Food Network Announces Another Competition Show: All-Star Academy

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Food Network has another new competition show coming out and it's called All-Star Academy. In this new series, ten talented and successful home cooks from around the country will compete in intense culinary challenges as they are mentored by some of Food Network’s most popular chefs including Bobby Flay. They'll do this while competing for a $50,000 grand prize in All-Star Academy which premieres Sunday, March 1st at 9pm ET/PT.



Hosted by Ted Allen, each competitor, with the guidance of their mentor, must compete over eight episodes in challenges that would propose difficulties for even professional chefs, while elevating their culinary skills to make it to the finish line.

Since Bobbie Flay is a favorite of mine, this one looks like a keeper. Lots of my friends rave about these reality cooking shows because it's always fun to see just how others learn how to cook. I personally know I wouldn't stand a chance on one of these shows since I would crack too easily!

Do you like to watch reality cooking shows? Do you think this one sounds promising?

Make Movies Like a Pro With #OneDayApp #ad

This is a compensated program. All opinions are my own.

Something that Mary absolutely loves to do is make videos. Ever since she figured out how to use her iPod, she's been obsessed with making random videos that of course I end up saving. I'm sure that I'm not the only parent that likes to watch videos of their kids but I'd like to actually be the one to make them once in a while! But I do have a confession to make. I'm not great at making videos. Now I can take photos and edit them pretty well but I don't have a clue on making great videos. So if I ever want to make one that's great, I'll need some help. And that help can now come from OneDay!

OneDay is an amazing iOS app that helps even the clumsiest video maker create a wonderful memory. Immediately after download, users are prompted with a series or question sets that makes storytelling easy. Once a question set is selected, users are taken to an in-app video screen that resembles that of the traditional iPhone video camera, and the storytelling can begin. After the story capturing is complete, the app seamlessly stitches all answered questions together, adds a background song, and the result is a high-quality movie that can be shared via email, Facebook, Twitter, or saved to the users camera roll.

When you start the app, you're able to pick the type of story that you'd like to make. And right now there's even a fun one where your kids can record a Valentine for their teachers too! And then once you pick the theme to your video, the app does it all for you! No skills required which is a plus for me! Then the app automatically stitches the recorded videos together, and adds music to make quality, priceless movies to share with family and friends. How easy and simple is that? I'm completely in love!

Just look how simple and easy it is to do. The app walks you through everything and then you have a complete movie to share!



If you want to make priceless memories with your kids, then I suggest downloading this free app. Yes, it really is free! And it's completely worth it for anyone who has no movie making skills like me!

There is nothing better than making something you're proud to share with others and with OneApp, you'll get that every time.

Our Transition with Petbrosia

I am a Petbrosia Ambassador. All opinions are my own.

A few weeks ago I posted about how Charlie has been transitioning to Petbrosia dog food. The food he was on before was alright but he was having a bit of trouble wanting to eat it. Charlie is a pretty picky eater so meal time was always a pain for me. So we decided to transition him into something new. His old food was also a chicken mix so this time we went with salmon to see if he would like that a bit better too. 

With our first order, we got a smaller bag to make sure Charlie would really like it. But with our next order, we were able to get a 20lb bag which will last a lot longer, especially since Charlie is only 15 pounds himself! Reordering is really easy too since you have to have an account on Petbrosia to order. So when you sign in, it remembers you and does it all itself. Plus you can also put your shipments on Auto Ship which means you don't even need to get into your account to make it ship. It will automatically bill you and ship so you don't have to always try and remember. That's a super helpful gadget.

Plus when you order Petbrosia, you start earning Paw Points too which help you eventually earn a free box of food! For every 10 boxes of food you buy, you'll earn enough points for a free box! And you can also earn points for referring friends too. So you can earn points even faster if you have friends who have pets too. 

So far Charlie is doing great on his transition. He really likes the food and it's great to actually see him enjoying meal time again.

Get the Perfect Outfit with @Dryel

I am a Dryel Ambassador. All opinions are my own.

Last month I introduced everyone to my new love for doing laundry which is Dryel. Just in case you missed it, here's a quick refresher. Dryel is an at home dry cleaner that lets you make your clothes look amazing right in your own house. And that means that you don't need to have pricey dry cleaning bills anymore. And it's super to use too. 

So what did I want to talk about this month? Mostly how to get a great looking outfit, especially for Valentine's Day with very little effort. If you're like me, you don't have time to run to the dry cleaners. I barely have time to get to the grocery store. So making a stop to drop clothes off isn't happening anytime soon. But if you're wanting an amazing looking outfit for something special, it will only take about 30 minutes right in your own house!

All you need to do is pick up Dryel at your local Walmart. Inside the kit there is a bag, a spray and cloths. First spray your clothes with the spray which is a booster spray. Then put your outfit into the bag along with one cloth and close it up. Lastly set your dryer on 30 minutes for a medium high heat. And while you're waiting for your 30 minutes to be up, you can do anything else you want! Maybe make an elegant date night dinner?

Then after 30 minutes, take your outfit out of the bag and hang it up to let the wrinkles fall out. Then you'll have something like this:

A perfectly wrinkle free outfit thanks to Dryel! I ended up wearing this outfit on a family day out and I got lots of compliments. And it was never so easy to make it look dry cleaner fresh right at home!

Eating Healthy at the Vegan Cafe #ReviewCrew @Restaurant_com

I am a Restaurant.com Ambassador. All opinions are my own.

When I was about eight years old, my family moved to Florida and that's where I grew up. While living there, I certainly tasted lots of different cuisines and one place that my mom and I liked to visit during lunch breaks was the Vegan Cafe. During the summer, I would work filing papers at the law firm my mom worked at. So during lunch break, we would go to lunch together. It was actually a fun experience; learning to work all day in an office. 

Something I always promised Mary is that I would take her to do the same things I was able to do with my family. I love showing her the places I loved as a child and the things I did. So I was happy to introduce her to the Vegan Cafe in West Palm Beach. 

Although I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan, I still enjoy eating healthy. And at the Vegan Cafe, you certainly have lots of choices and help to do so! As a teenager, I remember my lunches consisted of their custom wraps and a juice. Those were always my favorites. And sometimes my aunt or mom would end up getting Pad Thai. And after seeing that a few times, that's what I got too.

How amazing does that look? Something else wonderful about the Vegan Cafe is that they are a part of Restaurant.com so they take the gift certificates! Before we left out, I went online and printed out my Restaurant.com gift certificate to the Vegan Cafe and just tucked it away until I needed it. Then when I got to the restaurant, I presented it to the server.

Currently they offer one gift certificate denomination in the amount of $10. That takes $10 off your total bill of $20 or more so that's a savings of up to 50%!

So if you're ever in the mood to save money and have some great vegan food, then check out the Vegan Cafe in West Palm Beach, FL.