After mentioning about a million times that Menu Planning is essential to not only save a lot of money on food but to ease the stress in mom’s everyday life, I figured it’s about time I actually shared a few links to really help you out. There are a ton of menu planning options available, just do an internet search for Meal Planning or Meal Planners and you’ll be shocked at all the results you end up with.

While I do recommend doing a little research to find the best setup for you (there’s even some amazing menu planner board pics at Pinterest that I fell in love with), there are some particularly great sites and apps that are worth pointing out. First though I want to share a few thoughts with you before we dive into my finds.

Key Money Saving Tip:

As always, if the site/app does not do the weekly sales homework for you, remember to pick your meal plan based on what’s on sale at your local stores (or what you have on hand already).

Questions to Keep In Mind

Among the plethora of sites and apps you will find, there’s a few things to keep in mind when searching for the right program…

Sites and Apps

This list is in no way completely comprehensive so please feel free to leave your suggestions, comments or tips in a comment below or you can contact me if you have a suggestion or question you’d like me to answer in the future!

• Once A Month Mom is a site and idea that is near and dear to my heart! If you have a few spare moments I definitely do recommend this form of cooking for families. I understand it’s not for everyone, but it earns top spot in my list! Ladies, this is FREE!
• HowDoesSheDoIt.com earns a key spot in this list because of the surprising ease of use and complete planning options. They not only have a great website, but they now have apps available too. I love that this one is so complete, all too often I only plan dinners which has it’s place, but the option of planning ALL meals is too good to pass up!
• My Family Meal Planner - I’m so very excited that this program has gone mobile! They still offer their great cookbooks that take the guesswork out of meal planning, but now it’s mobile too (yay). Not customizable out side of the options they offer, but if you need something that’s just planned for you, this is an amazing option!
• Menu Planning Central – If they offered an app this would forever be my meal planner of choice. Another site that eliminates the guess work from meal planning, they provide the menu calendar, shopping list and even extras for planning during the holidays and much more. A great resource that’s also affordable with both monthly and lifetime membership options!
• Dine Without Whine – A Family Friendly Weekly Menu Planner – Another great family meal planner that has a lot of extras too! The boast family friendly meals and again take all the guesswork out of planning!
• Food on the Table - I found out about this one through one of the many great savings sites so I had a voucher to use with them to try them out and I’m currently using this program. They suggest recipes based on current sales running at the store you shop at, or you can choose from the many other recipes they offer. The reason I particularly liked this one is that it is the only planner that actually looks up sales from the particular grocery store I shop at! Available online and there’s an app! The app allows you to plan up to three meals a week free (obviously not worth it to use for that, but works if you’re just trying it out), check out the site for the various subscription options.
• EatingWell.com also has a great menu planner and the beauty of this one is that you get to see first hand the nutritional side of every part of your menu.
• Menu Planner App by Innova Dev – Although this app isn’t free at the price tag of only $2.99 it’s worth checking out. It’s versatile, customizable and innovative, three things that are really a big deal for families.
• Relish! At $7 per month this program is one you’ll want to check out in detail and see if it’s right for you (also check online for coupons and vouchers to try them out).  The cool thing about this program is that you choose from a selection of 15 different recipes each week. This makes it perfect for the mom that doesn’t want to spend an hour or more searching for all the right recipes to fill your menu. By cutting down on the choices it makes the selection process quick and the meal ideas a little more varied to keep things from getting boring.
• emeals.com Another great paid option that’s around $5 per month though the cost completely varies based on your needs. Taking the guess work out of meal planning and just offering it to you directly this is a great option for families, though their meal plans serve up to 6 people (so may not be the best option for large families).
• Plan to Eat - at $4.95/month or $39/year this is another great but extremely customized option! There are a ton of features with this one. Although the menus aren’t setup for you the ability for you to import, customize and even plan by week or by month is very nice.

Let’s Go!

Hopefully this list helps open up a new world of options when it comes to meal planning. So, what’s the best planning and cooking option for you?

