Eating Out Archives - Busy Moms Helper

Carbohydrates that the Human Body Cannot Digest – The Best Alternatives

June 26, 2020 by Angela Paris

Learning how to eat good is the best way to keep yourself in shape and there is no doubt about that. As most people already know by now, overloading on carbohydrates it not always a good idea. The reason behind this is that carbohydrates give you short boost energy and then you will crash. This is never good, but that’s not the only problem. Did you know that there are some carbohydrates that the human body cannot digest?

The benefits that we from food come from the nutrients that are digested and absorbed by our bodies. Therefore, our bodies do not function at 100% if the food that we eat is not fully digested and absorbed to take in all the vitamins and minerals. Today I am going to show you what are the carbs that the human body cannot digest and give you some alternatives.

Carbohydrates – A Quick Summary

For those who are unfamiliar with carbohydrates, they should know that they are usually found in grains, sugars, fruits, some dairy, and also starchy vegetables. Carbohydrates are the majority of calories that people consume on a daily basis because they can be found in pasta, potatoes, rice, beans, bread, and lentils.

What are the Carbohydrates that the Human Body Cannot Digest?

As previously mentioned, not all carbohydrates are good for our bodies. While the body can digest sugars and starches by using enzymes to break down the nutrients, the same cannot be said about fiber. Fiber contains the carbohydrates that the body cannot digest and instead of being absorbed into the body, fiber will remain in the gastrointestinal tract until it is eliminated.

How to Get Fibers the Proper Way

On the bright side of things, you can get a healthy fiber intake through various foods that are god the body. Some of the best options are nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. However, we do need to mention that these fibers are not digested and instead, their different nutrients and properties will help boost your health.

15+ tasty and healthy Chinese snacks

June 9, 2020 by Angela Paris

Are you craving some delicious Chinese snacks? China is renowned for its unique cuisine that will make your taste buds go wild and there is a good reason for that. The meals that you can find in China are rich in spices and flavor. Not just that, but there is also tradition behind each meal and their flavor is rooted in the beliefs of the natives.

Fortunately, you don’t have to visit Asia in order to taste these amazing snacks. You can order them online and have the same experience as if you were dining in Hong Kong. If you don’t know where to buy Chinese snacks online, then you should be happy to know Amazon has your back. Now, let’s go ahead and check out what are the top 20 tasty and healthy Chinese snacks that you can order online.

Top 20 Chinese Snacks

#1 The Stinky Tofu

We are going to start our list with something that is truly unique to the Chinese people. We are talking about the famous Stinky Tofu. The powerful smell usually scares people away, but the taste is going to drive your taste buds nuts. A fun fact about this snack is that the tofu needs more than 300 years to stay in fermentation. Isn’t that incredible?

#2 Pocky

If you ever visit China, then you will quickly notice that all kids are eating Pocky. This is one of the most popular Chines snacks and this is all thanks to the fact the Pocky is sweet. Pocky is mad from biscuits that are covered in a delicious layer of cream that comes in various flavors.

#3 Haw Flakes

The Haw Flakes are your “go-to” snack when you want to show to someone how unique and delicious Chinese food can be. This snack is made from the fruit that grows in the hawthorn tree and therefore, it is very healthy. What’s great about Haw Flakes is that you can use this snack as an ingredient for your fruit salads.

#4 Youtiao

Another amazing Chinese snack that will make you feel like you are walking on the streets of Hong Kong is called Youtiao. These are fried breadsticks that go great with soymilk and porridge.

#5 Rice Crackers

Since this is China that we are talking about, then it should come as no surprise that Rice Crackers are featured on our list. The most popular brand of Rice Crackers in Asia is called MSG.

#6 Yan Yan

Do you want something that will satisfy your sweet tooth? If that is the case, then you can’t go wrong with the Yan Yan. This package contains crunchy biscuits and cream that will put a smile on your face right from the very first time that you taste them.

#7 Pop Pan

Pop Pan is another popular Chinese snack that is known for its unique taste. These are buttery crackers and what makes them stand out is the fact that they have scallion flavor.

#8 French Biscuits

Despite being called French Biscuits, this snack originates from China and the biscuits are covered in a thick layer of cream. They go great with tea and Chinese people love serving them to their guests.

#9 Wung Wang Snow Cookies

Chinese people make great cookies and the Wung Wang Snow Cookies are the perfect example of that. A single pack of Wung Wang Snow Cookies contains two delicious cookies that feature a mix of salty and sweet flavor.

#10 Turnip Cake

The Turnip Cake is commonly known as “Io bak go” in China and it can be found in all Chinese supermarkets. The Turnip Cake features turnip that is seasoned and mixed with corn-starch, onions, and sausages. The flavor is amazing!!

