Hormel Rev Wraps Review

Your teen need a pick me up before a ball game or sports event or just a sustained boost of energy for the day?  They're made with real meat and cheese and provide at least 15 grams of protein per wrap!  This quick boost of protein helps kids (and parents too) sustain energy throughout the day or for a big game, 

They're available in eight flavors: pepperoni pizza, ham & cheese, peppered turkey, meat lovers pizza, Italian style ham, hot pepper ham, Italian style and spicy Italian style.  You can find them in the meat case at your local grocery store.

I got the pepperoni pizza flavor for my son.  They come in nice little single-serve packages, so I tossed him one on his way out to basketball practice.  He wasn't too keen on the parmesan cheese taste, but said it was an okay snack.  My teen daughter also tried it and said it wasn't bad for pre-packaged food (I think I've spoiled them with mostly homemade food).  These little guys do cost a bit more than I generally like to spend for a single-serve snack, about $2.79/ea, if I remember correctly.  But for a snack that's healthy with real meat and cheese, it's a fairly good deal for pre-made items.

My son doesn't love it when I photograph him for reviews....as you can see by the grumpy look on his face!

 

Kroger Deli Fried Chicken Review

 

Looking for a quick and easy meal for the family but don't want to eat fast food or frozen meals?  Kroger's deli has always been my go-to place for inexpensive and delicious meal ideas.  I normally get the rotisserie chicken and some of the sides like baked beans and coleslaw, but  this time we tried out the deli fried chicken.  I wasn't overly impressed with the taste or texture of the fried chicken.  It may be that the chicken was old or that we have an hour drive home from the grocery store, but the outside was mushy and didn't have a lot of seasoning to it.  The breasts were dry, but the wings and thighs were juicy.  It seems like a lot of money to get this little 8 pc fried chicken for almost $8 when I can get a whole rotisserie chicken for about $5-6.

We did really love the Kroger brand Mesquite BBQ kettle chips...those were gone within no time!  The flavoring is perfect and has just enough umph to it.  The kettle cooked chips were also a great departure from your standard light and greasy potato chip.  I'll definitely be buying these chips again!

Kroger: Indulgence Without All the Guilt! ~ A Review

I am a sucker for frozen treats.  I love ice cream, popsicles, smoothies, ice cream sandwiches.....you name it, I probably like it.  However, I don't love all the extra fluff it gives me around the mid section when I indulge in a frozen treat each night.  A while back I posted about the awesome Kroger Fruit Bars I found and have been buying them for the family regularly.

I was excited to hear about a new line of treats that are both yummy and calorie friendly.  I decided to try Kroger's Yogurt Smoothie Bars because I'm always looking for a yummy smoothie that's easy on the wallet AND on the hips.  I also don't want to have to worry about my kids having unhealthy selections for dessert.  The yogurt smoothie bars came in strawberry banana and triple berry flavor.  I chose to go with the triple berry, at just 100 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat per bar.



Everyone in the family loved these treats, teens and adults alike.  They're super creamy with just the perfect balance of sweetness to tartness.  The small portion size was a little disappointing, but that's the way most products are going lately. I'm looking forward to buying the Strawberry Banana flavor next.  I can't bring myself to pay $5 or so for 6 bars of the Skinny Cow or Weight Watcher's yogurt bars, but these were very reasonably priced and worth the money.

Mrs. T's Pierogies Review

I am always on the lookout for a quality side dish that my kids will love as much as hubby and I do.  Sometimes it is difficult to find something new that's acceptable to kids and adults.  I do believe I have found a new stand-by for my dinner side dishes.....Mrs. T's Pierogies.  I had never heard of a pierogie before and had never given this product a second glance in the store.  When I was offered the chance to try them, I thought it was a great opportunity to either find a new favorite or mark something off of the 'need to try' list.

I chose the Potato & 4 Cheese Blend Mini Pierogies.  They were super easy to cook and so versatile that you could either serve them as a side dish prepared as is or as a part of a main dish when combined with onion, garlic, and veggies.  I decided to serve it as a side dish, but with a little personality.  I decided to saute them in a little olive oil, garlic, and onion.  Wow....I never expected a frozen potato & pasta side dish to taste so wonderful!  My teenage son love them, my hubby loved them, and I loved the taste and ease of preparation.

 

To prepare, you can boil, saute, or bake.  They went from freezer to table in under 10 minutes using the saute method.  I highly recommend these cute little pockets for a side dish to your next meal.  They can be found in the freezer section of your grocery store.

