Not Everyone's Mama

Congrats to Jamie Lynn G and thank you to everyone who entered!

Have you seen these yet?  I thought they were the coolest thing ever! (If you see me work in the word pop, know I am referring to soda.  I’m from Iowa, it’s what we call it.)

Soda Stream sent me a huge box of goodies and I just kept pulling out more and more and more.

Look at everything they sent for us to try.

Possibly I should have cleaned off my table better for the picture.

Let me borrow a bit from the Soda Stream website:

Making carbonated water and soft drinks is simple! Turn tap water into sparkling water in under 30 seconds, with no clean-up. Enjoy the freshness and convenience of homemade soda and protect the environment at the same time. No heavy bottles to carry, store at home or throw away. Fizz to your taste and add the flavor of your choice to make your favorite drink. Simple to clean and reuse. With a variety of colors and silhouettes, you’ll be sure to find a soda maker to match with any decor.

We broke it out of the box and I have to admit, I was a little intimidating by the bottle of CO2, especially when I saw the license that gave me the permission to use it, but there was nothing to it.

We started out with the diet root beer flavor by a minority vote (Katiana’s vote).

Hooked up the CO2.  In shock that there was no plug, no electricity needed.  Soda Stream just got greener and greener!

Filled up the bottle to the line with water (purified no less).

Put the bottle onto the Soda Stream and pushed!

See those bubbles?  That’s what you get when you push on the button.  It says to push 3 times for average carbonation.  The kids are good with the 3 pushes, I’ve found that I need about 5 for my liking.  I’m used to diet pepsi and diet mt dew and I’ve got to have a lot of fizz.  Added a cap of the soda mix, put the lid on, and very carefully shook it.  It doesn’t tell you to very carefully shake it, but I have had pop fizz all over me one too many times after my kids’ shook up a can.  Didn’t want to do that here.

Now came the moment of judgement.  The taste.  All of us gathered around with a small glass in our hands and I poured it out.  We loved it!

Katiana wanted to make another flavor.  So we opened up the diet cranberry raspberry (someone at Soda Stream must have gotten the memo that I only drink diet pop.  Kidding, I didn’t tell them that, but I really only drink diet pop).  I added another push of the fizz and it was done! That was yummy too!

We’ve now tried all the flavors and I have liked all of them.  The kids favorite are the diet root beer, orange, and grape.

My favorites are the diet ginger ale and the diet cola.

The only one we haven’t tried yet is the energy.  I’ve been saving that for Pato.  I’m still nursing so I haven’t tried it and I don’t think the kids really need any extra energy.

The only one I wasn’t a big fan of was the MyWater Flavor Essence.  I have a sweet tooth.  The only flavored water I like is the ones with lots of a sugar substitute in it.  (So healthy, I know.)  Pato on the other hand loves tonic and flavored water without sugar, so this was right up his ally.

Ok, so now we have the facts that Soda Stream is green, no cans or bottles to recycle, no electricity to run it, you’re reducing your CO2 footprint by using this.

Because SodaStream uses water straight from the tap, the system makes traditional store-bought beverage bottles obsolete. That means less plastic manufactured, less plastic waste is created, and fewer bottled beverages must be transported from manufacturers to distrobutors to stores to homes.

Plus, I knew this, did you know this?

Bottled water is not safer than tap water

(Food & Water Watch Organization)

The bottled water industry has created a misconception in the United States that bottled water is cleaner, safer, and healthier than tap water. In fact, both regulation and enforcement of bottled water safety is weaker than of tap water safety. Federal, state, and local environmental agencies require rigorous testing of tap water safety.

Bottled water is a waste of money

(Food & Water Watch Organization)

Americans spent $10 billion on bottled water in 2005 and paid up to 1,000 times the cost of production, a major windfall of profit for the companies. Bottled water can costs $7.50 to $11.00 per gallon in the supermarket but tap water costs most customers only one-tenth of one cent per gallon.

Bottled water is bad for the environment

(Food & Water Watch Organization)

The United States is the world’s largest consumer of bottled water, purchasing 37 billion bottles in 2005. Our daily bottled water habit is bad for people and bad for the environment. Bottled water wastes fossil fuels and water in production and transport, and when the water is drunk the bottles become a major source of waste.

That’s the main reason I love my water purifier.  It takes away all of those issues.  Now I’m making our soda with our purified tap water.  Win win!

There is also the facts that with the Soda Stream you don’t have to carry heavy 2 liters or 12/24 packs of cans.  You’re not having to find places to store them.  And your not needing a spot to keep all of the empties until you take them to the redemption center.  That’s our problem.  We don’t have a spot to store all of the empty cans and bottles.

