Baking Made Easier with Hamilton Beach Mixers

What is your most used small kitchen appliance?  Without a question, mine is my mixer.  Baking is 100 times easier when you have a mixer versus having to do everything by hand!

When I was approached by Hamilton Beach about reviewing their mixers, I didn't hesitate.  I love to try new products, and I've always been pleased with my Hamilton Beach products, so I didn't expect this time to be any different.

I was sent both their 6 Speed Hand Mixer with Pulse and Snap on Case, and their Stand Mixer.  When they came, I was excited to put them to the test and get started with some baking.

First up: the hand mixer.  I absolutely loved this mixer and it is definitely going to replace the one I had been using!  One of my favorite features it that the mixer has a case that snaps to it so you can store the cord, the various attachments, and the mixer all in one place.  No more digging through drawers for the beaters!  This mixer came with a set of beaters, whisk, dough hooks, and milkshake mixer.  I also liked the bowl rest, so I could let the beaters drip into the mixing bowl, rather than setting the mixer on the counter and having it drip everywhere.

Summer and I made pecan snowball cookies, and this mixer was powerful enough to stir the dense dough.  All in all, this mixer is a winner!

Next up: the stand mixer.  Straight out of the box, I knew I was going to love this mixer because of the suction cups on the bottom.  My current stand mixer has a tendency to bounce around the counter when it's mixing, and that problem is eliminated with the Hamilton Beach stand mixer.  This mixer came with a whisk, dough hook, and beater attachment.  It has multiple speeds, and has pictures showing what each speed is best used for.  My favorite feature though, was the spill guard.  I made peanut butter balls in this mixer and for the first time I didn't have powdered sugar flying everywhere when I started mixing!

Once again, Hamilton Beach came through and proved to have great products.  I loved both of the mixers I used and they have become staples in my kitchen.

Jealous?  Guess what?  Hamilton Beach has offered to give away one of each of the mixers I received to you!  Two lucky people can win--one will receive the stand mixer, and the other will receive the hand mixer.  I'll do two separate rafflecopters so you can enter for the mixer you want (especially if you already have one of them), or you can enter both!  (You'll notice that the entries are the same for both--so you only have to leave one comment to enter both giveaways.) a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was sent these products for the purpose of a review.  I was not otherwise compensated.  All opinion expressed in this post are my own.

Apple Pie Shakeology {Win a Wave Action Blender!}

It's been a while since I've done a real post on here! Sorry about that...life has been crazy these past few months.

Here's a quick update since I last posted:
I'm now a certified personal trainer!  (read more about my journey here.)
Summer is going to be a big sister!  (see the annoucement post here.)
Mike and I took a trip to Nashville for the Beachbody coach Summit, followed by a week of camping with our family.  (check out updates on my Facebook page.)

So yes, there's been a lot going on.  Tell me about your summer!

Speaking of summer--who doesn't love an ice cold drink?  Especially a shake or smoothie!  To be honest, I drink a shake for breakfast every morning, regardless of the season. I love my Shakeology!

The best way to make a shake is lots of ice, so it's super thick and creamy.  Of course, to do so, you need to have a strong blender.  The kind folks at Hamilton Beach recently asked me to test out their Wave Action Blender. I jumped at the opportunity since I use my blender daily.

Let me tell you, this blender did not disappoint!  Since I use a lot of ice, I often end up with a couple piece of unblended ice in the bottom of my cup.  With the Wave Action Blender, there were no chunks!  The blender is specifically designed to force the contents into the blades to ensure that everything is blended evenly.  If there's a stubborn piece, there is a handy spoon that you can insert in the top of the blender to assist.  This blender worked perfectly for my morning shake, and it can also be used to make soups or salsa.  (Guess what I'll be doing with all the tomatoes from my garden?!)

I made my favorite Shakeology recipe--Apple Pie.  Yes, I drink that flavor even in the middle of the summer ;) And, I'll even share it with you at the bottom of this post.

Apple Pie Shakeology
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 cup apple cider
1/2 frozen banana
4 ice cubes
dash of cinnamon
1 scoop vanilla Shakeology 

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.  Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

(If you're curious about Shakeology and why I drink it every day, please leave me a comment on this post!)

