Most people sigh and roll their eyes when board games are pulled out after dinner, but I jump to unpack the box, distribute all the pieces, and recite the rules to anyone who bothers to listen (hello, dork alert). I enjoy board games because unlike most Americans, I didn’t play board games growing up. So when I saw that Hasbro teamed up with House Party to ask people across the country to host a game night in their home with the offer of free games and food for the party, I signed up right away. You know me – I live for free stuff.

Let me back up. House Party is a website that lists events sponsored by a leading brand (ex: Kraft) in the goal to market a product (BBQ sauce) to a host and party guests, who will in return get a bunch of free goodies (BBQ sauce and free swag for the party). Interesting idea, isn’t it? I mean, what better way to get people to become loyal to a product – and become brand evangelists – than having them try it themselves?

Sure, laugh at me yet again for being a sucker for corporate America, but you know I can’t pass up a great excuse to throw a party and get a heck of a lot of free stuff.

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Hasbro Game Night »

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ow the fun begins! We can experiment with different soda recipes now that we can carbonate water on the fly. We love craft soda, such as Thomas Kemper, Jones Soda or Sprecher, but they’re usually expensive and hard to find. (If you haven’t had Sprecher’s Cream Soda before, you must try it!)

So I did some research online and complied a list of ways to make your own healthy, delicious, old-fashioned soda. Here we go…

Or, read Making Homemade Soda: Part 1

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emember how health experts proposed a tax on soda as a way to fix America’s obesity problem? Sure, mass-produced soda is terrible for health, but does it have to be THAT bad? The answer is no, it doesn’t.

So forget all that crap that’s in soda, and make your own! The only things needed to make soda are 1) carbonated water 2) a sweetner 3) flavor – which can all be natural instead of man made. Soda is way too sweet to begin with. Way, waaaay too sweet. It’s probably the whole reason why we rarely drink soda in the first place, and if we do, it’s always that expensive stuff once in a while you get at Whole Foods. And while soda will never be nutritional or beneficial in the first place, it’s really nice to have that delicious, all-natural soda once in a while. (Or sparking water).

So I bought Mike a water carbonation kit for Christmas. He loves it! I took photos of what it’s like to use it.

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Making Homemade Soda: Part 2 »
SodaStream website»

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I was at a Jazz festival in downtown Burlingame a few months ago, and between buying jewelry I don’t need and stuffing my face with festival food, I walked by a stand called “Farm Fresh To You”, which was promoting a delivery service that brings a random assortment of local/organic/seasonal produce to your doorstep, at a reasonable price. I wanted to hug the poor guy holding the clipboard, shake him and scream, “where have you been my whole life?!”.

I mean, really, this is perfect for me – I cook almost every night, rarely eat meat or processed food (I eat like a fat rabbit), and I can’t afford organic food. I’ve heard of similar services in San Francisco but it would have been a hassle to get my groceries there, since I don’t live there. And $10 off the first box? I grabbed his pen and signed myself up.

So far, the experience couldn’t have been better. For $23, I receive a small mixed fruit and veggie box every four weeks (there’s different plans, but this is all I can do for now). I actually really, really look forward to getting my veggie box in the mail. The night before I know when it’s coming, I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s like Christmas, every month. I try hard not to look on their website to see what’s going to arrive, but I usually end up ruining the surprise anyway. (“A pound and a half of heirloom tomatoes?! YESSS!”)

So before I talk more about their service (and awesome website), I’m going to show you what it’s like to get a surprise fruit and veggie box delivery. I’m going to unpack everything in order for you guys. Hold on to your seat. This is exciting stuff. Are you ready? Ok.

Farm Fresh To You »
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