Food & Cooking Archives - Page 10 of 12

Make blueberries part of your little changes to start the New Year off right

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. I received a stipend to facilitate my purchase for my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.My family loves blueberries. Blueberries in baked goods, blueberries in smoothies, blueberries on dessert, or blueberries by the handful… as long as its blueberries, they are happy. In fact, my son {who is a notoriously picky eater} decided a few months ago that he would like his nickname to be “blueberry Bubs” in honor of his favorite berry.

It all started this past summer when we spent a few hours blueberry picking and eating our fill in the field {yes, eating the berries was allowed as long as you were buying some as well}, and we came home with a huge flat of the most amazing blueberries I have ever tried. However, we made the mistake of leaving that flat of blueberries out on the counter and my son basically ended up eating half of our haul by sneaking a handful every time he walked past until we realized it and then we put them away.

Dine at home with Foster Farms

It wasn’t that long ago that I thought all frozen chicken you could buy at a store was more or less the same. Dip those suckers in ranch and the kids will eat them up, so why bother shopping around? Just grab whatever is on sale and call it good.

But then I decided to give Foster Farms Crispy Strips a try, and I realized that there actually was something to the “amazing chicken” as they claim in their recent ad campaigns. You know the ones that feature chickens clucking along to the catchiest songs known to man? Not surprisingly, my kiddos are seriously obsessed with these commercials, so I’ve been forced to watch these more times than I care to admit, sometimes on repeat.

HoneyBaked Ham is the Christmas gift you give yourself

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. It has nothing to do with presents, or even the tree or decorations, it has to do with how festive and fun everything is. Our family tradition is to fit in as many holiday-themed activities as we possibly can, including tree lightings, holidays in downtown Seattle and Portland, and almost a dozen holiday gatherings, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for being in the kitchen cooking.

Of course, we can’t not eat for all of our many {many} Christmas gatherings, which leaves my secret tradition: running to the grocery store last minute to pick up overpriced and subpar platters to serve. Or, at least that was my tradition. Now, I have HoneyBaked Ham to make my holidays truly merry, and a whole lot less stressful when we’re running from event to event and needing to bring and serve food. As well as the most delicious ham anywhere, they also carry turkey {smoked or roasted}, all the sides you could possibly want, and even pies, rolls, and other add-ons to make your meal amazing.

Thank goodness for HoneyBaked Ham this Thanksgiving

By now you probably know how much I love HoneyBaked Ham and how it made me into a ham-lover after 3 decades of turning the stuff away. These days I’m always looking for another reason to visit the store near me and load up on their ham and turkey, and the fact that Thanksgiving is … Read more

All the reasons I love the Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System

Fall is by far my favorite season. It’s still hot enough here in the Pacific Northwest to wear skirts and sandals some days, but then it’s boots and sweaters the next, all under the gorgeous backdrop of changing leaves and fall colors. Just look at my happy harvester, collecting vegetables for the week. The one thing that isn’t awesome? Meal planning. With unpredictable weather and high temperatures nearly every afternoon, it makes it hard to plan what kind of meals to make that won’t leave the house sweltering at the end of the day.

When a friend suggested I try slow cooking instead of heating up the oven and making our house unbearably hot, I couldn’t believe how brilliant she was. It turns out I can still have the hearty meals I’ve been pinning, but without making us all miserable by simply using an appliance I typically reserve for winter meals.

Hello, Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System!

5 simple ways to pretend it’s fall… wherever you live

Is it still shorts and flip flop season where you live? Trust me, I feel your pain! Even in the Pacific Northwest, which is known for its gorgeous and crisp falls, it is still feeling very summery despite a few sprinkles here and there. There’s no color in the trees, it’s definitely not sweater weather, and the last thing I want most days is a hot beverage.

But, you see, I adore fall. I long for autumn almost as soon as summer begins and visions of this kind of weather keep me happy even during the hottest days of the year.

Back to school lunches made easy with goodnessknows

Do your mornings look a little like this these days? A whole lot of washing, chopping, preparing, and packaging for on-the-go has been happening around here lately.I feel like I’m constantly thinking lunch now that school is back in, and searching for clever ways to pack up all the food groups in a way that will actually be eaten. And, even though it’s only the third week in, I’m already running out of creativity.

Sure, some days I have all this energy and feel like making special bento boxes for everyone with cut up fruits, cheeses, and vegetables. But, some days I feel like a sandwich with a yogurt cup and carrots is good enough. For those days, I try and plan ahead and have something fun I can throw into the lunch boxes to add a little excitement without having to spend hours making it happen. Thank goodness for goodnessknows snack squares that are easy to pack, perfect for picky kids, and are a big crowd pleaser for kids and adults. Anyone who has tried these delicious snack squares know how amazing they are. But, if you haven’t tried them before, you are probably wondering what makes them this good.

Cheesy Broccoli Pasta recipe

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.When I was little, I loved helping my grandma cook and I would help her measure, stir, and taste test whatever we were cooking for our family. Aside from actual cooking, I vividly remember one of my main jobs was to carefully remove all the Campbell's Labels for Education so I could add them to her stack she collected in her kitchen drawer.

At the end of every visit, she would place that thick bundle of labels in my hand so I could take them to my elementary school that was saving them to earn much needed playground equipment. When I returned to school next, I remember taking that huge bundle of labels secured tightly with a rubber band, setting it on my teacher's desk, and hearing an audible gasp from every table at the sheer number of labels I had collected.

From soup, cereal, and snacks to dairy products, beverages, and school supplies, there are over 2,500 items that can earn points for your school and I've been saving Campbell's labels ever since I was little. Before I had kids, I would give them to my nieces and nephews, but now that I have kids, I have my own helpers in the kitchen whose job it is to remove those labels, clip them, and then collect them in our little tin canister on our counter to take to their own schools.

Indulge your inner gourmet with the new Samsung Chef Collection

When we bought all of our home appliances back in 2006, we thought we knew what we were looking for. We had researched options, talked to people about their major appliances and what they liked and didn’t, and we agreed on the basics of what we didn’t want. But, we hadn’t moved into our home yet and we didn’t know some very important things about the house that would have been great to know when shopping for those big appliances.

I wish we had considered how hard it would be to get by the fridge if the doors were open, ovens that were better suited to baking, and how loud the dishwasher would be in our open concept and wood floor living space.

We need your help to give kids a Childlike Summer

I partnered with The Motherhood and ConAgra Foods to help spread the word about a Hunger Free Summer, but all opinions are my own. I know I’ve said it before, but I love summer. The past few weeks have been a blur of playdates, farmer’s markets, library visits, and playing at our local parks. But, even with all this fun we’re having, I never forget how lucky we are.

Lucky because even though money is always a little tight with only one steady income, we never worry about whether we will go hungry. We have a well-stocked fridge and pantry, a small neighborhood co-op of small urban gardens that can provide anything we couldn’t afford otherwise at the grocery store, and we are able to give what we can to those less fortunate.

All kids deserve to have a Childlike Summer in which they don’t worry where the next meal will come from. If we all do our part and give what we can {whether it’s time, energy, money, food donations, or even simply watching this video below}, we really can make a difference for the children in our communities.

Simply view this video to find out more about child hunger this summer. Or, better yet, share the video so your friends can watch/share/like it as well. For each of these actions, the ConAgra Foods Foundation will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America, up to two million meals*.