Hormel — MomStart

Go Big for the Big Game Sweepstakes with Semi-Homemade Hormel Chicken and Rice Recipe

January 30, 2012 By Momstart 5 Comments

I love having a hot lunch and I love things that are quick and easy. So the other day I made this chicken and rice recipe using Hormel’s Canned Chicken.

First step is to cook it, and I like to add a little butter. If you’re trying to keep the fat out of your diet use olive oil to gain a little flavor and make it taste less like it’s out of a can. I like to open the chicken and rinse it,

then cook it.

Semi-Homemade Hormel Chicken and Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

Hormel’s Chicken
Knorr’s Chicken and Rice
1 Tablespoon butter

Directions:

Open the can of chicken

Sauté the chicken in the sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil

Add the rice and follow the directions on the box to finish the recipe.

Be sure to visit Hormel Foods Recipes Facebook page through Friday to win $500. The promotion is called the Go Big for the Big Game Sweepstakes! Fill out the simple entry form on the Facebook page and you will be entered to win a $500 gift card.

This post is part of the Hormel Family Food Bloggers ambassador program that I am part of, it enters me into a contest to win a monetary prize.

A Call For New Eating Habits: What Are Your Eating Tips? #HFExtendedFamily

January 16, 2012 By Momstart 8 Comments

I’m in need of some new eating habits. I was doing really well a year and a half ago and now I’m back on the chocolate, whipped cream and heavy butter diet again and it’s not working out so well for me. During the holidays I’m always reminded of how much I LOVE decadent food and getting back on the right track is always difficult. Especially when my husband is in the kitchen making delicious treats.

Last year I enjoyed working with Hormel and decided to continue my relationship with them. They sent me a few ideas on how to change your eating habits and I want to share their ideas with a few of my own. Mostly mine are things like, give up butter, go light on the chocolate and cut the sugar in half. But with my never stopping always screaming for more sweet tooth I think I’m fighting a losing battle this year.

Tip 1.

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.

I see fruit as a dessert going quite well, but I would want to add whipped cream. YUM! Oh put that sweet tooth on the naughty spot someone please help me.

Tip 2.

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. Try making a sandwich with Hormel® Natural Choice® deli meats, which contain no preservatives, artificial ingredients or MSG and include a variety of options including turkey, ham, chicken, and roast beef, so your sandwich selection never gets boring!

Just planning out your lunch can help you fight the calories. If you don’t plan you might end up in the drive through and that’s not good for anyone’s hips.

Tip 3.

Don’t deny yourself your favorite treats. It’s important to remember moderation, not elimination.

Making sure that you eat the things you love is the only way to have a successful diet, I can’t go without chocolate completely so I shouldn’t even try.

See two thumbs up for Tip 3.

Tip 4.

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.

Letting the kids get involved in cooking is the best way in our house to assure that they will try different things. Give them choices in the veggies and take them to the grocery store. Let them help you cook, it’s fun getting everyone involved.

Tip 5.

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.

Water water and more water. I’d have to say that drinking water has been a challenge lately. Our water bottles the straws on them have become really hard so I have to bite down on them to get any water out so I find it’s too much effort, so being lazy is getting in the way. I need to start drinking more water how about you. Are you drinking enough water?

Tip 6.

Add a little bit of excitement to an otherwise boring salad by choosing a protein to sprinkle on top. Try Lloyd’s® Woodfire Barbecue™ pulled chicken for added flavor or a quick fix like Hormel® chunk chicken, made with one hundred percent real meat.

I’m surprised they didn’t recommend my favorite addition, the turkey pepperoni they make. YUM! So tell me what are your tips?

What has been working for you in your efforts to eat healthier?

This post is written as part of the Hormel Extended Family Program with Hormel Foods, I have been entered into a contest by submitting this post.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: #HFExtendedFamily, eating habits, Hormel, Hormel Extended family

Season of Giving Extra: On Our Way to Ending Hunger With Hormel

November 24, 2011 By Momstart 4 Comments

Summer has done an amazing job in bringing us ways to give this holiday season and as or Hormel ambassador I was asked to bring you an extra one.

Giving back to those less fortunate is important throughout the year, but the holidays present the perfect opportunity to get you in the giving spirit. How do you embrace your charitable side during the holiday season? Do you donate to a specific organization or write a thoughtful note to someone special in your life? Do you send a care package to troops overseas or volunteer at a local soup kitchen? We want to hear about what you’re already doing to lend a helping hand during the holiday season, Please share with us what you’ve been inspired to do in the comments on this post.