The big game day has come and gone, but there’s always the next event to celebrate with friends and family and around here food is a big deal. For boys, food seems to be a large part of any event and they look forward to it immensely.

For me, keeping it yummy and simple is always the biggest factor in any game-day menu. Here’s a few tips to make preparation even simpler.

Use a Crockpot.

This is absolutely mandatory around here. In fact, crock pots are so useful for holidays and game day we went out and bought a great unit that has three crock pots in it. They are attractive, convenient and one pot does it all from cooking, to keeping warm and serving. 

Plan Ahead

Don’t get too very extravagant, you’d be surprised just how amazing things can turn out with just a little prep and a few ingredients. By planning ahead you don’t have to worry about missing ingredients or last minute trips to the store. Keep in mind there’s almost always a simple way to improvise if you do end up forgetting something.

Keep it Simple

When you’re entertaining a crowd all too often as the hostess we get way too caught up in wanting it to be fancy and impressive. On game-day this is absolutely not necessary! Break out the everyday dishes, the simpler the better actually as game-day tends to be casual and messy. Keep it as simple as possible for not only serving and eating, but for clean up as well!

Now it’s your turn! Join the conversation and tell me what tips you have for hosting a successful party for friends and family for the Big Game and be entered to win a 42” LG flat Screen TV!

Looking for some snack ideas? Tyson Any’tizers are a great snack that satisfies your kids on game day or any day! 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Any’Tizers.  The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Tyson Any’Tizers Brand. Official Sweepstakes Rules

Around here lunch time can be monotonous.  My poor kids pretty much eat mac and cheese, chicken nuggest, pb&j or some other equally unexciting meal everyday.  It’s not for lack of imagination so much as it is lack of time (and energy!)!

Luckily, I have been introduced to FunBites!  FunBites makes these adorable food cutters that take ordinary food and turn it into “mealtime magic”!  These curved blade cutters can take anything from sandwiches to pancakes, fish, cheese, or fruit, and make it into a fun, neat meal!  I am really loving using this on my kids lunch, especially as Valentine’s Day approaches and I can’t seem to get enough heart shaped goodies!

The blades are sharp enough to use on foods like pizza and allow you to cut the food without having to put your fingers all over it and they are easy to use!

1.  Place your FunBites cutter on top of your food.  Remove the popper top and set it to the side.

2.  Grab the cutter handles on both sides, press down firmly, and rock side to side 5-6 times.

3.  Lift the cutter up, insert the popper top, and pop out the bite-sized pieces! Easy Peasy!!

Some other pros:

• FunBites are made 100% in the USA!
• FunBites are BPA free!
• FunBites are top rack dishwasher safe!
• FunBites were created by the parents of two little girls who wanted to help their picky eater enjoy the healthy foods they served her and not just junk food.  (We love Mom and Dad inspired products!)

You can WIN your choice of a green cube or pink heart FunBites by reading on…

But first, check out these awesome kid (and adult!) friendly creations that you can make with FunBites.

Here’s how you can win!

• Visit FunBites and tell us how you would spend a gift card to the shop.
• “Like” A Frog in My Soup on Facebook.
• Become a follower of A Frog in My Soup on Twitter.
• “Like” FunBites on Facebook.
• Follow FunBites on Twitter.
• Share a link to this giveaway on Facebook and tag A Frog in My Soup.
• Tweet about this giveaway and mention @afroginmysoup.

That’s a total of 7 possible entries! Remember, each comment is it’s own entry, so be sure to leave a separate comment for each of these that you do.

This contest will end Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 at 11:59 pm and a winner will be announced on Friday, February 10, 2012. You will have 72 hours to respond to afroginmysoupinfo @ gmail dot com or a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck and Happy Entering!

Disclosure: I received these products free of charge to review, however FunBites did not compensate me in any other way. The opinions expressed in this post are mine. You can read this site’s disclosure policy here.

