Poppin’ Good Giveaway

Yay for yummy giveaways!

Giveaway Goodies

One lucky reader will win:

• 5 bags of Pop Secret 100 Calorie Butter Popcorn
• 5 bags of Pop Secret 100 Calorie Kettle Corn Popcorn
• 5 packages of Emerald 100 Calorie Natural Almonds
• 5 packages of Emerald 100 Calorie Dry Roasted Almonds

Oh Nuts!

If you’re a nut-lover like me, these 100 calorie packs are a great way to eat only one portion of nuts, rather than handfuls and handfuls and bazillions of calories worth of the crunchy lil’ guys.

I’ve always enjoyed the 100 calorie packs of popcorn because it really seems like you get a great volume of food for a measly amount of calories. Fine by me! Also, did you know popcorn is a whole grain? It’s true, just ask the Mayo Clinic. 😀

“Whole grains are better sources of fiber and other important nutrients, such as selenium, potassium and magnesium. So whenever you can, choose whole grains over refined grains.” – Mayo Clinic

Thank you to Ann with Diamond Foods for providing me with the goods for this giveaway.

To Enter

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling me about your favorite movie theater food (healthy food options not required 🙂 ).

My favorite movie theater splurge is definitely a tub of salty and buttery popcorn. My friends Merri and Leah also told me this tip for adding some deliciousness to the popcorn: dump a bag of M& M’s in the popcorn tub, allowing them to melt all over the popcorn. Talk about a sweet and salty treat! How fantastic does that sound?

I will announce the winner tomorrow morning using the random integer generator at Random.org.

Feed Your Fingers

Also, don’t forget about the Feed Your Fingers Web site, full of fun holiday recipes and coupons!

Here’s a tasty-lookin’ recipe from the site that would make a yummy addition to any holiday party:

Popcorn Peanut Clusters

Pop Secret Homestyle and Emerald Peanut Clusters

Ingredients:

4 c. popped Pop Secret Homestyle Popcorn
2 c. Emerald Dry Roasted Peanuts
1 c. dried cranberries
11/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. unsalted butter
20 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Lightly oil a large baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, combine popped Pop Secret Homestyle Popcorn, Emerald Dry Roasted Peanuts and dried cranberries; mix well.

In a large (3-quart) saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water; bring to a boil, stirring over medium-high heat. Add butter; cook without stirring until the caramel reaches a temperature of 300 degrees, about 8 minutes. Carefully remove from heat; immediately pour over popcorn mixture. Wearing an oven mitt and using a wooden spoon, stir well to make sure that each nut and popcorn kernel is coated.

Using two metal spoons, quickly scoop out tablespoonfuls of mixture and drop onto prepared baking sheet; let cool to warm. Once they are cool enough to handle, roll them into clusters, pressing any loose peanuts into place. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a double boiler, melt the chocolate slowly until completely smooth over medium heat. Dip clusters into warm chocolate about one-third of the way up the sides. Set back on tray. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to one week.

Makes about 50 clusters.