Four Pomegranate Recipes for Your Next Holiday Dinner #CookwithPOM #Sponsored

Ready or not the holidays are coming, which means for many of us we'll be assuming the role of hostess with the mostest as loved ones near and far come to visit. I absolutely love a house filled with family and friends, good music, laughter and of course yummy food! I'm always looking for easy seasonal dishes that can be whipped up quickly. No fuss no muss or I'm leaving it to the hubby to prepare {he's the professional}. So when my blogger babes and I were invited to a POM- wonderful night out to learn about this trendy fall ingredient and how to mix it up into a combination of savory & sweet dishes, we were all in and of course brought our appetites.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

Delicious NEW Line of Healthy Starkist Tuna Flavors Launching Fall 2015

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post I was invited by StarKist to get a sneak peek of their new fall flavors. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Without hesitation my kids will readily admit that I am not the cook in our house. If I walk into the kitchen at any given moment my one dimpled - smirking 4 year old will turn to me and say "Mommy why are you in daddy's kitchen? You don't know how to cook, you only cook coffee!" 

He's exaggerating just a bit. In my head I'm a millennial aged Julia Child but in reality I'm only good at making meatloaf, homemade pizza and pasta dishes. When left to my own devices in the kitchen, I try to prepare meals that are light, filling and won't cause food poisoning.

As a kid I grew up eating tuna, especially in the spring and summertime because meat just seemed too heavy to digest. My mom knew how to make it just how I liked it, a little salt and pepper, diced onions and add a hard boiled egg.YUM!

Recently I attended a press preview for Starkist Tuna and I was in heaven.. three words "Sassy Deviled Eggs", wait I meant to say "Brand New Flavors". While mingling and taste testing we learned all about the new &affordable, easy to make product line.

All Products Are:

·         A natural source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

·         Already pre-seasoned and comes in the easy tear-open pouch design.

·         No mixing or draining required.

StarKist Hot Buffalo Creations:

·         Tuna to fulfill your spicy cravings with the new hot buffalo flavor.

o   70 calories

o   15g of protein

·         Looking at food trends, StarKist discovered that hot sauce is the fastest growing condiment in the U.S. , with an average annual revenue growth that surpasses BBQ, ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard combined.

StarKist Kid’s Creations:

·         A better-for-you meal that tastes great and kids will want to eat.

·         Available in two kid-friendly flavors – Bacon Ranch and Honey BBQ

o   100 calories or less

o   14g of protein to keep kids full

o   95-110mg of DHA Omgea-3 Fatty Acids to help with brain development

·         With child obesity still on the rise StarKist new moms were looking for healthier options for their kids, something that they could serve their kids at home and could be taken to school for lunch or snack time.

StarKist Salmon Creations:

·         Using premium skinless, boneless and 100 percent wild caught salmon.

·         Available in Lemon Dill and Mango Chipotle flavors.

o   90 calories or less

o   14g of protein or less

·         While tunas popularity continues to grow, salmon is growing even faster. Consumers were looking for an convenient to enjoy salmon that still has a fresh taste. StarKist Salmon Creations line provides a healthy and delicious meal option for salmon lovers with busy lifestyles 

We were presented really fun and out of the box creative dishes, with Starkist Tuna in sliders, on top of pretzels, in mini tacos and my favorite: a deviled egg! The unique new line was really tasty and flavorful but definitely not overbearing. 

Guests really enjoyed themselves with a pretty amazing digital caricature "Cartuna" station, DIY station and pictures with Charlie.

 

The Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien who's a best selling author and Food Network star was on hand to give us a sneak peak of her new book The Hungry Girl Diet Cookbook: Healthy Recipes for Mix-n-Match Meals & Snacks.

As soon I got home I decided to add the Herb and Garlic Starkist Tuna Creations to a pasta salad I had already made to kick it up a notch. I don't have a recipe or anything for the dish above, because that just isn't my style but I swear to you if you can boil water then this can't get any easier. 