The holidays can be a time of fun, laughter, anticipation and joy. But all too often, it’s also filled with frustration, stress and dread as we attempt to be too many things to too many people. Today I found a solution, but you have to hurry to get the discount price.

Today only if you hop over to Menu Planning Central you can buy their Special Holiday Bundle for $10! It’s basically over $100 worth of meals, planning, guides, recipes, etc to make your holiday planning simpler all for $10 but only TODAY ladies! So be sure to grab it while it’s still available!

So, between the school parties, office parties, church parties and family parties this bundle will help you plan and help simplify the holidays which is something I love as a mom. Each event brings a unique stress to the table and usually we either need to come up with amazing gifts at prices that we can afford, or amazing food that can be made within the means of a mom’s schedule.

I hope you enjoy today’s value, but remember the $10 deal is only good today, after that it goes up!

Did you know that September is national Honey month??? Yeah, I didn’t either, but I was blissfully surprised and thrilled when I not only learned about it, but was asked to interview Chef David Guas on behalf of the National Honey Board.

I truly enjoy interviewing chefs, they often have fun and creative ideas. Chef Guas had me inspired right off the bat!

I use honey in any recipe I can these days. I dislike using white sugar, so I have been using honey as a replacement for a long time. What surprised me the most about this interview was that although we were primarily discussing the benefits of honey, the first thing Chef Guas shared with me was an amazing recipe for Almond Butter!!!!! I was so excited!

I honestly never considered making our own nut butters, but what an amazing idea! They are fresh, you’re in control of the ingredients and they are so easy to make and store. You’ll be shocked!

I’m sharing the recipe below because truly, the Almond Butter with the Honey-Almond Crunch (recipe is also below) or even just spread on bread with some honey is just so yummy! You’ll definitely want to break out the food processor (don’t try to make the nut butter with anything else) and cookie sheet for these!

I do also recommend substituting Honey in place of white sugar in your recipes as often as possible. Over the next few weeks I’ll try to feature some great recipes that do just that. You can also get tons of recipes at their website!

Now, without further ado, the amazing Almond Butter and Honey-Almond Crunch Recipes…for more great lunch recipes featuring honey from Chef Guas, visit this site!

“Crunchy” Honey Toasted Almond Spread

Almond Butter – (Yields 2 cups of almond butter)

Ingredients:
4 cups roasted almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher
1 each vanilla bean, split and scraped
5 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons honey

Procedure:
Toast the almonds by spreading them in a thin layer on a baking sheet at 325°F for about 12-15 minutes. Stir a couple of times to ensure even roasting. Combine the almonds (warm), vanilla bean meat and salt in a food processor and process until the nuts are ?nely ground. Add the oil while blending and continue processing until the almond butter reaches your desired degree of smoothness, adding more oil if necessary. Add honey, blend for approximately 30 seconds more. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Almond Butter

Honey-Almond Crunch – (Yields 3 cups of crunch)
This recipe, featuring clover honey, sliced almonds, and corn flakes, is fun for kids to cook and snack on. The recipe yields enough for 6-8 small hands.

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2-1/2 cups corn flakes

Procedure:
Combine almonds, honey, butter, and salt in a 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook until almonds and honey begin to take on an amber color. Remove from heat and stir in corn flakes. Pour out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to cool for approximately 5-10 minutes. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3-4 days.

Assembly:

• English Muffin/Toast: Spread the almond butter on top of the toast or English muffin then sprinkle Honey-Almond Crunch on top.
• Sandwich: Spread the almond butter on the bread, add sliced bananas and sprinkle with Honey-Almond Crunch.
• Vegetable Snack: Stuff 2 tablespoons of almond butter into celery sticks and top with Honey-Almond Crunch. Makes a great kids snack and carrots can be substituted or used in addition to the celery.

Looking for something that fits well in a kids’ lunch box, keeps well until lunchtime but is fun, creative and healthy? Well I have the perfect idea for you today with this great Pinwheel Chicken Sandwiches with Plum Dipping Sauce recipe.

