Typical Suburban Family

eMeals has changed the way we eat.

No longer do I scramble to find something in the pantry to make an hour before dinner time.

No more random mid-week trips to the grocery store for one or two ingredients.

Nope.

Now I do weekly grocery shopping and have all of our meals very easily planned out.  I know I have all the ingredients for each of them and it’s simply amazing.

There are a variety of meal options to choose from each night too.  Some are quick; some are easily prepped in advance; some are more time consuming; some are even crockpot recipes.

Depending on the day I can determine what the best fit for us that night will be.

Earlier this week, we had shrimp and corn fritters.  OH MY GOODNESS!!!  It was super easy to make and we all loved them.  Seafood is a favorite around here and corn ranks pretty high too.  I figured this one would be a hit, but I didn’t realize how big of a hit it really would be.

Both boys ate two of them and asked to have them as leftovers in their lunches the next day.  They were simply delicious.  Don’t they look yummy?!

We’ve had a variety of other delicious meals including Chicken-Wild Rice Casserole this week.  The best part is that you can tweak them slightly if you know it’s not something your family will like.  For instance, there was a ham & corn chowder recipe last week and I know the kids won’t eat that.  However, they absolutely love ham!  So, I used portions of the ingredients and instead made more of a ham and side dish of corn type of meal.  They loved it and asked for more.

The meals are healthy and the suggested side dishes have been great.  We’ve had cantaloupe, salads, rice dishes and more as options.

Yummy and easy. Go ahead and sign up for eMeals. You’ll be glad you did.

This post contains affiliate links.

Kidfresh meals are not only yummy, but they are packed full of veggies, (up to one half cup of vegetables per meal).  How great is that?!  They are 100% natural and nutritionally advanced.

We’ve tried all of the meals and the boys approve of each and every one.  Their favorites though are the Muy Cheesy Quesadillas with creamy cheddar and monterey jack cheese, Rainbow Rice + Chicken with all natural white chicken + a tasty blend of long grain rice, and the Wagon Wheels Mac + Cheese pasta with creamy cheddar and mozarella cheese.

To see if their products are available in a store near you, please check out their store locator here: http://www.kidfresh.com/find-a-store/

I hope you enjoy their products as much as we do.  They really do make great, quick and healthy lunches.  You can’t go wrong.

You can download a coupon from the Kidfresh facebook page to try them now.  And/or you can enter this giveaway to receive two free meals and a $1 off coupon.

Entering is easy and there are multiple chances to win.

• Follow Typical Suburban Family via email or RSS feed (both in right sidebar)
• Become a fan of Kidfresh on facebook
• Become a fan of Typical Suburban Family (via /myhellodesigns) on facebook
• Follow Kidfresh on twitter
• Follow Typical Suburban Family on twitter (via @myhellodesigns)
• Follow Kidfresh on Pinterest
• Follow Typical Suburban Family via My Hello Designs on Pinterest
• Visit Kidfresh and leave a comment telling me which product you want to try
• Share this giveaway on your facebook wall daily
• Tweet this giveaway up to 4x per day! Suggested tweet: Win 2 @Kidfresh meals from @myhellodesigns at http://tinyurl.com/ayy6786 #kidfresh #kids #giveaway
  

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Leave a comment for each of the above that you do. Remember that some of them can be done multiple times for additional ways to win!

This giveaway ends March 27, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST. Random.org will be used to determine a winner who will have 24 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Open to US residents only. Good luck!

Disclosure: Kidfresh provided me with two coupons for free meals for hosting this giveaway. They also provided two coupons for free meals for the giveaway prizes.  I was not compensated for this post.

I had never heard of this site, eMeals, until a few weeks ago when a friend mentioned it on facebook and asked for feedback from friends/family.

I was intrigued!

What was it?  Could I use it?

The simple answer was… yes!

I immediately sent in my request to become an eMeals partner through their blogger program and couldn’t wait to get started.  I downloaded my first week of meal plans and today I was shocked at how easy it was to grocery shop with the provided list for 7 amazing meals.

I’m not sure about you, but my biggest pains when it comes to cooking are as follows:

1. Finding new and different recipes to try that the whole family will like.
2. Figuring out my needed groceries and determining the quantities of each.
3. Organizing my list to make grocery shopping easy so I’m not back tracking at the store.
4. Remembering what recipes I’m making and figuring out which nights to use which recipes.
5. Actually cooking the meals before the fresh produce goes bad.

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Problem solved.  I’m not kidding.

With eMeals it really is simple.  I downloaded my weekly plan (I selected the classic meals for 3-6 people).  It determines my my meals and recipes based on my pre-determined grocery store weekly ad flyer.  I was able to print my meals, recipes and shopping list in 3 simple pages and bring it all with me to the store.

