Creating Summertime Memories with DIGIORNO and DIY Paper Pinwheels

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #SummerGoodies #CollectiveBias

This year Summer has taken on a whole new meaning for our family. It is no longer just the hottest season of the year, it is the start of something, the end of something. My son will be home and next year he will be going to school for a full day. My daughter will be heading off on the bus this Fall so this is my Summer to enjoy them and for all of us to create memories together.

Friday starts our break and my little adventurers have big plans for the long Summer days. Armed with explorer vests, binoculars, magnifying glasses and bug vacuums they want the chance to explore the backyard and their world.

You better believe I want to be out there experiencing it with them. My daughter is completely enthralled with lady bugs, roly polies and caterpillars right now. It reminds me of my own backyard exploration at her age. 

My goal for this Summer is to get outside, have fun and spend a little less time in the kitchen. I headed into my local Walmart to stock up on quick family meal options to help me out.

Pizza is a fun antime food, but it is great for those lazy Summer days. And if I don't want to make the house hot, I can always throw a pizza on the grill outside.

The truth is, I would rather be out savoring summertime than worrying about dinner.

I enjoy the oven ready DIGIORNO pizzas because they are easy to prepare and come in a variety of flavors and crust options. This time around I wanted to try the new DIGIORNO® Design A Pizza™ Kit and also pizzeria! from DIGIORNO®. I am already a fan of the DIGIORNO® RISING CRUST® Pizza.

I enlisted my kids to help me make lunch the other day. the DIGIORNO® Design A Pizza™ Kit came with everything we needed to customize our own pie. With pepperoni, chicken, onions, extra cheese, seasoning and more my kids used every last item in the box.

They were especially excited to tell Daddy that they made the pizza themselves!

Pizza is something the whole family can enjoy and clean up is simple. It is a great way to refuel and get back outside for more fun.

I really enjoyed trying the new pizzeria! from DIGIORNO®. I picked up the new Tuscan Chicken and it reminded me so much of the specialty pizzas I used to order in the city. Great ingredients, grown up flavors but at a reasonable family price.

And being a year old, this was the baby's first pizza. Now isn't that a fun memory to make? I cut his slice into bite-sized (or finger friendly) pieces and let him explore and enjoy it. Finally this kid has enough teeth to show the crispy crust who's boss!

Another memory we all made together was with these homemade pinwheels. Everytime we go to Walmart my kids beg me to buy them the shiny pinwheels on the end-caps. I don't know how many of those things we have smashed, broken, lost or torn. Making our own was not only easy, but it was a lot of fun to customize them ourselves. 

So just in time for warmer weather and Independence Day we made patriotic pinwheels. You will just need a few simple supplies.

DIY Paper Pinwheels

You Will Need:

• scrapbook paper in various colors and patterns. Cut 2, 5"x5" squares
• coordinating circle 
• pinwheel template (print out)
• scissors
• hole punch
• Elmer's glue dots
• bendable drinking straws
• pencil
• 1 1/2" brad

Use the template to cut out your paper square, with notches and circle. Punch a hole in the center of your square and where indicated on the pattern edges. Also punch a hole in the middle of your circle. Glue the scrapbook paper together placing the top sheets diagonal to each other so the edges do not meet, but the center circles are alligned. With a pencil, curl the edges of each strip towards the center. 

Start with one peice, carefully lining up the holes, and going around the circle in order, glue one peice on top of the next. You will start to see your pinwheel taking shape. Then glue the circle cut-out on top, again lining up the center hole. 

Bend the flexible straw. Coming from behind your pinwheel pushing the short end through both the hole in the back and then out through the layered peices. If there is any resistence, use your scissors to gentle widen the punched holes. The paper needs to be able to turn freely on the straw.

Take a brad to seperate and flare out the ends. Push this through the front of the straw. By bending the brad, it will push out on the sides of the straw holding it into place. You can add a little glue to the end, if you wish.

Hold you pinwheel at a slight angle and blow. These are great as kids' toys or for festive decorations around the holiday.

So whether you plan to catch some bugs, makes paper pinwheels, or just enjoy a good Summer book on your Kindle, do yourself a favor, stock your freezer and worry less about dinner and more about savoring Summer.

'Cause you know Summer will be over before we know it...

Looking for more great meal or dessert ideas? Check out Nestle's Flavorful Moments.

Which DIGIORNO pizza is your favorite?

