Raley's Top-It Pizza made with Love

Recently I signed up for the Raley's Try-It program on the Raley's website. The basic idea of the site is to gain information from regular people like us and help get the word out about new products they are offering.  Right now I don't think I could be happier. My first program that I opted into was for the Top-It Pizzas!!! Anyone that knows my family, knows we LOVE pizza more than most food.  Pizza is always a winner in our house.

Because we enjoy cooking in our house, we seldom purchase pre-made pizza.  We prefer to cook in our own home which makes the Top-It Pizzas an all time winner in our house!  Not only does Raley's offer a Large pizza for $10 (larger than a Pizza Hut large) with red sauce and an herb cheese mix, they offer two Medium pizzas for $8 each (this is the same size as a Pizza Hut large).  The two Medium pizzas offered come in two varieties.  One pizza is a classic thin crust with a herb cheese mix and garlic white sauce.  My favorite is the second Medium selection, it is a whole wheat thin crust with herb cheese mix and pesto sauce. YUMMY!!!

Each of the Top-It pizzas come with your selection of toppings.  That's right, free with each pizza you get to choose your toppings! I have tried them all and have found that classic staples like Pepperoni with cheddar cheese and the Deluxe Veggie mix are our favorites.  They offer others though too like a Fiesta Chicken and the ever popular Margarita topping. I think there are optons for everyone. 

These easy to bake, make it yourself pizzas are so awesome that my kids get excited about making their own food.  This of course makes mom happy that the entire meal consists of preheating the oven to 375*, putting it in the oven, taking it out after 12 minutes and then cutting it.  Perhaps a bit of cleanup after my monsters make their creations, but it is a lot easier than a full blown meal.   

I would highly reccomend everyone trying these tasty pizzas.  This past Monday Raley's even offered the 12" Top-It pizza for $5.  Anyone that doesn't love pizza for $5 is just plain crazy in my book.  Of course as a partipant of the Try-It  program I got a pizza FOR FREE!!!! One free pizza and one $5 pizza on Monday made it a better start to the week than the regular humdrum of any other week.

Clean Eating is Hard Work

You know the drill; Energy drinks and cereal for breakfast. Maybe a pop tart or two. Tasty, bubbly soda with a bag of chips for lunch. Maybe a treat of Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino accompanied by the ever tempting Lemon Iced Pound Cake. 

 

Round up the evening with tacos and some homemade cookies.......oh the unhealthy lifestyle of America. We are all guilty. We have all been there in some way or another. But we need to stop. This sort of lifestyle is contributing to the ever growing obesity in our nation. One family at a time, in your home, is the best place to start. 

We recently decided as a family to eat better. Feel better. Be happier and healthier and set a better example for our children. 

Hubby and I decided together we would Go Big or stay fat. We opted for a Clean  Eating diet with a few variations to help us shed the excess weight. A huge culprit in both our diets was sugar. In coffee, tea, lattes, energy drinks, soda, and juice. Pretty much everything we were drinking was slowly adding to our weight gain. Simply, we cut it out. No sugar. Water, black coffee and green tea have become our daily liquids. Easy, no. Worth it, yes. 

We also cut unnatural or foods with added sugar and switched to natural sugar only. Eating fruit for breakfast has really upped my energy level in way that doesn't lead to a crash later on. Eliminating added sugar, led to taking away processed food in general. We eat a small amount of whole grains a day, with a low amount of added sugar. The higher the fiber, less sugar and calories the better. 

Our version of Eating Clean has brought both of us through some rough patches (detoxing off of sugar isn't pretty) but 2 weeks in, we feel better. I never thought a diet high in fresh fruits and veggies would actually work for me. Don't get me wrong, we eat meat, but lean meat. We avoid dairy products as well. A little cream in the coffee every now and then and that's about it. 

I know this sounds like mania, but honestly when my food is fresh and delicious, it's hard to want to go back to anything in a package. 

Not only have the two of us lost a combined total of 25lbs in 2 weeks, our children have started to ask for sliced apples as a snack, and have adjusted to water only in our fridge. The kids haven't quite adapted the entire idea of eating clean, but little by little they're watching us and making better choices as well. 

Fresh is Better and we are Happier. 

 

 

 

 

My Survey Addiction

So every housewife and mother out there can identify with the overpowering need to do something for herself. For a very long time I struggled with what to do in my precious moments caught alone (you know there are few when you have small children), but I found my outlet in online surveys. Who wouldn't want to do something fun and gain in return? I have tried every site out there I think. Few have kept my attention past the first survey. 

