Fusion Juicer Review

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Amy

For the first time ever, I got the opportunity to try making my own juice with the new Fusion Juicer. Walmart sent me the Fusion Juicer to review for my blog to share how this appliance can help a health-conscious cook in the kitchen. Since it is my first time trying a juicer, I am excited to share with you my review of the Fusion Juicer that is available at your local Walmart store.

Is Assembly Difficult?

This juicer is simple in construction and assembly for putting it together and taking it apart when making your juice. The lever on the front can be pulled up to pull everything in place, or pulled down to disassemble the juicer for cleaning. The back contains a receptacle for all of the pulp leftover after juicing and the front contains an extra large feeder for feeding your fruits and veggies into, a clear receptacle where you can see your juice actually being made, and a non-drip spout where you can comfortably rest a cup underneath for your juice.

How Do You Clean It?

All the pieces can be placed in the top rack of your dishwasher for easy washing unless you have a dishwasher that runs extremely hot and are concerned with warping, then you may want to wash these pieces by hand.

How Well Does It Blend?

I gave a new juice recipe a spin in this juicer and pictured here is exactly what I fed through my juicer. I did not peel my carrots or celery, but did peel my ginger and lemon, and cored the apples before putting them in the juicer, as was recommended within the manufacturer’s booklet. All of these items blended beautifully in the juicer. What was most surprising to me about this process was how quietly the juicer ran and how easy it was to feed these items into it.

The spinach was the only thing that did not, perhaps, all get blended in, but I think it is more of a trial and error user error, because it is recommended to chase these greens down with a juicier fruit or veggie to help the greens really juice well into your juices.

The booklet that comes with the juicer really helps to break down what order to place these items in as well as what is recommended for leaving the skin on or what you should cut before placing it into the juicer.

What About the Pulp?

After juicing all of my fruits and veggies, this is what was in the back of my juicer. For the frugal chef looking to really maximize her grocery budget, you can use the juice pulp to incorporate into other recipes. As someone who is always looking for ways to make her grocery dollars stretch, I love that you can use this pulp in a variety of other recipes.

How Does the Juice Taste?

I was able to get these two glasses of juice from my recipe (coming soon over on The MotherLoad) and the juice was perfectly blended and delicious. Overall, the most impressive features about this was how easy it was to clean up, the simple assembly process of the juicer, as well as the quietness of it. I can’t speak to the longevity factor, but as a first-time juicer, this was so easy to use and created impressive results for the price!

Suggested Retail Price: $119.00

Available At: Walmart

Review: BISSELL DeepClean Premier Carpet Cleaner

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Amy

I have always been a huge fan of BISSELL products and I am excited to share my review of the new BISSELL DeepClean Premier Carpet Cleaner. The BISSELL DeepClean Premier is one of the newest additions to the BISSELL cleaning tool lines and, as all the other products I have purchased from the company, I have to say that this is one of my new all-time favorites. When I show you the results from my cleaning adventure, you will see why.

This carpet cleaner is of a moderate size (roughly 25 pounds) and comes with smart attachments for deep cleaning spots or for cleaning your upholstery in your home. The front offers a simple and straight-forward bucket design that has a small spout where you pour 5 ounces of your carpet cleaning solution and then you simply fill the generously sized bladder (1.25 gallons) of the unit to the fill line with water.

The on button is in the middle of the front of the unit and once you start it, you can begin cleaning your carpet with the dual powerbrushes that offer ten cleaning rows that can help loosen and remove the dirt in your carpet. Push the trigger button on the back of the handle and it releases the cleaning solution, then go back and forth over the carpet to suction up the solution where the dirty solution from your carpets will reside in a different compartment in the reservoir of the unit.

I tested the unit in our front room which adjoins the entry of our home. It is where no matter how many times I tell people not to walk through with their shoes on, someone inadvertently forgets something and treks through with shoes on through this room.

I could see immediate results, both on my carpet itself, and in the top of the unit as the dirty water was suctioned in. I had to hold back on my impulse to soak the carpets in cleaning solution once I started seeing all of the dirty solution pull in. The brushes did a great job of loosening dirt.

