Sponsored Post: Taco Bell Cantina Steak Burrito

I couldn't tell you the last time I ate fast food but when I was asked to review Taco Bell's new Cantina Steak Burrito I was intrigued. SP has a soft spot in his heart for Taco Bell and I was pleased to see that Taco Bell doesn't use peanuts or tree nuts in any of their food - something we have to check now due to Baby Girl's allergy.

Last weekend Baby Girl took a long nap and we had some errands to run once she woke up. On the way home we joined a long line of cars in the Taco Bell drive-thru and grabbed two of the burritos.

The Cantina Steak Burrito is a new addition to Taco Bell’s Cantina Bell™ Menu. Created by Chef Lorena Garcia, the Cantina Steak Burrito is filled with citrus-herb marinated steak, Latin rice, black beans, guacamole, roasted corn and pepper salsa, a creamy cilantro dressing, and freshly prepared pico de gallo, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. The description alone was enticing and I couldn't wait to see and taste the final product.

This is one hefty burrito. I unwrapped one and was surprised to see the griddle marks on the outside - it was a nice touch that added crunch to the burrito. I could really taste the citrus and cilantro flavors and I especially enjoyed the roasted corn salsa.

I'd be interested in checking out the other offerings on the Cantina menu the next time we need a quick lunch or dinner when we're out and about. Click here to learn more about the Cantina Bell™ Menu.

This post is sponsored by Taco Bell. See how great our steak is when you try the new Cantina Steak Burrito. Because when it comes to a great steak burrito, it's all about the steak.

Panera Soup

Over the last year I've fallen in love with Panera. It all started when Tara posted the recipe for Panera's Stovetop Mac and Cheese. When I made the recipe I hadn't been to a Panera in quite some time and I'd never tried their mac and cheese. After making the recipe I vowed to visit a Panera ASAP so I could compare the make-at-home version with the real-deal. I quickly became enamored with their Napa Almond Chicken Salad sandwich, with a side of mac and cheese. This past summer we took a family road trip and ended up eating at a different Panera every day for 4 days straight.

When I was selected to try their soup as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program I was intrigued. Admittedly I'm not much of a soup person, but on that same summer road trip my husband sampled quite a few of their soups and always raved about them. I knew he wouldn't steer me wrong.

Certain soups are available every day (French onion, broccoli cheddar, vegetarian creamy tomato and low-fat all-natural chicken noodle), while some are only available certain days (low-fat vegetarian black bean, baked potato, New England clam chowder, cream of chicken and wild rice and low-fat vegetarian garden vegetable with pesto). The day I picked to review the soup my first two choices - baked potato and New England Clam Chowder - were not available. I guess I'll have to go back another day to sample those. I opted for broccoli cheddar, which is one of my all-time favorite soup combos and one my husband had raved about many times.

I selected the You Pick Two with a cup of the broccoli cheddar soup and half a Napa Almond Chicken Salad sandwich.

I was really impressed with the soup. There were big pieces of broccoli, slivers of carrot and a great cheddar flavor that complimented rather than overwhelmed the flavors. It was delicious and I practically licked the cup clean.

I'd have a hard time giving up the mac and cheese or the chicken salad sandwich so perhaps Panera can do a Pick Three so I could also enjoy a cup of soup. Just a thought.

Disclaimer: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program I was given a gift card to purchase the soup. All opinions expressed are my own.

Foodbuzz Tastemaker: Cheese Quesadillas

When I was pregnant with Baby Girl we went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants for dinner. As you may know, pregnant woman aren't supposed to eat unpasteurized cheese. Not knowing much about Mexican cheeses, I asked our server what kind of cheese they used in their quesadillas. Imagine my surprise when he said American cheese. Obviously that's not very authentic, but I can see why they do it. American cheese has a nice mild flavor and melts beautifully.

When I was selected for the Kraft Singles Foodbuzz Tastemaker program I knew exactly what I wanted to make - quesadillas. I've been meaning to try American cheese ever since that night at the Mexican restaurant (almost 3 years ago - how is that possible!?) Baby Girl absolutely loves American cheese. She asks for a slice every day when we get home from daycare. And she's never met a carb she doesn't like. Quesadillas are a big hit in our house and something I should make more often, given their versatility and ease.


One of the things I loved about making these quesadillas was how easy they were. No cheese to shred saves time. I was able to make 4 quesadillas in a matter of minutes. They were cheesy and delicious, with a nice, mild flavor. Baby Girl likes hers plain but I had mine with diced tomato, diced avocado and sour cream.


