Getting Cinco de Mayo Read with Old El Paso Frozen Entrees for Two

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by Old El Paso® through Platefull Co-Op. All opinions and experiences are my own.

With Cinco de Mayo fast approaching, my palette has been hankering for a little Mexican food. Fajitas just happen to be my favorite, but I rarely can find the time for all that prep and cooking. 

So for a quick and tasty lunch I grabbed the Old El Paso Chicken Fajitas, entree for two. No slicing, dicing or searing necessary. 

One pan and just a few minutes made us a tasty and colorful meal. I added in my own flour tortillas, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and salsa. With a side of blue corn chips, we were set. 

It was a fun and festive change from usual lunch leftovers or sandwiches, and it didn't take any more time. 

I loved that the onions and peppers came out tasting like I had grilled them myself. You might find yourself saying, #NoWayThatsFrozen.

I grabbed my bags at my local Walmart, but check your local grocery store's freezer section for Fajitas and other entree options like enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos.

You can connect with Old El Paso on Facebook to stay up on all the latest products and promotions.

And for our Cinco de Mayo? I am planning getting a little help from Old El Paso along with a big pitcher of homemade horchata. What are your plans?

Old El Paso Frozen Entrees - Hey! #NoWayThatsFrozen #spon

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by Old El Paso® through Platefull Co-Op. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Looking for a new Mexican Food fix from the freezer? Well, Old El Paso has a few new options to stock for those busy week nights.

I headed into my local Walmart and saw there was a new selection of Old El Paso frozen entree meals for two. They had everything from Quesadillas to Burritos, Enchiladas and Fajitas. I grabbed an assortment in beef or chicken and headed home to try it out.

Most of the items are individually wrapped and are microwave ready, the exception was the Steak Fajitas. Those take about 13 minutes in a skillet on the stove top.

Instructions suggest serving with flour tortillas, but I wanted something a bit lighter. I made my steak fajitas into a steak fajita salad. It was delicious!

There were plenty of seasoned and fire roasted onions and sweet bell peppers, along with strips of steak.

Since my husband is the Quesadilla fan, I made his in the microwave and tried a chicken burrito myself.

My chicken burrito was filled with rice, beans and a tangy salsa verde. Very filling for just one. The Quesadillas were filled with meat and cheese.

All the items were ready to go and just needed to be heated before serving. So easy and fast for a quick meal.


You can find all 8 varieties of the Old El Paso Frozen entrees for two in the freezer aisle. Connect with Old El Paso on Facebook for more fun.

Last Minute Ordinary to Family Size Extraordinary!

#ad - I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. I stocked my freezer with Nestle party size entrees and seasonal ice cream to prepare for unexpected situations. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. #PlanAhead

Bring on the holidays. This year I am determined to be ready.

My daughter and I have already started decorating the house while my son is at school. I love adding a little fun to our dinner table with Fall colored leaves, pumpkins, decorative corn and gourds. She loves helping me and it has created some fun mother/daughter moments to remember. I like making the house more inviting as we all look forward to the holidays.

Another part of my plan in preparing for the holidays is having food stashed in the freezer for life's unexpected moments. Ever have one of those?

For the past two years my kids have unexpectedly gotten sick around the holidays. Last year my daughter got sick right as we were packing up the car. With elderly Great Grandparents attending, we just couldn't expose them to our germs. Disappointed, we had to change gears and stay home. I was faced with having nothing ready for dinner. I don't even think there was much in the fridge to work with. All I had was the homemade cranberry sauce I was planning to take to the family meal.

I don't remember what we scrounged up, but I am sure it was pancakes or waffles, something easy.

This year I promised myself I would not be caught unprepared again.

This year whether we get sick again (I sure hope not!), have unexpected guests drop by, or my turkey gets devoured by the dog (any Christmas Story fans out there?), I have a back-up in our deep freeze.

