sponsored post Archives - Page 3 of 3

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 17, 2012

When I was growing up, my family had dinner together every night. We all had very busy schedules but we always made an effort to have dinner together. Now that I am on my own, I try to emulate this tradition with my boyfriend. Most nights I try to make dinner because we try to eat healthier and it fits in our budget. Making dinner every night can be tough because when I get home at night it’s 6:30-7 after a full day of working I am often tired, hungry, and not in the mood to cook. This is why when I plan our menu for the week, I try to pick simple and healthy recipes and leave one day open for Panera Bread. We love Panera because it fits into both our diet plans and is very affordable.

My favorite pick at Panera is their Broccoli Cheddar soup. I feel like this soup gets a bad reputation because it’s so creamy and delicious that it seems unhealthy. When you get the soup in a Pick Two combo with a Salad, it easily fits into my diet plan. I use the Panera website beforehand to look at the nutrition calculator and determine what I can order that is within my calories left for the day. Most days, I order the Pick Two with the Broccoli Cheddar soup and the Half Greek Salad. For sides, I switch it up between an apple, Baked Lays, or occasionally the oh, so delicious French bread.

Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

My boyfriend’s dinner of choice is the Pick Two with a half sandwich and the French Onion Soup. He usually has the Sierra Turkey Sandwich, but recently he has been getting the Big Kid Grilled Cheese with Bacon. He is a big fan of Panera’s French onion soup. He likes that the French Onion Soup is not as heavy with cheese like when you get it at a diner or restaurant.

Panera French Onion Soup

The great thing about Panera Bread’s soups is that the combinations are practically endless. With Panera having different soups available every day of the week, you can try a different type each day. Haven’t been in a while? Check out their soup page and daily soup menu. What’s your favorite soup at Panera?

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Panera Bread. However, all opinions are my own.

sisterk (2)

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 10, 2012

likelii

With Hanukkah already here and Christmas and New Year’s Eve quickly approaching, you may be stocking up on wine for the holidays. Do you find yourself always buying the same types of wine time and again? If you are looking to mix it up this holiday season and want to try a new type of wine-buying experience, I recommend checking out Likelii.

The founders of Likelii wanted to create a wine recommendation engine that works like Pandora does for music and Netflix does for movies. You start off by entering a specific wine that you usually buy and the site creates a list of recommendations of other types of wine you might like. You can further refine the recommendations by adding other types of wine that you like and rating wines that you have already tried. And best yet, you can buy the recommended wines directly from Likelii.com and knock one less thing off your to-do list (if shipping wine to your state is allowed.)

I tried out Likelii by entering my two “house” wines that I always buy- J Lohr Cabernet and Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Likelii recommended that I try out Gordon Brother Cabernet, Brancott Sauvignon Blanc, and Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz (among others.) I’m looking forward to trying out these new bottles of wine!

Whether you are looking for a wine recommendation for yourself or a gift idea for someone else this holiday season, be sure to check out Likelii for a customized list of wine picks.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Likelii.com. However, all opinions are my own.

sister m signature

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on November 15, 2012

Every year for Thanksgiving, I have lofty dreams of extensive menus planned in advance and all recipes prepped and ready to go on for the big day. This does not usually match up with reality however. Thanksgiving is officially one week away and I have no menu plans and no grocery list and I certainly have not started prepping anything. I’ve now reached the phase where I start to think of ways to cut down on work the day of Thanksgiving.

Cooked Turducken

I came across an easier alternative to the traditional roasted turkey- the Original Turkducken! Echelon Foods’ Original Turducken consists of a turkey stuffed with layers of duck and chicken and a choice of either Spicy Italian or Chicken Apple stuffing. It will be sure to please all the meat lovers in your family :) The Turducken is completely boneless and when sliced correctly, everyone at your Thanksgiving table will receive some duck, chicken, turkey, and stuffing in their slice.

the original turducken packaging

The Turducken is actually easier to cook than a regular turkey. It takes five days to defrost since it is solid meat (vs. a frozen turkey which has a hollow cavity) and then you just need to pop it in the oven on Thanksgiving day. There is no need to worry about brining, prepping, stuffing, and basting your turkey! The Original Turducken is available in many stores across the US and Canada. (Fellow Massachusetts residents: Roche Bros. carries the Turducken.)

Turducken slices

Have you ever tried the Original Turducken? Are you a stickler for tradition or do you have plans to mix it up a bit at your Thanksgiving table?

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Echelon Foods and The Original Turducken. All opinions are my own.

sister m signature

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on September 14, 2012

I tried Nutella for the first time earlier this year (when my mom made these awesome Nutella cookies) and I have been stocking our cupboards with it ever since. My husband lived in Europe when he was a small child and remembered having Nutella all the time. His mother must have told him it at some point that it was a special delicacy because until just recently, he thought Nutella cost over $50 a jar. Fortunately for us, it’s much more affordable than this and is something we can enjoy everyday.

We have started incorporating Nutella into our breakfast routine recently as well. My husband loves to have it spread on graham crackers with some fruit on top and I like to make it into a smoothie. I’ve been experimenting with different ingredients and ratios, and I think I have finally found the best combination. I’ve also tried making these mini Nutella Banana Pizzas for breakfast.

Nutella Banana Pizzas

Author: m

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 6-inch corn or flour tortillas
1 banana, sliced vertically
4 tablespoons Nutella

Instructions

Spread 2 tablespoons of Nutella onto each tortilla. Place sliced bananas on top and cut each tortilla into mini pizza slices using a pizza slicer.

Bostonians- be sure to visit the Nutella Breakfast Tour from September 21st through 27th. While visiting the Nutella® Breakfast Tour, join the City Challenge for a chance to have Boston win a visit from the Nutella Truck filled with 5,000 jars of free Nutella®. RSVP to the event through the widget in the upper right-hand column or follow Nutella on Facebook for more information:

Or tweet your favorite way to enjoy Nutella in the morning using the hashtag #nutellaboston. For official rules, visit nutellusa.com/officialrules.

If you don’t live in the Boston area, check out below when the Nutella Breakfast Tour will be in your city!

Boston 9/21-9/27
New York 9/29-10/5
Philladelphia 10/8-10/13
Washington DC 10/16-10/20
Atlanta 10/24-10/27
Orlando 10/30-11/3
New Orleans 11/7-11/11
Dallas 11/15-11/19
Phoenix 11/24-11/27
San Diego 11/30-12/2
Los Angeles 12/5-12/8
San Francisco 12/11-12/15

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Nutella blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.