I often have difficultly planning meals.  I seem to go back to the same old recipes when I really want to try something new.  Fortunately, I have come across four great sites that offer meal plans (and one site where you can print a blank meal planning sheet) to help me with ideas.   If you need help organizing and planning meals, these sites will help you with the task.

• Organizing Junkie tells us her menu plan every Monday as part of Menu Plan Monday.  Stop by every Monday to get some ideas for meals for the week.  You can also look at her previous Menu Plan Monday posts for even more ideas.
• This Week for Dinner also provides a weekly meal plan.  The best part is that others leave comments with their meal plans as well, giving you plenty of choices to create your own meal plan for the week.
• E-mealz is a subscription service that I have used.  There are many different menu options to choose from (such as low-fat, low-carb, gluten free) and you can even choose the store that you shop from.  The menus come with recipes for every day of the week and a shopping list.  The plan is very affordable at about $5.00/month depending on the plan.
• Another subscription based service is Menu4Moms.com.  These menus include full-color photographs and plans for leftovers.  You can get a trial for only one penny for two weeks.  If you decide to continue the price is $7.95/month. Every week you will receive a new menu with recipes and grocery list in a PDF file.

You can print a  free printable Weekly Meal Planner sheet from Organized Home.  Organized Home offer tons of great free printables to help you with home organization.

I never start my New Year’s Resolutions on January 1st. I always wait a few weeks to get back into the swing of things before I decide what I want to work on this year. One of my resolutions is to eat healthier and lose some extra pounds. That is why I was excited to be asked to try a few of the Progresso® soup offerings. Progresso offers 40 different delicious soups that are each 100 calories or less per serving. Many of the varieties include such hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, rice, meat and vegetables. My favorite so far is the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I love rice in soup and this soup has a great flavor. My husband absolutely loved the New England Clam Chowder and my kids favorite was the Chicken Noodle Soup. Each soup had lots of ingredients and superb flavor!

This year, Progresso is also returning with their Souper You® Contest. This contest provides three lucky winners an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood! The winners will receive a head-to-toe makeover, a guided shopping spree with a $1,000 gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to the season finale of NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Do you want to see what the winners did last year, watch the video to see the 2011 winner experience.

To enter the contest, visit www.SouperYou.com, submit your photo and a brief essay about why you deserve a makeover and why you love Progresso soups. Entries must be received by February 22nd. On March 12th, the top ten finalists will be announced and voting will begin.

If you would like a coupon for $1.25 off four cans of Progresso Soup, click here to print a coupon. And don’t forget to watch The Biggest Loser on NBC Tuesdays (8/7 Central) to catch up on the contestants and how they are faring.

GIVEAWAY! I am giving away two coupons for a free can of Progresso Soup and a Biggest Loser Workout DVD. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

Disclosure: The Progresso® Souper You® prize pack, information, coupon, and giveaway have been provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

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Did you know that Weight Watchers makes great frozen treats? These frozen treats are lower in calories than regular frozen treats and come in a variety of flavors! My favorite so far are the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Bars. These bars are only three points. The ice cream is a combination of low-fat cheesecake ice cream with a raspberry swirl. Then the top is dipped in a dark chocolate coating. Each bar is only 110 calories with 4 grams of fat and 0 grams of trans fat.

My kids favorite is the Snack Size Chocolate Fudge Bars. These bars are the perfect snack size with a great chocolate flavor. Each bar is only 45 calories with less than 1 gram of fat. Plus, they are only 1 point!

Another favorite at our house is the Dark Chocolate Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Bars. These bars combine chocolate and caramel tastes that is completely delicious! The ice cream bar is swirled in caramel and then dipped in a dark chocolate coating. Each bar is 120 calories, 4.5 grams of fat and only 3 points.

I also love the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Bars. These are the perfect ice cream snack. With only 80 calories and 2 grams of protein, I just love these. The middle is filled with low-fat raspberry ice cream and the outside is a rich, dark chocolate flavored coating. Only 2 points per bar.

You don’t have to be on the Weight Watcher Diet program to enjoy these great ice cream treats. These are great for any one watching their weight. Plus, I think they are a great treat for kids instead of the high-calorie snacks that kids tend to gravitate toward.

I received free product as part of a promotional program with WeightWatchers and MomSelect. All opinions are 100% my own.

If you, or your kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, now you have a new flavor to try: General Mill’s Frosted Toast Crunch. Frosted Toast Crunch as 11 grams of whole grain, 9 grams of sugar and is a good source of calcium. Frosted Toast Crunch as a great vanilla taste. This cereal is now in your grocery stores!

We love cereal in our house, and this is a great addition to the cereal that we normally have. My kids loved the taste of Frosted Toast Crunch – they even loved to eat it plain as a snack after school. We are on the run in the mornings. I have three kids in three different schools, and sometimes cereal is the quick way for us to get breakfast. I love that this cereal as 11 grams of whole grain and less sugar than some of the other cereals.

Would you like to win a Frosted Toast Crunch Prize Pack? One winner will receive a box of Frosted Toast Crunch, Spilt milk bowl, Lickety spoon and a Frosted pitcher. Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US Residents only. Giveaway closes on January 23, 2012 at 11:5pm EST.

