Grocery Shopping Tips with Hormel Foods

Honestly speaking grocery shopping can be challenging.  Ever go to the store for just a gallon of milk and walk out with 20 products you didn't plan on buying or even worse...you didn't even really need? As a wife, mother to a teen son and identical toddler twin boys, and a small business owner, I try to accomplish a lot in one day like most people do.  I learned that it was not always beneficial to take my young children grocery shopping with me.  Though the teen is a great source of help, the twins can be a different story.  As toddlers, they are naturally curious and want to discuss, touch, or feel EVERYTHING in a grocery story.  They love to help and "shop" by pulling items off of grocery shelves that are at their eye level.  Needless to say if I'm not careful my shopping cart will be filled with 18 boxes of Goldfish Crackers.

Flying solo at the grocery store is certainly useful and less distracting but another issue can arise...the shopping list.  I have many times shopped without a grocery list and usually end up with double of things (items I forgot I already had at home or that didn't need replacing at that moment) or 'Get In My Belly' food shopping (shopping on an empty stomach and all of sudden all items in the store look good enough to devour).  Either way results of shopping without a grocery list are usually not positive for me and causes me to purchase more 'junk food' then I had originally intended.

In the past 2 years I have trying to plan out recipes for weeknight meals and purchase ingredients necessary for those meals.  It has helped me organize kitchen duties and feel more prepared to answer one of the most commonly asked questions, "What's for Dinner?"

Helpful suggestions:

• Take Inventory of Kitchen and Pantry - It is very helpful to take stock of what you already have in your kitchen so you are not purchasing groceries you already have in your home.
• Use Cookbooks or Online Recipe Sites - Not everybody is Julia Child or Rachael Ray or my Mother. I am one that can use suggestions, tips, or advice in the kitchen.  I like finding new recipes to get out of the weekly meal rut.
• Buy What is Needed - Its easy to go off course when shopping at the grocery store so I like to make a list beforehand. I usually center it around ingredients that are for meals.

With 4 men in my home, we tend to go through a lot of the 'staples'...milk, bread, juice, fruit, ground meat, etc. However, if I don't write down exactly what we need even for our weekly staple run, I will end up buying more than I had wanted to.  Creating shopping lists has really helped us financially to stay within our grocery budget and make more healthy choices.

Sample of a Quick Weekly Grocery Run

Tried any of the new Hormel Foods products lately? 

If not, then check out the many products at http://www.hormelfoods.com.

Is part of your New Year's resolutions to try to eat more healthy? Have any grocery shopping tips?

Share and leave a comment below.

Happy Shopping!

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Multiplicity Magazine Inaugural Debut

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On behalf of Twiniversity, #1 online resource for moms of multiples, we are pleased to share the debut of Multiplicity Magazine.  Created based upon the expansive needs of mothers of multiples, Multiplicity Magazine will be a quarterly electronic magazine offering resources and advice on an array of parenting and lifestyle topics directly related to families of multiples.

Executively managing production of Multiplicity are Natalie Diaz, Founder, Twiniversity & Multiciplity and Group Publisher; Joscelyn Ramos Campbell, Executive Editor (& Founder of Mami of Multiples and Mami Innovative Media) ; and Talitha A. McGuinness, Creative Director.  Also, see "Meet the Multiplicity Mom Squad."

The inaugural issue features helpful, insightful, humorous, and touching articles from contributing writers consisting of bloggers, journalists, professionals, and parents.  One of the wonderful contributions is from our very own Mami of Multiples' contributing writer Gabrielle Morel!

The inaugural issue is free to the public and can be viewed at http://www.twiniversity.com/multiplicity/

Want to subscribe to Multiplicity? All Twiniversity forum (Big Tent) members will receive a free subscription for 2012.  Not a member? Join today, membership to Twiniversity is free.

Interested in advertising? View our Multiplicity Media Kit today.

Happy Reading!

