January 24, 2019 by halipawz

3 Women and an Oven – Bakery review – HaliPawz

I have been thinking about Pink Champagne cupcakes for a while now. I remembered last year that a local grocery store (I think Hy-Vee or Cosentino’s Price Chopper) had them but told me they were seasonal and this was last January if memory serves me. Why the month stuck in my head was because I would have thought they would be seasonal for February because of Valentine’s Day not in January I recently went to the grocery store I thought had them last year but I didn’t find them. The bakery department was closed so I could not ask anyone at the time. I had planned on going back a different day. Fast forward to today when I was thinking about them so I googled pink champagne cupcakes in Kansas City. It was in this search I came across 3 Women and an Oven bakery After looking at the website for a few minutes I went through their Instagram photos and thought everything on there looked amazing. The detailing on their cakes and cookies was beautiful. I was excited to try them. Even though their location really isn’t on my way home or even close to anywhere I go I thought it would be worth the trip to try to make it before they close at 6 PM. Their cupcakes are $3.75 and their babycakes ( mini bundt cakes) are $2.25. The products were nicely displayed and sparkled in the light. As I was checking out, I saw where they sold the “fairy dust” to make your own cakes sparkle.

Pink Champagne cupcake from 3 Women and an Oven

I Purchased a small assortment of cupcakes and the baby cakes. I was excited to try them so decided to try one of the mini cakes as I drove home. The first thing I noticed was the frosting was a little hard. I took a bite and could not believe how dry it was and the cake was cold. I took another bite and yes, it was very dry. It was lemon raspberry so I was thinking perhaps the fruit affected the cake but you would think it would make it moister, not dryer. I decided to try the red velvet mini cake. It was also dry. It had a nice flavor to it, but was so dry it wasn’t enjoyable.

I decided to wait until I arrived at home to try any more. I wanted them to warm up a little to see if it made a difference.

I opened the box when I arrived home and was disappointed to see the lemon candy had fallen off the Lemon Drop Cupcake. The frosting was so hard I could only sit it back on to take a picture, I couldn’t place it back into the frosting. Now, I do want to point out, as someone who likes frosting, there is a nice amount of frosting on their cupcakes. It would be nice to see if it is soft when they are freshly made.

I decided to try small bites of the remaining cakes because I was afraid if I waited until the next day, they would be too dry to even eat.

The mini carrot cake was next. It was moister and had warmed up, but I have to say the flavor was lacking slightly in my opinion. So far, my excitement over these cupcakes was dwindling and I hadn’t even tried the main reason for my purchase; the Pink Champagne cupcake!

Almond Cake Bundlet babycake 3 woman and an oven

Mini Almond Bundt Cake sparkling in the light

The almond cake was next. It was so cute. The small almond sliver on top. The cake sparkled in the light. The cake was moist, the frosting was dry, but the flavor was amazing! So far this was my favorite! I have to admit, even though I had more to try, I ended up eating the whole mini cake!

I decided to take a little break to avoid a huge sugar rush but knew I’d come back to them before the night was over.

After a small break, I decided I needed to try a cupcake. I had been focused on the mini cakes because they were easier to try small bites of. I cut a small piece of the lemon drop cupcake out, making sure to get frosting and cake. It was very lemony The cake was heavy and dense The frosting was stiff and a little dry except around the cake There it was softer and easier to eat. I placed the remaining cupcake in an airtight container to finish tomorrow at lunch. One thing I would say, and this is just my opinion, but if there had been a little bit of lemon filling in the cake, I think I would have liked it a little more.

Next, I tried the mini pink champagne cake. I bought a regular cupcake and a mini one with the hope of taking the mini one to work the next day to eat at lunch. It was the only flavor I duplicated. I took a small bite and was sadly disappointed. The cake had a burnt flavor to it! While it didn’t appear to be burnt, it still tasted burnt. I could not taste any of the pink champagne taste I remembered from the grocery store ones I fell in love with the year before. Had I had this one first, I know I would not have driven 30 minutes out of my way to get more. Oddly enough, it also left a weird after taste. While I’m typing this I can still taste it and not in a pleasant way.

Now the time had come for me to try the Pink Champagne cupcake. I had taken another break. My palette was clean. I have to be honest, I wasn’t as excited as I was earlier in the evening, especially after having the mini one but I thought, perhaps it’s a different batch than the mini one. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.

I do have to give them credit, the appearance of the cupcakes are beautiful. The frosting looks delicious, the cakes sparkle.

I did not cut a small piece on this one. I decided to take a bite the way a cupcake was meant to be consumed. I took a bite, making sure to get frosting and cake. The frosting was moister than some of the other cakes. From the size of the cupcake, it was difficult to get a bite from top to bottom, so the cupcake was a good size. The flavor was disappointing. It had that same burnt flavor but I could taste some of the “champagne” flavor in the cupcake, which I could not taste in the mini cake. I couldn’t tell if it was a burnt flavor or if the champagne flavoring was just off or maybe even old tasting. I wish I could explain it, but it tasted old or burnt. I did decide to wrap this one up in an airtight container as well and if I get a different taste tomorrow, I will definitely share.

Overall, 5 flavors and only 1 would I want to purchase again. The almond cake. Perhaps if I was eating a fresh one I might have a different take on a couple of them, but flavor is flavor and some of them were lacking in that area.

I love cupcakes but don’t see myself making the trip to south Overland Park to purchase cupcakes from them again. I have found other places around Kansas City who can do an almond cake just as good. My quest to find an amazing Pink Champagne cupcake continues!

What are your favorite go to cupcake places? Doesn’t have to be just in Kansas City, I’d like to hear your favorite place in your city!

October 13, 2016 by halipawz

Revitalash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner; my review – HaliPawz

I recently had the opportunity to review the Revitalash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner. I had tried the Latisse in the past and was curious about how Revitalash compared to it and did it really work.

Revitalash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner tube

Let’s start with what Revitalash really is. Revitalash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner is just what it says it is. It is an eyelash CONDITIONER. The company claims, by using it daily, you will have healthier-looking, luxurious lashes as a result. It was formulated and designed specifically for healthier looking lashes. It was designed to enhance NATURAL beauty.

Latisse is only available through a prescription. It is for people who grow inadequate eyelashes or not enough eyelashes. It helps to grow more hair in the area it is applied. It was discovered purely by accident.

Back in 2001, Allergan developed a medicated eye drop used to treat ocular hypertension. In addition to successfully lowering eye pressure (the only treatable risk factor for glaucoma), many patients using this medication experienced a side effect — they began to grow longer, fuller and darker lashes.

Latisse is FDA approved, but it has some complications associated with it as well. Even on their website they warn you about the following

May cause brown darkening of the colored part of the eye which is likely permanent. LATISSE^® may cause eyelid skin darkening which may be reversible. Only apply at base of upper lashes. DO NOT APPLY to lower lid. Hair may grow outside the treatment area. If you have eye problems/surgery, consult your doctor. Common side effects include itchy and red eyes. If discontinued, lashes gradually return to previous appearance.

Even with those warnings, I have to admit, I wanted to try Latiss so I had a doctor I worked with at the time write me a prescription for it. The pharmacy at Sam’s Club had the best price on it, and I took it home to try it. The instructions where a little complicated. You had to use a new applicator each time for each eye. I started out doing it correctly and lasted about 2 – 3 weeks, but then I would forget, or I wouldn’t have the time. Eventually, I just stopped doing it all together. I did not have any of the side effects mentioned, I applied it correctly, it just became too much of a pain just to have nicer, longer, eyelashes.