Kroger Spring Dinner: Make it a Family Meal with Kroger

 

I love Kroger store brand products.  I have found that Kroger hamburger, frozen veggies, and frozen novelty items are just as good as the name brand but without the high cost.  The only Kroger brand item that I've ever bought and returned was their tropical trail mix.  Last night, we decided to try a few new things from Kroger for dinner.  I tried their pork tenderloin and frozen lima beans and then finished it off with Kroger cake mix and frosting.

I found this awesome recipe on AllRecipes.com and decided it was a perfect fit for what I had planned.  Then, I broiled some of my homemade wheat bread that I brushed with olive oil, basil and garlic slices.  Hubby and kids were so excited to try this pork dish that I didn't have time to take a picture of the final product before it was in their mouths!  Sorry that you didn't get to see it as a finished product, but believe me it was super yummy and tender.  The Kroger pork tenderloin had a perfect layer of fat on the one side and was extremely moist and delicious.  I only made half of the tenderloin last night and tonight I plan on roasting the other half with some salt, pepper, and garlic on top.  I bet the fat layer is going to create a magnificent moist roast.

I made the Kroger homestyle mashed potatoes with a little bit of garlic salt and whipped in a little Kroger greek yogurt for a bit of extra creaminess.  It was superb and better than I ever expected pre-cooked mashed potatoes to be!

No dinner can be complete without a nice dessert.  While the pork was marinating, I whipped up this Kroger Butter Recipe cake mix and when it cooled, topped it with Kroger vanilla frosting.  I followed the instructions on the cake mix to a tee and am sure glad I did because the outcome was a seriously moist and fluffy cake!  I thought beating it with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for 4 minutes on medium was going a little far, but the consistency of the batter after that was like a light and fluffy mousse.  My daughter and hubby scarfed up the cake and asked for seconds immediately!

Do you love Kroger brand products as much as I do?  They're a great way to save money while still getting a quality product.  Best of all, they even send you coupons for their store brands if you've signed up with them at Kroger.com.

Kroger Good For You CARBmaster & Greek Yogurts Review

As with most families, our household is trying to eat better on a budget.  It gets pretty difficult to eat healthy without spending a ton of money, but the hardest part is getting the kids on board with new and healthier alternatives.  That's where Kroger brands have always come in for us.  I recently tried the new CARBmaster line, as well as their Greek Yogurt line of products.  Yogurt is such a great alternative to ice cream and other frozen treats.  Yogurt has so many health benefits for kids and adults and can be frozen to make creamy treats on a hot summer day!

Our family drinks a ton of milk, but sometimes the amount of sugars you find in milk are unnecessary in your diet.  Kroger has a new line of dairy products called CARBmaster.  I tried the milk and the key lime yogurt.  I have to admit, I was extremely skeptical about the milk.  Milk is one of those things that I don't like alternatives of and think that most brands end up tasting like cardboard when they get rid of the sugar or fats.  I was really surprised and pleased the first time I tried the milk.  I used it first in cereal (mostly because I was scared to just drink it straight) and honestly couldn't tell the difference in taste from my regular skim milk.  Next, I used it in a recipe to see if the texture and content would hold up to baking.  Again, it did remarkably well and there was no creepy aftertaste.  It was only then that I could finally trust it enough to drink straight up.  I could hardly tell the difference from skim milk.  The only thing I could even place as different is that it had a slightly less sweet taste, but the difference is so minimal that I would have never known about it had I not known what I was drinking.  One word of caution though....it does have a higher cholesterol content than skim milk, so if you're having cholesterol issues, you may need to talk with your doctor before switching.

My daughter tried the CARBmaster key lime yogurt and said it tasted pretty much like the other major brands, but with a slightly less sweet taste.  I don't think she prefers the CARBmaster yogurt, but she said she'd definitely eat it with no problems if that's what we had in the house.

My husband tried the Greek mixed berry yogurt and the Greek Light blueberry yogurt and really liked them both.  They were very thick and creamy and tasted great as a spread on fruit too.  I definitely like that the Kroger brand Greek Light yogurts taste as good as the national brands, but with a much lower cost.

Simple Truth Products from Kroger Family!

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to give my family healthy, organic products that are affordable and taste good!  I can't pay 2-3 times as much for a product just because it's organic, and my kids won't eat most of those products anyway because they taste bad.  So.....when I found Simple Truth products from the Kroger family brand, I have to admit I was a little skeptical.