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Save in the New Year with the Western Union mun2 Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Western Union.  All opinions are 100% mine.

After the joyous and festive holiday season, the new year rings in with newly minted resolutions and declarations. Among the all the health resolutions for 2012 are new financial goals and planning. Trying to establish and prepare a budget for the new year on a strong financial footing is especially important during these difficult economy times. The  Western Union mun2 Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard is an easy economical solution.

The card is re-loadable and be used for concerts, movies, online shopping, groceries and more. Whether online, in the store or at the gas pump, the Western Union^® mun2^® Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard is accepted everywhere Debit MasterCard is accepted, including ATMs. Tracking balances is easy and can be done from anywhere even on cell phones. It’s a great way to help avoid over-spending. Plus, signing up for SMS balance notifications is FREE. No checking account or credit check required makes signing up for a card simple.

With so many Western Union Agent locations, it’s easy to add money and reload the card. My husband and I have been experiencing the inconvenience of having one of our banks being quite a distance from our home. When we moved to Florida from the Washington DC area, we found out our bank branch was going to be a 45 minute drive from our new residence. It has been a logistical hassle to try and accomplish any in-branch related services. Like most banks, using non-authorized ATMs will incur extra fees.

Unlike other prepaid cards or banks, with the Western Union^® mun2^® Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard there are no monthly maintenance fees, no purchase transaction fees and no overdraft or late payment fees.

• Monthly Maintenance Fee:FREE
• Signature Purchase Transaction Fee:FREE
• PIN Transaction Fee:FREE
• Payroll or Government Benefits Direct Deposit Fee:FREE
• Automated Phone Customer Service Phone Call:FREE
• Live Customer Service:FREE
• Online Electronic Billing Statements:FREE
• SMS Text Alerts (standard text charges apply):FREE
• Overdraft Fee: FREE
• ATM Withdrawal Fee:$1.95
• Agent Location Cash Load Fee:$4.95
• Inactivity Fee (monthly charge beginning in month 13 of inactivity):$2.50
• ATM Balance Inquiry/Decline Fee:$0.45

Additional fees could include Re-issue card fee of $5, Bank to card transfer fee of $1, a paper statement fee of $3, cash withdrawal fee at bank counter of $25.00, stop payment fee of $4.95, check processing fee of $25.00 and currency conversion gains and fees. See Cardholder Agreement for a complete description of fees. 

Adding money to Western Union^® mun2^® Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard can be done if four (4) simple ways:

• Sign up for convenient payroll and government benefits direct deposit and receive a $10 bonus
• Add cash at over 46,000 Western Union^® Agent Locations
• Receive a Western Union Money Transfer^® transaction
• Transfer money directly from your bank account

As a sign-up bonus for qualified consumers, Western Union will add $10 into consumers' prepaid account after their first direct deposit onto their Western Union mun2 Prepaid MasterCard. Sign up for direct deposit within 60 days of receiving your card and receive $10 onto your card within 60 days of completion of eligible deposit. Subject to load and card account limits.

From students to adults, the Western Union^® mun2^® Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard is an affordable option for all.

Learn more at http://www.westernunion.com/web-inf/en/country/US/index_mun2_WU.html
Western Union mun2 Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard

Happy Saving!

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Hormel Foods Extended Family Bloggers

Mami of Multiples is pleased to announce that we are among the

Hormel Foods Extended Family Bloggers!

Hormel Foods Corporation is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of high-quality, brand-name food and meat products for consumers throughout the world. They offer a wide variety of products including hams, bacon, sausages, franks, canned luncheon meats, stews, chilis, hash, meat spreads, shelf-stable microwaveable entrees and salsas.

