Cooking Challenge w/ Kroger & Abound

Can I take a moment to tell you a story? Really, it’ll only take a a few minutes…

Once upon a time I was invited by my friends at Kroger to go to Cincinnati to experience a new product they were launching. They were a little secretive with the details… here’s the information I was given: We’ll present you with some of our most fresh, favorite ingredients so you can turn them into a signature All Things Heart and Home creation in a professional test kitchen!

I asked my daughters… “do you think this is a cooking contest…will I have to cook by myself or on a team…really, what do you think?”

They all said…” I’m sure you’ll cook with a team…just do it Mom-you’ll be fine…”.

So although I feel better micromanaging and over planning, I flew to Cincinnati ready for surprises! Here are my new BFF’s who were on this adventure with me. (Some are bloggers and some are Kroger peeps)

I was a tad nervous that first morning after breakfast…just a tad. We were about to find out a little bit about why we were there!

  In the meeting room, everyone had a list of 3 healthy ingredients. Mine were : Salmon-Cranberries-Brown Rice.

Each of us would be coming up with a dish to make, using these ingredients…of course we would be adding other ingredients as we decided on our recipe…

I’m fairly certain the photographer caught me the instant I realized what was going on…I think I was saying:

“I’ve NEVER – EVER cooked ANY kind of fish before!”

I was pretending to laugh in this shot…but really I was fighting back hysteria…

Here, I’m pretending to be calm…but actually, in my mind… I was in prayer…help! 🙂

Can you guess what most everyone did the moment we saw our ingredients?

We Googled.

We absolutely pulled out our smart phones and phoned a friend and her name was: Google.

And at that moment…I made up my mind that if I ever again give birth, my child’s name will be Google.

(not to worry…that’s never going to happen)

But here’s the thing about Google…she’s not stingy with information.  As a matter of fact, if you aren’t careful your head can explode with TMI!

Just as I was about to short circuit because of all the salmon recipes, I got some help from the sweetest food blogger, Becky, with The Vintage Mixer (she’s a pro) -she suggested marinating the salmon in maple syrup and soy sauce…YUM! Maple syrup and soy sauce focused me…I then found 2 recipes for rice pilaf and combined them…whew…

In a matter of minutes, everyone had a grocery list made and off to Kroger we went…

Have you ever grocery shopped with a photographer? He was super nice but it was a challenge for me to keep the panic off my face 🙂

With bags and bags of groceries loaded into the limo we headed to Cincinnati State where our original 3 ingredients waited for us…

Some of you guys know me…you know I was nervous, but at this point it turned into sheer joy! That kitchen was amazing…

And seeing all of  the beautiful – healthy ingredients was inspiring…sweet potatoes, cranberries, chicken, lamb, salmon, blueberries, carrots…

 I have no idea how long we cooked…there was chopping and browning and simmering and baking…

The energy level was high and everyone was super focused…but once, for just a moment I paused… and do you know what I  realized? Amidst the nerves and the rush… there was a whole lot of joy happening in that kitchen…

We each plated four servings and you guys wouldn’t believe all the goodness …  (And I will absolutely be cooking salmon again! Who knew I could do it???)

Still, after being in Cincinnati for 24 hours, we weren’t certain what new product line Kroger was launching! But the big reveal would come at dinner that night!

We had a beautiful dinner at a restaurant called The Sleepy Bee…

This dinner was a foodie’s dream…a chef served and announced each course …

And the inspiration ingredients for each dish were the same ingredients that we cooked with earlier in the day!

Every bite was sheer delight…

And at some point, while we were savoring that amazing food, our friends at Kroger announced their new line of Premium Pet Food- Abound! All of the nutritious ingredients we cooked with earlier in the day and were eating right at that moment, are the key ingredients in Abound Pet Food.

This pet food has been two years in the making. It’s not your typical pet food peeps, it’s premium food with all natural ingredients and NO fillers like corn, soy or wheat, NO artificial colors, preservatives or flavors and NO animal by-product meal. 

For the pups in your life there are lots of  flavor combinations of the dry food, like: Chicken and Brown Rice, Salmon and Sweet Potato, Lamb and Brown Rice.  There are also wet food choices: Chicken Vegetable Stew, Lamb and Brown Rice Stew and Salmon and Sweet Potato Stew…not to mention a selection of treats!

And for you guys who adore your kitties …(I’m excited for Reba-the-Cat to try some of these!) The dry Food:selections are: Salmon and Brown Rice and Chicken and Brown Rice. On top of that there are LOTS of choices when it comes to wet food and treats!

I also love that Abound is partnering with Best Friends Animal Society – their logo is on every bag of Abound Pet Food and will help raise awareness of the Best Friends Society’s no-kill mission-and bring attention to the more than 9,000 pets that are killed in America’s shelters every day…

When I came home from my trip I had some bags of Abound dog and cat treats waiting… Boo, Bella, Bindi, Ollie and Reba-the-Cat are over the moon about them.

And after seeing first hand how much time and science went into developing this pet food, ( not to mention that I’m so excited about being able to buy their premium pet food at the same place I shop for my own food!) I’m planning to (slowly) switch my little farm over to Abound Pet Food.  🙂

Ya know sweet friends, my Kroger buds were so gracious to include me in the trip so I could learn first hand all about their new premium pet food…but I think you know me well enough to know…the opinions here are all mine…

Sending love ~ xo

*****UPDATE*****

Lots of you guys let me know that you don’t have a Kroger near you…BUT:  Kroger is sometimes listed under a different name (Fry’s, Ralph’s, QFC, Fred Meyer etc.) so you may have one near you under a different name! Click HERE  and click on “All Kroger Stores” to see if they have a store near you! xo

ps…Over the next few weeks, on Facebook, I’m going to be introducing you to the other bloggers that I met on the trip…be sure to follow me HERE so you can meet some new and amazing friends!