Hormel Foods’ “On Our Way to Ending Hunger” program collaborates with retailers, nonprofits and the government on hunger relief efforts. Motivating individuals and corporate partners to take action to fight hunger. You can find out more on their corporate website. Over the next couple weeks, we challenge you to get in touch with your giving side on a local level. Look up a local charity in your area or tap into one you already work with- it could be anything from a food bank or soup kitchen, a toy donation center or local shelter. Pick something that has personal meaning to you or your family. While you are packing up canned goods or old coats, helping someone in need with a home improvement project or serving food, document your good deeds using photo or video and share the most meaningful moments with us.

During November and December, upload the photos to your blog and be sure to share on Facebook and Twitter (mention @HormelFoods and #HFExtendedFamily). Need ideas for donations? Below are some items that food banks can always use:

 Hormel® chili
 Dinty Moore® stew
 Hormel® Compleats® Microwave Meals
 Hormel® Chunk Meats
 Valley Fresh® chunk meats
 SPAM® family of products
 Hormel® bacon bits
 Hormel® Mary Kitchen® hash
 CHI-CHI’S® SNACKERS® salsa
 Bottled water
 Toilet paper
 Toothpaste
 Toothbrushes
 Laundry detergent
 Deodorant

As a Hormel blog ambassador sharing this post with you enters me into a contest for a special prize.

Filed Under: charity Tagged With: charity, giving, Hormel, On Our Way To Ending Hunger

Hormel Chili Cheese Dip

October 22, 2011 By Momstart 247 Comments

Hormel Foods Recipes is running a Trick-or-Treat Sweepstakes on Facebook. You will have until 12:00 p.m. CT on Monday, October 24, 2011 to like the page, fill out a simple entry form, and be eligible to win one of five coupon prize packs worth $20 for Hormel® products! And Hormel has quite a few fun products ya know?

This month we tried something new. We tried the Hormel canned chicken and made chicken and rice burritos. I cooked the chicken in all of the rice spices and it turned out being a great meal and perfect leftovers. You should try it.

Of course there is also the crock pot cooking possibilities. One fun treat we just had was using the Hormel® chili cheese dip kit. This kit of chili and cheese was so easy to make. Open the cans dump in the crock pot and leave it to cook for an hour or two. What else is good in the slow cooker?

Vegetables are ideal for slow cook dishes because they can be combined with different meats depending on what you have the taste for. You can make soups, stews, chili — you name it! Try mixing in some Herb-Ox® chicken bouillon cubes or chop up Hormel® Cure 81® sliced ham to throw in the pot for a rich soup or stew base. Or you can grab your favorite Hormel® Always Tender® product and simmer on low all day with your favorite vegetables and have a delicious meal waiting for you and the family at dinnertime.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Vickie Couturier.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: cheese dip kit, chili, giveaway, Hormel

Hormel Afterschool Snack Time Challenge

September 19, 2011 By Momstart 16 Comments

Hormel asked me to challenge my children by letting them pick out their own snacks. The challenge, I was provided with a gift card to take my children shopping at the grocery store, we chose Costco because it’s really close, has lots of organic options and it’s a great price to buy snacks in bulk. The kids love fruit, it’s their favorite snack.

The hardest part of the kids in picking out their favorite snacks was getting them to go in the cold section at Costco. They hate going into the refrigerated rooms, but they LOVE picking out fruit. With organic apples, watermelons, and raspberries just to name a few it was hard for them to make a decision.

Zoe picked out cantaloupe, grapes, apples, and dried fruit crisps. I talk to them a lot about what’s healthy and they have a basic understanding of some things. This is what they say, candy is tasty but it isn’t good for you. It’s not healthy, but fruit is healthy and tasty. They understand that not everything that tastes good is good for you.

Miles picked out Carrots, bananas and salsa. One of the best snacks in his opinion is carrots and Salsa. Both of my children love to dip, and finding dips really low in calories like fat free yogurt and salsa is super easy. Hormel’s brand CHI CHI’s, the makers of CHI-CHI’S® Snackers™ brought salsa, one of America’s most popular condiments, out of the cupboard and into snack time. The single-serving, 4-ounce portable packages offer us, Miles especially, a chance to create a fiesta at any time with three of CHI-CHI’S® salsas’ most popular varieties. (Zoe likes it too, but not as much as her brother does.) The fun-sized packs pair great with veggies and are the perfect serving size for the kids. Usually, they eat half of one and we save the rest for the next snack time. Hormel Foods offers online coupons? Check out their website for constantly rotating offers on all your favorite Hormel products!

