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Chobani Mezé™ Dip – The Lighter Side of Summer

Light and delicious

Our house goes through quite a lot of Chobani yogurt all year long, so imagine how thrilled I was to learn about Chobani Mezé™ Dips – bringing something a little lighter to summer parties! Newly released for your summer entertaining, Chobani Mezé™ Dips are a savory, rich, and creamy collection of dips that will make a splash at pool parties, barbecues, and other summer festivites.

Light and delicious
Three of the new Chobani Meze Dips

The best thing about Chobani Mezé™ Dips is that they are all natural, GMO-free, healthier options to other party dips.  With only 1 gram of fat and 25 calories per serving, these dips are much lighter alternatives to the mayonnaise or sour cream based dips you probably usually put out on your summer party table.  These dips are even lower in fat and calories than hummus, which I see quite often at summer parties.

Chobani Mezé™ Dips are made with real, fresh vegetables and the Chobani Greek Yogurt you’ve come to know and love. The dips comes in four flavors, so there’s one for every party theme and every party goers taste.  During a recent family game night, I served a selection of the three I found at our local Wegmans – The Roasted Red Pepper, Three Pepper Salsa, and Smoked Onion and Parmesan, and every single one was a hit across the board.

Delicious
Smokey Onion and Parmesan

The kids tended to gravitate towards the Smoked Onion and Parmesan.  This is like your family favorite onion dip all grown up.  The smokey onion flavor with the nutty, bold Parmesan cheese made this creamy dip the most popular at our little get together.  The flavors are powerful, with the smokey onion bringing a whole new vibe to “onion dip”.

Yogurt based healthy
Chips and Dip, the lighter, healthier way

IMG_7461

If you like your dip to come with a kick, the Three Pepper Salsa is for you.  Made with green, chile, and jalapeno peppers, the dip is spicy and cool at the same time, gaining favor with the heat lovers at our game night.  This was perfect with veggies and chips, and of the three flavors we tried, this may have been the most popular.

Add some heat to your summer table
Three Pepper Salsa with pretzels

If sweet heat is more your speed, the Roasted Red Pepper should probably show up at your next party.  Packed with flavor and a slight kick, this was my favorite.  It reminded me of some vegetable dips I’ve had, but with a bolder flavor and the tiniest bit of spice, making it interesting and delicious.

Sweet, spicy, delicious
Sweet Heat for your Summer Soiree!
Sweet Heat
Roasted Red Pepper

As if there’s no enough good already going on here, the Chobani Mezé™ Dips are gluten free, kosher certified, and made with milk from cows that have not been treated with hormones.  The dips also claim to be less than 5% lactose, and while I’m not lactose intolerant, that may be low enough for someone with a mild intolerance to still enjoy the creamy deliciousness that is Chobani Mezé™ Dips.

We had mostly chips and pretzels in the house, and no matter what chip or pretzel was dipped into the various dips, we really gained some fans,

There’s plenty of summer left to go! If August is time for your family beach house vacation or backyard pool party, Chobani Mezé™ Dips are the perfect summertime addition to your get together.  They’ll help to keep you swimsuit ready while satisfying the craving for something creamy and delicious.

For more information about this great new product, check out Chobani Meze Dips!

It’s Too Hot to go to Walt Disney World!

Bite your tongue!  Some people – including those of us with school aged children – are bound by school schedules, sports schedules, and even work schedules (says the teacher-to-be), and a vacation to Walt Disney World has to be done during the hot summer.  When it’s hot.  And humid. And did I mention hot?

Summer, though, is the best time to have your cake and eat it too!  You will want to arrange your day to beat the heat, but that will give you a chance to maybe do some of the Disney things you never have time to do!

fastpass

My best theme park tip for the dog days of summer is to hit it early and hit it hard.  Be at the park at rope drop, and if you can take advantage of morning extra magic hours, DO IT!  As soon as you arrive, snag a FastPass for your absolutely must do attraction, then get in line for your second must do.  Chances are, you’ll have both of those attractions done pretty quickly, and can move on to your next FastPass and your next attraction.

If you are doing FastPass+, schedule your attraction choices for early in the day or later in the evening.  This will not only help you avoid the hottest part of the day, but it also might help you miss the typical afternoon thunderstorm Central Florida is known for.

By lunch time, you’ve probably melted to a puddle bodily fluids.  You’re ready for something cool, comfortable, and away from the theme parks – something you might not think about if you were there when it was cooler.

