Food

Macaroons are all the rage right now and unfortunately, I have yet to even have one. I almost bought some at Epcot during our last trip, but I think I was sidetracked by another treat and never ended up getting one.

Well, today is National Peanut Day, so let’s celebrate with a yummy recipe from Hormel for Chocolate Peanut Butter Macaroons!

Serving Size: 8+

Total Time: More than 1 hour

Preparation Time: 1 Hour

Preparation Method: Bake

Meal Occasion: Desserts & Baking

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

 

Ingredients for 12 Servings:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup ground almonds

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 egg whites

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup whipping cream

3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup SKIPPY® Creamy Natural Dark Chocolate Spread

 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit piping bag with plain 1/2-inch tip.
2. In food processor bowl, combine powdered sugar, almonds and cocoa; process until finely ground.
3. In bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating after each addition; beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture forms stiff peaks. Gradually fold in almond mixture. Spoon mixture into piping bag.
4. Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds 2 inches apart on baking sheets; smooth tops. Bake 20 minutes or until set. Turn oven off; cool in oven.
5. To make chocolate-peanut butter filling, in small saucepan, heat cream until bubbles form around edge; remove from heat. Add chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in peanut butter spread. Transfer to small bowl; cover. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until thickened.
6. Spread heaping tablespoon filling on each of half of macaroons. Sandwich together using remaining macaroons.

 

Original recipe from Hormel.

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This post was part of my involvement in the Hormel Family Blogger Program. Thanks for reading!

 

 

It’s Monday morning and you’re so tired, all you can throw together for breakfast is a bowl of cereal. While I myself am obsessed with cereal, maybe you want to try something a little different for yourself or your family. Here are two breakfast recipe ideas from Hormel: one that’s quick (perfect for weekdays) and one that’ll take a little longer (perfect for weekends). Enjoy!

 

Ham and Egg Heart Toast

Serving Size: 2

Total Time: Under 15 minutes

Preparation Time: Under 15 minutes

Preparation Method: Stove-Top

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter, divided

6 slices HORMEL® NATURAL CHOICE® Honey Ham

2 large eggs

4 slices bread, toasted and buttered

In medium skillet, melt 1 teaspoon butter over medium heat. Add ham; cook 2 to

3 minutes or until ham is warmed. Remove from skillet. Cover; keep warm.

In same skillet, melt remaining 1 teaspoon butter over medium heat. Carefully

crack eggs into pan. Cook 3 minutes or until whites are set or cooked as desired.

Cut heart shapes from 2 slices toast. Place 3 ham slices on remaining 2 slices toast. Top with eggs. Cover with heart cut-out toast slices.

 

Lemon Berry Tacos

Serving Size: 8

Total Time: More than 1 hour

Preparation Time: 1 Hour

Preparation Method: Grill

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate

 

Ingredients

2 large eggs

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

1/3 cup butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup whipping cream

8 CHI-CHI’S® Soft Taco Size Flour Tortillas

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups mixed berries (such as raspberries, sliced strawberries and blueberries)

Powdered sugar

 

To make lemon curd cream, in medium bowl, whisk together eggs, lemon juice and 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Add cubed butter to bowl, a little at a time and stirring between additions, until incorporated. Stir 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Transfer to cold bowl. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or until completely cold.

In small bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold cream into curd mixture.

To make tacos, grease grill grate. Prepare grill for medium heat. Brush tortillas

with melted butter; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Grill 2 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. Carefully fold tortillas in half while still warm. Let stand until cool.

Fill tortillas with berries and lemon curd cream. Dust with powdered sugar.

 

Be sure to follow Hormel on Facebook to get new recipe ideas!

 

This post was part of my involvement in the Hormel Family Blogger Program. Thanks for reading!

 

Ever since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I have been paying so much attention to the foods I eat. I look at ingredients in everything and have really been shocked with some of the things I was eating on a regular basis. And while I sometimes can’t resist some of my cravings (hey, I AM pregnant, after all!) it really has opened my eyes, not only to the things I consume, but also what Trent eats…especially when it comes to his snacks, since that’s all he seems to eat is snacks!

Did you know:

• On average, Americans who snack do it twice a day.
• 42 percent of Americans feel they could commit to having one healthy snack every day.
• 42 percent of snackers are most likely to have an unhealthy snack between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
• 41 percent of snackers are most likely to have an unhealthy snack on Saturdays.
• 43 percent of Americans have treated themselves to an unhealthy snack as a reward for an accomplishment.
• 23 percent have hidden their snacks from others so they wouldn’t have to share.

During the Summer, pool parties and gatherings with friends are a regular occurrence. The days are long & hot, but full of fun and energy. To fuel up for our fun-filled day outside, we started the day will a deliciously healthy breakfast tasting party, with Taste of Nature bars as the star of the show!

A little more about Taste of Nature:

Taste of Nature believes Real Tastes Good, and creates delicious, certified organic, gluten-free certified, non-gmo project verified snack bars with real, nuts, fruits and grains that you can see (and under 200 calories, too). Nothing artificial, no fillers and no chemicals – what you see is what you get with these bars. For more information, visit tasteofnature.ca.