This post was written as part of an on-going campaign with Hormel and enters me into a contest to win a Hormel Family blogger Grand Prize.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: Ambassador, Chi Chi's Salsa, healthy eating, Hormel

Easy Chili Cheese Dip Recipe

August 15, 2011 By Momstart 21 Comments

So this month for Hormel, I’m supposed to blog about a last minute camping trip. Um, I’m not up for that, our weather here in Washington just hasn’t been camping friendly. Most of you saw how wet we all were for out last trip. I’ve also blogged a lot about S’mores for the Hershey’s campaign I was doing with them. So I decided to post about an awesome appetizer you can make for any last minute summer parties. Or maybe your family will be having a Labor Day celebration. Then this is the recipe for you, It is a family favorite.

Chili Cheese Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can of Hormel Chili
1 8oz package of Cream Cheese
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

Directions:

Combing the chili and cream cheese and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Stir
Add the cheddar cheese and cook for 1.5 minutes to 2 more minutes
Stir and serve over chips

Another party tip or two:

Bring pre-portioned items and fresh fruit and veggies on your camping trip. Since you’ll be enjoying the great outdoors, go for a hike and pack CHI-CHI’S® Snackers and sliced carrots for a nutritious, light snack to enjoy wherever the outdoors take you.

Consider serving popular summer staples like fresh fruit and salads that you can prepare ahead of time. A tangy and refreshing Pepperoni Pasta Salad is easy to prepare and refrigerate so you can focus on enjoying time with your guests.

This post enters me into a contest with Hormel Family Bloggers.

Filed Under: recipe Tagged With: Chi Chi's Salsa, chili and cream cheese, chili cheese dip recipe, Hormel, hormel chili, Pepperoni, recipe

Turn any night into Mexican Quick & Easy Hormel Recipe Changes

July 30, 2011 By Momstart 15 Comments

My favorite food is Mexican, I LOVE Mexican everything. The spices, chilies, beans, meat, rice, salsa, dips it’s all the perfect combination to my food pallet. I think it’s the cumin, when I’m in the Hispanic food kick, I get out the cumin and add it to everything. I was cooking pizza the other night out of cumin and I had a thought, what would be the easiest way to turn any regular meal into a Mexican dish?

How about just switching any red sauce, or ketchup product with Salsa! Hormel makes Chi Chi’s Salsa and Herdez Salsa and I have to warn you that the Herdez Chipotle Salsa has quite the kick.

Use Salsa in place of red sauce in pizza or Calzones.

Simply Mexican Pepperoni Biscuit Calzones Recipe

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Simply Biscuits
1 cup Pepperoni
1 cup Herdez Chipotle Salsa (quite the kick)
1 cup Mozzerella cheese

Directions:

Roll out each biscuit
Place on a non-stick pan
Pour a spoonful of sauce on each one
Add three pieces of pepperoni
Fold Over into a calzone

Mexican Meatloaf Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 lb hamburger meat
2 cups cooked carrots
1/2 cup Mexican Blend cheese
1/2 cup crushed crackers 2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Chi Chi’s Salsa

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a food processor add all the ingredients and mix well.
Place the mixture in a glass baking dish (2.75 quart)
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until temperature is safe

I received free products from Hormel and this post enters me into the Hormel Extended Family Blogger Contest.

Filed Under: recipe Tagged With: Chi Chi's Salsa, Herdez Salsa, Hormel, Mexican Blend cheese, Mexican Meatloaf, Mexican Pepperoni Biscuit Calzones Recipe, recipe

Hormel Foods Recipes Summer Grilling Giveaway

July 19, 2011 By Momstart 231 Comments

Well, I haven’t told you guys yet about my camping trip and how we were unable to grill anything because it rained the whole time. Wow that was quite the adventure for us. One, I’m not a big camper, two I’m not a big fan of the outdoors, and three I hate the rain. But yes, we did go camping. We had to come home because we couldn’t cook and we ran out of dry clothes. Just a side note on how we Tried to do some grilling outside.

Hormel Foods is hosting a Summer Grilling Giveaway on their Facebook page. Hopefully yours will not be rained out.

Grand Prize: One Outdoor Grill ($500 value)
First Prize: Two Grills ($200 value each)
Second Prize: Ten Summer Grilling Coupon Prize Packs ($45 value each)

To Enter the Outdoor Grill giveaway, just fill out a form on Hormel Foods Facebook page. Here on MomStart we have our own little Hormel inspired giveaway.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Ed Nemmers.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules. This post enters me into a blogger contest sponsored by Hormel.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: giveaway, Hormel, summer grilling

Food Ideas from Appetizer to Main Course: What to Take to a Barbeque

July 4, 2011 By Momstart 17 Comments

It’s full on summer now and Barbeques are taking place in backyards everywhere. Now you may find yourself invited to one and wonder what you should take. I’ve got a few fun ideas that I came up with when I was challenged by Hormel to come up with a full Barbeque meal plan using Hormel products. When I’m looking for new recipe ideas, of course the first place I look is in magazines, cook books and the internet. So here are some ideas I found for the next barbeque at allrecipes.com, Hormel recipes, and food network.

