There are weeks when I struggle with coming up with meal ideas for my family. For the times I want to prepare something quick and easy for lunch or supper and don't want takeout,I usually turn to a sandwich of some sort...a meal idea loved by the whole family!

Did you know that this year marks the 250th anniversary of the sandwich?! November is actually National Bread Bread Month!  America's love affair with the sandwich dates back to England in 1762 when Sir John Montagu didn't want to put his cards down in the midst of a marathon game of poker. So, he requested his meat be served to him between two slices of bread.

As someone who loves sandwiches, I thought it was neat to learn of the origin of the sandwich and how it came to be. There are so many reasons to love sandwiches...they are one of the easiest, most convenient ways to make a healthy meal. The reason they work out so well for our family, is because they appeal to each person's taste. Some of us like to put cheese on ours, while others like yummy peppers, pickles, etc. The sky is the limit when it comes to the types of sandwiches we can make!

We're not alone either. Americans consume over a billion sandwiches a year. WOW! For breakfast, lunch and dinner - sandwiches may in fact be our most popular dish!

Bread is the most important ingredient in making a healthy and delicious sandwich; it is the foundation of a great meal any time of the day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans actually recommends eating six once ounce foods each day.

Knowing that the complex carbs in bread and other grain-based foods provide the energy our bodies need on a daily basis makes sandwiches an easy go-to lunch or supper that will be a hit with everyone in our family...even the pickiest of eaters. Bread offers many essential nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy and fight disease like heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and birth defects as well.

As a stay at home mom, lunches can be the hardest meal of the day to decide on. Some days we have leftovers, but many days the kids and I want something else. That's when making a yummy sandwiches works out well! Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches are a favorite in our house, but I also like to try new recipes that include meats, cheese, etc. One of my all time favorites to make for my family is a sub sandwich recipe that was share with me by my mom. The whole family enjoys it, it's quick and easy, and best of all...it is great for lunch or supper!

Sub Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

1	8oz pkg. Swiss Cheese (sliced)
½	pound each of two choices of meat
	Roast Beef, Turkey, Ham etc...
1	French Bread Loaf
Topping:
1	stick Butter
½	tsp Lemon Juice
2	tsp Minced Onion
2	tsp Poppy Seeds
1	tsp Dry Mustard
1	tsp Lawry's seasoning Salt

Directions:

Cut French loaf in 1/2 , the long way. Layer meat and then layer the swiss cheese.
Close and set on a piece of foil large enough to cover loaf and seal. Set on a cookie sheet for baking.
Melt butter and add topping ingredients. Pour over outside of loaf and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins.

This is really delicious and a recipe that can be made over and over again! Yum!
 
To honor the sandwich and showcase its star ingredient, bread...the Grain Foods Foundation has partnered with celebrity Chef Bryan Voltaggio to create four exclusive sandwich recipes. You can check them out here. I've learned so many great recipe ideas and how important bread is in our diets. There are a number of ways to incorporate bread and other grains into our diets.

How about you? What is your favorite sandwich recipe? 

**I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Grain Foods Foundation. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

This is the time of year my kids start asking to pull out our Christmas movies. One of their favorites from last year was Santa Paws! It's a great movie the whole family can watch and enjoy. That's why I was excited to learn that Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups is being released November 20th!

I knew my kids would be thrilled to learn about a new Santa Paws movie, and that we were going to have the opportunity to review it! When the DVD/Blu-ray combo pack arrived, Kaden was especially excited and begging to watch it. It turned out that it happened to be a cold, dreary day...so after naptime we snuggled up and enjoyed watching it together. What a great movie.

Synopsis:

The North Pole has a new litter of playful pups! However, when the frisky foursome—Hope, Jingle, Charity and Noble—practically destroy Santa’s Workshop with their mischievous gamboling, they realize the best way to prove that they’re responsible enough to become Santa’s Helpers is to show how well they can spread the Christmas spirit all by themselves. With help from a magic crystal, they start granting everyone’s wishes. But their good intentions backfire when one unhappy boy asks that Christmas go away forever! With his wish impetuously fulfilled, and the joyous spirit quickly disappearing from the planet, Mrs. Claus and the pups have to find a way to reverse the spell—or risk losing Christmas forever!