Fast forward to recently when I had an opportunity to try Revitalash. My first thought was, NO THANK YOU! Been there, done that! The person I was talking to stopped me. He listed to me complain about Latisse and promised me this would be so much easier. He said I would love it. I reluctantly agreed to try it but in my mind I thought….this is going to be a waste. FULL DISCLOSURE…..I was given the sample for FREE. Now he knew I was already going to be against it and didn’t have high hopes, but I want to make sure it is documented I did not pay for the sample. While I was waiting for the sample to arrive I googled some before and after pictures. I tend to not believe before and after pictures all the time because I believe they can be photo-shopped too easily. The pictures always seem to be on perfect faces! My face isn’t perfect. I’m overweight, I’m blotchy at times without makeup. I knew without a doubt I would take REAL pictures to show the difference if there were any.

Revitalash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner Application Directions

When the product arrived, I read the instructions. Seem’s pretty simple. Of course, when I was starting out, I was so careful. I would use some OCuSoft Plus Lid Scrubs to clean both eyes, wait for that to dry, and then apply the Revitalash. I set an alarm on my phone to go off at 10pm each night, so I wouldn’t forget to do it. As time went on, I realized I was making it too hard for myself. Now I have the tube in my toothbrush holder. I step out of the shower, I apply the Revitalash, then brush my teeth. The lashes are dry by the time I’m finished and I can apply my makeup as usual. It takes maybe 20-30 seconds to apply it the way I’m doing now, so much easier then when I was doing the Latisse.

When I started, my eyelashes were ok. They weren’t horribly short, but I think every female wants longer, fuller lashes. If I can get longer, fuller lashes without dealing with fake eyelashes, I would be happy!

Eyelashes at the beginning before using Revitalash. February 2016

Over the months of using the product, I went out of town a few times and was pleased with how easy the Revitalash travels. I just threw it in my makeup bag and kept the same routine, hop out of the shower, apply the conditioner to my lashes, then brush my teeth. I always kept it close to my toothbrush, even while traveling. There was a small time, around June where I didn’t do the Revitalash for about 3 weeks. It was right before I switched to putting it by my toothbrush, I would just keep forgetting to use it.

Here are some pictures over the months…..As you can see from the splotchy makeup here and there and the mascara remnants, I did not use any filters on the pictures or touch them up in any way unless I indicated as such in the picture.

March 31, 2016

Eyelashes after using Revitalash Advanced eyelash conditioner 4335

July 28, 2016

July 28, 2016 with mascara

October 11, 2016

Eyelashes after using Revitalash Advanced eyelash conditioner 5007

There was a filter used on this picture

In every picture where you see the words “with mascara” I was careful to use the same type of mascara so the pictures would reflect true changes. I used:

VOLUM’ EXPRESS® THE FALSIES® BIG EYES® WATERPROOF MASCARA

. They have a different brush for the lower lashes and the upper lashes. I am not the neatest when it comes to applying make-up, as you can see from the pictures. I get the mascara blotchy at times, but I do try to be careful. I found this mascara to be easy to use and had a nice effect when I used it.

Overall, I have to say I have been very happy with the Revitalash Advanced Eyelash conditioner. I believe it does make my eyelashes longer, fuller, and I have noticed I don’t have as many falling out. They feel great. They seem to hold the mascara better when I do use it. If you want longer, healthier, fuller eyelashes, available WITHOUT a prescription and without any of the negative side effects, I would recommend trying this.

If you do try it, let me know what you think about it!

March 7, 2016 by halipawz

Carginia Cambogia, my experience with it -HaliPawz

I am trying to lose weight. I was at the doctor’s office, stepped on the scale, and was saddened by the weight they were recording. I had gotten off track and it wasn’t good. I’ve always been overweight. Sometimes it bothers me, most of the time it doesn’t but this time, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I needed to do something NOW. I really needed something to help me kick-start my weight loss. I had read about Garcinia Cambogia before but honestly, I thought it was a gimmick so I brushed it off. I went back and started doing more research. It seemed to have mixed reviews. One thing that seemed consistent in all my reading is the purity of the product really made a difference. I looked at the product at Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart but it was only 50% pure. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I have been using Amazon more and found a product that claimed to be 95% pure and had a 4 star rating based on over 1600 reviews. I decided to dig a little deeper about this product. Let’s face it, they couldn’t buy that many positive reviews. It was worth reading a few of them.

Pinnacle Nutrition 95% hca Garcinia Cambogia

I was pleased with the reviews, found them to be credible, and decided it would be worth the $20 to try it. I spoke with a co-worker who decided she wanted to try it as well, so we ordered two bottles.

The day I placed the order, I decided to start watching my caloric intake before the product arrived. I logged into the My Fitness Pal app and updated all of my information. It calculated my daily allowance of calories at 1732 based on my current weight with a desire to lose 2 lbs per week with a sedentary lifestyle. I decided I was going to start realistically and then any exercise I did would just be a bonus.

About 2-3 days after ordering, I received an informative email telling me how to get the most out of the product. It stated to take 1-2 pills 45-60 minutes before eating on an empty stomach. Of course, my skeptical mind thought….oh sure, just a gimmick to get me to buy more because my “month supply” just turned into a 15 day supply if I wanted to “Maximize” my results. I decided it didn’t matter, I was going to follow their instructions and track my results.

The product arrived and I started taking it on February 24, 2016. The bottle looked just like the pictures.

The capsules were fairly easy to swallow. The only complaint I have is, since they are gel capsules, they sometimes seem to lodge themselves in your throat and you have to drink 2+ glasses of water to get them down. This doesn’t happen all of the time and I can’t explain why it happens sometimes and doesn’t others.

I knew I was stopping at Chipotle for dinner so I didn’t really eat lunch that day. I had a handful of cashews with sea salt for lunch. I needed extra calories because I wanted to be able to have chips with my dinner! I took 2 pills in the parking lot, went in to order dinner, then headed home. To be honest, I didn’t notice a lot of difference. I ate my normal Chipotle meal. I was full when I was done, but I usually am. (Side note….I LOVE Chipotle and could eat it 1-2 times a week…am I the only one who wishes they have a “frequent diner” type card?) To be fair, I had only waited about 35 minutes because I didn’t want my food to get cold.

The next day, we had a meeting at lunchtime and we were having Panera. I ordered a salad along with some Macaroni & cheese. I took 2 capsules 45 minutes before the meeting was supposed to start. It ended up starting a little later, so I was closer to the hour before I started eating my salad. I finished my salad and started on the macaroni & cheese. I couldn’t even eat half of the first container! (Panera puts the to go Mac & Cheese in 2 containers). I was shocked. I closed it up and put the two containers in the refrigerator.

After the meeting, I went back to work and had no desire to snack on anything during the afternoon.

Over the weeks, I tried diligently to keep my calorie count under my daily goal. I tracked every mint, every tootsie roll, etc. I still drank my Coke, I stillate my Chipotle and chips, I would still stop at Culvers….but I also cooked more at home, made smart decisions to balance my calories for the day. I would have 1 day a week where I wasn’t as careful and would have about 2000-2200 calories but I would also have days where I only had 800 calories. For the most part, I stayed around 1500 calories.

Some things I noticed during those times….I didn’t have cravings. I wasn’t starving, even on the days I did the lower calorie counts. I would balance the number of pills I took based on the size of the meal I was going to eat. For example, if I was going to sit down and eat a full size meal, I would take two pills, but if I was just going to run through McDonalds and order a Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap, I would only take one. I do have to say, if you need something quick and tasty, those are one of the best 350 calorie items. They are tasty, they are filling. You can also order them grilled for a few less calories. I think by balancing the pills, planning my meals, I was able to maximize on the effectiveness of them.