Nestle frozen foods make several options for stocking my freezer. Our first choice is always Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese. Don't let the simplicity fool you, it is easy to dress it up and please any dinner guest. Here are my suggestions:

Macaroni and cheese with smoked salmon? How about bacon and broccoli mixed in? I like to top our macaroni and cheese with breadcrumbs for crunch during the final 10 minutes of baking time and then I top mine with a little of everything and finish it off with a squeeze of sriracha sauce for heat.

Oh, so good! This family size entree is plenty for my family and any other hungry dinner guests I have. With a nice side salad or warm loaf of bread it will stretch even farther and feed a few more.

Another crowd-pleasing trick up my sleeve is Digiorno Rising Crust Pizza. I like to get it simple, either plain cheese or pepperoni so I can dress it up with additional toppings for adults, or leave it as is if I need to feed a bunch of kids. I like to add any veggies I have on hand like bell peppers, mushrooms or sun dried tomatoes.

Another favorite I have stashed away is Stouffer's Party Size lasagna. Served with a side of steamed vegetables or garlic bread, it warms us up on cold evenings.

So many choices, so many options for those last minute meals.

But, if you really want to be a hero this holiday season, stock up on a few seasonal treats like Dreyer's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Limited Edition: Peppermint Wonderland. I wait all year for the seasonal flavors to come out. Another one I am looking forward to is Dreyer’s Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Limited Edition: A Very Merry Eggnog which should be on shelves today, November 1st.

Warm food and cold ice cream stocked up for whatever life throws my way, that is my secret for planning ahead this year.

Connect with Nestle on their Facebook page or @Nestle on Twitter.

How do you plan ahead for the holiday season?

Tasty Bite: Delicious Food Fast Review

*Disclaimer - I received a product sample in order to facilitate my review. All experiences and opinions are my own.

I am not a big fan of instant or packaged foods. I would rather make something from scratch, but try as I might, there are just not enough hours in every day to spend in the kitchen.

My husband farms the land near our house and I never know when he will pop in early looking for lunch... or a child will get hurt or sick... or we will need to make a quick trip into town for something. Honestly, I plan out my meals but sometimes life gets in the way.

I refuse to swing past the drive-thru on those hectic days. I just hate how I feel afterwards.

Instead of taking a short-cut like fast food, I have started stocking a small portion of my pantry with faster options like these Tasty Bite meals and sides.

These microwavable pouches are ready to heat and eat in 90 seconds or less. With all natural and even vegetarian or vegan options, I was intrigued.

No preservatives, lots of great choices and flavors make for a good fast lunch option for me. These also came in handy on days when I had to grab dinner for myself and eat while my family was out. It was nice not to make a big mess in the kitchen.

I tried the Madras Lentils first. This is something I would make myself for dinner, but it would definitely take much longer than 1 minute.

I just vented one corner of the package and heated as directed on the back.

I chose to pour my lentils over a quick baked potato, but any starch would do.

It was hearty, delicious, and a great mixture of spices and flavors. Not too spicy, but a great Indian dish.

No, I might not be a fan of "fast food", but this was just good food fast. No preservatives, nothing artificial - just natural foods ready to heat and serve.

From Indian food to rices and Asian noodle dishes, check your local store for Tasty Bite. It is a great hectic day option.

Check out the Tasty Bite Facebook page, connect on Twitter or Pinterest for product announcements and promotions.

Gorton's Wicked Good Seafood in a Snap! + Giveaway

*Disclaimer - I am a member of the Gorton's Crew of bloggers and received free products in order to facilitate my honest review. All opinions and experiences are my own. 

I struggle with lunch on a daily basis.

I wake, I get my son ready for the bus, I feed everyone and then I dive head first into my exciting list of daily chores. I vacuum, I start on the laundry, I feed the chickens. But then the middle of the day meal sneaks up on me.

