Managing the Family Food Budget
Joan Hanson, test kitchen director for Hormel Foods offers a few ways families can gain control over their food budget. By implementing these simple strategies today, families can save money in the long run.
- Reduce your supermarket stops. One of the most common financial mistakes when shopping is impulse buying, which can create havoc on your food budget. By limiting visits to the supermarket, you reduce this possibility and are forced to plan ahead.
- Create a meal menu. Plan your meals for the week, and concentrate on only buying items that you need.
- Build a budget. When you get home from the grocery store, multiply your bill by four and you will have a fairly accurate estimate of your monthly food costs. Stay within this price range every time you go grocery shopping.
- Search for sales. Check the Sunday paper or in-store fliers each week to stay informed of the sale items.
- Lavish your leftovers. Creating multiple meals from a dish saves a tremendous amount of money and shopping time. For leftover recipes ideas, check out www.HormelFoodsRecipes.com.
Families Coming Together to Go Green
Greening the planet is an important practice in the world today, and essential if we want to keep our environment intact for future generations. There are many ways families can become more eco-conscious—from recycling paper and plastic to saving energy. Another way families can go green is by using natural food products, which have been through only minimal processing.
“There are steps we all can take to be more environmentally-friendly and it’s easier than you might think,” said Joan Hanson, test kitchen director for Hormel Foods. “Even meal preparation can be eco-friendly when you’re utilizing homegrown fruits and vegetables and store-bought natural food products.”
Hanson offers several basic tips that will help you teach your family to appreciate nature and protect and preserve the environment. So, use these suggestions and begin paving your way to greener pastures.
- Recycle with purpose. Work with your children to create a collage of nature cut-outs from magazines to decorate a container specifically for recyclables. This will help get them excited about recycling.
- Go natural. Bring your family meals back to basics by using natural products including fruit juice, meat and cereal. At your grocer’s deli counter, look for natural meats, like Hormel® 100% Natural Deli meats in varieties such as Smoked Honey Ham and Roast Beef.
- Nurture nature. Plant a small vegetable garden with the kids in the backyard or in a window box. It will help them appreciate the natural ingredients that are being used to prepare their meals.
- Beckon the birds. Build a birdhouse as a family activity and hang it near a window so everyone can see when birds visit.
- Grab the greens. Promote paper and plastic conservation by encouraging your children to decorate their own cloth bag to take to the grocery store.
- Conserve Energy. Let in natural light by opening the shades, and teach your children to turn off lights when leaving the room.
Parents, with help from the kids, can make small changes to their everyday activities – making life a little greener for everyone.
Microwave Moms: The Secret Ingredient for Well-Balanced Meals
Considering today’s demands of work and after-school activities, creating a weeknight dinner from scratch is not always realistic. Many parents are too busy to make dinner but feel guilty for not providing their children with a hearty, home-cooked meal.
However, a newfound realism surrounding dinnertime is beginning to emerge in cities and suburbs around the country. Embracing a modern attitude, families are combining convenient, microwavable products and fresh ingredients to create delicious meals that save time and energy.
Especially with tight schedules, many families still do their best to spend time together at dinner. To assist in that goal, time-saving tools - such as the microwave - have become essential, trusted and accepted elements of cooking routines.
“When prepared properly, a meal made in 15 minutes can be just as enjoyable as one that takes hours,” said Joan Hanson, test kitchen director of Hormel Foods. “With more convenient meal options available today, families can spend more time together and less time in the kitchen, without sacrificing the meal’s flavor.”
Hanson offers the following tips on how to make dinnertime less daunting.
- Add a Gourmet Touch: Turn any meal gourmet with a surprise twist on the core items. For a fresh spinach salad, add mandarin oranges and sprinkle in some microwave-ready bacon for a protein punch.
