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Tips to Help Make Organizing Your Family Reunion More CANvenient

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Libby’s Meal Plans, Helpful Tips and More to Avoid Breaking the Bank While Getting the Family Together

September is Get Back to the Table Month and this year Libby’s Fruits and Vegetables asked families to pledge to reunite with extended family members by entering our Family Reunion Contest at the Libby’s Table Facebook page. We will be rewarding one lucky family with a trip for up to 10 family members, including travel and hotel accommodations, to gather for a reunion dinner. We are currently reviewing the entries and will unveil the five finalists who will compete for America’s vote to win the grand prize on October 3. Be sure to visit the Libby’s Table Facebook page to see the finalists and vote up to once a day to determine the winner!

Planning your own family reunion? Here are some helpful tips to help make organizing your family’s get-together a little easier!

  • Create an invite list. Make a list of family members that you will invite to the occasion. Reach out to one person from each branch of the family to help you contact everyone else on your list. Collecting email addresses can make it easier to provide updates and ask questions.
  • Gather Information. Whether your event includes 10 family members or 100, you’ll want to make sure that everyone who wants to attend, can attend! Send an email survey to help determine details such as dates that will work for the majority, recommendations on where the reunion should be held, as well as any food preferences or menu ideas.
  • Set the date and location. Oftentimes it helps to schedule a reunion to coincide with a summer vacation or holiday, since many family members may already have plans to get together. Also, be sure to look for a location that’s accessible and affordable to the majority of family members.  
  • Plan the menu. This step is often the most complicated, as satisfying everyone’s taste buds can be a challenge. However, to make it easier, you can choose a theme and focus all the dishes around it. Perhaps you have a summer barbecue and include traditional items like barbecue chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs, as well as creative side dishes like Libby’s Sunshine Salsa, Sweet Pea Dip, French Style Potato Salad and even meatless hamburgers, for any vegetarians in the family. Using these recipes can keep your meal CANvenient, affordable and nutritious with Libby’s canned fruits and vegetables. You can also ask everyone to submit their favorite family recipes so you’re sure not to forget to include Grandma’s famous fruit crisp and others!
  • Capture the memories! Ask a member of the family to be the photographer so you can capture heartfelt moments and make new memories. Give several family members disposable cameras with assignments to capture memories of the day. Prior to the event, ask your family to bring snapshots of family activities and milestones (weddings, births, etc.) from the past year and display so that everyone can enjoy them.  
  • Get back to the table. Depending on how many people you are expecting, you can determine if you should have a buffet style or sit-down dinner. Either way, you can have fun with table settings by labeling each spot at the table with a baby photo or fun fact about the person that is assigned to sit there. This will get your guests talking about old memories and provide a fun way for everyone to find their seats.
  • Keep in touch! To make sure everyone stays in touch, be sure to create and send out a post-reunion contact list with any stories or photos taken at the reunion. Also include family members that couldn’t attend, so they can be filled in on the fun.

Libby’s Family Reunion Contest Update: Entries Closed, Final Five to be Posted October 3

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We will announce the Libby’s family reunion contest finalists and open the voting up to America from October 3- 21!

Thanks to everyone who pledged to reunite with their family by submitting a family photo and short caption explaining the role food plays when you gather with your loved ones! We are reviewing all of your submissions and will select the top five finalists who will compete for America’s vote to win travel and hotel accommodations to gather for a reunion dinner!

We launched the family reunion contest this September in honor of ‘Get Back to the Table Month’. Because we know that distance, work obligations and budget often get in the way, we wanted to give families the chance to win a reunion, for up to ten family members, to come together for a meal.

On October 3, we will announce the five finalists and open the voting up to you on the Family Reunion Contest tab at the Libby’s Table Facebook page. Here you can view the five finalists’ photos and captions and vote for your favorite up to once a day!

So head over to the Libby’s Table Facebook page from October 3-21 to vote and determine who will win the grand prize!

Libby’s Partners With Local Habitat For Humanity Chapters to Make Family Mealtime A Reality

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Getting families back to the dinner table and eating together has always been important to us at Libby’s, and that’s why we’re partnering with local Habitat for Humanity chapters in cities across America to give less fortunate families the resources they need to enjoy a meal together.

We were excited to kick off the partnership in Kansas City in June and now the partnership resumes in September in Pittsburgh where Libby’s Fruits & Vegetables is providing five new Habitat for Humanity home owners with everything they need to make family mealtime a reality – a dining set complete with place settings, as well as a stocked pantry. The program will kick off with a build day to benefit one of the homes that will receive the donation.

Local residents can help their community by visiting the Habitat ReStore in Pittsburgh to donate nonperishable foods as well as buy items for their homes. All donations and sales will benefit Habitat for Humanity Greater Pittsburgh families. So if you live in Pittsburgh, stop by the Habitat ReStore and donate today. If you don’t and still want to help, spread the word, and be a part of Libby’s giving.

A special thank you to our partner in Pittsburgh!

