Broccoli & Garlic Mini White Pizzas

My six year old's favorite lunch for me to pack him is an English Muffin pizza. Its just a whole grain muffin, pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese and he absolutely loves it. Then one day while staring into the fridge pondering what to have for lunch myself, I had an epiphany! I could make a gourmet mini pizza just for me. While I do love a pizza loaded with sauce, cheese and maybe some eggplant, I also have become a fan of a white pizza topped with broccoli and garlic. Oh so yummy. So I threw one together myself for a quick and healthy lunch and it was quite yummy.

Broccoli & Garlic Mini White Pizza Recipe

Ingredients
whole grain English Muffin
shredded mozzarella cheese
fresh garlic, finely chopped
leftover, cooked broccoli, chopped

Directions
1. Split and lightly toast your English Muffin.
2. Finely chop some fresh garlic.
3. Sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella over the English Muffin. Add broccoli, a generous amount of chhese and top with garlic.
Place in toaster oven or regular oven and broil until cheese is completely melted.

Gather your four ingredients: English Muffin, mozzarella cheese, broccoli and garlic. I am not a fan of frozen broccoli but you certainly can use that (thawed) if you prefer.

Lightly toast the English Muffin. This will help to give it a nice crunch.

While that is toasting, finely chop your garlic. I started with the slice of garlic on the left and chopped till I got to the size on the right. Don't ask for a measurement, I don't have one.

Add a thin layer of cheese to the English Muffin.

Place the desired amount of broccoli on top of the cheese. I packed mine with as much broccoli as I could fit.

Pile on some more cheese. Add more than you think you should because when it melts down it seems like it is less.

The last thing I add is the garlic. I like for it to be on top so its get a little toasted by the broiler.

Place the mini pizzas in the oven or toaster oven on broil until the cheese is completely melted. Let cool for a few minutes before biting into this healthy and yummy snack or lunch!

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters Review & Giveaway

I love to snack, it is one of the downfalls to being home a lot. The trick is finding healthy snacks that aren't loaded with artificial junk. Both my hubby and I have been fans of Nature Valley Granola Bars for some time now. We buy the big box of the Oat's n' Honey one at Costco and that last a while. He likes to pack him in his lunch and if my 4.5 year old wasn't at a "nut free" preschool, I'd probably pack them in his lunch every now and then as well. So I was really excited when I heard that Nature Valley came out with a new Nut Clusters snack.

MyBlogSpark sent me a great Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters "Snack Pack" prize pack to try out. Included was one pack of each of the varieties of Nut Clusters. The four varieties are: Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew and Honey Roasted Peanut. Nut Clusters are a bite size blend of 100% natural ingredients that include select roasted nuts, whole grain oats and a touch of honey. They are a prefect blend of salty and sweet. The night that my package arrived, I immediately tore into the Nut Lovers one. Oh my goodness they were delicious. The entire package was gone in minutes. I have to confess that no one else in my house even got a chance to sample any of these, I ate them all. Over the next few nights they became my late nigh snack of choice while I was blogging.

All four flavors were very yummy. If I had to pick a favorite it would probably be the Nut Lovers followed closely by the Roasted Cashew. Of course in addition to great taste, its so nice that there are artificial ingredients in here. The Nut Clusters are definitely a snack that I plan on purchasing. In fact for those of you in the North East like me, they are currently on sale at Stop & Shop! And maybe next time, I'll actually let my family taste some. Maybe.

***Giveaway Closed***

Win
One lucky reader will receive their own Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters "Snack Pack" prize pack! In addition to the four varieties of Nut Clusters, this pack includes a stainless steel water bottle, a sling backpack made from recycled materials, a pair of binoculars and a flashlight.
You must complete this entry first before submitting any extra entries.

Mandatory Entry
This is super easy - just leave me a comment telling me what your favorite elements of nature are! Be sure to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win.

Extra Entries
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count. Leave email address in comments.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll. Leave your blog link.
- Follow GreenMamasPad and Nature Valley on Twitter and and tweet this giveaway. You can tweet once daily. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Fave me on Technorati and comment with your ID.
- Stumble this post and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan of Green Mama's Pad on Facebook.
- Become a fan of Nature Valley on Facebook.
- Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post and let me know which one.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Monday, October 12th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in all of your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Please note that the above review is based solely on my experiences with this product. You may have a different experience or result than I did.

Pirate's Booty Natural Snacks Review & Giveaway!

When it comes to snacks for my boys, I always try to go with all natural options. That means avoiding things with hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and any other artificial ingredients. About a year ago we tried the Aged White Cheddar Pirate's Booty and have been hooked ever since. My oldest affectionately calls it "Pirate Popcorn".


Pirate's Booty is a product of Robert's American Gourmet Food. All of their snacks are:

* All-natural
* Gluten free
* Trans fat free
* No preservatives
* No artificial sweeteners
* Kosher

"Robert’s American Gourmet Food snack food products are delectably crunchy, all-natural, baked, trans fat, gluten free and possess great subtle flavors that will have you craving more!"

As I mentioned we have been fans of their Aged White Cheddar for some time. My kids devour it and I've been know to eat my fair share as well. Pirate's Booty was kind enough to send me a treasure chest full of sample of each of their flavors. I actually had no idea there were so many other favors available! My oldest was so excited when he saw this treasure test and he couldn't wait to open it up and dig in! You'll notice its not full in my picture since we ate some before I could get my camera out. I plan on using it to store some of their toys now that it is empty.




So what other flavors are there? Besides the Aged White Cheddar they make Veggie, Barbeque, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Bermuda Onion and Caramel. In addition to all of these Pirate's Booty flavors, they have Wisconsin Cheddar Smart Puffs and Original Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks. I have to say that my new favorite are the Smart Puffs. Absolutely delicious! They are similar to your traditional cheese doodle type of snack, but much yummier and minus the bright orange coloring, which can't possibly be natural. I loved the Smart Puffs so much that I went out and bought myself a full size bag right away. (By the way, for those who shop at Stop-n-Shop, the Pirate's Booty and Smart Puffs are on sale, 2 bags for $5).

Not only are all of the snacks great for at home, but they are also perfect for your kids lunch box. With pretty much everyone back in school now, you'll want to make sure you put healthy snacks in there! Our grocery store also happens to sell the snack size bags which is really convenient. But if you want to save some trash, you can pick up a few of the big bags and fill up small reusable containers to put in with the kids lunches.

Shop
I would say that most of the big grocery chains carry these. If you are not sure who caries them in you area, you can check out their store locator or even buy by the case online.

***Giveaway Closed***

Win
One lucky reader will receive their own treasure chest full of Pirate's Booty snacks!

Mandatory Entry
Visit the Pirate's Booty site and then leave me a comment telling me what your favorite flavor is or the one you want to try the most.

Extra Entries
- Follow me on Blogger or subscribe to my RSS feed
- Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count. Leave email address in comments.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post. Please leave link in comment.
- Add my Green Mama's Pad button to your sidebar or add Green Mama's Pad to your blogroll. Leave your blog link.
- Follow GreenMamasPad on Twitter and and tweet this giveaway. You can tweet once daily. Leave link to tweet in comment.
- Fave me on Technorati and comment with your ID.
- Stumble this post and comment with your ID.
- Become a fan of Green Mama's Pad on Facebook.
- Become a fan of Pirate's Booty on Facebook.
- Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post and let me know which one.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Thursday, September 24th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in all of your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Please note that the above review is based solely on my experiences with this product. You may have a different experience or result than I did.