*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine. Before you know it, September will be right around the corner and it will be time to start thinking about preparing back to school lunches and after school snacks. Hormel Foods is launching their new product called Hormel® REV® wraps just in time for wherever life takes you this Fall. This busy Mom-on-the-go understands the importance of having quick and easy to prepare foods that will satisfy my family's hunger and taste great at the same time. These wraps are protein-rich and provide your hungry family with the energy that they will need to take them through their busy days. Also, they are made with real meat and cheese which means that they are a good source of calcium and fiber. I personally love that they are really convenient to prepare and can be eaten hot or cold. They are extremely portable and can be hand-held while eaten which makes them great for eating … [Read more...]
Satisfy Your Hunger With New Hormel® REV® Wraps! #HormelFamily #Sponsored
Learn How To Cook And Serve Meat And Poultry! #HormelFamily #Ad
*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine. Today's meat has a variety of exciting choices. You can probably find more than 100 different cuts of meat in your grocer's meat case during any of your shopping trips and more than 1,000 names for those cuts if you travel across the United States. The problem is that there are specific ways to prepare different kinds of meats and many people don't know what to do with them once they take them home. Personally, I always have problems preparing meat because I never know how long I should cook it or how to get the best flavors out of it during the cooking process. Luckily, Hormel Foods Test Kitchen director, Joan Hanson has come up with a tip sheet of information that you can use to prepare different types of meats. In order to ensure accuracy, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meat that you are preparing in order to … [Read more...]
Easy Meals For Today’s On The Go Moms! #HormelFamily
*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hormel. All opinions are 100% mine. Lunch can definitely be a struggle, especially when you are juggling a million things all at once like I usually am. Half the time, I end up working right through my lunch break when I am at work because I just don't have the time to eat. I realize that this is not the healthiest option but I am honestly swamped with paperwork most of the time. Thank goodness, Hormel has taken into consideration the needs of busy on-the-go moms like me who are looking for convenient and healthy foods that are rich in protein and will give us energy throughout the day. Hormel Compleats cheesy pasta varieties are ready to eat in just 60 seconds. Now, that is the kind of delicious and quick meal that I like! These meals are microwaveable and fit perfectly into my busy life because I can prepare them easily and they taste great so I don't have to compromise flavor. They are made with real cheese … [Read more...]
Handling Ham For Spring Meals #HormelFamily
Spring is definitely in the air and you can notice it in the recent warm weather days throughout the Tri-state Metropolitan area. There is nothing like a home-cooked meal to keep everyone happy as you prepare to gather together all of your family and friends for your large group gatherings to celebrate special events during the spring. Ham is an extremely versatile and delicious protein that can be added to the menu for any special occasion. In order to help you plan a successful menu which includes ham for one of your next events, Curemaster Brian Hendrickson has some important tips for adding Hormel® Cure 81® ham to your meal: Know your Numbers: When purchasing ham for a large crowd, such as a graduation dinner, count the number of guests scheduled to attend. It’s a good idea to get about a pound of ham for every 3-4 people. Don’t forget to estimate a little extra for unexpected guests, and everyone’s favorite- leftovers! As Simple as Heat & Serve: Hams are … [Read more...]
Plan A Romantic Date In! #HormelFamily
Whenever I want to spend some romantic time alone with my husband, we make plans to go out somewhere and always include going to eat at a restaurant as part of the date. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between because of the busy lives that we lead as parents. Since it's always so difficult to get some of that one-on-one time together, it's important to make the best of the time that we do get to spend as a couple. One way to spend some very romantic time together is to prepare a meal at home and stay in. By staying in, you eliminate some of the frustrating factors that keep married couples with kids from being able to have dates that often. You won't have to worry about fitting going to a pricey restaurant into your meal budget because you can plan a delicious and creative meal with even limited finances. Also, there isn't the added concern of finding a restaurant that is kid-friendly and can accommodate your children. Let's face it, some of us just don't … [Read more...]