• Bring water to a boil, add salt, olive oil and pasta of choice, after it's cooked then drain.
• Cut up black olives, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella and mix with pasta
• Add Italian dressing and then salt and pepper to taste
•  Finally mix in your Tuna Creations flavor of choice.

How do you like your tuna?Bon Appetite & keep an eye out for the new line of flavors from Starkist! 

Lil' Monsters in the Kitchen: Making Meatloaf Express with Campbell's Soups for Easy Cooking #LilMonstersintheKitchen #SoupsforEasyCooking

Ultimately I'm a fan of preparing simple and quickly made dishes because I tend to over analyze things and cooking just doesn't come naturally to me. Luckily my husband is an amazingly talented cook that loves to be in the kitchen and has shared his passion for creating great food with our two boys. On any given weekend you'll find our two monsters tying on their aprons and waking us out of our sleep to ask us what we'd like to order off their menu for the pretend pizzeria or food truck they work at and you'll find plastic and wooden play food scattered all over their bedroom floor. But I don't mind it all because it's one of the few times these two seem to get along.

Since the hubby and I both work outside of the home and are busy during the week bringing our oldest to extra curricular activities, attending blogger events and hanging with friends & family on the weekend, being able to create delicious meals in 30 minutes or so is really essential to our sometimes crazy schedule. And since CJ and Tristan have so much fun mixing and blending when they are helping their dad with dinner we thought it would be fun to start a series on the blog of them making kid-friendly and simple homemade dishes that are easy enough for people like myself, who don't really know their way around the kitchen.

Recently I was introduced to Campbell's Soups for Easy cooking at a blogger event and knew they'd be perfect for the boys to try out at home. The new line of pourable, reasy-to-use soups are the perfect secret weapon for parents who want to make sure they get a nourishing, yummy meal on the table in the least amount of time possible. The four new soups are inspired by Campbell's iconic Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken soups for cooking and help reduce the number of steps needed to make a variety of delicious meals and are packaged in cartons for your convenience.

The four flavors that help reinvent traditional family favorites include:

• Savory Portobello Mushroom - Great for stroganoffs and skillet dishes
• Creamy Herb & Garlic with Chicken Stock -Perfect for pot pies and casseroles
• Sweet Onion - A savory addition to meatloaf and pork skillet dishes
• Mexican Style Tomato - a south-of-the-border blend great for Mexican skillet dishes

In the 3 video's below you will get to watch CJ and Tristan throw down in the kitchen with their dad as they make Campbell's Meatloaf Express using The Sweet Onion - Soups for Easy Cooking. 


             

You can find these new cooking soups, that are priced at $2.19 per 14.5 ounce carton in the soup aisle of grocery stores and mass retailers nationwide.

Meatloaf Express: Total of 30 minutes to make

Serves 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Bake Time 25 minues

            

                            

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

14 1/2 ounces (1 carton) of Campbell's Sweet Onion Soup 

*The boys added ketchup because that's just our personal taste and feel free to add salt and pepper to the meat mixture to your own desired preference.

                                    

          

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Thoroughly mix the beef, bread crumbs, egg and 1/4 cup soup in a large bowl. Season with 

     salt and black pepper, if desired.

3. Shape the beef mixture into 10x4-inch loaf. Cut the loaf crosswise into 6 mini meatloaves.

     Place the mini meatloves, cut-side down, into a 13x9x2- inch baking dish. Pour the  

     remaining soup over the meatloaves.

4.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the meatloaves are cooked through.

We paired our mini meatloaves with fresh string beans and buttery pasta and it turned out really good, and the boys were super proud of themselves for making dinner for the family.

Look for recipes at MealsIn30.com and check out select Campbell's Soups for Easy Cooking tutorial videos on YouTube.com/CampbellsKitchen  and check out Campbell's coupon & special offers.

Seems, easy enough right? and not to mention really affordable!

We'd love to know which Soups for Easy Cooking are you planning to try? 

*Disclosure: I attended a Campbell's event as a blogger/ media and received a gift bag to help facilitate this post. No other compensation was received and the opinions expressed are 100% my own.