One day in particular was especially evident. I had been taking the pills for 3 1/2 weeks and noticed some pleasant changes:

Saturday March 19, 2016

I spent the day with friends at Horsefest in Springfield, MO. I took my pills but I did not take them while I was there due to time constraints with meals and just not planning efficiently. I had also decided I wasn’t going to track my calories for the day. Here are a few things I noticed. I wasn’t in the back of the pack struggling to keep up with my friends. We went down a flight of stairs to look at some vendors and I noticed when I climbed back up them I wasn’t winded or felt like it was a struggle to do so. Does this mean I am gaining more lean muscle like it claims? I’m not sure. What I do know is I felt better about myself and my movements.

We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (you can read about a previous experience here) and yes, I ate a few of the rolls. I said I wasn’t keeping a calorie count for the day, I was out with friends and I wanted to enjoy myself. The interesting thing is….I wasn’t able to finish my steak dinner! I took about half of it home. In the past I would have ate 3-4 rolls AND finished my steak. The less meat consumption was even with me not taking any pills all day, so it is obvious my stomach has shrunk slightly. Even with the additional calories and not taking the pills, I only gained 2.2lbs from the day before. I will admit though, I had a difficult time losing those 2.2 lbs. Seemed to take me 3-4 days. Makes me wonder if it would have been that difficult if I had taken the pills before eating that large of a meal.
Here are the results after taking for 4 weeks (28 days) exactly.

14.6 Lbs lost

2.5 Inches lost in my waist

1 Inch lost in my hips

0.4 Inches lost in my neck (no clue why My Fitness Pal tracks the neck but it does)

Now, those changes aren’t overwhelming, by any means….but they were done simply by taking the Garcinia Cambosia and watching my caloric intake on a track designed for 2 pounds of weight loss per week. I wasn’t perfect with that track. I probably had 6 cheat days, including one where I drank a can of Coke and ate 5 Girl Scout caramel delight cookies….and let me tell you, they WERE a delight! But I paid for it in the calories that day!

So I consider inches lost and pounds reduced to be a win. I am continuing with the Carginia Cambosia. I am getting ready to spend a week in Orlando, going to Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World where I do not plan on watching my calories as closesly as I have been, but I do plan on continuing with the Garcinia Cambosia.

I have also recently read that they work better when you pair them with Pure Green Coffee Bean Extract which I have decided to order from Amazon. I did see some at Wal-Mart where the percents were too off, so I will be trying them while I’m away but won’t share my true experiences until I have tried the strong, purer, product. I will be sure to share them.

I do want to say at the time I am posting this, I have currently lost 19.8lbs. I wish it was more, but again, for only taking a little over 4 weeks and not including any major exercise, I am pleased with the results.
Have you personally tried Garcinia Cambosia? Have you tried the Green Coffee Bean Extract? I would love to hear your experiences, both good and bad.

August 1, 2015 by halipawz

Coke with Lemon, Lemon with Lemon, Lemon with Peppermint…fun with Giambri’s porous candy sticks – HaliPawz

I love social media when used in the right way. I saw a story on Facebook a few weeks ago about a Baltimore, Maryland treat consisting of a lemon and a peppermint stick. I had never heard of this! It sounded interesting. A social media win, telling us about a local treat I might not have heard of had it not been for Facebook. I began a search to explore more about this delicious sounding treat. It seemed pretty simple. You take a lemon, slice off about a 1/3 from the top, put an x in the center of it, and insert a porous peppermint stick. Of course, the most difficult thing about the instructions is finding the porous peppermint stick. This isn’t the same as a candy cane, as they are made differently.

I went back to Facebook for a minute and a suggested page (based on my search of the lemon stick) was for Giambri’s Quality Sweets. I had never heard of them, so I went to look at their page. They sold the porous peppermint sticks, but in addition to that, they were featuring their porous lemon sticks. They advertised putting these sticks in a lemon, just like the peppermint sticks, or in iced tea or your favorite summer drink. It started me thinking…..I LOVE LOVE LOVE a nice cold glass of Coca-Cola with a lemon wedge, I started drinking it this way when I visited Germany and it’s how I’ve ordered it in a restaurant ever since….how would the porous lemon stick taste in the glass of coke?

I emailed Giambri’s and asked them if they would consider sending me a couple lemon sticks as well as a couple of peppermint sticks for me to try and then write about. I was thrilled when they emailed me back stating they would! After giving them my address, I patiently waited for them to arrive. I liked that Giambri’s uses natural flavors. It appears to be a candy that works for people allergic to other candies.

The first thing I noticed was how well packaged the product was. The black paper with their company sticker is a nice touch. It’s like a present waiting to be opened! In addition, the sticks are wrapped in bubble wrap, packing peanuts fill the box, and there is an single use cooler pack at the bottom to keep them in premium quality condition until they arrive at their destination. I’m sure it also helps cushion the sticks.

Giambri’s Quality Sweets packaging with label

Giambri’s Peppermint and Lemon Stick

The sticks themselves were a little shorter than I envisioned. The description says they are about 4″ long, but until you see them, you don’t quite know how long that is! The color on them is vibrant. They looked fun! I was excited to try them!

The first thing I wanted to try was a glass of Coke with the lemon stick. As I am at my mom’s house right now, I went on the search for the perfect glass. I didn’t take the size of the stick into account because I ended up getting a glass too tall. I think, if I was to have them in the future, I would maybe use a wine glass or champagne glass. I think it would work better.

Glass of Coca Cola with Giambri’s Lemon Stick for a straw

When I took the first sip, it was a little difficult to get a sip through. As I sipped slowly, I noticed the cola started flowing through the stick easier and I could taste the lemon more. The lemon flavor was very rich, without being overpowering. As you can see, the glass is tall, so the stick fell down into the soda after a few minutes. When I pulled it back out to continue using, the stick was pretty sticky! Since I was at home, I didn’t care; I just re-positioned it, washed my hands, and kept using it. It made a great straw. I decided to let it sit in the coke for a few minutes to see what happened. The stick started to break down. It broke in my lips when I went to take a sip again. I ate that part and just pulled the stick up to keep using. Within minutes, the stick broke up and I wasn’t able to use it anymore. While the flavor was great and it was a fun way to get my lemon flavor with my coke, I think the acidity in the coke was too much for the candy straw. Would I do it again? Yes. Would I try different beverages? Of course! I could imagine using the stick to drink lemonade, pink lemonade, even my favorite alcoholic beverage; Kinky Vodka and Lemonade would taste great with the stick. I could see using them as straws when hosting a fun, adult summer party.

Next try was the Lemon with the Peppermint stick, also known as “Lemon Sticks”

Lemon Stick; Lemon with Peppermint Stick

As I mentioned earlier, it’s pretty easy. You cut the top 1/3 of the lemon off. I rolled the lemon on the counter with my palm before cutting, to make the lemon a little juicier. I cut a small slit in the top of the lemon, right in the middle, then inserted the peppermint stick into the lemon. I squeezed the lemon just a little bit as I sipped on the stick. Wow was I not ready for that taste! I am sure glad there was no one with a camera near me. I tasted the sweetness of the peppermint stick and the tartness of the lemon….but I did not think they blended well at all! OK, surely I did something wrong. I double checked all of the sources and nope, I did it exactly like it said. My mom asked me how I liked it and I handed it to her to try. The face she made said it all! Perhaps our Midwest palettes are not meant for this famous treat. I was through the lemon pretty quickly so I decided to try another one. Maybe it was just the lemon. Ummm, nope, not the lemon. It was not good in my opinion. The funny thing is, I kept trying it! My mom tried the second lemon and she felt the same way. They were messy. The peppermint stick got extremely sticky. The lemon juice fell down the side. I had a couple of napkins under it, but I just didn’t feel like it was a fun, tasty treat.

