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Dave’s Gourmet Pasta Sauces Are Divine

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Disclosure: I received samples in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Pasta is a family favorite around here. I would estimate that we have pasta in one form or another for dinner about once a week! Dave’s Gourmet Pasta Sauces are a convenient way to add fresh and complex flavors to your next meal.

Dave’s Gourmet Pasta Sauces use premium ingredients, including vine-ripened tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs. There are several mouth-watering flavors to choose from:

  • Organic Red Heirloom
  • Butternut Squash
  • Creamy Parmesan Romano
  • Organic Roasted Garlic & Sweet Basil
  • Organic Hearty Marinara
  • Wild Mushroom
  • Organic Spicy Heirloom Marinara
  • Aged White Cheddar Alfredo
  • Vegan Bolognese

All of these sauces are gluten-free and are made in the USA.

My daughter made us lunch with Dave’s Gourmet Aged White Cheddar Alfredo Pasta Sauce and it was so tasty! She added some chicken and spinach, which went well with the sauce and spaghetti.

We also recently celebrated my mom’s birthday with some Italian food for dinner. My brother-in-law made thin crust pizzas in the backyard. I paired Dave’s Gourmet Organic Roasted Garlic & Sweet Basil Pasta Sauce with corkscrew pasta. I really enjoyed the chunks of tomato and the garlicky flavor. The Dave’s Gourmet website also suggests topping pizzas with their sauces, and I bet that would be very tasty as well.

Where To Find Dave’s Gourmet Pasta Sauces

Dave’s Gourmet Pasta Sauces and other specialty food items are available through the Dave’s Gourmet online store or at a store near you.

Dave’s Gourmet Pasta Sauces Giveaway

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Picnic In The Park With Poppilu Lemonade

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Disclosure: I received a sample in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Have you heard of Poppilu Lemonade? Its bright packaging and organic label recently caught my eye at Target.

Unlike many box or pouch fruit drinks, Poppilu Lemonade is low in sugar since it does not contain any added sugar. Each serving contains only 7 grams of sugar from natural fruit juice and 100% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C.

Poppilu Lemonade is available in several delicious-sounding flavors:

  • Original Lemonade
  • Blueberry Lemonade
  • Peach Lemonade
  • Passionfruit Antioxidant Lemonade
  • Original Antioxidant Lemonade
  • Blueberry Lavender Antioxidant Lemonade

We tried Poppilu Blueberry Lemonade at a recent summer concert in the park. It was a refreshing accompaniment to our picnic dinner. I enjoyed the sweet tartness and the unique blueberry flavor. My kids liked it as well!

Poppilu Lemonade is perfect for lunchboxes, picnic baskets or any time you need a little pick me up!

Where To Find Poppilu Lemonade

Poppilu Lemonade is available through their online store, or at a store near you, including Target.

Poppilu Lemonade Giveaway

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a coupon for one FREE 8 count box of Poppilu Lemonade. There will be three winners!

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Seattle Sightseeing: MoPop Museum

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MoPop Museum

The next stop on our CityPass tour of Seattle was the Museum of Pop Culture.

The shiny iridescent walls give a hint of the interesting exhibits that are inside.

This huge display of guitars will stop you in your tracks. D took the opportunity to display his air guitar skills.

When I met D in college, he was in the middle of his grunge music phase. This museum contains a lot of artifacts and memorabilia from that era.

The Pearl Jam exhibit was particularly impressive.

There were several small video booths with concert footage. The kids were not familiar with any of the music, but we obliged D and listened to a few songs.

This video screen was massive. It felt like were at a live concert!

MoPop appears to be trying to add more pop culture outside of music, but it feels a bit disjointed. This Super Mario wall was kind of random, but it was a fun photo opp.

The same goes for the storybook exhibit. It was interesting to see some famous costumes though. Apparently we just missed the Disney Heroes and Villains exhibit, which I think I would have enjoyed.

Can you imagine working this sound board?

I appreciated all of the artistic details.

We tried to walk through the horror film section as quickly as possible since we’re not into that type of thing.

