Julie's Journal

Have you guys tried the Dole Fruit in the Jar? We’ve been eating it for quite some time now, and we all love it. I like to put mine in the refrigerator so it gets nice and cold. It makes for a great healthy snack.

Right now you can enter the Dole Find Snacking Magic Inside Every Jar Sweepstakes to win the incredible grand prize trip for 4 to magical Maui ! Plus, get a chance to win a fantastic daily prize and one of the weekly Nintendo Wii Fit® prize packages! I also have a chance for you to win a FREE COUPON to try out the Dole jarred fruit, and a coupon organizer with recipes to give to one lucky reader!

Dole Jarred Fruit and Coupon Organizer Giveaway
Each one of the following is worth one entry into the giveaway – make sure to leave comments so I can include each thing you do!

1. Go to the Go to Dole Magic website and register to win the trip to Hawaii!
2. Become a fan of Dole Magic on Facebook.
3. Follow @JustJulie on Twitter.
4. Tweet: Enter to win the Dole Jarred Fruit and Coupon Organizer Giveaway from @JustJulie http://tinyurl.com/ony6st

Have fun and good luck! I’ll randomly choose one winner on Wednesday September 23, 2009 from all the entries I receive. U.S. only please! Contest ends at 12 noon (PST) 9-23-09.

I got the chance to try out Moja Mix, and I just had to share it with you guys! You can create your own cereal mix in just three easy steps.

1. Choose your cereal base.
2. Add dried fruit.
3. Add nuts and seeds.

It’s more than just ordering your own custom-mixed cereal though as they take it one step further and let you create a name for your mix. You can also add a catch phrase or a slogan, and it’s printed right on your label when you receive it. We named ours Tropic Thunder and used a phrase from the movie for our cereal mixture. It’s really yummy, and so fun to create your own mixture! You can get really creative with this, so have fun!

Tropic Thunder
“I’m a dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude!”

• Coconut Crisp (oat flakes, barley flakes, coconut flakes, rice crispies)
• Mango
• Banana chips
• Papaya
• Macadamia nuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Pineapple
• Sesame seeds

Now for the fun part! I have a FREE CODE to give to one lucky reader so you can create your own Moja Mix!

Moja Mix Custom-Mixed Cereal Giveaway Rules
Each one of the following is worth one entry into the giveaway – make sure to leave comments so I can include each thing you do!

1. Go to the Moja Mix website and tell me in my comments what Cereal Base you would choose.
2. Follow @mojamix on Twitter.
3. Become a fan of Moja Mix on Facebook.
4. Follow @JustJulie on Twitter.
5. Tweet: Enter to win the Moja Mix Custom-Mixed Cereal Giveaway from @JustJulie http://tinyurl.com/l64ubf

Have fun and good luck! I’ll randomly choose one winner on Monday September 21, 2009 from all the entries I receive. Contest ends at 12 noon (PST) 9-21-09.

First off I want to say thanks to MyBlogSpark who sent me a free membership pass to Sam’s Club. I’ve never been in one so it was cool to see all the great savings they offer.

Sam’s Club carries all these brands that participate in the Box Top for Education campaign. Cheerios, Ziploc containers, Ziploc sandwich bags, Honey Nut Cheerios, Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fiber One Oats and Chocolate Bars, Nature Valley Bars, Scott Paper Towels, Huggies Baby Wipes and Kleenex Facial Tissues. You can really collect a lot while you shop there.

Box Tops for Education is giving away 1 million Bonus Box Tops to America’s schools! You can enter The Big Clip sweepstakes for a chance to win the Grand Prize of 500,000 Bonus Box Tops, or one of two first prizes of 250,000 Bonus Box Tops!

Do you collect the Box Top for Education for your kids school? How would you like to win a $25 Sam’s Club gift card so you can go shopping and collect more? I also have (5) one-day passes so you can check out Sam’s Club if you’ve never been in one.

Thanks to Sam’s Club and Box Tops for Education for this giveaway! Good luck to all who enter!

How to enter my Sam’s Club Gift Card Giveaway

1. Leave a comment on my blog telling me what your favorite Box Top for Education product you like the best.
2. Follow @JustJulie on Twitter.
3. Tweet: Enter to win a Sam’s Club Gift Card Giveaway from @JustJulie http://tinyurl.com/m8b5h8

Sam’s Club Gift Card Giveaway Rules

1. I will randomly choose ONE winner for the Sam’s Club Gift Card, and FIVE winners for a one day admission pass to Sam’s Club from all the entries on September 19, 2009 12:00PM Pacific.
2. Winner will be notified by email, and you have 48 hours to respond.
3. U.S. residence only

My husband took me to a Thai restaurant that he’s been raving about for lunch today. It’s called Panna Thai Restaurant and it’s located at 6015 S. Fort Apache Rd #100 Las Vegas, NV 89148. I think there may be another location in Summerlin as well, but I can’t find anything online that confirms it is the same place.

It was everything and more he said it was. It’s Thai Fusion cuisine, with a wonderful atmosphere and excellent friendly service. We had an amazing lunch that I’m sure will carry me over through dinner time tonight, and maybe even breakfast tomorrow. I’m stuffed full of deliciousness!

Printable Coupon 1/2 OFF Purchase any Regular Priced Entree and and Receive Half Off Second Entree of equal or lesser value (OFFER EXPIRES 10/31/09)

For starters, Thai Iced Tea…

Tofu Chicken Soup…

Medium Spicy Pad Thai and Shrimp…

Sweet and Sour Shrimp Stir Fry…

Shrimp Red Curry…

One of the highlights of my trip to the General Mills Table Talk event was having the opportunity to cook in the Betty Crocker Kitchen. We were divided into 6 groups with each group making a different recipe. My group consisted of me, and these four wonderful and smart mothers.

Erinn (Parenting Our Kids), Lisa (My Thoughts Ideas and Ramblings), Julie (Coupon Saving Family), Leighann (The Full Mommy), and me.

Our group got to make the Fattoush Pasta Salad. This recipe was the grand prize winner in the Suddenly Salad® “Create a Stir” Recipe contest submitted by Leah Lyon, from Ada, Oklahoma. I can totally see how she won the grand prize, it was delicious, and everyone just loved it. I will definitely be making this for my family soon.

Fattoush Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 30 min
Makes: 10 servings (1 cup each)

1 box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons all purpose Greek seasoning
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cucumber
1 cup coarsely chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 oz)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini, cut slices into quarters
1/3 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 cups garlic flavored croutons

1. Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.
3. In large bowl, stir together Seasoning mix, oil, lemon juice and Greek seasoning. Add pasta and all remaining ingredients; toss gently. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour to chill.

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 100); Total Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 1/2g); Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 790mg; Total Carbohydrate 25g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 4g); Protein 5g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 15%; Vitamin C 15%; Calcium 8%; Iron 8% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.