Category: Food

It’s getting cold and busy and one thing you need to remember to do is to stop and enjoy this season. We like to find a night or 2 a week and make a very easy meal, find a good movie and have the snacks ready for a night in. Clear the calendar and enjoy each other in the middle of the chaotic Holiday season. I have the dinner, drinks and snacks ideas covered for you!

Our favorite quick meals are homemade taquitos. I can use any leftover meats and veggies and use them up in this simple dish. I use low carb tortillas and gather any meat, veggies and beans and heat that up with some melted or nacho cheese and roll up in a tortilla. I place them in a baking dish, brush with olive oil and bake in 425 degrees for about 15 minutes until the top browns and crisps a bit. 

I always keep bean pouches available for this because they are easy to tear open and add to any dish like this. No can opener mess! Fillo’s has great beans full of great flavors. From baked beans to black or pinto beans in a Mexi-night meal, these pouches are fantastic to have on hand. They are non-GMO and made in America, ready to eat or heat.

When it is time to watch your movie, we grab the waters and snacks. ShineWater has great flavors that those who don’t enjoy drinking water can enjoy their flavor burst. There is zero added sugar and no artificial ingredients. This is a guilt-free flavored beverage that comes in a few flavors as well as added Vitamin D and other vitamin boosts.

Our teens favorite snacks are gummy candies. Licorice and Sour Punch are at the top of the favorite list. For the Holidays, Red Vines has their original or flavored licorice twists such as the Gingerbread twists. Sour Punch also has fun Holiday shapes and flavors. 

Grab an easy recipe, your snacks and a little Holiday movie time and enjoy a night in with these American brands. 

Your favorite Jelly Belly brand has a stocking stuffer the kids will love. The Jelly Belly sugar free gum comes in 4 flavors – Watermelon, Berry Blue, Island Punch and Very Cherry. I am a bit partial to Island Punch and my son likes the Watermelon. It is a treat that makes a colorful addition to the stockings.

Keep an eye out on the Jelly Belly gum at Party City, Dollar General and Speedway locations, as well as Amazon.

Tailgaters and Grill Masters, this post is for you! Meat District has pre-seasoned meats that you can use to create so many dishes from burgers, tacos, meatballs and more. The patties are made with different blends of protein, including bison, wagyu beef, Angus beef brisket, short rib, tri tip and chuck. The wings are seasoned beautifully. They are my go-to smoker recipes when I need a quick and easy meal.

The Seahwaks lost tonights game, but it’s OK. I grabbed some Meat District wings and Angus Chuck beef patties with bacon & cheddar for dinner. Any meat with added bacon makes a sad game better. I threw the wings on my smoker with Cherry pellets at 375. 10 minutes later I added the burger patties. Cooked about another 30 minutes and dinner is done.

Tonight we did the Buffalo chicken wings with a mango habanero seasoning and for those who do not do spicy in my home, I also added some beer brined wings to the smoker.

The beauty about Meat District patties is that there are no rules that say you must keep these formed as a burger. You could easily take the meat and create meatballs, tacos, meatloaf and you get that Meat District seasoned beef to elevate your meal.

Visit Meat District’s website to see all of their meat selections and the flavors they have added. Meat District premium products will be sold at supermarkets nationwide, including Albertson’s, Kroger, Ralph’s, Pavilions, Vons, Stater Brothers, Winn Dixie, Food Lion and Hy-Vee. I have also seen the burger patties at my local Costco.