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Disclosure: Frosted Toast Crunch, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

My local supermarket is a ShopRite.  Every year at this time, they have a “Can Can” sale.  They offer numerous products with great discounts so that you can stock up your pantry.  I was there the other day and the store was packed!  Last year, ShopRite donated 40,000 cans of food to a local food bank in order to commemorate 40 years of Can Can savings.  This year, they are doing it again!

During the 2012 Can Can Sale from January 5 to January 21, ShopRite will donate one can of food (up to 50,000 cans) to local food banks on behalf of every new ShopRite Facebook fan.  All you have to do is “Like” ShopRite on Facebook – the more likes they receive, the more cans of food will go to help the hungry.

If you want to find out more about ShopRite’s Can Can sale and see the great savings they offer, visit their website.  Also, on ShopRite’s “Get Canned” site, you can upload a photo of yourself and do the Can Can Dance!  I uploaded a picture of my daughter and posted it to Facebook. Boy, is she going to be surprised!

Don’t forget to Like ShopRite on Facebook and help food go to local food banks!

The information about ShopRite was provided through MyBlogSpark.  I received an entry into a contest for this post.

I participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange in the BSMB Facebook Group that I belong to. My secret Santa was Lesli from Put A Little Umbrella in Your Drink. Lesli hails from Ohio, where Hickory Farms was founded. Lesli sent me a great gift box that included cheese, sausage, mustard and crackers! Let me tell you, I absolutely love Hickory Farms! It is so easy to order from their site, the prices are reasonable and the food is great!

Give a little love to Lesli by visiting her website, liking her Facebook page or following her on twitter! (BTW, I absolutely love her blog design, so you will have to check it out!)

Not the real Reindeer Noses, the ones made with pretzels, Hershey’s Kisses and M&Ms! First, these are the easiest treats to make. Second, I can let my kids make them. Third, they are easy to pop in a cute plastic bag and give as gifts!

Reindeer Noses Recipe

Ingredients:
Pretzels (the small square ones about 1″ x 1″, you can use round ones as well)
Hershey’s Kisses
M&Ms

Heat oven to 170 – not hotter! It won’t work if the oven is too hot, trust me, I tried it and they burnt.
Place Pretzels on cookie sheet. Place on Hershey’s Kiss on the center of each pretzel. Cook in the oven 4-6 minutes until the Kisses start to get soft. Pull the tray out of the oven and press one M&M into each Hershey’s Kiss will the chocolate is still warm. Let cool and enjoy!

When I visit my sister in Washington State, one place I love to visit is TacoTime. TacoTime is a quick-service restaurant that offers my favorite food – Mexican! The food is freshly prepared and delicious. TacoTime was started in Eugene, Oregon in 1959 and now is a quality leader in Mexican Quick Service Restaurant franchise industry. TacoTime was over 305 locations in the United States and Canada!

My favorite menu item are the Crisp Burritos. I love the flavors and the crunchiness! Pair that up with a Limeade Splash and you have the perfect meal. Other great menu items include burritos, tacos, nachos and salads. TacoTime also offers kids meals which include your choice of Pinto Bean Burrito, Taco, Cheddar Melt with a Jr. Drink, Small Mexi-Fries® and a Fiesta Friends Toy.

If you would like to find great promotions for TacoTime, make sure that you like their Facebook page!

You may have noticed something new at Burger King.  They have totally revamped their kids meal.  The new Kid’s Meal box at Burger King is an interactive box that includes fun games and activities.  The Burger King crown is sitting atop the box ready to be taken off and worn like royalty!  BK Crown (BKC) has established a fund to help support the Wildlife Conservation Society, National Parks Conservation Association, DonorsChoose.org and Have It Your Way™ Foundation.   Kids can learn how BKC’s charitable partners make a difference by visiting BKCrown.com.  When you enter codes from the BK Crown meal, you can choose what cause you would like to support.  Each kid’s vote helps Burger King choose which charity to give to.

Also, at Burger King is the new $9.99 BK Family Bundle meal.  After a basketball game last Saturday, our family of four went to Burger King to try it out.  Included in the meal is a WHOPPER^® sandwich, WHOPPER JR.^® sandwich., two small fries, two small soft drinks and a Kids Meal.  This was a great meal for our family.  I just added a small cheesburger, fries and drink for my daughter and we were set to go!  (Limited time only. Price and participation vary. Prices higher in HI.)

Do you want to try the new meals at Burger King?  I am giving away a $25 Gift Card to Burger King.  To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post telling me why is it important for your family to have a fun mealtime experience.  I will pick one winner at random.  Open to US Residents Only.  Must be 18 years of age or older to win.  Giveaway ends 12/28/2011 at 11:59pm EST.

To learn more about Burger King’s meals and charitable giving, visit them at the sites below:

BURGER KING^® Website at www.bk.com

BURGER KING^® on Facebook at www.facebook.com/burgerking

BURGER KING^® on Twitter (via @BurgerKing) atwww.twitter.com/burgerking

BK CROWN^TM/MC Program on www.BKCrown.com

Disclosure: The BK CROWNTM/MC Program prize pack, information and coupon have been provided by Burger King Corporation through MyBlogSpark.

Here are my favorite Thanksgiving pies from Pinterest!

Source: pauladeen.com via Judi on Pinterest

Source: hoosierhomemade.com via Hoosier on Pinterest

Source: verybestbaking.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: thecraftingchicks.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: pieku.posterous.com via Kirvan on Pinterest