Barilla Taste & Share Challenge Blog Tour ~ Barilla Prize Pack Giveaway Ends SOON! (THREE WINNERS!)

For the last few months of my pregnancy, I was on a strict diet after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I was determined to control it with diet alone...and began researching to come up with nutritious and balanced meals that were good for my diet and delicious at the same time. I thought I would have to give up pasta, which is one of my favorite foods...but thankfully came across the all natural Barilla Whole Grain Pasta and am so happy I did!!

Barilla has helped me provide myself and my family with healthy meal solutions. Made with 51% whole grain, the all natural Barilla Whole Grain Pasta has three times the fiber of regular pasta and provides a great way to make any pasta meal more nutritious. Even now, after my pregnancy we continue to eat Barilla because it's not only healthy, but also very tasty.

Having become such a fan of Barilla Whole Grain Pasta, I was very excited to learn that we were going to have the opportunity to take part in the Barilla Blog Tour and share about their Whole Grain Taste & Share Challenge. The challenge was created to help encourage sharing Barilla's Whole Grain Pasta with families to see how they enjoy the flavor while enjoying the added benefits. As part of the challenge, anyone can submit a code from a purchased Barilla Whole Grain box at www.facebook.com/barillaus to receive a $1 off coupon for friends and a coupon for themselves.

As part of the challenge, we were sent a Barilla Taste & Share Challenge Kit (which included six boxes of Barilla Whole Grain pasta, Academia Barilla olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pesto, Sicilian cherry tomatoes, sea salt with black olives, and a Barilla apron)!

During my pregnancy I was pretty much the only one who ate Barilla Whole Grain Pasta. However, after trying it and loving it so much, I was really excited to take the Barilla Taste & Share Challenge and see what my husband and kids thought of it too. I began with a simple spaghetti recipe and didn't tell my husband that I used a different pasta. He said it was good, but liked the regular spaghetti better. My kids agreed. I for one, loved it and thought it was very tasty.

I didn't want to stop there, so a couple of days later, I made a fettuccine type dish using the linguine noodles. Again, I did not tell my family that I used a different type of pasta and after just a couple of bites my husband said he loved it! He asked what I did differently and when I told him about the whole grain noodles, he was pleasantly surprised. My kids were also big fans!

By simply pairing Barilla Whole Grain Pasta with seasonal veggies, herbs and cheeses, it is possible to serve your family a versatile, tasty and healthful meal. We have been enjoying trying different things with the Whole Grain Pasta we were sent...and overall...have really been impressed with the results. The pasta tastes great!

There are a couple of other recipes I'd love to try still. The Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti with Fresh Veggies looks really good, as well as the Barilla Whole Grain Medium Shells with Roasted Cauliflower and Cherry Tomatoes!


I've also enjoyed finding more recipes by visiting the Barilla Dinner Kit.

We've been really happy with the Barilla Whole Grain Pastas and would definitely recommend them to other families looking for nutritious, healthy and delicious meal ideas!

Win It: THREE very lucky readers are going to win a Barilla Taste & Share Challenge Kit like we received (which includes six boxes of Barilla Whole Grain pasta, Academia Barilla olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pesto, Sicilian cherry tomatoes, sea salt with black olives, and a Barilla apron)!

Mandatory Entry - Leave a comment letting me know what your favorite healthy, whole grain meal to serve your family is OR what you've found to be the best practices for dealing with picky eaters.

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 1 extra entry - Like Barilla on Facebook

2. 3 extra entries- Grab my Blog Button and leave a comment with the URL where it can be found.

3. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to this post) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

4. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

#WIN a Barilla Taste & Share Challenge Kit Prize Pack! 3 Winners! http://bit.ly/syIejX Ends 12/5

4. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

5. 2 extra entries- 'Like' A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

6. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

7. Enter any of my other current giveaways running now. Leave me a comment on which one(s)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!

Leave one comment for each entry you complete. Be sure to leave your email address with your comments or make sure it's visible in your profile so that I have a way to contact you if you win!

This giveaway will end December 5th and is open to US Only!

**I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Barilla and received a Taste & Share Challenge Kit to facilitate my review, kits to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.**