Prego Alfredo Sauce Review

So I've had Prego Alfredo sauce before, but to be honest it wasn't always my favorite. While it was good I always reached or the more inexpensive brand that was just as good, but certainly not better. Well I was able to try Prego's Light Alfredo through Crowdtap and loved it. Sadly though when I went to go find it again in my store...there wasn't any. Apparently stores don't carry it and when trying to search for it online, nothing comes up!

Okay Prego, why you holding out on us? Give us the tasty Light Homestyle Alfredo sauce please. So since I wasn't able to find the light variety I just got regular Homestyle Alfredo. It still had the same thick, creamy, not too salty flavor as the light version.

So of course I like things simple and easy so I went for some Shrimp Alfredo! So I grabbed my shrimp, a little unsalted butter, and some peppercorn and started cooking. I cooked the shrimp till they were almost done and added the alfredo sauce. I let it continue cooking making sure not to overcook the shrimp. No one needs rubbery overcooked shrimp in their life...no one. Before I even started to cook the shrimp though, I took some Barilla thin spaghetti and started boiling it. I like my noodles to be a little chewy, how about you?

After making sure the noodles were just right, for me anyway, I drained them and dumped them in the pan with the shrimp and alfredo sauce. I made sure to coat the noodles so that they would all have sauce...sauceless noodles = no bueno!

So obviously the final verdict was delicious! Seriously I think I'll spend the extra cash to get the Prego sauce because it's really good. It has the right flavor, the right consistency, and I don't feel too guilty about eating it. It isn't overloaded with salt so it makes a great dinner for me and the family.

So if you're ever out at the store and see some Prego Alfredo Sauces grab them up! They also work really well for some homemade mac and cheese. Check out the recipe below which serves 10, obviously I did mention I've got a large family which means lots of servings! You can fix it to fit your family by halfing the recipe, etc. It's super tasty and actually really easy. Feel free to use reduced fat cheeses and skim milk, you won't be able to tell the difference.

 
Extra Recipe!
Mac and Cheese:
Ingredients:

• cooking spray 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni  
• 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce (I recommend Prego Alfredo Sauce)
• 1/2 (1 pound) package processed cheese (such as Velveeta®), cubed 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika 
• 1/2 (16 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup of milk (your choice)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 baking dish or pan with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; stir 1 teaspoon salt and vegetable oil into boiling water. Gradually stir macaroni into the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until macaroni are tender but still slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Drain well and pour macaroni into prepared baking dish.
3. Pour Alfredo sauce into a 3-quart microwave-safe bowl and stir processed cheese into sauce; microwave on 60 percent power for 6 minutes. Stir sauce mixture and microwave for 5 more minutes on 60 percent power. Season with black pepper and paprika. Stir 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese into mixture until cheese has melted and sauce is thick and smooth.
4. Pour half the cheese sauce over macaroni and stir to coat; pour in remaining cheese mixture and stir again. Spread remaining shredded sharp Cheddar cheese over macaroni.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 40 mins. Let macaroni and cheese stand for 10 minutes before serving.

 
Disclaimer: I originally tried Prego Light Alfredo through Crowdtap, this review is on regular Homestyle Alfredo. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received for this review.
 
 

Campbell's Tasters Mission Review

 I was chosen to try out some great new and wonderful products from Campbell's through Crowdtap. I was amazed at the the huge selection of products and at how many different things I'd be able to make. All individual reviews can be seen just by clicking on the links below.

