April 22nd, 2013

Awesome Avocado Recipes & an Amazing Cinco Fiesta

This is a sponsored post. All content, however, is my own.

I freaking love avocados. I put them on anything I can, so it is fortunate that they are available all year round. They are primarily grown in Mexico, which is handy-dandy for this Massachusetts girl!

Simple ham and cheese sandwich? Advocado on it.

Grilled cheese and avocado? Slap on some slices.

Garden salad with avocado. Delish.

I usually don’t even mash them up for sandwiches as I am too impatient! But doing so it a great alternative to less-healthy mayonnaise.

At this point in the post, if you haven’t figure out my obsession with avocados, then you should check out my Awesome Avocado Pinterest Board dedicated to this little green fruit. (Yes, it is a fruit my friends. It says so in the dictionary!) My Board has various recipes from Avocodo Alcholic beverages (not kidding) and chocolate mousse made with Avocados. (Still not kidding.)

But I came across this recipe from my friend Kelly’s website called Making it Paleo. The recipe is for Eggs Baked in Avocado. It looked so good, I had to try it.

 

egg in avocado recipe | CharleneChronicles.com

 

What you need:

(Serves Four)

  • 4 avocados (cut in half for a total of 8 halves)
  • 8 eggs (one for each avocado half)
  • 12 strips of bacon (optional)
  • salt and pepper

How to make it: (You can also watch this quick video here.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut avocados in half and remove pit, and a little extra avocado to make room for the egg. Crack open the eggs, one at a time, into a separate bowl. Gently using a spoon, guide the yolk and some of the egg whites into the avocado. Do it for each avocado. Place the avocado halves in a baking dish very carefully, making sure not to tip them over. Top with salt and pepper.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or more depending on how you like your eggs cooked. In the interim, cook the bacon as you wish. I put ours in the microwave with paper towels to absorb the fat. Once cooked, crumble up four pieces of bacon (one for each person/serving) and use rest of bacon strips to serve on the side. You can skip the bacon if you want, add some sprinkled cheese, etc. Whatever works. When the egg avocados are done, remove from oven and top with the crumbled bacon and serve with slices of bacon on the side. Then dig in with a spoon and enjoy the yummy egg, bacon, and avocado mixture!

Since Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, it is a great time to host an Avocado Brunch and serve this Eggs in Avocado Recipe! Or if you want more of a fiesta, have a Cinco de Mayo Party. Heck, why not both!

To get you inspired, check out a Pinterest Contest where you can receive a $500 gift card for the grand prize (or a $50 gift card and authentic molcajete each week) based on your “Most Amazing Cinco Fiesta” Pinterest Board.

Olé!

Or discover your inner Avo on Facebook where you can take a quiz that links your personality traits to avocado-based recipes with similar characteristics. Love this one. (Hmmm, maybe I am a Rocker Guac-er?)

Or enter to win a $100 gift card. Fun! (And don’t forget to check out all of my giveaways! Scroll to see them all here.)

Fiesta time!

Congrats to Jeannine who one the gift card via PromoSimple entry!

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Image Credit: My own.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
 

CategoryHealth and Fitness | Comment8 Comments »

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January 28th, 2013

Vick Products and Flu Survival Guide

The company, Vicks, has come up with a Cold & Flu Survival Guide. There are some very helpful tips in there. Plus, this winter, Vicks is also donating a Behind the Ear Thermometer and Vicks Starr Night Humidifer to Baby Buggy, a non-profit dedicated to providing U.S. families in need with essential items for their children.

The new year did not start off healthy for us. As of December 30th, my son had the flu. What clued us in? When he threw up at breakfast. And guess who got sick a week after that. Your truly. I always love when doctors tell me to wash my hands to make sure I don’t catch whatever germs my kids have. Do they not have kids themselves? I can wash my hands till the cows come home or until pigs fly. It does nothing to prevent germs when my kids sneeze in my face when I am changing their diapers.

Fabulous.

