We’ve reached the end of the Two Week’s with Sam’s and Kraft and my Two Week Dinner Planner if you’re just tuning in you can read Post 1 here and Post 2 here.
There were some definite wins and meals that will be returning to our kitchen table, too.
Nathan and I agree that the Crispy Santa Fe Chicken was hands down our favorite meal.
The bonus for me, it was super easy to make and had tons of flavor, the crackers, chicken, cheese and salsa are an unbelievably flavorful, moist, crispy, zingy flavor combination that simply put, delighted the living daylights out of both of us. I made two for the kids without the salsa, cut them into strips and served them with ranch and the kids devoured them! SCORE!!!
The BLT pizza that I talked about in Post 2 is another one that surprised me. I wasn’t sure about fresh lettuce and tomatoes on pizza but I can guarantee you we’ll be making our pizzas this way and will probably be featuring top your own pizza bars in our house again instead of ordering out for pizza. This was a favorite with everyone and I now have dreams of jalapeno, pineapple, canadian bacon pizzas.. mushroom, spinach, pepper pizzas… you get the idea.
The BBQ Toasted Patty Melts (the top picture) my brother made those and they were delicious, tonguegasmic even, the combination of the sauteed onions with the bbq sauce, juicy hamburger meat and toasted wheat bread… NOM NOM NOM. I didn’t have cheese on mine, but the boys did and they loved them, Nathan even ate two!
Y’all know how I feel about the Pasta Carbonara and The Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves, those will definitely be coming back, too!
I do have some bulk items left over from the Sam’s trip but, I think that all in all that is actually going to prove to be a bonus for me. We are Texans who love to BBQ, so the two bulk things of bbq sauce will be used as the base for new marinades and have my mind whirring over the possibilities and dyin’ to fire up the grill. I love opening my pantry to see it full of possiblities and for that reason and the fact that I now know there are some items that I’m much better off purchasing at Sam’s: bread, pizzas, chips, eggs, milk, cheese, chicken, hamburger meat and that’s not even touching into the non-food items.
Granted there are some things that I will still be purchasing at my local grocery store depending on the season, but all in all… I’ve learned a lot about bulk shopping and the benefits to my family and my bank account.
We interrupt this post for the obligatory Disclosure statement:
“Hi, My name is Rachel and I am one of five bloggers selected by Kraft Foods to work on the Kraft Foods and Sam’s Club Two Week Dinner Planner program. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program which includes my trip to Sam’s Club, my interactions/experience with the two week dinner planner and my posts about my experience. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for the two week dinner planner. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”
Now, as a treat for y’all I have a
$40 Gift Card to Sam’s Club
and
a One Year Membership to Sam’s Club
to giveaway!
Want to win this? Here’s what you do:
- Tell me why family meals are so important and either how the menu planner will benefit you or which recipe from the menu planner you are most looking forward to trying.
- for an additional entry download your own Two Week Menu Planner and tell me in a comment
- for a third entry: Tweet this contest and leave me the tweet url in a comment.
Fine Print: This contest will run from July 9th, 2009 until 11:59PM CST July 10th, 2009.
I will use a random number generator to select the winner. The winner will be announced on July 11th.
THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED!
Congratulations!! Commenter #20 Domestic Extraordinaire
Family meals are a great time to talk over what happened in your day, current events, upcoming events, etc. It’s a good time to bond and spend time with your family without the distractions of television, running around, etc.
I think the Crispy Santa Fe Chicken would go over well here!
.-= Jennifer S.´s last blog ..Your Turn – Entertaining =-.
I downloaded the two-week menu plan and want to change my previous answer to the pasta carbonara. That’s a favorite of mine. 🙂
.-= Jennifer S.´s last blog ..Your Turn – Entertaining =-.
I think family meals are important way to connect as a family with conversation. I want to try the BLT pizza.
I’m so glad you’ve blogged about this. I get the Kraft magazine and have a Sam’s just down the road – but I would never have thought to put them together like this! That crispy chicken looks sooo good!