Included in the mission kit was:

• a Campbell's tote bag
• a small cutting board
• wooden spoon
• plastic shaker (sadly it didn't make it through shipping and was cracked)
• a coupon book 
• one carton of Swanson Cream Starter
• one pouch of Campbells Skillet Sauce Creamy Parmesan Chicken
• one Campbell's Slow Kettle Style Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup
• one can Campbell's Beer n Cheese with Beer and Bacon
• one jar of Prego Light Alfredo Sauce (didn't get photos so used Homestyle Alfredo Sauce)
• one can of Campbell's Creamy Poblano & Queso
• one Spaghetti O's Micros
• one carton Campbell's Soups For Easy Cooking Savory Portobello Mushroom (used Mexican Style Tomato)

Extra Review: Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauce (bought using coupon included in kit)

 As you can see there was a huge amount of great products to try out which lead me to try out other products as well. Also included was a coupon to try out new varities of V8, but sadly couldn't find it in stores. The V8 varieties are Sea Salt & Clam, Spicy Mango, and Mint & Lime - I really wanted to try out the Mint and Lime and use it as part of a marinade. It had a great recipe for a marinade that I know would taste fantastic! Also I had used the Prego Light Alfredo sauce and totally forgot to take photos. When I went to the store I found that I couldn't find it! I had to substitute regular Homestyle Alfredo Sauce for my review, which is just as tasty. In the case for the Soups For Easy Cooking I opted to save the one that I got in the kit and chose to use the Mexican Style Tomato. It was totally awesome and something totally new! I don't think I would have ever tried it out if not for the mission kit.

I really enjoyed all the products that I used from the kit. They were a little high in sodium content at times, but with a little work I was able to really have fun with them. However, I didn't try the Beer N Cheese soup because it includes bacon and I just can't eat bacon. I passed it to my mom's boyfriend who practically inhaled it before I could take photos of it. He said it was alright, but not the best he has had from Campbell's soup. He mentioned a slight after taste that wasn't too bad so he didn't stop eating it. He did say he would try it again, so I guess he liked it enough.

Campbell's has been in my family for years and will definitely continue to be a staple. Nothing makes you feel better when you're sick than a nice warm bowl of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. V8 juices are tasty in smoothies or just by themselves and are healthier than some other drinks. The new skillet sauces, slow cooker sauces, etc can make your life easier and your stomach full.


Disclaimer: I received all products herein for FREE in return for my honest reviews. All opinions are my own and no further compensation was given. If you'd like to try new products such as these then sign up for Crowdtap.

Campbells Condensed Soup Review Creamy Poblano & Queso

Campbell's Condensed soups aren't just supposed to be thrown in a pan or in a bowl to be served just as it is. Some soups can be used in delicious recipes to spice up your regular menu. I can honestly say the only condensed soups I got were cans of chicken noodle soup. Everyone knows that nothing makes you feel better than some Campbells Chicken Noodle so when I received this can of Creamy Poblano & Queso in my kit I was a bit lost.



Thankfully I wasn't lost for long because Campbells has a great recipe for a jazzed up macaroni and cheese. The Creamy Poblano Mac N Cheese is so easy and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. The best thing about it is it's totally customizable so you can add different ingredients or leave some out and still have a great tasting dish in the end.

Creamy Poblano Mac & Cheese:

What You'll Need 
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup medium tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt and ground black pepper
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Creamy Poblano & Queso Soup
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
8 ounces (1/2 of a 1-pound package) elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

How to Make It:

Heat the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomato and garlic to the saucepan and cook and stir for 1 minute. Season with the salt and black pepper.
Stir in the soup and milk and heat to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the macaroni. Sprinkle with the cilantro.




I modified the ingredients list quite a bit, but that's because I was using whatever I had in the house. It still came out super delish and I will definitely be making this again. I wish there were more recipes using this soup though, so hopefully I can use it for more than just mac and cheese.

The actual flavor of the soup was actually really light tasting. It didn't have any spiciness to it, and actually wasn't overly cheesy either. It was pretty mellow and had nice chunks of poblano mixed in it. All the kids really loved it, even though it was totally DIFFERENT. Score! So if you're looking for a great addition to your regular boring meals, then try out the poblano mac n cheese! You're family and their stomachs will thank you.









Disclaimer: I received this can for FREE through Crowdtap for the sole purpose of reviewing. It was included in the Campbells Tasters kit. All opinions are my own and no further compensation was received.

Campbells Slow Cooker Review Mexican Red Chile Taco

While this wasn't included in the Campbell's Tasters Crowdtap kit. I did happen to find it because of it. While I was there looking for another package of the Creamy Parmesan Chicken Skillet Sauce, I saw this and couldn't pass it up.