Overall, I would say this museum is worth it for Gen Z’ers who were fans of grunge music in the 90’s-00’s. There is no doubt that the Pacific Northwest played a critical role in developing that music scene and this museum does an exceptional job of documenting it.

Artists At Play Playground

If you have younger kids, they might be more interested in the Artists At Play Playground located just outside of the MoPop museum.

This playground is unlike any playground we have ever seen. n had fun climbing the ropes and going through the long slides.

D and I found a place to sit in the shade while the kids played. I know we missed the actual Pacific Northwest heat wave, but we could not help wish the weather was about ten degrees cooler.

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Add Some Kick With Dave’s Gourmet Hot Sauces

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Disclosure: I received samples in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Do you enjoy spicy foods? Everyone in my family likes to add hot sauce to our food, so we were excited to try Dave’s Gourmet Hot Sauces. Dave’s Gourmet Hot Sauces come in a wide variety of flavors, with varying heat intensities. The website provides detailed descriptions of each sauce and rates them from mild to insanely hot+!

We tried the Dave’s Gourmet Creamy Garlic Red Pepper Sauce in a chicken bowl, and it added a nice and gentle amount of spice. I really enjoyed the unique sweetness that the red pepper adds. This is a versatile sauce which would complement many types of foods. The website suggests using this sauce with grilled meats, pasta or soup. I want to try it the next time we have turkey burgers.

We also tried the Dave’s Gourmet Creamy Roasted Jalapeno Sauce drizzled on a chicken quesadilla. This too was a winning combination. The heat from the jalapenos is subtle, and not over-powering. Some suggested uses are on top of eggs, salad, pizza, burgers or Mexican food. If you want something hotter, go for Dave’s Gourmet Ghost Pepper Sauce. We have not tried that one yet…need to work up the courage!

Dave’s Gourmet Hot Sauces are gluten-free, GMO-free, vegan, and contain no preservatives. These sauces really add unique flavors and guarantee that your food will not be bland.

Where to Purchase Dave’s Gourmet Hot Sauces

Dave’s Gourmet Hot Sauces and other specialty food items are available through the Dave’s Gourmet online store.

Dave’s Gourmet Hot Sauce Giveaway

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123 Choco Hot Chocolate Sticks Are Easy As 1-2-3!

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Disclosure: I received samples in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

I must admit, it does feel a little strange to be talking about hot chocolate in the middle of July. However, I did not want to wait to introduce you to 123 Choco Hot Chocolate Sticks. I first learned about this woman-owned business through the virtual Expo West platform.

Using these chocolate sticks, it is so easy to make a cup of hot chocolate. Just warm up a cup of milk, and stir the stick until melted.

123 Choco Hot Chocolate Sticks come in a variety of flavors:

  • Milk Chocolate
  • Dark Chocolate
  • Mocha
  • Mint Chocolate

These sticks are certified Kosher, gluten-free and peanut-free.

My son could not wait to try making a cup of hot chocolate with a 123 Choco Hot Chocolate Stick. Watching the chocolate stick melt into the warm milk was quite entertaining for both of us. The result is a deliciously rich cup of comforting hot chocolate.

These hot chocolate sticks would be so fun to have at a brunch with friends or a kids’ party. They would also make a nice favor or stocking stuffer since they come individually wrapped.

Whatever the season may be, keep 123 Choco Hot Chocolate Sticks in mind when craving your next cup of hot chocolate. (They have a shelf life of over 12 months!)

Where To Purchase 123 Choco Hot Chocolate Sticks

123 Choco Hot Chocolate Sticks are available for purchase through their online store.

123 Choco Hot Chocolate Sticks Giveaway

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a box of 123 Choco Hot Chocolate Sticks (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or mocha)!

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Make The Trek With KÜHL TREKR Travel Pants

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Disclosure: I received a sample in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

I am so excited that the world seems to be slowly reopening again, and the possibility of travel is becoming more of a reality. Whether your travel plans involve traversing rugged terrain or walking city streets, a quality pair travel pants is a necessity. KÜHL offers a wide variety of styles of women’s travel pants. I recently had the opportunity to try out their TREKR pants and I cannot wait to pack them for my next trip.

