Teaching Them About #SIMPLEGiving with Champions for Kids

I've posted before about the work that Champions for Kids does.  Why I love partnering with them in their #SIMPLEGiving programs is that they make it easier for people to give locally to children in need.  Since they are set up in Walmart, so many people are already going to shop there for other things.  Their purple bins are all set up at the front of the store:

(Front L to R: Donation Bin, Bins with products to buy & then donate)

When you go to check out, the bins with the pre-selected Kimberly Clark & Unilever products to purchase are right there.  So, it's simple to just grab what you'd like to donate & then deposit it in the donation bin as you leave the store (it's by the exit).  Their current program aims to collect personal care items for children in local schools which are then distributed by the school nurse.

It's such a good way to start teaching your children about giving in a very practical way.  Even if you're a super busy person, you'll end up with your kids at Walmart at some point most likely.  It's simple enough for even my 2 1/2 year old son to understand.  I let them pick out which items we were going to donate & put them in the basket.  It melted my heart to share that with them & just wonder what they were thinking.

Here is my basket of the items we gathered; Suave shampoo & conditioner, Degree deodorant & Cottonelle Cleansing Cloths.  They chose great things for the school to have on hand for kids that need them.  It makes me sad to think that there are kids that are not able to get their hair washed, take a bath or use deodorant if they need it.  What a privilege it is to be able to help provide that for them! 

I let them carry the bags from check out & put them in the donation bin themselves.  They loved it.

I want to encourage you to use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about giving while giving to children in your area.

         You can find out more about #SIMPLEGiving at:

• http://www.championsforkids.org/simplegiving
  
  
  You can also follow them: 
  
  
• Twitter

• Facebook

Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad Using Tyson Foods' Sliced Salami & Pepperoni

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Have you ever tried Subway's Italian BMT sandwich?  Well, it's pretty good & I wanted to recreate that  in a pasta salad! 

 I attended a demo at Walmart for Tyson Foods' Pepperoni Toppings.  She was also making a pasta salad a little different than the one that I was planning to make.  She was the happiest.  Lady loves her job!

She cut her pepperoni like this for the pasta:

Finished Product!

It was good!

So, I headed home to get my own pasta salad going.  I grilled my chicken:

Gathered my other ingredients; here are a few:

Italian Bow Tie Pasta:
1/2 box of bow tie pasta
4-5 chicken tenderloins
1/4 cup of Olive Garden Signature Italian Dressing
1/4 cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese
6 slices of Tyson's Sliced Pepperoni
6 slices of Tyson's Sliced Salami
1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
1/2 orange bell pepper (diced)
1/4 cup of grape tomatoes (halfed)
1 tbs of dry ranch dressing mix (trust me)
1/8 cup of red onion (diced)
Dried (or fresh) parsley to garnish

-Grill chicken, then dice it & let it cool
-Cook the bow tie pasta (al dente) & let cool
-Dice the peppers, onions, tomatoes
-Slice the pepperoni & salami in 4ths (I found kitchen shears to be more effective, than a knife)

-Combine prepared ingredients with italian dressing, parmesan & ranch powder. Refrigerate for 2 hours
-Garnish with parmesan & parsley

ENJOY! 

The Tyson's Sliced Pepperoni & Salami were high quality & super yummy!  Such an easy dish to put together & take to a picnic or potluck!  I used them again today & made english muffin mini pizzas for my little kiddos.  They would be great in hot pasta or added to a salad too!


Find more recipes on their website.  Follow Tyson on Facebook & Twitter!

Check out my Google+ album for more pics here.

How Starbucks Got Me Ready for an American Chocolate Week Date Night

You may have noticed a new little arrangement in your Wal-Mart bakery area:

Starbucks & Wal-Mart bakery have put together what they're calling, Delicious Pairings.  Starbucks coffee & items from Wal-Mart's bakery paired together for your ease & delight.  If you know me, this is right up my alley!!!

Normally, I would pick up my coffee on the coffee/tea aisle. We pretty much always buy Starbucks, & we usually try to get Pike's Place Roast if it's available.  If it isn't, we just grab something medium to dark & we're happy.  It being American Chocolate Week & all, I decided to try their new Starbucks Mocha flavor!!  After all, a mocha coffee was the first cup to get me hooked back in the day.  Starbucks made it easy for me by having their little suggestions out to tease me in the bakery!!!

Wal-Mart will also, at some point, will have a demo set up, so you can try samples.

  My Wal-Mart, at that time, had samples of Ghiradelli Chocolates to go with their Starbucks Mocha samples--though I was there to try their other suggestion:  

Double Chocolate muffins were the partner for this new Starbucks Mocha flavor, so I picked up some.

The next idea I had to make this night special was to rent Chocolat!  Such a good movie.

I brewed the coffee & set everything out on our ottoman in the living room just after we put the kids to bed.  The coffee was pretty lightly flavored as far as flavored coffees go, which is what we prefer.  If we're going to have a flavored coffee, we still want to taste coffee & not have a chemical-like after-taste.  The cupcakes were really too good because I ate 2 & they're HUGE.  I will be getting them again for sure.  I think in the future I would not have them together because it's pretty indulgent/rich, but, of course, that was perfect for a chocolate celebration!!  

I'm excited to see what future pairings will be waiting for me in the Wal-Mart bakery next time I'm getting groceries.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. All opinions are my own.  #CBias #DeliciousPairings #SocialFabric