Dinner is a pain, especially #weeknightmeals

I was not put on this earth to cook.  Which is hilarious because I subscribe and buy many cooking magazines, have a variety of cooking apps on my phone, and borrow cookbooks from the library.

I am fascinated by the idea of cooking and finding new recipes.  But I usually only get as far as leaving the book open on the counter or printing the recipe and leaving it for my husband to find.  And prepare.  I'm sly that way.

Lately I've been all about widgets.  Whether it's on my phone or elsewhere on the Internet, I think it's so fun to  plug in a few criteria, or ingredients I have on hand, and see what pops up.  That's why the Kroger widget you see to the left is so great.

If you click on the Kroger widget a new website will open called Give Every Night New Flavor.  Once you're there you can find all the help you need to come up with something to have for dinner.  In my Whrrl below you can see that  I used the site and made Beef and Cheese Roll Ups.  Cory and I were skeptical at first, because it seems kind of silly- spaghetti sauce and a mozzarella cheese stick in a burrito shell.  But it did seem kid friendly, so we went for it.  Even as we sat down we wondered really?  This is what's for dinner?  But they were actually very tasty.

There are a lot of great recipes on Give Every Night New Flavor.  With cuisine choices like Mexican, Italian and Asian there is something for everyone, no matter how much time you have.

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This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions stated are mine and mine alone.

Food, food, glorious food

We have been in a food rut in this house.  Same ole' same ole'.

We've been trying to stir things up a bit.  We had Greek turkey burgers last week, and hot turkey sandwiches tonight, and not too long ago we had Asian Slaw with Teriyaki Chicken.

You can read our review of that delicious dish at www.giveeverynightnewflavor.com.  Our review, and others, plus reviews of other great recipes like a beef taco skillet, hero joe, and chilled spaghetti salad are all there for your enjoyment and inspiration.

Give Every Night New Flavor is hosted by the Kroger family of stores and you can go there by clicking on the widget in the left sidebar.  (The widget is best viewed with FireFox or Chrome.) Once you click and arrive at the site you can pick from a few different criteria and get recipe suggestions for your week night meals.  There are many great ideas on there and it even allows you to input how much time you have to whip it up.

So if you are at a loss so many nights like I am, click on the widget and see what pops up, and enjoy something new for dinner tonight.

Disclosure: This post has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions stated are mine and mine alone.

Another Superbowl comes and goes... yum.

Every year Cory hosts a Superbowl-Poker Party.  In many ways it's my favorite gathering, because it's his and I can laze around on my laptop while he hangs with his guys. Of course my Mom is always here, and some years a girlfriend or two, but it's nice because they are always the folks who know me best and won't be offended if I just sit with my laptop and only talk to them by way of Facebook.

Every year the menu is different and this year Cory wanted to have a Taco bar since we have SEVERAL pounds of ground beef in our freezer.  But I also like to have kid friendly things on hand too, so the girls and I went shopping.  Which, by the way, reminds me.  I am reasonably sure that I will never be allowed in a store during non-school hours without my daughters ever again.  Not because of any weird mid-western law but because the little princesses won't let me.  They love Target, Starbucks and Walmart, and the only way I can run to these places on my own is to go when they are at school, or asleep, but I'm too old to be out that late.

 

Any who, they liked the idea of pizza, and they helped me pick out a DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza in the kid friendly Pepperoni variety.  We also grabbed a DiGiorno Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza for Big Papa, because he likes it hot.

At our gatherings the counter is always filled with food, and a five-man Poker game still warrants a full counter.  So the five men, 2 women, and 4 kids that were in our house during the Super Bowl ate all this.

That's the Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza in the front, and yes it was awesome.  The kid-friendly pepperoni is below and it was fantastic too.  Just all around great pizza, and an all around great time.  My family won 2 quarters of football squares, the commercials were great, especially the Chrysler 200 - Eminem spot and I got to be lazy.  I like being lazy.

Disclosure:  I was compensated by Collective Bias for this shop and blog post.  All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Some things do change...

I admit I had a pretty definite opinion of freezer convenience foods.

