Different members of my family celebrate different holidays.  Some celebrate Easter and others celebrate Passover.  As you can guess, there is a lot of preparation to do.  Next week I will be writing more about Passover, but today I am focusing on a fun project for kids which is great for Easter and can be modified for any event, such as birthday parties, Valentine’s Day, or even a rainy afternoon when kids are stuck indoors: making candy necklaces. As much fun as holidays can be, they also run the risk of being a bit boring for kids.  Reuniting with family is fun, but without activities to keep kids occupied they can get into some shenani...

Tags: Easter, kids, activities, candy, truffles

So that General Mills employees can take part in heart-healthy foods and learn how to eat better, The Betty Crocker Kitchens has partnered with Sodexho, food service supplier who prepares and sells the items in the cafes at all 3 Minneapolis office locations.  In February, the cafes have been featuring heart-healthy menu items, using recipes from our healthy cookbooks.  Here are a few of the recipes they're offering, along with the cookbooks they're from: Breakfast – Chocolate Chip-Cherry Scones, Cookbook for ...

Tags: Fiber One bran cereal, Apple-Honey Cereal Bars, Betty Crocker 30-Minute Meals for Diabetes, Betty Crocker Cookbook, Betty Crocker Cookbook for Women, Betty Crocker Diabetes, Betty Crocker Healthy Heart Cookbook, Betty Crocker Whole Grains, Black Bean-Corn Wonton Cups, heart health, kids, teens

I've always loved February!  There is more daylight, Valentine's Day is special and it's a shorter month.  These days, February appeals to me because it reminds me to take care of my heart.  And I've discovered a new product that I love--Banana Nut Cheerios.  Not only does it taste great (tastes like baked Banana Nut Bread), it's also a crunchy, fun recipe ingredient. We developed several new recipes in the Betty Crocker Kitchens to introduce Banana Nut Cheerios.  We know how much people love Banana Nut Bread, so we decided to try Chocolate Banana Bread, a new twist on an old favorite. The cereal is used in the bread and also sprin...

Tags: banana nut bread, Banana Nut Cheerios, heart-healthy, kids

I recently taught a series of healthy cooking classes to employees.  A favorite topic was "Cooking from Your Pantry".  The idea is that if you keep your pantry well-stocked, including refrigerator and freezer, you'll be able to whip up recipes in minutes, plus these pantry recipes can be served in a variety of ways.  This in itself can be a real time-saver, can possibly be part of a dinner for another night.  I'm always looking for those short-cuts. Ranch Fried Chicken, using reduced-fat ranch dressing and Progresso...

Tags: cooking classes, kids, pantry, teens, well-stocked