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.

Making a Switch, a Sacrifice and Good Deeds #JennieOCFK

I often talk about healthy choices and teaching kids good eating habits. But, I have a confession. My children love potato chips and I let them indulge too often.

I love the crunchy, salty snacks myself, but chips can contain large amounts of sodium, artificial flavoring, coloring and trans fats. Of course when eaten in moderation this might not be so bad, but it is too hard for a bag to go un-devoured in this house and often in just one sitting. That is a lot of empty and unneeded calories!

For May, Jennie-O is inviting people to take the  Jennie-O Make The Switch Challenge. Give up something you don't need, possibly unhealthy, in your life. Take the savings from this to make a healthy food donation for kids in need. It is a win-win for everyone. I am very excited about this month's Champions for Kids  #JennieOCFK SIMPLE Service Project. This is a great chance for me to break this bad habit with my small children and help an organization in our community at the same time.

I love the chance to get involved with my family as well. Come join me on this  Make The Switch Challenge to create healthy kids everywhere. You can connect with the Champions for Kids program on both Facebook and Twitter to stay informed on all the great projects going now and in the future.

We headed to our local Walmart to start our project. First we said goodbye to a few old friends. Specifically we had a moment with the Cheddar and Sour Cream chips - my kids' favorite.

Then we scanned our newly expanded grocery section for Jennie-O lean turkey products. I had the idea of making a deli tray to share using the lean turkey deli meats. Unfortunately our store's sliced meat section wasn't stocked yet. The new cooler sat empty.

So, another try and another store and I still couldn't find the sliced meats. Instead I did find some other fabulous products like lean ground turkey and extra lean turkey ham that I can slice myself.

Add to that sliced cheeses, vegetables and whole wheat crackers and I will be ready to make my food donation next week. My plan is to donate a healthy snack/appetizer tray to our local Battered Persons Advocacy for their weekly meeting. This is an organization I started volunteering with in high school when I would watch the children as their Mothers attended the meeting.

I decided my appetizer tray for the donation will contain mini turkey meatballs. I don't usually cook with turkey so this will be a great chance to make a healthy switch with my favorite meatball recipe.

My family doesn't eat a lot of ground beef so the switch seems like a smart idea. In fact, this week we will be enjoying our usual Taco Salad dinner with lean ground turkey.

You can view our complete shopping trip in my Google+ album. Look for my next post with the turkey meatball recipe and more information on our project with Champions for Kids. Please let me know if this has inspired you to Make the Switch Challenge and tell me about your SIMPLE Service Project.

*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.