Jungle Book Inspired Healthy Fruit Pizza

I can't really think of any Disney movies that I haven't loved. But The Jungle Book holds a very special place in my heart.

Released in 1967, I was ten years old, and it was the very first movie I had ever seen in a movie theater. We were there to celebrate my best friend's birthday, and the day was completely wonderful.

So I'm super excited that Walmart is releasing The Jungle Book Blu-Ray Combo Pack Diamond Edition, and now I can share it with my grandchildren.

I'm sure they will love this movie as much as I do. And to celebrate it's upcoming release, I thought it would be fun to make yummy, #JungleFresh inspired fruit pizzas. These are healthy, quick to make, and so delicious.

When I went shopping at Walmart for the fruit and other ingredients I needed to make the fruit pizzas, I saw this ad for the release of The Jungle Book, available for sale there on February 11th.
 So exciting!!

Walmart is the only place where you can receive a free Jungle Book Lunch Box with the purchase of the Diamond Edition.

I love that Walmart has such a big selection of fruits and veggies. My family and I eat lots of both, and I'm happy that my grandchildren love fruit, and ask for it often for their snacks.

I knew they would love eating and making the fruit pizzas. They are also a great snack for me, and we can personalize them with our very own favorite kinds of fruit.
#CollectiveBias

I gathered up the ingredients we needed for making the pizzas. I used healthy whole grain pita pockets instead of pizza dough, and they were the perfect size.

I made an easy yogurt based dip to spread on top of the pita pockets. Blueberries are a staple at our house because they are so amazingly healthy for you, and they taste great, too.

Bananas, strawberries, pineapple, and kiwi were the other fruits we used, but of course you can customize your fruit pizza with your own favorite kinds of fruit. Shredded coconut and granola are what we used to sprinkle on top.

Just whisk together the yogurt, honey, and brown sugar until smooth. It smells so good!!

Them with a spoon, spread a medium layer of the fruit dip on the pita bread. Add your already washed and cut pieces of fruit, as much as you like, and top with coconut and granola.

This is just like making regular pizzas, but with fruit. And these fruit pizzas are so good and healthy for you. The kids love them, and it's always fun for them to help in the kitchen.

My granddaughter Ashley was happy to be given free rein to make her own pizza, and she used her favorites, blueberries, strawberries, and tons of coconut.

I can't wait to share The Jungle Book with her and her brothers, I know we will have fun watching it together. We will add it to our beloved Disney movie collection that just keeps growing.

 

Recipe for Jungle Book Inspired Fruit Pizza:

Ingredients:

For Yogurt Honey Fruit Dip:
1 cup Vanilla-Honey (or regular vanilla) Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar

For Pizza:
4 regular sized whole grain pita pocket bread
1 cup (or more) sliced strawberries
1 banana peeled and sliced
1/2 cup small pineapple chucks
1 cup blueberries
1 medium kiwi peeled and sliced
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 granola

Directions:
To make fruit dip, mix Greek yogurt, honey and brown sugar in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Spread dip evenly over pita pocket with a spoon. Cover pita pocket with assorted fruit.
Sprinkle with coconut and granola. Cut into wedges.

Enjoy!!

Walmart Family Mobile Still Keeping Us Connected and Saving Money #shop

My family is everything to me, my reason I work so hard, my reason I smile each day when I wake up. Having to work and be away from them can be daunting at times but staying connect to them with the Best Wireless from Walmart Family Mobile makes my days brighter.

Having a mobile phone for everyone in the family is a norm these days, we were the oddballs that shared a phone until we discovered Walmart Family Mobile and the cheap wireless plan offered. We thought there would be no way to afford two phone plans since my current phone under a contract cost about $75 a month. Never did I think back last December to go to Walmart for a phone and plan. I wish I had since I am now stuck in a contract! For my husband we have the best Unlimited Plans I could ask for. I tell everyone we know about the Walmart Family Mobile I am still amazed by the price difference 5 months after discovering the Walmart Family Plan. #FamilyMobileSaves

At first we thought we would try out the service see how it goes since its not a contract you can cancel anytime. I loved that part, not being stuck in a contract. We have loved the service we get, how easy it is to pay your bill online and the price per month. Walmart Family Mobile is powered by T-Mobile so it has vast coverage for its wireless coverage.