Often times surveys involve the disclaimer "sign up for these promotions to collect your points". I have no time or energy for the junk mail that ensues beyond that point. Many a survey site I have tossed aside. The two programs that I have found, that have really paid off are e-rewards and the new Raley's Something Extra Try-It program.

 e-Rewards has provided 100s of dollars worth of Game Stop gift cards to me over the years. I'm not sure exactly how or where on the Internet I found this awesome survey site, but I have been a happy member for over 8 years. Every survey you opt into and qualify for "pays" you money. The money collects in your "bank" and when you've earned enough you can redeem your "cash" for which ever program they offer. 

 

Excellent for a gaming family like ours!! Every little penny helps me save money I didn't otherwise have. 

Now the Raley's Something Extra program is a program I recently joined (I think in late fall of last year). The program is simple enough, it is a money saving shoppers program with a twist. You buy your regular groceries, your card tracks you, gives you a penny to the dollar in points (extra points on selected items throughout the store) and tailors in store coupons to YOU! At the end of each Fiscal Quarter (every 3 months) Raley's gives me BACK my points in dollar form to spend, any way I choose within their store. 

Now I understand 1 penny to every dollar doesn't sound like much in the form of return, but it adds up. In the month of December I received $40 and a few coupons for free items (that I needed). Who doesn't need $40 extra in their life? And for doing nothing more than shopping the way you normally would. Count me in!!! 

Just recently while inside my Something Extra application I noticed a new tab, the Try-It program. Upon further investigation, I found out Raley's is asking regular customers to join in and better their company through surveys. Oh my gosh my heart leapt, I hit the button and joined right in! This program, much like the Something Extra program, cost me no more than I'm already spending. This particular area of the site asks people like you and me what we think of their products. Talk about their program and products, share your experiences, and reap the rewards of discounted or free products. 

In my eyes, it really doesn't get any better than that. 

I love the idea of being rewarded for the things I'm already doing, or interested in. Free is free and getting money back after I have already saved money, even better. If you have any noteworthy survey sites please share! I'm always looking for something that helps me enjoy my few quiet moments but still benefits my entire family. 

Our Little Family

Conventionally I wouldn't say we have a small family, in total there are 7 of us, but I think we are a happy one. Although two of our five children are rather picky in their eating habits, each of them enjoys cooking with mom. 

For each season I attempt to bring my monsters together and encourage them to join in the making of something fun. Of course Christmas calls for the most goodies, but we try to do something all the time. Chex Party mix and Snickerdoodles (from Grandma's recipe of course) are family staples. 

This past year we have tried a lot of new foods, desserts and crafts. My beautiful daughter even started her own little bakery for school. You can find her on Facebook at Sophia's Bakery I encourage you to check out the power of a driven teenager. She loves to bake. That makes my heart happy because I love it too. There's something powerful in creating delicious moments you can enjoy. My little Boots loves too cook as well.

He is a bit of a ham and really doesn't like to eat many foods, but he LOVES making food and sharing it. Even went to school dressed as a chef during reading week to show what he wanted to be when he grows up. ( I'm not sure at the age 7 this will stick, but one can hope).

I suppose the idea here was to introduce a bit about us and our cooking adventures that are yet to be logged.  I'm still trying to get a handle on what I am doing so I can properly convey our adventures. I will try my hardest to source and link everything I ever share (with better looking links I might add). I am a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due. And that being said, I love the power of the Internet. I know a lot of it is the same information, but of course the presentation differs. I love pretty things. (Oh Pinterest *swoon*) I love to share. I hope you find something exciting on my page eventually. Please feel free to comment or share. I love meeting new people and am always open to suggestions of new sites to see and things to try!!




  

Revamping Blog time

Oh my gosh it has been YEARS, literally, since I was able to access this blog.  After a quick look over, it is quite apparent it needs a serious overhaul.  Where to begin? What do people blog about? What in the world are you interested in? You tell me what you want to hear and I will be more the willing to attempt to fill you in.  I suppose for the time being I will share my adventures in cooking (I kind of love food a lot) cool stuff I have seen on the internet and what not.  That's what people do right?  My ultimate goal is to use a new blogger app ( https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloggo-for-blogger/id605860879?mt=8 ) on my sexy little iTouch my hubby got me for Valentine's day.  Must make best use of that bad boy any way I can.  I think hubby is starting to worry that I am only playing BeJewlled Blitz and Line Play on it........maybe I am......