These KÜHL TREKR pants are made from a special lightweight fabric that has stretch, but does not stretch out. The fabric also has UPF 50 protection and is fast drying.

Thanks to the stretch, these pants are easy to move around in. They also have plenty of pockets for storage, which I appreciate. I like this Charcoal color because it matches with everything and doesn’t show dirt easily.

These TREKR pants are also quite versatile. They can turn into capris thanks to hidden side seams that cinch inside the pockets! This feature is nice when the weather changes, as it often does when we are out and about.

I may just be strolling through neighborhood parks now, but it is nice to dream about future travels with these KÜHL TREKR pants.

Where To Purchase KÜHL Travel Pants

KÜHL travel pants (for both men and women) are available for purchase through their online store, or at a store near you.

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Save Money & Time With NewAir Compact Chest Freezer

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Disclosure: I received a complimentary product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. Please note that this post contains affiliate links.

A chest freezer is one of those appliances that I always thought would come in handy, but have never owned. Make ahead meals, freezer cooking and stocking up on sale items are all appealing ideas to me. However, I never had quite enough room in the freezer compartment of my refrigerator to do these things well. In fact, there have been many times when my freezer drawer was so full I could barely open or close it without a struggle.

The NewAir Compact Chest Freezer is a smart option if you have been contemplating more freezer space. This model measures 22.2″D x 37.4″W x 33.3″H. Although we do not have much excess storage space in our two-car garage, we were able to carve out a place for this freezer. I was also pleasantly surprised to see the U.S. Government Energy Guide label states that this unit’s estimated yearly electricity use is 244 kWh. This comes out to an estimated yearly energy cost of only $29.

I have been slowly adding items to this chest freezer and I cannot wait to add more.

For example, I made a double batch of breakfast cookies and put the extra dough balls in a gallon bag to freeze for future use. This can be done with a variety of foods, and will be a real time-saver once school starts again.

As you can see, this chest freezer has plenty of storage space (seven cubic feet, to be exact). The wire basket and interior shelf help separate items and make them easier to find. There is also a LED light that turns on automatically when you open the door, which makes it easy to see the contents inside.

A long time ago, my mom suggested that I keep a list of items in my freezer (along with the date) so I do not forget about them. I think this tip will be helpful in keeping track of what I have in the freezer and reducing food waste.

Another benefit of owning a chest freezer is being able to buy food items in bulk without having to worry about storage. I am a big Costco shopper, but sometimes I had to stop myself from buying good deals because I knew there was not enough room in our freezer. Now I can buy the big pack of chicken drumsticks and freeze half for another dinner on a busy night.

The simple digital temperature controls set the thermostat between -14° F and 50° F. There is also a door alarm that can help prevent accidental losses.

Finally, I also want to mention that this is unit is very quiet! Even though we have ours in the garage, it would not be bothersome if it was inside our home.

Where To Purchase NewAir Products + Discount Code

NewAir appliances are available to purchase through their online store. In addition to the NewAir Compact Chest Freezer, NewAir also offers many other products, including beverage fridges, evaporative coolers, ice makers and heaters. Use discount code LIM at checkout for ten percent off your purchase!

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Seattle Sightseeing: Chihuly Garden & Glass

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After visiting the Space Needle, we went to Chihuly Garden and Glass which is right next door. This is definitely one of the places that you should choose as part of your Seattle CityPass. Again, they let us in earlier than our reserved time since it was not crowded.

I do not believe this place was here when D and I first visited Seattle. According to something I read (can’t remember where), it replaced an old arcade/carnival space. I would say this is quite an upgrade!

I did not know much about Dale Chihuly prior to visiting this museum. My only previous exposure to his artwork was in the Bellagio hotel lobby in Las Vegas.

Chihuly’s glass creations are truly breathtaking. The vibrant colors and incredible designs are a sight to behold.

I would recommend stopping by the screening room where they show short clips about Chihuly’s work and process on a continuous loop. Watching the glass-making process makes you appreciate his work even more.

This garden picture shows just how close it is to the Space Needle.

It is so cool how this glass sculpture blends in with the surrounding plants.