It has been many months since I have cleaned these carpets, I am embarrassed to admit, but our own carpet cleaner broke and so we haven’t made carpet cleaning a priority. Experts recommend though that you deep clean your carpets twice a year (or more!). Let’s say it has been (ahem) awhile.

My favorite thing on the unit is the small hand tool that you can use to clean other areas in your home like your upholstered furniture, car interiors, or to freshen up your mattresses. I am going to be a cleaning fool with that handy tool.

After cleaning my front room, this was the sludge that had been on our carpet.

Yes, we have been living in absolute filth. No, we are not squatters.

I feel like we have fresh new carpets in our home and an investment in this tool would cost a fraction of having the professionals out twice a year to freshen up the floors.

Overall, I can find nothing that I did not truly love about this carpet cleaner. Once you get the hang of where all of the buttons and triggers are, it is easy and simple to freshen up the floors in any room of your home.

Thanks to BISSELL & Walmart for giving me the chance to review yet another vacuum. You can find a few other BISSELL reviews here like the BISSELL Versus Cordless Vac and the BISSELL Steam & Sweep Hard Floor Cleaner for a couple of other great examples of two more of my favorite BISSELL products.

Available At: Walmart

Suggested Retail Price: $188.88

Review: Garden Lites Souffles

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Amy

Eating healthy can truly be a challenge, especially when you are a busy mom. To add to the dilemma of healthy eating, factoring in allergies and food sensitivities can make convenience food eating nearly impossible. As someone who has recently had to give up dairy and watch my carbs, I was so excited to give the new Garden Lites Souffles a try. If you haven’t seen these yet, they are available in the freezer aisle of your local Walmart, and offer a fresh approach to adding vegetables back into your diet.

These all-natural souffles are low in calories, include two full servings of veggies, and offer the quick convenience of having a healthy breakfast ready for you in mere minutes. More importantly, for our family, these are celiac-friendly, diabetic-friendly, heart healthy, and are vegetarian, lactose free, casein free, soy free, and are produced in a nut free facility. What more could you ask for when your family constantly is battling dietary restrictions.

The best part is that they come in loads of fun flavors that even the pickiest eater can embrace like a roasted vegetable, zucchini, and even a butternut squash souffle. When you are dairy and gluten-free, it can be hard to find filling options for breakfast. Lucky for me, these have been perfect and with a hot cup of coffee topped with almond milk, I am able to leave for my day full and fueled with options that are not only healthy, but delicious.

Website for More Information: Garden Lites

Review: Cuties Juice

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Amy

Am I the only one who is completely addicted to Cuties California Clementines We buy a crate a week and I could eat them by the handfuls. I couldn’t wait to review the new Cuties Juice that has hit grocery store shelves and see if this Cuties Juice could be another fruit resource for my kids.

These little bottles of juice pack a healthy punch for kids. They have no added sugar, no artificial colors, no artificial colors, and no preservatives Cuties Juices and Smoothies are all natural, and the 8 oz bottle is great for kids, with a 48 oz multiserve option that is perfect for the whole family.

Due to their petite size, they would be a perfect addition to a lunchbox or a nice snack option to take with you when you are out and about. Our family is always looking for healthy options that we can enjoy on the go. Although I love to offer my family homemade green smoothies for our morning breakfast option, some mornings are far too chaotic to get the blender out. I love that these come in a variety of flavors which include juices like Tangerine-Orange-Mango, Tangerine-Orange-Pineapple, and fun smoothie flavors like Rockin’ Red, Island Cuties, Monkey Madness, GoGo Green, Protein Power, Blue Blaster, & Dreamsicle. It is a nutritious convenience food option that I can get behind!

Sometimes when you offer nutritious options like these to your children, they don’t end up being their favorite thing to eat or drink. It can often become a chore to get kids to truly appreciate items that are packed nutritionally. Cuties Juice & Smoothies, however, left my kids begging for more. They got the chance to try all of the flavors and they loved every single one. They are already hounding me to get them more because they enjoyed all the flavors so much!