I can go on forever about how much I love that my husband has a smart phone we can afford to keep us connected through out the day while I work. Not only do I miss my son all day but my husband is my best friend, I miss him too and we text all day long while I work. I get to know what they are doing, my husband asks my opinion on things so I feel like I have an input in their day while I am not home.

Trips to get fun food while Mom works since we have a little extra money from the Cheap Wireless Plan

A new hat thanks to saving money on our mobile plan!

The pictures my husband takes for me every day make my heart soar. I will be having a rough day then I go check my phone and there is a sweet or funny picture on my phone showing me what they are doing. I work different hours each day so they are having to adjust to whatever the day brings. Sometimes they go on mini adventures. My husband makes sure to text me pictures as they do so I feel included.

Train rides and candy while I work, seeing the pics made me a happy Mom!

I find it funny too that my husband said he did not need a phone, he has a camera already why would he need a phone one and he is not much of a texting kinda guy, well that has all changed! He even uses his phone to take photos that we would normally use a big bulky camera for.

Now there are even more options with the Walmart Family Plan. You can opt to not have the Web service on your phone and have talk and text for only $29.88, this would be perfect for a way to keep in touch with your kids or parents.

Adding a line with the unlimited plan is an option we are going to do as soon as my contract is up with the expensive phone we have. I count the days till my contract is up so we can save even more money than we do now.

Another feature from Walmart Family Mobile that you can buy in packs is ringtones, games and international calling. I know many people have family in Mexico or overseas for military that would save money from the Walmart plans. Walmart even offers a lifeline discount for low income families to have a phone. Having a cell these days is important not only for safety but for work and family connections. Walmart carries many Smart Phones that you can have your plan hooked up to and can even switch your current phone to a Walmart plan.

This picture sums up why I will not ever go without Walmart Family Mobile Plan. My son was wanting to wait up for me to get off work to see me before he went to bed. He was in his new pjs that he insisted must be blue with an animal on it, sleeping with his best friend giraffe, on his monkey pillow pet he got for his birthday and he fell asleep waiting for me. My husband texted me this picture as I waited for the store to close and me to be able to leave. I teared up that I missed him and that my husband was sweet enough to send it. Its the little moments a family member can miss without a loved one taking the time and having a smart phone to send a picture. #cbias

Family Movie Night with Scott Shared Values, Vudu and Walmart #ScottValues

*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 their client. #cbias #SocialFabric


Family movie night is our favorite way to spend time together at home. My husband and I have always been movie fans and our son has turned into one too and we love it. Renting and buying movies can add up quickly so I am always trying to find ways to save money on movies. We belong to the Scott Shared Values program since we buy many Scott Brand items like toilet tissue and paper towels. I read that Scott brand items at Walmart have special marked vouchers on them for a free Vudu movie. Since I already purchase Scott items I thought it would be a perfect time to stock up and get some free movies too.

My husband has been using Scott brand toilet tissue since we have been together (almost 15 years) its been one of the main things he wont let me get a generic or other brands for even when I find a sale and have a coupon. I buy for myself the cheaper stuff to save money but I always have to buy my husband Scott brand. Its a mine vs his battle! When the brand I have is out (which happens often since cheaper brands have less on them) I sneak to the closet to get some of his and I am always informed that it should be replaced with two rolls for the one being borrowed. This makes me laugh every time!!

I do admit his brand of Scott is better and more value for my money so I now have my own stash of Scott tp in the bathroom. The cheaper store version will have to go!

