins and 

bake.

-Cook for 20-25 minutes until toothpick can be placed in and come out clean. 

1. 
   
2. There is a brand of Ranch Beans is very special to me. My Mom served these all the time when I was a kid with potatoes and chicken. I absolutely love them and the flavor brings back a million memories of summer nights of BBQ and swimming. I love it when a flavor of food can make you feel sentimental. I plan to make the Silver Spur Chicken flavor one that brings back memories of fun dinners with my son.

The easiest part of the whole meal was the Silver Spur Chicken. I opened the package placed into a glass cooking dish and cooked it until it was warm. The aroma of the smoked chicken cooking filled the house, it smelled like a BBQ. My whole family loved the dinner. The chicken was delicious and I told my husband I made it myself. I let him think I had for about half of the meal but did tell him it was a premade chicken when he grew suspicious of how good it was lol.

We had a wonderful night having a cowboy dinner party. My son ate so much food he took a nap after dinner! In theme with the dinner my husband and I watched a cowboy movie, True Grit with Matt Damon. I have a celebrity crush on Matt Damon that makes my husband laugh! We plan to buy more of the Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken next time we are at Sam's Club. I have a few more recipes and theme dinner ideas I would love to share with family and friends.

This was so cute, he was saying MMMM and had his eyes closed. My boy loves good chicken.

If you live in CA or TX you can try Silver Spur Smoked Whole Chicken at Sam's Club today, Saturday March 9th 2013. Most Sam's Club sampling run from 1pm to 4pm. Other areas of the US will have this delicious chicken in stores soon.

You can read my Google+ Story about the Silver Spur Demo I attended at Sam's Club.

*I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and the makers of Silver Spur Chicken. #cbias #SocialFabric #MealsTogether. All opinons expressed in this post are my own.

Holiday Traditions with Starbucks Holiday Blend Coffee

As a child the holiday season was a magical time in our house. My mom would decorate, my dad would make egg nog and us kids would eat my moms home made fudge as we watched her sort and organize the holiday decor. I would eagerly await the moments my mom would sort the ornaments. I LOVED each and everyone of them. My sister and I would play with the doll ornaments, have the animal candle decor be our pets and even the nut cracker was included in our play time. My mom was sweet to let us gently play with the ornaments while she organized everything for the day we would decorate the tree. I have the sweetest memories of holiday decor organizing. 

Now with my own son we keep the same tradition for the day before the tree arrives. I get out all the decor to sort and organize based on the theme we will have for the holidays. I love looking at each ornament and recall where I got it or who gave it to me. Each of them represent a loved one or cherished memory. To me a Christmas tree is a loving representation of the years lived. Funny ones, cute ones, religious ones and holiday themed ones all decorate my tree. We also get out and clean the other decor like our mini singing tree, the nut cracker, lights and so much more.

This holiday season we are in a new home. I am so excited for a Christmas in the new place and to decorate this year. We are having our annual sort, organize and theme selection day. I brought out the bins of holiday decor and poured a cup of coffee to enjoy while I reminisce over each item.

Each year I look forward to the Starbucks Holiday Blend as a part of our tradition as well. I have been drinking it each year since I moved out of my parents home. My mom started sending the big bag of coffee for me as a Christmas present. The last few year I have been buying it earlier so I can enjoy the whole holiday season.

A sweet treat to go along with holiday decor organizing is a must have item. Some years is cookies or muffins or a chocolate treat. This year we decided to buy cinnamon rolls to compliment the flavors of the Starbucks Holiday blend. I shopped at Sam's Club for my items. I was looking for a display for the Starbucks Holiday blend so I did not have to look all over for one of my favorite Holiday indulgence but did not see it. I went down the coffee aisle and found the Holiday blend next to the other Starbucks roasts. We enjoy the bakery selection Artisan Fresh items that we find there. I did not see the cinnamon rolls up front or on display, they had apple turnovers on a display but not cinnamon rolls. I did see them in the Bakery section near the breads. I even spotted pumpkin muffins and mini cinnamon rolls.

