Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Yonanas Review

*Disclaimer: I received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity..

yonanas maker
I admit it, ice cream is one of my weaknesses, especially while pregnant. Unfortunately, ice cream is chalk full of sugars and fat. I am happy to announce, however, this exciting alternative that allows you to have your ice cream and stay healthy too! It's called Yonanas.
Now, you may have seen Dole's Yonanas on TV or in stores and wondered what it was. Basically, Yonanas is an ice cream maker/juicer that makes "soft serve ice cream" out of frozen Dole bananas and other fruits! This is a great option for those of you who are lactose intolerant or have children whom you don't want having too much sugar as it is made out of just fruit (though you can always add peanut butter and toppings are always an option as well to spruce it up.) So how does it work? First, you will need to freeze over-ripened, cheetah spotted bananas (you know, the ones that are still yellow but have brown speckles all over them,) NOT bananas that are green, perfectly yellow or all the way black. Why is this you ask? Cheetah spotted bananas are supposed to be the sweetest and have the perfect consistency for making sweet, creamy Yonanas ice cream. Keep in mind that bananas take about a week to reach cheetah spotted status, and you will need to peel and freeze the bananas at least 24 hours ahead of time then when you are ready for some Yonanas, just thaw your fruits (bananas and any other fruits you would like to mix in) for about 10-15 minutes (when using fruits besides bananas, thaw for only 7-10 minutes or until they begin to sweat for a gelato-like consistency.) Be sure not to over or under thaw as it will turn into either melted goo or will be too cold to properly pulverize. You can also add room temperature peanut butter (I also tried a spoon of Cool Whip.) You can try all types of frozen fruits in Yonanas, however, do not use nuts, fruit with pits, or ice cubes in the machine. Once your fruits are thawed, turn on the machine and start making your Yonanas ice cream! Simply stick in a banana to start and push it down the chute (applying even pressure) with the plunger. You can use all bananas or alternate between bananas and other frozen fruits. The first time I tried my Dole Yonanas machine I did not like the consistency, it seemed a bit loud, and the plunger seemed to vibrate too much so my hand went numb. Each time since, my experience has gotten better, however, and the consistency is smoother, the vibrating is not as big a deal now that I "plunge" it correctly and the loudness is about the same of a blender so as long as my son isn't napping I have no problems with it! I tried the original Yonanas machine, but they now offer a Yonanas Elite machine that is quieter as well. My Yonanas dessert tastes better and better with each use as well! I also like how easy it is to clean my Yonanas. As long as you rinse it off right away with warm water, you will not have to scrub to get off food. It separates into 5 pieces to clean every nook and cranny and easily. I do not personally use a dishwasher, except for a drying rack, but if you are like most and do, Yonanas is top-rack dishwasher-safe! Each box comes with a recipe book as well and you can find more Yonanas recipes online. Check out the recipes I posted over on my blog Arts & Crackers, including Yonanas Pineapple, Banana, Orange Punch, Chocolate-Covered Cherry Bon Bons, and Yonanas Foster.

You can also try making peanut butter cookies and adding straight up banana Yonanas in the center and freezing to harden for a twist on peanut butter and banana sandwiches and frozen ice cream cookie sandwiches! This will be a fun activity to do with your kids! Dole Yonanas machines can be purchased starting at $50 from several retailers listed here. If you choose to order online from any of the retailers, be sure to check out Ebates to see if your order qualifies for cash back! Check out Yonanas on Facebook and look for them on Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram (all links are listed on their website.)

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Fels Naptha Review and Giveaway

Purex Fels-Naptha has been around since 1894 treating your tough laundry stains. I had never heard of it until just recently, but when discussing the product with my mom and grandma, they told me how it has been around for over 100 years! My mom doesn't recall ever having used it, but my grandma said she used to use it. Well, Fels-Naptha is making a comeback!