I mean what is not to love about tacos!? We eat tacos all the time, but they can get a little boring. The same seasoning, same toppings, just the same ole thing every time. This gave me a chance to try out something new without having to worry about messing it up. It's so easy just follow the directions on the back and you end up with a delicious meal!







First I used pork shoulder roast instead of beef. We don't eat much red meat so I knew I'd be using either pork or chicken. I got a medium sized pork shoulder roast, just enough to fit into the slow cooker. I opened up the package and dumped all the sauce on right on top. Looking at it as first I wasn't sure it would be juicy enough, but I went with it.

The sauce is made with onions, vinegar, and a blend of peppers, that makes this sauce super tasty! It smelled so good throughout the house as it the pork slowly cooked and turned the thin sauce into a juicy delicious sauce.










After I let the pork sit for a little bit I started the process of pulling it apart. It was so easy because the pork was super tender that I hardly had to touch it at all. I used a bone in shoulder roast and I easily just pulled the bone straight out and it was clean. The pork was moist and juicy and after a couple of taste tests - I knew it was ready.

Because the meat had tons of flavor already I didn't want to add to much to it that would take away from that. I used corn tortillas to cut down on salt and calories and added some tasty avocados to round it out. I think if anything I would have added some fresh thinly sliced onions because I know it would have went really well together.

There are other varities of slow cooker sauces such as:
Moroccan Spiced Stew
Sweet Korean BBQ
Apple Bourbon BBQ
Tavern Style Pot Roast
Hawaiian Luau Pork


You should try these out for yourselves and see how easy and tasty they really are. One of the best things, other than them being easy to use, is that they're pretty affordable. You can find all varieties at most grocery and bigbox stores.





Disclaimer: I paid for this product myself using a coupon received from the Crowdtap Campbell's mission. All opinions are my own and no compensation was given.

Campbells Skillet Sauce Review Creamy Parmesan

In my kit I received a package of Creamy Parmesan Chicken Campbell's Skillet Sauce. Each package serves four people and with there being 8 of us, another package was definitely needed. Thankfully the price was really affordable so I didn't break my food budget. I used the extra $1.00/1 coupon I received in my coupon book and put it to good use! I grabbed some boneless, skinless chicken, some green onions, and I was ready to go.

 The package was really easy to open and contained more sauce than I thought. It's so simple all you have to do is open it up and pour it on top of your cooked chicken. You can bake, broil, boil, or grill your chicken before hand. You don't even need pasta, but I definitely felt like it needed some some so I made some veggie rotini. The sauce was creamy and rich, and thankfully not salty tasting. Since I've started cutting down on my salt intake I've noticed that things that aren't salty to the family, are salty for me. With that I was sure that I wouldn't be able to stomach this because sadly cheese is salty.

The recipe is practically not needed, but here it is anyway just in case.

Creamy Parmesan Chicken

What You Need 

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2" pieces

3 Simple Steps

• Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. 
• Add chicken and cook until browned. 
• Stir in sauce and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

 Campbell's Skillet Sauces come in 7 different varities including:

• Creamy Parmesan Chicken
• Sweet & Sour Chicken
• Chicken Marsala
• Sesame Chicken
• Thai Curry Chicken
• Bacon Cheddar Beef
• Shrimp Scampi

All of them only require a small amount of ingredients and only 3 simple steps to make the meal. Just because it's simply and easy, doesn't mean you aren't getting quality. From the ones I've tried (shrimp scampi, creamy parmesan, and sweet & sour), you get a ton of flavor for a really affordable price.




Disclaimer: I received the product for FREE in return for my honest review from Crowdtap and Campbell's. All opinions are my own and no further compensation was received.

