UPDATE: Chex Mix party from MyGetTogether

So it's been a few weeks since my Chex Mix party from MyGetTogether, and I'm finally getting around to updating- sorry it took so long!

My roommate, another friend, and I enjoyed our Chex Mix while watching House (which we do every week).  The Chex Mix was a great addition to our weekly get-together.  Normally, we don't have snacks or we are all eating dinner while watching TV.  Because of all the flavors of Chex Mix provided by MyGetTogether, each of us was able to enjoy what we liked.  My friend and I quickly downed the bag of Turtle Chex Mix, while my roommate preferred the Original.  We were also given Honey Nut Chex Mix to sample.

After participating in my first MyGetTogether, I am eager for opportunities to host more parties.  I really enjoyed sharing the food and product information with my friends in a casual, fun environment.  On top of that, we all got to eat really great snacks!

Here's a shout-out to MyGetTogether and General Mills for such a wonderful opportunity!

General Mills & MyGetTogether- Chex Mix party!

First, I want to apologize for not posting as often as I should be.  Now that I'm back at school, I (a) have a lot less free time than I did over the summer, and (b) don't get samples as often.  My mailing address at school is a PO Box, and since most companies won't mail samples to PO Boxes, I have to wait until I go home to get my mail.

Next week, I will be hosting a Chex Mix MyGetTogether, courtesy of General Mills.  For those of you that have heard of HouseParty, this is a similar event.  (However- I haven't yet been selected for a HouseParty; it seems much easier to participate through MyGetTogether.)  I've been sent a "Host Kit" containing materials for my party.  Specifically, I've been given

• 3 bags of Chex Mix- original, Turtle, and Honey Nut
• football-themed paper plates and napkins
• a nice Chex Mix-branded plastic bowl, to fill with snacks
• coupons to share with my guests

Wow!  All of that, for me to share with my friends.  How generous!  It is obvious to me that General Mills really cares about their brand and their reputation with consumers.

My party will be spread over a few days, as I normally have friends over throughout the week. Since General Mills wants these MyGetTogethers to spread information about their brand, I will be sharing the Chex Mix, etc., with different groups of my friends as they visit me over the course of a few days.

I've put together a mini-blog type thing to chronicle my preparations for this party; it's also where I will post pictures and comments after the big event.  You can find it here.  Please check it out and comment!!

From now on, I'll put forth more effort into maintaining regular posts on this blog.  Stay tuned for updates about my MyGetTogether as well as some new product reviews!

Country Crock Original Butter

Rating: 9

I sampled Country Crock Original Butter as part of the Sam's Club open house this weekend. There were a lot of food samples, so many of my next posts will be reviews of these items.

The butter was served over corn. Unlike some butters that make food too greasy, Country Crock Original Butter imposed a sweet flavor on to the food. I can imagine it tasting great on anything from a bagel to other vegetables.

Since I do a lot of baking, I tend to buy sticks of butter and not tubs. However, if you are looking for a flavorful, sweet tub butter that won't make your food greasy, this is a must buy!

BzzAgent Campaign update - Orbit Gum

Rating (for the Orbit spearmint gum):  9

I was lucky enough to receive my Orbit Gum BzzKit early last week.  How generous- I got 5 packs of gum in 5 different flavors, as well as 6 BOGO coupons to give away to my friends.  BzzAgent relies on word-of-mouth marketing, so the campaigns are designed to facilitate conversations about the product.

I work at a day camp with a bunch of other college students or recent grads, and after lunch is the perfect time for gum.  I was able to share Orbit spearmint gum with my co-workers and give away the BOGO coupons, too.  It seems like Orbit will have some new customers!  I rarely ever chew gum, but even I love the long-lasting, sweet flavor of Orbit gum.  I liked that the gum did not lose its flavor too quickly, so it felt like a worthwhile product compared to some other gums.  The new retro package designs are cool, too- not necessarily a selling point for me, but nice if I was already going to purchase the product.

This BzzAgent campaign has been a really positive experience, and I'm looking forward to participating in more in the future!

You can reach the BzzAgent website by clicking on their button in the sidebar of my blog.  Let me know if you sign up!

Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets

Rating:  9

How convenient!  No detergent to pour, no fabric softener to worry about- Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets make doing laundry so easy!  I just put the sheet in the washer, add my laundry, and then make sure the sheet gets moved to the dryer with the clothes.  Afterwards, the clothes are clean, soft, and smell wonderful, without any hassle.