After all, I worked full time in an office for over twelve years.  There are days you will not be able to get out at lunch so it was very common to see a stockpile of Lean Cuisines and the like piled high in the office freezer with names scribbled on them with a Sharpie.

But when I left my job in November of 2008, I knew I would never eat one of those things again.  I didn't have to.  I worked at home, where there are many things in the kitchen to choose from, and I don't have to label anything with a Sharpie.

But this month I am taking all 31 days to plan my direction.  I am not resolving anything, I am simply researching my options for exercise, food ideas, vitamins, and other similar topics.

Interestingly enough I was asked to try out Lean Cuisine and Skinny Cow products.  Ugh.  Really?  Sante Fe Rice and Beans?  Chicken Alfredo?  yay.

What I found when I got to the store was that the section had grown a little.  OK, a lot.  By about five freezer doors.  Comfort cuisine.  Casual cuisine.  Steams Fresh varieties.  Holy Salisbury steak!  (Which I could never eat in the frozen-microwaved form, sorry.)  I grabbed the ones that looked the tastiest and went over to the ice cream aisle.

The Skinny Cow section had not grown at all, but I found that the ice cream sandwiches, my favorite, came in about 6-8 different varieties.  I went with Cookies & Cream and called it a day.

When I prepared and ate these items later in the week I was very pleased with the quality.  The "Steams Fresh" chicken stir fry was very tasty and very filling.  So was the Chicken Alfredo.  The Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches are huge!  And, my family ate five of them before I had one!  I'm really surprised I didn't pull an empty container from the freezer.  Don't laugh, it's happened before.

As far as the Lean Cuisines I did enjoy them.  Will I stockpile them and have them for lunch everyday?  I'm sorry to say- no.  But I will keep one or two around for the days when I need to eat something before I hop on a conference call, or for when I need to eat fast, and I will try many varieties not the same two all the time.

So another learning experience for my 31 days of January.  Thanks to Rebecca for reminding me after my last post that I have a Wii Fit which can provide a great exercise option.  Duh, I can't believe I forgot that!

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Disclosure:  I was compensated by Collective Bias for this shop and post.  All thoughts and opinions of this product are mine and mine alone.

Snowy thankfulness and comfort food

Today was a great day.  In fact 2011 has been a great year, all 12 days of it.

And if you know me and my family you would realize how big of a deal it is that I make that statement.

You see, last week my husband lost his job.  Meaning the job he had.  He has another job, at the same place, but it pays much less.  All of this because of a misinterpretation of contract language.

So, he had a choice.  Take severance, collect unemployment, lose our families insurance, and pray he found another job before the insurance ran out in a month.  OR.  Bid on a job in another department with less pay and less hours.  He chose option B.

This week he is on vacation.  It's weird because he can't recall taking a vacation where we didn't have a trip planned.  So he's hanging out, with his work-at-home wife, and getting a few things done including his homework, since he is going to college and all.

Do I feel for him?  Of course I do.  Do I want to go kick some ass on his behalf?  You betcha.  But instead I just keep making jokes and telling him it's all good.  Because that is what he would do for me.

Truthfully, I do think it's all good.  I have had two major clients in the last month for my clearance business.  I am writing for three news entities.  I am getting some major opps through my blog.  Oh and I really like selling a purses, handbags, and organizational devices.  Or two, check me out.  (Book a party, you know you want to!)

So anyway, even though I can't always apply this optimism to my own personal situations, I can do it for my husband, and I do do it for my husband because after 19 years he deserves my optimism and a good pasta meal to comfort his soul. :)

So tonight was Family Italian Night.  Jayden and I did the shopping, and I made the dinner, and it was great.  Penne with meat sauce, bread sticks and salad.  Just like Olive Garden only in our house at our table, while it was very cold and snowy outside.

I'm thankful for the doors that are opening, and I know that my extremely smart husband is a step away from his degree and a dream job.  He deserves the best and I will do everything in my power, and make everything in the pasta aisle, to keep him happy and worry free.  If I can do that then I will be thankful for the snow, my opportunities, and my husband.  Caio.

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Disclosure:  I was compensated by Collective Bias for this shop.  All opinions are mine and mine alone.