Benefits of Taste of Nature bars:

• Certified Organic
• Non-GMO
• Certified Vegan
• Certified Kosher
• Gluten Free
• Low glycemic index
• No additives
• No artificial flavours
• No artificial sweeteners
• No animal products
• No dairy
• No preservatives
• No simple sugars
• No Sulphur Dioxide
• No cholesterol
• No wheat
• Low sodium

How amazing is that list of benefits?!

We had 5 flavors to try:

Canadian Maple Forest: pecans, apricots, brazil nuts, raisins, maple syrup

California Almond Valley: almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds

Brazilian Nut Fiesta: raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds

Himalayan Goji Summit: peanuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds, goji berries, raspberries

Québec Cranberry Carnival: peanuts, raisins, sesame seeds, almonds, cranberries, pumpkin seeds

Persian Pomegranate Garden: cashews, walnuts, figs, cranberries, apples, pomegranate, raspberries

Just look at those bars! You can see what they are made of…the fruits, nuts and seeds are all prominent in every bar so you know exactly what you’re eating. Yum.

This was also my first time tasting Taste of Nature bars and not only did I think they were delicious, but so did everyone else! Everyone liked being able to try different varieties to see what they liked best. Guests were able to take an entire bar to enjoy, but I also set up a yogurt parfait bar!

I chopped up the Taste of Nature bars into little bite-sized pieces as a yummy topping for the yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, bananas and chocolate chips.

Even our picky little Trent found a favorite…we didn’t expect him to devour a Taste of Nature bar the way he did and as you can see he looked very hesitant at first…

…but then he ran off and ate the entire thing! You know it’s tasty when Trent approves!

For those that needed a little extra for their breakfast, a bagel bar!

I was especially happy to invite a friend over that maintains a gluten-free diet. It felt good to have her be able to enjoy something and taste new options without worrying about gluten. She proclaimed the ones she tried were chewy, tasty and filling!

At just $1.99 a bar, they are an affordable, healthy & tasty snacking option!

I’m a slow-mover these days, so it was nice to sit and relax with friends to enjoy some tasty and healthy treats before playing outside all day!

 

Where to buy Taste of Nature: http://www.tasteofnature.ca/where-to-buy/

For those of you in Tallahassee, you can get Taste of Nature Bars at New Leaf Market Co-op!

 

Get social with Taste of Nature!

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

 

Did you know you can find some amazing recipes on the Hormel Facebook page? I found these bacon cinnamon rolls shared on their page and just had to share them. Bacon? Cinnamon rolls? So good separately, outstanding together I’m sure! Here’s how to make them.

Serving Size: 5

Total Time: Under 30 Minutes

Preparation Time: Under 15 minutes

Preparation Method: Bake

Meal Occasion: Breakfast

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

 

Ingredients:

• 1 (17.5-ounce) package refrigerated cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing (5 count)
• 10 slices HORMEL® BLACK LABEL® Brown Sugar Bacon, cooked according to package directions

 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease baking sheet.
2. Unroll 1 biscuit. Place 2 slices bacon over unrolled biscuit. Roll up biscuit to enclose bacon. Secure with wooden picks. Repeat with remaining biscuits and bacon.
3. On baking sheet, arrange biscuits, cut-side-down, 1 inch apart. Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before removing to wire rack. Remove toothpicks. Glaze warm rolls with icing. Let stand 5 minutes or until glaze is set. Serve warm.

 

Doesn’t that sound easy and delicious? This will be made in our house asap!!

 

This post was part of my involvement in the Hormel Family Blogger Program. Thanks for reading!

 

One of our favorite places to eat in Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World is 50′s Prime Time Cafe. They serve “mom’s old-fashioned cooking” and the servers are your family that tell you to take your elbows off the table and no dessert until you clean your plate.

Luckily for me, when we went last year, I had my dessert at the same time as dinner…with their delicious Peanut Butter & Jelly Milkshake! It’s like having a peanut butter & jelly sandwich without the crust and with ice cream instead. Sounds like a good replacement to me!

Well, you don’t need a reservation at 50’s Prime Time Café to enjoy this treat (although I would highly recommend one if you haven’t been before)…you don’t even need to be in WDW (although that would sure be nice too!). This recipe is super easy and I bet you already have all the ingredients to make it – especially if you have kids.

Ingredients (makes 1 shake):

2 cups Vanilla Ice Cream

1/4 cup Milk

2 tbs. Peanut Butter

2 tbs. Jelly (we used grape, but you could probably use strawberry too!)

Are you ready for these super difficult instructions?

You might want to write this down…

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy…that’s it!

For added deliciousness, top it with some whipped cream and a fun straw…a cherry too if you have them.

We thought this would be something Trent would enjoy…he has his picky moments (a.k.a. every moment) and he won’t always eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Trent got his served in a little kid cup with a fun straw. He was a happy camper and drank the entire thing!

This one will definitely be a regular treat in our house and your kids may not look at peanut butter & jelly sandwiches the same after enjoying it!

 

This recipe was featured in the April issue of WDW Magazine (Look who’s on the cover!!). Click here to learn more about WDW Magazine!