Snacks!

I’ve shopped with Kroger grocery stores for many years. They have been a top contender in affordable offerings for a long time, and are imporving their ability to feed individuals on a budget. For a lot of folks, part of that budget is snacks, whether for between meals fulfillment, or for presentation at gatherings.

From the website:

“Kroger Brand: Where Awesome Meets Affordable
Kroger Brand strives to constantly outdo itself. That means you’ll find a wide variety of high-quality products, at great prices to boot! The experts behind the scenes are constantly innovating to bring you even more unique bites and delicious drinks, as well as convenient household staples.”

On this set of missions, Kroger is repeatedly using the word ‘awesome’ and with good reason.

Awesome (adjective): extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration; extremely good or excellent

Synonyms: breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magnificent, wonderful
Mission Level 1: Make Snack Time Awesome
This level of the mission offered up pizza rolls, chocolate chip cookies, trail mix, and some other goodies.

The cookies were an easy snack! I loaded them up with Nutella to make sandwich cookies. Served with cold milk, they went really fast.

 

 

The Kroger Brand Pizza Rolls have made it into our kitchen’s regular rotation for both snacks and quick meals. We found that leftover red sauce spread over the rolls and topped with shredded Italian cheeses makes a great, if a little messy, alternative to pasta! We also tried them with chili and cheese. We enjoy the results immensely!

 
Mission Level 2: Make Game Day Awesome
This mission level gave us a pub mix, a koozie, and some coupon based freebies like the seltzer water I love so much.

We put all of it to great snacking use.

 
Mission Level 3: Make Halloween Awesome
When is Halloween not awesome? When there are no treats! This mission sent us goodies such as pumpkin carving stencils, pretzels, gummi worms, and a trick or treat bag. Sadly I was unable to put together the projects I wanted to try out, but we did some other awesome things for the spookiest night of the year.

 

 

 

Here’s hoping this blog gives you some nifty snacking ideas not only for further along this season (Thanksgiving, Winter holidays, Superbowl, etc.), but for a long time to come.

— Ann Cathey

#WhereAwesomeMeetsAffordable #MyMagazineSharing #FreeSamp

Hitting the Road with Kroger Fuel Points

Put simply, it’s all about saving money. Whether you use coupons to shop, or other savings programs, they all add up to not spending as much as you might otherwise.

Hitting the open road on vacation!

One of those ways to save, if you shop at the Kroger family of stores, is to sign up for and use their fuel rewards program. It’s as easy to do as doing your normal shopping. Every time you buy something, your points begin to add up. Use your Shopper’s card or enter your alternate ID at checkout, and it’s done. Every single time.

From the website:

FUEL POINTS 101

How it Works
When you shop at a Kroger Co. Family Store and use your Shopper’s Card, you’ll earn 1 fuel point for every $1 you spend.*  Once you’re at the pump, simply scan your Shopper’s Card or enter your Alternate ID, then choose to redeem your available fuel discount. You can also redeem your fuel points at one of our redemption partners.*

When Do They Expire?
Fuel points earned in the current month will expire at the end of the next month. However, fuel points do not combine across months. Each month is a separate accumulation period. Fuel points earned in separate months cannot be combined in the same transaction. You’ll always be offered your highest unredeemed discount first.

How Can I Keep Track of My Points?
With the “My Account” feature in your digital account, you can see how many fuel points you’ve accumulated, how many you’ve redeemed, how you earned them, when they expire and more. You can also see your previous month’s fuel points. You can also track your fuel points with the Mobile App!

*Restrictions apply. Not valid in LA or MO. Offer, discount and redemption locations vary by market. See store or visit our FAQ page to learn more about the program at your store.

My family and a lot of my friends shop at Kroger, in part for the fuel rewards. In this day and age, every little bit helps.

We recently went on vacation in Colorado, and found one of the Kroger family of stores there, as well as at home in Texas. Our fuel account was active in both states, and helped up travel that little bit further as we explored Red Rocks Park and so many other scenic spots and interesting eateries.

Lone Ponderosa pine at Red Rocks Park, Colorado.

— Ann Cathey

#KrogerCo #FuelPointsForDays #Ad #MyMagazineSharing

Red, White and BBQ,

Being a member of MyMagazine™ Sharing Network has gotten me to try a lot of products that I might otherwise have let slip by. These products are normaly in the form of free samples and coupons for free products and discounts. This time around, the mission was all about “Red, White, and BBQ”.

The package of free goodies for this mission included:

• McCormick® Grill Mates® Bottle Blend Seasoning
  – What I’m going to carry on about.
  -We have purchased the Smokehouse Maple, Mesquite, and Brown Sugar Bourbon.
• Keebler® Chips Deluxe® Cookies
  – Have to have a dessert!
  – Fun recipe to try out.
• Lays® Original or Jalapeño Chips
  – Jalapeno is not my favorite flavor, but there were other chips involved.
  – More on Lay’s chips.
• Kleenex® Wet Wipes 
  – Terribly handy in a lot of places!
• Pass-along Coupons
  – I shared the wealth with several folks at my local Kroger.