For our family movie night this week we decided to let my son select the movie. We went to Walmart to get the Scott brand toilet tissue and paper towels, to have my son see what movie he wanted and get movie watching snacks. I love the Scott select a size style of paper towel since less is wasted.

My Mom told me about Vudu and that it was simple to use. My first thought was does this need some sort of credit card, and it did not to use my free movie code. I pulled the sticker off the Scott package and redeemed the code on the back at Walmart Shared Values webpage. I created an account and searched the movies. It is an easy site to use, so glad we know about it now.

So cool! Free classic movies when you sign up to use your free code.

We entered our codes and selected Wreck It Ralph since my son has been wanting to see that movie. We had our snacks of candy and popcorn. I made little popcorn holders using Scott Paper Towels and some ribbon. I folded them like a cone and tied off the end and filled with popcorn. This was a perfect way to hold the popcorn, be able to keep hands clean after and no cleaning of popcorn bowls.

With the money we saved on watching a Free Vudu movie with the Scott Shared Values program I feel like it was a $4 coupon on the items since we already spend so much on movie watching. Its a great value! Since we purchased two Scott items we had an additional movie voucher that I used to let my son watch a Disney movie while I cleaned the house, thats a win-win!

To stay up to date on the deals offered with Scott Shared Value program you can like them on Facebook.

The Scott Shared Value program has a great coupon right now for Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful. I love that I can save money on items that are more than just Scott with the program. Saving money is my favorite way to shop!

You can read about my shopping trip to Walmart in search of specially marked Scott items for our Vudu movie and see what other products Walmart carries to make a family movie night complete by

reading my Google+ story.

Mother's Day Tea Party with Bigelow Tea #AmericasTea

My Mother's Day gift basket full of Bigelow Tea items.

For Mother’s Day as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias®  I had a Tea Party on the patio with my son enjoying Bigelow Tea. I created a drink recipe with Blueberry Bigelow Tea and blueberry lemonade.

Tea parties are not just for girls! My son and I love to have tea parties together. If its just water and the make believe type of tea party or a real party with tea and cookies I love the time we spend together. For Mother's Day we decided to have a real tea party on the patio among our growing plants. First we went to Walmart to buy all the items we needed for our party. We bought lots of Bigelow Tea, sweet treats, tea drinking items and lots of presents for me for Mother's Day.

I have read about the Bigelow Half Tea Half Lemonade drink and decided I wanted to make my own homemade version. I purchased Blueberry tea and a blueberry lemonade to make a delicious Blueberry Tea Lemonade drink to enjoy at our tea party.

I gently brewed 3 blueberry tea bags into a half gallon of water and added half the container of blueberry lemonade once the tea cooled. Soooooo good! 

For our main tea drink for our tea party my son selected Orange tea. I added a few slices of oranges to the tea for added flavor. My son ate a few slices before they made it to the tea pitcher, I love that about cooking with him, he will try all the ingredients like a true chef would :)

Now that I have my Mother's Day gift basket filled with Bigelow tea I can replace my winter teas with more light spring and summer teas in the tea drawer. I do always have to have Apple Cider tea all year long. Its delicious! Not only does Bigelow tea taste great I select this brand since they are a company that practices being green to protect the environment and has a land preservation program that saves valuable land from development. Bigelow Tea also achieved a Zero Waste company status. I was excited to see that, this means only 10% of there production items make it to the landfill. Other items are recycled or composted. I love the idea of that!  Also Bigelow tea bags are not bleached like some other brands. Overall I like that Bigelow Tea is a company that cares! 

My son and I have made Orange tea to serve with lemon cookies and chocolate covered dried fruit and the blueberry tea lemonade. My son could not wait for me to take a picture to try the blueberry drink. He placed a crazy straw in and drank half of it so quick! He loves it and so do I. 