Make A Pizza With Your Children! #HormelFamily
October was National Pizza Month and us New Yorkers sure know a thing or to about making and eating pizza! It was first observed in the United States in 1984 by Gerry Durnell, the founder of Pizza Today magazine. He chose this month to pay homage to this favorite American food because this was the month that his magazine published their first issue. According to Pizza.com there are an estimated 63,000 pizzerias located throughout the U.S. This translates into 94% of all Americans eating pizza at least once a month. Many families enjoy preparing pizza right at home and this is a great opportunity and excuse to involve your kids in preparing a meal that the whole family will love. Cooking with your children is a great way to take advantage of a "teachable moment." You can use this time to discuss your family history or to share traditional family recipes with your them. Cooking also helps you teach your kids about proper kitchen safety and handling of cooking tools. … [Read more...]
Celebrate Autumn By Pairing New Veggie And Meat Dishes! #HormelFamily
Now that Fall is upon us, it is time to make the transition from preparing warm weather meals to foods that are now in season with the winter months ahead of us. Sometimes, pairing your meat dishes with seasonal vegetables can seem like a daunting task. September and October are great months to experiment with seasonal root vegetables. The new cool weather conditions are ideal for the growth of such veggies as broccoli, squash and cauliflower. It is important to keep a few things in mind when pairing meats and seasonal veggies. Here are some tips for planning and preparing seasonal meals for your family: * Root vegetables gain some sweetness when they are roasted and taste delicious with pork. One option is to pair a Hormel Always Tender roast flavored pork roast with carrots or a sweet potato as a tasty side. * Vegetables can be paired with different meats for slow cook dishes in the form of soups, stews, chili, and more. You can try mixing Herb-Ox chicken or beef … [Read more...]
Grocery Shopping 101-New Vacation Grocery Shopping Habits #HormelFamily
Now that school is out and we are on vacation for the whole Summer, it is easy to go grocery shopping and make impulse buys in order to prepare easy and convenient meals and get back to having fun outdoors. Unfortunately, these impulse purchases are not always the healthiest choices for our family. As a result, I have challenged myself to create a new plan of attack for my trips to the grocery store. In order to make our grocery shopping trips more meaningful and health-conscious, we have devised a plan to make sure that we choose items that will be beneficial to our diet as opposed to being unhealthy for us. Making a list of items beforehand and sticking to it is a great way to make sure that we only pick up the groceries that we need to prepare the meals that have been planned for in advance. We almost never make lists and have found that this causes us to wander around the store haphazardly picking up items that we think we might need. We actually sat together as a … [Read more...]
Host A Summer Olympics Watch Party With Hormel©! #HormelFamily
Many of us would love to catch a plane to London this summer to attend the Summer Olympics. Unfortunately, the reality is that the majority of us will probably end up watching all the excitement of the Olympics from our living rooms. Watching the competition of this historical event is already exciting as it is but it can become even more memorable if you incorporate your own games and yummy snacks into a viewing party. Decorating for your party is a no brainer because you want to demonstrate your patriotism by adopting a red, white, and blue theme. You can even make it a multicultural event by including flags that represent the countries of your guests as part of the decor. This is a great way of getting into the true spirit of the Olympics which is one of international brotherhood. Take advantage of the commercial breaks to engage your guests in a series of Olympic Games of your own! You can take these games outdoors to take full advantage of the gorgeous summer … [Read more...]
Hormel Foods-Enjoying April Showers! #HormelFamily
This month has been just like any typical April with some deceiving weather and some nice and sunny days and some not so sunny days. Despite some of the bad weather, it is important to have some fun and engaging activities to enjoy indoors. Some people enjoy experimenting with new recipes when it is cold and rainy outside. I've never been a gourmet chef, by any means, so I always enjoy checking out recipes in cookbooks that look like I could possibly prepare the meals successfully. I also really enjoy hitting the grocery store and looking out for some new products to try. Luckily, our local grocery store always keeps all of our favorite foods on hand to help us stock up during a rainy day. This month, I made a trip to pick up some items in order to cook up something new and tasty for my family. One of my favorite Hormel foods is Dinty Moore Beef Stew. It is absolutely delicious and it is so easy to pair with just about any meal. We like to pour it over white … [Read more...]