The list was organized by area at the grocery store making it simple to follow and if I wouldn’t have run into several neighbors and friends, I would have been in and out of the store in no time!

With the shopping portion checked off as successful I couldn’t wait to try one of the recipes.  The first one up was a Poppy Seed Chicken recipe served over rice with a side of green beans.  It was delicious.  I prepped and cooked it and we took it over to a neighbor’s house to enjoy with them.  Everyone loved it.  The kids even asked for seconds (and Ryan asked for thirds!).   The meal feed 3 adults and 2 kids with multiple helpings and left overs.

So far, I’m in love with eMeals.

Do you use it?  Have you considered?  What’s stopping you?  Go ahead and sign up today.  You won’t be disappointed.

Recently we tried several of the Kidfresh products.  The boys absolutely love them!  Especially the quesadillas.

The best part of this is that there are hidden vegetables in each meal!  I’m fortunate that my kiddos like vegetables, but I’m certainly not complaining when they get a few hidden ones in a healthy meal. There are a variety of Kidfresh meals available and I’m sure you’ll find one (or several!) that your kids will love.  We are anxious to try the wagon wheels mac & cheese; I know the boys will love it. Unfortunately, when I was grocery shopping last weekend our local Publix was SOLD OUT of this one!  I guess that is a good sign though because it must be loved by many, right?!

Kidfresh is created by parents for parents, with the help of top pediatric nutritionists and NYC-based chefs, Kidfresh has grown from its initial concept store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in the mid 2000’s to become a pioneer in all-natural, wholesome, yummy kids meals, available in the freezer sections of leading grocery stores and supermarkets in the United States. Kidfresh offers time-tested kid favorite entrees with 100% natural ingredients, blended vegetables and key nutrients for growing children – ready in 4 minutes. Each meal comes high in protein and vitamins, contains low sodium, and all for under 400 calories.

Kidfresh meals are a welcome solution to today’s busy parents! The company’s founder, Matt Cohen, created the line of frozen meals with his family in mind and makes sure that his company also helps children in need; Kidfresh is a proud sponsor of Save the Children and has donated meals to City Harvest, a New York-based non-profit which helps to feed families in need. To learn more, visit www.kidfresh.com.  Don’t forget to become a fan on facebook so that you can receive coupons and news  as they publish them.  As a matter of fact you can download a coupon here.

To see if their products are available in a store near you, please check out their store locator here: http://www.kidfresh.com/find-a-store/

I hope you enjoy their products as much as we do.  They really do make great, quick and healthy lunches.  You can’t go wrong.

Disclaimer:  I received coupons to try free products by Kidfresh.  In no way was I compensated or required to provide a positive review of these products.  All opinions are my own.

I haven’t posted a Typical Suburban Recipe in awhile.  It also means I haven’t done much home-cooking lately either.  Unless of course you count frozen pizza, chicken nuggets and other various frozen meals.  Time has been limited lately.

With my schedule changing last week, I’m trying to get back on track though.  I found this recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago and recently made it for our family.  I served it over pasta and it was absolutely delicious!  Below is the recipe the way I made it (not according to the original recipe at Skinnytaste.com)

• 8 chicken tenderloins (I cut mine into bit size pieces)
• 2 tsp butter
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 12 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

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Heat a large skillet on medium heat; when hot add 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil.  Add chicken to the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Set aside.  Add additional oil and butter to skillet, then add garlic and cook a few seconds.  Add mushrooms, salt and pepper stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add wine, chicken broth, parsley.  Stir the pan with a wooden spoon breaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook a few more minutes or until the liquid reduces by half.  Add chicken back in and stir all together.  Serve over pasta.

I came across this recipe via Pinterest and tried it last night.  It was originally published by Chaos in the Kitchen and after making this recipe I can guarantee I’ll be making more of them from this site.

Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta
serves 4, prep 5 minutes, cook time 30 minutes

• 8 oz fettuccine or linguine pasta noodles
• 10 tbsp butter, divided (yes 10 tbsp, this is not a typo!!)
• 8 oz fresh, sliced mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2/3 cup boiling water (from your noodle pot)
• 1 lb cooked shrimp (I used frozen shrimp)

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1. Boil and salt a large pot of water and cook your pasta.  I usually only use about half of an 8 oz box, preferring fewer noodles.
2. While your pasta is cooking, cook your shrimp if necessary and reserve.  If your shrimp are pre-cooked and frozen, quickly thaw them under running water.
3. In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat and saute mushrooms until soft and brown.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Reserve cooked mushrooms and melt remaining butter in the skillet.  Add minced garlic, cream cheese, and herbs.  At this point, I generally feel like something has gone terribly wrong.  The cream cheese doesn’t really melt and starts to look almost curdled, don’t worry about it!  It will all smooth out and be wonderful when we add the water. I promise.
5. Simmer cream cheese mixture until well blended. Get a scoop of boiling pasta water from your noodle pot and mix it in, stirring quickly to smooth out the sauce.
6. Keep sauce hot and add shrimp and mushrooms, mix well and simmer (stirring often) until everything is hot and thickened, about 10 minutes-you wont ruin this sauce by accidentally boiling it so don’t worry.
7. Toss sauce with cooked noodles and serve.