I guarantee your family will love these just as much as we did! You can find these little cuties, no pun intended, at your local Walmart store!

Suggested Retail Price: $1.89 (8 oz countainer)

Website With More Information: Cuties Juice

This is a sponsored post. I’m a participant in the Walmart Moms Program. Walmart has provided me with a product sample and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. Participation in this program is voluntary and the opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Priceless Chicago: Rock Your Palate Event

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Amy

It has been a long time since I have updated The Motherloot blog, but I couldn’t wait to share with you our experience this past month getting to be a part of the Priceless Chicago Rock Your Palate series that is being sponsored by Mastercard. My husband and I were invited to attend one of their priceless experiences for a fun date night and to see what these fun experiences were all about.

The Rock Your Palate series is an event that brings together Chicago’s finest chefs, artists, musicians, and tastemakers for a culinary collaboration that is inspired by the city’s musical heritage.

The September kickoff event that we attended was held at the Floating World Gallery in Lincoln Park and featured the works of music photographer Michael Weintraub and a pop-up dinner by by Spiaggia’s Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg and Dirk Flanigan, James Beard “Rising Star” 2011 and Chef at Henri and The Gage. The menu included appetizers like veal tartar with truffles and pecorino and even a charred octopus with Santa Claus Melon, black pepper cream, & Coco Nib.

Among our favorite dishes was Flannigan’s loin of venison with mustard greens, hen of the woods mushrooms, and huckleberries and Gruenberg’s tie die pasta that was served with baby beets, mint pesto, crescenza cheese, and poppy seeds. All of the food was so delicious and it was such an amazing way to experience foods that we would never have the opportunity to experience otherwise.

Mixologist Bobby G. Gleason prepared unique cocktail pairings with each course and drinks were served to the guests as they entered. Among our favorites were the Effen Cucumber Cup with cucumber vodka, lemon sour, and lemon lime soda and the delicious Devil’s Tangerine Julep prepared with Devil’s Cut Bourbun, tangerines, and fresh mint. Wine was also offered to the guests which makes it very difficult for a girl to review an experience when she has been enjoying so many delicious cocktails throughout the night. They were all delightful though and the sheer amount of food and beverages that was offered for this event made it a great value for your money.

Music completed the evening with a DJ that spun amazing tunes from electronica to jazz to blues, that created a fun atmopshere while enjoying all the food. Michael Weintrob’s photography of local musicians surrounded the tables and gave you a chance to mingle and really enjoy the art while enjoying one of the evening’s yummy drinks. We happened to snag a seat by the percussionist, Ricardo Gonzalez (Ricky G.) who kept our table highly entertained throughout the evening and we all agreed, really knew how to work a room!

A photo booth was even set up with instruments to create a fun photo memento of such a memorable night. My husband and I loved getting to do that when we came in and immediately loosened up for a fun evening together.

Of course the highlight for me was getting to sit down and talk to the chefs about their experience doing an event like this and hearing about their story and their family’s stories in the kitchen. There is truly nothing I admire more than workmanship of great chefs and I can’t imagine how much orchestration it would take to do a pop-up event like this in a gallery. We were in total admiration of these chefs and how they seemed completely unruffled pulling an event like this together. It was amazing night that we will always remember.

Tickets for these events are $90. If you missed it, you can still check out “Rock Your Palate” in either November or December. According to the Chicagoist, the November program will feature three evenings of fun and food from the minds of Chef Chris Pandel from Bristol and Belena and mixologist Ravae Scheinder.

Stay tuned for more information on the Mastercard Priceless Chicago page and visit the site for more details on other fun experiences happening in the Chicago area!

Review: Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Amy

We were recently given the chance to try out “Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure”, a new game for the Xbox 360 Kinect. As we are big fans of the movies (oh, and our kids too), we were really looking forward to trying it out.

