Brownies on the brain? (Fiber One Review & Giveaway)

This giveaway is now closed. Winner has been selected and notified. A new winner will be chosen if I don't receive a reply within 48 hour. Thanks so much!

I absolutely love to bake. And I do it a lot! More, perhaps, in the cooler months than right now in August, but I still produce our fair share of cookies and brownies around here. I like to add nuts and toffee and frostings and all sorts of yumminess.

We all enjoy them very much but, I must confess, I really have no clue how many calories are in any given one. I know I could plug all the ingredients in to some fancy calculator, divide out servings, and blah blah blah... but, really, I don't like that much effort with my treats!

Ordinarily, we just don't worry about it. But my husband has really amped up the health and fitness lately and is working hard to drop a few pounds he no longer wants. He is not "dieting", but he IS trying to be more aware of what-- and how much-- he is eating. And, since I'm not always good at guess-timating how many calories are in a brownie I might bake, I was happy when I could just say "90" once these Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Flavor arrived.

So... they have 90 calories. That's good. More than anything, I'm just glad I have an actual number to give my man.

But, really, what everyone wants to know is: How do they taste?

They don't taste like homemade. Sorry. I wish I could say they did but, alas, I've yet to find a single packaged snack that does.

They do, however, have a good, chewy texture, and a decent number of semisweet chocolate chips going on. They're a nice, easy-to-grab size and it's a bonus that each bar provides 20% of the recommended daily value of fiber. That's probably good since my guy prefers white bread to wheat. ;)

Oh! And there are no artificial sweeteners in them. That was happy news to me. Oftentimes, these "lower calorie" snacks have aspartame hidden in there. Since this ingredient list met my approval, the kids could give them a try, too. Win-win.

Interested in giving them a try for yourself? Well, happy day!

Just leave a comment on this post letting me know WHY you'd like to give them a try (or WHO you're hoping to let try them!)

One winner (selected 8/31/12) will receive a prize pack containing:

• 1 box of Fiber One^Ž 90 Calorie Brownies, the Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor
• Survival kit including:
• Brain Stress Ball
• Water Bottle
• Ear Tube Buds
• Office Turf
• Mini tote bag

**Up to 3 ADDITIONAL entries may be earned by sharing this post via Twitter, Facebook, and/or Pinterest. Leave an additional comment for each method, please!**

Disclosure:  The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Pillsbury Baguette Chips (review & giveaway)

This giveaway is now closed. Winner has been randomly selected and notified. Thank you all for your great flavor ideas in the comments!!

Honestly? I am totally not "up" on the latest and greatest products in the grocery store. I am a boring creature of habit. I know things like when blueberries come into season, but I'm the mom at the baseball game who has no idea what anyone's talking about when they mention the newest, super-fab sports drink. Ah, well. Such is life. :)

Still, it was kind of fun last week when little old ME had tried something they had not yet seen! Score one for the lady who's been living under a rock!

I recently had the opportunity to try Pillsbury Baguette Chips in both the Italian Cheese & Herb and Cheddar Sun-dried Tomato varieties. I have to tell you-- they are some rather addictive little suckers. Crunchy, salty, quick-and-easy yumminess.

According to the Pillsbury website, these hearty chips are sliced from oven baked bread and topped with savory seasonings. I love that they're thicker and crunchier than typical chips. They can be enjoyed alone, with dip, or to spice up soup or a salad. (<-- I wish I'd actually read that last recommendation earlier. These would be a super fun substitution for croutons!)

Intrigued? Interested in trying Pillsbury Baguette Chips for yourself? Well, happy day! I have a gift pack including SIX full-size bags of Pillsbury Baguette Chips (3 of each flavor) for one of my readers to win!

For your chance at this great prize, simply leave a comment on this post telling me this:

Which flavor would you like to see Pillsbury Baguette Chips come out with next? (I'd love to see ranch or pizza, myself!)

(If you just can't wait to try them, go here to download a printable coupon for $0.75 off one package-- http://bit.ly/PBCcoupon)

Disclosure: General Mills provided me with the free product, information and gift pack through MyBlogSpark, but all opinions are entirely my own.