Mom Made Turkey Meatball Tacos

If you love turkey just as much as we do here at Mom Made Foods, try our delicious recipe I like to make for my family. I made this recently for CBS6 Richmond. To watch the video, click here.

Prep Time: approx. 10 Minutes

Cook Time: approx. 2 minutes

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

8 taco shells, warmed per package instructions

8 ounce package of Mom Made Turkey Meatball Bites

1 cup chicken broth, low sodium

Toppings

¼ cup red onion, diced

1 ripe avocado, sliced

2 cups fresh spinach, washed & rinsed, remove stems and chop

1 – 7oz can corn, drained

1 cup cheddar, shredded

1 jar of your favorite salsa

2 limes, quartered (optional)

½ cup sour cream (optional)

Fresh cilantro, washed & rinsed, chopped (optional) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven and heat taco shells, according to directions on box.
2. In a large microwavable bowl, heat Mom Made Turkey Meatballs in low sodium chicken broth for 2 min on high. If preferred, cut meatball bites in half before serving.
3. Place all prepared toppings in separate small serving bowls, to serve family-style.
4. Let each guest make their own taco with their desired toppings.

 Fun Tips

1. Encourage your child to make their own turkey meatball taco.
2. Challenge them to put as many toppings on their taco as they are years old. For example, a five year old would choose 5 toppings.
3. Challenge them to see who can make the most colorful turkey meatball taco.
4. Let them have fun digging in!

9 highlights since I launched Mom Made 9 years ago

9) Launch day at the Del Ray Farmer’s Market in Alexandria VA.                                   I awoke at 5 am to make a trip to our commercial kitchen I was renting at the time to pull product out of the freezer and have the stand set up by 7 am. After seven months of full-time business planning, it was awesome to see everything come together that morning on that sunny day in late May 2006. My family and friends came to support me and even more fun was meeting our first customers. We still have our first dollar from that day framed on our wall. It’s a day that is crystal clear in my memory.

8) Having a sales background, the thought of getting my foot in the door of our first retailers was daunting but a very fun challenge for me. Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic’s buyer was my first buyer meeting. She said she’d like to put our foods into their 35+ stores in the region. I took a deep breath and said, “I don’t think we can do that right now because we’re making it all by hand. Lets start with the 8 stores in Virginia then grow together into the other stores.” The rest is history. Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic and Mom Made have now been working together for 8.5 years. We are forever grateful for their strong support of our brand.

7) Seeing our product in the freezer of a new retailer. It is a long, tenuous process to sell to a new retailer. Months, sometimes years. It’s so rewarding to see Mom Made in a new home, knowing that new consumers will discover our products.

6) Moving from our basement in our home to a REAL office. It became official the day the Mom Made logo went up on the front door of the office. Walking through the Mom Made door every morning, I pinch myself at how lucky I am to get to work with such an amazing team and towards a mission of making kids healthier with our organic foods.

5) Hiring new team members. It’s tough to find individuals who hold the experience you’re looking for but also the passion for the mission of what Mom Made stands for. I remember clearly the first day of each of my colleagues joined the Mom Made team. I am so fortunate to work with such a talented group of dedicated professionals.

4) Support from my family, my husband and brother especially. My brother is a chef and helped in the early days with getting my home made recipes ready for large portions. He and his wife (who’s also a chef) have been very helpful along the way. My husband is frequently asked whether he works for Mom Made. His reply is that he’s the Chief Morale Officer. It’s so true and has been a critical piece for me personally on this journey but also as a sounding board for Mom Made as we’ve grown.

3) Launching a new product. It takes months (if not years in a few cases) to concept,test, design, produce and sell a new product to be ready for retail. Our most recent product launch was Gluten Free Cheesy Mac. Being onsite in our facility when the first products come off the line is very exciting.

2) Customer letters make our whole team happy. One day we received a letter from the Indiana mother of 5-year old, Adler, who  has brain cancer. Adler had no appetite but his favorite food was Mom Made’s Beef & Cheese Meatball Bites. We immediately stopped what we were doing and put an enormous case of meatballs in the mail with some fun goodies for Adler. We continue to keep Adler in our thoughts and prayers.

1) Mom Made is my third child. The team is part of my extended family. Every day, we laugh, goof around, support each other, challenge each other and work very hard together. There are no politics in our company and no one who doesn’t put in their very best effort. It’s so refreshing and fun to be a part of and lead this incredible team. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come together and I have no doubt that we will be a household name in no time.

Happy 9th birthday, Mom Made!

