Thursday, February 21, 2013

Breaking tradition: A giveaway

Graham crackers with strawberry Laughing Cow Cream Cheese and sliced banana. Peanut butter and apple "sandwiches."

All of which sound delicious to me ... and all of which received an initial snub from the group of kids who come to the office once a week for tutoring.

But last week I really did it. Oh, lordy, did I do it. I blended 4 ounces of cream cheese with half of an avocado. The mixture was spread on a tortilla and topped with bite-size pieces of broccoli, zucchini and carrot, rolled up and cut in half. It looked insanely good to me but you would have thought I was giving them liver with applesauce on top. It was, hands down, the most rejected snack I've ever made.

I don't take their rejection personally as they'd much rather have a combination like goldfish crackers and ranch dressing or, better yet, Hot Cheetos and root beer but I did feel the urge to redeem myself this week.

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I wasn't quite sure how I would do it, and do it on my terms, until I saw a recipe for Coconut Oil Rice Krispie Treats from Gimme Some Oven in my Google Reader. While the treats have more sugar than I prefer, my personal use of organic whole grain cereal and coconut oil, one of the hottest food trends of 2013, made me feel a bit less guilty.

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I was recently given the chance to try coconut oil through Tropical Traditions' generous blogger program and thus had some on hand to try Ali's treats.

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I combined the oil with butter, gingerbread marshmallows and cereal just as you would any other cereal treat. Genius got the best of me, and I scooped the mixture into a greased muffin pan rather than put it in a brownie pan. No cutting = no temptation to eat the crumbs.

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I'd be lying if I said the kids jumped for joy when they saw the little cereal balls. In fact, I think I scared them so much with the veggie wraps that they would have been trepidation of a candy bar. However, with one bite, the kids were happy. One third-grader ate two, trading a Yoohoo for it, and a fifth-grader asked me for the recipe.

I'm pretty sure I struck gold - and not just with the label. And you can, too. Tropical Traditions will give one reader a 1-quart jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil! (Scroll down for Rafflecopter giveaway and rules.)


Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil - 32 oz. 


Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?


Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 comments:

  1. Awesome giveaway! I love coconut oil!! Try the quinoa granola recipe at hungryhungryhippie.com with the coconut oil- its super easy and sooooo good
    Ttrockwood@yahoo.com
    Ttrockwood

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  2. Love Tropical Traditions...been on their mailing list for awhile now! :)

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  3. I joined their mailing list--love to use coconut oil.
    slrdowney at hotmail dot com

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  4. I joined the mailing list a while ago. I love their products and would love to win some!

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  5. I am on their mailing list already, hope I can still get the entry!

    ReplyDelete