There’s a national Taste Intervention contest taking place and Sabra Dipping Company is hoping to offer millions of people a chance to break free from their snacking and food ruts. Wouldn’t you like to win a trip to Turkey to attend culinary school or have Sabra’s chef Colombe Jacobson come to your home for one-on-one coaching?

Sabra wants to know your “food ruts” – like does the majority of your lunches consist of a ham sandwich or do you always snack on toast and jelly in the middle of the night? Whatever you’d like to share – Sabra (and I) would like to know.

As for me, I need to break from the wheat crackers and port wine cheese spread. As for my sweetie, he resorts to peanut butter and jelly on Saltine crackers. You can nominate yourself, friends or loved ones for the contest.

Questions:

1. What are your “food ruts” – snacks and foods you find yourself continuously eating….

2. Have you ever had Sabra hummus? What’s your favorite flavor?

Answer one or both of these questions for 5 extra entries into any of my current giveaways until July 30. Also, let Sabra hear your thoughts – tweet them your answer [@sabra] using #foodrut at the end. Further details about the Taste Intervention contest can be found here.

Good luck – I hope one of my readers win the contest!

Disclosure: I will receive coupons for free Sabra hummus in exchange for spreading the word about the Taste Intervention, which I will gladly accept because their hummus is delicious! I would never suggest something that I don’t eat myself!

As many of you already know, I’m on a quest to win a SodaStream giveaway and today, I’m sharing with you another opportunity to enter a contest to win one for yourself.

A Moms Rantings is hosting a SodaStream giveaway that comes with a Sodastream machine, handful of soda mix flavors and other accessories.

Act fast…this giveaway ends on July 12, 2010.

Do you have a Magic Bullet? Well, I have a Magic Bullet knockoff that I purchased for half the price and I’ve only used it once to make daiquiris. This morning, I felt inspired to create a smoothie recipe with some of the fruits bought at the farmer’s market. Offering a blend of sweet and sour sensations, I introduce you a satisfying fruity breakfast smoothie recipe.

Cherry-Apricot Smoothie Recipe

• 1 large or 2 small apricots
• 10 cherries
• 2/3 cup sherbet
• 1/3 cup low-fat milk

1. Take the pits out of the apricot and cherries.

2. Cut apricot into chunky slices and add the fruit to the blender container.

3. Add 2/3 cup of sherbet and 1/3 cup low-fat milk to your blender container.

4. Pulse until it reaches a consistency to your liking.

Note: You can use any sherbet flavor you like, which will affect the final outcome of your smoothie. I chose a combination of raspberry, pineapple and orange. I used 1% milk in this recipe. I also blended the ingredients just enough to where I still had a pulpy consistency – so that I would feel like I ate something substantial for breakfast.

With a light Spring Fresh scent, the clear appearance of Palmolive Pure & Clean has caught my attention. We’re used to seeing that signature green color, but this concentrated dish liquid has a new outlook on life. She’s also embraced an eco-friendly attitude. The bottle that Palmolive Pure & Clean comes in is comprised of 25% to 75% post-consumer recycled plastic. It contains biodegradable cleaning ingredients. The dish liquid is also without heavy fragrances, needless chemicals, and irritating dyes.

• Does it still attack grease? Yes.
• Rinses off easy? Yes.
• Does it smell like springtime? Yes.
• Does it look attractive by my kitchen sink? Yes.

According to my new book, the Good Housekeeping A to Z Stain Removal Guide, you can remove tomato sauce, tomato paste, and tomato juice from fabric with cold water, liquid laundry detergent, and white vinegar. The book suggests the following steps for tomato stain removal from fabrics, upholstery, and carpets:

Fabric

1. Working from the back of the stain, flush with cold water.

2. Pretreat with a liquid laundry detergent, tamp the stain, and let stand for several minutes.

3. Rinse well.

4. Sponge with white vinegar.

5. Rinse well.

6. Repeat Steps 2 to 5 until you have removed as much stain as possible.

7. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover.

8. Launder.

9. If the stain remains, rub with a liquid laundry detergent, and then soak in warm water for up to 30 minutes.

10. Launder with fabric-appropriate bleach, if necessary.

Upholstery

1. Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent with 2 cups of cool water.

2. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution.

3. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears.

5. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

Carpet

1.  Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent with 2 cups of cool water.

2. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution.

3. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears or is no longer absorbed into the cloth.

5. If stain remains, mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia* with ½ cup of cool water.

6. Sponge the stain with the ammonia solution.

7. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

8. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

* When using ammonia to remove stains, keep in mind that ammonia can damage silk and wool fibers. Do not use sudsy or scented bleach for stain removal. Never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia – the fumes are toxic. Since ammonia can cause some dyes to run, always test a hidden part of your fabric, carpet or upholstery before using on your stain.

Yay! I’ve always been on the nosy end of Mailbox Monday hosted by A Frugal Friend, but today, I opened up my mailbox from my Saturday mail and fell in love with my free pedometer from Nature’s Bounty… and had to jump on the bandwagon. I love that the pedometer is compact and green (my favorite color!). It tracks calories, kilometers, and miles.