#Madewithlove

Mom Made on Cooking Channel’s “Unwrapped 2.0”

We are so excited to watch Mom Made production on the big screen tonight! If you love everything cheesy, set your DVR for Cooking Channel’s Unwrapped 2.0. Watch how we make the pasta fresh and the the secrets behind our 100% organic Mom Made Cheesy Mac that make it nutritious and delicious!

If your mouth is watering after watching and you’re wondering where you can find this product, then it’s time to head to the freezer aisle at Harris Teeter, Kroger, Stop and Shop, Giant and Martin’s!  You can also order Mom Made’s Cheesy Mac on Amazon and Peapod! Click here to find a store near you.

Yummy!

Winter Bucket List: 5 Things to Stave off the Doldrums

The holidays are behind you and the freestyling summer months barely a speck in your memory. [sigh] Looking down the long road of winter might seem daunting—long days spent inside means the natives get restless. You need an action plan! We’ve been thinking it over and came up with a few creative, active and educational ideas that will keep your family moving and shaking until the crocuses pop up their pointy heads. (It’s also possible you could be busy through Memorial Day. You’re welcome.)

Make a Winter 2015 Photo Book

Tell the story of this winter. Take the family out for a 30-minute walk with the camera and have everyone take pics of things they find inspiring. Animals, trees, cityscapes, yourselves. Shoot what you see, and make it fun! Have a snowball fight, make snow angels (or sand angels if you’re near the beach) and don’t forget to get a shot of the whole family. Once you have the pics you want, create a custom photo album online. You can even add text to tell the story of your day—or make it a fictional tale if you’re feeling super creative. We love the photo books at shutterfly.com, picaboo.com and snapfish.com.

via driverlayer.com

Host a Living Room Picnic

It might be chilly outside, but that doesn’t mean you can’t break out the picnic basket and some cozy blankets for an indoor picnic. Move the furniture aside, thrown down a couple blankets and invite the neighbors over. Opt for easy-to-eat, healthy snacks like veggies and hummus, whole grain bread and peanut butter, and Mom Made Apple Munchies. Make sure everyone knows the dress code (pajamas, naturally). Bonus idea: When you’re done eating, use the blankets to make forts!

via sg.theasianparent.com

Plan a Spring Garden

There’s nothing quite as magical as placing seedlings in the ground and watching them grow into food you will eat in the coming months. It’s also a great lesson for kids to understand where food comes from and how delicious it can be plucked straight from the vine or ground. Brainstorm what you want to plant and order seeds online or get them from your local home store. You can start germinating indoors soon after. Put the kids in charge of checking in and watering sprouts. For a step-by-step guide on all the things you need to know when planning and prepping a garden, check out this great article at garden.org.

via kids.lovetoknow.com

Learn a New Language

Hola! Ciao! Zdravstvuyte! Whether you decide to tackle Spanish, Italian or Russian, winter is a great time for starting new and concentrated projects. Learning a language is something the whole family can do together, and it’s a great way to expand your horizons and understand another culture. While you’re practicing basic conversation and conjugation, be sure to also research the traditions of your chosen country—especially the cuisine! For free online language learning, try Duolingo.com and Livemocha.com. For those interested in an investment, check out Rosetta Stone.

via outsideonline.com

Perform a Secret Act of Service

This is our favorite. An anonymous act of service is an exciting way to make someone’s day, week or even year—especially in the middle of the winter season. When you get your kids involved, it’s also a fun lesson in paying it forward. Some ideas to get the creative juices flowing: Leave a gift basket of goodies on your neighbor’s doorstep when they’re at work, shovel the snow from a friend’s driveway before they wake up in the morning, or leave a kind note in a friend’s mailbox telling her how awesome she is. Dream up the ideas with your kids and let them lead the charge.

via 247moms.com

We love hearing about what you’ve been up to and other ideas you have. Like us on Facebook and share your pictures and stories!

Mom Made

RECIPE: Peachy Salmon

Did you get hungry watching Heather, our founder is cooking up a healthy family meal on TLC.

Here’s Heather’s very simple, easy and healthy  “Peachy Salmon” recipe she made.

Try this recipe and let us know what you think!

 Peachy Salmon

Prep Time: Max. 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Serves 4-6

 Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of fresh salmon
• Four fresh peaches
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Dash of sea salt

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350  ̊F.
• Peel and slice peaches, place in a baking dish around the salmon.
• In a separate bowl, combine rice vinegar, honey, olive oil and salt, and top salmon and peaches with sauce.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes (until the fish flakes when poked with a fork).

Serve this with your favorite sides or try it with the healthy sides that Heather made. Enjoy!