"Fuel Up Father" Father's Day Gift Basket - Caveman Fuel

For Father's Day this year, I thought it would be fun to create our own gift basket of treats for my hubby. Over the next two weeks, I'll be posting here at McKinney Mommas about our favorite snacks to include!

Lots of pre-made gift baskets include stuff that dad might not like and can be expensive to boot.  Since my kids daddy has a serious snacking fetish, we'll be creating a basket of goodies to "Fuel Up Father" this month. 
 

Photo by: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ever since I've known him, my husband has been a fan of beef jerky. Maybe it was all those road trips in high school or need for fuel while skiing down the mountains ranges in Washington, but he's a real jerky fanatic.

I was recently sent a sample of Caveman Fuel beef jerky - fitting name, no?  It was refreshing to find a product that only uses 100% natural ingredients in their jerky.

A few cool reasons to choose Caveman Fuel

• 100% grass fed beef
• No growth promoting hormones or antibiotics
• Free range, private ranch cattle
• USDA approved facilities
• Paleo diet compliant

The original beef jerky flavor, which is what we tried has a simple but delicious list of ingredients. 

Wonder of all wonders, most of you can probably READ and recognize all the ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 100% Grass-fed Beef
• Organic Garlic Powder
• Organic Onion Powder
• Organic Basil
• Water
• Salt

Hey, next time you're at the checkout line in the grocery store and see a major name brand beef jerky, turn the package over and tell me how many of the ingredients you can pronounce.

Well, of course I cheated and had to let my hubby sample the jerky early to see if it was "Fuel Up Father" basket-worthy.  

Turns out, he really digs this product. It bites off like real jerky should, and tastes totally authentic - not the weird melt in your mouth, chopped and reconstituted beef style that most of them are these days.

So, in the end, Daddy gives Caveman Fuel: ...................... 5 STARS!

RESULT --> It's going in the "Fuel Up Father" basket!

To find out where Caveman Fuel is sold near you, visit: http://www.cavemanfuel.com/

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I did receive a product from the company to facilitate a review. However, I was not influenced by the complimentary product received, as I am under no obligation to post a positive review if I feel it is not warranted.  
 

Wordless Wednesday: Splash Pads in Allen, TX

Wordless Wednesday

Celebration Park - Allen, TX

Yup, it's that time already. The splash pads are in full force here in Texas!

Cook Hall & Real Ale Brewing Co's Inagural Beer Dinner

Question: 
What do you get when you mix a five-course dinner at the W Dallas - Victory Hotel's Cook Hall along with Real Ale Brewing Co.?

Answer: 
Lots of happy people.  I mean, really, really happy people. And, I was one of them.

Last weekend, Cook Hall kicked off their inaugural beer dinner, complete with local Texas craft beers from Real Ale Brewing Co. to accompany the 5-course meal. 

I was lucky to have Gamma and G-Pa in town so I could sneak out for a dinner date with my hubby. What a fantastic evening, we had.

Cook Hall & Real Ale Beer Dinner

May 31

The starter was a mild but delicious East Coast oyster with a tart and refreshing cucumber mignonette. The beer pairing was Real Ale's Hans Pils (pictured above), a hoppy lager that just might have been my favorite beer all night.

Looks like I enjoyed the oysters, huh?  Couldn't even stop long enough to get a shot of them still in their shell.

First course, was a cheese & charcuterie plate with aged goat cheese, prosciutto de parma, Texas cotton honey, spicy pecans, cornichons and toast.

The toast came in a no-nonsense paper bag and sang when spread with the aged goat cheese and Texas honey. I remember mentioning to my dinner date that the prosciutto was some of the best I've had - literally melting in my mouth instead of being super chewy like a lot of prosciutto's are. 

The beer pairing with this course was the Rio Blanco Pale Ale - which Real Ale Brewing Co. dubs a well balanced "Texas interpretation of an English-style pale ale." I thought the pairing went well with the spicy pecans and honey.

Second course, a finely grilled red snapper with fennel citrus salad. I was impressed at the lovely char the chef was able to get on the fish.  The citrus and fennel salad atop the snapper was a perfect match to the grapefruit notes of Real Ale's Lost Gold IPA.


Unfortunately, this dish while beautiful, was lacking in seasoning and just needed a touch of salt to round out what I believe the intended flavor was for the plate.

The third course was a savory grilled rib-eye with herb, avocado sauce and pickled sweet peppers. The pickled sweet peppers gave a nice pop of flavor and snap to the dish. The rib-eye was cooked perfectly and the creamy avocado sauce a great addition for summer fare.

The beer pairing, Devil's Back Bone, was a strong (8.10%) Belgian-style tripel without the overwhelming alcohol taste you'd expect from a beer with that percentage. Nice, smooth and not too sweet even though it's brewed with REal Ale's own house-made candy sugar.

And for the grand finale?

Cook Hall's butterscotch pudding took the cake, or uh, pudding.  Let me start by saying I'm not a pudding fan. However, I'm a total wanna-be groupie of this butterscotch pudding. Not sickeningly sweet, rather, the perfect balance of rich, caramel, buttery and deliciousness that feels comforting yet classy.

Paired with Real Ale Brewing Co's Sisyphus Barleywine Ale, served in a wine glass with a warming charm as it goes down. This 10% ale is more like a wine than the ales I'm used to. The toffee undertones of this barleywine work great with the butterscotch pudding.