For 117 years, Hormel Foods has made their name under many well-established trademarks that include:

•   Always Tender
•   Black Label  
•   CHI-CHI'S
•   Chili Master
•   Compleats
•   Cure 81
•   Curemaster
•   Di Lusso
•   Dinty Moore
•   Dubuque
•   Embasa
•   Farmer John
•   Fast 'N Easy
•   Herdez
•   Homeland
•   Hormel 
•   House of Tsang
•   Jennie-O Turkey Store
•   Kid's Kitchen
•   Layout
•   La Victoria
•   Little Sizzlers
•   Lloyd's
•   Marrakesh Express
•   Mary Kitchen
•   Peloponnese
•   Range Brand
•   Rosa Grande
•   Sandwich Maker
•   SPAM
•   Wranglers

As part of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Preferred Blogger Program, we will be sharing an insider’s look at the official Hormel Foods test kitchen, participate in live webcasts and interactive events, learn new relevant tricks and techniques for easy meal prep, shopping, discounts, hosting giveaways, and more! (Also, the Hormel Extended Family Bloggers will be featured on a tab of the Hormel Foods Facebook page soon).

Learn more about Hormel recipes at http://www.hormelfoodsrecipes.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HFRecipes

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HormelFoods

Stay tuned on Mami of Multiples!

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2012 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ: An Affordable and Family-Friendly Vehicle

With the holiday season coming to a close, the New Year is a time of making resolutions and starting to plan for the upcoming year ahead.  Outlining the new year usually includes coordinating a household budget, finances and saving for purchases.  Deciding on vehicle that has desirable  features, amenities, mileage and gas friendly, high safety qualifications and is affordable can be a process for anyone. 

As a wife, mother of a teen & toddler twins and a small business owner, I am always looking for the best value for my dollar.  The choices I make to benefit my family are often budget and quality conscious. 

Mami of Multiples was pleased to review the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ for a week and discover its family-friendly options and affordability.

The 2012 Chevy Equinox LTZ was the 2011 Top Safety Pick Award from The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety.  The LTZ model has features that parents could certainly appreciate such as:

• Rear Vision Camera System - An important feature when backing out of a driveway, especially with young children
• Anti-Lock Brake System
• Stability Control System with Traction Control
• Remote Keyless Entry and Remote Vehicle Start - Great feature to warm or cool the vehicle automatically before even entering it
• Heated Front Seats
• Power Outside Heated Mirrors
• Rear Parking Assist
• Luggage Rack - Spacious for large packages and luggage
• OnStar Directions
• Turn-by-Turn Color Navaigation - Very user friendly and easy to understand
• XM Radio - Many kid-friendly stations, i.e. Radio Disney
• Programmable Powered Rear Liftgate - This feature is really helpful for those times when your hands are completely full
• Multi-Flex Sliding Rear Seat - Easy to recline the backseats for extra storage and cargo space

The Equinox seats five comfortably (which is the size of my family) and has expansive rear-seat leg room.  With an EPA-estimated 32 MPG highway, the Equinox provides a great value with the functionality of a crossover and the fuel economy of a sedan.

We test drove the Equinox not only with my family but with a variety of age groups from children to retirees.  We rode long and short distances in Central Florida on highway and backroads to compare gas mileage and "how the car rides".  The results were very favorable and the following are some of test group quotes:

Recently Retired Business Executive - "Smooth ride on highway and street. Quiet engine. Feels very roomy inside and not cramped."

Grandmother and Homemaker - "My grandchildren are spread out across the state so I like a vehicle that I feel comfortable driving in for long periods at a time.  I enjoy the spaciousness and good cargo space.  I can fit a lot of luggage and gifts in the back."

Mother of Two (2) Children Under the Age of Five (5) - "My husband and I are looking for an SUV that will fit our growing family.  I need a automobile that can fit carseats, strollers, toys and my husband's computer equipment.  I really like how everything fits inside the Equinox; my kids are seated comfortably in the back and my toddler has plenty of leg room.  My husband can fold the rear seats for all his computer and tech gadgets. We are on a tight budget but the price is very affordable and offers features that we are looking for."