Okay, now it's your turn!  If you would like a chance to win your own Wave Action Blender, you can use the Rafflecopter form below to enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer:  I was provided with a Hamilton Beach Wave Action Blender for the purpose of this review.  I was not otherwise compensated.  All views and opinions are mine.

Even Summer loves her shakes! :)  

Dinner Made Easy with Meal Plans from Cooking Planit

I've mentioned before how much I love meal planning.  In fact, I've been planning to do a post to show you how I do it, but I haven't gotten around to it yet!  Today though, I'm excited to tell you about a new program that is going to make your life easier.  I've been using it since it launched last week and I already love it.

Ikea Playroom Giveaway

So...I've been a little absent from my blog lately. As you can imagine, I've been pretty busy.  My goal of resuming my typical posting schedule has been replaced by posting as/when I have time. Every time I sit down to write out a blog post or edit pictures, I get distracted by something else or Summer wakes up.  Oh well, priorities...

How about I make it up to you with a fantastic giveaway?  I've teamed up with some other fantastic bloggers to offer you a $100 Ikea Giftcard giveaway!  Who doesn't love Ikea?

Be sure to stop by Emily's blog to check out her Ikea Inspired Play Room and thank her for putting this giveaway together!

The giveaway runs from now until 10/12/13.  It is open to US Residents only, be sure to read the Terms & Conditions (on the Rafflecopter form) for more information.  This giveaway is sponsored by the bloggers below:

Melissa's Cuisine + Crumbs and Chaos + The Pink Flour Yummy. Healthy. Easy + My Own Blog Review + Roubinek Reality

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Father's Day Man Cave Filler Giveaway

Can you believe that we are already half-way through May?  I certainly can't!  It seems this year has just flown by and I know the next few months are going to go even faster!

It's nearly June and that means that it is time to start thinking about Father's Day.  I already ordered my Dad his gift, I'm just (impatiently) waiting for it to arrive.  If you haven't bought your gifts yet, this is the perfect giveaway for you!  I've teamed up with a great group of bloggers to help promote the new blogging book "The Blogger's Survival Guide" and bring you this great giveaway. 

Not just one, but three people will win a cash prize.  Keep the money, give it to your dad, or use it to buy your Father's Day gift.  What you do with the money is your choice--just remember the more entries you make, the better your chances!  Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

I'm really excited to be teaming up with a great group of bloggers to bring you this giveaway today!  This was the brainchild of Lisa, from Wine & Glue, as a way to celebrate her birthday this week.  Happy birthday Lisa!  And, we all get to celebrate with her.

Who couldn't use an Amazon giftcard?  I know I could find all kinds of things to spend $250 on.  I'd start with a few small kitchen gadgets, maybe a couple DVDs I've been wanting, and then I'd move on to baby stuff.  I mean, have you seen the cute baby girl items out there?  I could spend the whole $250 just on clothes for her!  But, I can't win this giveaway, so I sure hope you can!

The contest ends on Friday, May 10 and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards.  Be sure to enter properly and with your correct information.

What would you buy with $250 to spend at Amazon?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One Lucky Blogger Giveaway

Seriously, I am so excited about this giveaway!  I've been able to team up with a fantastic blogger, Carrie, of Frugal Foodie Mama, to bring you a giveaway that one lucky blogger will win.  I totally wish I could enter and win, but since I can't, I hope you do!  Here's Carrie to tell you about what you can win:

Every once in a while it is nice to throw together a group giveaway to show another fellow blogger a little love and support.  As bloggers, we appreciate ALL of our readers.  But we also know that many of our biggest supporters and most loyal readers are other fellow bloggers. :)  

March is known for the luck of the Irish, and leprechauns, and pots of gold at the ends of rainbows.  And this month could also be a VERY lucky one for one fortunate blogger out there.   Frugal Foodie Mama and 17 of her lovely March sponsors have teamed up to give one blogger the ultimate prize pack...