My mom had the great idea to try to add just a little sugar to the lemon. What did it hurt? I went and took a teaspoon of sugar and placed it around the peppermint stick, letting it fall down into the lemon. It was actually better! Is it still a treat I would seek out and pay for? No. It just didn’t work for me like it does for so many others.

Next I’m on to the Lemon Stick with the Lemon. I’m pretty sure I’ll have to try it first without sugar and then with sugar because I’m anticipating a similar reaction.

Lemon with the Lemon Stick

I was prepared for this one. I had a few ideas and some trepidation. I wanted to love it because of how much I love lemonade, especially carnival style lemonade, but I was concerned I wouldn’t be overwhelmed. I had my lemon ready, preparing it the same way, for maximum juiciness, cut the slit, inserted the lemon stick, and prepared to drink. It was good. Not the “dance around the room” good, but the two tastes mixed ok. Adding my Plan B, I had another lemon with just a drizzle of sugar over it ready and waiting. I inserted the stick in that one one really liked the flavor. It was the best of all the worlds. It had the grittiness of the carnival lemonade, the tartness from the lemon, and the sweetness from the candy stick.

Lemon with Lemon Stick

I was very happy with the result as far as taste but, again, it was messy. It was difficult to get the juice out. If you squeezed it slightly, then the juice ran all down your hand. The stick doesn’t stay in place after a while or you find yourself swishing it around like a straw to get more juice, which results in a sticky mess or breakage.

Once I was frustrated with the running lemon juice and the sticky candy, I quickly made a glass of carnival style lemonade with ice, sugar, water, and the two lemons I had been trying to drink, put the candy stick in it, and drank it that way. YUM!!! If only those sticks were a little longer, I could have had a nice tall glass of lemonade using it as a straw! Instead, I used a wine glass. It worked!

Now, to talk about the candy separate from the lemons. My favorite, by far, was the lemon stick. It has such a rich lemony flavor that is authentic. Too many lemon candies leave you feeling like you are eating candy. With Giambri’s Lemon Stick, you get a smooth lemon flavor; how is that even possible??? It is! I can honestly say I will order these again just to have as candy and probably more Coca Cola straws! I just wish they were longer for that!

The peppermint stick is good. It we hadn’t been in such a crazy heat wave here in Missouri I probably would have made a cup of hot chocolate and sipped it through the stick. I love peppermint hot chocolate. I have not jumped on the iced hot chocolate bandwagon so I may purchase some peppermint sticks in the winter to try. The peppermint flavor was bold. It was a nice flavor. I was disappointed I didn’t like it with the lemon, but it’s not for everyone. I’m not a peppermint alone type person too much, so I don’t know if I would go out of my way to purchase them. If you like peppermint candies, I highly recommend trying these.

My favorite, between the two, is clearly the lemon. What I can say based on my experience with them and the quality I tasted is they ARE quality! I would guess any flavor purchased would be true to the flavor, would hold up well, and would be a fun treat for all ages.

I would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on their experience with Giambri’s or the lemon stick phenomenon. Leave me a comment.

Thank you again to Giambri’s for letting me try your delicious candies! I will be ordering more lemon ones soon!

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz

July 6, 2015 by halipawz

Hyundai Elantra, my latest Hertz Rental Car – HaliPawz

As my summer with mom draws to a close, it was time for me to head back to Kansas City, Missouri from Port Huron, Michigan. I rented a car from Hertz like I normally do. I wasn’t as happy this time about the rental price, but that is another story. I had picked the group “Toyota Corolla or similar” and ended up with a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. I have some question about the Elantra and the Corolla being in the same class, but Hertz, like any rental car, is never specific enough to give you an true answer and it wasn’t so far off that I feel like complaining again to them.

Rental Car 2015 Hyundai Elantra

Let’s talk about this car for a minute. The first thing I want to acknowledge is that it is a nice looking car. I’m really more of an SUV/truck person in general, but I do appreciate a decent looking car at a good value. The car has a nice sleek look to it. When I got in to drive away, I was impressed with the amount of legroom when you put the seat all the way back. I’m 5 foot 10, so plenty of legroom, especially for a long drive, is very important. I still don’t like how low it is to the ground, like I mentioned in a previous rental review, but again, I’m used to being higher up in my mini suv.

Headed to my moms to pick up my luggage I didn’t have a real chance to check the vehicle out, as it is a straight shot on a normal road. The brakes were crazy intense though! I barely tapped them and the car jolted to a stop!

When I start loading the luggage, I was impressed with the amount of trunk space there was. I am not the neatest packer, especially on car road trips. As long as everything can shove in the trunk I am happy! Because of this, I appreciate ample trunk space. I fit my suitcase, a duffle bag, a baby gate (for the dogs), a 30 pound bag of dog food, two tie outs, the dog’s travel bag, my laptop bag, a pair of shoes, some miscellaneous small bags, and a big Sam’s Club thermal tote with some food in it.

Hyundai Elantra Trunk filled with stuff

Since it’s a rental, I covered all of the seats in sheets and blankets. Filled the dogs water cooler and put it in the back, on the floor. Loaded the dogs up and we were on our way.

Bella asleep in the backseat of the Hyundai Elantra Rental Car

The backseat must not be too bad, because Bella was not as restless as she was on the trip six weeks ago in the rental car. She only wanted her head out the window for about two minutes and then settled in on the seat and fell asleep. Zipper crashed in his normal place on the floor of the backseat.

When I first hit the expressway, I was a little concerned as the car seemed to want to sway back-and-forth quite a bit. There wasn’t a lot of wind, so I wasn’t really sure what caused it. All I knew was it was going to be a long drive if it continued. After a while, I began to think maybe it was me, because it seemed to get better as we drove along. There is an interesting feature I found on the car, you can choose what mode you want to drive it. The options are normal, Sport, and Comfort. I’m not going to lie, I played with it a few different times on the road, and I honestly couldn’t see that much of a difference. The steering wheel might be a little tighter in sport mode but it was very minimal.

I have to drive from Port Huron, Michigan to Kansas City, Missouri pretty down pat. I usually know where I’m going to have to stop, I know when I’m a third of the way, I know when I’m half way, especially when I’m doing the drive overnight. As I was crossing Michigan, I was on the phone and realized that I had already been on the road about four hours and the gas tank was still at half a tank. I couldn’t believe it! I made it all the way from My mom’s house, to Kanake, Illinois before I had to stop! It wasn’t because I needed gas, it’s because my bladder gave out before the gas did. It only took 10 gallons to fill it back up and we were back on the road. I noticed I still had 447 miles to go until I reached my home, and the car was saying I had 417 miles to empty. Had I waited another half an hour, I would’ve only needed to fill the vehicle up once for a 12 hour drive! That is pretty impressive. In looking at the gauges I averaged about 36.8 to 38.4 miles per gallon. Not too bad.

