Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance Pet Food

I am on a new Bzz Campaign with Bzz Agent and they have connected me to some food for my cat to try. My cat is a pretty good sport, most of the time, and she will give food of any shape or form a try. I as her owner, on the other hand, am a little more discriminating. I like her. I really like her.. she is a good pet friend and I want to care for her well.

We have been paying top dollar for EVO grain free cat food. We like it because (while we do spend more on the bag of food) she doesn't consume a lot of it and she has been very very healthy. Her weight continues to stay at the right place, she has free feeding options (so she can graze if she wants to) and she eats her food up and likes it (when the bowl is empty she comes meowing for more!). She is doing well with this food and it came highly recommended - when we brought her home from the cattery (yes, she is one of those pure bred cats with the extended name) the cat breeder told us EVO food was all she fed her show cats.

That said, I was excited to see that Hill's Science Diet was ALSO offering a Grain Free cat food. I ordered my free bag (Thanks again Bzz Agent) and waited eagerly for it to come.

Then it came.

And it is GRAIN free, but they use POTATO as a filler.

WHAT?

yeah - potato.

I have yet to see my cat eat potato of her own volition. Why would I want to have it in her food? That I pay for. To feed her with.

My cat (and her not so discriminating palate) is sure to eat up all the Hill's Science Diet food. But I just can't bring myself to commit to a brand that will label something as GRAIN FREE (which implies there is a LOT of meat in it) and then sells it with potato as a filler. So I am disappointed with this as a pet owner.

But I did take the time to look at the Comparison Tool available on Hill's Science Diet's website. And honestly, compared to the regular grocery store brands that a lot of people feed their cats - Hill's Science Diet is an improvement. So for those owners who want to provide better nutrition to their cats... Hill's Science Diet is a step in the right direction. But my vote for "Best Cat Food" is being cast for EVO....

Healthfull Bread...

Bzz agent has hooked me up again with some new products to try.  This time it is Orowheat/Arnold/Brownberry Brand Healthfull Bread.  It has whole grain, fiber, 5g of protein and 80 calories per full-size slice.  I will have to say - this bread is hearty and delicious.  The flavor is really tasty.  It does tend to be a little dry - but that can be ok as long as it is paired with some lettuce, tomato, and low cal meats or avocado slices.  The price point is a little high - at $4.50 a loaf it is an investment.  Although my kids will taste it, at that price, they won't be eating Peanutbutter and jelly on it (they always end up eating only half, anyway... but I digress!).  I like it and its great for me with watching what I eat.  The 80 calories and protein are an added bonus.  I can't say that I am completely sold on this bread, but I am enjoying my free loaf (thanks to Bzz agent I get to try products and talk about them!).  I think future purchases of this bread will go straight into the freezer, then I can preserve the flavor while keeping the bread fresh - and then a quick defrost of a couple of slices in the microwave will moisten things up too.  Give it a try - look for the brand in your region... its either Orowheat, Arnold (that's what we have here where I live) or Brownberry ...and the bread is the Healthfull Bread!  Enjoy!  You can take a look at their website HERE where there is more information about the breads, delicious sandwich recipes, and some company information on the Arnold Bread Company! 

Are you Smarterer?

This is a new Bzz campaign I have been invited to - with a company called Smarterer. Its an interesting site where you can take quick quizzes and then blast the results (only if you WANT TO) out to the world... you know.. to show who, in fact, is SMARTERER....

You can show off your basic math skills, your knowledge of Facebook, coffee, the Twilight series... basically if you know something about something, there might be a quiz on the site for you to show off (and then challenge others with) your great skills.

If you don't see a ready quiz, you can even create one of your own.. so, say you are in the know about Zoe Deschanel's show New Girl.. and you want to shout it loud and proud... just create a quick quiz, post it, take it and link your results to Facebook. Easy as that.

Just click here to give Smarterer a try!


Now I just need to decide which quiz to take first... Thanks Bzz agent for connecting me to Smarterer... I love being a Bzz agent and having the opportunity to try products and then give my honest feedback.

Private Selections - Kroger's Delicious Line

I had the opportunity to try Kroger's Private Selections delicious line of specialty foods, recently.  I sampled a pizza, an appetizer and a dessert.

The cost of all three was a little more than I was initially comfortable with - 9 pieces of appetizer ran about $5, the small (probably enough for 2 people) pizza was about $6 and the dessert (2 servings) was about $4.  