#11 Steamed Bao Buns

If there is one snack that you are guaranteed to see in all pop-up shops around China, then Steamed Bao Buns is definitely the one. Just like all donuts, the Steamed Bao Buns are available in various fillings and all of them are mouth-watery.

#12 Fried Dough Twist

The Chinese love taking simple dough and turning it into delicious dishes. The Fried Dough Twist is the perfect example of that. This snack doesn’t only look amazing, but it’s also sweet and savory.

#13 Shrimp Chips

Are you looking for a quick snack that you can enjoy while watching your favorite TV show or movie on Netflix? If that is the case, then Shrimp Chimps are your best choice. They come in various flavors and you will always find at least one bag open at Chinese parties.

#14 Gummy Candies

Gummy Candies are known for being the “unofficial” Chinese New Year snack. You can find Gummy Candies in various flavors starting with peach and ending with mango. However, we want to warn you that this snack is a bit expensive.

#15 Kasugai Roasted Green Peas

If you like having peas in your food, then you are going to love the Kasugai Roasted Green Peas. This snack is not only healthy, but it’s also incredibly tasty. The peas are covered in wasabi and they will set your mouth on fire if you are not used to spicy food!

#16 Egg Rolls

You knew that we are going to present Egg Rolls ever since you clicked on our article, right? After all, everyone who visits China will have the opportunity to eat Egg Rolls since they are so tasty and popular. On the downside of things, the crumbs will make a mess!

#17 Prawn Crackers

Another snack that is super popular among Chinese kids is called Pawn Crackers. These deep-fried chips that are flavored with shrimp. To make things even better, you will also feel a tingling sensation when eating the chips. This is what Chinese snacks are all about!

#18 Curry Fish Balls

Even though Curry Fish Balls might not sound like a delicious dish for Europeans and Americans, all the street vendors in China are selling them. The deep-fried fish balls are cooked in a special curry sauce that is not only delicious but also spicy!

#19 Pineapple Buns

While Americans are arguing if pineapples should be put on pizza or not, the Chinese are taking it to the next level and they are making Pineapple Buns. We are kidding! These buns are just called pineapple because of how they look, they don’t actually have pineapples in them. Nonetheless, they are crunchy and flavorful.

#20 Dried Squid

We are going to end our list with a snack that is so unique that it can’t be found anywhere than China. We are talking about Dried Squid. This snack is chewy and it’s seasoned with salt and spicy chilly. You can also find Dried Squid that has a creamy finish. This is one of the tastiest Chinese snacks!

Boston Market Lunch Date You Won’t Want to Miss!

June 20, 2019 by Kelly Dedeaux

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Boston Market

We’re only a few weeks into summer break, and already the lunch routine is getting stagnant at our house – but luckily, the other day I got to surprise the kiddos with a special trip to try the NEW Boston Market Lunch menu! Trust me, this is one lunch date you won’t want to miss out on. Plus, it was a fun bonding time for my kiddos and I to just have fun together!

And guess what – you can try it FREE with their ‘Sandwich Throwdown’ happening Friday, June 21st! From 11am – 2pm, Boston Market wants everyone to really put it to the test pitting their sandwiches against the regular corner cafe or bakery. Stop by your nearby Boston Market during those hours on June 21st for a FREE SANDWICH – just bring in your current favorite sandwich, then you can taste the difference of Boston Market’s fresh, never frozen rotisserie chicken. You’ll be hooked! After you try it out, guests are invited to vote for the superior sandwich and ‘throwdown winner’ with an online survey. *Free sandwich upgrades offered while supplies last.

As busy moms, y’all know how hard it is to find something the whole crew will enjoy. Varying tastes (and attitudes!) make it a challenge, but I love that Boston Market’s brand new lunch menu has the same quality proteins that we all love and that made them a go-to dinner destination. Life’s busy, so as moms we’re looking for healthy, quality meals for our family – but that are QUICK! That’s one great thing that sets Boston Market apart from other lunch places.

With several new, tasty and fresh sandwiches (on a really delish ciabatta bread) plus some flavorful salads, there was something for everyone on our lunch date! The girls’ favorites were the Caesar Salad with romaine lettuce, 3-cheese blend, croutons and Caesar dressing (with chicken, of course) – as well as the Chicken Avocado Club on ciabatta with bacon, avocado, Tillamook cheddar cheese, lettuce, red onion and herbed mayo. That herbed mayo, by the way, is phenomenal!

The boys had different favorites – one loved the Southwest Chicken BLT on ciabatta with Cholula bacon, avocado, Tillamook pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and chipotle aioli. The other two enjoyed the more simple (yet still amazing) Turkey on ciabatta with smoked cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion and that same tasty herbed mayo (you can also get this with chicken instead of turkey).