- Embrace the Center of the Plate: It’s possible to honor the main course, or center of the plate, and still save time by preparing your side items from scratch. For a hearty meal, ready in minutes, serve a satisfying, microwave-friendly meat product, such as beef tips & gravy, over cooked egg noodles and pair with a green salad.
- Be Creative with the Everyday: Give regular sandwiches a delicious makeover by first microwaving Hormel® Roast Beef au Jus, which can go from the refrigerator to the table in four minutes. Pile the meat high on a toasted French baguette. Dip the sandwich in savory au jus and accompany with french fries and fresh fruit for a complete meal.
- Take Comfort in Dinner: Whether it’s a crisp evening or the family just had a long day, comfort foods often warm the body and the soul. Next time the family is in need of an uplifting meal, heat a microwavable, pre-cooked meatloaf and gravy for the family to enjoy. Serve with mashed potatoes and buttered broccoli spears for a delicious dinner in minutes.
Cutting 101 - Dicing
- Dicing is a cutting technique in which food is cut into 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch pieces. You can dice vegetables into smaller pieces for more even distribution of the flavor for all your favorite dishes.
Cutting 101 - Mincing
- Mincing is the process of chopping food into tiny pieces
Cutting 101 - Chopping
- Chopping is a simple form of cutting, in which food is cut into irregular size pieces.
Cutting 101 - Julienning
- To julienne food is to cut it into thin, matchstick-style strips about 2 inches long. This cutting technique is frequently used with vegetables to create a garnish for salads, but can also be used with meats.
Cutting 101 - Slicing
- Slicing is a cutting technique in which food is cut into thin, flat pieces.
Cutting 101 - Cubing
- Cubing is a cutting technique in which food is cut into 1/2 inch size pieces. Cubing your food is a good technique to help ensure consistent cooking, texture and appearance.
Ease Your Way into Easter Entertaining
Easter is right around the corner and as you are gearing up for egg hunts, sweet treats and big family dinners, Hormel Foods would like to offer some entertaining and ham preparation tips that will make Easter party-throwing less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone.
Breeze through Easter entertaining with tips from Joan Hanson, test kitchen director of Hormel Foods:
- Color-code your eggs. Before the big Easter egg hunt, assign specific colors to different age groups. This way, the older kids won’t scoop up all the eggs from the younger ones.
- Make an Easter egg tree. Hang colored eggs with ribbon from a small tree branch to decorate.
- Make an Easter basket centerpiece. Line an Easter basket or heavy woven basket with heavy plastic and fill with potting soil. Plant your favorite spring flowers in the basket. Or, plant spring flowers in tiny terra cotta pots for your holiday centerpiece.
Now for the main attraction – the ham: Whether basting, glazing or baking, below are some easy preparation tips for selecting and cooking your perfect Easter ham:
- Freshen your flavor. When choosing between water-added versus natural juice ham, purchase the premium, natural juice ham. Natural juice hams have less added ingredients so you are getting more meat and flavor and less added ingredients such as water.
- Don’t dry out. For those concerned with drying out the ham, choose a ready-made ham, such as Hormel® Cure 81® Oven Ready spiral ham. Your guests will enjoy a moist and juicy ham every time with Fool Proof® cook-in-the-bag technology.
- Glaze it up. Once you choose your Easter ham, spruce it up by basting with a simple glaze like Pineapple Marmalade, Honey Mustard, Raisin or Cherry. Recipes can be found at www.HormelFoodsRecipes.com.
Spring Cleaning for Your Taste Buds
Spring has sprung, and as you prepare for warm weather, it’s easy to forget about the most popular room of the house: the kitchen. Joan Hanson, test kitchen director for Hormel Foods, offers a few easy tips to make room for the foods of the season.
- Take Stock – Before the next trip to the grocery store, make it a point to clean the refrigerator and pantry before-hand. Get rid of items that have gone bad and make extra space for new purchases. Don’t forget to check items hiding in back or in the door.
