Eat.Think.Smile Charlotte, NC MomBloggers Launch Product

From Blissdom to Eat.Think.Smile! Talk about Bliss and Smile! I did. I am still smiling!

The Team!  

Maricris! Thanks for hosting us! 

Young Moms and Babies!

Checking out the Cocoa Bean

Questions and Answers, Tastings, etc. 

The Babies Love Eat.Think.Smile ! And the Moms are smiling too!

2011 is kicking off just grand! This past week has been phenomenal. I am honored to have been asked to help launch a fabulous healthy living snack by the amazing Apure Foods of Colorado.

 Here's our bright table display with the cocoa antioxidants and the product with colorful flowers on this sunny day!

So Saturday after an incredible and blissful conference at Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, Eat.Think.Smile flew me directly to Charlotte for the launch of their antioxidant cocoa snack.

I adore Charlotte. What can I say - North Carolina! More importantly, my dear blogging buddy, Maricris was kind and gracious to accept my invite for her to Co-Host with me the product launch in the fare City of Charlotte!

Amazing blogger and writer that Maricris is, she immediately began to reach out to our friends - Social Media Moms - to help spread the word about this awesome party. Then Eat.Think.Smile's first-class Scientist, Dr. Amy Preston, taught us about the benefits of antioxidants in Cocoa!

We had all the options, Granola Cocoa, Thins and Bar! 

MMMMMmmmmm and so many flavor choices, 

Honey Peanut, Red Raspberry, Sea Salt, Cranberry and Walnut, 

are you in love yet?! We are! 

Dr. Amy Preston of Apure Foods explained the science behind 

the right kind of cocoa and getting the maximum benefits. 

Then we all had some Panera, great salads and fruit, more yogurt and ETS Granola!

We had swag!  Every flavor of ETS was in each bag  and the thins, granola and bars! Spoiled!

More connecting with great moms like, NC's own, Lisa Frame @Daily_Pinch and many more.

The fellowship in Charlotte was awesome!  Loved this event and all the MomBloggers' party fabulousness!

Check out Eat.Think.Smile today in NC!  Lowes' Foods is carrying the product.  Look for more to come.  Psst!  Rumor has it that the huge crowd in Winston-Salem loved ETS too!  

Warmly, Carolina Mama

Talking With Aida Mollenkamp - Healthy Snacks

Last Thursday, I got the opportunity to chat with Aida Mollenkamp of the FoodNetwork! What a a grand time. I really enjoyed her candid and informative visit about all things healthy. We specifically were discussing the amazing new Yoplait Delights Parfaits! These are just that amazing.

Yes, Yoplait sent my family a big box of all of the flavors of parfaits to try. And we adored them! They are light, refreshing, and low calorie too. So it is a perfect snack or dessert.

Aida and I talked about our own mothers and their influence upon us through their cooking. My mother used to make her own - yes homemade for a family of seven! - Go Mom! Parfaits! We loved these. She would layer, fruit, yogurt, jello. It was too fun. So I already had a great feeling about parfaits.

Yoplait Delights Parfaits delivered! Aida liked the Chocolate Raspberry best. And I found the Lemon Tort to be my favorite. Of course, they all were "delightful!"

Click this photo for your link to a $1.25 OFF Coupon on Yoplait Delights Parfaits!

$1.25 Off Yoplait Delights Parfaits

Aida and I discussed some of her "go to" snacks for healthy eating. I loved this idea. She "jazzed up" the Smore with a Grilled Banana. What a great way to get another fruit in and enjoy an old time classic.

One Twitter reader and friend asked about the issue of school lunches and allergies. What to do when a classmate has a peanut allergy. We all know those can be quite serious and yet PB is a good quick child-friendly protein. Aida suggested Almond and Cashew Butters for a quick and healthy protein.

Personally, I love Aida's twist on an old Southern favorite -

the Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sandwich.

She simply substitutes the bacon with a ripe and ready California Avocado! Doesn't that sound delish!

We also talked about what to do with a picky eater? Her answer: "It's all in the attitude. Have an open creative path to the food and share it with your child. Introduce them to different things and see what they like!"

Lastly, Aida suggests stop over-analyzing the diet! And enjoy healthy foods especially some of her favorite "no recipe recipe"
snacks like:

hard cheeses
fresh fruit
crackers
crunchy whole wheat crackers
banana and honey
grain bread, tomato, and cottage cheese

Also, check out Aida Mollenkamp as Food Editor on Chow.com. And on her new show Ask Aida that premiered on August 2nd.

There you have it a whole lot of Tips from Aida on healthy living and eating! Go to "Works For Me Wednesday!" for more great tips.

What are your favorite tips for favorite healthy snacks? Let's dish! :)


Warmly,