From the creators of the #1 live-action, direct-to-video Disney Buddies franchise, comes Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups! I had a feeling we'd love this heartwarming and hilarious adventure just as much as the first, and I was right! Starring a brand new litter of adorable talking pups, this movie kept us watching the whole time.  I am thrilled to have the Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack in our movie library and know it's a movie that will be pulled out often to be watched! It's the perfect film for the entire family to enjoy, especially during the Holiday Season.

Buy It: The film will be available for purchase at retail stores nationwide as a 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray +DVD) for a suggested retail price of $39.99, a 1-Disc DVD for a suggested retail price of $29.99 and via High Definition Digital for a suggested retail price of $39.99.

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win a Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups Prize pack which will include: a Poster, DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack, Plush Dog, and Santa Letter Activity Sheets!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is short and will end November 20th. Open to US Only. 

**The products for this review and giveaway were provided for free. All opinions are my own.

I love how scents can bring us back in time to some of our favorite places and memories....especially this time of year! With the smell of a turkey roasting, fresh cookies in the oven, a crackling fire, etc I am brought back to the special times of my childhood, spending time with family during the holidays.

 

Febreze recognizes scents can evoke memories from past holidays, and wants to connect favorite scents with nostalgic memories with its new Febreze Seasons Giveaway Facebook contest.  For many families (including my own)  not everyone can be home for the holidays, so Febreze is offering to help by bringing the holidays to these loved ones far away.

It's amazing how just one holiday memory can take you home, even when you're far away. Do you know someone who can't be home this holiday season? Tell Febreze your story. Through their Facebook Contest, they'll deliver $10,000 and all the special holiday memories of home to the one lucky winner. All you have to do is share a loved one who can’t make it home this holiday season and tell Febreze about your friend or family member and why he or she could use a little happiness this year. It's that easy!

The Febreze Best of Holidays Past Contest starts 11/5/12 and ends 11/27/12.  You can enter on the Febreze facebook page.

**I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Febreze. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating

I like for the decor in my home to be unique and one of a kind. I'm always on the lookout for new pieces to set in various rooms of our home, which is why I enjoyed browsing through the great home decor from Wind & Weather recently.

Out of a passion for all things weather-related, Wind & Weather was born in 1976. Over the years they have expanded to include not only a large collection of top brand weather instruments ...but also supplies like binoculars, watches and radios as well as garden decor and even products for the home. With a collection like this, the wealth of knowledge and experience they have, and the dedication to making sure customers are always satisfied, it's no wonder they've become a world-trusted company.

I have had the opportunity to do a couple of reviews with Wind & Weather in the past. I absolutely love their selection of products with everything from items for the home, the yard...and of course, weather instruments as well! I recently was looking through their "For the Home" category and came across the authentic Sea Glass Globes. I was excited to learn we were going to have the opportunity to review them.

When the glass globes arrived, I was very impressed with how well they were packaged. This was much appreciated, as they are glass and fragile. Upon taking them out of the packaging, I was in awe with how beautiful they are. I love the beautiful color and and unique look of these glass globes. The color actually goes perfectly with our master bedroom and master bathroom, so I knew I'd be able to easily find a place to display them.

These are glass, but they are heavy duty and something I can tell will hold up. They are stunning! I love that they are each a little bit different in size, and one even has the original netting on it still!

 

Aside from the unique look, I absolutely love the story behind them. These glass globes were once used to keep fishing nets afloat, making them easier for to locate for the fisherman. The fact taht these are genuine fisherman's globes is the reason for their authentic look and wear from a lifetime of exposure to the sun, sand and water.

Overall I've been thrilled with the Sea Glass Globes from Wind & Weather. I went out and bough a glass plate to put them on, and they are the perfect accent in our bedroom. Once again, Wind & Weather did not disappoint. With Christmas around the corner, I would definitely recommend them and their fantastic selection of products for the people on your list this holiday season!

Buy It: You can purchase the Sea Glass Globes for $49.95.

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win a $50 Gift Certificate to Wind & Weather! Simply enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. If you don't see the form, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to the US Only and will end November 29th

**The products for this review and giveaway were provided for free. However, all opinions are my own.