- Group Foods– To make finding and using items easier, group similar food families. Try storing pastas, snacks and baking items near each other to help keep track of what you have now, and what you need to pull together for your next shopping list.
- Decode Dates – The sell-by date is the suggested date a retailer should sell a product. The use-by date is the suggested date you should use a product for optimum quality. Check use-by dates and toss any that are past due.
Now that there is room, stock the fridge and pantry with hot trends that are “springing” up this season, such as those with Mediterranean inspired flavors.
- Greek Chicken Pizzas – Spread hummus on whole wheat tortillas, top with Valley Fresh® 100% Natural White Chunk Chicken, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, thinly sliced red onion and feta cheese. Bake and enjoy as a snack or light lunch.
- Tempting Tastings – Compile a tasting platter featuring a variety of olives, cheeses and fruits. Invite guests to snack al fresco to take advantage of the warming temperatures.
MOTHER’S DAY: It’s the thought that counts
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and, let’s be honest, kids aren’t always the best when it comes to indulging mom on this special day. To help, Hormel Foodshas come up with some pampering tips and easy meal ideas that even kids can handle – perhaps with a little help from dad…
For the perfect start to Mother’s Day – offer breakfast, or – let her sleep in and offer lunch, in bed. Surprising mom can be as easy as 1-2-3 with the meal ideas below from Joan Hanson, test kitchen director of Hormel Foods:
- Top toasted frozen waffles with Hormel® Cure 81® ham, strawberries and maple syrup.
- Spread toast with cream cheese. Make a heart in the center of the toast with blueberries. Spoon strawberry jam in the middle of the heart.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on a tortilla. Spell out "M O M" with Hormel® pepperonislices. Heat in microwave oven 60 seconds to melt the cheese.
The day doesn’t stop there… surprise her with a few traditional and non-traditional tips to pamper mom:
- Give the gift of time. Print out coupons for her to redeem. Include items like laundry, dish washing, foot rubs and cleaning.
- Use craft glue to decorate a picture frame. Use items like buttons, silk flowers and shells. Include your favorite picture or write a poem for the frame.
- Burn a CD with Mom’s favorite songs. Decorate the CD case and cover.
- Serve mom a special cup of coffee. Dip colored plastic spoons in melted chocolate and top with sprinkles. Wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon. Add a picture attached to cardboard as the name tag.
Unexpected Foods Light the Fire Under Grilling
As summer grilling season gets underway, it’s easy to stick with classic barbecue fare. Instead of the tried-and-true recipes, consider lighting a fire under the grill this season! Joan Hanson, test kitchen director for Hormel Foods, offers a few easy tips below on how to break away from backyard boredom by utilizing a few unexpected ingredients.
Surprise Your Senses with a Bit of Bacon
- Smoky Chicken and Bacon Kabobs: Alternate chicken on skewers with pieces of bacon for chicken kabobs on the grill.
- Flavor-infused Bacon Burgers: Add cooked and chopped bacon with chopped green onions to ground beef. Form into burger patties and grill.
- Bacon-wrapped Scallops: Wrap Hormel® fully cooked bacon around scallops and secure with wooden picks. Brush with olive oil and grill until bacon is crispy and scallops are opaque.
Create Enticing Aromas with Onion
- Caramelized Onions: Combine butter, sugar and Vidalia onions in a foil pouch. Grill until onion is tender and use to enhance the flavor of your favorite steak or pork.
- Roast Onion Tenderloin: Grill onions and garlic in a foil pouch. Serve over grilled pork tenderloin.
Tempt Your Sweet Tooth with Unique Grilled Desserts
- Grilled Banana Pound Cake: Top slices of grilled pound cake with sliced grilled bananas. Finish with caramel, whipped cream and pecans.
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies: Grill strawberries and place on brownies. Top with chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
- Grilled Banana Split: Grill bananas, strawberries, and pineapple chunks on a skewer. Top ice cream with grilled fruit, hot fudge and whipped cream.
