CASH GIVEAWAY WIN $100 ~

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$100 Who is gonna win?

The kids are home, and they want to go here and there, or perhaps they have outgrown their wardrobe!  Final payments on tuition, and vacation payments all need to be made —- would it not be great to have $100 extra bucks to help beat those bills down?  I agree and that is why I have participated in this giveaway!  I want one of you, my loyal readers to have the chance to win this fabulous cash prize.  Enter for a chance to win a little extra spending money!  Green makes the world go round and it can be in your pocket!  This money will be available to the winner via PayPal & Better yet it is open worldwide, so anyone can win!

GOOD LUCK!

The Co-Hosts are the wonderful ladies that pulled this giveaway together and brought a team of us in order to offer to all of our fans! So thanks to everyone involved and to all those that enter!

My Best Laid PlansCoupons with QCoupon Queen That Saves the Green, Making of a Mom, Wrap with Jolene and Coupons and Freebies Mom!

Just use the Rafflecopter below to get those entries in!  You must 18+ to enter. Open worldwide until June 5, 2013 at 11:59pm EST.
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CASTING FOR TALENT IN PITTSBURGH

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I guess it was by fate that I met my friend Terri.  I had posted my kids in their capelli’s in front of a major downtown retailer and placed the photo on my website and Facebook.  A few days later I got a message from Terri telling me how much she loved my boys, the hats were precious, and that we had to meet!  In my own world, really busy just trying to get Pittsburgh Frugal Mom into shape, I kind of just blew it off.

A few months later, I posted my son at the mailbox, in rain boots and a multi-colored umbrella and I heard from Terri again.  I responded to Terri via messaging we chatted quickly and I went back about my business. I was kind of wondering who is this person that is stalking my kids, LOL!  I really had no appreciation for who she was, what she was doing or how it might impact my family.  I went about my work and just kept on watching her posts on my status.  I noticed she had some really great photos going across the her FB page and that there were casting workshops, and notices for modeling and acting workshops.  Again, I did nothing with it, but Terri Berceli began to chat a bit more I was beginning to understand now why she reached out to me about my kids.  (laughing a bit here with relief)


Terri Berceli owns and manages TB Talent & Casting Agency.  She has a cast of beautiful girls, guys, kids, ladies, men, young men and so on that actually populate print ads, commercials, and movies.  What you may not know she is right here in Pittsburgh, she is real and she knows her stuff! If you ever wanted to cast your kids, yourself or someone in your family, you need to meet Terri! She can’t follow your FB page and hunt you down if you have not liked her back– since FB has changed all the rules (LOL).. sorry Terri.. just had to laugh!

Terri Berceli

Recently, Terri reached out again, this time it was for my curly haired child, and she offered him an opportunity to read for a part in a movie as they were casting for a particular look and he fit the look!  Who I have gotten to know over the last 4 years is someone who is passionate about her work, cares about the people she works with, finds great opporunities for her talent, and she gets them CAST!  She has a thriving business, and a cast of talent that is amazing!  I did say she finds great opportunities and I have to tell you about this.

I have already explained to you that Terri reached out to me, I did not find her, she is always looking for people, she looks at status posts, reads write ups, Googles people, goes through LinkedIn, she works 24/7 not because she has to, but because she wants to make a difference in the industry.  Terri offers classes on weekends that offers coaching on how to act behind the camera, on camera, makeup 101(I think everyone could use that), how to walk in heels and on a runway and proper dress techniques.  Her industry is all about professionalism and she is all about being the PRO in the Professional!

in a workshop

Terri is kind-hearted and her talent loves her back.  I was at a casting placement last week, where they were looking for people to be in an Eat ‘n Park Commercial and a few movies, as well as filming a reality show, and while I was there, her ‘friends’ that work with her, love her, know her brought cupcakes and sang her ‘Happy Birthday’!  It was nice to see warmth in a room. Terri makes it comfortable for everyone, it is not just a glamour industry, she is about the glamour inside and she works to bring it out.  While her staff is beautiful everyone feels welcome, and at ease because no one is the super star.  So if you are worried that you would show up and not be welcome, think again!  Terri is always looking for new talent to cast into new roles.  Our city has so much happening and Terri is the pulse of that heartbeat, and her ear is always to the ground looking for the new opportunities and her eyes are always roaming, googling, FB’ing and   getting LinkedIn as she wants YOU, for the next job!  There are requirements for any casting agency, but Terri has you covered, including an in-house top Photographer, you won’t believe who he is and his accreditations(you will have to find out when you contact Terri).

wx

Is she for real? Yes! Does she place talent? Yes! Her girls have made NY and not just in small opportunities.  Terri has pageant girls and non-pageant girls.  If you have ever wanted to act, model, do print ads, try out for parts, be  cast as extras, you need to hook up with TB Talent.  Your future in the industry sits within Terri’s studio and she is waiting to make it happen for you the person she has not met! Connect with Terri on Facebook, see what she needs to get you started, and what you don’t have or do have, she has the resources to help you get, photos and resumes!  If you live in Pittsburgh, the heart of it resides at TB Talent & Casting Agency, are you going to be part of the pulse?