And, oh yeah, I actually came to your blog specifically yesterday to look for the link to the menu. And downloaded it yesterday afternoon. Thanks!!
.-= Mary @ Giving Up On Perfect´s last blog ..Did you say photos? Vacation photos? =-.
We do family dinners just because statistics show this is the best way to help our children become well-rounded and good-natured adults. Plus, when I think of my childhood, I see friendly faces young and old around the table. I want to recreate those same memories in my son. And, we are definitely trying that Santa Fe Chicken. YUMMMMY!
And, I downloaded the two-week dinner planner. I already use a lot of Kraft recipes and this just makes it super easier to organize.
.-= Heather´s last blog ..The Anti-Twins =-.
I just printed out the whole cookbook and am amazed that 75% of the recipes would actually work for my uber picky husband. WE don’t have a membership to Sam’s but I will totally be making some of these recipes!
.-= Jill´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – New Haircuts =-.
I checked this out after reading your posts about it and I’m really looking forward to trying the Pasta Carbonara and the Santa Fe Chicken.
As for the family dinners, I’ve blogged about this twice. I’ve such the advocate for family dinners, it’s crazy! I’m appalled by how many families don’t eat meals together today. To me it’s like a no-brainer.
.-= Smoochiefrog´s last blog ..SYTYCD Top 12 =-.
I downloaded the menu and shopping guide earlier in the week. 🙂
.-= Smoochiefrog´s last blog ..SYTYCD Top 12 =-.
Here’s my tweet http://twitter.com/Smoochiefrog/status/2555596612
.-= Smoochiefrog´s last blog ..SYTYCD Top 12 =-.
The pizza looks YUMMY. Family dinners are important because… well… where else would I get to hear all about the cat licking his unmentionables than sitting across the table from the five year old? 🙂
I also downloaded the planner via a Sam’s Club email that I got awhile back. (Does that count?)
.-= Judith Shakespeare´s last blog ..Well Sinead O’Rebellion… =-.
I would love to try the Crispy Santa Fe Chicken and family meals are important because sometimes that is the only time of day we are all together to reconnect.
.-= Krystyn´s last blog ..Say what? =-.
Downloaded the meals…they look great!
.-= Krystyn´s last blog ..Say what? =-.
Tweet, tweet: http://twitter.com/SeriousKrystyn/statuses/2558462347
.-= Krystyn´s last blog ..Say what? =-.
Family meals are important because they bring us together and make us focus on each other!
The meal planner would help because I’m OCD and like to stay organized! LOL
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..writer’s workshop: what makes me paranoid =-.
I tweeted about it!
http://twitter.com/TeenieWahine/status/2558966963
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..writer’s workshop: what makes me paranoid =-.
Family dinners are important because no one can really argue about anything when there is delicious food to be consumed. Thus, it’s a time and place where all of us can sit down and have a very nice time together. 🙂
And I would definitely try the BLT Pizza!
In this age of rush, rush, rush family dinners are very important as a way to catch up on what’s going on in each other’s lives. With my hubby working thru dinner at least 5 nights a week I know that on one of his days off we try to eat together as a family so we can just talk and enjoy food together. I think that the menu planner would work for me because I am horrible at deciding what to make. I have asked for input but no one seems to want to give any. Apparently I don’t make any meals worth repeating or something like that.
I think the one I want to try is the BLT pizza, but with a spin.
.-= Domestic Extraordinaire´s last blog ..Works for Me Wednesday-The Frugal Room Re-do =-.
I work full-time with 2 kids so we have little time together. Family meal is really important to me as it’s the time to connect with my family. Also healthy food in a budget is hard to come by if you eat out, having an ability to cook up healthy food for my family is my top priority. 🙂
.-= Amy @ Atlanta with Kid´s last blog ..Chattahoochee Nature Center with Kids =-.