With our varying favorites, we were able to try several of the new Boston Market lunch options, but two I still want to try are the Chicken Salad on multi-grain hoagie roll with sliced tomato, lettuce and mayo. My salad-loving girl can’t wait to try the Southwest Cobb Salad with romaine and leaf lettuce blend, bacon, avocado, corn relish, pico de gallo, red onion and chipotle ranch dressing. Yum!!!

This is like THE place for us busy moms to take our families for a lunch date, not only because Boston Market lunches are super quick and convenient when we’re in a hurry (which seems to be too often!) – but because of the amazing quality. Their lunch options feature the same rotisserie chicken and meats we’ve come to know (and totally love), making Boston Market a healthier lunchtime option than other places! It’s like their home style rotisserie meals that we expect at dinner are now available even at lunch.

Be sure to enjoy $3 off any sandwich, salad (or choose two) using Promo Code: 39175 so you can give Boston Market’s new lunch menu a try for yourself!

Back to School with Mr. Gatti’s

August 15, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

This post is sponsored by Mr. Gatti’s. All opinions are mine alone. #mrgattisbacktoschool

Okay, fellow moms – are you ready for the school year? With all the supplies shopping, meeting teachers, figuring out new schedules or carpools, it can be even busier than normal. Here’s a great idea – take a break from the hassle and enjoy some amazing family time (and fit in a delicious dinner) at the same time by celebrating Back to School with Mr. Gatti’s!

If you’ve never heard of Mr. Gatti’s before – it’s an awesome place where you can not only enjoy a delicious pizza buffet, but also tackle all sorts of games (and win tickets for prizes) in the Game Room arcade area! It’s like an entire evening (or day – lunchtime would be ideal, as well) of having a fun time and making memories with your family.

And because they know how hectic this time of year can be for families, Mr. Gatti’s has a fantastic back-to-school promotion for the entire month of September: you can get a FREE $5 game card with the purchase of a buffet!

Their prices are already phenomenal, so this is some very delicious and fun icing on the cake for your visit.

With everything our family has had going on lately, I knew a night out to enjoy some time together was just what we needed. The kids had an absolute blast playing the games – and it was really special getting to introduce them to some arcade games that WE enjoyed growing up. Pac-Man and Space Invaders were favorites, while some of them couldn’t get enough of motorcycle racing or Whack-A-Minion.

If your kids are like mine, they’ll really like earning tickets while having fun with games, then choosing what prizes they want from the large machine! Plus it’s easy to load whatever amount you want onto the reloadable cards, so they can choose what games they want.

Not just the kids were loving this – hubby and I had a great time playing along with them all, plus watching their reactions to all the excitement.

Most of the games were $0.50-$0.75, with a few being a bit more – so you can fit in quite a few for $5. You may never want to stop with all the family fun, though! It’s also nice that you can choose how to do things. Want to start with games then go eat? Do it. Starving and want food first? Help yourself. Or you can mix it up and do some games, then food, then games. It’s entirely up to you how you want your awesome family night to go at Mr. Gatti’s

With all the stresses of back-to-school, it’s the perfect time to treat your family to a night out of fun and relaxing, and the whole family of all ages can enjoy making some memories together. Food + Games = an amazing evening out with those you love most!

Don’t forget, for the entire month of September you can enjoy Mr. Gatti’s back-to-school promotion: get a free $5 game card with every buffet purchase. Woot woot!

Find your nearest Mr. Gatti’s to make your own family memories HERE

You can also check then out on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to see all the fun and offerings. Don’t forget to have some family fun amongst all the back-to-school hassle with Mr. Gatti’s!

Fresh Eats at Zoës Kitchen

December 31, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

I was provided a gift card to Zoës Kitchen to facilitate this post. All opinions are mine alone. #LiveMediterranean

I really enjoy eating out – and not just because it saves me from doing dishes! I love good, quality food, great conversations with people and fun new atmospheres. With kids, work, budgets and such, though, I don’t get out nearly as often as I’d like. Luckily, when I do there’s some excellent options – and right now I’m enjoying the Fresh Eats at Zoës Kitchen! Plus I’ve got a promo for some goodies for you – so check it out!

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Zoës Kitchen when I first went – Mediterranean food often covers a wide variety of things, from my experience. And yes, their menu is extensive, so there’s a large variety for anyone’s preferences! Hubby and I snuck on a lunch date here, and ordered several different things because it all sounded so delish.

I was really happy that the food was so fresh – from the crisp salads and veggies, to the sweet fruits, even the meats were amazing. Of everything we ordered, there wasn’t a single item I didn’t truly enjoy! And you HAVE to try their in-house lemonade – seriously it’s SOOOO good! You can take the food to go, but it’s way fun to eat in their colorfully decorated restaurant, too.