Nineteen (19) Year Old College Student - "I need a reliable vehicle that won't be a gas guzzler...I can't afford it. I have to drive about 30 minutes on the highway to my college campus so I really love the good highway mileage."

With an MSRP starting rate of $23,450, the Chevrolet Equinox is indeed affordably priced, family-friendly with great features and amenities!

To learn more about the Equinox and all of Chevy's line of vehicles,

visit www.chevrolet.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chevrolet

Twitter: http://twitter.com/chevrolet

Happy New Year and Happy Car Shopping!



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Holiday Giveaway: Simon Flash Game and Target's Top Holiday Gifts

Check out the new website of Mami Innovative Media & register for paid opportunities: HEREThe HelloBar - a little bar that gets noticed!Close

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Christmas is literally just in a few days but many are still looking for the perfect gift. 

Still need to finish your holiday shopping? Check out the list below for Target's hottest holiday gifts:

Top Toys for Girls

• FIJIT Friends
• Barbie® Printable Hairtastic
• Monster High Doll 5-pack (Target Exclusive)
• Flying Fairies Doll (Target Exclusive)
• Lite Sprites Wand and Sprite
• Disney My First Princess Doll and Toddler Dress Gift Set (Target Exclusive)
• Lalaloopsy Crumb’s Bake off- Doll with Kitchen Set (Target Exclusive)

Top Toys for Boys

• Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster
• Star Wars® Ultimate FX LightSaber
• Air Hogs Hyperactives RC Vehicle
• Paper Jamz Pro Series Mic
• Disney Cars 2 Charge Ups Charge ‘N’ Race Speedway (Target Exclusive)
• Lego Millennium Falcon
• Imaginext® T-Rex
• Thomas and Friends Trackmaster Cranky and Flynn Save the Day

Top Toys and Games for All

• Games: Scrabble, Simon and Yahtzee Flash
• Disney Hedbanz (Target Exclusive)
• Bop It! XT  
• Rock On Elmo
• LeapFrog® LeapPad
• Elf on the Shelf Book

Other Popular Holiday Gifts

• Mercury Glass Home Décor
• Cake Pop Maker
• Smith & Hawken Bulb Kits
• iPad 2
• iPhone 4S
• Kindle Fire
• Elf on the Shelf
• Sonia Kashuk 6-pc Brush Set
• Merona Sherpa Hoodies
• Dog Plush Meat and Cheese Set

Like most teens, my 13 year old is interested in anything having to do with technology, toys and games.  We have been able to review one of the hottest toys of the season, the Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster.

My son loves it long range capability and the fact that its an full-auto Nerf disc blaster - one trigger pull will shoot more than 20 Nerf discs!  In addition to being fully automatic, the Nitron is also fully customizable with the Tactical Rail System that is compatible with most Vortex and N-Strike Mission Kit accessories.  The Nitron is a great gift for boys, teens and men (who still love to play with toys).

As a holiday giveaway from Target, enter to win an updated version of the popular '80's game Simon Flash. 

It’s four SIMON games in one! The WONDER-LINK technology lets the cubes know where you shuffle them, when you win and what you scored. The yellow game is SIMON Lights Off: Can you quickly line up the cubes in just the right order to turn off all the lights? The red game is SIMON Shuffle: When the cube colors scramble, can you line them up in their original order? The blue game is SIMON Secret Color: There’s only one order that will show the same color on all four cubes. How fast can you unlock the code? The green game is SIMON Classic: Stop shuffling. Start pressing! Can you remember and repeat a longer and longer sequence of colors? Challenge your friends or tune up your skills on your own! 

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Holiday Giveaway: Pong Case for Smartphones and iPads

Are you reading this on your iPad right now?

Are you using your smartphone to make calls
and search the internet?
Do you know by using these types of wireless products we are exposing ourselves to radiation everyday?