Kudos to chef, Rick Graff for coming up with the very well suited parings of  Cook Hall's gastropub goods alongside Real Ale Brewing Co's craft beers. 

I have to say that I'm a bit timid to try a beer dinner in the future for fear it may disappoint compared to my excellent experience at Cook Hall.

If you'd like to take a seat at their next beer dinner (which I would totally recommend), sign up for Cook Hall's email list and be one of the first to know about upcoming events!

Cook Hall

W Dallas - Victory

2440 Victory Park Lane

Dallas, TX 75219 

214-397-4111

* Disclosure: I was not paid for this post, however I was given complimentary tickets to attend this event to facilitate this article. As always, all opinions are 100% my own and may not reflect the viewpoint of the companies mentioned.

Caramel Brownie Chunk Milkshake-Father's Day Dessert #eMeals

Looking for a great recipe for Father's Day dessert?

Check out the Caramel-Brownie Chunk Milkshake recipe below from eMeals.

eMeals makes weekly recipe planning, including Father's Day Meals a breeze.

Here's the recipe for ya!

eMeals is a great way to take all the hard work out of weekly or monthly meal planning, as the meals and shopping lists are already created for you. 

And for more recipes like this, check out eMeals - offering a FREE Father’s Day Meal Plan for our new members with a subscription.

Use discount code: DADS for 15% off your subscription order below. 

 

Sambazon Acai Juice & Smoothie Superfood + Giveaway

I'm sure you've all heard of the incredible antioxidant properties of the Acai berry, right?

Have you tried Acai yet?  I just did.

Sambazon and #momsmeet recently gave me the opportunity to try Sambazon juices and smoothies, which claim to be made from the finest organic Amazon Superfoods on the planet.

It's pretty cool, knowing that each purchase of a Sambazon product, means that you're helping to keep over two million acres of the Amazon Rainforest sustainably farmed and are securing the jobs of over 10,000 family farmers - since Sambazon is Fair Trade certified.

The main ingredients in the Sambazon juices and smoothies are Acai [Ah-Sigh-ee]...(now aren't you glad you know how to say it correctly?) as well as Acerola [Ah-sir-o-la] and Yerba Mate [Yur-ba Mah-tay].

Acai is known as the Original Amazon superfood, and has tons of antioxidants and healthy omegas.  For example, the Acai Berry + Vanilla Protein Superfood Smoothie, has Omega 3, 6 and 9 and boasts 8 grams of protein.

That's more protein than you can get by eating an egg!

Here are the varieties I tried:

PROTEIN: Acai Berry + Vanilla

• My favorite of the three. A predominate vanilla smoothie flavor with just a touch of earthy acai berry flavor. I like that this bottle packs a whole 8 grams of protein, so I could likely skip breakfast with this one.

ENERGY:  Acai Berry + Yerba Mate + Guarana

• My hubby tried this one, since I'm breastfeeding still, I didn't want to mess with the Guarana. This blend has 50mg of caffeine for a bit of a boost, but less than the caffeine in a cup of coffee.

ACAI: Acai + Blueberry + Pomegranate Juice Blend

• Not a huge fan. The consistency is a little too thick to be a refreshing juice, and a little too thin to be considered a smoothie.  I guess if you think of it as drinking a supplement, then it's okay. The Acai berry flavor is really earthy to me, has a slightly oily feel in my mouth. I poured the juice into a cup with ice, which made it more enjoyable.

Why Sambazon?

• All products are NON-GMO
• USDA Organic
• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Provide Whole Food nutrition

Learn more and connect with Sambazon:

Check out their website: sambazon.com
Like them on Facebook: facebook.com/sambazon
Follow them on TWITTER: twitter.com/sambazon
Pin 'em on Pinterest: pinterest.com/sambazon
Get artsy with them on: instagram.com/sambazon

~ Enter to Win ~

(3) FREE Product Vouchers & this Cool Wooden Bowl & Spoon

Value $45.00

• US Residents, 18+ only
• Giveaway ends: June 16, 2013
• Complete Rafflecopter Entry Form below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Disclosure: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet™ program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer.  AS a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product adn post my opinion on my blog.  My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group, LLC or the manufacturer of the product.  

$200 Rakuten.com Shopping Super Points Giveaway - ends 6/6

Welcome to the fifth and last day of our exciting Baby Week, a full week of awesome giveaways for mom, moms-to-be and yes, even new dads! 

Hasn't this been fun?

The event is hosted by mommieswithcents.com and supported by a great group of bloggers, including ME....aka. McKinney Mommas!

Today's giveaway is for $200 in Rakuten.com Shopping Super Points!

Baby Bump Yoga Only $50 for 6 Months! LivingSocial Dallas

Pregnant, and doing your best to stay healthy and fit for your baby?

Medical City has a great deal on LivingSocial this week for 6 months of Baby Bump Yoga classes in Dallas for only $50!

So, all you DFW mommas have no excuse to sit on that couch and eat pickles and ice cream all day.  Well, actually you do, but this is a fantastic deal, at a 79% savings.  Plus, you'll feel great stretching and taking care of your body.

You'll have the chance to mingle with other mommas who are also trying to relax, de-stress and be the best possible momma for their baby-to-be.

Learn more about Baby Bump Yoga at: babybumpyoga.org.

 

P.S. Of course you'll want to get a signed doctor’s note, as with any exercise class while pregnant.