You first start by using the Kinect to create an avatar for each player. Instead of selecting your likeness like most other games, the game leverages the Kinect to scan you instead. What we thought was going to be an innovative and fun way to create a character, quickly turned into a long and frustrating experience. After patiently going through the multi-step process, we ended up with rather generic looking characters that had no obvious resemblance. Worse, the system struggled to “scan” our daughter at all. After 5 agonizing minutes of holding still, she had enough of the game and quit. Not the best first impression for a game aimed at her.

Once you survive the avatar creation process though, things pick up. You arrive at a Pixar-themed park where you roam about by jogging in place. The park is split into distinct areas based on the movies Up!, The Incredibles, Cars 2, Ratatouille, and Toy Story 3. The park itself doesn’t have anything in the way of activities or interactive features. It’s just a way to select the mission or challenge you’d like to play. Once you maneuver your avatar to the right location, a cutscene starts where another kid from the park starts a dialog with you and your imagination takes you into one of the Pixar movies. This is where the real action begins.

In each challenge, you take on the likeness of a character from the movie and team up with some of the more well-known personalities from the flicks. Most missions have the same basic premise and gameplay: You and your digital (or real-life) partner must rush through the environment and make it through numerous obstacles along the way. The visuals are undoubtedly the best part of the game. They are absolutely gorgeous and faithful to each film. You truly feel as if you are in a new scene from the movie, interacting with their unique characters and environment.

Unfortunately, the game is called Kinect Rush. Each challenge is a race to get through these beautiful surrounding as fast as you can. With this pressure, you don’t feel like you have any time to enjoy or appreciate what’s going on around you.

That leads us to the controls. This is a Kinect-only game so you are the controller. At times, this can be a real joy. Jumping, climbing, and holding on a wire as you slide down its length is fun and intuitive. Walking or running about, which you are doing the majority of the time, is another matter.

Getting momentum is easy enough, just swing your arms. Unfortunately, it’s getting your character to go where you want them to that’s the problem. To turn your character, you rotate your body just as you would change direction in real life. However, this does not translate when you’re in front of your TV, where you instinctively want to always face the action. I observed every member of the family trying to lean in the direction they wanted to go, which doesn’t work. At a recent family get-together we invited other members to give the game a try and, despite the on-screen instructions, they leaned instead of turned as well. Even when you do it right, the characters often turn at a snail’s pace. This really damages the experience.

The notable exception is the challenges for Cars. For these, you hold an imaginary steering wheel to drive through these fast-paced missions. Controlling the vehicles is natural and a blast. It’s just too bad that the rest of the game isn’t like this.

Despite these challenges with the game, your character never dies which definitely can help with the crying and tantrums that can ensue when your character is gone. If you are met with a particular challenge that you can’t complete, your character simply disappears and then reappears. For small kids, this is definitely a bonus feature.

Overall, Kinect Rush captures the mood of Pixar’s films through rich and beautifully detailed levels. However, with some exceptions, is hindered by frustrating controls.

Suggested Retail Price: $49.96

Website With More Information: Disney Pixar Adventure (Kinect Rush)

I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts. My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.

Review: Better Homes & Gardens Wax Warmers & Fragrance Cubes

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Amy

If there is one thing I love it is a house that smells delicious. I absolutely love candles in my home, but I still feel very nervous about them around my children. Lucky for me, Walmart has a great alternative for moms like me who love a wonderful smelling home, but worry about candle safety.

Better Homes & Gardens offer a wonderful line of affordable wax warmers and a variety of fragrance cubes that you can enjoy all year long. While other warmers can cost $30 or more for just the warmers, these little beauties cost a mere $15 and a six pack of fragrance cubes will only cost $2 per pack (for a 2.5 ounce size).

The number one question that people asked when they came to visit our family over the holidays is, “What is that delicious smell?” With yummy fragrances like apple pie, butterscotch maple cream, blueberry muffin, and warm vanilla creme, there is truly a scent for every occasion.

Simply plug in the wax warmer and a low-wattage light bulb (25w) provides just enough heat to melt your cubes, releasing the fragrance within minutes. You can melt up to two cubes at a time, which creates the opportunity to mix and match fragrances to create your own unique combination.

