Monday, August 16, 2010

CSN Stores: Tea Kettle Review


W


hen aspects of my life are out of balance (even by a little bit) I feel it physically. I got very little sleep a couple of the last nights we were camping, and today I felt the effects. I had a terrible headache and couldn't keep my breakfast or lunch down. I started feeling better by the end of the day, and my headache is almost gone now. I spent most of the day trying to sleep my headache away and keep food down.

Breakfast was a green monster with 1 large scoop of Amazing Grass, 1 cup unsweetened Almond Breeze, 1 T almond butter, 1 frozen banana:



Lunch was a small portion of wild rice, with a half a can of tuna
(mixed with light mayo & Dijon mustard):



Since I immediately lost my breakfast and lunch after consuming them, I was very hungry by about 2:00, and had a snack of Source Vanilla yogurt with a sprinkle of chocolate chips and coconut, and 1 T PB:



This was my first time stirring PB into my yogurt, and it was great! I see why this is so popular among food bloggers. I kept this snack down - thankfully.

When my stomach is not feeling well, the best thing I can eat is soup. I had a bowl of mushroom soup with a few crackers for dinner, along with 2 egg whites with hot sauce.

Dessert this evening was a bowl of fruit:



CSN Store Review: Product Review

I have worked with the people at CSN Stores quite a few times in the past, and they recently offered to send me a Kitchen Aid Kettle to try and review. The hubby and I have never owned a kettle, but he has been bugging me to get one ... needless to say, we jumped at the opportunity. I was happy to see it waiting for me in the mail when I returned from camping.

The kettle I chose was:

KitchenAid Cookware Gourmet Essentials 2.25 Quart Soft Grip Tea Kettle in Pear





Pros:

- Ordering with CSN Stores was extremely easy

- The product was shipped in a very timely matter, and they even upgraded the shipping

- The Kettle is very visually appealing. I LOVE the colour! It comes in various other funky colours as well :-)

- The soft grip handle makes it very easy and comfortable to hold and carry to the stove when it is full of water.

- The water boiled in under 3 minutes.

- The kettle let out a audible squeal when the water was boiled - I could hear it well over the TV.

Cons:

- The unique handle is a little awkward when trying to pour from the kettle, especially for a lefty like me.

- The kettle is smaller than other models I have seen, and might not be big enough for everyone.

Overall, I love my new kettle. It is super cute!




(Honey Ginger Green Tea)

Something else came in the mail when I was gone camping ...



Yipppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I have been a reader of Caitlin's blog from the beginning, and followed her journey as she came up with the Operation Beautiful movement, got a book deal, wrote her book, and then celebrated its release. It is surreal to be reading a book and know some of the stories and people in it. Many of the people who are featured in the book I "know" from the blogging world. Caitlin called for her readers to submit their stories, and their Operation Beautiful messages, which she then compiled in the book. Looking back I wish I had shared a story or message with her - it would have been neat to have been featured in the book!

Is your story or Operation Beautiful Message in the book?

Do you use a kettle? What kind? What do you use it for the most?


The hubby and I never used a kettle before because we had a water cooler that also supplied boiling hot water. It recently broke.




21 comments:

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

i dont use a kettle, i boil in a cup in the microwave, such a rebel i am but it works :)

caitlin. ironically i dont read her blog but a comment i left on another blog got noticed by caitlin and she wrote to me asking me if she could use my comment, so i guess i am in the book. someone else told me im in it.

I wish i had gotten into her blog awhile back, just never did, and now...well, i have sooo many other blogs i love to read :)

thx for all your comments on all my posts from last week...while you were sick no less. feel better!

ElleBee said...

That kettle is really cute, love the color! I always use an electric one, never tried a stove top before.

Hope you feel better soon!

~ Diana ~ said...

I'm glad you had a fun time camping but sorry you're sick. AT least you can make tea with that new kettlepot!!! Anyways, I haven't gotten my book yet!! Let me know how it is! -mymarblerye

Simply Life said...

oooh I love the new tea kettle!

Anonymous said...

Hope you feel better soon. I remember being sick like that. In one way it wasn't bad as I'd lose weight not being able to keep things down :-)

Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman said...

I love that teapot, it's so cute! I use one all the time. I'm kind of a tea addict, so a teapot is 100 percent necessary.

Hope you're feeling better today!

Anonymous said...

I don't use a kettle, but I would if I liked tea!

Heather (Where's the Beach) said...

Sorry to hear you were feeling bad. Glad you're better now at least. I do use a kettle, it's just a silver colored one I found at Bed Bath & Beyond. Nothing fancy. We use it for tea mostly.

Unknown said...

my story is in the book.

and that kettle is sooo cute!!!

hope your stomach has calmed down a bit, thinking of you!

love love love
becca xo

Kat said...

So jealous of the kettle!! I actually wanted one, but I really dont have any room in my kitchen lol

Christina said...

i don't use a kettle bc i don't drink tea that often, but darn it i love the color of that one! so cute!

Madeline - Greens and Jeans said...

That kettle is so cute! I have an electric one that I use constantly! I actually have one at home and another at work...

Kacy said...

I've never used a kettle, but I don't really like tea.

Sorry you weren't feeling well, I hope you're better today.

Kelsey Ann said...

i have the same type of stove as you and i didnt realize a kettle would work on the flat surface (only really thought of the coil or gas stoves) but now that ive seen this im so happy! ive always wanted one similar!! <3

Lisa's Yarns said...

Thanks for the comments on my blog - I am FINALLY getting aroudn to checking your blog out!

Sorry to hear you didn't keep your breakfast/lunch down... This morning I have been feeling a bit nauseated and worried that might happen to me! Yikes... not a good feeling since my desk is SO far from the bathroom at work....

I have yet to find a tea that I really like so I do use a kettle. I think I have one that came in one of those 'kitchen's in a box' packages that you can get at Target during back-to-school season, but I don't even know where it is... so I wondering if I tossed it during one of my 'purges' when cleaning/trying to get rid of stuff I don't use... or maybe I donated it to charity? Hmmm...

Amber said...

I am planning on buying her book this week! Can't wait to read it!

That kettle is so freaking cute. I haven't been drinking tea very much lately but I drink it A LOT in the fall/winter :)

tanyas daily said...

I have a kettle...for looks only
I always microwave my water..lazy

BusyB said...

I can see how camping can make ya sick lol! glad to hear your holding stuff down now : ) I WOULD love that kettle it matches my kitchen (Well what i got done with it so far at least) great pics!

Anonymous said...

hope you are feeling better today lady!

my kettle is a similar color to yours. i got it at target a few years back. i don't use it often but like the punch of color it gives my kitchen :)

Mom on the Run said...

I hope you feel better! Being sick in the summer is no good!

That tea kettle is so cute. I have to agree that the color is fantastic. CSN is a great place.

Alisa said...

I love that you did a tea kettle review! I'm a definite tea-aholic. We switched to an electric kettle many years ago because my husband and I simply power through way too much hot water in a day. It was just quicker and more efficient.