While it’s a little more prep than I usually would recommend for a school lunch, it’s such a yummy treat for them. Make sure you pack it with ice and it’s cool yummy lunchtime meal (I like to buy the smaller ice blocks to pack with sandwiches like this).

It will fit in a regular lunchbox or perfect for packing in a bento style box. Just put the sauce in a tiny sealable continer and you’re good to go.

Pinwheel Chicken Sandwiches with Plum Dipping Sauce

(from Kaboose.com)

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 slices soft sandwich bread, crust removed if desired
4 teaspoons almond butter
1 small head butter lettuce
1/4 cup plum sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel

Cooking Instructions
Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a small skillet on medium high heat, heat oil until shimmers. Cook chicken about 11 minutes, turning once, or until cooked through; reserve, cool and thinly slice.

Place a slice of bread on each of eight 12-inch squares of plastic wrap. Flatten bread with a rolling pin.

On one slice of bread spread 1/2 teaspoon almond butter horizontally across the middle. Repeat with the remaining almond butter and bread. Evenly cover each slice of bread with lettuce. Divide the chicken over the bread, leaving about 1/2-inch on opposite sides of the slice not covered with chicken — this makes rolling easier.

Using the plastic wrap to help start, roll each slice into cylinder. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least one hour.

Mix the plum sauce, soy sauce, and orange peel. Slice sandwiches as desired and serve with plum dip.

Substitution(s)
Leftover pork, turkey or ham can be used, as can purchased sliced chicken, turkey or ham deli meat.

If using leftovers, start with step 2 of the recipe.

Make it Faster
Instead of making spiral sandwiches, these can be layered like regular sandwiches.
Tips & Tricks
Try Chicken Cutlets with Plum Sauce for a family dinner, then use the leftovers to make this recipe for lunch the next day.
Preparation Time:
15 minutes

Ready In:
15 minutes plus 1 hour chilling time

Servings:
4

How kids can help
They can mix the sauce.

Image from Kaboose.com

It’s that time of year again, football season has just arrived and with it our summer schedule begins a lightning-fast progression toward the beginning of school. Fall and football just go hand in hand around here, but just today I yet again caught myself beginning to analyze everything my boys are eating.

Sports are an amazing way for kids to learn about working with others as well as participating and contributing to a team. A sense of community is often born between not only the players, but entire families…relationships that last for years (or maybe even a lifetime) often begin this way.

Sports automatically teach children about fitness and physical well being, staying active is so healthy for them and what better way to do it. For me, making sure they are always eating healthy, well hydrated and getting plenty of rest is of utmost importance, especially during sports.

Let’s face it though, sometimes sports season can run us all ragged. Not only are we trying to stay on top of everyone’s different practice and game schedules, but trying to get from point A to point B with time in between for the healthy meals that we need can sometimes feel impossible.

If you often find yourself in that position, here’s a couple tips:

Keep a cooler in the car

Although there are some coolers that plugin to keep everything cold, it’s not entirely necessary, nor does it have to be huge. A good amount of ice and/or freezer packs will definitely serve the purpose.

Fill the cooler with fresh water, fruits, veggies, dip and cut-up cheeses (just examples feel free to get creative).

Serve it On-The-Go

Tailgate party at practice? Sure! We don’t love to have the kids eating in the car all the time, so serving it while stopped for a few minutes between practices or while waiting for one of the kiddos to finish up is a great way to do it.

Just keep a box with all the serving items you need and a couple chairs (we always have these in the car anyway during sports season) and you’re always ready for an impromptu picnic.

If all else fails at least eat out healthy.

If you absolutely must eat out, the trick simply is finding some place that serves food you feel good about your young athletes eating! Subway has always been a great option (and frankly a lot of the time my children ask for that over other fast food), but a lot of other restaurants are offering healthier choices as well.

Have some suggestions of your own? Please feel free to leave a comment and join in the conversation with moms nationwide!!!

