Chef Kalil in the Frito-Lay Flavor Kitchen

At the Frito-Lay Flavor Kitchen at its headquarters in Plano, Texas, Frito-Lay’s team of chefs use real foods and recipes to inspire new flavors of Frito-Lay snacks. For example, the flavor for Lay’s Garden Tomato & Basil potato chips was inspired by a tomato basil sauce that you’d put on pasta or use for dipping bread.

I had the opportunity to sample all three all-natural varieties in the top photo and they are delish! We shared the Tostitos with our friends at game night and everyone enjoyed them. I brought the Sun Chips to the middle school girls class I teach at church and they devoured the bag before I could have a taste. I am savoring the Tomato & Basil chips because they are like eating a delicacy, not a potato chip!

Frito-Lay wants you to try all three delicious flavors too so they are giving one lucky reader of The Mom Maven a chance to win them!
Mandatory 1st Entry: Go to Frito-Lay’s website and read about the Naturally Delicious options that are now available. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me something you learned.

Bonus Entries: Leave a separate comment for each entry.

• Follow @FritoLay on Twitter
• Follow @MomMaven on Twitter
• Tweet this: Snack time! I’d like to munch on some all-natural chips from @FritoLay Enter to #win some from @MomMaven http://bit.ly/iPRiYj (you may do this 2x a day)
• Like Frito-Lay on Facebook
• Blog subscribers, GFC friends, Networked Blogs followers and Facebook Likers each get 1 entry.

This giveaway is open to US entries only. The winner will be chosen by Random.org. The winner has 48 hours to claim their prize. The giveaway ends at 9pm EDT on 5/20/11. **This giveaway is now closed**

Disclaimer: I received 3 bags of chips to sample. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Sensible Portions® innovative guilt-free snacks are designed to satisfy every craving, without sacrificing great taste. Sensible Portions®, the next generation in unique, better-for-you snacks, features products designed for the lifestyle demands of those who want to snack sensibly, anytime, anywhere. Sensible Portions® recently introduced Potato Straws, Apple Straws and Minor’s Gold to its collection of gourmet snacks. All three products are made from all-natural ingredients and contain NO preservatives and NO Trans Fat. They are perfect to indulge in during a movie, at a ball game or as a compliment to any meal. Additional products include Veggie Straws, Pita Bites and Multi Grain Crisps. All items can be found at grocery stores, delis and warehouse clubs nationwide. Here in Florida they are at 7-11, Sam’s Club, Albertson’s and Publix.

We have sampled every flavor in the picture above and we love them all! The portion sizes are big enough that you feel like you have eaten enough to satisfy your hunger and the bold flavors satisfy your tastebuds. The boys’ favorite is the Smooth Cheddar Potato Straws. My favorite hands down is the Sensible Portions 100 Calorie Packs Cheating with Chocolate Cinna-Swirls! OMG if you have a sweet tooth this will satisfy it better than any other 100 calorie pack of cookie on the market! I am hiding the last few packs so the kids can’t eat them! If you are looking for healthier snack alternatives for you, or your kids try Sensible Portions, you won’t be disapponited.

The post Sensible Portions Snacks-Review appeared first on The Mom Maven.

“Today, many consumers are more health conscious and are looking for products that don’t contain ingredients created in a laboratory,” said American Licorice spokesman Michael Kelly. “Natural Vines are just that—natural.”

While most other premium licorice products contain artificial ingredients and high fructose corn syrup, Natural Vines are naturally sweetened with cane sugar and made with wholesome, all natural ingredients. They’re low in fat, sodium, cholesterol-free, and contain no trans fat and the bite-sized twists have less than 17 calories each.

Natural Vines were created for the sophisticated licorice customer and are the result of American Licorice Company’s nearly 100 years of candy making excellence. The unique cooking process produces a rich taste and a distinctive chewy texture that consumers prefer, and the convenient, bite-sized twists are fun to eat, allowing for easy portion control. Made in the USA, Natural Vines are packaged in a distinctive stand-up resealable bag to maintain maximum freshness and flavor.

“American Licorice Company has been around since 1914, with five generations of experience in making renowned licorice,” added Kelly. “We believe our passion, experience, and dedication to getting the product just right have made Natural Vines the world’s best-tasting, highest quality, premium licorice made with all natural ingredients. We think licorice lovers everywhere will agree.”

I received a bag of each the strawberry and black for this review. I brought them to game night at my church and had my friends try them both and give me their honest opinions. Everyone loved the strawberry, kids and adults. It was soft and chewy and fun to eat. The black licorice can only really be appreciated by someone who enjoys that unique flavor…so I asked my dad to try it. He loved it…and kept the rest of my bag!

You can purchase your own Red Vines Natural Vines Black Licorice, 8-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6) for $14.08 for 6 bags.

Disclosure: I received 2 bags of licorice for the purpose of this review. The opinions are 100% mine, my friend’s and family.

The post A Healthier Candy for You and Your Kids appeared first on The Mom Maven.

When the box arrived I was blown away by the awesome presentation of the Pirate’s Booty. It came in a treasure chest!

There were five different flavors of Pirate’s Booty, one package of Original Tings and one package of Smart Puffs a chip clip and some stickers.

Pirate’s Booty comes in great subtle flavors like Aged White Cheddar, Barbeque, Veggie (vegan), Bermuda Onion and Sea Salt & Vinegar. All Pirate’s Booty products are low in fat (130 calories per serving) gluten and trans-fat free as well as tree-nut free, so it’s perfect for the kiddies!

The Pirate’s Booty didn’t last long at my house. Our favorite flavors are Aged White Cheddar and Barbecue. The Real Wisconsin Cheddar Smart Puffs were delicious also.

You can check out the Store Locator on the Pirate’s Booty website to find which stores near you carry these delicious snacks or you can order them straight from the website. You can also fan Pirate’s Booty on Facebook. Make sure you share some Pirate’s Booty with your crew today.

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Don’t forget to check out my other giveaways PUR Flavor Options Pitcher, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Extraordinary Teens, and  Zhu Zhu Pets.

The post Book & Yoplait Winners appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Thanks to My Blog Spark I received a “Summer Cool Down” gift bag that included two free coupons for Yoplait Whips!, cooler tote, popsicle molds and a set of 12 color-changing spoons. We purchased Chocolate Mousse and Lemon Burst flavored Whips to try frozen. The Chocolate Mousse was good but the Lemon Burst was definitely our favorite.

You can download a coupon for $0.60 off Yoplait Whips! If you sign up to get the Betty Crocker newsletter you will receive a coupon for FREE Yoplait Whips!

Thanks to My Blog Spark you can win a “Summer Cool Down” gift bag just like I did!

How to enter:

Mandatory Entry Visit the Yoplait Whips website and check out their flavors. Leave me a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try frozen.

Bonus Entries:

• Tweet this giveaway using the Tweet button at the bottom of this post. Place the URL of your tweet in your comment. You can do this 1x a day.
• Subscribe to my RSS feed (orange heart in sidebar). Current subscribers you get one entry too Just let me know who you are.
• If you haven’t done it already visit This Sheet Works, these visits are tracked so I will be able to confirm that you did it.
• Leave a comment on another, non-giveaway, post on my blog. Let me know which post you commented on.

This giveaway is for US residents only. This giveaway ends 8/31/09 at 10:00pm. Good luck

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