Scents can be reused simply by pouring your wax right back into the clamshell fragrance container and allowing it to harden back up. You can reuse the scent until it runs out of fragrance, but each fragrance cube lasts for several hours.

You can find these wax warmers & fragrance cubes in all Walmart stores nationwide, over by the candles & Home Decor section of your local store.

I know I am thoroughly enjoying my wax warmer and it is an inexpensive way to bring wonderful scents into my home safely and beautifully.

Giveaway Results: One Year’s Supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Orange Juice

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Amy

Sorry! This giveaway is now closed. We would like to congratulate HEATHER F. (Comment #71) on winning this prize!

I am so excited to share another great giveaway with our readers for a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed! We have shared everything with you from tips on throwing your own orange-themed party to what to keep on hand for all of those holiday guests. Of course, for both of those parties, I recommend adding Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juices or orange juice beverages to your must-have list.

Today we are offering one lucky reader a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed. Leave one comment for each item that you complete to enter:

• First Entry: Leave a comment and let us know which variety of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed you are interested in trying for your family- No Pulp 100% Orange Juice, No Pulp 100% Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D, Some Pulp 100% Orange Juice, or Light Orange Juice Beverage with Calcium and Vitamin D with 50 calories per 8 fl. oz. serving.

• Additional Entry: Let us know you are a fan of Minute Maid and join the Minute Maid Facebook Page.

• Additional Entry: Follow me on Twitter and get an early scoop on what I am up to and future giveaway opportunities with Minute Maid!

One winner, chosen at random, will receive a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed (52 coupons). Please submit your entries by Tuesday (12/06) at 8PM EST. Our winner will be drawn at random. Good luck, everyone!

I am a spokesperson for Minute Maid Pure Squeezed and have a relationship with the company. Want to know more about how things are handled here at MomAdvice? Be sure to read our Disclaimer which clearly states how things work and know that we will always offer only the best reviews to our readers. In full disclosure, the email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner(s), and will never be sold or given to anyone. This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Entries that do not follow the above criterion will automatically be disqualified. This giveaway will close Tuesday, December 6th at 8PM (EST). I’ll announce the first name of the winner(s) that will be added to the top of this current giveaway post and contact the winner(s) by email. I will draw the names of the winner(s) by using the random number generator at Random.org from the eligible entries received. If a winner does not contact me within 72 hours by email, I will draw a new winner. The winner(s) will receive their prize from the PR agency responsible for this giveaway.

Giveaway Results: Kanani American Girl Doll ($100 Value)

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Amy

Sorry! This contest is now closed! We would like to congratulate Jill C. (Commenter #296) on winning this doll! Congrats, Jill! Thank you all for your entries and we hope you will continue to visit our site for more great advice & contests!

When American Girl reached out to me about hosting a giveaway and review for our site of their new 2011 American Girl Doll, Kanani, I almost could not contain my excitement. When our doll arrived in a box on our doorstep, I gently took her out of the box and stroked her face and hair, squealed over her tiny sandals, gasped at the beauty of the book ..and my husband looked at me in the most bewildered fashion I have ever seen.

“Won’t Emily just love this?” I said.

“Is this for Emily…or you? ” he replied.

It is true, I never had an American Girl doll, but Emily has been the proud owner of two beautiful hand-me-down dolls that she sleeps with every night and dresses every day. We are huge fans of the American Girl Dolls for their authentically beautiful stories and the doll’s heirloom qualities that make them a treasure to be handed down from generation to generation.We are planning to make our own visit to an American Girl store and indulge in a tea party with our dolls one day. After all, what is the point of having a little girl if you never get to do that?

In all seriousness, the new Kanini American Girl doll is American Girl’s Doll of the Year that would be the perfect for any little girl’s doll collection and shares a beautiful story about Kanini’s life in Hawaii by famed author, Lisa Yee.

Kanani arrives in a breezy outfit that’s perfect for island life dressed in a ocean blue, floral-print dress with a sequined appliqué and a ruffled hem. She comes with a traditional Hawaiian necklace, a faux hibiscus flower to wear in her hair, and bright blue ruffled sandals.

