Summer party side dishes made easy with Suddenly Salad

in , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, June 30, 2016

Invitations to summer events, potlucks and neighborhood block parties seem to show up weekly now that summer is here, and each time you receive an invitation, do you automatically think What will I bring? Sometimes the invitations are spur of the moment and you may not have time to cook something from scratch, but don’t fret! Your next summer party side dish can be made easily with a box or two of Suddenly Salad on hand. Thanks to today’s sponsor, Publix and Suddenly Salad, I’m going to have a #SuddenlySaladSummer filled with great food, fun, family and friends! All opinions are my own. 







Suddenly Salad pasta goes pairs perfectly with hot dogs #Summer



Even though I love cooking from scratch, when it comes to the laid-back flow of summer living, I’m more than happy to serve up semi-homemade sides from time to time. I grew up watching my mom say yes to summer family invitations because she kept a supply of side dish ready staples in our pantry and one of her favorites was the classic Suddenly Salad pasta salad. She would jazz it up with cucumbers and a healthy amount of Italian dressing and it was always a crowd pleaser.  



I loved learning helpful entertaining and cooking tips from my mom, and thinking of her making this side dish reminded me of a tip on seeding cucumbers before serving that will take your summer salads to a whole new level of tasty goodness.  



Cucumbers are wonderful in pasta salads


How to De-seed a Cucumber:

Simply peel cucumber, slice it in half width-wise and then slice those pieces in half, lengthwise. Next, hold slice of cucumber vertically, take a teaspoon, and gently spoon out seeds by working down the length of the cucumber slice. Voila! No more pesky seeds! Not only does this make your salad more appetizing, removing the seeds makes cucumbers easier to digest.



 Side dishes made easy with #SuddenlySaladSummer



Following in my mom’s footsteps, I try to keep my pantry stocked with side dish staples too, and thankfully, we can get $0.75 off (with the purchase of 3 Suddenly Salads) in July when shopping at Publix or your favorite retailer!  If you have a Publix loyalty card already, you know it’s so easy to load savings onto your card and have them ready when you checkout. Now, everydaysaver.com it's easy to grab the coupons and use them anywhere you shop. 





This week I decided to try two different Suddenly Salad pasta salads ‒ Creamy Italian and Caesar.  My family was excited to try the Caesar first so I whipped it up for dinner in record time. It was an instant hit served with hot dogs.




Add a spring of Rosemary to Caesar Suddenly Salad



I decided to make my Caesar side dish original, not creamy, so I added oil and water and tucked a sprig of fresh rosemary in the bowl for an added touch of flavor and color. If your family likes a creamy pasta salad, you can simply add a ½ cup of mayo and a teaspoon or two of milk and this tasty #SuddenlySaladSummer is transformed into a creamy summer party dish you’ll be proud to serve. 




Win It:

Thanks to today’s sponsors, one lucky reader will win $15.00 PayPal cash transfer.  You’ll be able to stock your pantry with several types of Suddenly Salads! Entering is easy- just go to the Suddenly Salad site by clicking HERE, then come back and tell me in comments which recipe you want to try and which Suddenly Salad product you’ll need to buy to make it. That’s it! You'll be enter to win. 


Terms: Important, please read!

  • No purchase is necessary to enter. Open to United States residents 18+. Must have a valid email address AND PayPal account to enter. 
  • Must leave a thoughtful comment about Everydaysaver.com ( like which coupons would you use and why) with same valid email address to for entry to count.  
  • My WAHM Plan is responsible for prize fulfillment. 
  • Giveaway will run until 12 am 7/12/16 and winners will be randomly selected via Random.org using emails in comments.  
  • Winners will be notified by email used in comments and have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  
  • This giveaway is not associated with nor endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or any other social channel.


Good luck and happy summer!

Winner selected!!!

Congratulations to Julie Wood! Your comment number was randomly selected as the winner via Random.org! An email has been sent to you! 




Coneflowers do well in southern gardens







Zinnias are perfect for container gardens







Daisies make any garden happier



Happy Wednesday!


Please share in comments: What's blooming in your garden this week?


This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TenaTips #CollectiveBias

Just as my husband and I got a handle on the happy, messy, emotional ride that is raising teen daughters, along came another family situation we weren’t quite prepared for: helping take care of our senior loved one.  My mother in law started turning down invitations from friends, she started missing doctor’s appointments, she even stopped wanting to come to our home for holidays and the main cause, we later learned, was occasional incontinence. 



3 ways to help a senior in your life remain active


She never wanted to tell us she was struggling with this, so she remained silent until one day a few months ago, she fell. While she was recovering, she asked us to go shopping for her. She asked for overnight underwear and the look on her face as she did ‒ full of embarrassment ‒ stayed with me. I vowed to find ways to help this wonderful senior remain active and not let incontinence leave her sitting on the sidelines of her life.  



The first way to help a senior loved one is the easiest ‒ simply observe their behavior. Do they seem happy when you visit them or do they look uncomfortable? My mother in law shared with me that when she had to start using pads for unexpected leakage, she feared she may have an odor when we hugged her, or that her home might smell unpleasant because she had placed used product in the trash. 


Thankfully, she had discovered TENA® pads and liners which helped eliminate odor and I suggested she get a slightly larger waste basket for her bathroom and line it with a scented liner. 