Swanson Cream Starter Review

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

made with Swanson Cream Starter

So part of my Crowdtap #DiscoverCampbells mission kit I received a carton of Swanson's Cream Starter. I was sort of at a loss at what to make because I've never used this type of cream before. I am not a fan of clam chowder - or any chowder for that matter, so I went online. I went to CampbellsKitchen.com and looked up some recipes using the Swanson Cream Starter. I found the website easy to navigate, but sadly not many recipes utilizing the cream starter. I opted for the very simple and very safe: Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Who doesn't love mashed potatoes? They're certainly a main staple in my household so I knew they would go over well.

The recipe is as follows -
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (about 5 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup Swanson® Cream Starter Traditional or 25% Reduced Fat or Swanson® Cream Starter 25% Reduced Fat
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened 

Instructions

1. Place the potatoes and garlic into a 3-quart saucepan.  Add water to cover.
2. Heat over medium-high heat to a boil.  Cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Drain the potato mixture well in a colander.  Return the potato mixture to the saucepan.
3. Mash the potatoes.  Stir in the cream starter and butter.  Season with salt and black pepper.

This recipe is so simple that I know the kids could make this themselves. This is so simple that even the person with the worst cooking skills ever couldn't really mess this up. I made some baked meatballs with gravy and some corn to finish off the meal.

The carton was easy to open and easy to hold, so if you have issues with arthritis it won't give you any problems. The cream itself smelled pretty good, the thickness was good, and tasted good as well. I did get a little taste of the cream before I put it in the mashed potatoes. At that point there was still time to back out if I didn't like the smell or taste. The kids and I are those kinds of eaters - if it doesn't smell or look good, we ain't eating it.

The potatoes came out really good, really creamy and smooth. The only thing I'd do different would be to scale back the garlic as it was just too intense a flavor for the kids. They still ate it and said it was good, but just that it was too garlicky. I liked it and thought it was fine, so I would add half the amount of garlic first and then go from there.

Overall the cream starter is super easy to use and I'm looking forward to using it in many more different recipes. If you only buy it for mashed potatoes though, it'll be totally worth it, much creamier than when using milk.

 Disclaimer: I received this product  for FREE with the sole purpose of trying it out in my home. All opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Zep Cleaning Products

I received 3 bottles of All-Around Cleaner and Degreaser, and 2 bottles of Quick Clean Disinfectant from Zep and Crowdtap. I shared some bottles with my brothers and kept one of each for myself.

So what's so different about Zep cleaning products?
Well Zep is basically commercial strength products that you can easily use in your home. But as strong as it is, there aren't any harsh chemical smells, and it didn't kill my hands when I used them without gloves on. They have every type of cleaning product imaginable and all at a really affordable price. Whether you want products that are for a specific area of your home, or an all purpose cleaner - they have it all.

 

All Around Oxy Cleaner and Degreaser

What I love most about this cleaner is that there are no harmful fumes. No gross smells choking you, preventing you from breathing. It has a very light scent to it, much like most other cleaning products. I tried to clean different areas of my home so I could get a feel for what it could do. I started with the stove, which I must admit has seen better days. Lately I hadn't really had the time to clean it and well, it definitely showed. Everyone cooks, but no one cleans and well these kiddos love to leave a mess behind. As long as they don't have to clean it they're dirtying it up. Something had obviously overflowed and had now turned into a burned and charred mess. I'm not sure if the cleaner wasn't strong enough, or the greasy whatever had just fuzed into the stove and was now not going to come off. I was committed though and tried hard to win the battle, but in the end the mess won. I'm sure with another round of Zep will finish it off, but for today it'll stay. Hey don't judge me for my messy stove okay? I've got 5 kiddos here and even the grown ups look at the mess and leave it for the next person. Overall, I think this cleaner got a 4 out of 5 rating for me. It did wonderfully with the smaller messes, but for the larger more involved messes - well I just needed more oomph.