Hyundai Elantra Gauge showing 36.8 mpg

Notice the angle of the edges on the driver’s seat of this Hyundai Elantra

As I have mentioned before, I am not a small woman. The seats were not the most comfortable in my opinion. The edges kind of dug into my outer thighs a little bit so I found myself shifting a lot. Perhaps if I had a vehicle with power seats, it might have been a little better because I could have raised them up a little, but I doubt it. I found myself sliding down in the seat quite often and then having to shift myself back up. It’s just not comfortable when you’re wearing a pair shorts! Another complaint I had which I have often in cars, is the position of the center armrest and the side armrest; there is no comfortable way for me to rest my arm on it while I’m driving. They were both way too low. I found myself bringing my left leg up and resting my arm on it while I kept my hand on the steering wheel.

For some reason I don’t seem to like the cruise control on this vehicle. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I was constantly tapping my break and shutting it off and then driving with my foot on the gas again. I hit a little bit of rain at one point in the drive, and the vehicle handled it pretty well. I had control of the vehicle at all times.

***A little safety tip… Never ever ever use your cruise control when it is sprinkling, raining, snowing, icy, etc.! It is not safe.***

Okay, back to the review!

The headlights were weird. I know that sounds strange, but I had difficulty figuring out if my lights were on or not! I drove at least an hour and a half to two hours with just my parking lights on until it got dark enough for me to realize I didn’t have my actual headlights on. What threw me off was it looked like they came on automatically because the dashboard lit up a little differently when I got dusk but it didn’t look like any lights were on the outside so then I flipped the switch and saw a slight change on my dash and what I thought were lights on the car but then, like I said, it was only my parking lights! Oops! Oh well I eventually figured it out.

The mirrors on the side are very nice, they are a good size, and the driver side has a little mirror insert in the upper left hand corner so you can see the road from two different perspectives.

The gauge lighting is nice, you have a clear indication of your fuel, you can toggle between your trip Miles, your miles per gallon, how many miles to empty, what your average rate of speed is, and how long you have been on this trip. It was easy to reset each one of them when I started my trip. As I am a huge fan of the color blue, I was happy to see that most of the lights on the dash were a nice navy blue tone. Accented with white or a lighter shade of blue depending on which one you were looking at.

The steering wheel has a nice assortment of gauges on it including your cruise control your emotions to go between the different styles of driving, your trip information and you can quickly reset it from your steering well. I was surprised to not see any radio controls on the steering wheel, not sure if that is an option that can be added on different models or not. The one thing I found weird though was that the controls were all on one side, so when you’re driving at night, it just didn’t look symmetrical. If you have a case of OCD, I’m sure it would annoy you a little!

It has a sunglass holder up near the roof along with nice lights that are easily accessible and easy to turn on for the interior, I know they’re easy to turn on because Bella‘s big head turned them on more than once when she decided to walk around a little bit and try to move to the front seat! I said try, because she wasn’t successful, but she did hit the light!

You have a 12 V plug along with a USB plug and in auxiliary plug all at your fingertips. The USB plug is a very nice touch. There is a small area to the right of the plug to put a few things. I put my Bolle` sunglass case in it though and it pretty much filled up the area, so it isn’t very big. The center armrest also opens up for additional storage, but I don’t like to put things in there for a rental car because I don’t want to forget them. There is another 12v plug just off to the right so a passenger could also plug something in. I forgot to look to see if any were in the back seat or not.

Front Area of Hyundai Elantra Rental Car from Hertz

All in all, even with being uncomfortable seats, for a rental car on a long trip I would definitely choose it again if given the option because I loved the gas mileage and how little I spent on gas for the trip. I just need to either lose weight, or make sure I’m wearing jeans the next time! LOL

Both Zipper and Bella were able to fit their head out of the same window when we were closer to home!

Bella and Zipper sticking their head out of the rental car Hyundai Elantra

Bella and Zipper happy to be home after 15 hours in a car. You can see the water cooler on the floor behind them.

Would I purchase the car? No, it would be too uncomfortable for me long term, but for one or two people (or skinny people) renting a car, it might be a good choice.

I hope this review helps you! Share your comments and thoughts if you have this car or have driven one?

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz

July 6, 2015 by halipawz

Can Glucosamine and Chondroitin help the severly arthritic? – HaliPawz

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my mom has been down visiting me for a while again this summer. Being a writer, my schedule is a little more flexible than my siblings and I try to make sure she has a good time while she is down here. My mom has suffered from arthritis for as long as I can remember. Of course, as she has aged, it has become worse. She now walks with the assistance of a walker, a motorized scooter for long distances, and is in pain almost all of the time. As a daughter, I hate knowing she is in pain. I am always trying to research ways to improve her life and minimize some of the pain. At the stage she is in, most things I read says there is nothing to help her other than pain management. There were some studies that showed medical marijuana might help, but she was not willing to even consider that and I don’t think my siblings were too keen on her trying it, so I kept moving.

Back in 2013, I started working with a new trainer for my horse and Luke would have “clicking” sounds when he worked. My trainer said I should put him on Glucosamine and Chondroitin and see if it helped. Within a month, the clicking was gone. Of course, some say it was because I was working him on a regular basis so he was stronger, minimizing the clicking. I believe it had something to do with the Glucosamine and Chondroitin.

Because I had hurt my knee when I was younger, I decided to try the supplement for myself after seeing it work with Luke. I’m not great at taking medication, I often forget, but I did notice my knee didn’t hurt as bad when I remembered to take them. I purchased them at Sam’s Club because they had an Instant Savings on them and I have the Plus membership, so I saved more money at that time. I liked their Simply Right brand because it didn’t contain a lot of the fillers, just the glucosomine and chondroitin along with vanilla flavoring to make it easier to swallow.

Fact Sheet Simply Right Glucosamine Chondroitin

Fast forward to earlier this year, my 4 year old Neapolitan Mastiff, Bella, was stiff every night after a fun afternoon at the dog park. Don’t let her age fool you, she can run with the 1-3 year old dogs and hold her own. She loves to play. I didn’t want to take that away from her but hated to see her in pain at night. I decided to try some Glucosamine and Chondroitin for her as well. I ended up changing her food to a dog food with it built right into the food. For more information on that, feel free to check out an earlier blog. I also learned turkey neck bones have a lot of natural Glucosamine and Chondroitin in them and are good for dogs to chew on, but because I have another dog at home with food aggression, it was not an option. I had purchased some dog treats with Glucosamine and Chondroitin built into them and it seemed Bella did even better when she had just a little more in her than what her food provided. The treats were expensive though, so I hit the internet trying to find out if I could give her pills safe for humans. It appears that, as long as you don’t use the ones with additional fillers and by products in them, they are safe for dogs.

Week 1 – We are at the first week. While I told her she had to try it for a full three weeks before we would determine if it is helping her at all or not, I still wanted to see if she had noticed any changes as all. It has been an extremely rainy time down here. I think it has rained almost every day. She said she noticed her hands haven’t been sore or swollen feeling. This is pretty huge because she has actually talked to her doctor about her hands they would hurt so much the day before it rained. He prescribed her some ultraced to help with the pain and she hasn’t had to take one all week. It’s too soon to tell if it’s due to the Glucosamine and Chondroitin or just due to the fact she is in a different climate and more hydrated than she is at home. I don’t think she drinks enough water when she’s home alone, I make sure she has something to drink all day.

Week 2 – So, here it is, a full two weeks into my trial period and I ask my mom how she’s feeling. So far, her hands have only hurt her one night out of the full two weeks and it has rained almost every day here. I asked her how her shoulders were feeling and she said they don’t hurt, but they don’t normally hurt. I was surprised by this comment because she is always complaining her shoulders hurt! She has had surgery in them and has very little ability to reach over her head now. I noticed she was reaching for a glass in one of my cupboards because I forgot to leave one down in the dish strainer for her. I asked her if it hurt for her to do that. She paused and checked both shoulders and said no, it didn’t hurt when she reached up! I thought that was a good sign.

