But too many experiences with cardboard crackers and bad generic brands has me shy away from store brands and going for the old faithful national brands most of the time.

I love the idea of the MARTIN’S Buy Theirs, Get Ours Free Challenge.
This week you can buy your favorite brand and get the MARTIN’S brand free (that’s double the groceries!).

I ran a little test in my own house with MARTIN’S products vs. the national brand:

Item 1: 8 pack of Quaker Chewy Bars vs. 10 pack MARTIN’s Own Brands Chewy Bars:

Look:  The MARTIN’S brand is slightly bigger than it’s Quaker counter part but they are mostly identical. You do get 2 more in the package so boom, you saved money right there.

Taste test:  In a regular taste test my 7 year old preferred the Quaker version to the MARTIN’S brand.  But then when I started replacing the Quaker with the MARTIN’S there were no complaints.  The MARTIN’S bars just a little bit chewier than the Quaker.

Verdict: Close enough.  If you start replacing the Quaker with MARTIN’S there won’t be any complaints.  Side by side Quaker has the edge.

Item 2: Campbell’s Chunky Soup vs. MARTIN’S Own Brand Chunky Soup

Chicken Corn Chowder

Look: MARTIN’S is slightly yellower but they are pretty similar in look

Taste test: While pretty similar, MARTIN’S has more corn in the soup and slightly less other stuff. What it lacks in chunks it makes up for in bacon-y flavor.  Campbells lists bacon as an ingredient but the flavor isn’t prominent and has larger chunks of carrots and celery in the soup.  In my small sample bowl I had 2 pieces of chicken in the Campbells bowl vs. 1 in the MARTIN’S bowl.

Nutritional Value: MARTIN’S brand has 10 more calories per serving than it’s national counter part, but 1 less gram of saturated fat, 2 more grams of protein and 100mg less sodium. Nutritionally, MARTIN’S wins out.

Verdict: MARTIN’S Chunky Soup is a definite winner when it comes to a bacon flavor and Campbells when it comes to veggies.

Item 3 :  Charmin Bath Tissue Vs.  MARTIN’S Own Brand Bath Tissue

This is, ahem, a sensitive subject.  There were a few people in house that said “no way no how” to testing a store brand of TP.

Look: MARTIN’S once again is slightly larger than the national brand.  Not enough in this case to make a difference.

Softness: In a blind test my snobbiest family member actually chose the MARTIN’S brand.  After leaving both rolls in the bathroom for a week, the MARTIN’S roll was used more often than the national counterpart.

Verdict: If you normally purchase Charmin, make the switch. MARTIN’S wins this round.

Item 4: Bounty Paper Towels vs MARTIN’S Own Brand Paper towels.

Look: Not much difference in either roll.  The Bounty roll was a little bit messier where the MARTIN’s brand was more tightly rolled.

Performance: Identical.

Verdict: Make the switch. The fact that these are identical is a clear winner for MARTIN’S.  This is an easy way to save a little money without making any notable changes.

Item 5: Ball Park Hotdogs vs. MARTIN’S Own Beef Hotdogs
(Sorry, no photos due to lower light)

I’m not a big hotdog eater, and 16 hotdogs seemed like a lot for one family, so I thought I’d enlist a little help from my friends with a hot dog tasting party.

Appearance: Uncooked, both looked about the same. Ball Park did plump up a little more than MARTIN’S when cooked.

Nutritional Value: I know corn syrup is in everything, but this one surprised me.  Ball Park hotdogs listed corn syrup as the third ingredient (which must have accounted for the 1 gram of sugar which Ball Park had but MARTIN’S did not)!  Ball Park also had 20 more calories per frank, 10 more of which were from fat.

Taste: Our taste test results pulled a perfect Tie, three people liked both the same one person preferred Ball Park and one preferred MARTIN’S.

Verdict: There will be no complaints if you pick up the MARTIN’S hotdogs for the next time you grill out.

Item 6: Coke vs MARTIN’S Own Cola
(Sorry, no photos due to lower light)

According to a GALLUP poll in 2012, nearly half of Americans drink soda daily. At $1.99 a pop (pun intended) if you purchase one two liter soda each week that’s just over $103 yearly switching to MARTIN’S could save you about $57 a year.  I had my hot dog party friends give this one a test too.

In the interest of full disclosure none of us actually drink Coke, so we didn’t have a strong preference to the brand to begin with.

Look: Not much difference here.

Taste:  Coke was sweeter than the MARTIN’S cola ( Coke also had that sugary coating after taste which bothers me so much)

Verdict: MARTIN’S Wins!! Two people picked the MARTIN’S brand over Coke and the rest found no difference.  Not one person preferred Coke.

You can try the Buy Theirs, Get Ours Free Challenge yourself!
This contest has ended. Check back for more great contests!

March 16 – 22, 2014
Buy Ball Park Franks, Coke, Charmin, and Claritin get the MARTIN’S brand free!