I know. Everyone is hungry. My daughter has been asking, "What's for lunch?" since 9 AM. But, seems like every day I'm like a deer caught in the headlights not sure what in the world to make. By the time I have everything else done it is crunch time. I usually have 30 minutes or less to have lunch on the table. My husband comes home everyday... he works in the neighborhood, farming, so we do lunch together. It only adds to the pressure though. I really need easy lunches to throw together and this girl can only eat PB&J so often.

So today I turned to Gorton's Lemon Herb Fish Fillets.

In about 20 minutes I had lunch on the table. It looked much more impressive than our usual lunch fare.

I made a harvest grain blend from Trader Joe's and baked the fish according to package instructions. I dusted my fish and plate with a little additional parsley, then topped with some fresh salsa filled with big chunks of tomato. Mmm... this was my kinda lunch.

To be honest, the fish came seasoned really well, so it didn't need to be dressed up too much. The salsa added a little color and a contrasting acid. Both my husband and I gobbled it up.

Later this week I plan to save some time on dinner prep by making Gorton's Beer Battered Fish Fillets to dress up for our fish taco night. I am looking forward to that quick meal, too.

Have you tried Gorton's recently? You might be surprised by the vast selection of Wicked Good Seafood.
In celebration they are running a "Wicked Good Seafood" Sweepstakes for the chance to win a family trip to Boston!

Visit gortons.com to download a coupon, explore posted recipes and check out all the products in their impressive line up.

You can connect with Gorton's on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for info on products, recipes and promotions.

What is your favorite fish dish?

Giveaway Time!!!

One lucky Adventures in All Things Food & Family reader in the U.S. will win a prize package -  three $2 off product coupons, 1 Gorton’s-branded ship wheel keychain, an assortment of Gorton’s recipe cards and beautiful seaside/Gorton’s postcards. Giveaway ends 10/19/2013. Good luck!
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Solving the Back to School Breakfast Dilemma with Nestle

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This week I got a jump on back to school by making freezable breakfast food with Nestle products. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. #BTSIdeas #cbias #shop

Ready? Set? Go. Go. Go.

With the whirlwind of a new school year starting, I am looking for shortcuts to make my morning routine easier. My son will be starting Kindergarten this year so breakfast will be even more important for him. I want to give him the best start in learning with a good meal to start to his day.  A big fan of a warm breakfast, I'm not sure I can commit to getting up and making something from scratch everyday. With a new baby and this school thing my schedule is going to be pretty crazy. I'm nervous about this new milestone in my son's life, but confident that I can have a positive impact.

This sounds like the perfect time to break out some big batch freezer cooking!

Have you tried it? Just a few hours on the weekend can set me up for a whole week of easy meals.

To get started, I grabbed my daughter and headed to our local Walmart. Her brother was off picking out school clothes with his grandparents so it was a great time to get it all done. There were a couple Nestle products I wanted to pick up to make our Back to School breakfasts go even faster. 

Knowing I can't leave myself out of fast breakfast options, I grabbed a box of Carnation Breakfast Essentials. I love the milk chocolate, but for smoothies bases I prefer the Classic French Vanilla flavor. Busy mornings I often forget to eat, but since I am nursing I need those precious calories even more right now. If I have less than 5 minutes before heading out the door, I can always whip up a delicious French Vanilla Berry Smoothie.

French Vanilla Berry Smoothie

You will Need:

• 1 pouch Carnation Breakfast Essentials in French Vanilla
• 2/3 c. 1% milk
• 1/2 c. frozen mixed berries
• 4 ice cubes

Combine all the ingredient in your blender and use the smoothie setting, if available. Mix and match your favorite fruits and add in a little wheat germ or flax seed oil if you want.

The smoothie is a great option for me, but what about my kids?

My kids really like French Toast, but I wanted to make it even easier for busy mornings. As a kid, I enjoyed buying fast food French Toast sticks at the fast food drive-thru. This recipe is my nod to that convenience without the drive-thru or fried part.