Back to the Lunch Sack

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For many of us, back to school time means to back to the lunch packing grind. But before you start singing the lunch box blues, here are some ways to keep the fun (and nutrition) in your kids’ midday meals:

Beyond PB&J – While some kids prefer the same thing everyday, others may be up for a sandwich switch up. Mix it up by using different breads like flatbreads or whole wheat wraps like these Green Wheels and Ham Sammies. Try shredded carrots or avocado slices instead of the basic lettuce. Upgrade American cheese to Muenster, havarti or fresh mozzarella slices.

All In One – Think about one-dish dinner leftovers rolling over into a fulfilling next day lunch. Items such as hearty soups, chilis, leftover casseroles, or pasta salads make for easy packing and lunchtime satisfaction like Kicked-Up Mac & Cheese or Tortilla Chip Macaroni & Bean Soup.

Be a Green Packer – Say goodbye to those plastic baggies. Instead, get some hip, reusable sandwich bags like Lunchskins or WasteNot Saks – they come in a variety of cool colors and designs and are dishwasher safe. Visit www.resuseit.com for a wide selection of eco-friendly packing solutions – get your kids to pick out their favorites.

Go Bento– A longtime lunch packing staple in Japan, bento boxes are becoming more popular here and are a terrific way to pack a fun and well-balanced meal.  Some bento “friendly” foods include cut up fruit, raw veggies, bean dips, whole grain crackers, cubed cheese and mixed nuts.

Keep the Treat–As a dietitian, I’m all about packing each of the food groups but there’s always room for a small dessert – and it doesn’t have to be a prepackaged or overly processed sweet. On weekends, I like to bake with my daughter so whether it’s a simple chocolate chip cookie or one of these fun Carrot Cake Bites – the whole family can enjoy a little homemade goodness in their lunches during the week.

Do the Miles Between You and Your Loved Ones Keep You From Spending More Time Together?

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Libby’s Fruits and Vegetables Wants to Help by Giving Your Family the Chance to Win a Family Reunion!

It’s important for families to share meals year-round, but this September, in honor of ‘Get Back to the Table Month,’ we want to help reunite extended families as well. Because we know that distance, work obligations and budget often get in the way, we’re going to give one family the chance to come together for a family reunion. We will also be posting tips to help every family plan their own reunion with special Libby’s recipes and more.

 

Starting August 29, you can enter to win by submitting a family photo and short caption explaining the role food plays when you gather with your loved ones at the Family Reunion Contest tab on the Libby’s Table Facebook page. The winning family will receive travel and hotel accommodations to gather for a reunion dinner.

We are also partnering with Grandparents.com to raise awareness of the importance of family reunions. Grandparents.com is the leading authority on the relationship between grandparents and their families, as it helps the nation’s 70 million grandparents foster powerful bonds with the next generation and pass on essential family traditions. The website is also a great resource for reunion tips, recipes, and activities!

So for your chance to get back to the table with up to 10 members of your family, be sure to enter from August 29-September 23. Libby’s will select five finalists and ask America to vote for the grand-prize winner on the Family Reunion Contest tab at the Libby’s Table Facebook page from October 3-21. The winner will be announced during the week of October 31.

Good luck!

Picky Eaters: Tips for the Table

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Even though I’m a dietitian and my 4 year old helps in the kitchen, I still deal with a fair share of eating ruts, dinner skipping and basic picky eating from my dear daughter.

So what’s a parent to do? Have faith that your kids are probably getting enough to eat but to go beyond the grilled cheese and chicken fingers, here are some ways to expand kids’ culinary and nutrition horizons:

Keep on Trying– Did you know it may take up to 15 exposures to a food before a kid accepts it? Understandably, parents often give up after a few attempts and chalk it up to something Johnny doesn’t like. Instead, continue to encourage but without forcing the issue. And avoid the “clean plate” ideal – as long as your child takes a few bites, it’s better than forcing food, which leads to a negative impression.

Rename the Plain – In a Cornell University study, four-year-olds ate nearly twice as much of a vegetable when it had a fun name like “Power Peas” or “X-Ray Vision Carrots.” Unlike sneaking veggie purees into brownies or sauces, this technique shows kids exactly what they are eating. Get creative and serve up “Dinosaur Broccoli Trees” or “Princess Green Apples.”

Dip & Dunk – It’s amazing how something as simple as a condiment gives a dish a whole new light a child’s eye. Plus, they love having command over their food.

  • Serve peanut butter-yogurt dip with raw fruits and veggies
  • Combine corn, black beans and salsa; pair with baked tortilla chips
  • Mix applesauce and cinnamon for whole-wheat toast dippers

Cook with Kids– Sure, it can be a hassle to have your children involved when you are rushing to get dinner together. But just 15 minutes of assistance from a tiny sous chef can eventually pay off into healthier eating. The feeling of control and independence often inspires kids to try new things. Here are some age-appropriate tasks:

  • Toddlers: Rip lettuce/greens; wash produce in bowl of water
  • Preschoolers: Cut fruit/vegetables with plastic knife; toss salad
  • Tweens: Separate eggs; blend a smoothie; stir ingredients for baking
  • Teens- Plan a dinner menu, grocery shop and prepare the main dish

And remember, did you like to eat everything when you were a kid?