Now is the time to take advantage of the OTHER side of Walt Disney World!  Check out Downtown Disney for some shopping and a nice lunch.  Head to the AMC 24 at Pleasure Island, where you can do a Fork and Screen movie/lunch show, enjoying the hottest first run movies in cool comfort.  How about the so hot it’s cool Splitsville for a game of bowling and one of the best burgers at Walt Disney World?

splitsville

Have you ever done DisneyQuest?  A hot afternoon is the perfect time to visit this gaming mecca, with virtual reality, arcade, and video games galore.  You can grab a quick bite to eat here – and save room for some of the great desserts!

Take the afternoon off to take a dip in the pool.  Pop on the monorail for some resort hopping afternoon shopping.  Or enjoy the heat of the afternoon in a spa getting your nails done!

disney spa

A hot afternoon is a great time to enjoy some of the Walt Disney World attractions you may typically overlook, so when the heat index is rising, split your theme park day in half.  With an attraction packed morning and an afternoon cool down, you’ll be ready and refreshed to shut the parks down at the end of the day!

 

Set in Stone – Summer Roadtrip 2012 is Finally Taking Shape!

Stone may not necessarily be the right word.  We have established a game plan, booked hotels, and projected where we’ll be when as we journey to Seattle to board the Disney Wonder for our cruise to Alaska!

The plan going out –

Leave June 21st – well, at least some of us.  Brighid and Eilis are going to fly out later due to work obligations (in Brighid’s case) and obligations not to have to endure a four day road trip with her crazy parents (Eilis’ case).  The plan has us leaving at some outrageous hour of the morning – like before Starbucks is even open.  Who does that?  We’ll drive like lunatics and end the first day in Racine, WI.

Day 2 – This is an interesting day.  North Dakota is our ultimate destination.  Did you know there really was a North Dakota?  Apparently, very few hotel chains knew.  We originally booked a Marriott in Fargo, but when Jim realized we wouldn’t be completely bleary eyed by the time we hit Fargo, he decided to bump us ahead to Bismarck.  Kelly Inn, Bismarck, ND – here we come!

Day 3 – Ummm, did I mention we want to be in Seattle in only four days?  By this day, I anticipate nerves will be fried.

After another wake up call at NoOneShouldBeUpThisEarlyUnlessTheyAreGoingToMakeTheDoughnuts o’clock will give us time to get to Missoula, Montana by just after dinner.  If we arrive earlier, we’ll do something touristy.  Is there anything to see in Missoula, MT?

Day 4 – My well rested, well relaxed older children will be arriving in Seattle around 10:30 AM.  We don’t expect to arrive until closer to dinner time.  I’ll probably take the time when we get there to do laundry, because everyone who has spent four straight days in a car wants to do laundry.

Of course, this plan is subject to change.  Well, except the doing laundry part.

I’m so glad our first day of the cruise is at sea.  My behind will be so sore, I won’t be able to sit up to see anything!

Reading, ‘Riting, ‘Rithmatic – oh, and Anatomy and Physiology

I’ve done my best to blog like a madwomen these past couple of days because I have a dreadful feeling, my blog is about to go dark for a few weeks.

When I decided to go back to school, I focused on the important things – what cute book bags there are out there!  I don’t have to cook dinner if I take night classes!  I don’t have to do laundry if I take day classes!

Who knew there’d be all this studying and crap to do?  They want me to write papers, turn in assignments, and – GULP – study!  The nerve!

As I prepare for my summer classes – Anatomy and Physiology I and II AND (as if that wasn’t enough torture on myself) World Civilizations.  Oh yes.  The fun never ends in this house.

Summer vacation? HAH! Who needs fun in the sun and relaxation when you can be learning the foot bone is connected to the ankle bone, and the brain bone is disconnected when you have children?

So in case I don’t make it back, please disregard the email requests for urgent cash sent to Rome, where I’ve been hustled by Gypsy children, lost my passport and can’t get the Embassy to help me.  I won’t be in Rome.  If you get an email asking you to donate money for my kidney transplant, because I was left in a bathtub filled with ice after having a drink spiked at the Kool-Aid bar, just ignore it.  My kidneys are intact and still enclosed within my body, which will be in school.  All summer.

I’ll miss you guys.  I’ll get here whenever I can!