 I love the scent of the coffee! I do not normally drink black coffee but with the Holiday Blend I love the flavors of the roast and want to enjoy them. The complimentary notes for the Starbucks  Holiday Blend are ginger, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange and cloves. The flavor was amazing when I would take a sip of the coffee then a bite of the cinnamon roll then more coffee. The sweetness of the cinnamon roll complimented the bold notes of the coffee. Its a delicious pair for the holidays! #DeliciousPairings

I brew Starbucks at home all year long and I am never disappointed in the flavor. Its just like at a coffee house except I get to be at home nice and warm not out fighting traffic or looking for parking in the bustle of Holiday shopping. If you are looking to add a delicious drink and treat to your holiday traditions Starbucks Holiday Blend and Sam's Club Artisan Fresh Cinnamon Rolls are perfect for cold holiday nights spending time with your family. Even my husband loved it and he can be picky about his holiday treats! He commented on how he could taste the cinnamon in the coffee more after taking a bite of the cinnamon roll first. He asked if I made the cinnamon rolls since they tasted so great, for a moment or two I let him think I did but then told him they were from the Sam's Club bakery.

With the ornaments and decor cleaned and organized we are ready to buy our tree this week. We were inspired by the bag of Starbucks Holiday Blend and have decided to go with gold, green and white as our holiday theme colors. I look forward to the Christmas tree going up, I will be enjoying a cup of coffee and cinnamon rolls as I sit back and marvel in the beauty of it.



*I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric

Quick and Healthy Meal Options for Mom with Lean Cuisine

Shopping at Sam's Club is a weekly trip for my family. In the past we would do one big trip a month but since my son was born a few years ago we like to go a few times a month to see what new items we see and deals we can find. Plus I find it fun to take my son with me out and about. He likes to go shopping with me, especially when there is Sam's Club samples involved :)

For me shopping at Sam's Club is easier to be able to stock up on items. I am the type of person who wants to have things handy when I need them. The was two grocery stores close by me but one closed so there is only one grocery store and they are somewhat expensive. I do not like to run out of things and end up over paying there since its closer.

Not only do I save money shopping at Sam's Club I save time, something that is priceless! I do use coupons often but I have found with some deals the time it takes to gather coupons, compare prices and map out my plan could be spent playing games with my son or reading a book to him. Not to mention the amount of gas it takes to run all over town gathering the items. Going to Sam's Club I dont need coupons and its just one store.

My husband and I were planning a Hunger Games movie date night. Lean Cuisine for me pizza for him.

I have been trying to make better decisions for food I eat. The last six months have been an emotional rollercoaster for me and it has taken a toll on my waistline! I am looking for food that is just for me to eat. I want to have it be easy to make, small portions, low in fat and at a great price. I dont want meal plans or shakes, I want real food that taste good. I am a fan of Sam's Club Frozen Foods, its easy to cook and convenient to have in the house. While we were at Sam's Club I found a 6 pack of Lean Cuisine Asian inspired meals for less than $11.25. Flavors like Garlic Ginger, Sesame Chicken and Teriyaki all sound delicious! I enjoy eating Asian flavors of food, often its deep or shallow fried so not the best for me. I was so glad to see Lean Cuisine was making a low fat no preservative entree.

 I love to eat fried rice with peas and carrots in it when we go out to eat at Asian restaurants. The problem is the item is FRIED! Not good for my overall health. I planned to add some boiled white jasmine rice and steamed veggies as a nice side dish to my Lean Cuisine. #FrozenFavorites

For our movie date night I tried the Sesame Chicken with Pasta for only 9 grams of fat. The rice and veggie side dish had no fat making this a great low fat and delicious dinner for me. I was satisfied eating my meal, sometimes "diet" food can leave you feeling hungry. Since we were watching The Hunger Games the last thing I wanted to be was hungry! I like knowing I can afford something tasty for my diet needs and still have time to make my family something else for dinner. Next weekend when my Mother in law comes over I am going to serve her and I the Lean Cuisine Ginger Garlic Chicken Stir Fry. I think she will love it!

You can read my Google+ story about my shopping trip to Sam's Club and see all the great samples my son and I tried.

To connect with Lean Cuisine and learn more about the Lean Cuisine Delicious Rewards program you can be a fan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

*I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and (Nestle) LEAN CUISINE #CBias #SocialFabric