I also had a really interesting problem when my son got sick. As most of you know, he is three, which is a tricky age I found out, when it comes to taking his temperature. He is too old for the rectal thermometer, but he didn’t understand that the oral thermometer has to stay under his tongue. I tried the temporal artery thermometer (forehead), but he is three. Do you think he sits still, even when sick? And the thing makes tons of beeping noises so I can’t sneak a peak when he is sleeping. So I dug out the Vicks Behind the Ear thermometer I got last year (check out this post). When he was sleeping, I snuck in and got a reading. (Score for Mom!) Besides showing the temperature almost immediately, the back light is either green, yellow, or red, depending on the temperature. So in the semi-dark, you get the gist of what you are dealing with. We also pulled out the humidifier I have been toting with me since college. It works great and having the air more humid can prevent respiratory issues during the winter months.

We got the flu shots, we wash our hands, but I know there are other steps we can take.

As I mentioned above, Vicks is donating a Behind the Ear Thermometer and Vicks Starr Night Humidifer to Baby Buggy, a non-profit dedicated to providing U.S. families in need with essential items for their children. All you need to do is to go to the Cold & Flu Survival Guide and share their message by email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest so more families can get the items they need this flu season! 

Easy peasy. Good cause. Rocks, right?

Vicks_Products

Vicks_Products_2

 

That said, how about winning either the Vicks Behind Ear thermometer or a Vicks Starry Night humidifier (winner’s choice) to help your family stay healthy this winter (and to give you the tools you need when they do get sick.) Can you imagine getting through cold/flu season without either?

Giveaway ends February 4th. Here are five ways you can enter. Do all five for the most entries!

  1. Leave a comment letting me know which item you’d prefer to win! (How simple is that!)
  2. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so (and what your Twitter handle is!). (I send funny tweets so it may be worth your time!)
  3. “Like” the CharleneChronicles Page on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so. (I know this is a hard one, but you’d get to see cool things, right?)
  4. Go the the Vicks Cold & Flu Survival Guide and share their message so they donate to BabyBuggy (and leave me a comment telling me whether you did and how).
  5. Tweet this message! and leave a comment with the tweet URL. (How to do so can be found here.)

Contest has ended. Congrats to Sharda who won the Thermometer! 

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Rules: (Gotta have them)

+Leave a comment about this post; US entrants welcome. Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so I can contact you if you win. (Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK!). For your safety, please do not put your email in the actual comment. Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded. Entry period closes at 11:59PM ET, Monday, February 4, 2013.
++ 
One lucky winner (drawn randomly via “And the Winner is” WordPress plugin) will receive one of the prizes listed above per their choice. No substitutions and the winner will be notified directly via e-mail who has roughly 48 hours to respond and claim their prize. They then will be listed back at this post using first name only. A minimum of 5 people must enter in order for the Giveaway to occur. Winner must comply with all rules mentioned here, or a new winner will be selected. Charlene Chronicles has the final decision on the winner and is not responsible for wrong email addresses or notification being tagged as spam. The prize will be fulfilled by a Third Party and Charlene Chronicles is not responsible for the fulfillment. Any concerns about your prize should be directed to the company(s) mentioned in the post. By entering this giveaway, you have agreed to all these terms and have assumed such liability. Twitter or Facebook is no way affiliated with this giveaway. Full legal disclosures can be found here.
+++ 
To claim entries, please post one comment on this post per entry (include permalink, name, or tweet url if required). Good luck!

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Image Credit: Vicks
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 

CategoryHealth and Fitness | Comment161 Comments »

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November 7th, 2012

How to Give an Infant Massage

Giving your baby a massage has so many benefits, it is hard to know where to begin to share them all!

I learned about infant massage during a class at Isis Parenting when I had my first son, and we had a nightly ritual of a post-bath massage until he was 18 month old. We have even continued it to this day with a mini-back rub before he goes to sleep. I have now begun the same bonding ritual with my daughter and find it is the perfect time to connect with her after the end of a busy day. I think I am even more conscious of this daily activity since it is often hard to find one-on-one time with her; she needs to share my time and attention with her big brother!

Don’t despair if you have never done this before as it is never too late to start. But starting early and being consistent has many proven physical, mental and emotional benefits. It is more than a sense of touch and the act of cuddling. There are proven benefits with infant massage as a communication tool, and as a way to improve digestion, stimulate brain development, boost the immune system, and reduce stress. During those critical growth periods, like digestive maturing and teething, infant massage can lessen the stress. In fact, studies show that a five minute massage enhances the performance of babies and children on tasks that require attentiveness.

So what do you need to know to get started?