I like to get my son involved in the kitchen. It's so easy and since this recipe doesn't contain raw eggs, I don't worry about him making a mess or sneaking the occasional taste. I handle the cooking and freezing portion but at 5-years old can handle the measuring, mixing and dunking. I think Owen enjoys eating this French Toast even more since he helped make it.

My kids have many food restrictions, including dairy and eggs. I enjoy using the Coffee-mate products because they not only come in a variety of fun flavors, but they are a creamy non-dairy option.

Owen's Freezer French Toast Sticks 

(non-dairy and egg free)

You Will Need:

• 10 slices of bread - I used Tapioca bread
• Ener-G egg replacer
• French Vanilla Coffee-mate 
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• butter or non-stick spray for cooking

Start by pre-heating the cast iron skillet on medium. Right before cooking add a little butter or non-stick spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients except the butter. I pour it into a small casserole dish wide enough to fit the slice of bread. Working one at a time, dip the bread into the batter to coat one side, and then the other. 

Cook over medium high heat until golden brown on both sides. Place each slice on a cooling rack to cool completely.

To prepare for freezing I like to cute the slices into strips. This makes it a fast finger-food, ready for dipping and eating in the morning. Place the cooled slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze for at least an hour and then transfer to a large zip topped bag and then store in the freezer.

To reheat, place several slices on a plate and microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. Heating time will vary depending on how many slices you plan to reheat at once. Serve with a small bowl of syrup or mashed fruit for dipping.

Enjoy!

For this meal my son paired his French Toast sticks with strawberry syrup and our orchards peaches. He gave it a thumbs up for taste and it has this mom's seal of approval because it is so fast to get ready.

Another make ahead freezer recipe I love is the versatile egg cup. Whether you call it a crustless quiche, or an egg muffin, it is a fast way to have eggs in the morning without the frying pan. We have a lot of eggs available on the farm so I often whip this up to use up our surplus. I am a big fan of this frugal protein.

Leek & Zucchini Egg Cups

You Will Need:

• non-stick cooking spray
• approx. 1/3 c. panko breadcrumbs
• olive oil
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 c. Original Nestle Coffee-mate 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 c. sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
• 1 Tbsp. corn starch *optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Spray 24 muffin cups with non-stick spray. Add approximately 1/2 Tbsp of panko to each cup and gently tip and shake to coat up the sides. Set aside.

Slice and prep the leeks by filling a bowl of water and adding sliced leeks to it. The grit and dirt will fall to the bottom. Drain and sweat in pan with 1 tsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil till tender. Set aside and let cool.

Grate the zucchini*, lightly salt it and set aside in a colander so it can drain for about 15 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture and then soften in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add to the sauteed leeks, set aside and let cool. *Substitute in the vegetables you have on hand. Spinach, mushrooms, or bell peppers also work well.

While the vegetables are cooling,  whisk together the eggs, creamer, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. If you prefer a firm egg, add the cornstarch, dissolved in a little water, at this time. Leaving it out the egg will be more delicate but both will freeze well.

In each muffin cup, add a tablespoon of the vegetable filling. Add 3 tablespoons of egg mixture and top with  grated cheese. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until the top is golden and the egg has set. Let them cool for 5 minutes before loosening the edges and inverting on a wire cooling rack. Let them cool completely before freezing in a single layer on a baking dish. Store in a freezer bag or container.

To reheat, microwave for 30 second intervals until they are warmed through. Cooking time will vary depending on how many egg cups you are heating up.

Now I am set for back to school. Nestle products helped me prepare a variety of quick and easy meals. My freezer is stocked and ready for breakfast. I'm sure my son is going to have a great time, but the real question is whether I will survive Kindergarten...

Follow Nestle's Facebook page and on Twitter for more great recipe ideas and product promotions.

Do you have any favorite freeze ahead recipes? 

Do you have any #BTSIdeas?

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