Next, I have one 13-gallon drawstring biodegradable plastic bag from Green Genius + a $2 coupon. Made with EcoPure, the company claims that this bag is “ridiculously strong” and I can’t wait to try it out.

Finally, I received a sample of Ritz Crackerfuls (Cheddar Cheese & Bacon), which are made with real cheese and bacon, and offer 6 grams of whole grain per serving. All of the above freebies were requested: Ritz (Facebook, I believe), Green Genius (their website), and Nature’s Bounty (their website). Next time, I’ll have to keep track of what I receive for an entire week to make it look more interesting.

Have you ever looked at a pineapple and thought to yourself that it seems like a difficult fruit to cut? Well, this intimidating vessel of juiciness is absolutely simple to maneuver. I learned the hard/easy way as out of all the fair maidens in the produce section, I happened to pick the one without an instructions tag attached around her neck. I was left to search the Internet for a way to cut a pineapple. It literally took me longer to read the instructions than to cut the entire pineapple, which was sliced and diced in less than 1 minute – no lie.

The pineapple is a healthy, tropical fruit with historical roots in Brazil and Paraguay. Today, it is grown in various parts of the world, including Southeast Asia, Hawaii, Thailand, the Philippines, Costa Rica, and Japan. There are plenty of benefits linked to this tasty delight.

Below you will find 8 reasons to eat pineapple:

1. Packed with Vitamin C: Just one cup of pineapple chunks contains 131% of your daily recommended value of vitamin C, which provides a healthy boost to the immune system.

2. Available Year-round: The season for pineapple is from March through June, but grocery stores offer the juicy fruit throughout the year.

3. Low in the Bad Stuff: Pineapples are low in sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat.

4. Vitamin Rich: Come closer to satisfying your daily intake of vitamin B6, thiamin, copper, manganese, and dietary fiber.

5. A Filling Treat: When you’re in need of a sweet snack, why not choose a healthy option that makes you feel fuller than high-sugar or high-fat junk food? Thanks to a high-water content, pineapples make a tasty treat between meals.

6. Health Remedies: In the past, fermented pineapple juice was actually used to dissolve warts, calluses, and corns.

7. Aids Digestion: When you consume moderate amounts of the natural acids (citric, malic, and tartaric) and bromelain enzyme found in pineapple, you can aid in digestion.

8. Natural Diuretic: Flush your system of toxins by eating pineapples.

Who likes to cook? Who likes to bake? Who likes to experiment with different flavors (or knows someone that does)?

I love to try out new recipes and would like to share two gourmet, uniquely flavored, no-bake cheesecake dessert mixes by Gourmet du Village with one of my readers: Maple and Mango.

You can use the dessert mixes to make cheesecake (yum!), pie filling, or a cake topping. Keep for yourself or share with a loved one who enjoys trying new things.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me the name of your favorite recipe or specialty that you like to make.

Extra Entries (must leave separate comments for each entry)

1. Twitter friends of Priceless Writers get an entry. Leave your username. [1 entry]

2. Only NEW Google Connect Followers get [2 entries]

3. Email subscribers of Yona Writes get [1 entry]

4. RT on Twitter: 2 Flavored Cheesecake Mixes Giveaway at YonaWrites – http://tinyurl.com/34rn8yu [1 entry]

5. Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post (tell me which one) [2 entries]

6. Also, you can share one of your disastrous or funny cooking stories. [3 entries]

***The one that makes me chuckle the hardest gets an extra prize***

The Fine Print: For every entry that you complete, let me know in the comments section. For example, 2 entries = 2 separate comments. Contest ends May15, 2010 at 11:59pm (ET).  The winner will be chosen through Random.org. Please leave an email address so I can contact winners, who will have 48 hours to tell me where to send their prize. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

Fill in your e-mail address and shipping information to request a free sample of Green Genius trash bags, which are made from eco-friendly, fully biodegradable plastic. I’m curious to see if they are just as strong as regular plastic bags, and if they are – I’m singing my praises.

With the free sample, you’ll receive a coupon good for $2 off a future purchase of Green Genius bags – so you can continue doing your part to treat the planet with care.

By the way, I absolutely love their logo!

We all know that toothpaste fights cavities, gingivitis, bad breath, and stains, but did you know that the plain white kind of toothpaste offers a variety of home remedies. After researching an article on home remedies for the bathroom, I came across these helpful hints that can save you a bit of money and deliver quick solutions for common household chores.

Personally, I’ve used white toothpaste as a last-minute solution for a house showing to plug holes left behind by picture hooks. A couple other ways to use toothpaste as a home remedy include:

• Scrubbing pots, pans, and baking dishes.
• Cleaning the stovetop, drip pans, and even your oven.
• Remove stains from painted walls.
• Cleaning the shower, tile grout, tub, sinks, and plumbing fixtures.
• Shining up metal furniture legs.
• Eliminate tough stains off of your countertop.

Don’t forget to select the plain white toothpaste with no additives, such as bleaching agents.