Hormel January - New Year's Resolutions

I'm so excited to get to be part of the Hormel Family of Bloggers for the second round of the project. Last go round, we got to try a lot of great new products and recipes, so the kids (and the husband) are all set to do it again.

The first topic, rather fitting for January, is New Year's resolutions, especially in terms of food and eating healthy. What goals are you setting this year, nutritionally? Do you have any tips to help along the way?

We decided, in our New Year's goals, that our big one was going to be meal planning again. We've learned in the past that when we meal plan, we actually eat at home. When we don't, well, there are a whole lot of restaurants to choose from. It's both healthier and cheaper to eat at our house. The other goal, and we're slacking on this a little, is trying a new recipe a week. I didn't try one this past week, but have had a few good ones in the last month that may even get made again.

Hormel also sent some great tips for healthy New Year's resolutions:

• Keep it simple. Don't attempt to overhaul your entire style of eating immediately. Gradual changes are key. Start by adding fruit as a dessert or a delicious veggie as a side dish to dinner.
• Eat a variety of foods. Bringing the same sandwich to work every day isn't going to get you the nutritional value that your body needs.
• Don't deny yourself your favorite treats. It's important to remember moderation, not elimination.
• Sit down with your family and create a meal plan for the week. Keeping in mind the food pyramid and using a tool like MyPlate, create dishes that everyone in the family will enjoy. Let each family member plan a dinner dish for the week and then get everyone's input on what changes can be made to make it a healthier meal.
• Remember to drink water consistently throughout the day. For the body to function properly, you need to continually replenish it with water. This goal could be the perfect opportunity to cut out that extra glass of juice, soda, or coffee, and replace it with a cup of water.

What are your resolution this year? Are you sticking to them so far? Any go-to recipes that are helping you along?

Disclosure: I have received product and information from Hormel Foods in exchange for being a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger. All opinions expressed within the post are my own.

Muffin Mix Ups Bento #3 - Think Outside the Muffin

Muffin tins don't actually have to hold standard muffins made with things like flour, egg, milk, corn, etc.

These mac & cheese muffins are a great favorite of the kids and they actually taste good cold. Or you could do what I do and eat the first couple ones out of the oven because you're the only one who actually knows how many went in the oven the first place. Another favorite option is meatloaf muffins. Just whip up your favorite meatloaf and bake it in muffin tins for perfect singles servings.

Today, Faith had a macaroni and cheese muffin, pineapple chunks, carrots & cucumber, and some creme brûlée crisps.

Oh, and Ben had lunch with the principal today. Not because he did anything (which was my first guess), but apparently she has lunch with a few kids in each day daily and he was one of them. Anyhow, he came home and said he was supposed to tell me that the principal really liked his lunch! He had almost the same as Faith, but blueberries instead of pineapple.

5 Muffin Mix-Ups Bento #2 - Use Veggies!

So what else can you do with muffins? How about something with veggies for an extra serving or partial serving?

I find veggies the hardest part to add to lunches at times, we seem to get in a cucumber and carrot rut quite frequently, and some of F&B's favorite veggie options are only good served warm.

One great veggie option is to add to the stuffed muffins we had on Monday. Diced chicken or turkey goes great with a typical frozen mixed vegetable blend. Also, zucchini and carrots make for some great desserts.

Today, however, we opted for great side veggie dish, zucchini parmesan mini muffins. These are perfect for bento and great warm or cold, plus we love our zucchini goodies. We used them in lieu of bread or crackers along with some meats & cheese for a snack-style lunch.

Ben had two of the zucchini parmesan muffins, a ham flower (two slices of ham to get it fluffier), some smoked cheddar cubes, blueberries, carrots, and some granola bar. I still hate the way blueberries photograph, they always look almost dusty, even though I know I washed them right before putting them in the fridge.

Some other veggie muffin ideas:
Sweet Potato Muffin Cupcakes (taste like pumpkin!)
11 F&B Taste Tested Zucchini Recipes - some aren't muffins, but all kid approved

What's for Lunch Wednesday, Week 87

Welcome to "What's for Lunch" Wednesday!!!

Thanks so much for joining in last week if you did and looking forward to seeing all the fun lunches this week!

Want to join in?

Just choose a bento (please, just one bento or post or link) you've made from the last week you want to share, copy the URL of that post from your blog (you may need to click on the title to get it), and enter it into the linky below.

Click on the "Add Your Link" button to add yours and follow the steps, it's simple, I promise!

Today's No-Stove Bento

Well, I *thought* today would be day 2 of the Muffin Mix-Up series, but last night was "The cable company cut the gas line and we had no gas in the house until 5am which meant I had no oven and couldn't bake anything" night.

So the series will continue tomorrow as I'm baking today, and thinking about making a few things since I apparently don't plan well.

Yellow box on yellow/red background = yellowish photo

Today, however, we went with food that was already ready as the house was flipping COLD this morning, so getting out of bed was a chore. Both kids took one of yesterday's stuffed muffins, along with some granola bar and carrots. Ben also had blueberries, but Faith is not a fan of raw blueberries so opted for cucumber slices instead.

I took them to school then came home and Shaun & I discovered we didn't have to light a pilot light to turn our heat back on. Apparently, it has an auto ignition. Good things to know in advance of losing the gas.

5 Muffin Mix-Ups Bento #1 - Stuffed Muffins (Entrees)

I really liked doing the 5 Simple Sandwich Spins back in November, so decided it was time for another series. This time, we're going with muffins, or muffin themed, items.

One of our favorites, from way way back, are stuffed muffins. Basically, these are corn muffins, with added cheese, meats or veggies, then baked. Very easy, and a typical batch makes at least 12, so you can freeze the extras. There are two basic options--make corn muffin mix (my recipe is here) or use a boxed mix like Jif. Make the corn muffin batter, then add several cups of extras to it. You want to see lots of the extras in the batter, not mostly corn muffin batter. Bake per your recipe or package directions.

Today, the kids had ham and cheese muffins (a packet of diced ham and several handfuls of shredded cheese), along with carrots & hummus, strawberries, and creme brûlée crisps.

Two other favorite stuffed muffins:

Ben's Taco Muffins

Chili Cornbread Muffins

F&B also like corn dog muffins--dice up hot dogs, add those and shredded cheese to the cornbread batter.

One Last Bad-Photo Bento

Or at least until the next time I have a camera mishap!

Thankfully, the husband came home with a brand new SD card for me, so I should be back to normal tomorrow.

This lunch was actually Friday's for Ben. The husband hadn't been feeling well on Thursday and only wanted soup, so I abandoned dinner plans and made the kids and I a cheesy ham braided bread. We ended up having one end piece left, so I cut it long-wise for Friday's lunches.

Ben had the braided bread and a few caramel crisps on the top tier of his box, along with strawberries, blueberries, and a few carrots on the bottom.

Side note, the braided bread was awesome--refrigerated pizza crust, stuffed with cream cheese, ham, shredded cheddar, garlic and mayo, then baked. I love making braided breads, they are so pretty and really no work!