One of the main objectives of the Ziploc FreshOver campaign with Rachael Ray is to help encourage families to FreshOver your meals at home by incorporating fresh, seasonal foods (more fruits and veggies people) into some of your favorite recipes. This point was driven home at the recent Ziploc FreshOver with Rachael Ray event in New York City.
Because Rachael Ray is concerned about the obesity epidemic in our country, she shared some great tips and ideas for ways to FreshOver your meals at home.
Rachael Ray at Ziploc FreshOver Event in NYC on March 22, 2012 (Photo Courtesy of Gary He)
At the event, there were food stations, including: Guacamole, Bruschetta and a generous spread of Cheeses, Meats and Veggies. The passed food included Chicken Satay Sliders (you knew Rachael would make sure sliders were served), Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp, 8-Vegetable Soup with Mixed Herb Pesto, Mini Braised Pork Tacos and Puttanesca Bruschetta.
Rachael Ray’s Mini Braised Pork Tacos at Ziploc Freshover Event (Photo Courtesy Momgenerations)
Rachael Ray also loves using Ziploc Brand products and adores the new Ziploc Perfect Portions bags, designed for portion control.
Speaking of the Ziploc Perfect Portions bags – by now you know how important it is to me to feed my family fresh wholesome food and organics as much as possible. However, that can mean a high grocery bill and one way I approach saving on food is to buy in bulk when I can. That might mean a once a month trip to a wholesale club or stocking up when there are great sales at our local grocery stores. This also means that I need to properly store the food I buy in bulk.
One way I do this, is to divvy up the package of meats and freeze them. Normally that means grabbing the raw food and carefully placing it in the freezer bags all the while trying not to contaminate the outside of the bags or touch anything with the hand I used to touch the raw meat/poultry. This also means sometimes needed assistance putting soap on my hand, turning on the faucet, etc. Luckily, Ziploc Perfect Portions bags help eliminate these concerns.
I want you to also consider using the Ziploc Perfect Portions bags and freezing meals that are already somewhat prepared. How you ask? One trick I have used is to insert one hand into a Ziploc Perfect Portions bag, open the meat/poultry package, drizzle a marinade over the protein using my other hand and then placing the meat/poultry them into the Ziploc Perfect Portions Bags and into the freezer bag. Then I label the freezer bag depending on the marinade (example: BBQ Pork Chops). I know my husband appreciates it when I leave him a note letting him know to please ‘Thaw the BBQ Pork Chops.’
Speaking of eating fresh foods, Ziploc Brand has completed its Fresh Eating Survey and I want to share what I consider the highlights of the survey. In this study of “Freshest Cities,” they analyzed the 50 largest U.S. metro areas to find those places whose residents are seeking the fresh food options. In the study, they looked at five factors which are correlated with a clean, fresh, healthy lifestyle, with the emphasis on food freshness: # of Farmers Markets per city, # of CSA Farms (Community Supported Agriculture) per city, # of Fast Food Restaurants per city, average amount of servings of vegetables, fruits, salad and an online survey that asked about people’s behaviors towards food, cooking and gardening.
From this study, The Top Ten Freshest Cities identified were: Hartford, Conn., San Francisco, Sacramento, Calif., Portland, Ore., San Jose, Calif, Richmond, Va., Austin, Texas, Boston, Mass., Washington, DC, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
Other notable statistics that jumped out at me were:
• In the U.S., there are 1.45 farmers markets per every 100,000 people, however there are 60.1 fast food establishments per every 100,000 people.
•Seventy percent of people responded to a survey saying they do not have a garden (30 percent said they did).
• More than 52 percent of people said they make poor and unhealthy food choices either for dinner or late night.
• More than 81 percent of people said they were looking for more ways to incorporate fresh ingredients into their family’s meals.
• Almost 89 percent of people said they feel like a good parent when their family eats fresh food (72.2 percent strongly agree with this statement).
Since 81 percent of you want to find and more ways to incorporate fresh ingredients into meals, Ziploc Brand is hosting The Great American FreshOver Sweepstakes now through May 2, 2012. Fans can enter on the Ziploc Brand Facebook page by “liking” the page, entering The Great American FreshOver app on the page and offer a FreshOver food idea, in the form of a recipe or tip in text. During the sweepstakes, fans will be rewarded with access to exclusive Rachael Ray videos and tips, weekly prize drawings, coupons and one lucky grand prize winner will win a trip for two to experience the ultimate culinary experience in America’s food capital – New York City. Grand prize winners will stay in New York City for three nights and four days, can eat at the most sought after “fresh” restaurants and swap recipes with Rachael Ray. No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to participate. Find out how to enter here and read the official rules.