#ad Spicy and Cheesy Tyson Chicken Nugget Sliders

#ad - I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. I served up the new Tyson Spicy Chicken Nuggets and the Tyson Cheesy Chicken Nuggets for a quick and fun family meal.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. #LoveUrNuggets

Saturday is a special day in our house - Game Day! We proudly wear our green and yellow to support our favorite college team, the Oregon Ducks. So far this season we are undefeated. A three generation Duck family, both my husband and I attended and we have passed our love of the game and team to our children.

All that cheering works up quite the appetite. I like to enjoy my Saturday spending time with family rather than slaving away in the kitchen. So I am always looking for fast meal ideas that will please my hungry crowd. Game day food must be finger-friendly, fun and appeal to everyone.

Have you noticed the new Tyson Cheesy Chicken Nuggets and Spicy Chicken Nuggets? I found them at my local Walmart in the freezer section.

Gourmet nuggets? Yes, please.

Now, chicken nuggets are a fun food on their own, but to get them dressed up for game day I created two slider recipes using the new chicken nugget flavors and Hawaiian mini rolls.

This would also make a fun serve-yourself set-up, but they were easy to make up ahead of time. I loved the peppery flavor of the Tyson Spicy Chicken Nuggets and paired it with my favorite garlic pepper cheddar and homemade bread and butter pickles.

Crispy chicken and sweet pickles just make me happy.

I kept things simple because the nuggets are already packed with flavor.

My Spicy Pepper Pickle Slider

• Tyson's Spicy Chicken Nuggets
• Mini Hawaiian Rolls
• mayonnaise
• Garlic and peppercorn cheddar cheese
• bread and butter pickles

Just pile them up and use a skewer or toothpick to hold them together.

I also broke out the BBQ sauce and pineapple rings to compliment the new Cheesy Chicken Nuggets. My kids love sweet and tangy BBQ sauce.

My Cheesy Pineapple BBQ Slider

• Tyson's Cheesy Chicken Nuggets
• Mini Hawaiian Rolls
• mayonnaise
• Honey mesquite BBQ sauce
• pineapple rings

Build your creation and watch them disappear quickly. Our BBQ sauce got a little messy, so be sure to have napkins handy.

If you have Chuck E Cheese fans in the house, don't miss out on the token coupon on the back of Tyson Cheesy Chicken Nugget bags. You can get 130 tokens for $25 (a savings of $7.50) when you bring in your clipped coupon. We just got back from a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party and I know that coupon would have come in handy for more game fun!

I enjoyed the new nuggets, but would you like to try before you buy? There will be product demo for the Tyson Cheesy Chicken Nuggets in Walmart the week of November 15th. Check them out and see how tasty the new flavors really are.

How would you eat the new Tyson Cheesy Chicken Nuggets and Spicy Chicken Nuggets?

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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#Ad To Your School with Tyson Products and Safeway

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  To support local schools I shopped at Safeway for participating products in Tyson's Project A+ Program. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. #ClipForSchool.

My son started out on his great school adventure this past Tuesday.

Kindergarten, already? Can you believe it?

Of course we have been preparing, both mentally and physically, for weeks now.  Yes, I was the Mom doing timed practice drills down to the bus stop in the morning. On the first day my son could barely contain himself as he waited for the big yellow bus.

Yes, there was a lot of bouncing involved.

He had a fabulous first day and beamed through till bedtime. It made me feel good that he started out his education on the right foot. Now I just want to keep it all so positive. I would love to volunteer in his classroom and help with school events, but with a 2 month old baby and another young child at home, I just don't have the time to give right now. Luckily there are other ways I can contribute to our school.

Do you shop at Safeway? I stopped by our local store to learn there were multiple ways to do my weekly shopping and support my son's school at the same time.

Safeway is currently running a Back to School 10% School Donation Program. Just look for the shelf tags like this one:

This program runs from August 14th through September 10th. There is still time to take advantage of this opportunity. Just register your Club Card so 10% of the net purchase price will go to the school of your choice automatically, or follow instructions on the bottom of your receipt after you get home. eScrip supporters earn automatically.

Safeway also stocks a variety of Tyson products, many of which are eligible for Tyson's Project A+ Program. I found a handy sign on the outside of the freezer case with a quick explanation of how it works.