We tried a variety of Simple Truth items and didn't find a single one of them to be substandard or with a taste sub par from their name brand (and bad-for-you) counter-part!  I have to say, we were all pleasantly surprised at the awesome taste of everything we tried and I was happy that the cost wasn't way above the other non-organic products.  My kids tried the Simple Truth energy bar in peanut butter and chocolate and really liked it....they were even fighting on who got the last piece of it.  My daughter said it tasted like a cross between an energy bar and a chewy granola bar.  My husband tried the Simple Truth soda and really liked it as an alternative to sugary sodas that are filled with chemicals you can't name.

Both my hubby and I tried the Simple Truth Sweet Potato Chips and loved them as a great alternative to sodium filled alternatives like chips and crackers that we normally eat.  They weren't overbearing and overly salty....it was just the perfect balance of sweet and salty.  The whole family tried the Simple Truth Chocolate Almond Milk and thought it tasted just like a YooHoo (which they all love).  I thought it was delightful and tasted like a yummy, creamy chocolate milk.

I'm definitely sold on Simple Truth products and can't wait to try out the frozen berries in a smoothie and their pasta for dinner one night!

"Fried" Apples - A Great Fall Recipe

I posted earlier about canning apples, and it might seem that I'm an apple fanatic, given I posted that and a photo of my apples yesterday in my camera comparison, but I promise.....I'm not some sort of apple freak.  I like that apples are healthy, inexpensive in the fall, and the things you can do with them are seemingly endless.

I make unsweetened applesauce and can it to use in recipes in place of vegetable oil.  You can't really substitute applesauce for oil on a flat one-for-one basis...you have to balance the fat and liquid content too.  Here's a good resource that I found for getting that balance right.  I also like to make apple butter for my family and for gifts, cinnamon applesauce, apple bread and muffins, and various forms of an apple side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  While my first attempt at canning apples (link above) was pretty good, I really think I need to add more sugar to the syrup mixture and compress the apples in the jar more so I don't get quite as much syrup in each jar.

One of my family's all time favorite side dishes is what I call fried apples.  I don't really have a "recipe" per se, I just kind of wing it.

For about 2 cups cooked (which would feed at least 6-8), do the following:

• Peel, core and slice 12 apples - I use golden delicious - and place in a plastic bag or large bowl.
• Sprinkle with sugar - I would guess I use a couple tablespoons, but depends on the sweetness I'm looking for and how many apples I am using.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon - again, to your taste, but I would guess I use 1-1.5 tsp.
• Sprinkle with ground nutmeg and ground cloves - I just give a couple of good shakes.
• Mix well so all the apples are coated.
• Add to a large saute pan (can melt a couple pats of butter if you want a richer texture) and cook for a few minutes on med-high, mixing constantly.
• After a couple minutes, I like to turn my stove off and cover the pan and let set for a few more minutes to soften up further and make a nice syrup with the condensation.

As you can see, this recipe is so versatile and customizable to your own preferences.  You can cook less to have crisper apples or more to have soft ones.

With my Victorio apple peeler and my Pampered Chef apple corer/wedger, I can make this side dish up in just a few minutes!

Simply Potatoes Review & Giveaway- ends 11/27

Photo credit: SimplyPotatoes.com

Busy families sometimes need help getting a quality homemade dinner on the table.  I believe that homemade dinners eaten together as a family is extremely important.  But, I also know that families are busier than ever and it can be hard to get a meal together that isn't fast food or an entree from a box.  Simply Potatoes has a great solution to this age-old dinner time problem.

Simply Potatoes aren't dehydrated, canned, or frozen potatoes....they're refrigerated products that can make a good meal great.  They have a ton of choices too, although I found out that not all stores or regions carry them all.  The have the basic potatoes like hash browns, diced, wedges, etc.  They also have side dishes like macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes.  Their new products are steamable seasoned potatoes and they look really good.  I can't wait until some of these are in my stores.

We gave a couple packs a try to see how it went for dinner and breakfast.  I made the Steakhouse Seasoned Diced Potatoes for dinner.  The bag of potatoes was certainly enough to feed my family of 2 adults and 2 growing teens and was on sale for $1.99 at Food Lion.  I followed the package directions exactly, but I think the potatoes needed cooking a few minutes more because they were a little crisper than I generally prefer.  The seasoning was nice and had a peppery taste to it.  Hubby and son didn't love them all that much, but my daughter was in love with the left overs she re-heated.

For breakfast I made the Shredded Hash Browns.  These were also quite enough to feed all of us with some left over and were sold at the same price as the Steakhouse potatoes.  I liked the hash browns with the exception of the seasoning.....which I'm not sure was there at all.  You really need to add some salt, pepper, and any other seasoning you want to these while they're cooking to get a good taste.