Ziploc Perfect Portions
Finally, in order to help you all continue on your FreshOver journey, I want to give you a fun prize pack! This prize pack will include kitchen gadgets, accessories for trips to a farmer’s market or an eating fresh gift pack with Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook cookbook, each worth about $120.
To Enter: Answer this question in a comment on this post: What is your favorite way to incorporate fruits or vegetables into a meal?
For additional entries (you must answer the question above & leave an additional comment on this post for each entry. If you don’t enter above, the entries below are void):
– Tweet this giveaway, “Win a #Ziploc Prize Pack from @savorthethyme http://su.pr/7l3tz9 #FreshOver #spon (Be sure to come back and leave the tweet URL.)
– Subscribe to the Savor the Thyme RSS feed and leave a comment that you did so (yes, I verify).
– Follow @savorthethyme on Twitter.
This giveaway will end on 4/19/2012 at 11:59 pm CST. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be contacted by email. The winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen. Click here for the Official Rules.
Disclosure: I have partnered with Ziploc® Brand and am being compensated for my posts. However, my opinions on the product are my own.
Event Photos courtesy of Momgenerations and PartyBluPrints.
Carol says
I use fruits in marinades, soups, salads and as side dishes (both hot and cold). Veggies the same way except that I can incorporate them more into main dishes than I can fruit.
Ray says
Following on Twitter too
Ray says
I chop up fresh fruit and veggies and put them in my salads and soups.
Julie says
email sub using above email
Julie says
in salads or in soups thanks
Shana D says
I follow you on twitter (@shanamama9197)
Shana D says
I subscribe via google reader
Shana D says
Tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/shanamama9197/status/192737064511475712
Shana D says
I love making fruit smoothies, the kids think it’s a treat & they get a full days worth of fruits in the one drink.
Carmen says
https://twitter.com/#!/cmouse01/status/192443350710886400
Carmen says
I love dinners that are casseroles, stir fries, and the like. That way the vegetables are already incorporated and more likely to get eaten.
Lisa M. says
To insure that we get at least one extra serving of fruits and vegetables a day I always make a salad with dinner and cut up some fresh fruit as another side. Everyone has to have their share of both.
Melissa Kampen says
My daughter and I mostly do takeout/drive thru for meals. It is ridiculous and I am trying to change this lifestyle. We know it so unhealthy, but with our schedules it is the most convenient. My daugther is also very OCD about expiration dates and if something that was cooked and has sat out for 10 minutes, she will not eat it. I buy fresh veggies and fruit, but she is so picky that if it has a small bruise or imperfection she will not eat any of the batch. So then I try to buy frozen and she said, ” They are not fresh so I will not eat them” I am struggling here! The sad thing is, is my daughter is 14 and overweight. So i will keep trying to plug along and STOP her fast food addiction and encourage her to eat more fruit & veggies. I am always looking for food ideas and I do believe thru this sweepstakes, I found some more great tools!
JaneG says
I steam a whole head of cauliflower, chop it up and put in a Ziplock container so it is available to bulk up many different meals. Great in place of rice or potatoes! I am on Weight Watchers and keeping fruits and vegetables cut up and always handy helps me to incorporate healthy foods into my diet easily.
megan says
I just steam the veggies and have them as a side and we eat fruit through out the day. We are not picky eaters, around here!
Cathy Losure says
The “key” in my opinion to get children to enjoy raw, fresh fruit and vegetable. ( where the most vitamins are in this form) Is to start them out everyday, all day long with small portions cut up in tiny bite size pieces. I always kept them laying around in a tray, and my 9 year old granddaughter shocked people at the age of 2 by requesting salads for dinner. She is now such a healthy eater, unlike what her Grammy was brought up on…. J U N K! 🙂 Thankfully, I changed my habits too!
Cathy Losure says
For a twist to my salads, I add fresh strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple. I add walnuts, or almonds, or pecans, and a low fat raspberry, or pomegranite vinegrette. Yummy, and healthy.