Pong® Research Corporation ("Pong") is an environmental health, safety, and wellness company that provides science-based solutions that protect users of cellular telephones from unnecessary exposure to electromagnetic radiation ("EMR"). EMR is a powerful form of microwave energy that phone antennae emit when they send data to, and receive it from, cell towers. Pong has created the world's only device proven to dramatically reduce EMR exposure while protecting phone performance.

Most users of cell phones are unaware that between 48% and 68% of the radiation emitted by their phones is absorbed into their heads and bodies. The absorption of this "near field" energy not only disrupts the "far field" energy necessary for the phone to communicate with a cell tower, but also underlies increasing concerns among physicians, scientists, and lawmakers who believe this exposure to be a health hazard.  Laboratories certified by the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") have confirmed that Pong's patented solution reduces the amount of EMR absorbed into the user's head by between 60% and 95%, as measured on the world-standard Specific Absorption Rate or "SAR" scale.  Pong’s patented technology was developed by a team of experts out of Princeton, Harvard, UCLA and MIT with backgrounds in in plasma physics, nuclear and radiation science, cell biology, electronics engineering and behavioral science.

As a wife, mother and small business owner, I know I' am constantly connected to my smartphones and other wireless devices.  However, that does not compare to the immense use of technological products from the 'my-cellphone-is-connected-to-my-hip' tweens, teens and young adults.  Due to the constant and intense nature of usage from the adolescent market, they need to be protected from high levels of radiation.

-          An article published last month in the scientific journal, Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, reported that children absorb twice as much radiation from cell phones as adults do and more than FCC guidelines permit.

-          Most vulnerable are a child’s brain, eyes and bone marrow, which can absorb as much as 10 times the amount of radiation an adult’s body does.

-          These findings come just 4 months after the World Health Organization classified cell phone radiation as a potential carcinogen based on a large, global research study.

In May 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified cell phone radiation as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The WHO based its findings on a large, international study coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that showed an increased risk of a certain type of brain tumor called glioma from regular use of cell phones – defined in the study as 1,640 hours or more of cumulative use. In consumer terms, that equates to slightly less than a half hour of daily use over a 10-year period.  Adding to the evidence is a separate 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which found that 50 minutes of cell phone use affected brain activity in the area nearest to the phone. Concerns about SAR have led the FCC to impose strict SAR limits on cell phones and tablets and mandate that Apple, Blackberry and other cellular device makers warn consumers not to put their cell phone directly against their head or body when using it. Unbeknownst to most consumers, these warnings can be found in all cellular device manuals. Suggestions on how to limit exposure to cell phone radiation, such as texting, using the speaker, or turning the cell phone off when not in use, are not always possible or practical. In addition, the FCC warns against the use of products that claim to shield or block cell phone radiation because they can actually increase the user’s radiation exposure. Making matters worse, shields can also negatively impact a device’s performance.

Pong cases easy to put on and take off and have been designed and tested to work anywhere in the world (Pong cases are currently in use in 50 countries).  Pong cases are the only solution on the market that has been proven to protect consumers from unnecessary exposure to device radiation while also protecting a device’s performance.

Pong cases costs between $49.99 and $99.99 and are available at www.pongresearch.com.

Pong’s new Holiday 2011 collection includes:

• iPhone 4 and 4S cases
• Black Leather Touch, $59.99
• Cobalt Blue Leather Touch, $59.99
• Cranberry Red Leather Touch, $59.99
• iPad 2 case
• Black Lexan Soft Touch, $99.99
• Features patent-pending design that allows users to stand the device vertically or horizontally in positions that are optimal for movie and TV viewing, reading and typing
• Has a sleep/wake function
• iPad case
• Black Leather Touch, $79.99
• Cobalt Blue Leather Touch, $79.99
• Cranberry Red Leather Touch, $79.99
• BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930
• Black Leather Touch, $59.99

As a special holiday giveaway, enter for a chance to win a Pong case for your smartphone or iPad.

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