I can only imagine the fun things a little extra cash could fund at my son's school. On our last visit to the elementary school my husband and I remarked how they could really use updated playground equipment and supplies. The volleyball net was tattered and they can always use new balls and supplies for the students.

The beauty of this program is anyone can get involved. That means not only can you get other parents and teachers involved, but ask your relatives or friends to clip labels as well.

The Tyson Project A+ site was easy for me to use.

Check to see if your school is already listed, if not it is easy to get enrolled. Sign up took just a few minutes and my school showed up on the list immediately. There is also a complete list of participating products on the site, and with more than 40 Tyson products listed, there is sure to be something your family will love.

Then clip and collect labels to be redeemed for cash for your school. At 24 cents a label, it adds up quickly and is worth more than other school incentive programs. There is a minimum of 100 labels for redemption. I know I buy enough Tyson products to put a decent dent in the minimum myself.

Okay, so I shopped at Safeway, accumulated some money and labels for my school and now have Tyson chicken in my freezer. What did I make?

I made this Easy Chicken Caprese Pasta that was on the table in less than 10 minutes! Check out the recipe.

Easy Chicken Caprese Pasta

You Will Need:

• 4 Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breasts
• 1 box Angel Hair Pasta
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
• 8 slices of fresh mozzarella
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, sliced thin
• balsamic vinegar to drizzle
• kosher salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Boil pasta according to the package instructions. I prefer Angel Hair because it cooks in around 4 minutes.

Cook chicken according to package instructions. The recommended method is covered in the microwave and cooking times vary depending on the amount of chicken being cooked. Set aside.

In a large saute pan melt the butter and warm the garlic through. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Drizzle with more olive oil as necessary to keep the pasta from sticking.

Plate a serving of pasta and top with a chicken breast, then tomato slices, mozzarella slices and sprinkle with basil. Drizzle the top with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Connect with Tyson on Facebook for product announcements and promotions.

What does your school need? Are you participating in either of these programs?

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?

An InLinkz Link-up

Sweet and Sour Chicken - A Quick Family Meal

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This week I tried out the new Kraft Recipe Makers meal kit in Sweet and Sour Chicken to make a quick family meal. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. #kraftrecipemakers #cbias #shop

Next month I will be sending my oldest off to school. I know things are going to get busier with PTAN meetings, activities, and catching up on his day. But this past week has been crazy busy, too! I mean, there is a lot to get ready for one little boy to enter Kindergarten.

Let's not forget that I now have 3 kids. I don't know where all the time in my day goes. I would like to tell you that we can just order take-out when my day runs away from me, but in rural Oregon there are few options and good Chinese food is not one of them. Those days I am left wondering what to make.

I might be a little picky. A Summer spent traveling around China solo had me hooked on the flavors, sauces and spices. At home it takes a long time for me to throw together my own Asian-dine-in meal. There are all the ingredients I need to find, reducing of sauces, cornstarch to tighten them up and more meal prep to be done.

Instead, I heard about Kraft Recipe Makers and the Sweet & Sour Chicken meal kit. They actually have a whole list of great flavor option, but the Sweet & Sour Chicken called to me and my love of a little Chinese food flair. So, off to Walmart I went for our weekly shopping trip, and I picked up all the staples I needed to pull off this quick family meal.

This couldn't have been simpler! The box lists the ingredients needed, clear instructions and even comes with 2 additional recipes inside the box. Truly an easy meal maker. Inside the box I found 2 sauces. There was a Sesame Ginger Simmer Sauce and a Sweet & Sour Pineapple Finishing Sauce. You can also view the complete recipe on the Kraft website.

Mmmm... the Sesame Ginger sauce smelled amazing! It was used to simmer with the bite-sized chicken pieces. Oh, the whole house already had the inviting smells of Chinese food.

Then I added in my vegetables; onion and bell peppers. When they were crisp tender I added the pineapple and the other sauce, the Sweet & Sour Pineapple Finishing Sauce.

I served it over brown rice and that was all I really needed. Paired with a simple salad, that is how we do family meals around here. I am happy to report it all went quickly and there weren't even leftovers.

Who needs take-out? I can make it fast and easy at home!

Sweet and tangy, the sauce was delicious. Make sure to grab enough rice so you don't waste a single sweet drop of it. You can grab your own box in Walmart's pasta aisle to make this meal for your own family.

Connect with Kraft Foods on Facebook for promotions, coupons and product announcements.

So, do you have a favorite fast family meal?