Though my mom usually does my laundry (I'm at home for the summer), I decided to do mine myself for once to test out this product...and it was definitely worth it.  The Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets made even me not mind doing this chore.  I especially liked the fresh scent left on the clothes; it seemed to take away any odors that are sometimes left behind by other detergents.  In addition, the sheet is easier to find and pull out of the dryer at the end compared to sheets of fabric softener, alleviating the annoying possibility of having it stuck in your clothes.

The only issue I had was that it is recommended that the sheets are placed in the washer before the clothes, and the washer turned on before the clothes are added.  I found that to be difficult to accomplish, because in my tiny laundry room, it's hard to constantly open and shut the washing machine while holding a pile of laundry.  It would be easier to just add the sheet and clothing all at once.

Aside from the price (around $9 per pack of 24), this is a product I would use again.  However, compared to traditional detergents, this is still much more expensive.
You can get more information and a coupon here.

Pure Fitness Crystal Light (Lemon Lime)

Ratings:
Lemon Lime- 10
Strawberry Kiwi- 8
Grape- 7

The wonderful folks over at Vocalpoint sent me samples of each flavor of the new Pure Fitness Crystal Light to try.  I was excited for this sample!  I work at a day camp, so I'm outside all day.  The fact that the new Pure Fitness Crystal Light has added electrolytes for hydration can help me stay at my best for my campers.

I tried all three flavors and decided that my personal favorite was lemon lime.  It tasted just like lemonade- my favorite summertime drink- but contained much less sugar.  In fact, Pure Fitness Crystal Light is sugar-free but is instead sweetened with natural sweeteners- so no aspartame or other artificial sweeteners.  I was glad to discover that I could enjoy my favorite drink and have it do something good for me in return!  Drinking Pure Fitness Crystal Light helps me feel refreshed throughout the day.  When I need something to drink that is more flavorful than water, this is what I pick up.

I found the Strawberry Kiwi and Grape flavors to be too sweet; I enjoyed the tartness of the Lemon Lime.

Thanks to Vocalpoint, I received three $2 off coupons and have been enjoying Pure Fitness Crystal Light in Lemon Lime for a few weeks!  You can buy boxes of Pure Fitness Crystal Light.  They contain 7 packets, each suitable for use with a 16.9 fl oz water bottle.

Dunkin' Turbo

[I don't drink coffee, so I had some guests of mine try this sample for me.]

Rating:  7 (6+8)

Taster #1:  It's pretty good...a darker roast than the usual Dunkin' Donuts coffee.
Taster #2:  Good tasting and smooth...a stronger roast than most coffee but not too strong.

Maxwell House Vanilla Caramel Latte

Rating:  1

I was very disappointed to not like this sample, but it fell extremely short of my expectations.  I made the Vanilla Caramel Latte using a little bit less than 8 oz. of warm milk, as directed on the package.  After making the drink, I found the milk to be very overwhelming compared to the proposed flavor of the mix.  I was completely unable to taste the vanilla, and the "caramel" flavor came across as very sweet but unidentifiable as caramel.  I'm not sure if adding less milk would have done anything to alleviate the problem, as the drink was too sweet even as the vanilla flavor disappeared.

I am not the world's biggest coffee drinker, but I normally don't mind drinking it so long as there is another flavor involved- my personal preference for that being vanilla.  Because of this, I was terribly disappointed with Maxwell House Vanilla Caramel Latte.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Extreme Cheese Explosion

Rating:  5

In terms of macaroni and cheese, this is not at the top of my list.  The cheese sauce was flavorful, but it was too intense and made the dish difficult to eat.  Even with the addition of extra milk and butter, the cheese flavor was very overpowering.  After letting the dish cool for a while (so that it was nearly at room temperature), the cheese flavor became milder, but of course most people want to eat macaroni and cheese when it's hot.  Be prepared to be overwhelmed by a very sharp cheese flavor if you eat this macaroni and cheese.

The pasta was neither the traditional elbow nor shell shape.  Instead, it used radiatore pasta, which held onto the cheese sauce better than the traditional shapes would.  I did not mind the pasta shape itself- in fact, I appreciated the novelty of it- but since I was not a fan of the cheese sauce, the extra sauce that stayed with the noodle was not appetizing to me.

Wheat Thins Sun Dried Tomato and Basil

Rating:  8

As someone who's not normally a fan of Wheat Thins, these really hit the mark.

The basil taste was hard to distinguish from the tomato, but the overall flavor was reminiscent of pizza- yum!  The crackers had a nice crisp to them, and every cracker in the package was covered in seasoning.  They were by no means lacking in taste.  A handful of these crackers would be a filling mid-morning snack or a great alternative to chips at your next get-together.  The one problem that I did have was that the flavor tends to get overpowering if you eat too many in a row- so make sure you have a drink handy to refresh your mouth.