dinners

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BalancedMealsMadeEasy #CollectiveBias

So after being back and forth with my eating habits over the past couple of weeks, this last Monday I put my foot down and told myself that I needed to start eating a little healthier – starting with a 5 day cleanse from any processed foods, sugar, coffee, and alcohol. Right now I’m on day 4 – making it to 5 days will most definitely be the longest I’ve ever done anything like this. Who knows – maybe I’ll keep going and make it a full 7 days!

While shopping at Fred Meyer a couple of days ago I purchased a Rubbermaid® Balance™ Meal Kit. I found them in a center aisle and liked the idea behind having a meal that’s quick, easy, and balanced – with no measuring required! It’s going to work perfectly this weekend for my lunch while I’m working. Each  Rubbermaid® Balance™ Meal Kit comes with four pre-portioned and color-coded containers for fruits, vegetables, proteins, and grains. All of the sizes were developed in partnership with a Registered Dietitian. Having each container separately makes it easy to warm up part of your meal if you’d like, and they are all placed into a carry box with a lid for convenient storage.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StirUpTheFun #CollectiveBias

Let me begin this post by saying that I’ve been loving Asian-inspired cuisine lately. I’ve eaten at a couple different restaurants this month and wanted to create a themed meal at home last weekend, so on Saturday I did.

We ended up all having the day off together on Saturday. We decided to go bowling in the afternoon and then went home for a relaxing evening. I stopped by Safeway on the way home and purchased a few items to make a meal for everyone, including chicken breasts, Minute® Rice ( the Multi-Grain Medley ), Sugar Snap peas, Romanesco, Onion, Dole® Pineapple in 100% Pineapple Juice, and Kikkoman® Soy Sauce, Sweet & Sour Sauce and Teriyaki Sauce.

I knew I wanted to make a chicken and rice dish, so I got creative with an easy meal idea – sweet and sour chicken skewers with a vegetable rice medley.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smithfield.

Hey everyone! Can you believe that Christmas is just 4 short days away!? We are staying at home this year and I’m really looking forward to lounging in my pajamas all day while nibbling on too much food while I catch up on all of the Christmas movies I still have yet to see.

We always have ham on Christmas, like a Smithfield Signature Spiral Sliced Ham. It’s a tradition that I began since I became in charge of our holiday meals. It’s so easy to make – I just pop it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 10 – 12 minutes per pound, then evenly brush on the tasty glaze and it’s done! I love having leftover ham because it’s so versatile and can be re-created into so many new recipes. I thought I’d share a few with you to inspire your post-holiday meals next week. 🙂

Today I’m sharing something that my family enjoys while making memories around the dinner table: a simple meatloaf recipe.

Fall is notorious for being slightly chaotic when you have kids. The school projects and after school activities seem to multiply overnight.

I’ve always tried to plan dinners ahead this time of the year and will even take a Sunday or Monday and spend a few hours creating several dinners for the upcoming week.

One meal that is a go-to in my household in the fall is meatloaf. It holds up well for a day or two, can be served with yummy side dishes like sweet potato fries or stuffing, and can be made with a handful of ingredients that you already have on hand. When I make meatloaf it gets devoured quickly around here. 🙂

Last week when I made meatloaf I ended up dicing red and yellow peppers in it in addition to what I normally add – and it tasted delicious!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Foster Farms Simply Raised Chicken.

Fall is nearly here – which means it’s time to start cooking comfort food. I love all of the simple salads and snack recipes in the summertime, but I also enjoy the warm casseroles and one-pan dinner meals in the fall. I love using ingredients from our little garden that we grow every year. Instead of extra rich and heavy dinners, I like how today’s comfort food – the new comfort food – can be as simple as taking local and fresh, seasonal food and combining them into something tasty. You still get the comfort of a hearty, delicious meal, combined with the satisfaction of quality, fresh ingredients.