~$25 Etsy Gift Card~

A blogger can find everything they need on etsy from web design services to cute note cards to send with swap packages.

~$25 Target Gift Card~

What blogger doesn't love Target?? ;)

~$20 Starbucks Gift Card~

To fuel all of those marathon blogging sessions

+
~A custom photo watermark from Hummingbird's View~

12 ad spots on 12 different blogs!!

The right exposure and promotion is blogger gold!

There is just one mandatory entry for the giveaway- you do have to be a blogger to win the One Lucky Blogger Giveaway, so the first mandatory entry is to prove that you do indeed have a blog. :) Easy, peasy.  After that, all other entries are optional.

Now, let's meet the lovely giveaway sponsors...

~Kendra from Adventures of Brad & Kendra~ Ultimate Adventure ad for 30 days

~Julie from This Gal Cooks

~Carrie from Frugal Foodie Mama~ A Pin-t Ad for April

~Julie from White Lights on Wednesday~ 250 x 250 ad for April

~Kendra from The Flower Hazard~ The Big Bang ad (250 x 250) for a month

~Raquel from Organized Island

~Leanne from Top This by Leanne~ 200 x 100 ad for 30 days

~Aubrey from Homegrown & Healthy~ 200 x 200 ad for a month

~Jaime from Mom's Test Kitchen~ 300 x 100 ad for a month

~Melissa from Melissa's Cuisine~ an ad spot for a month

~Kathe from Kathe With an E

~Sarah from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes~ an ad spot for a month

~Katie from Clarks Condensed~ an ad spot for one month

~Lisa from Wine and Glue~ custom photo watermark

~Erin from Wholly Delicious Dishes

~Laurie from love, laurie~ 150 x 150 ad spot for two months

~Evelyn from My Turn for Us~ 225 x 225 ad spot for 30 days

~Lisa from Paintbrush & Screwdriver

*This giveaway is open internationally. You MUST be a blogger with an active blog to win. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified, so please make sure you are doing what you are claiming in the Rafflecopter or all your entries will be voided.  No funny business, folks. ;). By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. Number of entries received determines the odds of winning. One winner will be selected. This is a giveaway sponsored as a group buy, which means the bloggers pooled their money together to purchase this product for you.  Target, etsy, and Starbucks are not sponsors of this giveaway.  Any all all social media outlets used in the Rafflecopter are not sponsors of the giveaway or are responsible for this giveaway in any way.  Gift card prizes will be sent as egifts via Carrie of Frugal Foodie Mama.  Each individual blogger that has provided ad space for the giveaway is responsible for awarding the winner their ad spots in a timely manner.  Protected tweets do not count as an entry method for tweeting. Tweets must come from a public account. Bloggers in this group giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Please see the Rafflecopter widget below for additional Terms and Conditions.  Good luck, all! 

RAFFLECOPTER HTML- a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Favorite Things!--A Giveaway

As I mentioned the other day, Melissa's Cuisine has hit 200 followers on GFC!  This is super exciting for me as I watch my blog grow.  Your comments and encouragement on my blog means so much to me, so I want to take this chance to say THANK YOU to you!

I'd like to give away a few of my favorite things...

*2 Awesome Mugs from Paula Deen's Collection--So cute!

*Dove Chocolate bars--my favorite chocolate!

*M&M's--so yummy!

*Peach Green Tea--delicious and good for you!

This prize is exactly what you need for a relaxing afternoon, a mug of hot tea with some chocolate!  I'll choose a winner on March 3rd.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.  Here's how you can win:

*Leave a comment on this post--tell me one of your favorite things

*Follow me via GFC or Linky Followers--leave a comment (you can also leave a comment if you're already a follower.)  As a side note, I've joined Linky Followers, you can find out more here and here.

*Follow me on Twitter--leave a comment if you're a new or current follower

*Tweet or blog about this giveaway--leave a comment telling me you did

So there you have it, 4 chances to win this prize pack of my favorite things.  Have fun entering, and thanks again for your support of my blog!

*3/4/12--The giveaway is now closed.  Congratulations to Kristin!  Thanks to all who entered :)