We will finish the full three weeks and get final thoughts.

Week 3 – A full three weeks of the Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Not a lot of difference between week 2 and week 3. Her biggest surprise is her hands. She said they just don’t hurt. I waited a couple weeks before finalizing this to ask her and she has decided to continue taking them. Her biggest complaint is the size of the pills. They are pretty big. Is it a HUGE difference, and miracles happened? No, but I know her hands have led her to take pain pills before, so if we can eliminate even that pain, to her, it appears to be worth it.

As I said, I know it has helped me personally with my knees when I take it every day. If I start missing a few days, then it seems like it takes days for it to start working again.

My suggestion is, try it for three to four weeks. See if you notice anything different. You’re only out the cost of one bottle, but if they do work, the price is worth it!

Let me know about your experiences with Glucosamine and Chondroitin, I would love to hear other opinions, both good and bad.

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz

June 26, 2015 by halipawz

Quality Inn and Suites, Bloomington, IL – HaliPawz

As mom’s summer adventure with me draws to an end, we begin the fun task of getting her back to Michigan. While it is only a 13 hour drive, I have learned it is better for her to stop half way to rest then it is to try to make it the whole way if we leave later in the day. She had an appointment at 9:30 am on the day we were heading out, so I knew we would not get out until the late morning / early afternoon. We ended up staying the night in the Quality Inn & Suites in Bloomington, Illinois.

Bloomington, Illinois is about half way so it is a good place to stop. As I have mentioned before, LaQuinta tends to be my first “GoTo” hotel. The LQ in Bloomington has disappointed me personally once before and then, on the trip down, we were reminded how horrible they are from an ADA (American’s with Disabilities) standpoint if you choose to stay in a non ADA room. My biggest complaint with most hotel chains is they do not have ADA rooms with two beds. So any parent traveling with a child who may need this have to “throw a cot” in there or, as in my case, two adults traveling together have to pay for two rooms or if we want to save money and share a room, mom doesn’t get the benefits of the ADA facilities. It’s fine for one night, but if it was more than one, we would probably have to go with a more expensive hotel chain or get two rooms. I have written LaQuinta about this and was assured they were working to correct it and every location would have at least one ADA room with a roll in shower and two beds by the end of the year (two years ago) so clearly that has not happened. Back to my dilemma for THIS trip….I needed a dog friendly hotel my mom could use. The LaQuinta in Bloomington was out because their non-ADA rooms have a weird bathroom layout where the toilet is in a corner. You can’t get the walker in there and the toilets themselves are extremely low. She had difficulty getting up and without the walker to help or handles, it is horrible for her! I don’t understand WHY hotels continue to use the low toilets. If they would just put ADA height toilets in every room, it would be easier. I went through and switched all of mine to ADA height, even the ones my mom won’t use. I love them!

But again, back to the review on THIS hotel……We ended up here because they advertised their dog friendly rooms and when I called, they had an ADA room with two queen size beds. Worked for us. I broke the review down into sections to make it easier for the ADA traveler, the Pet Traveler, the every day traveler, etc.

Rooms:

Our room was pretty spacious and I don’t think it was just because of the ADA portion. It seems like they would all be similar. Sometimes in hotels in this price point and older styles, the rooms are a little cramped. Not the case. The rooms were clean, well laid out with the two beds, a desk, refrigerator, dresser, and a chair. While the room was clean, I can’t say they are well maintained everywhere. The dresser had two broken handles. It had an older feel to it, except the shower! The shower looked like it had been renovated and were featuring Quality Inn’s “Q Shower” which includes a nicer shower head with multiple spray settings, premium bath amenities, curved shower rod for extra room, and a shower curtain with a sheer window for extra light. The shower itself had a nice granite look to it. You could tell it had recently been changed. I will address the ADA standpoints in a separate section towards the bottom of the post.

Q Shower at Quality Inn & Suites Bloomington, Illinois

Q Shower Amenities

Breakfast:

The breakfast was pretty impressive for a hotel in this price point.

Three types of eggs; scrambled, hard boiled, and over easy (round to fit on a biscuit or muffin)

Waffles: Original and Blueberry. I would have preferred the spray to keep them from sticking, but not bad. Syrup was on every table. I appreciate little touches like that.

Biscuits and gravy (my mom, who is somewhat easy to please said they were so/so)

Fresh donuts

Bread, biscuits, bagels, and muffins

3 different types Cereal

Apples

Yogurt

Orange, Apple, and Cranberry Juice

Water

Skim milk & 2% milk

Plenty of peanut butter, cream cheese, jellies, and honey

Fitness Room:

They converted a room into a fitness room. It has three pieces of equipment. Enough for you to get a decent workout in but nothing extensive. To be fair, I looked at it to comment, but I did not use it.

Swimming Pool:

It is an outdoor pool. I didn’t swim this trip, but saw others swimming. It looked clean, decent size.

A nice touch is it has a chair lift so anyone needing assistance into the pool would be able to utilize it with minimal effort. Again, a surprise to see for the price point. Good ADA points there!

Staff

The staff I encountered appeared pleasant, the associate working in the breakfast area was very nice. Asked if we needed anything more than once. A touch you don’t expect, but appreciate. The night manager, Kevin, was great about helping me get the online rate even though I had to book the ADA room over the phone because the ADA room was not an option on the Choice Hotel app. When I checked in, he hand crossed out the rate and wrote in the correct rate, the one he agreed to over the phone. He wasn’t going to give me a copy of it at first but I insisted. Without it, it would have been my word against his about the rate. I am glad I did because sure enough, when I went to check out, they had charged me the higher rate! I brought it to their attention and the two young men working the desk at the checkout had a heck of a time fixing it because they had already checked me out of the hotel. They were extremely nice and worked diligently to get it fixed without making me feel like I was being a pain. It was about a $20 difference. They finally figured out how to get it corrected and were friendly and apologetic throughout the whole ordeal. I had no problem waiting because their attitudes were GREAT! Even the staff I passed in the halls with the dogs were smiling and friendly.

Pet Friendly

Bella enjoying the comforts of the Quality Inn & Suites

They advertised themselves as being pet friendly. Referenced their “pet friendly rooms” and they had a sticker on the door telling you to rate them on Bring Fido. I think this set the bar high for me as to their pet friendly qualities. As I mentioned, the room was pretty spacious, so it allowed the dogs ample room to play. I was happy about that. They needed to release some energy. When I took them out is when I had areas of concern. The first is, NO TRASH CANS at the doors! As a responsible pet owner, I pick up my dogs poop. Everyone should if they travel with their dog(s)! Other owners don’t want to walk in it. I walked almost all the way around and saw one trash can at an entrance besides the main entrance. There really needs to be more. The next problem is the limited space to actually walk the dog(s). There is very little grass around the hotel and where it was, it was extremely drenched, tore up with some tire marks, making it muddy. My dog Zipper will poop or pee anywhere so he went on the rocks around a tree near the entrance by our door, but Bella is a little more selective and has to have just the right spot. She didn’t even go to the bathroom the morning we were leaving. She waited until we arrived at a rest stop and then went. I know they can’t do a lot about the grass because of their layout, but they really need to add more trash cans!