 

There. I’m done pimping out the products for the mission. I do recommend trying them all, as they are wonderful in the opinion of my household.

 

The mission suggested a backyard BBQ bash, but it’s been too hot to do much outside recently. Instead we had the party inside and enjoyed every bite.

There were ships and cookies and other assorted goodies on each plate served up, though the burgers and sliders simply stole the show.bite

 

 

 

 

We gave the McCormick Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple a try. Instead of sprinkling onto a meat to be grilled, we mixed it into the hamburger meat with a couple of eggs and a bunch of shredded cheese. May not look like much in a bowl, but it came out better than we expected.

 

 

 

Talk about outstanding flavor! The added smoky aroma and the subtle maple flavor wound all through the burger for a delicious surprise. We made burgers and sliders out of that one batch, with all the fixings, and can’t wait to try some of the other flavors.

— Ann Cathey

Private Selection from Kroger

I was recently sent some coupons for sampling free products from the produce section of my local Kroger. As it turns out, not only do I already love these products, I use a lot more than just the produce.

“Private Selection® thrives on the notion that high-quality, culinary­ inspired foods and ingredients deliver amazing eating experiences. Private Selection’s Iove and appreciation for food is fueled by the culinary passion of their customers and the deep-seeded belief that food is truly at the heart of experiences with others. They have a desire to create delightfully unexpected flavors and bring joy and excitement to the Kroger Co. Family of Stores shopping experience. Private Selection invites you to join them in their journey to transform something to eat into something to savor.“

The Private Selection Line offers meat and seafood, dairy, deli and bakery items, pastas and sauces, spices and baking goodies, spreads, condiments, and dressings, produce, frozen goods, beverages, snacks and candy, and breakfast items. The available product line is growing all the time. If you check the numerous links in this blog, you will find that the products in the store are quite like the photos on the website – unlike a lot of advertised items from other companies.

Certain items, like the Himalayan pink sea salt are a constant in my kitchen, Just a twist or two and a rich, bold spark is added wherever I include it. I often have a Private Selection pepper grinder handy as well, for my partner in gastronomic adventure. He rpefer black pepper, though there are other blends available.

Whole grain garlic mustard coupled with the petite medley potatoes make a colorful and flavorful German potato salad. It goes incredibly well with BBQ, burgers and dogs, or any time you crave a hearty potato dish.

German Potato Salad

The simmer sauces, notably the Tikka Masala, help create intriguing international dishes. We love curry in many forms, and these simmer sauces make for a delightful dinner plan any night. Add in a package of the gourmet blend mushrooms and quartered purple petite potatoes for color and texture, and serve over brown rice.

With the heat rising, I’m getting back into salads in a big way. With Private Selection, I was recently able to throw together a salad using Sweet Gem living lettuce, seedless cucumbers, sliced fresh strawberries, and sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms (hidden on the bottom, I think.) I also used a Private Selection lemon dill aioli for the dressing.

I just can’t help making salads! Here’s another delicious toss from the Private Selection goodies I had on hand. I love the results I’m getting in flavors, textures, visual appeal, and consistency of the produce. With Private Selection, I was one again able to throw together a salad using Sweet Gem and Tango living lettuce, seedless cucumbers and sliced fresh mushrooms, I also used that Private Selection aioli for the dressing again. It’s truly tasty!

I don’t eat raw tomatoes, myself, but my daughter claims the Campari tomatoes are “outstanding in texture and flavor”. Still on the vine and a ripe red, they are “incomparable”.

Here’s hoping you decide to give Private Selection a try. Their products are a staple in my own kitchen.

– Ann Cathey

Anything for Your Pet?

The Kroger family of stores offers a little bit of everything needed for daily pet care for dogs, cats, and some small animals. From pet nutrition to treats, toys, and grooming, you can find all the basics in the Pet Care Aisle at your local store.

My Magazine Sharing offered a mission to sample some of the items available. The mission asks that you post a photo of your pet with an included caption card. While the card is cute, it won’t work for four animals! I had to make do with a composite.

Our Furbabies

 

There were both dog and cat free sample/coupon boxes available. We received the cat care sample box. Meow Mix Simple Servings, Purina Friskies Party Mix Gravy-licious cat treats, a coupon for a bag of Purina One True Instinct Cat Chow, and a handful of coupons for each of these items to pass along to other pet owners in hopes that they would give the products a try.

The cats immediately wanted to investigate the box – behind my back. They enjoyed all the goodies immensely, the box, the stuffing paper, and are insisting we go get more, especially of the treats!

Likewise, you are asked to post a photo (or two or more) of you pet enjoying the sample. I did another composite of the cats chowing down on the Meow Mix Simple Serving freebie. They very much enjoyed the food, and the serving size seemed to be perfect for each of them.

 

Check out your local Kroger family store and try out some of the items we sampled. I hope your furbabies are as delighted as ours have been.

– Ann Cathey