Get to Know Olympic Hopeful David Oliver

Hey guys! I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to an athlete named David Oliver. Many of you might already know who he is or have at least heard of him. David Oliver is a USA Track & Field athlete (in hurdles) with many championships, awards and honors under his belt. Some of those athletic achievements include being a three-time USA Outdoor Champion, two-time NCAA All-American, 2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist and several other awards and honors. You can take a peek at his specific rankings and events here. It's quite impressive!

He will be leading a spectacular group of American hurdlers in the 2012 Olympic year. He is hoping to pull from the momentum he had in 2010 since he has been fighting through injuries in 2011. I am quite sure that through determination, hard work and a positive mindset, he will be amazing!

Besides being an incredible athlete, he also helps inner-city children through his organization called SUB 13. In October of 2011, David and his SUB 13 organization hosted their annual speed and agility camp in his hometown of Denver, Colorado. The kids went through a series of drills focused at helping them improve their performance. You can check out the full photo album of the event on the Facebook page. Imagine how cool that would be to get training from such a popular athlete? I know it had to be a big boost for those kids to learn from someone that took time out of his busy schedule to work with them. I have always respected athletes that give back to their community in such a big way.

You can check David Oliver out on Facebook and Twitter as well as his official site.

 

Psst.... stay tuned to find out how you can get a chance to meet David Oliver in person and help your child's school with Coca-Cola. I promise you that you won't want to miss out on that!

Mini Sandwich Cookie Cheesecakes {Recipe}

Did you know that COOL WHIP is currently having a Fan Dessert of the Month contest on their Facebook page until the end of December? All you have to do is upload a photo of a COOL WHIP dessert you created for a chance to win $500! (one Grand prize winner per month)

I decided to create a recipe with some of the flavors my kids love the most... cookies, cheesecake and chocolate! I put together these adorable Mini Sandwich Cookie Cheesecakes.

The great part about this recipe is that it requires no baking and very few, simple ingredients. I used Snackwell's cookies but you can change up the variety of cookie or chocolate according to your family's taste. Here is the recipe:

Mini Sandwich Cookie Cheesecakes

What you will need:
1- 8 ounce tub of COOL WHIP
1 package of Cream Cheese
12 SnackWell's Creme Sandwich Cookies
6 mini milk chocolate bars
2 tbsp melted butter
1/3 powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
12 aluminum muffin liners
Additional cookies, milk chocolate and COOL WHIP for garnish (if desired)

How you make it:
Blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Crush 8 of the cookies until fine and mix with melted butter to make the crust. Press cookie crumb mixture into aluminum muffin liners and set aside. Chop up the remaining cookies and milk chocolate bars in small pieces and fold them, along with your COOL WHIP into cream cheese mixture. Spoon cheesecake mixture over each cookie crust and smooth it out. Refrigerate until firm and serve garnished with a dollop of COOL WHIP, a chunk of SnackWell's Creme Sandwich Cookie and a piece of milk chocolate.

My family instantly closed their eyes when they took the first bite of this yummy dessert. They loved it and have already requested I make it again. I really loved how nice the texture of the cookies were along with the smooth, creaminess of the cream cheese and COOL WHIP. If you try out this recipe, please let me know how you liked it.

Be sure to stay connected on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for great recipe ideas using COOL WHIP. Also check out Snackwell's on Facebook.

I am working in partnership with the COOL WHIP brand and I am receiving compensation for my participation in this campaign. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own

Pillsbury Baguette Chips Review & Giveaway

I received 6 bags of the New Pillsbury Baguette Chips in both Italian Cheese & Herb and Cheddar Sun-dried Tomato. We are big snackers in my house and are constantly looking for new things to try. Boy did we get lucky! These Baguette Chips are so crunchy, light and packed with delicious flavor. The chips are perfect as an addition to soups, on top of salads, dipped in your favorite dip or the way I like 'em--- straight out the bag! I know these will be so good with homemade hummus.

With 130 calories per serving (21 baguette chips), and 50% less fat than regular potato chips*, Pillsbury Baguette Chips are delicious snack chips that you can feel good about eating.

You can download and print a coupon here. Also, be sure to connect with Pillsbury on Facebook and Twitter.

How would you like to try them out for yourself? One lucky Momfiles reader will win 6 bags (3 Cheddar Sun-dried Tomato and 3 Italian Cheese & Herb) Enter in the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to follow entry rules. Be sure to leave your email address if you do not have a Blogger account. One winner will be chosen at random. Contest ends July 4, 2012. Open to US Resisents only. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck! 


Disclosure: The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

How chicken got me a husband (True story)

I can remember in late Summer of '91, Dwayne and I went to Miami Beach to take a dip in the ocean and have a little cook-out . We took along food, drinks and a small charcoal grill. I had pre-seasoned some chicken wings to cook on the grill. Dwayne and I were very young, so he really had not really tasted a lot of my dishes. This was the first time he would get to try my barbecued chicken wings. He took his first bite and closed his eyes. He yelled out how good it was and he was amazed at my cooking skills. He then goes on to tell me how me could totally marry me because I knew how to cook chicken. Can it get any more romantic than that? Turns out he was dead serious. The man loves his chicken cooked just right! 

Speaking of chicken, I wanted to share the latest product I tried courtesy of Lawry's and BzzAgent. It is the Lawry's Santa Fe Chili Marinade. I poured the marinade on some chicken wings and added a few dashes of garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoned Salt and some cracked black pepper. I let it sit in the refrigerator for about an hour and then I cooked them in the oven using the broil/bake method. 35 minutes later we ended up with some of the best tasting chicken wings my family had ever had. I regret not cooking more of it because they were just that delicious! I highly recommend you try it out for yourself.

Stay connected to Lawry's on Facebook .

I received a product samples and coupons because I'm a BzzAgent. All opinions are 100% my own.

Yummy sandwich idea

Do you ever have those days that you are trying to come up with something different for dinner, but you want it to be quick and light? I came up with an idea for a sandwich that my family loved. Since it was such a big hit, I figured I would share it with you all.


It is a tuna salad sandwich with baby greens on a whole wheat roll. This is how I made it:
I mixed up a big can of premium tuna (drained) with some mayonnaise, brown mustard, sweet relish, a little bit of honey, a squeeze of fresh lemon, some cracked black pepper and a touch of hot pepper sauce. For the greens, I used fancy baby greens (Spring Mix) and tossed them in some balsamic vinaigrette with some feta cheese crumbles and dried cranberries. I then mounded some of the tuna salad on the whole wheat roll and added a generous amount of the greens on top. I served it with some plain potato chips and some sweet tea. Everyone was happy and has requested that I make this meal again. It must be the combination of the hint of sweet, savory and tangy all at the same time that got everyone hooked. I think this sandwich would be great with some oven fries or sweet potato fries. It's amazing how you can transform a simple can of tuna into something so appetizing and delicious! :)