Terri and I talk regularly, we are working on my having my daughter work with Terri.  My boys both have auditioned and have been at Terri’s studio and they all LOVE her.  She is warm, makes the kids feel good and she is genuine.  Don’t think this is a smoke and mirrors deal because Terri is going to tell you what is good and bad about you so you can have it all laid out and figure out if you can meet her standards or not!  I prefer knowing what needs to be done rather than having something sugar coated because let’s face it, there is no sugar coating in Hollywood baby! — Hollywood in the Burgh is Terri Berceli!  I don’t blow off any chance reach outs, because I know this was not by chance.  Terri is a coach, a friend, a mentor and is strong.  Terri can be a force when you need one and a friend who is just there when you need her! You have to meet her to believe it!

You can reach out to Terri via email at terri@tbtalent.com, you can connect with her on FB or LinkedIn, just connect the dots and get your kids, family, self on the path to making extra money and bringing your talent into the Burgh rather than just into your home! Terri is the difference between casting your talent and being cast aside!

 

 

 

WEEKEND IN REVIEW

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This has been an exciting week from movies to products, let’s take a look at what you might have missed!

If you love snacking, but can’t afford the calories, take a look at Brother’s All Natural Snacks. These are natural fruit snacks that will make your mouth happy, and you can receive a discount if you use the code from my blog! Save big!brother's all natural

The weekend brings about grilling opportunities and you definitely want to check out the Marinater, 60 seconds to marinated bliss! Cooking on the grill can lead to leftovers and there is no better way to package them and freeze them than this great freezer tip!almazing

Some of the best entertainment in the BURGH is free and fabulous and you can find out all the details here! Love magic? Make sure to catch AL MAZING this weekend at a local free Pittsburgh event!

Join me on Pinterest where everyday is a new adventure and you never know what I am going to find!

vac vin marinater

Since I love cooking, I have posted one of my favorite sandwiches, with or without onion your mouth will thank you!

Brag your kids up and win a PITTSBURGH STAYCATION from UPMC HEALTH PLAN. This prize package is huge and someone is going to be very happy when they win!

Don’t forget if you have an iPhone and photos on it, you can download those photos for free, and get 100 printed and sent to your door, using the code PITTSBURGH GROOVE! Thanks to Groove Book for this great app!

Kids love hockey and they are playing all over the place, check out these great reviews of skate blade dryers, hockey party supplies and more from A Hockey Mom Reviews!

Finally, if you are on the run all the time, your phone probably needs charged, I have uncovered great mobile charging devices that are as small as a tube of liptick!

 

BROTHER’S ALL NATURAL

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As a mom to a child with severe food allergies, I have a hard time finding foods that he can actually eat.  It is so discouraging, disheartening and upsetting to not be able to include your child on most of what we eat because so many foods are on his CAN NOT EAT LIST  that the CAN EAT list is relatively short.  Since I have written about this so much, I won’t bore you with the details, I will tell you when I find a company that has a great product that is nut free, latex free, and all around healthy I want to brag about it to the world, and this is the case with Brother’s All Natural Fruit Crisps!

brother's all natural

When I spoke to the company, I was so happy to hear the many varieties of Fruit Pouches they had, but I really did not get ‘it’.  I think that I had decided that these would be like those chewy fruit snacks we had and there would be a great taste, but what I was about to learn has really impacted the taste-testing and the smile on my little child’s face each time he ate a pack of these was worth a million bucks!  However, the story is not all about what an allergy-plagued child could eat, it is about a mom, who has gone through significant lifestyle changes, which directly impacted her eating habits who has now  found something that costs no calories to eat and allows a snack of unparalleled proportions.

LET ‘S TALK ALLERGIES:

In general, my son can eat 4 fruits and he eats them as often as possible.  It is actually pretty boring but his choice of swelling up and having to stop breathing, using an Epi Pen and visiting the local emergency room leaves us practicing very stringent eating menus!  With that in mind, I made certain that there were no other products in ANY of the products he was about to try, and in fact there is NOTHING but the fruit in each and every product! Wait, I should say that there are 2 fruits in each bag, meaning that there are 2 apples in every bag, 2 oranges in each bag(serving) etc.

EACH SINGLE SERVE BAG IS: PEANUT FREE, GLUTEN FREE, TREE NUT FREE, SOY FREE, DAIRY FREE, NON GMO, VEGAN AND KOSHER!  Each single serve bag has 2 fruit servings in each.  Each bag contains a freeze-dried fruits. There is no sugar added, there is only 100% Real Fruit with no preservatives!  Each box contains 12 single serve bags.

THE MANDARIN ORANGES:

Here is what the texture is like: think of a cheese puff that you can crunch and it is like air, now think about that same cheese puff and how it reacts differently and is ‘activated’ to dissolve differently when you actually suck on it, and allow the saliva in your mouth to penetrate it, it tastes and feels different in your mouth!  This is EXACTLY what you will notice and feel when you try this fruit!  While the mandarin tastes nothing like a cheese puff, the explanation I just offered is how it appears and changes.  My kids were actually so intrigued, they sat and saw, 1) who could suck on it the longest 2) who’s looked most like an orange with saliva on it, and 3) which person’s disintegrated first! IF you suck on this in your mouth long enough, the light crispness actually changes back into the segmented pulp pieces and you can feel the transition in your mouth!