I was able to try Fels-Naptha thanks to Purex and I have to say, I love it! This laundry soap bar pretreats your stains (dirt, grease, rings around the collar, and more) and works more effectively than spray stain removers. It's safe on colors too! Just wet your stain, rub it on, let it set a few minutes then throw it in the wash! I tried this product on a few different types of stains. The older stains (most of which have been on there longer than months and have been through several washes) didn't really show any change, but the newer stains were pretty much erased! The most recent stain that I worked on was a chocolate stain from a week ago (note to self: it doesn't matter how tired you are, do NOT let your toddler have things with tiny chocolate pieces in your bed!) I could tell where the stain was before because you could see a faint stain still, but it was almost completely taken out of my sheets! While this is no miracle product, it sure works wonders!
Before


After

Since Purex Fels-Naptha worked well for my laundry stains, I figured why not try it on some other surfaces!
I tried it on a countertop stain (the stain from a wooden plate stand got on the counter and nothing had worked to clean it up):

Before

After

I tried it on some carpet stains on the living room floor and stairs, both of which we had tried cleaning up with a steamer and a carpet cleaner:
Stairs before
Stairs after

Floor before
Floor after
I even tried it on a skid mark that was on our linoleum flooring when we moved in, but I guess that stain was a bit too old. There are so many surfaces that you could use Fels-Naptha on though! This is a very versatile product! You can even use Fels-Naptha to make your own laundry soap. Check out the recipe below that I found online!

With babies, toddlers, husbands and pets, stains are inevitable. Treat them with Purex Fels-Naptha!


Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe (from thefamilyhomestead.com)

  • 1/3 bar Fels-Naptha laundry soap, grated
  • 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda...this can be found usually in the laundry aisle)
  • 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax powder
  • 2 gallon bucket
Directions: Place grated soap in a sauce pan, add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved then remove from heat. Pour 4 cups of hot water then add the soap mix and stir. Add another 1 gallon + 6 cups of water and stir. Let sit for 24 hours to gel. You will use 1/2 cup of the finished mixture per load of laundry.

Enter below for your chance to win a free bar of Fels-Naptha (coupon) PLUS I will include a coupon for a free box of 20 Mule Team Borax for the first prize winner! Giveaway opened to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: I am a Purex Insider and received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity. 

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Purex Fabric Softener Sheets Review and Giveaway

Have you seen Purex Fabric Softener Sheets on she shelves in the store? You can find these at your local Walmart in Mountain Breeze and Sweet Lavender scents. They add a fresh scent to your clothing while reducing static and repelling pet hair and lint.

Purex has added 3X the fragrance to leave the scent lasting longer. These sheets should have a warning label that says "WARNING: May cause random strangers to smell your outfit." This has happened to my husband several times with Purex's great scents. Try sticking Purex Fabric Softener Sheets in your stinky shoes, trash cans, drawers, diaper pails to freshen them up...or rub them on your pantyhose to reduce the static or on a love letter before you put it in the envelope for a special touch!

Purex Fabric Softener Sheets smell amazing, but unfortunately amazing smells kick in my allergies really bad so I was unable to personally try these. Instead, I sent them on over to a friend to get her opinion on them! She uses fabric softener sheets all the time but had never tried these Purex ones before. I sent her the Sweet Lavender scent which she simply loved. She tried them in her dryer load immediately once she received them and said there are no cons, only pros for this product. They smell even better than the ones she usually uses and the scent really lasts while really helping cut down on that static cling issue that dryers can cause. She also loves that there are so many different uses for these fabric softener sheets other than just sticking them in the dryer.

FABRIC SOFTENER SHEET FLOWERS



Another fun way to use Purex Fabric Softener Sheets is to make scented flowers with them! You can do this before they are used for extra scent or with used sheets for a lighter scent. Check out my DIY instructions from my Arts & Crackers blog here.





Be sure to follow the giveaway directions completely or your entries will not count. US residents only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I am a Purex Insider and received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity.