This contest is over.  The winner is Michelle. Congrats!

Every so often a product comes out that I seriously don’t know how I lived without it.  The SmartShopper is that product for me.  I can’t tell you how many times I have been working on a shopping list to have it disappear to who knows where.  Then I have to restart my list, and I have no idea what was on there.  I also have had my list walk off with little children who are trying to help (even though they don’t know how to read and write).  Now, if you have kids, you all know what I am talking about.  However, the SmartShopper really is my answer to this.  The SmartShopper is an automated grocery organizer that allows you to add items to your shopping list by simply speaking into it. Yes, it is seriously that easy. You can edit and customize your SmartShopper using the easy-to-read LED display, and SmartShopper will automatically sort your items alphabetically. Now, there are 2,500 things already listed in here that are categorized. There is going to be something you need that isn’t listed. No problem. You can easily add your custom entries. The best part: when you are ready to go grocery shopping, hit the button that says print. It will print you your list printed out into categories!  You have no idea how much time this saves me.  I use to make my list and then rewrite it that way!  You can also wall mount this or stick it on your refrigerator (which is what I did).  I literally just walk around the kitchen and figure out what we need.  I hit record, say the item, select the item it thinks I said, and then repeat. That’s it! Now, if you are interested in purchasing a SmartShopper can use the exclusive code LM12398 until December 31 to receive $5 off your order. Also, all orders placed between now and December 31 will receive free ground shipping (although be sure to order before December 18, if you want the SmartShopper by Christmas).

Now, if you’d like to win one of these for yourself (or someone else), here’s what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post. I want to know what feature the SmartShopper has that you love.
2. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify.
3. Stumble this post. If you don’t know what Stumble Upon is, please read Lori’s post at Blogging Cents. She explains it extremely well.
4. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc.

For 5 additional entries,

1. Blog about this on your blog. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2. Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4. Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href="http://lisacooking.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad.png" border="0" alt="Lisa Cooking" /></a>

Good luck! This contest will end December 16, 2008 at 8:00 PM CST and is for US residents only.

For those of you who don’t know, I love chocolate.  I often like to post about chocolate.  I recently found out that chocolate is actually good for me.  Did you know . . . .

6 squares of dark organic chocolate taken at one time with a glass of red wine monthly helps with anti wrinkle assistance or

4 squares of organic milk chocolate 4-5 times a week helps with osteoporosis or

4 squares of dark organic chocolate helps with memory loss?

To quote the site:

The Chocolate Therapist also includes a brief history of chocolate, instructions on “how to eat chocolate properly,” chocolate recipes, an appendix with information on the glycemic index and weight loss, websites on where to find healthy chocolate, sugar-free chocolate, Gelt chocolate, international chocolates and much more. By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll be happier, healthier and eating chocolate guilt free every day.

Now, this makes the perfect Christmas gift for any chocolate lover you know (including yourself), because not only do you get The Chocolate Therapist Book, but you get the chocolate too (and the chocolate is excellent)!  Who can resist that?  I love the next time someone asks why I am eating chocolate, I can show them the studies showing how good it is for me and hopefully whip out some of the chocolate trivia I have learned (like did you know that the higher quality of chocolate, the louder it snaps when you break it?).

I love popcorn.  It actually ranks up there for one of my favorite snacks of all time.  I would have to say that my favorite kind of popcorn has to be caramel corn.  Now, I don’t think I’ve ever given popcorn as a gift, but I have gotten it as a gift.  As long as there is caramel corn in the tin, I am a happy camper.

If you are looking for a great holiday gift for the person who has everything, I recommend checking out The Popcorn Factory.  They have gifts for every occasion — new baby, Sweetest Day, your favorite football team, your favorite baseball team, and snack for students — just to name a few.  The designed tins they have are awesome.  Since Halloween is just a couple weeks away, I thought I’d include a picture of a Halloween tin.  They only use the highest quality ingredients — 100% corn oil, real butter, and genuine cheddar cheese. They have 18 different flavors, so there is definitely something for everyone. If you are not sure what flavor you would like, you can even order a sampler pack!  Also, if you find a flavor you absolutely love, you can order refills too!  If you are feeling especially adventurous, you can even get their flavor of the month.

If you are a popcorn fan or know someone who it is, go check out The Popcorn Family.  I am getting hungry just looking at all this yummy popcorn.

Jason’s Deli is available nationwide. However, this review is being done on the Jason’s Deli in Oak Lawn, IL. (This review is also being posted over at My Road Less Traveled By.)

I went with my two kids on a Thursday night about 6 pm by myself. (Needless to say, my hands were full). I found that staff there the most helpful. When you walk into the door, there is someone there to greet you and let you know how this all works (since this was my first visit, I was pretty clueless). She got me a highchair for Will (my one year old), so I didn’t have to hold him while we were standing there trying to figure out what we wanted. The high chair had wheels, so I was able to roll him around quite easily and get him where we needed to go. I was able to take a menu, sit down with the kids, decide what we wanted, and get back into line, so we could order (which is what I did). Ordering was painless. After you order, they give you a number and your drinks, so you can go sit down. They then bring your food to you when it is done. The restaurant is a very open concept. You can see where they make the food. Another thing that impressed me was that the apples and apple juice that I ordered with the kids meals were organic. Also, everything that they serve is free of artificial trans fats and MSG! I personally found the prices quite reasonable. Granted, it would have been cheaper to take the kids to McDonalds, but we would have been hungry an hour later (and this was not all that more expensive either! Maybe a couple of dollars is it!) They have an excellent kids menu too! If you can’t find something for your little one off their kids menu, they are too picky. They even have a dessert menu! Madison (my 4 year old) wanted an ice cream cone, but since she didn’t finish her food, she didn’t get one, so I can’t comment on how good their ice cream is. Our food came quickly and it was good. The sandwiches were much bigger than I expected! There was always somebody walking around cleaning off tables or checking on how you were doing, so you could definitely get help when needed (for example, 2 napkins just doesn’t cut it when you have 3 people and 2 of the 3 are under 5!). I easily was able to get more napkins for us.

The food was great (and healthy!). The service was great! Jason’s Deli also has a blog which makes them stand out even more for me! If you are looking for a great alternative for fast food, you definitely need to check out Jason’s Deli. It is a five star place in my book!