Appetizer ideas:

You could go all out and make something like Cheesy Barbeque Nachos

picture from Hormel

Or grind up some Hormel Pork Tenderloin and make Pork Meatballs and serve on tooth picks.

picture from all recipes

or just put together some cheese pepperoni and crackers. I used ingredients I had on hand to make the kids a quick fun appetizer that smiles at them.

my picture

Main Course Ideas:

When it comes to going to a barbeque verses hosting the barbeque you want something that’s really portable. One thing my family loves to eat is barbeque pork and I cook that in the slow cooker all day long in barbeque sauce. Then I pull it apart or use the food processor to shred it. I usually add even more barbeque sauce and then use it to make something else. Last time I cooked pork this way I made barbeque quesadillas. Easy to stack and take with you to a party.

my picture

This Bacon Quiche recipe I found on all recipes.com looks like a great portable dish to try too.

picture from all recipes

Side Dish ideas:

Make a salad with baked Pepperoni toppings. Last night I had a salad from Red Robin and my favorite part was the baked pepperoni. So think about topping your next salad with Hormel’s pepperoni after baking it in the oven making it a crispy salad topping.

picture from Hormel

Baked Beans are always a hit at my family gatherings.

picture from Hormel

Make some changes to this Bacon Wrapped asparagus recipe using the microwavable Hormel bacon.

We didn’t do anything really big this year for the Fourth of July. Last year we had a block party and the whole neighborhood got together. With many of our friends on vacation, we had a quiet meal at home. I cooked out of a magazine trying some of the new recipes I listed above and we played some family games inside staying cool.

I’ve been compensated as a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger. Thoughts and opinions are my own as this is exactly how I would go about planning what I would take to a barbeque.

Filed Under: recipe Tagged With: Barbeque, barbeque appetizer, barbeque food, barbeque main dish, barbeque side dish, Formel Foods, Hormel, recipe ideas, what to take to barbeque

Hormel Lunch Time #Giveaway

October 16, 2010 By Momstart 353 Comments

Hormel Foods makes the Pepperoni that we love to put on pizza. Which is making me think it’s time to make a homemade pizza for dinner. I need to go out and get some yeast but thankfully I have all the Pepperoni that I need to have a pizza. But that Pepperoni is a perfect way to liven up quite a few other entrees. Think about adding pepperoni to tomato soup, or how about spicing up your pasta salad. If you are worried about adding too many calories then just use Hormel® turkey pepperoni minis.

Hormel Foods has a variety of mealtime and snack options that are perfect for busy mornings, crowded evenings and even to stash in your purse or car when you’re on-the-go:

Sandwich & salad central: There’s no need to spend your entire morning making a lunch that will keep you going all afternoon. You can whip up a satisfying salad or sandwich that tastes great and is easy to bring along to work. Top a veggie-laden chef salad with your favorite cheese and a handful of Hormel® bacon toppings or top toasted whole-grain bread with the new varieties of Hormel® Natural Choice® lunch meat in brown sugar deli ham or mesquite deli turkey.

Just say salsa: Salsa is quickly becoming the go-to condiment for kids and adults alike. For mild, hot and everything in between, CHI-CHI’S® Snackers® are the perfect on-the-go snack that comes in convenient 4-ounce single serving cups. Dip into them with chips or fresh, vegetable sticks for a snack that packs a healthy punch. To shake up your sandwich routine, swap salsa for mayonnaise and add a little kick to your midday meal.

Let your mini sous chef step in: Ready to get inspired by your after-school snacker? Hormel® turkey pepperoni minis lend themselves to a world of snack time creativity. Have your kids join in on the fun and make English muffin pizzas, peppy pasta salad, or even pop them straight from the bag – we won’t tell!

Enter to Win:

· Lunch tote: BUILT Market Tote

· Water Bottle: Plastic, BPA-Free Water Bottle

· Product samples of CHI-CHI’S^® SNACKERS^®andHormel^® pepperoni minis snac pacs

· Coupons for Hormel^® Natural Choice^® deli meats and Hormel^® bacon toppings

To Enter:

Tell Me What is your lunch usually like.

Extra Entries:

Tweet or RT this post and include the link to the post

Follow/Like Mom Start on Facebook
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Follow me on Google Friend Connect
Subscribe to my blog
Comment on any other non-giveaway post
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig or stumble
Blog About this Giveaway (5 extra entries, linking to the giveaway)
Add my blog button to your sidebar.

This giveaway ends November 1st, I was provided a sample in exchange for this post! All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: bacon toppings, Hormel, Hormel Natural Choice