Now that we have all our tea party items made we headed to the patio to enjoy it. We recently moved from a house to a condo. Our house had a huge backyard with many garden beds. We have made created great memories gardening and wanted to still enjoy it while living in a temporary situation. He even picked out a strawberry plant as a Mother's Day gift for me. Our garden right now may be small but we still have so much fun spending time planting and harvesting, its priceless. 

I asked my son which of his stuffed animals did he want to join our tea party and he told me this is just a Mommy and Baby tea party. Too cute! 

I love spending anytime I can with my son. I work full time outside the home and did not realize how precious each second we spend together really is. Doing things like having a Mother's Day tea party creates memories and bonding time with my son that is precious to me. After we enjoyed our tea and cookies we sat together on the couch to watch a professional bull riding competition and then Tiger Woods play golf. It was a wonderful way to spend the day with my son. 

You can read my Google+ story about our shopping trip to Walmart to find Bigelow Tea. 

Connect with Bigelow Tea online at their Facebook page and Twitter account. 

Staying Connected with Walmart Family Mobile Plan #FamilyMobileSaves

*This is a sponsored post. The opinions expressed in this story are my own.

Being a working Mom is a tough job. You want to be at home with the kids but you also have a responsibility to be at work. It can be emotionally roller-coaster at times to be missing out on things your kids are doing and at the same time a joy of knowing your providing for them. I am lucky enough to have my husband be the one to take care of our son. It has been six months of my husband being a Stay at Home Dad and I could not be more proud of how awesome he is at it.

Since starting work I have been taking the family mobile phone with me to work. We have thought a second phone was outside of our budget. On my days off I have been doing some research looking at Cheap Wireless Plans for Family Mobile online. I want my husband to have a phone for anytime he needs it and to also keep connected with me.

I miss my husband and son like crazy each time I work. I wonder what they are doing, if they are having a good day or what silly things has my son done. I wanted them to have a phone that we can text on, send pictures and be able to use the web to email me if they wanted to.

I have an iPhone for my phone on a contract, bad idea getting a contract but I did not do any research before jumping into the decision. Now that I have had time to look around I realized I could be paying much less for two phones than I do for the one phone I have now.

Samsung Galaxy and iPhone comparison

My husband wanted a phone that had a big enough screen for my son and him to play games on and was easy to use. We like the Samsung Galaxy line since the screen is big, the phone is thin and the buttons are touch ones that are easy to use. Compared to my iPhone the size difference is easy to see.

After reading online about the Walmart Mobile Family Plan I knew that was the solution for us to have two phones. The first phone is only $40 a month with Unlimited talk, text and web. We purchased an activation card at Walmart for $25 to set up our monthly service. You can use your own phone or buy a phone at Walmart. I was amazed at how easy it was to set up the phone! For my iPhone it took over an hour to run my credit, get all my info and set up the phone to work. With the Wamart plan I activated it and was calling from it within 15 minutes. So easy!! I pay twice that a month for my iPhone. As soon as my contract is up I will be adding my phone to my husbands Family Mobile Walmart plan.  I can manage my monthly bill online and pay it over the internet so I do not have to hassle with a bill or pay station at the My Family Mobile site.

To celebrate my husband's 6 month anniversary of being a Stay at Home Dad we decided to have a pizza and popsicle party at the park on my day off. Now that my husband has a phone he can keep me connected to them all day with texts and pictures of them. I can have a little more piece of mind knowing they have a phone anytime they need it and I can call them anytime I miss them.

Pizza Party at the park

Taking photos of themselves at the park. I love the cute pics they have taken.

Being able to see pictures of the funny things my son does, the messy things and even just him taking a nap while I am working will make the day much easier being away from him. A text saying "Hi we love you" makes my day go by so much faster. 

My husband has download a bunch of games for him and our son to play on the phone as well as handy organizing and reminder apps. My son has been having a blast playing Angry Birds, now we know why his cousins love the game so much! For only $40 a month we have made life easier and me happier. Whats better than a happy Mom right?!?! 



You can read my Google+ story on how we shopped at Walmart to make our decision on purchasing a Family Mobile Plan. 