Tweeted about this post here: http://twitter.com/atlantawithkid/status/2562355618
.-= Amy @ Atlanta with Kid´s last blog ..Chattahoochee Nature Center with Kids =-.
I DLed the menu planner. These meals are just the kind my family likes. We already tried the mini meatloaves and they were a big hit! We have a large family with varied ages and it’s nice to connect at meal time. We almost always eat dinner together as a family. I can’t wait to try the Crispy Santa Fe Chicken.
Off to tweet about the giveaway!
Family meals are so important in today’s rush-rush, everyone goes in different directions, don’t we have to schedule everything society. It’s important to bring us back together and be face to face. Talking. Laughing. Trying a new food or two. It brings us back to the center of why we all live in the same house together, right? Kids need to know their parents are there in their lives and care. Parents need to know what is going on in their kids’ lives and be a part of it!
A meal planner would help me prepare for evening BEFORE it gets here. It will help with grocery shopping and also help the kids know what to expect for dinner. If I am going to throw something in the crockpot tomorrow, it sure helps me do that if I plan it BEFORE tomorrow gets here. Especially if we plan to be gone most of the day. If I don’t think of it until I’m out of the house, it’s too late. Wow, I really need a meal planner.
I could also really use the Sams membership. I had to give mine up several years ago when we cut back and now I only go a few times a year when visiting my mil out of state. I can only buy non-perishables to bring back because the frozen and cold stuff wouldn’t make the trip home. Too bad, because the price of ground turkey is so good at Sams. This time, my kids had boxes of cereal and some snacks as foot rests coming back this week. That’s how full the van was!
.-= ChickHatchers´s last blog ..Comments from Child B =-.
Family meals are important because it gives us a chance to focus on each other and actually listening to each other about what happened during our day. I can’t wait to try the Crispy Santa Fe Chicken.
Here’s the link to my twitter about the contest – http://twitter.com/erindraven/status/2563120555
Those pictures all look sooooo yummy that I want to lick my monitor. Please come cook for me.
.-= Susan (5 Minutes for Mom)´s last blog ..Say It Forward – Week 25 =-.
Family meals are important because that is the only time during the day when we’re all sitting down together!! And I want to try the BLT pizza. We love pizza and bacon!!
.-= Gina´s last blog ..Sweating Bullets =-.
Family meals are a great time to corner your husband and make him talk to you. 🙂
Right now we just have an eight-month-old daughter, but I still try to put her in her high chair with food while we eat dinner so we’re all eating together. I’m looking forward to seeing her grow up at our table and hopefully adding some more little high chairs!
Jessie
.-= Vanderbilt Wife´s last blog ..Family Recipe Fridays: D-Hall Feta Pasta =-.
Those look so yummy Rach! I am awful at meal planning!
.-= Cassie´s last blog ..The Y Generation =-.
Our family meals provide so many teaching opportunities with out kids. Just having that dedicated time is so important.
I am definitely going to try the BLT pizza. Sounds like YUM!
Kimba
.-= Kimba´s last blog ..DIY Day! =-.
I’ve downloaded my two week meal planner. Thanks for some great ideas!!
I tried the Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves earlier this week after reading your blog. They were awesome. Next I want to try the Sante Fe Chicken. My family thanks you for getting me out of the cooking rut!
I find that making meals at home saves so much money and you can generall eat a little healthier. Although I’m not so sure how the BLT pizza will be the healthy choice, but I really don’t care because it sounds delicious!!!
We met on the Blissful chat last night and I believe we met briefly at Blissdom, that’s why I”m here at your ole blog. Which by the way is fabulous, love some of these meal ideas and want to enter this contest and will def be trying some of these recipes. Family meals are super important here. I cook almost every night and they need to be kid-friendly, affordable and easy.
.-= Alyssa´s last blog ..Faith Inspired Update =-.
Family meals are important to me because they provide continuity and stability. My husband and I grew up with families that always ate together and we want our children to do the same. I looke forward to trying the Sante Fe Crispy Chicken. It looks delicious.