Jessica T. says
We like to have fruit as a snack and I put the veggies in our casseroles and soups.
Kelly {the Centsible Life} says
Following you on twitter!
Kelly {the Centsible Life} says
What way don’t we incorporate them? We love eating fresh veggies and fruit! I always, always put a salad on the table with every dinner-it’s the one veggie everyone will eat. 🙂
billiejean says
Following on Twitter, too!
billiejean says
Following the blog via Google Reader.
billiejean says
Tweeted…
https://twitter.com/#!/billiejeanie327/status/190851040717971456
billiejean says
I love fruits and veggies! Everyday I have salads for lunch and dinner. I just toss some spinach or spring mix with a dressing and add in some pumpkin or sunflower seeds and any kind of veggie that I’m craving. With fruit I always add it to yogurt or just alone on the side.
Jeannette says
I don’t normally go for fruits and veggies when I eat so I have to make a consious effort to add them into my diet. i try to have at least one salad every day where I toss different greens with avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and other fruits and veggies.
Becca from It's Yummilicious says
I Tweeted about the giveaway here: https://twitter.com/#!/ItsYummi/status/190824191971434496
Becca from It's Yummilicious says
I subscribed via email (I don’t like RSS readers!)
Becca from It's Yummilicious says
I follow you on Twitter via @ItsYummi
Becca from It's Yummilicious says
I like to “hide” finely chopped veggies into miniature meatloafs and meatballs. Nobody but me knows that they’re in there!
Jenny says
I tweeted the giveaway @icywit https://twitter.com/#!/icywit/status/190791722563940352
Jenny says
I follow you on twitter @icywit
Jenny says
Soups – I saute veggies and then pulverize them in whatever soup I make (most) – and everybody loves it – if there were chunks of veggies – picky eaters would freak out!
Marnely Rodriguez says
I follow you on Twitter of course!
Marnely Rodriguez says
I am subscribed to your RSS feed
Marnely Rodriguez says
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/nella22/statuses/190783547550859264
Marnely Rodriguez says
I love pureeing them into sauces! Add some spices and done!
Georgina says
Following you on Twitter
Georgina says
Chop the fruit up into a nice salad and stir fry veggies and top with cheese! Everything is better with melted cheese on top! 🙂
Miranda says
I’m a feed subscriber
Miranda says
I buy fruit and veggies from a nearby farm. I just set out the fruit and it disappears. The veggies are hit and miss for the kids.
Linda S. says
I roast vegetables with olive oil, sea salt, and a little balsamic vinegar and serve them as a side dish. Then the next night or two I incorporate the leftover vegetables into farro, or top a pizza or flatbread or polenta with them.
Lauren B says
I love adding tons of veggies to scrambled eggs or pastas. Also, using a food processor to secretly incorporate veggies, ie. chick pea and peanut butter balls, pea pesto, etc. 🙂
Renata says
Tweeted your link too
Renata says
Following you on Twitter serenestreams
Renata says
Blend veggies and fruits into smoothies and soups!
Lara DiPaola(momma) says
Of my four kiddlets I have one BIG time picky eater. I swear the kid would rather wear a tiarra than touch a turnip. What he -and all of them- will happily do is compete (and win) against the other siblings. So I make it a game… Who can eat the biggest rainbow (veggies & fruits are colorful buggers). The winner gets to load a new app on the iPad or choose the game for family game night. Kids, they love to win!
candice says
https://twitter.com/#!/TheNewModernMom/status/190585000951951360
TWEET!
candice says
Puree Puree Puree! Matter of fact I just cooked and pureed carrots for my meatball making!
Maureen says
We love to have apples at dinner. We also have bananas at breakfast be it in cereal or on waffles. We also love to have a salad at lunch or dinner. Fruit and veggies are always included in our meals.
wendy r says
My favorite way is when I make a casserole to add veggies!
Kristina Vanni says
Just tweeted too… https://twitter.com/#!/KristinaVanni
Kristina Vanni says
My favorite way to incorporate fruits and veggies into a meal is by making a morning smoothie! Nothing like getting those healthy servings right at the start of the day. I make a spinach, banana, and almond milk smoothie that is to die for! 🙂
Rachel says
I am a new subscriber!
Rachel says
I love adding different veggies in my scrambled eggs like peppers, mushrooms, onions & spinach!
Kelly says
We eat so many fruits by drinking smoothies!