#TenaTips to help you remain active



Second, take in their home. Do they have a towel or a pad on their favorite chair or part of the couch? That is a red flag to light bladder leakage or stress incontinence. If you asked to use their bathroom, do they say sure, or do they ask if they can grab something out of there first? I learned that my mother in law didn’t want us to see her pads and overnight underwear, but had to leave them out near the toilet some days.  I found an easy solution to this situation by making her a cute personal hygiene bag that could sit on the back of her toilet, on the side, or on the counter without advertising the contents.


#TenaTips overnight pads fit in a cute bag #ad #CBias



The third way to help your senior remain active is to make sure they always have enough pads, liners and overnight underwear on hand.  Our local CVS carries the full line of TENA® products, so I can just pop in and purchase what my mother in law needs for the week.  


#TenaTips find them easily at CVS #ad #CBias



TENA® is also available online at CVS.com . You can have them shipped directly to your loved ones’ home.  There are rebates available through Ibotta for pads/liners here and their overnight underwear here. These will be welcome savings  since most seniors are living on a fixed income. 


#TenaTips full line of TENA products at CVS #ad #CBias




Bonus tips for all women 35 and over:

I've learned several helpful things from watching my mother in law's decline in health and I'd love to share her wisdom (and that of her doctors) with you so that we can strive to live life without compromise well into our senior years.

1. Strengthen your core. All movement comes from your core and light bladder leakage may be prevented by having a stronger core. 

2. Do Kegal exercises, but do them correctly. Pelvic floor muscles can be easy to isolate once you know how to do a proper Kegal. The best way to isolate the right muscles is to clench or stop your urine the next time you go. The muscles you use to do this are the very muscles you need to use to do Kegals. Hold those muscles for 3 seconds and release. Do several times a day anywhere.  You can learn more from WebMD here

3. Walk more, sit less. It sounds easy enough, but just standing more often through out the day and taking short 10 to 15 minute walks helps strengthen your muscles, including your core muscles. And it helps with number 4.

4. Lose weight. Losing just 5 pounds of excess weight can help alleviate light bladder issues such as leakage and stress incontinence.

5. Last, but certainly not least, take the time to fully empty your bladder each time you go to the bathroom. Conversely, don't go to the bathroom at the very first hint of needing to go when at home. Allow your bladder to fill up and use the core and pelvic floor muscles. We all know that a muscle at rest tends to weaken, so use them, don't lose them!


It is my hope that this post will help you take that first important step to talk to your parents or grandparents on this delicate topic and let them know that there are great products to help them.  I hope the bonus tips for the 35 and over will help serve as a reminder for all of us women to take better care of ourselves today for a healthier tomorrow.

With a little love, discretion and TENA® products, you can help a senior in your life remain active and enjoy their golden years happily doing the things they love and living life without compromise!


Please share in comments: Do you have a senior in your life that may benefit from this post? 

Rare is the time when I post on a Sunday, but this awesome giveaway is just too cool to wait until Monday so I'm making an exception. As a member if their awesome affiliate blogger team, I've written about Groovy Labs subscription boxes in the past, like this cool Moon box and now they are hosting a great giveaway now through June 30th!


The links in this blog post are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, I will receive a small commission from Groovy Lab in a Box.

Groovy Labs #Stem learning in a box


About Groovy Labs: 

Groovy Lab in a Box, the award-winning educational kits for kids ages eight and up that teach about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), recently announced a new partnership with Popular Mechanics. 

Each month, they send out a themed box filled with investigations that are fun and hands on. The investigations culminate into an Engineering Design Challenge, where your STEMists must apply what they've learned from the investigations (and use their critical thinking skills) to complete the challenge. The boxes contain everything you need to complete all of the activities, including a groovy retro-themed lab notebook. The box activities are supplemented with their Beyond...in a Box web portal where your children will find videos, interactives and additional activities. Head over to Groovy Lab in a Box's website to learn more about this great service!


About the Giveaway:

Our friends at Groovy Lab in a Box are hosting a sweepstakes where you can win a one-year subscription (valued at more than $250!) All you have to do is type in your email address, and you are entered. Hurry! This giveaway ends on June 30th!


Groovy Lab in a box giveaway

Click here to enter to win a one-year subscription from Groovy Lab in a Box!


Good luck! I hope you win! Please stop by and let me know if you do. 


Please share in comments: Do you enjoy Stem learning activities with your family?

Wordless Wednesday: Much needed rain

in , , , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The photos I'm sharing today were taken from my front porch a few days ago when a unexpected rain shower blessed us with some much needed rain.


raindrops, summer, yard, trees, clouds, nature

This pop shower started with these big, beautiful raindrops.





summer, rain, tree, pond

Then quickly turned into a downpour.




rain, summer, flower, gardening, nature

And just as quickly as the rain started, it stopped and left everything refreshed and beautiful in its wake.


Happy Wednesday everyone.


Please share in comments: Do you enjoy watching summer showers like this one? 


June means weddings and endless summer days. June means crisp Ivory white walls and dresses and linens. This color of the month was inspired by my love of Benjamin Moore's Ivory White, which to me looks just like my white lilacs that bloom in spring.




Here's my Pinterest board for June.  Enjoy it and this amazing season!




Please share in comments: Do you decorate with Ivory White?





Avocados and lime for #Guacamole #foodie #summer
Avocados and lime = Guacamole




Sweet Cherry Tomatoes #summer #garden #food
Sweet treat Cherry Tomatoes




Iced tea on the front porch #summer #company #drinks
Iced tea on the front porch


Happy June! Summer is almost officially here.


Please share in comments: What summer food and drink are you enjoying now?
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