Summertime Dinner On-The-Go, Go, Go
With summertime nearing, already hectic schedules are about to get more busy for on-the-go kids who are involved in every warm-weather activity imaginable. Along with the warm weather activities comes the chaos that accompanies a jam-packed calendar of events. As longer days are consumed with transporting kids to and fro, dinnertime, regrettably, often just becomes another item on the to-do list.
“Parents are always trying to come up with ideas for dinner,” said Joan Hanson, test kitchen director for Hormel Foods. “When summer’s at its busiest, it’s nice to have some last-minute meal ideas in your back pocket.”
So avoid weeding through take-out menus and try these suggestions from Hanson to prepare yourself for those busy summer dinners.
- Stock-up. Keep your kitchen stocked with items such as rice, pasta, tortillas, canned beans, cheese, frozen vegetables and tomato sauce at all times. These are staple ingredients that can be combined to make quick meals at a moment’s notice.
- Grab ‘n Go. When you’re in a hurry and have a hungry family to feed, grab a hot ready-to-eat meal from your nearby grocer. Stop by the deli counter for a rotisserie chicken or a preservative-free Hormel® Deli Entrée, such as Beef Roast Au Jus or Turkey with Gravy.
- Leave-overs. When you have the time to cook, make enough for two meals and freeze one for a busy day. Chop and freeze leftover meat to use in rice and pasta dishes or on top of salads to add variety to your dinner menu.
- Prep help. Assign tasks to everyone in the family. Meal preparation will go faster and the kids will enjoy helping prepare what they eat.
Teaching Kids with Teaspoons
As temperatures rise and summer breaks near, parents are tasked with occupying their kids’ newly abundant free time both indoors and outdoors. Cooking is a fun and productive use of that extra time no longer occupied with school and after-school activities – especially on rainy days. Involving your kids in meal prep will get them excited about the food they eat, teach them about well-balanced diets and encourage some quality family time.
Like other summer activities, parental coaching and supervision are required ingredients when cooking with kids. Depending on your helpers’ age, interest and, of course, attention-span, there are ways all kids can assist in the kitchen, so parents should be aware of what responsibilities their children can or want to undertake. No matter what the role, kids will love being a part of this fun family experience and parents will love the help!
“Menu planning and preparation is a great activity to share with the kids,” commented Joan Hanson, test kitchen director, Hormel Foods. “And, kids are more likely to eat what they help plan and make, which also creates a way to incorporate healthy fare into the family’s diet.”
When teaching the tots to cook, get creative with your techniques. Hanson offers a few helpful tips for parents cooking with kids:
- Measure ingredients. While measuring, add some math skills. For example, which is larger: ¼ cup or ½ cup? How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
- Assign tasks. Dole out tasks such as stirring the spaghetti sauce, mashing the potatoes, greasing pans, layering sandwiches or adding toppings to a pizza to give ownership to the child. This is particularly helpful if you have a picky eater.
- Stock up. Try to have kid-friendly kitchen tools, such as plastic bowls that won’t break if dropped on-hand.
- Be health-conscious: Remind kids that meat provides protein which helps build strong muscles and that milk, yogurt and cheese provide calcium for strong bones and teeth.
Kids’ Korner
Cooking prep may come as second nature to parents, but for first-time kids of the kitchen, it’s important not to bypass the basics. Here are a few preparation pointers from Hanson for when children are stepping up to the plate:
- Avoid germs. Make sure everyone washes their hands before starting. Also, its important to wash hands after touching any raw meat.
- Set rules. Clearly identify what tasks should be done by adults, such as lifting heavy pans from the stove and using sharp knives.
- Preview the recipe. Read through the entire recipe together before starting. Talk through the order of preparing the recipe and create a plan.
- Lay it out. Get all the ingredients out before starting to make sure you have everything you need.
- Height reminder. Don’t forget chairs or stools for little ones to use when helping.