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 Walmart Family Mobile.  #FamilyMobileSaves #cbias #SocialFabric All opinions in this post are my own.

Family Fun: College Basketball Championship Games #KettleMadness

We have become huge sports fans in the last few years since we have had our son. We did not realize the fun we were missing out on! Each season there is a new sport to follow and my son loves them all.  We watch the professional level and college sports. It is exciting to watch college level since you can root for the schools you love and see up and coming players.

Since basketball season started this year we have been watching games on tv and watching Basketball themed movies with our son in preparation of the Spring College Basketball Tournament. We have been watching Air Bud over and over! I love to see how excited he gets when a team makes a basket and cheers when the game is over.  This year we have decided to throw a family party to watch my son's favorite team play in the yearly College Basketball Championship games.

My son has picked his favorite team to be the Louisville Cardinals since they look like the Angry Birds. When he told me he likes the Red Angry Bird team it made me giggle, I told him its a Cardinal but of course he insisted it was Angry Birds. We decided that Louisville would be our team this year and we followed along as they have been playing the Championship Basketball Tournament. So far they have been doing great!

For any good party its all about the food. We wanted easy to eat food so we could watch the game while we ate. My first thought was chips and dip, who doesn't love to dunk a chip while watching basketball. Kettle Chips are perfect for a game snack, they have so many flavors and aren't messy like some brittle chips. Plus not only do they taste great the Kettle Brand chips are made with natural ingredients for flavor and color. We headed to Walmart to get Kettle Chips, drinks, dips, hamburger items and party supplies.

My son loves burgers. He would eat them daily if I let him. For our College Basketball party I decided to make a special hamburger for us all to enjoy. I crushed up the Jalapeno Kettle Chips into tiny pieces to add into the hamburger while it cooked. When the burgers were done cooking I topped them with more Jalapeno chips and cheese. They turned out delicious! Everyone loved them and my son ate two whole hamburgers and asked for more. (He went into the fridge while we were watching the game and took a burger that was intended for my mother in law!)

We wanted my son to be able to practice shooting baskets anytime he wanted so we purchased a basketball set that has two hoops and a scoreboard. Before getting him the hoop he would have me hold my arms like a basket and many of times I was hit in the face with the ball as the backboard. My son loved being able to play basketball as we watched the College Basketball Championship Games. When his team Cardinals "Angry Birds" would score a big play he would cheer then run over to his hoop and shoot a basket. He has become really good at his ability to score a basket throwing it the correct way.

We set up the chips like a tasting bar with the flavors in separate containers to enjoy all the flavors. We all tried different ones and each had a favorite. My son loves the Backyard BBQ one, I love the Salt & Vinegar, my husband and his friend the Jalapeno and my mother in law the Krinkle Cut. I like the crispy crunch of Kettle Brand chips and when you open a bag of Kettle Brand Potato Chips, you know you’re getting real chips made with real ingredients by real people.

In the fourth quarter I brought out the Red & Yellow Sugar Cookies I made during the game to celebrate that our team was winning. We all had a wonderful time cheering for our team and watching them win. They will be moving onto the next round of the College Basketball Tournament and we will be watching the game on April 6th to see them win again!

Next time you have a College Basketball party be sure to include Kettle Brand Chips for great flavor and natural ingredients. I have a coupon for you to use as well for Kettle Brand chips. Its located on my side bar on the blog for you to save $1 on one bag. Happy College Basketball Tournament season to you and GO Cardinals "Angry Birds"!

To connect more with Kettle Brand chips on Facebook and Twitter. You can read my Google+ story  to see our fun shopping trip to Walmart for our College Basketball party to get ideas for your own party.



