Mommy Has to Work

Dunkin’ Donuts & National Croissant Day on January 30 (Giveaway)

January 26, 2015 By Anne

I received a gift card to Dunkin' Donuts to try their new menu.

I’m not sure how I missed National Coffee Break Day on January 20, I’m sure I had a cup and a break though. 😉

Chocolate Croissant

But next up is National Croissant Day on January 30 and Dunkin’ Donuts has debuted the Chocolate Croissant! The new flaky, chocolaty and warm Chocolate Croissant is amazing! I had the pleasure of visiting my local DD on Friday with a friend for a special treat. While there I also sampled the Tomato Mozzarella Supreme Bagel. We had it toasted with cream cheese. May I just say – yumm!

Tomato Mozzarella Supreme Bagel

The bagel has melted mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and an herb topping and tasted wonderful. We also got a cup of the Dunkin’ Donuts’ Dark Roast Coffee, but had to replace with a latte. I guess I like my coffee a bit too sweet.

Dunkin’ Donuts Hazelnut Latte

Make sure to check out Dunkin’ Donuts other food options like the Turkey Sausage Flatbread, featuring turkey sausage, egg and reduced fat cheddar cheese, now served on an oven-toasted multigrain flatbread. The Turkey Sausage Flatbread is also available as a Wake-up Wrap, served on a flour tortilla.

Are you a regular Dunkin’ Donuts Fan? Have you downloaded the mobile app? I did and got a FREE coffee just for downloading! Sign up here http://www.dunkindonuts.com/content/dunkindonuts/en/mlanding.html

I have a $10 DD Gift Code for one of you DD fans! (see details below)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Raspberry Linzer Heart Cookies

January 22, 2015 By Anne

These are perfect Valentine’s Day cookies. We made them last year and I just bought all of the ingredients to make them again!

Ingredients

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup raspberry jam

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F; line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla, then flour and salt. Shape dough into 2 disks; wrap 1 in plastic and refrigerate.

On a floured surface, roll out remaining disk to about a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter. Use a smaller heart cutter to cut a window out of half of cookies. With a spatula, carefully transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Gather scraps and roll out again to make more cookies.

Bake cookies in batches until edges of cookies are just golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies onto wire racks to let cool completely.

Spread 3/4 tsp. jam over flat side of each cookie that doesn’t have a window. Top with remaining cookies, flat side down, so that jam shows through windows. Carefully sift 3 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar over cookies.

Anne

National Hug Day, January 21, 2015

January 21, 2015 By Anne

Today is National Hug Day!

National Hugging Day,™ also known as National Hug Day, is an annual holiday created by Rev. Kevin Zaborney in Michigan, USA. It occurs on January 21 and is officially recognized by the United States Copyright Office. It was first celebrated in 1986 and has since spread to multiple countries. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage people to openly express themselves through hugging. Offer a hug to anyone and everyone you want but remember it is wise to ask first. Whether you hug a family member or a stranger, the mental and physical health benefits are the same. For more information, visit www.nationalhuggingday.com. It’s hug day everyday in our house.

Benefits of hugging:

1) Hugs make us feel “happy”! When we hug another person, our bodies release oxytocin, a hormone associated with “happiness,” according to scientific studies.

2) Hugs alleviate stress! Just as a good hug increases our oxytocin levels, it decreases our cortisol or “stress” levels.

3) Babies need hugs as much as water and food! According to researchers at Harvard University, hugs help promote normal levels of cortisol necessary for child development.

4) Hugs make us better students! Students who receive a supportive touch from a teacher are twice as likely to volunteer in class.

5) Hugs improve our game! Scientists at University of California, Berkley discovered that the more affectionate members of a team are with each other, the more likely they are to win.

6) A hug a day keeps the doctor away! A hug stimulates the thymus gland, which in turn regulates the production of white blood cells that keep us healthy and disease-free.

7) A hug stops the bug! Researchers at Carnegie Mellon proved that individuals who were sick and received hugs had less severe symptoms and were able to get better quicker.

8) A hugging heart is a healthy heart! Research from University of North Carolina showed that a good hug helps ease blood flow and lower cortisol levels, which in turn help lower our heart rates.

9) A hugging couple is a happy couple! Couples that experience their partners’ love through physical affection share higher oxytocin levels.

10) Hugs let someone know you care without having to say a word! According to Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, we can identify love from simple human touch – imagine how much love a big hug can communicate!

Learn more at Nationalhuggingday.com

Anne

12 Healthy Juices & Smoothies for the New Year

January 20, 2015 By Anne

I am working with Foodie.com on this campaign.

It’s January and everyone is trying to get healthy. While I try and do that all year long this will be the first time incorporating juices and smoothies into my routine. Here are a few recipes to get me started.