March 23 – 29
Buy Bounty Paper Towels, Quaker Chewy Bars, Campbells Chunky Soup, and Ben & Jerry’s Pints get the MARTIN’S brand free!

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this article. MARTIN’S did supply me with the products tested.

Produce for Kids

Launched on May 4, this offers shoppers like you a chance to support local children’s cancer research programs and get healthy at the same time.  Thanks to the annual Get Healthy, Give Hope campaign hosted by GIANT/MARTIN’S and Produce for Kids, the more produce shoppers add to their shopping lists the more hope they can give to local children.

Celebrating a milestone 10^th birthday in 2012, Produce for Kids is excited to kick off this year’s campaign with a new partnership with Sprout and LazyTown^TM. During the campaign, which will run through May 31^st, Stop & Shop will offer shoppers collectible Produce for Kids’ Ideal Meals^TM– quick and easy healthy meal ideas, which are free and can be found in displays featuring LazyTown characters from the popular, health-focused, children’s series airing exclusively in the U.S. on 24-hour preschool television channel, Sprout.

Ideal Meals offer shoppers chef-created/nutritionist-approved easy solutions for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Featuring fresh fruits and vegetables as the main ingredients, Ideal Meals are great for busy families who crave fast meal options that don’t require stopping at the local drive-thru.

Below are some delicious and healthful summer-inspired Ideal Meals perfect for Memorial Day weekend and any upcoming picnics or BBQs you may be attending:

Turkey Burgers & Rainbow Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, (or ⅓ Tbsp. dried) chopped fine
• 1 cup mushrooms, washed/dried, sliced
• ½ medium sweet onion, sliced
•  2 Tbsp. butter
• 4 slices, deli style mozzarella cheese (¾ oz. each)
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 4 whole grain burger buns

Directions:

1. In large bowl, mix breadcrumbs, egg, basil, and salt. Once mixed, add ground turkey and mix well. Make patties about the size of the bun.
2. In frying pan, on medium/high heat add butter, mushrooms and onions and cook about 10 minutes until tender and brown. Turn heat to low and keep warm.
3. Pan-fry or grill, on medium heat, burgers until firm (about 4-5 minutes a side).
4. Assemble bun with burger, cheese, tomato and onion/mushroom mixture.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 apple, cored, sliced
• 4 rainbow peppers, seeded, sliced
• ½ mango, skinned, diced
• ½ fresh lemon, juiced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Thoroughly toss apples, peppers, mango, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl.
2. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Nutrition Information:

Turkey Burgers & Rainbow Salad Calories 689; Fat ; Protein ; Carbohydrate ; Fiber 14g; Cholesterol 154mg; Sodium 606mg; Calcium 34%DV; Vitamin A 41%DV; Vitamin C 160%DV; Iron 25%DV

Garden Vegetable Pasta & Fresh Salad

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. uncooked pasta (whole wheat or multi-grain)
• 1 medium sweet onion, peeled, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 2 cups mushrooms, washed/dried, chopped
• ½ cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• Salt, as needed

Directions:

1. Preheat Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Cover cookie sheet pan with parchment paper or use a non-stick pan and lay onion pieces and mushrooms on pan. Season very lightly with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside until easy to handle.
3. While vegetables are roasting, cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and toss with tsp. olive or vegetable oil and set aside.
4. In large frying pan, melt butter on medium high heat, add roasted onions and mushrooms. Stir for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium, add spinach and sliced olives and cook 2 minutes. Add pasta, stir and season with salt as needed. Turn off heat and cover if needed to keep warm.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of packaged salad
• 1 apple, cored, sliced
• 4 Tbsp. red wine vinaigrette

Directions:

1. In a bowl, add packaged salad and sliced apples.
2. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Nutrition Information:

Garden Vegetable Pasta & Fresh Salad Calories 501; Fat ; Protein ; Carbohydrate ; Fiber 6g; Cholesterol 33mg; Sodium 545mg; Calcium 34%DV; Vitamin A 46%DV; Vitamin C 86%DV; Iron 19%DV

Chocolatey Fruit Tower

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 (6-inch) bamboo skewers
• 1 premade pound cake
• 8 strawberries, whole, leaves hulled
• 8 raspberries, whole
• 1 cup pineapple, cored, chunked
• 4 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

Directions:

1. Cut pound cake into 4 1×3-inch rectangles and 8 1×1-inch squares.
2. Place 1 1×3-inch piece cake on plate, stick skewer in middle.
3. Add strawberry, raspberry, pineapple and 1×1-inch piece of cake to skewer.  Repeat with another strawberry, raspberry, pineapple and 1×1-inch piece of cake.
4. Drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Nutrition Information:

Chocolatey Fruit Tower Calories 354, Fat 2.5g, Protein 12g, Carbohydrate 52.1g, Fiber 2.4g, Cholesterol 9mg, Sodium 280mg, Calcium 348mg, Vitamin A 529 IU, Vitamin C 44.4mg, Iron 1.4mg

Also, be sure to follow PFK on Pinterest for even more fun recipe ideas!