In all - my impression of the products was excellent.  I always start with a thorough read over the ingredients list on the side of the box - it was a short list for all three products... which is a sure fire sign that they were like something I might make at home.  The ingredients for the apple dessert was my favorite "apples, oats, butter, salt, sugar, brown sugar... " etc... and it tasted just that fresh - like I had sliced the apples, poured the oats and brown sugar over top with a dab of butter... It was the same for the pizza and the tortilla cup appetizers - a short list of ingredients that were natural and from what I could tell, preservative free!

I wanted to get my kids' take on the foods too, so I cut the pizza up into appetizer sized pieces, and we shared all of the "appetizers" together for our weekly Family Fun night.  My husband LOVED the pizza - it was fresh with little balls of mozzarella and the crust was crispy.  The flavors were fresh and delicious.... my family cried out for more!  The tortilla cups weren't such a big hit with my kids - but they had great flavor that my husband and I really liked - they tasted like I had slaved over them in the kitchen - when all I did was heat them up!

All told, these are fine for the family, but better for "adult food" - so all my single lady and guy friends who might want to entertain for the New Year - these are DELICIOUS and easy to prepare... and they are made from the kinds of things you would cook for yourself - not packed full of nitrates and preservatives - and they taste great! 

I received these samples because I am a Bzzagent - Bzzagent gives me the chance to try products and tell everyone what I think.  Thanks Bzz agent and Kroger for sharing Private Selections with me!  Loved them!

Phonics Museum - FREE!

Ok, so the title is a LITTLE misleading... Over at Raising Homemakers they are having a giveaway of the Veritas Press Phonics Museum program.  It is a great program and I love all things from Veritas Press.... I wanted to share the opportunity to get in on this wonderful chance to win the set FREE!  Pop on over (use the link above!) to Raising Homemakers and read all the details.  You will hope to get your hands on this great set of reading instruction material paired with lovely art and books that your children will really like!  You can also follow links to Veritas Press's online History program - which we had the opportunity to try for 30 days.  There are sample links and you can see what fun and how truly educational the Online History program is!  Here is a direct link to Veritas Press, too! 

Spring Clean With SC Johnson!

I have just received my Bzz Kit from Bzz agent filled with some great products from SC Johnson this spring.  I haven't had the chance to try things out, but I did want to share a coupon that YOU, yes YOU, can get your hands on lickety split!  This way we can all enjoy the great products, fresh scents, and lovely clean homes together!  Just click on this link to get $2 off Glade newest Spring Scents!  Lovely!  Enjoy!

What Makes YOU A Covergirl?

We have all wanted to BE a Covergirl at one time or another - admit it.  Whether you are 16 or 30, or even 60 or 80.. we all want to be the face on the cover... that one true beauty that others look to and sigh... thinking "I wish I could have HER eyes" or whatever.

Here is your big chance!

Covergirl has a new Campaign (that I heard about from my friends at Bzz Agent) where you can put YOUR face on the Covergirl, cover!  Just follow this link to the Facebook Covergirl page and you can join their "What Makes YOU A Covergirl?"  Campaign.  It is kind of fun - you simply upload one of the photos you have in your Facebook photo section, and then crop and rotate to your heart's delight, until you have YOU on the cover.  It is fun for a moment, but you also have a chance to have more fun... The details are all on the FB Page, but here is a little preview from their page:

Tell us what makes YOU a COVERGIRL for chances to win free makeup,
and once-in-a-lifetime experiences with Ellen, Taylor, Queen or Drew.

Win a Celebrity COVERGIRL Experience

• Enter now for a chance to win VIP tickets to The Ellen DeGeneres Show!
• Plus, throughout the year, you'll have the chance to win special prizes with Taylor, Queen or Drew.

Get Free Products

• Every month we're giving away 1,000 free products. To kick things off, we're giving the first 1,000 COVERGIRLs that register a chance to win a FREE LashBlast Volume Mascara!

Make a Difference

• We're donating $1 to Make-A-Wish Foundation^® for the first 50,000 COVERGIRLs who join!*
  

Plus, we're inviting YOU to star in your own COVERGIRL video.
Sign up now and get ready to rock your COVERGIRL.

So Pop on over to Covergirl's Facebook page, and put YOU on the cover!