Ragu, Feeding Kids on Busy Nights & A Giveaway

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Ragú.

As the school year gets into full swing, so do all of the extra activities that come with the season. There are some days when the kids have to power through their homework so that they can pull on their shin guards and cleats to get to soccer practice on time. My husband and I try our best not to over-schedule our kids because we believe that playing tag in the backyard and building with Legos are very worthy activities. We also make an effort to sit down to dinner together every night. It is our time to re-hash the day's events, tell silly stories, and reconnect as a family. That being said, there are days when putting a healthy, satisfying meal on the table is a challenge. Over the years, I have come up with a few tricks to help us avoid the fast food trap. It is our hope that, through healthy food and plenty of family time, we can raise confident, healthy, and happy children.

Convenience foods
As a food blogger, I tend to cook most of my meals from scratch, using the freshest ingredients I can find. However, on busy nights, I often rely on convenience foods so I can put a healthy meal on the table quickly. I always have canned beans, frozen potstickers, and jars of tomato sauce stocked and ready to go. When Ragu sent me some of their bottles of tomato sauce, I was very interested in sampling it. More on that later.

Freezer envy
One of the best purchases we ever made was a full-sized standing freezer, which is nestled into a corner of our garage. This allows us to take advantage of the great deals on chicken, fish, beef, and pork at the warehouse stores without worrying about the meat going bad before we have a chance to eat it. The night before or in the morning, I take something out of the freezer to defrost and it is ready to be cooked when dinnertime arrives.

Chopped vegetables
If I am prepping vegetables on a more leisurely night, I chop extra. Sliced red bell peppers, chopped carrots, and broccoli florets stay fresh when stored properly in the fridge. When the prep work is already done, the meal comes together a lot faster.


Make extras
During the cooler months, we eat significant amounts of chili, soup, and baked pasta dishes. It is very easy to double these recipes and freeze the extras for future meals.

The taste test
Ragu sent me two tomato sauces to try. Both were the Old World Style Traditional Pasta Sauce, but one was Ragu's old formula and the other was their new formulation of the same sauce. When I first opened the bottles, the first thing I noticed was that the new formula has a deeper, richer color. I took a spoonful of the old formula and, to be honest, I was not satisfied. In my opinion, the old formula had a slightly artificial taste. Next, I took a spoonful of the new formula. The deeper red color promised a richer taste and did not disappoint. Ragu states that there are 2 servings of vegetables in every half-cup of the sauce and I believe it. The fresh, slightly acidic taste of the tomatoes was prominent and the new formula had a thick, satisfying consistency.

Now, please remember that I write about and cook a lot of food as my part-time job, so I am rather picky. I will not lie and tell you that I would choose Ragu's sauce over one made from fresh tomatoes on my stovetop. However, when we have a busy night in front of us, I am looking for convenience and Ragu's sauce would fit the bill.

I visited Ragu's recipe page so that I could choose a recipe to make with the new formula sauce. I chose the lasagna recipe, which required two bottles of Ragu sauce, along with about 6 other ingredients. In other words, it was a quick and easy recipe to throw together. Now, it is not in my blood to follow any recipe to a tee, so I made a couple of simple changes. I substituted grated mozzarella cheese with fresh mozzarella, plus I added about 10 leaves of thinly sliced fresh basil. This was not the best lasagna I have had, but it was a satisfying meal for my family.

To be one of the first to taste Ragú® with two servings of veggies in every half-cup, visit Ragu at facebook.com/ragusauce.

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, sponsored by BlogHer, please answer the following question in the comments section:

"What are your tips for feeding your kids on busy nights?"

For a second entry, you can:
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This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail, so please be sure that you leave an email address.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Please visit BlogHer.com special offers page for 10 more chances to win a Visa gift card.

This giveaway will run from 10/4 - 11/15/2010.

Please see the official rules for this giveaway.

There is also a chance to win a Meal Makeover kit (sponsored by Ragu). See Ragu's Facebook fan page for details.