Answer the question “What life lessons do kids learn from playing team sports?” for a chance to win a $500 gift certificate for sporting equipment for your child’s team.

Want to help more children stay active by playing team sports? Go to SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS Auction on Ebay. All proceeds go to the Little League Urban Initiative, which helps fund inner-city youth leagues and teams.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of SUBWAY® Baseball DeSIGNS. The opinions and text are all mine. The $500 Gift Certificate Giveaway Contest runs from August 19 – 28, 2011. A random winner will be announced by September 1, 2011. Official Contest Rules.

Since I’m such a newbie at the whole Bento lunch idea myself, I dare not present it to you as an informed expert, but there are some amazing mommies out there that have been busy doing this bento thing for their kiddos for a long time. It’s time to bring them in (willingly or not) and send you their way.

The very first Bento Star that I want to introduce you to is another lunch!

Another lunch is the very first Bento Lunch blog I ever stumbled upon. It was (and still is when she posts) inspiring and fun and I think you’ll agree.

I have always promoted and encouraged food creativity for families to get children who would ordinarily be picky eaters to be more interested in healthier foods. I have to say though that I too am tentatively stepping into the world of the Bento lunch and the amazing creativity it offers.

Another lunch is brought to us by Melissa who is the stay-at-home mom of four kiddos, three boys and one girl. Her site creatively (and photographically) inspires great lunch ideas that are not only fun, healthy and tasty for the kids, but are also kind to our environment and truly a great tribute to creativity and imagination.

My favorite lunch?

Honestly I have far too many to really say that just this one is my favorite, but I do love somethin’ fishy is going on. It certainly isn’t the most complex of her lunches but I think it’s a perfect example of simple creativity for all us beginners!

It uses a couple of the simple basic accessory suggestions I told you all about in my Going Bento basics post – a silicone cup, sandwich cutter and food picks were used.

It also uses an egg mold (see the white fishy? yeah she even tells you how to do it on her blog) and of course she has obviously gone with a theme here.

There’s so many amazing ideas to choose from, I think you’ll enjoy spending even a few minutes treating yourself to basking in her creativity. Be sure to check out her tools of the trade and tutorial categories too while you’re there.

Have fun!!!

As we talk about Back-to-school we simply have to mention lunches. This year I’m going to do a little more than mention it though as we delve into great lunch ideas and in an effort to go completely green in the lunch department, Bento will be key. From supplies to recipes and great sites for you to use as resources, we’re going green and Bento all over the place!!!

Care to take the plunge with me? Great!! Today, we’re going to look at the basic supplies and where to buy them.

Going Bento is not as challenging as it may seem, or as expensive. I admit I was so lost at first. I loved the idea of doing bento type lunches for my family, but I was struggling with the “hows” and “where-to-buys”.

In keeping with my standard back-to-school shopping advice, you have to “think outside the box” more than ever here. From where to shop for Bento boxes and supplies to how to creatively package daily lunches (without going crazy). While you’re thinking outside the box however, keep in mind that there’s a lot of products out there and you’ll be building your Bento supply box over time.

Start with the Box!

Finding the perfect box may seem daunting, but there’s simple solutions for those who are just starting. Here’s some ideas.

EasyLunchboxes is probably the simplest of them all! Last fall they sent me a set of their fantastic lunchboxes and it was an amazing introduction for me into the world of Bento. Alas, my life was so crazy at the time I wasn’t able to fully appreciate it or share it with all of you until now, but I’m so excited to do so.

Since these boxes are already compartmentalized you will have no problem building a cute lunch without needing an excess of supplies. Just purchase a set of these sturdy, durable boxes (comes in a set of 4 for around $14.99 – WOW!) and a couple little bento goodies and you’re totally ready to send up to four kids back to school for under $20.

Local Finds

Search for local shops (specialty, Walmart, Target, etc) and even look at garage sales, Craigslist, etc for bento options. If you can buy locally (and if their prices aren’t through the roof), you won’t have to worry about shipping costs and of course there’s the whole supporting local businesses idea to feel good about.