  • While there is no time you have to stop, you should start when your baby is at least three weeks old.
  • Don’t force the massage on your baby. Ask for permission using sign language or other cue.
  • Wait for the right time; quiet, alert, happy. This could be before or after a nap, after waking up in the morning or before going to sleep at night.
  • Don’t give a massage if your baby is sick, has a rash, just had some shots 48-72 hours prior, has eaten in the last 30 minutes, or is otherwise sad enough that the prospect of a pending massage does not lessen their crankiness.
  • Lower the lights and/or play soft soft music to provide a soothing atmosphere for your baby and you. Eliminate outside distractions, like your cell phone too.
  • Pick a lotion that is safe and beneficial to you and your baby.
Olive oil is a great massage oil. Seventh Generation has incorporated Olive Oil into their new line of baby products with bio-based ingredients. It is a great lotion to use for infant massage and it was fun to give a $50 basket of these products to Brook S.! Thanks to everyone who left a comment to enter the giveaway. Watch this infant massage video tutorial so can learn how to give an infant massage to your weeone.

(Giveaway rules were previously listed here. A copy can be found here.)

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Images are my own and are not to be used without permission. I attended an online seminar where I learned about these products. Compensation was provided for this post, though all thoughts, content, and opinions are my own.

 

CategoryParenting Ideas and Advice | Comment67 Comments »

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November 6th, 2012

Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty Gift List and Giveaway

One of the biggest stresses for us during the holidays is travel. Car rides, airplane flights: it makes you want to wish it was 2013 already. This holiday season, however, I’m looking forward to trying out the Trunki Suitcase by Melissa and Doug. My full review of it can be found here. I’ve been coveting it for awhile and now that my son is old enough, it seems to be the perfect accompaniment to our upcoming travels. It will be fun to weave our through the airport with him riding on it, use it as a play toy at grandma’s house, and a wonderful place to stash toys for travel. Then when we get home, we could put it away for our next trip, or it may stay out and be a daily play item, with a great way to store his various knick-knacks. I think the biggest dilemma would be what to store inside!

In fact, if you are looking for a fun holiday gift, take a Trunki, fill it with a variety of toys and then wrap it up with a bow. What a fun gift to open on Christmas morning! A gift within a gift. So the question is, what would you fill with it? How about one of Melissa and Doug Terrific Twenty Gift List of products perfectly picked for the holidays? With everything under $30, it will be hard to pick!

 

But on Melissa and Doug’s Facebook page, you can enter to win a gift every day from the Terrific Twenty List. Then whatever you purchase, put it in the Melissa and Doug Trunki that you could win here! Yup. Leave a comment below about what toy from the Melissa and Doug Terrific Twenty Gift List you would put in your Trunki, and one of you will win a Trunki so you can go and do just that!

Just follow the rules below and have fun shopping! Oh, and don’t forget the fabulous Melissa and Doug online outlet too for your holiday gifts! A great way to get great toys from a great brand at great prices – without the hassle of a real outlet. (Because, seriously, who needs that.)

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Rules: (Gotta have them)

+Leave a comment about this post per the directions above; US entrants welcome. Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so I can contact you if you win. (Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK!). For your safety, please do not put your email in the actual comment. Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded. Entry period closes at 11:59PM ET, Fridday, November 16, 2012.

+ + 
One lucky winner (drawn randomly via “And the Winner is” WordPress plugin) will receive a Melissa & Doug Trunki. No substitutions and the winner will be notified directly via e-mail who has roughly 48 hours to respond and claim their prize. They then will be listed back at this post using first name only. A minimum of 5 people must enter in order for the Giveaway to occur. Winner must comply with all rules mentioned here, or a new winner will be selected. Charlene Chronicles has the final decision on the winner and is not responsible for wrong email addresses or notification being tagged as spam. Full legal disclosures can be found here.

+ + + You may submit extra entries by sending this Tweet or by following me on Twitter. To claim bonus entries, please post one comment on this post per bonus entry. Just leave the link to your tweet (directions on how to do that are here) or include your @TwitterHandle in the comment section.

Good luck!

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Disclosure: I received a Melissa and Doug Trunki in exchange for sharing details about the Melissa and Doug Terrific Twenty Gift List. The content, however, is my own.

 

CategoryParenting Ideas and Advice | Comment28 Comments »

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