The doll is 18 inches tall with a soft cloth body. She has hazel eyes and long, loose curls, and her movable head and limbs are made of smooth vinyl. The Aloha, Kanani book is the first story about this cheerful girl who helps others by sharing the aloha spirit of Hawai’i. Author: Lisa Yee. Paperback.

The book is written by acclaimed author Lisa Yee, the 2011 Girl of the Year books—Aloha, Kanani and Good Job, Kanani—introduce readers to Kanani and her small seaside town on the island of Kaua‘i. Kanani loves working in her family’s shave ice and sweet treats store, as well as sharing the wonders of Hawai‘i with visitors. Whether she’s making her cousin from New York feel welcome on the island, helping rescue a baby Hawaiian monk seal, or assisting older people in her community, Kanani learns that by sharing herself and her home in the true aloha spirit, she is able to make life better for others. The back of each Kanani book features profiles of real girls who, like Kanani, discover the joy of helping others through their gifts and efforts, however small.

To enter to win Kanani, American Girl’s 2011 Doll of the Year, you need only to do the following…

Leave one comment for each item that you complete to enter:

First Entry: Let us know what you love about Kanani!
Additional Entry: Let us know you are a fan of MomAdvice and join the MomAdvice.com Fan Club today on Facebook.
Additonal Entry: Follow me on Twitter and get an early scoop on all of our giveaways and articles that we are formulating for the year!
Additional Entries: Subscribe to my feeds and never miss another thing on our site again! We have a landing page where it makes it easy to subscribe to our blogs. For each one you subscribe to, leave one additional comment.

One winner, chosen at random, will receive a Kanani American Girl Doll (valued at $100). Please submit your entries by Tuesday (01/25) at 8PM EST. Our winner will be drawn at random. Good luck, everyone!

MomAdvice Giveaway Guidelines: This product was received as a review sample. The thoughts and opinions expressed will always be honest and heartfelt and no reflection on receiving a sample copy. We promise to always do our best to also give away each of these products to our readers because it is always better to give than to receive! Want to know more about how things are handled here at MomAdvice? Be sure to read our Disclaimer which clearly states how things work and know that we will always offer only the best reviews to our readers. In full disclosure, the email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner(s), and will never be sold or given to anyone. This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Entries that do not follow the above criterion will automatically be disqualified. This giveaway will close Tuesday, January 25th at 8PM (EST). I’ll announce the first name of the winner(s) that will be added to the top of this current giveaway post and contact the winner(s) by email. I will draw the names of the winner(s) by using the random number generator at Random.org from the eligible entries received. If a winner does not contact me within 72 hours by email, I will draw a new winner. The winner(s) will receive their prize from the PR agency responsible for this giveaway. The above link is an affiliate link and provided for reference for our readers.

Giveaway Results: Bissell Steam & Sweep Hard Floor Cleaner

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Amy

Sorry! This giveaway is now closed! I would like to congratulate LynnMarie (Commenter #354) on winning this fabulous giveaway from Bissell! Thank you all for your entries and many more contests are coming soon!

Hurray for another giveaway from MomAdvice! As a steam cleaning junkie, I could not be more thrilled to be offering another opportunity to win a steam cleaner for your floors than I am today. This week we have a fabulous Bissell Steam & Sweep Floor Cleaner to share with one very lucky reader.

The Bissell Steam & Sweep clears hard floors of dry debris and steam cleans all in one pass. Now you can thoroughly clean your hard floors while saving time. This steam cleaner provides powerful and trusted sweeping technology with the natural power of steam for a total one-step, time saving complete clean.

As the name implies the Bissell Steam & Sweep offer both the steaming feature and the sweeping feature. What makes this model stand above the rest is that the steam and sweep features that are offered are done simultaneously rather than doing these two activities separately. What could be better than being able to get your floors cleaned & steamed at the same time with one tool? It is the perfect tool for today’s busy mom!

Today we are offering one lucky reader a Bissell Steam & Sweep Hard Floor Cleaner to make cleaning your house a little easier and a lot more fun!