More Box Shopping

Feel like you want to take the plunge even deeper into bento? Check out AllThingsForSale.com a surprising little online Bento store that has simply amazing prices!

There’s a lot of creative solutions there and while it may seem daunting, I hope to offer a little more information on these over the next few months as we try some out ourselves.

Though there are tons and tons of places to shop here’s just a couple links to keep you going:

• Amazon.com - offers very cute bento boxes and accessories at definitely affordable prices!
• Ebay – honestly a fabulous place to shop for bento just use the normal cautions (ie: beware of sellers that gouge you for shipping or have low feedback ratings).
• The Container Store – another surprising find with amazing options!
• http://megasuperbento.ecrater.com/ - haven’t shopped here but got the suggestion from a few bento sites.
• Bento&Co – admittedly not the cheapest place to shop for bento but definitely unique.

Accessories

Wondering where on earth to begin? Well it all depends on how in depth you want to go right off the bat, but frankly I recommend keeping it simple. Although all accessories are truly optional, I do recommend that you at least start with silicone cupcake cups (can be found literally at any store that sells cooking supplies or online) or food separators of some sort (usually purchased in bento specialty shops or online at the stores I mentioned). Most can be purchased at any of the above mentioned ideas/links.

• Bag – if you buy boxes that don’t have one you may want to find something that fits the containers and a thermos or drink container for portability.
• Picks – the ultimate accessory for cuteness and keeping small food (grapes, olives, etc) where you want it to be in the box.
• Sandwich Cutters – not all boxes fit standard sized bread and let’s face it kids love shaped sandwiches!!! This is an affordable, simple and fun option to have.

More on Lunch

Be on the lookout for future posts that expand on ideas, suggestions, accessories and more all to do with Bento! Also, I plan to feature some fun lunch ideas over the next few weeks that are (of course!) simple simple simple!!!

Boys definitely have a tendency to think they are starving… ALL.THE.TIME. It doesn’t just kick in during the pre-teen years, nope, it starts at birth with many of them (though it kicks in a little later for a few).

Since I do not have an “open kitchen” policy, we occasionally have some interesting moments!  You should probably know right off that my boys actually are NOT starving EVER, they know that there are certain foods they are always welcome to grab and eat (fruit, carrots, cheese) for those moments of desperation.

But occasionally, apparently there are things in that kitchen that are tempting beyond the ability to resist. Especially for a 5 year old in the face of … Cheerios.

Although I reminded the little “thief” of our “please talk to mom” policy, I found myself more amused than anything else. Of all the things to sneak, Cheerios is definitely not an unhealthy option.

I probably have photos somewhere of each one of our boys as toddlers eating Cheerios. Either at a restaurant, in their high chair for snack or out of a snack cup watching a movie. It was definitely the “go-to” snack for all of them.

I grew up eating Cheerios, my kids have grown up eating Cheerios, and while I imagine it’s possible, I doubt there are many who have not and do not eat Cheerios.

A couple months ago, I posted about how we use Cheerios for a base to make some very fun Trail Mix when we are going on day trips and such.  As I was thinking about it more though, I realized that the reason we prefer original Cheerios around here is that it does make it so versatile for everyday use.

When the kids want to make a bowl of cereal, inevitably they will reach for the Cheerios because they know they can choose to eat it with fruit in it. We typically have a lot of fresh fruit around here, and I think the favorite would be a toss up between bananas and strawberries for mixing in with their morning Cheerios.

Other fun options though:

• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Mango
• Kiwi

And the list goes on. Don’t forget about dried fruit too. The kids love that mixture of crunchy fruit in with their Cheerios sometimes.

So…. how does your family eat Cheerios???

Disclosure: I am part of the Cheerios Blogger Circle and occasionally receive promotional products as a participant. Although they occasionally ask me to post on a particular topic, all information and opinions are absolutely my own! You can read my full disclosure policy here.