Here are a few of Chihuly’s famous “Chandeliers”.

Chihuly’s work goes beyond glass. These textiles show some of his other types of work.

We always like to browse museum gift shops, although we usually do not buy anything. This time I did pick out a print of the Glasshouse to remind us of our time together in this beautiful place.

#MOLDIV
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Sightseeing in Seattle: Space Needle

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Seattle Lunch Pick: Fresh Off The Boat Poke Bar

We had reservations for the Space Needle at 12 p.m., so we picked up lunch from Fresh Off the Boat Poke Bar on the way.

We ordered two large poke bowls, which ended up being plenty for the four of us. I like how poke bowls are so aesthetically pleasing.

We were the first ones there and no one else was in line, but the service was quite efficient to the point of being curt. As you can see, there are a lot of ingredients and toppings to choose from.

How hilarious is this choice of toilet paper in the restaurant’s bathroom? Someone actually busted out a label maker! I had to take a picture to share (after I washed my hands, of course).

We took our poke bowls to go and ate them on a bench near the Space Needle. We all agreed they were one of the best poke bowls we have consumed. The ingredients were fresh, the bowls were packed, and the flavors were on point.

Seattle Space Needle

Going to the top of the Space Needle is one of the activities D and I skipped when we visited pre-kids. I think we thought it was too pricey at the time. Looking back, I am glad that we were able to experience the Space Needle for the first time with our kids.

For this trip, we purchased City Passes, which includes admission to five different Seattle attractions. City Passes are available in several big cities, and their purpose is to save you money and time. In our case, there were no lines at any of the attractions we visited. However, I can see how having a City Pass would be helpful when it is crowded.

Once we reached the top, we were greeted with amazing 360 degree views of Seattle. It was a clear day, so there was excellent visibility.

There was a nice indoor seating area where we rested our legs and enjoyed the air conditioning. We also took advantage of the water-filling station to replenish our water bottles.

After you are done looking around the top floor, go down a flight of stairs to experience the revolving glass floor. As someone who experiences motion sickness, I could only stay for a little while before feeling dizzy.

This is also the floor where you catch the elevator down.

k wanted to see how far she could keep one foot on each side of the revolving floor.

The City Pass actually allowed us to visit the Space Needles twice in one day. The ticket said that the second trip should be after 6:00 p.m., but the ticket office said the second visit could be at any time that day since it was not crowded. Although it would have been nice to go up to the top during sunset, it would have been too late for us (since the sun did not set until around 9 p.m.!) Therefore, we made our return visit after completing our other stops for the day.

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Burn #CleanCandles With Fontana Candle Co.

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Disclosure: I received samples in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

There is nothing like a candle to add warm ambience to a home. However, the ingredients in many candles are questionable and can actually add toxins into the air. Fontana Candle Co. offers candles with lovely scents that come from 100% pure essential oils. Their commitment to producing clean burning candles made from beeswax and coconut oil will allow you to literally breathe a sigh of relief.

Fontana Candle Co. candles do not contain petroleum byproducts, stabilizers, or harmful dyes. Impressively, their candles are the first candles to receive the MADE SAFE® certification. I had the opportunity to try out their Pink Grapefruit, Fresh Mint & Lime, and Wildflower Citrus candles. All of these candles are labelled as “Lightly Scented” and I would say that is accurate. These light citrus scents are perfect for an easy and fresh summer atmosphere.

I have never seen or used a candle with a wooden wick like the ones used by Fontana Candle Co. The slight crackling sound of the burning wood wick is so cozy!

I also like to use candles as part of my home decor. Fontana Candle Co. candles add a nice touch to a bookcase or shelf. Displaying candles out in the open also makes it more likely that you will remember to use them when the mood strikes! The jars would also be nice to repurpose once you are done burning the candle.

Where To Purchase Fontana Candle Co. Products

Fontana Candle Co. products are available through their online store. In addition to candles, they offer a wide array of essential oils, diffusers, wax melts and wax warmers.

Fontana Candle Co. Giveaway

Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win three Fontana Candle Co. candles (9 oz. jars) of your choice!

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