I will absolutely make quesadillas with American cheese again. I love a good plain cheese quesadilla but the possibilities are endless in terms of fillings. A big thanks to Foodbuzz and Kraft for this opportunity. Baby Girl sends her thanks as well because she gets to eat the remaining cheese as an afternoon snack.

Simple Cheese Quesadilla

Cooking spray
4 flour tortillas
4 slices American cheese, such as Kraft Singles

Spray a griddle or large, non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Toast one tortilla on both sides, then lay one slice of cheese, torn into pieces to fit, on half the tortilla. Fold the over half of the tortilla over to cover the cheese. Turn the heat down to low and flip the tortilla as needed to melt the cheese without burning the tortilla. Cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve with whatever toppings you like - sour cream, pico de gallo, avocado, lime wedges, etc.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a coupon for free Kraft Singles and a stipend.

FoodBuzz: Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight

You all know I'm not a baker, but sometimes I like to make something sweet, especially when it's our turn to bring food for fellowship at church. FoodBuzz was having a promotion sponsored by COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, so I signed up knowing the due date corresponded with our next turn for fellowship. I'd had my eye on this Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight for awhile now, so this was the perfect chance to make it.


I baked the cookie crust and assembled the rest of the dessert Saturday morning so it would be ready for Sunday morning. I did sneak a taste Saturday night so I could take photos and make sure it tasted OK before bringing it to church. It was delicious. The crunchy cookie on the bottom and the creamy pudding was a great texture contrast, but my favorite layer was the cream cheese, sugar and COOL WHIP. We didn't eat COOL WHIP growing up, so this was my first experience baking with it.

This was a big hit at church and the leftovers went with SP to work, where I hear it was devoured within minutes. This would be a great dessert for a potluck event. Thanks to FoodBuzz and KRAFT for this opportunity.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight
Taste of Home

1 tube (16-1/2 ounces) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 carton (12 ounces) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
3 cups cold milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
Chopped nuts and chocolate curls, optional

Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften. Press into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. You will need to press into a thin layer to make the dough stretch to all four corners. Bake at 350° for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in 1-3/4 cups COOL WHIP Whipped Topping. Spread over crust.

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate curls, if desired.

Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight until firm. Yield: 15 servings.


As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received coupons for free COOL WHIP Whipped Topping and a stipend. Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. What you add makes it. #coolwhipmoms

FoodBuzz Tastemaker: Activia Yogurt

Recently I was chosen by FoodBuzz to host a brunch featuring Activia's new Harvest Picks Yogurt. I received coupons for free yogurt and was tasked with hosting a brunch to complement the yogurt. I was very excited for this promotion because I absolutely love brunch and it's been awhile since I cooked a big meal for company.


My supermarket carries three flavors of the Harvest Picks - strawberry, peach and cherry. I bought each flavor so my guests and I could try the different varieties. I also got fresh fruit (strawberries, bananas and blueberries), as well as granola, to mix in.


We all decided the yogurt would work well as a sweet treat at the end of the meal, which also featured Make Ahead Scrambled Eggs (recipe coming soon), hash browns, bagels with cream cheese and lox, and bacon. I figured the healthy properties of the yogurt and fruit counteract the bacon and I only had one piece.




I opted to try the strawberry yogurt mixed with granola and additional strawberries and blueberries:


I'd never had Activia before and I enjoyed the Harvest Picks. We have quite a few leftover so we'll be eating more throughout the coming weeks. I looked around the Activia website and saw that Activia contains the live probiotic culture Bifidus Regularis® (Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010) to help naturally regulate your digestive system when consumed daily for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. I'm sure many of you have seen the commercials featuring Jamie Lee Curtis. Check out the website for more information about Activia.

Disclosure: I have partnered with Dannon to help promote Activia Harvest Picks Yogurt. I have been compensated for my time commitment to review Activia Harvest Picks Yogurt. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Foodbuzz Tastemaker - Newman's Own

I received quite a nice package of goodies from Newman's Own as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program - 2 jars of pasta sauce (Tomato & Basil and Roasted Garlic), 3 bottles of salad dressing (2 Family Recipe Italian and 1 Lighten Up Raspberry and Walnut), and my favorite item, a Flip Video Camera. SP has been bugging me to do some video how-to posts and now I have no excuse not to. Look for those, probably in the spring when I've got daylight on my side again.