Quality Inn and Suites Bloomington Illinois

Zipper doing the “terrier roll” within minutes of getting into our room

ADA

This is the ONE area this hotel is severely lacking. They get the bonus points for having an ADA room with two beds, but that room doesn’t have a roll in shower. That isn’t my real complaint though. My complaint is that they slapped some side bars on a low toilet and some handrails and called the room ADA. The toilet WAS NOT ADA height, so it was still difficult for my mom to get up and down on. In addition, the bars were just tucked up UNDER the seat, not permanently attached. My mom was starting to get up and the bar slipped out from the seat and lost support. She could have gone down and been severely hurt! They were constantly slipping out. Another thing is that it narrows the width of the seat. It didn’t affect my mom, but as I openly admit, I am not a small woman, so I felt like I was being wedged between the bars when I went to use the bathroom. Another problem is there were NO towel bars or hooks within reach of the shower. The towels were over the toilet so it was impossible to reach from the shower. The other hook was on the back of the door, again, impossible to reach from the shower for ANY person. An ADA person would never be able to reach it easily. I know those with disabilities are used to adapting to make things work, but it was disappointing the lack of attention the hotel gave this room. They did the bare minimum to call it an ADA room

Toilet seat in room with just bars hooked under the toilet seat. You can see the shower chair in the bottom right

Quality Inn and Suites Bloomington Illinois Not ADA

You can see the distance between the shower and the towels with no bars, hooks, etc

The “bar” just slips out very easily. It just tucks up under the seat with nothing holding it there.

As I mentioned with the swimming pool, they do have an ADA chair lift to swim with though. I just wish they would take a look at their rooms and update them just a little more when it comes to being ADA standards.

OVERALL

If you are looking for a reasonably priced room in Bloomington with a great breakfast and a welcoming staff, I would recommend this location.

Traveling with pets? Again, a nice place to stay, just be prepared to throw your pet’s poop away in your room or take a hike around the hotel!

Need a good ADA room? I would have to recommend skipping this hotel. I just don’t think they are where they need to be yet. Hopefully they will take the steps to improve this over time and if we visit again, I will update this post if they do make changes. Since we stop near Bloomington whenever I bring mom back and forth between Michigan and Missouri, I am sure I will have another chance at some point.

It might not be the fanciest place to stay in Bloomington, but when you’re saving your pennies and you appreciate the Choice Hotel line, this is one to consider!

Have you stayed here before? Do you travel with your pets? Leave your comments below!
If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz

June 22, 2015 by halipawz

Fisher Nut Exactly Snack Bites Almond Popcorn dipped in Milk Chocolate – HaliPawz

I recently had an opportunity to select Fisher Nut Exactly Snack Bites Almond Popcorn dipped in Milk Chocolate as an option with PinchMe. PinchMe is a site that offers you free samples from time to time. All they ask from you is for you to supply feedback on the products after you try them. The one bad thing is you have to be quick when they announce the free sample Tuesday or you miss out on things you might really like to try.

Fisher Nut Exactly Snack Bites Almond Popcorn dipped in Milk Chocolate

In my most recent box, I received a sample bag of the Almond Popcorn dipped in Milk Chocolate. I am a fan of popcorn, almonds, and milk chocolate. I will choose milk chocolate over dark chocolate anytime, but in most healthier solution products, you often see dark chocolate, so I was excited to try this product. In looking at the ingredients, which consists of:

Ingredients to Fisher Nut Exactly

Milk Chocolate

Almonds

Popcorn

Tapioca Syrup

Brown Rice Syrup

Peanuts

Sugar

Expeller Pressed Sunflower Oil

Sea salt

Ground Bourbon Vanilla Beans

I was pleased because they are pretty cut and dry ingredients. With only 15 calories per snack bite, they would be a nice way to get your sweet tooth and salty desires filled with the same snack.

I opened the bag and was questioning the “snack bite” size. When I think of a snack bite size, I usually think of something I can pop into my mouth and eat. These were a little big for that. I ended up biting them in half. With that in mind, you had to pay attention to bite it in the right manner or you wouldn’t get any chocolate. For a snack bite, it requires too much attention!

almond, popcorn, milk chocolate, peanuts

The Bite Size Snack Fisher Nut Exactly

I bit it, being careful to get both the popcorn and the chocolate in my mouth. Sadly, I was VERY DISAPPOINTED! It was very bland. I didn’t taste any flavor. I took the second piece and bit into just the chocolate, focusing on the taste. It tasted like cheap chocolate you buy for someone you don’t like. I would almost prefer smaller sizes with better tasting chocolate to get the 15 calories per bite. Biting into the popcorn side, I tasted a slight saltiness of the popcorn but it was like biting into a packing popcorn piece, not an actual piece of popcorn. I made a point of the third piece, trying to taste the almond, and I couldn’t. I can see almond bits in it, but I just couldn’t distinguish any taste exactly.

The best comparison I had for it, other than the bad milk chocolate, was it reminded me of the first time I bit into a rice cake. I had thought we had come a lot further in the design of lower calorie snack foods.

So disappointed.

If you have tried this product, please share your thoughts in the comments.

****This review was written for a product I received free, compliments of PinchMe.com and Fisher Nut Exactly ****

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz

June 22, 2015 by halipawz

Kraft Seasoned Grated Parmesan Cheese Classic Italian Review – HaliPawz

I recently had an opportunity to select Kraft Seasoned Grated Parmesan Cheese in their Classic Italian flavor as an option with PinchMe. PinchMe is a site that offers you free samples from time to time. All they ask from you is for you to supply feedback on the products after you try them. The only bad thing is you have to be quick or you miss out on things you would really like.

In my most recent box, I received a 3 oz sample of Kraft Seasoned Grated Parmesan Cheese in the Classic Italian flavor. Growing up, Kraft Parmesan Cheese was our go to Parmesan cheese. I didn’t even realize, until I was an adult, you could purchase a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself, which is my normal method now.

Kraft Seasoned Grated Parmesan Cheese Classic Italian

Kraft Seasoned Grated Parmesan Cheese Classic Italian Back

I was excited to receive this, as it had additional flavoring to it, so I thought it would have more uses than just sprinkling over a dish. I never realized just how handy it would be.

My mom and I had gone to a local Italian restaurant I had never been to before. The restaurant we were originally headed to had a line around the corner waiting to get it, so I decided to check this restaurant out. Mom and I both like Italian food so I figured it would be a good option. While the service was good and the soup (mom) and salad (me) was very good, the food itself was severely lacking. I didn’t mention my thoughts to my mom until after we left. The portion sizes were large enough for us to have some left over. My mom felt the same way. She felt Alfredo sauce from a jar had more flavor than her meal did.

I didn’t want the food to go to waste, but neither of us was looking forward to eating it again. I decided to try to doctor it a little. I took her Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo out of the refrigerator, added a little bit of butter and milk, some oregano, some garlic, and then used the Kraft Seasoned Grated Parmesan Cheese as well. I figured it was as good of an opportunity to try this as any. After it was heated up, I sprinkled it with more of the Kraft Cheese.

I was pleasantly surprised by how improved it was! My mom, who was not looking forward to eating it because she didn’t think I could improve it, actually liked it. I sprinkled quite a bit of it over my Chicken Parmesan, which also had no flavor in the chicken or the breading. Because the flavor couldn’t get into the chicken, it improved it slightly, but did more for the Alfredo.

In my opinion, if this product can improve the taste of bland restaurant leftovers, it has my endorsement! It’s a quick way to season your food before cooking as well as sprinkling over the dish prior to serving it and eating it.