Ours does.  It’s an annual tradition for as long as we’ve been in the ‘hood (at least).

The last several years, I have been the main social committee director for our 300+ home neighborhood so this event falls within one of my responsibilities each year.  It’s so rewarding to see the kid’s faces light up as Santa walks through the door.

Some of them swarm him.

Notice Ryan’s feet aren’t on the ground in the picture above?  That’s because he couldn’t quit jumping he was so excited.

Others are a little more shy and hesitant.

The neighbors talk and enjoy each others company, while the kiddos run around and enjoy playing together.

We make this a charitable event with a Toys for Tots donation from each family.  Since Ryan is typically there setting up with me for these neighborhood events, he likes to think of them as his parties.  He thinks everyone is there for him.  So naturally, he also thought that everyone was bringing the toys for him.  We had to quickly correct that and explain who they were for.  Too sweet.

I, of course had to design some water bottle labels to coordinate with our candy cane theme.

I kept the cupcakes simple with white frosting and some red sprinkles.

The decor was festive and fun!

And each child was able to take home a little reindeer mug.

How do you celebrate the season? Are you children amazed with Santa this year or are they a little shy?

Do you wonder what is so delicious that Owen is licking the bowl clean?

Remember when I told you that I recently received 40lbs of chicken?  Well, Zaycon Foods, the company that provided me with the all natural chicken breasts is coming to Georgia!

From September 28th through October 5th they will be selling the Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast for only 1.69 a pound!

The chicken from Zaycon Foods is 100% natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients.  It comes fresh directly from the farm to our sales event and has never been frozen.

Zaycon Foods is doing a Savings Event across America so you will want to sign up and learn when they will be in a city near you.

In addition, Zaycon Foods has offered one of my readers a chance to win a credit of $65.00 into their Zaycon account!  Don’t worry though, if you are the winner and are not in any of their service areas then they will send you a check for the amount of $30.00 for you to purchase chicken in your local store.

Entering is easy and there are multiple chances to win.

• Sign up as a new customer at Zaycon Foods
• Follow Typical Suburban Family via GFC, email or RSS feed (all in right sidebar)
• Leave a comment with your favorite chicken recipe (you can link to a post on your blog; a link to someone else’s site; or just tell me what your favorite chicken recipe is)
• Like Zaycon Foods on Facebook
• Follow Zaycon Foods on Twitter
• Tweet this up to 2x per day! I entered to win FREE chicken from @zayconfoods and you can too! http://bit.ly/oa84Yx via @myhellodesigns #giveaway

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Leave a comment for each of the above that you do. Remember that some of them can be done multiple times for additional ways to win!

This giveaway ends September 29, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Random.org will be used to determine a winner who will have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Restriction: Limited to *US residents.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Zaycon Foods, no monetary compensation was given.  I previously received  40 lbs of free chicken, but was not required to host this giveaway.  All opinions are my own.

With the chill in the air it feels like Halloween is right around the corner.  Yes, you heard me correctly that there is a chill in the air in Atlanta.  And by chill, I mean mid 70s.

So naturally, with the chill and Halloween approaching, I’ve been on Pinterest searching for fun Halloween goodies to make with the boys.

One of my favorites is the Candy Corn themed Chocolate Covered Pretzels.

Or what about the Spooky Spider Oreo Cookies? How adorable are these?!

Candy corn sugar cookies will be a hit in our household for sure!

Personally, I cannot wait to make eat these! I absolutely love Rice Krispie Treats and these Little Pumpkins are so cute!

And the house wouldn’t be complete with a little Halloween decorating. This is simple, easy and fun. I know the boys will enjoy filling our vases with candy and coming up with fun names for them too. I’m sure eating the candy will be high on the list as well. I’m just guessing on this one though….

Are you getting excited for Halloween, fall and chilly weather or is it just me?  I would have made my Indian Summer Turkey Chili today if I hadn’t broke my All-Clad crock pot the other day.  I’m not sure how many days I can live without it since we use it all the time!  It was a wedding gift and I’m so sad that I broke it.  If only a new one would magically appear on my doorstep since I’m on a we-are-not-spending-any-money without a very valid reason.

Maybe I should consider this a very valid reason.  What do you think?