After a crazy couple days away from home we were so excited to get home. To sleep in our own bed, use our own stuff but mostly eat real food. I get so tired of eating out when I'm on the road. The hard part is I didn't have much groceries in stock. I was too tired to get back in a car and drive to the store too. I opened my fridge and was so relieved to find some Lloyds pulled pork and Hormel mashed potatoes.

We usually do Friday night pizza night. Sometimes we go somewhere out to eat, sometimes we order it, occasionally I even make it. My kids favorite is when they help make it. Well help make their own mini pizza's anyway. They are easy to make and my kids enjoy making their own pizza, plus there is less complaining about what kind to get.


First I use English muffins. I cut them in half and let the kids spoon marinara or pizza sauce on them. Then they can put as much of what kind of cheese I have out on them. Then of course Hormel pepperoni is a must! Usually my kids are ok with just those 2 things on them. You could add just about anything else though. Then I broil them till the cheese is melted and the edges crispy. Super easy but always a crowd pleaser. Plus I am a big fan of kids helping make dinner.





In the spirit of full-disclosure, I’ve partnered with Hormel Foods as part of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Throughout the year I’ll be receiving product, coupons, giveaways and promotions. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own.

I have to say how much I love the Wholly Guacamole cups. I recently went back to work part time and this last week they have come in so handy.

One day at work I needed a healthy pick me up and this creamy cup of goodness and some chips hit the spot! They come in this cute 100 Calorie cups now too. I keep a few at the office and a few in my freezer just in case I have a guacamole craving (which is a lot ;) If you click this link they even have a coupon right now you can print from home.

With me going back to work part time I have started to try and make more crock pot meals. This was one I kind of made up on the fly the other night, and my husband loved it. I opened my freezer to find a lovely  HORMEL ®   ALWAYS TENDER ® Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin. I threw it in the crockpot, covered it in water and let it sit on low for at least 8 hours. (You could do high for 4 hours as well.)  When I got home I cooked some rice and made some stir fry with what vegetables I had in my freezer. next time I will make sure to have better stir fry worth vegetables, but here is the basic recipe.

This post is going to start different than planned. It was going to be about how angel hair pasta cooks fastest, and how to keep some spaghetti (or other pasta sauce) on hand can help make a fast dinner. In the end I think it's about how chaos can even sneak a few points in there too sometimes!
Yesterday was a long day. So when I was making my quick pasta dinner I grabbed a jar that Hormel sent me to review. I saw pictures of tomatoes and garlic with the words thick and chunky on it, and assumed pasta sauce. I even decided to try my new app and make my first gif to go along with this pasta dinner post. After I poured it in the pot I thought, something is off about this pasta sauce. Sure enough that's because it's not pasta sauce, It's salsa! Good thing I caught it, cause that would have been some weird pasta!

The title says it all. Usually when I need something fast that I know all my kids will like I go with Breakfast for dinner. Anything my kids can put syrup on is never a fail in my home. Pancakes, waffles, french toast or even scones. Yup I once told my kids scones were pancake balls so to this day they cover them in syrup.

Let me start out by saying I am not a huge hot dog fan. I don't eat them very often, but if I do I like them 3 different ways. Grilled, in central park with mustard or with Hormel Chili. Since I don't have time to bust out the grill, and I'm not in New York, then that means its time to bust out the chili dog.
Hot dogs are one of my kids favorite things to eat. They are super easy to cook as well, whether you boil them or use the microwave they don't take very long at all. Although my kids just like to dip theirs in ketchup Dad and I like ours with Hormel chili. Dad likes his hot dog  in a bun with cheese and jalapenos, I sometimes like mine just like my kids- plain on a plate, no bun. Either way adding the chili elevates the usual hot dog into something more hearty and tasty for my husband and I.
Another thing I like to do if my eyes are bigger than my stomach and I heat up too much chili is make Cheese and Hormel Chili Dip. Which can also be great if you are going to a Halloween party this week and need to bring a dish to share. You can get the easy recipe here. Next time I suggest  dipping bell peppers in it.
What else do you like to put Hormel Chili on?
In the spirit of full-disclosure, I’ve partnered with Hormel Foods as part of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Throughout the year I’ll be receiving product, coupons, giveaways and promotions. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own 

I don't know about you but this is going to be a crazy week for me. I have 1 child having surgery, practices, Halloween activities, church responsibilities and other time consuming things going on.  I like to have a few go to recipes that I can go to when having a day (or in this case a week) that I need a quick dinner using ingredients on hand. Sometimes the hard balance with this is healthy dinner vs. quick dinners. Several days this week I am going to post some of the things I make for my family in a pinch and how I like to make them more mommy and daddy approved.
Since yesterday I had some time to cook and prep for the week I decided to make fajitas for dinner. Diced some yummy bell peppers that have been awesomely priced, added some chicken and made fajitas. Fajitas with a wheat tortilla and some non fat plain greek yogurt makes it  a win for me. Chicken, cheese and tortillas made it a win for my kids.
Then tonight we are using the leftovers to make a crockpot tortilla soup. I threw the leftover fajitas in the crock pot and added about a cup of chicken broth, black beans, kidney beans, corn, diced peppers and a can of enchilada sauce. My husband likes to eat his with tortilla chips, while my kids mix their soup with sour cream. Depending on the diced peppers and/or enchilada sauce it can come out a little spicy.  Another nice thing is sometimes if I have a ton left over I freeze the soup, then next time I'm in a pinch again all I need to do is reheat and serve.
This is one of my favorite use of leftovers into a different recipe. What's yours? I would love to know. Comment, tweet or facebook me yours. Maybe I'll share it with everyone :)