Quick Clean Disinfectant
How many of us have Lysol in our households, I'm sure a great number of us. I do have Lysol, but honestly no matter what scent there always tends to be a chemical smell. The Zep Quick Clean Disinfectant has a light smell that deodorizes while it kills 99.9% of bacteria. With 5 kids the bathroom was definitely where I was taking this bad boy. The restroom can get so gross with 4boys in the house so I wiped down practically every surface in there. The main areas - the sink and toilet were first. There was basically no real smell that I could notice, just clean. I just sprayed it and let it air dry. I did wipe certain areas afterwards though so no spots could be seen. For this I give it a 4.5 out of 5, only because you have to wipe afterwards if food is coming into contact with the surface you just sprayed. For me it seems a little counter productive when I have to wipe what I just disinfected.

Overall I think Zep products are definitely worth a try and you should add some to your household products. You can buy Zep products at most Walmarts and other stores, just check their website to see what stores are included. I'll be trying out other Zep products in the future especially the Calcium, Lime, and Rust Remover because down south here in Texas we have some really hard water.





Disclaimer: I received the 5 bottles of product from Zep and Crowdtap for the sole purpose of reviewing them. All opinions are my own and no further compensation was received.

Hidden Valley Ranch Fest

I was super duper excited to be chosen for the 2nd Annual Hidden Valley Ranch Fest courtesy of Crowdtap. I received some great stuff from them including: a fantastic green shirt,recipes, cute little dipping bowls, packs of seasoning/dressing mix, coupons for Hidden Valley Ranch, and a bottle of ranch dressing.

The bowls are super cute and easy to place on your plates. They're really convenient, especially for my family who have a lot of people who don't really like dressing touching their food. The recipes were in both English and Spanish which was perfect for sharing with some of my family members that don't read English well.

I had a party planned, but sadly the weather didn't want to cooperate so I just handed out the dressing mixes along with some bowls, recipes, and coupons to some family and friends. They all tried making the potatoes with ranch because I mentioned how awesome they were. Seriously whether you use instant or "real" potatoes, russet or red, you need to get some ranch taters in your life! Below is the recipe I got off of the Hidden Valley Ranch website, feel free to use it as you wish. I omitted certain ingredients, but they still came out fantastic.

Original Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 pounds peeled Idaho potatoes chopped
• 2 tablespoons Hidden Valley® Original Ranch Salad® Dressing & Seasoning Mix
• 3 tablespoons butter softened
• salt to taste
• ⅓ cup half-and-half
• pepper to taste

Directions:
Place potatoes in large pan with water over high heat and boil until tender but still firm, about 15–20 minutes. Heat butter, half-and-half and peppers in saucepan over low heat until combined. Drain potatoes and place in mixer with butter sauce. Add dressing mix and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

I cheated and used instant Idahoan Potatoes for the mashed potatoes and left out the chipotle peppers because I'm not a fan. The mashed potatoes came out super flavorful and I'll definitely be using real potatoes next time.

I also used the seasoning on my country style pork ribs. I took the package and slightly sprinkled over top and then rubbed it into the pork. I let it sit for about 20 minutes before putting it to cook. Once it was almost done I then took a little bbq sauce and just basted the ribs with it. If you've never had bbq chicken or ribs with ranch dressing before, you're definitely missing out! As you can see below the kids absolutely loved it and were wanting seconds, sadly there wasn't any more left and they asked me to make it again next time.



So that meal was two days ago and today, Nov 19, I'm using the ranch dressing mix to season my drumsticks and russet potatoes. I just sprinkled 2 tbsps onto the potatoes first and mixed them really well. I dumped them into a pan and proceeded to coat the chicken. I set the temp at 375 as that's normally what chicken recipes ask for. I've honestly never made this before so hopefully it comes out delish.

My nephew had a long practice so wasn't able to get a picture of the monsters eating. They practically inhaled everything without breathing, I don't know how they do it. They're like teenage tasmanian devils, all that was left was some chicken bones and happy kids.

I loved Hidden Valley Ranch before this and I definitely love it more now. I didn't think there were many ways to use ranch other than on top of a salad, or as a dip for buffalo wings. It's much more versatile and I'll definitely be adding ranch to my spice rack.


Disclaimer: I received the products shown above for the sole purpose of doing a review. All opinions are my own and no further compensation was received. If you would like to try out great products, then join Crowdtap.