K-R-A-F-T

I was invited to take a peek inside the Kraft kitchens a couple weeks ago. Despite the fact that I was sick (and possibly served some sneezwiches to my fellow bloggers - sorry about that), I had a great time.

We started with dinner where we were able to get to know our fellow bloggers and the folks from Kraft.


Kim from Mommy Knows, Silvia from Mama Latina Tips, me, Sandy from Reluctant Entertainer, Rachel from A Southern Fairytale, Janice from 5 Minutes for Mom, Liz from This Full House, and Elizabeth from Busy Mom.

The next day, we took a tour of their facilities. We saw their photo studio. Kraft does their own photography for magazine layouts, packaging, etc. Every few months, they go through their pantry, which is FULL of serving pieces, and clean house, donating dishes to a local shelter.



Then they had the nerve to put us to work! I know, right! :) Actually, we all had a great time whipping up lunch together. Kraft comes up with recipes that use 5 or 6 ingredients for us busy moms who don't want to/can't spend all day in the kitchen. They don't just use any ole ingredients either. They make sure that the items they use can be found in most of our kitchens at home, because, let's face it, no one (unless you're like Alton Brown) wants to run out for saffron or quail eggs at the last minute when you're trying to get a hot meal on the table before football practice.




Here's John Li, chef extraordinaire, in the Kraft kitchens. He's coming home to cook for live with me. Shhh, he doesn't know it yet.


I don't even remember what all this was, but it was soooo good!


The smorgasbord of yumness that we prepared in no time at all!


You Canadians are SO LUCKY! These are the most delicious coconut lime cookies ev-ah and they're only available in Canada!


Here we are with CEO, Irene Rosenfeld.

After lunch, we spent time telling the folks from Kraft what we want. You know, foods that are inexpensive, quick and easy to prepare, and healthy. Is that too much to ask for?

Kraft does have a lot of healthier options these days, but they still make the classics like Kraft mac-n-cheese and Oreos. I'm one of those people who likes to make healthier choices when possible, but still thinks that junk food has its place in moderation.


You've got to bookmark Kraft's website HERE as a favorite! They've got recipes, lunch ideas, entertaining ideas, budgetwise meals, healthy meals, and so, so much more! You can even plug 3 ingredients into the site and Kraft will suggest recipes using those ingredients! How cool is that? And now, if you're sitting on the train on the way home from work, wondering what you can make for dinner using the chicken you pulled out of the freezer and the abundance of zucchini from your garden, you can use Kraft's new iPhone app, iFood Assitant. This is a very cool app! It's like their website only mini. They even have cooking videos you can watch, a recipe of the day, and a "store locator" link to find the closest store to your exact location so you can get your ingredients. And it's only .99!

After my visit to Kraft, I'm sure they're committed to making dinner easier for us moms. They've given us all sorts of tools to help us cook healthy and/or inexpensive and/or quick meals for our families. And I'm a big proponent of eating together as a family. What better way to learn about your kids' days, their friends, schoolwork, and how they can burp their ABCs?