****This review was written for a product I received free, compliments of PinchMe.com****

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May 31, 2015 by halipawz

Why isn’t Ruby Tuesday busier? – HaliPawz

I used to travel a lot for work. One thing I learned was the importance of consistency with restaurants. After working all day and spending multiple days in a city, you start to find yourself not willing to try a new local restaurant, you want one of your old reliable(s) because you know what you are going to get. Depending on what city I was in, I would have one or two “go to” restaurants. Sadly, I even ordered the same thing from them usually. Over time, you begin to know which restaurants are very consistent with their quality and tastes and which ones might be hit or miss. Let’s face it, when you’re tired, eating in restaurants every day, and have been away from home for a few days in a row, you just want something you know and like. One restaurant I came to know to be pretty consistent is Ruby Tuesdays. One thing I noticed from town to town, even here in Kansas City, is the restaurant is never packed. It makes me wonder, Why isn’t Ruby Tuesday a busier restaurant?

My mom and I went out to dinner tonight and we decided to go to Ruby Tuesdays. I gave her a choice of three and let her pick. I tried to pick places I knew wouldn’t be too busy for a Saturday night but would still have good food. We went to the location in North Kansas City, but I can speak confidently about that one and the one in Independence.

I want to talk about some of the facts, based on MY experience……

I have never encountered poor service. Just the opposite really. It must be a decent restaurant to work at because everyone always seems friendly. I have laughed over one thing or another with a waiter. Take tonight for example, I was drinking my typical Coke with Lemon and she brought me another drink with a new straw still in the wrapper. She asked me something, probably about the food, and as I was answering her, I opened the new straw then chuckled a little and said I didn’t know why I opened the new straw. She genuinely laughed with me and said she didn’t know why she brought me a new straw! I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s the little moments you come to appreciate.

Ruby Tuesday Salad Bar Photo by TripAdvisor.com

Their salad bar is one of the best around! I LOVE their salad bar. I can not say enough good things about it. Everything is always fresh. I have never seen a dirty salad bar at any location I have gone to. The dressings I have tried always have flavor to them. Their croutons are amazing. I can honestly say, if they aren’t my favorite croutons from a restaurant, they are in my top three. The quality of the salad bar is very consistent in every state and every location I have ever been in. The only thing I have ever encountered was one location, I can’t remember where, was out of croutons on the bar. I mentioned it to the waiter. Not only were they refilled immediately, the waiter brought me a small dish of them for the salad I was eating.

Ruby Tuesday Salad Bar Photo by TripAdvisor.com

Their menu has some hidden gems on it. I changed the way I cooked my green beans at home because of the way Ruby Tuesday’s prepares them. I finally asked someone what they were cooked in and how they were cooked and they told me. I now brush my green beans with olive oil and grill them. I even went out and bought a pan a few years ago just to grill green beans on my grill. Since then, I have used the pan for other things, but it was originally purchased because of those green beans. They also have white cheddar mashed potatoes that I love. One of my favorite meals from their was their Asiago Peppercorn Sirloin. I say was because one day I was torn between ordering my go-to and trying theirRibeye. Ribeye is one of my favorite cuts of meat but I had always been happy with the sirloin from there. The waiter, ever so helpful, pointed out I could order the Ribeye and have it prepared like the Asiago Peppercorn Sirloin. Are you serious?!?! I never even thought about it! I have a new favorite! My mom ordered the bourbon glazed pork chop tonight and it came out looking as good as the picture in the menu. It smelled great and she said it was really good. She said it was nice and tender. It must have been because she ate more of her meal than it did.
Ruby Tuesday Asiago Peppercorn Sirloin
That leads me to another point…..the portion sizes are good. I always leave full when I eat there. Tonight I even took home a small portion of my steak. I was just too full to finish it. Not only that, but the food actually has flavor but not so much fake flavor you lose the flavor of the actual item.
Their food prices are reasonable. In addition, if you are like me and like to take advantage of savings, if you have a smart phone with the Retail Me Not app, type in Ruby Tuesdays and there is usually a Buy one meal, get one 50% off. I use that coupon all the time when I eat there. I tell the waiter and at the end of the meal, they ask to see the coupon and I show them the code. I have never been made to feel awkward for using it or felt like the waiter was annoyed I was using it. ****Just remember to tip them based on the amount BEFORE the discount. You can also go online with a desktop or laptop and go to RetailMeNot.com and print the coupon ahead of time, but if you have a smart phone, it isn’t necessary to print it. In doing some searches for this blog, I did find a Facebook group called Ruby Tuesday Coupons where they also have different coupons posted on there.
I do think their desserts are a little pricey for what you get. I ordered the cupcakes once and wasn’t impressed. I do like their Blondie dessert though, so if you’re not too full from your meal and want a huge dessert or one to share, you might want to consider it.
They are a full service bar. I don’t usually order alcoholic drinks when I’m out. I just don’t see the point in spending that much money. I am completely against drinking and driving, I’m usually the driver, so again, I tend to avoid alcohol when I’m out to eat. I have ordered their signature drink; Ruby Relaxer and it was really good. According to their website, the drink is: “a mellow blend of Absolut Vodka with Cruzan Coconut Rum, peach schnapps, pineapple and cranberry juices, and fresh orange.”
They have these cheddar cheese biscuits they normally serve with the meals. For some reason, now that I think about it, we didn’t get them tonight, but I didn’t think to ask why.
Their carry out service is pretty good as well. I love the fact you can run in and make your salad and then grab the hot portion of your meal and head back out. They do have prepared salads on their menu but I don’t know why anyone would choose that over making it yourself at their salad bar. I’ve never tried it, but I’m sure you could just order a chicken breast by itself to add to your salad if that is all you want. I know Outback will do that. I used to do it for carry out all the time. I’d just order their house salad with a 6 oz chicken breast. Never hurts to ask if you are interested.
They are ADA Friendly. There is usually enough spacing between tables for wheelchairs and walkers. Just tonight, I noticed about three different families eating there where one member was in a wheelchair, plus my mom was there with the walker and even with her getting the salad bar, she is able to navigate it on her own.
Family Friendly, Meeting Friendly, Date Friendly, and Friend Gathering Friendly. I wouldn’t say it is a romantic place, but I have actually had two different dates there. One was even a first date. I don’t think it should be understood the man pays so if he insists, I try to think of a restaurant centrally located between the two of us with good food and not too pricey. Ruby Tuesday fits the bill.

So why isn’t it busier? I’ve been thinking about this. Perhaps people don’t understand what a hidden gem of a restaurant they are. Are they the fanciest? Absolutely not. They are clean, they are simple. They are like a neighborhood restaurant that just happens to nationwide. I remember I didn’t go into one for the longest time because I thought it was a seafood restaurant. I have no idea why, but I did. Their logo, the little swoosh on the “s” in Tuesday made me think seafood. I chalked it right up there with chains like Red Lobster, Applebees, etc, all of which I don’t go to. I have never been impressed with the quality of their food. As I don’t eat anything from the water, Red Lobster’s only alternative was a chewy chicken. So, with this thinking, I stayed away until one day I decided to venture in and I am so glad I did. I remember taking a friend there once and when we left, he admitted he had never eaten there before and it wasn’t what he thought it was. I think we’ve been back two or three times after that.

To me, it is just a nice, relaxing, place to go and enjoy a decent meal at a decent price. The only complaint I have about the locations in Kansas City is that they don’t have one close to me. If they wanted to put one near Waldo, I would probably just bounce back and forth between them and Chipotle all the time! Actually, I think Waldo demographics would be perfect for them. They should consider it!

I encourage you to look to see if you have a Ruby Tuesday near you. If you do, go check out what coupon would be the best for you, and then head out to try it. I’d love to hear about your experience if you do. Or, if you’re already a fan, drop a comment about what location and what you love about it!

Happy Eating everyone!

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz

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