I was definitely pleased with how easy these sides made dinner time and I'll be getting more of them when they're on sale.  I can't wait to try out the new Steamables and possibly use some of the recipes they have on their website.  They also have a good selection of gluten-free recipes there too.

Now for the fun part.....Simply Potatoes has offered one of my readers a free product coupon to try it out for yourself!

Contest ends 11/27 at midnight EST and winner will have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  US only.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Gorton's Skillet Crisp Tilapia Review

 

Fixing Gorton's Skillet Crisp Tilapia for dinner is a quick and easy way to get a wholesome and quality meal on the table in under 30 minutes.  Fish is one of those things that we all need more of, but so many people just don't know how to cook it right.  Fish can go from under cooked to over cooked in just a matter of a minutes.  If you're looking for a quick way to get a tasty meal on the table, you'll want to check this out.

Gorton's Skillet Crisp Tilapia comes in two tasty varieties, Classic and Garlic Herb.  I tried out the Garlic Herb with the family today.  What I noticed first when I opened the package was how large the filets are and how many there were in the box.  For a retail price of $6.99, you get 5 decent size filets that don't shrink up substantially when you cook them.  You can't get four pieces of grocery store frozen fish for less than that.

The fish cooked up easily and was gently seasoned.  For me it could have had a little more seasoning, but I know that some people don't like a lot of season on their fish.  I cooked my regular garlic and herb tilapia as well as Gortons' version so we could do a side by side comparison of the two dishes.  Hubby didn't care for the smell of the breading on Gorton's fish, but he thought that the fish inside was good.  My teenage son liked Gorton's okay and went back for seconds, although he didn't prefer the fish with the breading.  I thought the fish was light and pleasant tasting and the filets were very plump and juicy.

Although it wasn't an overall smash for the whole family, I would definitely eat it again if I was in a pinch for dinner.  Gorton's Skillet Crisp isn't available at all grocery stores yet, but you can check their website for a list of stores in your area that carry them.

    

Have a Nestle Halloween at Walmart- Coupons & Recipes!

I love, love, love good recipes and holidays seem to bring out the inner cook in everyone.  Nestle and Walmart are teaming up to offer some great deals for this Halloween and I thought I'd share with you since I know how much you all love to eat and save money at the same time.

Take a look at this yummy cookie concoction....ooohhhh, I can't wait to make this!

Peppermint Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Right now, Walmart and Nestle are offering a coupon to get a FREE bag of classic Nestle candy including Crunch and Butterfinger when you buy 4 Tombstone pizzas. Print your coupon and stock up at Walmart before this Wednesday. Access the coupon in the Halloween section of the page which will be gone right after Halloween! 

Get this coupon and awesome recipes here on Walmart's website!

Information provided by Lunchbox.  I received no compensation to post this information.

Canned spiced apples in light syrup

I don't know about you, but I love the fall.  I love the fall foods like pumpkin, apples, and spinach.  Over the last couple years, I've been making homemade applesauce and apple butter in the crock pot and then canning it for storage or gifts.  If you've done this before, you know what a pain peeling by hand can be, so I never went beyond these two recipes.

Now that I have my new peeler, I decided to delve into making canned spiced apples because my family loves the spiced fried apples I make so much.  It was so super easy that I can't wait to get another box of apples and start again.  Here's how to do it:

• Bring water/sugar mixture to a simmer in a small pot and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  I used 2 quarts of water and 3 cups of sugar.  You can do more or less depending on your desired syrup thickness and sweetness.

• Peel, core, and slice your apples- I used the Victorio peeler I mentioned above to peel the apples and then used an apple corer/wedger to core and slice them.

• Place the apple wedges in clean canning jars (I used pints).  Add 1/8 tsp Nutmeg, 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon (or more or less to your taste) to the jars.

• Fill jars with sugar/water mixture, leaving 1/2" head space.  Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and place lid and ring on.

• Boiling water bath for 20 minutes (for pints).  

These are great on oatmeal, as a snack, or with dinner.  ENJOY!

Tasty Thursday - 10/11

I have fallen in love with the Progresso Recipe Starters (like you couldn't tell...this being my third post about it) and I wanted to share with you my latest creation...this time using the Creamy Parmesan Basil sauce.  I got the recipe from their website and gathered my ingredients.  I didn't use their ingredients exactly as stated because I pre-cook and shred chickens I cook in the crock pot and I make my own beans and freeze them after cooking.

• Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 cups uncooked penne pasta (8 oz)
  • 2 cups chopped deli rotisserie chicken
  • 1 can (19 oz) Progresso® cannellini beans or other canned white beans, drained, rinsed
  • 1 can (18 oz) Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ creamy Parmesan basil cooking sauce
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup diced tomato
  • 1/4 cup Progresso® Italian style panko crispy bread crumbs

• Directions

  1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. In ungreased 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish, place pasta, chicken and beans. In small bowl, mix cooking sauce, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour over top of pasta, chicken and beans.
  3. Cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil; top with tomato and bread crumbs. Bake uncovered 5 to 8 minutes or until top just starts to brown and mixture is bubbly.

Here's the final product (yep, a serving is missing out of it because I couldn't stop the kids quick enough before I grabbed the camera).

This was a great dish, but I recommend the following changes:

• This needed a lot of salt....could be because I chose to use beans that weren't canned.
• It didn't have a lot of zing to it, so next time I make it, I'll add some red pepper flakes to the sauce.

How about you.....have you tried any of their Recipe Starters yet, and if so....did you use one of their recipes or make one of your own?

Progresso Recipe Starters - Chicken Parmesan

Photo credit: Progresso.com - Easy Weeknight Chicken Parmesan

I have gotten hooked on the Progresso Recipe Starters since I was first offered the opportunity to try them as a BzzAgent.  I have bought the Fire Roasted Tomato sauce several times and love every recipe I've tried from their website (with a few modifications).  Tonight, I made the Chicken Parmesan recipe and I loved it basically as the recipe is written.  I don't like to use spaghetti noodles with dishes other than spaghetti, so I used rotini noodles.  I also didn't have any mozzarella, so I just used extra shredded parmesan.  I forgot to take a picture of the meal before everyone was digging in, but this stock photo from Progresso is pretty close to real life.

This dish was an absolute hit with everyone from the picky teens to the hubby that generally likes the standard faves and doesn't really like to try new things.  I thought this recipe was fabulous and it really was easy to make.  Everything other than the pasta is all in one pan and there's no need to fire up the oven for this one! 

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway -ends 10/13

I recently received the opportunity to try the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.  I have to be honest, I have never tried coconut oil before and had no earthy idea how to use it. Thankfully, Tropical Traditions set up a website for people just like me that includes some awesome recipes.  I plan on trying the Coconut Oil Pie Crust Recipe next as soon as I can find a suitable coconut cream pie filling recipe to go with it.

I wasn't able to find a recipe on the website that suited me just now or included things I had on hand, so I went to AllRecipes.com and looked for a coconut cake recipe.  I wasn't exactly sure how using coconut oil in a non-coconut recipe would turn out, so I opted to try for the safe bet first.  Once I opened the coconut oil and read more about it, I realized that this is so versatile and can be used in place of any liquid oil or solid lard product.  You can heat it to become a liquid oil to use in anything from frying to baking and then cool it to use as a solid fat for things like biscuits in place of Crisco or butter.  It doesn't even smell like coconut, which I honestly expected it to.  I've definitely found a new product to replace several in my kitchen pantry.

Here's the Coconut Cream Cake I made, with a few modifications (which I'll detail below): 

• I couldn't find coconut cream, so I used coconut milk.
• I only used half of what it called for with the sweetened condensed milk since many of the reviews said it was too wet and sweet.
• I used the coconut oil in place of the vegetable oil.

Outcome.....family LOVED IT!  I plan on making fried chicken next with the coconut oil.

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note for Canadian entrants: Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge for your prize.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.  Links in this post may contain referral links.

Tasty Thursday 9/27/12

As an update on last week's post, the venison tenderloin wrapped in bacon.....I made them Sunday night and everyone loved them.  They also reheat incredibly well.  I did make a few adjustments though...

* I marinated in apple juice with a couple packets of spiced cider drink mix included because I couldn't find apple cider at my store.
* I cut each strip of bacon in half and then wrapped.
* I skewered the chunks (5-6 to a skewer) and grilled that way....it was much easier to control and I didn't have to use a ton of toothpicks.
* I only used 1 bottle of bbq sauce because 2 seemed like it was going to be too much.

Here's the final outcome!!



This is my next new recipe to make......

Crock-Pot Baked Apples  
Recipe and photo courtesy of http://skinnychef.com

Ingredients
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons trans-fat free margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider

Directions
Preheat a large crock-pot on high heat and preset it for 3 hours. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, margarine, and cinnamon. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the apple juice or cider. Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Get the original recipe here: http://skinnychef.com/recipes/baked-apples