*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 Kettle Chips #cbias #SocialFabric

Finding Ways to Live a Healthier Lifestyle #HealthyChoices

The day you realize you need to make healthier choices for your family can be a liberating one. After doing a funny post on the giant tub of cheese balls my husband bought our son while I was at work I had a mini melt down after realizing, really thats what we are eating. That night I threw out over $50 of junk food that was in the house. Then cried that that money was hard earned. Its crazy feeling to realize that we eat junk just because we are so busy. Its no longer my excuse that we can't be healthier just because we are busy.

My Mom has told me about Healthy Choice Top Chef Meals and Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt since she has made many lifestyle changes to live a happier healthy life. She knows I can be a picky eater and how busy I am so I would enjoy them. When she mentioned there was also a $1 off coupon that I could print and take with me, I was sold! I am a money saving Mom and I do enjoy trying new foods.

I ran to Kinkos to print my coupons (my ink was out but for $1 off each on the 8 items I planned to buy it was worth the extra trip). Then I headed to Walmart to shop for the Healthy Choice food and pick up a few other items I need. There is a coupon you can print for your shopping trip on my blog side bar.

The Healthy Choice Top Chef Crustless Pot Pie taste wonderful!

One of the first items I noticed in the Healthy Choice Top Chef line was the one that said Winner on it. Its a Crustless Chicken Pot Pie. I have loved pot pie since I was a little kid and really wanted to try this one. I saw several other entrees I wanted to try included Italian inspired food. I am often finding myself popping in the microwave a fattening and quick bite to eat on the way to work or fast food while at work. These choices are not making me happy. I want to eat food that taste great and is a healthier choice for my busy life.

One of the biggest struggles for me and making healthier choices is dessert. I find myself buying ice cream, cake and other items that should not be eaten everyday. When I come home from work on a night shift I want to enjoy a sweet treat while I relax and watch a movie. Having an option that actually taste good is what I need. I searched for the Healthy Choice Dark Fudge Swirl flavor in the Greek Frozen Yogurt but it was out of stock in two stores. This tells me it must be good if people are buying it. I bought 4 other flavors of the Greek Frozen Yogurt since I had my coupons.

Living a healthy life not only includes eating affordable healthy meals but it also means have a happy positive attitude. I have my own personal slogan that I tell myself all the time, "P for Positive". Anytime I feel flustered or something arises that can be seen as negative I look for any part of it that can be seen as positive. I have this little Bee card hanging in my office and on my phone. I look at it as a reminder that a mind set can be the center of a healthy life.

Other ways I make lifestyle choices to be healthy and positive is gardening. Being outside and growing food we can eat is very rewarding. It is not an instant thing but one that takes time and care. My son loves to help water the plants and pick the produce when its ready. This year we moved from a big house with a yard and garden beds to a condo with a tiny patio. We did not let this bring us down but we looked at it as an opportunity to learn about container gardening and concentrate on a few plants rather than many.

Since I am so busy working all the time I am not the type of person who will go to the gym on my days off. I feel like those days I need to spend with my son having fun. If I do some stretching and light strength training at home my son can be there on his mat mimicking me and having fun. He does the cutest little sit ups! I am not on a path of lose a bunch of weight really fast but a path to make healthier choices to live a healthier lifestyle.

My son of course had to try what he assumed was ice cream. He loved the raspberry and strawberry flavors of the Greek Frozen Yogurt. In my free time I like to stay active with my son by doing outdoor activities. We live in CA and there is plenty of sunny days to spend outside. I bought a frisbee and a kite to take to the park on my next day off to run around and have fun with. When my family is included in my healthy choices it makes me happier, and a happy Mom is always a good thing!

I now have better choices of food in my freezer and cupboards. I do not feel overwhelmed with junk and needing to throw everything away. Sometimes just tossing the unhealthy stuff and realizing you made the choice to bring the junk food in will help you realize to bring better choices in next time. Living a healthy life is all about the choices big and small we make each day. #HealthyChoices

You can read my Google+ story about my trip to Walmart to buy items that help me make healthy choices.

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 ConAgra Foods #cbias #SocialFabric
All opinions expressed in this post are my own.