Anthony’s Whole Grain Pasta: Review and Cuisinart Giveaway

August 31, 2013June 13, 2011 by Bridgette

My son is a moose. No, really…..I say that with love. Born two weeks early at a whopping 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and 22 1/2 inches long, he has always been off the charts. Now, at age 9, he is one of the tallest in his grade level and has consistently been in the 99th percentile for height and weight. He gets it honestly…my husband is 6’3. With his size comes the tendency to eat like a human garbage disposal. Luckily, he’s very active in sports and likes to be outside, so he’s still considered a healthy weight for his height. But, I still keep a close eye on what my kids eat and try to make easy, healthy substitutes when I can to make sure we don’t end up “off the charts” in a bad way!

When I was asked to do a review of Anthony’s Whole Grain Pasta, I thought this would be a great experiment. Although I have made many minor changes to our diets in my household over the years, pasta is something I honestly didn’t change. My kids love spaghetti, macaroni, and lots of other things with pasta, but I have just not bothered to change from my white-flour, regular products. Anthony’s sent me a variety of their whole grain products to try out.

Why whole grain? From the website: “Thanks to innovative technology, Anthony’s has introduced the first of its kind 100% Whole Grain Pasta that combines the health benefits of 100% whole grain with amazing taste and texture not yet seen on the market. Durum whole wheat flour is the only ingredient listed on the package. Think about that. Not many packaged products have just one simple, wholesome ingredient. Anthony’s 100% Whole Grain Pasta is high in fiber, all natural and heart healthy. (Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.)”

I decided to test out the macaroni in my kid’s favorite mac and cheese recipe one night at dinner. I didn’t say anything about the experiment, as my daughter can be super picky and prone to not eating anything she doesn’t think is the “real deal.” The pasta cooked evenly, and the texture was exactly like my regular pasta that I’ve always used. But the real proof is in the pudding, right? I fixed the kids’ plates and waited to see what would happen……

Both kids ate every bite of their macaroni and didn’t even notice I had swapped the noodles for a healthier version! I was glad to see that they both ate without complaint, and even more glad that this mac and cheese version was healthier for their hearts (ours, too) provided them with 100% whole grain, and plenty of fiber as well. Because this swap was SO incredibly easy, I will continue to purchase Anthony’s whole grain products for any pasta meals we prepare in the future. Be sure to “like” Anthony’s on Facebook and receive a $1.00 off coupon so you can try it out as well.

GIVEAWAY

Ready to get healthier in your house? One lucky reader will win a Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless Steel 4-Piece 12-Quart Pasta/Steamer Set and 4 boxes of Anthony’s 100% Whole Grain Pasta!

How to Enter:

1. Tell me one recipe you would love to try on Anthony’s website!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Anthony’s Pasta (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Anthony’s Pasta on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on June 30th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.