Pinching Pennies with Pork

Making smart food choices to feed a family can be challenging in today’s economic climate. For a protein choice that’s flavorful, economical and cooks in a flash, give ground pork* a try. Kid-friendly and versatile, ground pork will quickly become a grocery cart staple. For another great value option, try a pork shoulder roast.
Spicy Asian Ground Pork Burgers use Asian flavors of crushed garlic, grated ginger root, soy sauce, garlic chili paste and some fresh minced mint for flavorful patties. Grill and serve on sandwich buns for a tasty lunch or dinner.
Other ideas:

• Beyond meatballs, burgers and meat loaf (all definitely tasty with ground pork!), sprinkle cooked ground pork on pizza, rice, taco salad or a baked potato.

• Fill tacos, burritos and casseroles with ground pork.

• Stir ground pork into chili, stew, sauces, dips and sloppy Joes.

Connect as a Family

Don’t forget that everytime you download a recipe from TheOtherWhiteMeat.com you gain another entry into the $100 gift card contest! Make sure you are leaving a comment to get your entry!

With all that’s on a family agenda, it’s hard enough to find time to enjoy a meal together – much less anything else! Use NETW as inspiration to commit to an activity together that takes you beyond the table, too. First, start in the kitchen by preparing an easy meal that kids can help with, like Pepperoni Pizza with Peppers. Smaller hands can add the toppings after moms and dads chop ‘em. Don’t be afraid to try new toppings either, such as chopped bacon or even pulled pork. Serve pizza wedges with a lightly dressed tossed salad.
Once dinner’s done, choose an activity everyone will enjoy. It doesn’t have to be an evening out – keep it low cost with plenty of at-home ideas:

• “Retro” Returns: Teach kids a classic card game parents remember from childhood (i.e. gin rummy, spades, hearts); or have the kids teach their parents a game they like.

• Enjoy Autumn: Take a walk in the park or around the neighborhood to collect fallen leaves to fill a decorative outdoor planter back at home.

• Say Cheese!: Bring out the photographer in everyone! Take turns with the digital camera, and work with the kids to create a picture collage with the printed pictures. Get creative and make customized placemats that you can laminate and use at the dinner table.

Cook for a Cause – Ways to Give Back as a Family

Don’t forget tonight’s twitter party!!! Download your recipes to enter to win $10o giftcard to your grocery store or some adorable lunch kits!

Make Monday night Grilling Night! Pork cuts like chops or pork tenderloin are easy to fire up and can go from grate-to-table in less than 30 minutes. Try America’s Favorite Pork Chops tonight. Marinate pork chops with Italian dressing and a dash of Worcestershire sauce for about 20 minutes (or start them the night before when you have more time). Then, toss the chops on the grill and enjoy with sliced tomatoes in vinaigrette, broccoli spears and garlic mashed potatoes.
Once dinner’s served, use the table time to talk to kids about what it means to “give back.” Below are some dinnertime talking points to get the conversation started.

• Support Food Banks: There’s no better time than mealtime to talk about how to help the hungry. For an easy start, visit TheOtherWhiteMeat.com to “click for a cause”. Starting September 20-26, for each recipe printed or shared within the special National Eat Together Week section of the Web site, America’s pork producers will donate five pounds of pork to a food bank in need.

• Volunteer to Help Those in Need: Identify a local soup kitchen in the area where the family can volunteer. Ask the kids why serving food to those in need is important to trigger their desire to get involved.

• Kid-friendly Kindness: Ask each child to list a task they can easily complete – raking leaves, visiting with an older neighbor, helping a sibling – and challenge them to complete it as a kindess for someone else by the end of National Eat Together Week.

Plan Ahead: A Week’s Worth of Pork-Tastic Meals

We are getting ready to celebrate National Eat Together Week: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with a twitter party so we want you to be able to get ready for the week!

To maximize family mealtime, do your “homework” and plan ahead. Sitting down once a week to map out a meal plan and make a grocery list will save time and money on rushed weeknights. Use this list of ingredients to create the week’s worth of meals within this book.* All these recipes will be available in the special National Eat Together Week (NETW) section on TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.

By printing or sharing any of them, you will be donating five pounds of pork to a food bank in need.

Pork
4 pork chops
2 pork loin roasts (2 lbs. ea.)
1 pound ground pork
2 pounds deli ham
1 package (8 oz.) boneless ham steak
1 package (2 oz.) pepperoni
1 package (6 oz.) Canadian bacon
Pantry
1 bag (6 oz.) walnuts
1 jar cherry preserves
1 canister pepper blend seasoning
1 can (15 oz.) black beans
1 bottle fruit-flavored vinaigrette dressing
1 bottle Italian dressing
1 bottle Worcestershire sauce
1 package (10 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
1 can (15 oz.) prepared pizza sauce
1 bottle garlic chili paste
1 package sandwich buns (8 ct.)
1 bottle soy sauce
1 loaf whole wheat bread
1 bottle honey mustard dressing
1 jar honey
1 bottle barbecue sauce
Produce
1 small plum tomato
1 bunch fresh chives
1 bunch fresh mint
1 bunch fresh green onions
6 cups mixed greens
1 medium red onion
1 medium Spanish onion
1 green bell pepper
1 small fresh ginger root
1 head of fresh garlic
2 ripe mangos
1 apple
1 package (16 oz.) refrigerated potato wedges
Eggs & Dairy
1/2 dozen large eggs
1 pint half-and-half
1 package (8 oz.) Gruyere or Swiss cheese
1 package (8 oz.) Cheddar cheese
1 package (8 oz.) pizza blend shredded cheese
1 package (12 oz.) American cheese
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 pint buttermilk
*Assumes the pantry is already stocked with basic ingredients like flour, baking powder, vegetable oil, salt and pepper.

National Eat Together Week Twitter Party!!

• Tweet about National Eat Together Week or the party! Make sure to include the hashtag #NETW and a link to this post. You can do this 3 times a day until Saturday, Sept. 26th.
• Spread the love on Facebook. Post about the party to your wall.
• Blog about National Eat Together Week. Maybe vlog yourself making a recipe you downloaded?
• Let your blog readers know you are coming to the party! Post our party button above on your site
• We will be posting all week long here about National Eat Together Week. Leave a comment on any of those posts as well but make sure you come back to this one and link to it.
RSVP for the party here with your TWITTER ID: