Skip To Main Content

Summer

Facebook Sweepstakes: Building Blocks for Healthy Eating

by Leave a Comment

With summer just around the corner, Libby’s® Vegetable Cups can help you and your family enjoy healthy foods that taste good and are easy to eat, whether you are eating at the kitchen table or the picnic table. Libby’s® Vegetable Cups not only make a convenient side dish, but also double as a fun, frozen treat! These flavorful veggie combos are frozen right in their individual containers for a nutritious, pre-portioned snack.

Try the recipes below by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, LDN for a refreshing and delicious summer treat.

In addition, share your ideas for delicious frozen pop combinations on Facebook for the chance to win a $250 Visa gift card to use toward your own healthy summertime meals. Read the official rules here.

How To Enter:

1. Comment on a Building Blocks Sweepstakes’ Facebook post with your own original fruit & veggie pop flavor combination.

2. Submit a new idea once per day for your chance to win a $250 Visa gift card.

Sweepstakes lasts from 12:00:00 PM ET on Friday, June 6 until 11:59:59 PM ET on Friday, June 20th. 

Sweet Corn Frozen Pops

Makes 6 pops

Ingredients:

  • 4 Libby’s® Whole Kernel Sweet Corn Cups (4 oz. each)
  • 1 cup low-fat milk
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Supplies:

  • 6 Popsicle sticks
  • 2 4-oz. paper cups (for extra mixture)

Instructions:

Add corn to a bowl. Do not throw out cups; wash and dry them to use for freezing pops. Mash corn with a potato masher to release liquid.

In a medium pot over medium heat, add corn, milk and sugar. Heat for 5 minutes, mixing a few times, until sugar dissolves and corn softens. Remove from heat and puree in blender. Pour through mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cool in refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Whisk yogurt and vanilla extract into cooled corn milk. Pour mixture into four empty Libby’s Cups and the remaining mixture into two 4-oz. paper cups. Position a 3½-inch popsicle stick in the center of each cup and freeze overnight.

Cost Per Serving: $0.87

Total Cost For Recipe: $5.21

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (One Sweet Corn Pop): Calories: 97, Total Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 135mg, Carbohydrates: 16g, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Protein: 6g, Vitamin A 2% DV, Vitamin C 67% DV, Calcium 11% DV, Iron 3% DV

Avocado Sweet Pea Frozen Pops

Makes 8 pops

Ingredients:

  • 4 Libby’s® Sweet Peas Cups (4 oz. each)
  • 2 ripe medium avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 1½ cup low-fat milk
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 large lime)

Supplies:

  • 8 Popsicle sticks
  • 4 4-oz. paper cups (for extra mixture)

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to blender or food processor. Do not throw out cups; wash and dry them to use for freezing pops. Puree until well mixed.

Pour mixture into four empty Libby’s Cups and the remaining mixture into four 4-oz. paper cups. Position a 3½-inch popsicle stick in the center of each cup and freeze overnight.

Cost Per Serving: $0.92

Total Cost For Recipe: $7.34

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (One Avocado Sweet Pea Pop): Calories: 119, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 100mg, Carbohydrates: 15g, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Protein: 3g, Vitamin A 5% DV, Vitamin C 58% DV, Calcium 7% DV, Iron 2% DV

 

 

 

This Summer, Get Pin-spired by Libby's!

by Leave a Comment

Our fans tell us they love to use Pinterest to prepare dinner parties and redecorate their homes on a budget. At Libby’s, we use Pinterest to motivate you to try delicious recipes, eat healthier and plan fun activities for your families. Get Pin-spired this summer with our board suggestions below to help you achieve your summertime goals!

Travel foreign lands

Whether you’re travelling halfway across the world or to the nearest U.S. city, Pinterest lets you access everything you need to plan your next vacation. You can use the search bar to find the best lodging options, restaurants and activities in your vacation destination.

Play endless family games

With the kids out of school for the summer, there will be more opportunities for you to plan family game nights or weekend outings. Pinterest offers a variety of family activity ideas, like arts and crafts projects or a visit to a national park. The possibilities for summer fun and learning are endless – just save all your favorite ideas to a “Just for Kids” board!

Eat well and eat often

Mealtime just got a little easier with the help of Pinterest. You can create different boards for each of your culinary needs – from dish type (salads, summer cooking, dessert) to cooking tool (crock pot, stir fry, grilling) to flavor (savory, sweet, spicy). The Libby’s Table Pinterest boards can help you get started – just repin any of our images to your own boards to create perfectly balanced and delicious meals for your family.

What is your favorite use for Pinterest? Let us know by commenting on our Facebook page!

Good Grill Hunting

by Leave a Comment

As summer kicks in and temperatures soar, grilling rules. And what better way to simplify family meals while taking advantage the warm weather? Here are some tips on making it healthy but hearty enough for everyone:

Don’t Smoke – Avoid cooking on high heat for longer periods of time as this can produce carcinogens that have been linked to certain types of cancer. Cut off any burnt or black bits before eating. Also get in the habit of scrubbing down the grill rack after each use. Removing excess food prevents future charring, smoke and off-flavors in your food.

Look to Lean- The leaner the protein, the less chance of fat drippings causing smoke and burnt food. Look for cuts of loin, round or leg when selecting beef, pork or lamb. Try different fillets of fish (wrapped in foil.) Choose extra-lean ground beef, chicken or turkey for patties. Cook up veggie kabobs brushed in olive oil or grill portabella mushrooms for a rich, flavorful “burger”.

Dunk or Rub- Marinating or rubbing spices on meats and chicken before grilling adds flavor and may also reduce the formation of carcinogens. Use about ½ cup marinade for each pound of protein. Always discard the remaining marinade – never reuse after raw meat has touched it.

Think Outside the Grill – Get out of your steak, burger and hot dog rut. You can experiment with chili (place a cast iron pot right on the grill!), fruit, and even pizzas on your grill.

Portion Your Plate –Look to the new MyPlate food icon – fill half your plate with vegetables (grilled veggies, salad), a quarter with whole grains (rice, pasta, bread) and a quarter with lean protein (meat, chicken, fish, seafood, beans.)

Check out this month’s Sunshine Salsa recipe – the perfect summer side for grilled shrimp, chicken or fish!

Multitask Your Cooking: Get Wise With Your Kitchen Time

by Leave a Comment

These days, it seems like we are juggling work, family, chores and errands 24/7. For this East Coast gal, during the summer, I don’t want to spend any more time indoors in the kitchen than I have to. So, here are my tips to deliver healthy and tasty meals to the table faster and easier. (I definitely need to practice what I preach more often – i.e. planning!)

Plan Ahead
Consider the biggest time saver of all: creating a monthly menu plan. It seems daunting but by dedicating a few hours, you can save yourself an entire month of wondering, “What’s for dinner?”
Simplify by:

    1. Using an online menu template.
    2. Relying on recipe favorites and repeating some throughout the month. Check out this month’s Chicken Fiesta Rice + more CANvenient recipes here.
    3. Making batch dishes on weekends and freezing extras.
    4. Scheduling a few nights for leftovers, “breakfast for dinner” or ordering take-out.

Smart Staples – By keeping some basic food items at hand, you can whip up a last minute meal for those days you don’t have time to plan ahead. My typical freezer and pantry stockers are ground meat and chicken, frozen shrimp, broth, pasta, rice, canned vegetables & fruit, peanut butter, canned tuna, canned tomatoes, olive oil and cereals.

Cooking Techniques that Simplify – My favorite hot weather tool, the grill, is also a fantastic multi-tasker. We often cook an entire meal outside while keeping the kitchen cool and clean (I’ll post more on grilling next month!) I use my microwave daily for speed – for defrosting or steaming foods. Also “no cook” meals such as cereal, salads and sandwiches are always easy yet nutritious time-saving options. We probably do cereal night almost every week!

Slow Cooker to the Rescue – Nowadays, there’s a gadget for every possible kitchen task, but the trusted Crock Pot® or slow cooker is a true time saver. Besides cooking a variety of meals ahead of time, you can use to reheat leftovers, cook oatmeal or even bake bread.

Here’s to summer and less stress in the kitchen!