I’m going to link you to their nutrition page because Soda Stream beats the competition in those areas too, by about 1/3 in most areas, except for sodium, in sodium in blows the competition away with just 2 mg compared to Coke’s 35 mg.

Ask my kids how much soda they got to drink before we got the Soda Stream?  Jordan will tell you none.  I’ll tell you that they got 1 can of caffeine free root beer every one or two months.  I didn’t let them drink pop.  I didn’t think they needed the extra sugar and caffeine.  Since we’ve gotten this, I’ve let them have a glass of soda every other day usually.

I’m a horrible example because I, myself go through a 2 liter of diet pepsi or diet mt dew every other day at least.  That’s another reason I didn’t let my kids have pop.  When I don’t have one of those above every day, I get horrible caffeine withdrawal migraines that nothing will touch except for a can of diet pop.  I can say that I have lowered my own caffeine intake since we got the Soda Stream because I’ve been drinking the diet pop that came with it.  Have I completely cut out diet mt dew yet?  No.  But I’m hoping too.

Let’s talk cost too.  A 2 liter of diet pop in my area runs $1.75-$2.00.  That’s one 2 liter.  One bottle of the Soda Stream soda mix runs $4.99 – $5.99.  It makes 12 liters of pop.  12 liters of diet pop here would cost me about $24.00.  I could easily go through 6 – 2 liters in 8-10 days.  That’s quite a savings.  It wouldn’t take long for me to make up the initial investment and start saving money.

I’ll repeat, Soda Stream win win.  I can’t see a negative period.  Even the CO2 containers.  You can exchange those online with Soda Stream or if you have a retailer in your area that changes them out you can take the empty and exchange it there.  You can check here to see where there is an exchange location near you.  Just so happens there is 1 less than a mile from where I live.

All in all I was really happy with the Soda Stream so they get a

from us!  Tastes good, green, saves $$, better nutritionally, no storage issues, what more could I ask for?

Soda Stream has very generously offered to give one of my readers a Soda Stream for themselves!

How do you win?  Read on!

MAIN ENTRY:

Go over to Soda Stream and tell me your favorite thing about the Soda Stream.

MAKE SURE YOU DO THE MAIN ENTRY BEFORE ANY OF THE EXTRA ENTRIES! THANKS!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

• Become a fan of SodaStream on Facebook
• - Subscribe to my blog via email or reader
• - Follow @SodaStreamUSA on Twitter
• - Follow me on Twitter (either @HeatherM74 or @GiveawayChick – you’ll get all the giveaways from other bloggers that I enter on @GiveawayChick, either one is fine.)
• - Tweet this giveaway (1X/day)

Enter to win a SodaStream soda maker from @SodaStreamUSA and #HeatherM74 http://bit.ly/aPbhV4 ends 3/21 please RT! #Giveaway

• - Follow me via Google Friend connect
• - add my button to your blog (the 24/7 mom one on the right side)
• - comment on one of my other posts
• - blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post.
• - Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social networking bookmark this giveaway.  (Not my site, the post.) There are links after each post.

- Check out this post for 3 extra entries on all of my giveaways through April 1!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

Giveaway ends on 3/21/10 at 11:59 PM CST. Only US entries. Winners will be chosen by random number generator. Winners will be emailed and must respond within 48 hours or an alternate winner will be chosen.

Thank you to Soda Stream for sending me a Soda Stream soda maker.  We have loved it!

Popularity: 62% [?]

Read these too:

• No Related Posts

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right by Joanna Dolgoff MD

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions: More than 18 million American children are considered obese and are at risk for health problems. In fact, today’s generation of kids may be the first to experience shorter life spans than their parents.

Leading pediatrician Dr. Joanna Dolgoff’s Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right teaches kids how to make healthy choices based on the principles of the traffic light: green light foods are nutritious, yellow light foods are eaten in moderation, and red light foods are occasional treats.

The program, which has a proven 96 percent success rate, can be tailored to suit any child’s age, gender, and weight goals. Snacks and meals are designed to ensure that kids get the nutrients they need to not only lose or maintain weight, but to grow strong, healthy bodies. Complete with sample menus, recipes, and an index of more than 1,000 color-coded foods, Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right provides a practical solution for one of the biggest health crises facing America’s children.

Those who read my blog know that Jordan (and I) have struggled for a while with his weight.  When I got the chance to review Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right I jumped at it. 

