From Chips to a Charitable Donation - Making the Switch

I posted a few weeks ago about the Jennie-O Make The Switch Challenge I was undertaking. Check out my post, "Making a Switch, a Sacrifice and Good Deeds". We decided to give our beloved salty snacks for greater causes, our health and to use the money saved to make a donation to our local Battered Person's Advocacy (BPA).

Honestly, I expected much more of a revolt from my kids. They didn't seem to miss the chips. We snacked on fruit, veggies and fruit juice popsicles instead.

Turkey is a great swap out for healthy meals and this was a great chance to show off how flavorful the Jennie-O lean turkey products are as well as how easy they are to use. I made several delicious meals using the ground turkey. I just subbed it in wherever I normally would use ground beef. There were many great options available at our store. You can see my shopping trip in my Google+ album.

One of our favorite meals is taco salad! Combined with all our favorite veggies and topped with browned turkey instead of beef, it was a huge hit.

When I was in high school I used to volunteer to help watch children while Moms met for the weekly BPA meeting. My idea was to provide platters of food for the attendants that were healthy and showed off the Jennie-O products.

I also created a spinach and turkey meatball for the occasion. The recipe was based on our family favorite, but I added in a few new flavors to spice it up!

Asian Turkey Meatballs

You Will Need:
1 pkg. of Jennie-O Ground Turkey
1 pkg. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 Tbsp. diced onion
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. soy sauce

This recipe is so easy! Just throw all the ingredients in a big bowl and get in there and mix it up. Be sure to take off your rings first.

Then shape them.. I like to use my smallest cookie scoop to make an  hors d'oeuvres sized meatball.

Then I put a little oil in my largest cast iron skillet and heat it to medium. Keep an eye on the meatballs and turn them as needed to get a nice even browning.

These also go well with spaghetti, but they are just as good alone or with a little dip of marinara sauce.

With Jennie-O meatballs, turkey ham, cheese, crackers, fruit and juice. We are all set for a great meeting.

I am very proud of what our local BPA offers for our community. Many of the women have small children and leaving a bad situation isn't always easy. I am pretty sure the last thing on their minds is making healthy food choices. I just wanted to show everyone how easy it can be. This is a cause near and dear to my heart for personal reasons.

There is still plenty of time to get involved with this month's #JennieoCFK & Make the Switch. Check out the Champions for Kids website, connect with them on twitter and Facebook, and if you get involved in your community, I would love to hear about it!


*Disclaimer - I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #JennieOCFK #CBias #SocialFabric  All opinions are my own.