I guess here is a great time to segue  into dieting and this snack.  I eat diet based on vegetables, whole wheat products, some carbs and more vegetarian than vegan, but it is a good mesh!  I lost a great amount of weight when I started this transitional phase a few years back and as my loyal fans you have followed this story, and I continue to look for ways to defeat a few more stubborn pounds! This product boasts only 38 calories a bag, no cholesterol, no sodium, very few sugars, and no fat!  Add in the fact that it provides me a few servings of fruit and something delicious and amusing to swish in my mouth and you have a very happy, converted snacking Mom! .

The taste of a Mandarin Orange is tart, and sweet all within one mouthful and very satisfying as it is providing a sweet taste to that pang that happens, while providing the tart side of things which generally shuts my hunger down!  My son really loved the flavor and the fact that there was not a mess on his hands after eating this fruit as there generally is when it is fresh!

One downside to the packs:  because these are freeze dried, they do not transport well in a purse.  The packs can not take anything crushing them a wallet, or books because it causes the food to actually just turn into powder, these are after all freeze dried products.  Think of a cheese curl, they kind of just turn to powder when smashed. Do consider how you will be transporting these.

We taste tested Cinnamon Apple Slices, Peaches, Apple and Mandarin and one was just better than the next.  The apples are most interesting as well.  As you hold the freeze-dried apple in your mouth, and allow it to mesh with the saliva, the apple re-instates to its once natural form, it becomes an apple in your mouth again,  My kids were so intrigued that it was not a pound as much down as you can snack but a savor it and enjoy how it changes.  It was like a science experiment in their mouths.  Leave it to kids to turn a food into science!

I think the science that you need to know here is that the food is grown in the best growing regions in the country and then sent directly to a state-of-the-art Freeze Drying facility.  Each piece is crisp, and natural with nothing artificial and so very healthy!  No matter what fruit you purchase you will simply Love the tastes and the Not Calories.

You can purchase these on the Brother’s All Natural site but I have an insider’s coupon for you to use!  This is good for a ONE TIME USE Per customer and it is a 10% SAVINGS! FRUGALMOM10  is your code for savings!

 

 

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MARINATED INSTANTLY

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With the impending grilling season, I began trolling through all my recipes and formulating what recipes I am going to prepare.  Often, I marinade meats, but this calls for great forward preparation and it is essential that meats marinade for hours if not a day ahead in order to really reap the benefits of the flavor!  With three kids, and a live that moves that the pace of blinking my eyes, I am not always great at remembering to pull meat out, place it in a bag, and marinate, I simply am human and I forget!

vac vin marinater

Marinating meats is done for many reasons such as: health benefits, taste, tenderizes ‘cheaper’ cuts of meat, acids in marinades cut bacteria down.   Marinading however is not just for grilling season, if you are looking for succulent fish and meat you can marinade year round for baking, broiling and grilling!

INSTANT MARINATER BY VACU VIN

vac vin 2

I love when a tool in my kitchen is limitless, meaning I can use it on any meat, fish, poultry or vegetable I make. After all, it is multi-application tools that make up the principle of frugality: buy what you use, use what you have to the maximum to get the best return on investment.  The Instant Marinater is one of those must have kitchen tools.  It is a unique dish that marinates and tenderizes every thing you cook in just MINUTES!  It is so easy to use that it almost seems impossible that it is marinated but this kitchen gadget has kept up with technology and it is quick and easy to use!  We added seafood to ours and marinade, we closed the dish with the lid, and we pumped out the air which created a vacuum.  What happened is that the vacuuming effect  opened up the pores and fibers of the food and this allows the marinade to actually penetrate in literally minutes rather than hours and the flavor of Hawaiian sauce marinade was locked into the fish.

We also tried this on a London broil, which is one meat I struggle cooking every time because it turns out dry and like a brick!  This time, we used the Instant Marinater, a marinade, the London Broil and vacuumed the dish shut.  It tenderized the food and it was juicy.  It was amazing the difference in the meat just because I vacuumed the air out and marinated it.  I should also mention that previous London Broils had to be marinated for a day in advance, this however, was virtually 10 minutes!

WHAT YOU WILL LIKE

You can use this for all your meats, poultry and vegetables.  If  someone pops in and you have meat, now you can produce a 4 star, marinated cut of meat, poultry or seafood in 5 minutes!  You can use the bowl for storage of food(do not reuse raw meat marinade and make sure to thoroughly cleanse dish).   I found out that the bowl is actually suitable for freezing and refrigerated storage!  This truly in a wonderful kitchen tool and I can not say enough about it.

BASIC  MARINADE

1/2 CUP Lemon Juice

2-3 TBSP Olive Oil

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

This is great on those ‘cheaper’ cuts of meat

 

BALSAMIC MARINADE

3/4 cup of Balsamic

1/2 Cup of Olive Oil

1 TSP of Sea Salt

3 cloves minced garlic

1 Tsp of Brown Sugar

 

 

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