I needed an easy weeknight meal recently so I went into the pantry for a jar of sauce and bottle of salad dressing. I had made garlic and parsley butter over the weekend so all I had to do was cook the pasta, heat up the sauce, toast the bread and cut up some veggies for a quick salad.


First, the salad since we ate those as an appetizer while we waited for the garlic bread to toast. In addition to the spring mix greens I grated some carrot, chopped mushrooms, cucumber and tomatoes and finished with croutons.


I absolutely LOVED this dressing. It was tangy and I could actually taste the oil, vinegar and seasonings. But my favorite part was the cheese. The ingredient list says Romano cheese is included, which was very exciting for me since I love grating cheese over my salads dressed with oil and vinegar.

Next up, the pasta. I topped my bowl with a dollop of ricotta cheese leftover from a lasagna SP and Baby Girl made as a welcome home dinner after my latest work conference.


Notice the basil leaf on the left side of the picture? The sauce was full of real pieces of basil, which was great to see but unfortunately made the sauce overly sweet. I don't put basil in my tomato sauce for this reason. Lots of extra grated pecorino helped tame the sweetness a bit, but this sauce wasn't our thing. Baby Girl, however, loved it. She slurped this one up, literally, and said "yummy" after each bite. I'm hoping the roasted garlic one has a more tangy flavor.

Foodbuzz Tastemaker - Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program I received a jar of Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Sauce. I decided to make Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo and asked my cooking board how to season the chicken. Elly from Elly Says Opa! recommended blackening seasoning, which sounded great.


(Photo from Classico since I forgot to take a photo of my own jar)



I was pleasantly surprised by how good the sauce was especially since it's a light sauce. The blackening spice on the chicken was perfect and went well with the broccoli and sauce. I cooked it over lower heat so it didn't burn/blacken. My only issue was the amount of sauce. I should have realized how small the jar was and used maybe half a box of pasta instead of the full pound. There wasn't enough sauce to go around, which was a real shame. If you're using a full pound of pasta buy two jars.

This was a great and easy meal.

Blackened Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Chicken recipe from Elly Says Opa!; the rest of it was my own

1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
1/2 lb pasta
1 jar Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup milk
Freshly cracked black pepper

Mix together the all of the herbs/spices. Rub 1 teaspoon of oil into each piece of chicken, and then press the spice mixture into both sides.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon of canola oil in a cast iron skillet or other non-stick skillet until it's smoking (this will take a few minutes).

Place the chicken breasts in the hot skillet. Cook about 5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes, then slice on a diagonal.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta. Cook according to package directions. Add the broccoli florets to the pot during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain and return pasta and broccoli to the pot. Add the jarred sauce and stir to coat. Put milk in the jar, replace the lid and shake to loosen any sauce stuck to the side. Add milk and sauce to the pasta. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Plate pasta and serve sliced chicken over the top.

Foodbuzz Tastemaker - Simply Potatoes

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program I recently received two coupons for free Simply Potatoes products. Our supermarket doesn't seem to carry many varieties of Simply Potatoes so I stuck with something simple and picked up a bag of shredded hash browns.


On a recent Sunday morning I thought I'd doctor these up for breakfast. I cooked the potatoes in a non-stick skillet with some oil and butter until they turned golden brown, then added some fresh chopped scallion and shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. I served the hash browns alongside scrambled eggs and bacon for a delicious and hearty Sunday breakfast.


I certainly liked the convenience of Simply Potatoes, but like many people these days I'm wary of overly processed products. It doesn't take that much effort to peel and shred my own potatoes, but every once in awhile it's nice to just open a bag and start cooking.

Birds Eye Creamed Spinach - Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program

I've been a member of Foodbuzz for years but I only recently started applying for their Tastemaker program. I was finally selected to receive samples of Birds Eye frozen veggies and sides, including this one for creamed spinach:





As my mom will attest to, I am a creamed spinach lover from way back. I was one of those weird kids who loved spinach. And I still do, so I was excited to try this. I cooked it on the stovetop instead of in the microwave, but apparently you can cook this right in the bag. Score one for busy families.





Overall this was really good, but I thought it needed a little sprinkling of salt to make it great. I really enjoy Birds Eye veggies in general, although I have to admit the price compared to my store brand usually dissuades me from buying them unless they're on sale. Even so, I would definitely recommend this spinach and can't wait to try the other frozen sides I received. Thanks Foodbuzz and Birds Eye for the opportunity to try these products.