Cocoa Munch Mix and product review

CSN stores gave me the opportunity to do a review.  On any product I wanted.  I was super excited b/c CSN has over 200 online stores with everything you can imagine, from kids stuff, coffee table, housewares, dinnerware, cookware, bakeware, - all the WARES you can think of.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  I had a good time checking everything out, but wanted to be practical (I know, boring right?!) and get something I actually needed.  My sister is rolling her eyes here I'm sure.  She would be ordering her 354th pair of shoes. haha, love ya sis.  Anyway....I really needed a good non-stick skillet.  Which we call a fryin' pan in these parts.  I have a nice set of stainless steel cookware gathering dust, but a lot of stuff STICKS.  It's probably my cooking in-expertise (made up word?).  But - me and the hubs really wanted a good pan to cook up some eggs, make a grilled cheese, you know, basic stuff.  and who knows, I might bust out and make something fancy in my new skillet.  but i doubt it.

One of the reasons I got rid of all my old non-stick pans is that they started to either warp or flake and were just pieces of crap.  There has been a lot of controversy about the safety of non-stick pans, especially once they start to wear.  If interested, you can read an article here.  So, obviously I wanted the convenience of a non-stick pan, but without it being potentially harmful to my family.  This is what I found.

Eco-Friendly Cookware...the EarthPan II with Sandflow Nonstick technology.  How cool is that?  I didn't even know there was such a thing.

It's non-stick, suitable for all kinds of stovetops, oven safe (up to 600 degrees!!), dishwasher safe....in other words, it's the bomb.  You can read more about the specifics if interested here.  As you can probably tell, I'm in love with my new fryin' pan!  So much so that I am interested in looking into their other products, and maybe getting more items.  Don't tell my husband however.  He thinks one pot, one pan, etc. is enough.  But we know, you can never have too many kitchen gadgets.  or shoes. or chocolate. 

As far as csn.com, I appreciate being given the opportunity to do a review.  Ordering was easy, shipping was fast (they even gave me a free shipping upgrade!), and my item was delivered well packaged and in good condition.  I had no complaints.  Which is unusual, since I can usually always find something to complain about!

AND totally unrelated to my new pan....a snack!!  I can't say it's a healthy snack, but it's better than some of the pre-packaged convenience snacks out there.  I have to pack lunches and snacks for my kids for school, plus after school snacks, so I'm always looking for different things to change it up a bit.  I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and just adapted it to what ingredients I had on hand.  The kids loved it (and so did I) - we love cereal at my house!

Cocoa Munch Mix adapted from allrecipes.com

4 cups Cheerios® cereal

4 cups Chex cereal (any variety) Crispix

1 cup slivered almonds

2 cups pretzels

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted   50/50 Smart Balance

1 cup raisins mixed dried fruit

1 (12 ounce) package vanilla or white chips  cup mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup mini M&M's (just some we had left!)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the cereals and almonds pretzels. In a small bowl, combine cocoa, sugar and butter. Pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely. Stir in raisins dried fruit and chips.
 
You can increase the fiber of this snack by changing up the cereals you use!


CSN.com provided me with a free product to review. No other compensation was received.