The staff at the one we visited were FABULOUS – truly friendly and wanting to make your eating experience the best possible. And, of course, I had to try the desserts! The cookies were really good – soft and chewy – but the cake was my favorite! Super moist and chocolaty 🙂

Of all the yummy-ness, I’ve gotta say that I couldn’t get enough of their pita bread with hummus! And guess what? YOU can get free Hummus & Pita during your next visit to Zoës Kitchen! How you ask? Well….

….just use promo code goodness using their free app! Here’s the simple instructions to help you out:

Instructions to redeem Free Hummus & Pita:

Download the Zoës Kitchen app
Go to the menu at the top and select “GOODIES”
Select “MY GOODIES”
Select “PROMO CODE”
Enter “goodness” (all lower case) and press “ENTER”
You will have 14 days to redeem this offer from the day you enter “goodness” into the app. December 31^st is the last day to enter the code into the app.

Hummus is one of their nutrient-dense Mediterranean-inspired signature dishes that makes a great snack or starter! Believe me, it’s a must-try! Even my hottie Hubby loved it 😀

Find your nearest Zoës Kitchen HERE and enjoy a delish and FRESH meal!

Give Yourself a Break with the KFC Family Fill-Up

December 31, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

This post is sponsored by KFC. All opinions are mine alone. #KFCFamilyFillUp

I love cooking meals for my family, I really do – but sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day. While certain things on our never-ending To-Do list can wait until later (you’d be proud how well I can postpone laundry), feeding your family a quality meal just isn’t one of those! Luckily, KFC has the ideal meal to feed your kiddos, family and friends. So Give Yourself a Break with the KFC Family Fill-Up!

My family LOVES KFC – I even worked there in high school, until I moved away for college! You know it’s good, quality food when you can work around it for years and not be sick of it 🙂 Since we’ve still got plenty of boxes to unpack from our move, paperwork for switching addresses, typical work and school stuff, we decided last weekend was the perfect time for our family to take a little break and enjoy the delish Family Fill Up, some time away from the hassle, and great family conversation!

Yup, for just $20 (plus tax) we got 8 pieces of chicken, 2 orders of mashed potatoes and gravy, 1 order of coleslaw and 4 biscuits. I’ll admit I’m a fan of the crispy chicken, but most of my family prefers the original. Either way, it’s so yummy and brings back plenty of happy memories!

The Colonel once said that “It makes me feel good that my food has helped make life a little easier for people” – and what makes life easier than taking care of mealtime for your family? And not just any random fast-food meal, but actual fresh, delicious choices that please everyone, just like a home cooked meal – but without all that time and hassle!

Not sure where your closest KFC is? Just check it out HERE to find one near you – then give yourself a break from cooking dinner tonight and let your family enjoy a fresh KFC Family Fill Up meal!

The New Kid Favorite at Smashburger

March 31, 2021 by Kelly Dedeaux

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smashburger. All opinions are mine alone. #KidsMealSmash

Guys, life is insane right now! There’s all the back-to-school with TWO new kindergartners and extremely early mornings, upcoming trips for our family/blog, and also trying to sell our house – which means constant cleaning up with 4 kids and 2 dogs. Honestly, I could cry most days! Luckily we can use it as a good excuse to go out for dinner sometimes, and let the kiddos enjoy The New Kid Favorite at Smashburger!

Hubby and I have always LOVED Smashburger – whether it’s for a date night, or hubby running to grab something delicious for lunch at work one day! We’ve never taken the kids, though, because they can be really picky when it comes to kid’s meals. With their NEW offerings, though, we knew it’d be a huge hit!

Yup, Smashburger updated their kid options with better-for-you Grilled Chicken Strips, and also a yummy side of Musselman’s Unsweetened Squeezable Apple Sauce. I have to say, the chicken strips were totally yummy (yes, I took a bite…or two) but the kids’ absolutely FAVORITE thing was the applesauce.

I felt better giving the kids the Grilled Chicken Strips because they’re 100% premium all-white meat, with no artificial flavors or fillers. Of course they had to grab some BBQ and ranch dipping sauces, plus some ketchup for the side. And since the Musselman’s Unsweetened Squeezables have no added sugar or sodium, I had no issue letting my kids choose whatever drink they wanted – Organic HONEST Kids® Juice, Horizon Milk®, or a fountain drink.

They can grab their entrée, side and drink for a total of $5.49 at Smashburger restaurants nationwide! You can find what store is nearest you here and use their handy Locations tab. I knew this new meal was a hit with my kiddos not only from the big smiles, but also because they completely downed it without us having to say ‘please eat more than that’. Win-win for this family outing – and such a tasty way to get a break from the chaos at home!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smashburger. All opinions are mine alone.