Let me let Joanna Dolgoff MD explain it in her video first:

As someone who has struggled with my weight since I was about 23, I know in my head what I need to do.  Actually doing it is another thing.  When it comes to Jordan, I have tried to be more diligent with what is good and what isn’t.  That doesn’t mean it’s easy.  Jordan wants to eat the stuff that everyone else is eating (not just our family, anyone who is around him).  In Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right, Joanna shows how he can eat things that everyone else is eating, just prepared in a better way that’s healthier and allows him to eat something that wasn’t a good choice before.  The book is filled with recipes that I have decided we are going to start going by.  I’ve started a list and when we go to the grocery store that’s what I’m getting.  I’m going to have Pato get the kids each a lunch box also and start making their lunches, which they have been asking for anyway.  Jordan has taken cold lunch to school maybe 4 times in 5 years.  I know the school lunch is supposed to be healthy (though sometimes I raise my eyebrows when I see the lunch menu and hope it’s prepared in a decent way) and it’s always been easier for me to not have to deal with making a lunch in the morning (or in the evening), but I want to really put this to use.  It’s not just good for Jordan.  There’s a plan in there for kids who aren’t overweight too, making it healthier for the other 3 also.  Does it matter if they are normal weight (or underweight in Alyce’s case) if they are deficit in nutrients?  That’s something I’m always worried about with my girls.  They are so picky that I know they aren’t getting everything they need. 

Look at some of these recipes she has in the book:

•Breakfast Quesadillas

• French Toast

• Green Light Brownies

• Perfect Party Pizza

• Oven-Fried Chicken

• Peanut Butter Cookies

• Frozen Yogurt Pops

• Delicious Beef Burgers

• Potato Wedges

• Chicken Nuggets

• Taco Dinner

• Dr. Dolgoff’s Chicken “Parm”

• Apple Crisp

• Holiday Ham

• Light Honey Cake

Most of that is stuff I won’t make because I didn’t know there were ways to make it healthy.  Green light brownies?  Come on!  I’m all about that!  Katiana keeps turning to the page with the frozen yogurt pops.  I know that is going to be something is requested a lot. 

I am really excited about this!  I am always feeling like I am taking away from the kids because they want stuff that I think is horrible for them, but come to find out there are ways to work around that. 

Katiana and Jordan have both gone through the book multiple times showing me things, getting excited because this is green light and this is yellow light and it’s stuff that I normally say no to. 

Something that I think is very cool is that right now you can try Red Light, Green Light, Eat right for 21 days for free.  If you keep the book, you can pay for it four installments of $5.50.  It’s attainable for everyone.  I also found it on Amazon for $14.95, but of course you don’t get the free 21 day trial and the payment installments. Buy Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right: The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids on Amazon.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right gets a huge huge huge

for being an EASY and do I mean EASY to figure out solution for getting our kids to eat right and for helping to fight childhood obesity.  Excellent book and I highly recommend this if you have kids of any age! (Heck, I recommend it for yourself if you, like me, are overweight and struggling to lose that weight.  Don’t go for fad diets.  Make an easy lifestyle change.)

Thank you so much to Joanna Dolgoff MD for sending me this copy of Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right: The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids.  It is going to get a lot of use!

Popularity: 3% [?]

Read these too:

• Fires…Accidental or Arson
• Speed Dating With The Dead
• Seduced By A Highlander
• Ravished By A Highlander
• To Surrender To A Rogue

Gonna share one of my top secret recipes.  One thing I make that my kids absolutely love!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

I use a huge family pack of steak, but if you don’t have as many people in your house as I do, you won’t need that much.

Cut your steak into strips.

Open up a box of Shake ‘N Bake. (I use the parmesan crusted flavor a lot though sometimes I use Hot & Spicy.)

Now again, since I’m using a lot of meat, I use both bags in the box.  I split the steak in half between both bags.

Now is the fun part.

Grab one of the bags and start to dance.  Shaaaaaaake (you must start shaking the bag upside down as you do this part) and Baaaaaaaaake (flip the bag the other way and shake it that way.  Repeat that about 10 times or for as long as it amuses your children.

I use tongs to get them out because I’ve noticed if I empty the whole bag into the pan, somehow with the unneeded Shake ‘N Bake, it gets soggy on the bottom.  So I take them out individually lining them up in the pan.

Now, we usually have scalloped potatoes (ala Betty Crocker because if I’m going to make homemade scalloped potatoes, it’s going to be the whole meal).  I make those.  Then I put them in the oven at the same time.  Cook it for 30 minutes.  Then I get out the crescent rolls, put them on a pan and throw them in for the last 10 – 12 minutes.  And voila – supper –

One of the only ways my kids will eat steak is if it’s breaded with something and disguised as chicken strips.

And you thought Shake ‘N Bake was just for chicken!

I was just over at the Shake ‘N Bake website and they have a coupon you can print off for $.75 off.

Then look for it at your local grocery store.  I find it down our baking aisle.

I was sent a sample of Shake ‘N Bake for this review, but that in no way influenced my opinion as we’ve been doing the Shake ‘N Bake dance since I was little.  We love Shake ‘N Bake!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Read these too:

• **CLOSED** What’s New With Kraft? Giveaway