Clearly Fresh Bags - helping produce last longer

Recently, I was contacted about trying out Clearly Fresh Bags. Clearly Fresh Bags are designed to help keep you fresh fruits and vegetables fresh longer. They use BreatheWay technology which allows fresh produce to breathe naturally and last longer. The technology allows fruits and vegetables to create their own ideal environment within the bag, naturally slowing the ripening and allowing them to stay fresh longer. You can read more about the technology here.

At my house, the biggest challenge that we have is eating bananas before they get overripe and brown, so of course, this is the product that I decided to test the aging on.

When the bags arrived, I had already purchased bananas and decided that I would use them to check out the bags. The pictures below show that we started with bananas that were already pretty ripe, but still the results were great. I decided that I needed a control. So, I placed all but one banana inside the bag and pushed out the air. I set them next to each other on the counter to ensure that they had a common environment. Each day, I opened the bag, took out one banana and then resealed it. After 6 days, I had consumed all but one of the bananas in the bag and ate the one that was not stored in the bag (my control). Despite my normal banana a day habit, I left the last banana sitting to see how long it would stay fresh. After 10 days, I decided to end the experiment and eat the banana. It was still in great shape and not overripe, although the flesh was a little soft, but not mushy.
Day 1:

Day 1:

6 days later:

6 days later:

10 days later:

Here is a second set of bananas, just to show that it wasn't a fluke. This is day 10:

This is day 11:

This is my third bunch of bananas through the bag, and likely the last - I think I will go to a new bag for the next bunch. If you are using the bags for whole, dry produce, you can reuse them a couple of times. For rinsed or cut produce, I'm guessing that you wouldn't be able to use it more than the one time. You can not wash the bags though, as it would ruin the BreatheWay membrane.

My conclusion is that these bags work. They are also useable for other produce, like apples, broccoli, lettuce, berries, mangoes, etc. I didn't test them on those items, because I don't generally have issues storing those items. Although, it could come in handy when I do purchase fresh produce for recipes at the end of the week - to ensure that they are as fresh as can be when I get a week removed from shopping.

You can purchase them direct from www.clearlyfreshbags.com the package of 10 1-gallon size bags sell for $3.99 / pack.

These bags work for me!


No compensation was received for this post. A package of Clearly Fresh Bags was provided, so that I could try them out and share my experience. All opinions expressed are my own.

Growing Your Own Food

When it comes to freshness, there is nothing better than eating a tomato fresh from the garden. Something about the warmth of freshly picked tomato, just really makes the flavor burst in your mouth. I think that this is probably my key driver in planting a garden. There is no other way to experience this taste explosion (although, I had fried green tomatoes for the first time last night and aside from the added fat and calories of breading and frying, they did deliver on that warm tomato, burst of flavor that I love about fresh picked tomatoes.)

Every spring, the kids and I head out and pick up vegetable plants. We never start from seeds, although I suppose that we could. We plant many of the same vegetables each year, but sometimes we throw in a few new things. The kids really enjoy helping me prep and plant the garden, and they love to eat the vegetables that we plant. The same kids that complain about tomatoes in dishes, will eat them fresh from the vine - go figure! Gardens can expand the food experience for children. There is something about growing your own vegetables in a garden that leads kids to want to eat those vegetables.

This year, we have a few new vegetables and a few that we haven't planted in a while. We have 3 cherry/grape tomato plants, 3 regular tomato plants, 40 - 50 onions, 3 bell pepper plants (red and yellow), 2 hot peppers, 1 eggplant, 1 cucumber (I like to plant them in pairs, but there was only one left) and Romaine lettuce. Lettuce is a new adventure for me. We will see how that one turns out.
(anyone know what's going on with this onion? I've never seen this before - should I cut this off?)

It is a small garden, but with the options I had for putting in a garden, it is really the best we could do. Someday, I would like to have a larger one. I want to have a row of strawberries, maybe some potato plants, and maybe even some puhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmpkins. For now, we enjoy what we grow and pick up the other stuff at local farmer's markets.

Watching a garden grow is a great lesson in life cycle for children. They get to see the seeds sprout and start to grow (well, if you use seeds, that is). They get to see the fruits/vegetables develop and watch them grow and ripen. They get to pick the fruits/vegetables when they are ripe and experience fresh, homegrown vegetables. They get to see the plants die off as the frost hits and watch us turn them under to fertilize the ground. They learn about how it takes water and sunshine for a garden to grow.

A garden is a great learning opportunity for children and a frugal way to enjoy fresh produce in the summer, and beyond if you can/freeze the vegetables. This works for my family.

This post shared at Works For Me Wednesday.

Otria Greek Yogurt Veggie Dip

For a long time, it seemed like there were very few Bzz Campaigns that I was getting invited to. Recently, that has changed. One of the Bzz Campaigns that I have right now is for Otria Greek Yogurt Veggie Dip.

We eat a lot of fresh vegetables at my house and usually, the kids like to have a dip to go with them - so it felt like a natural fit for my family to try theshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife new dips. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

The first dip I tried was the Otria Cucumber Dill Feta Greek Yogurt Veggie Dip. It just sounded very appealing to me. I love dill dips - I make a Dill Weed dip almost anytime that we have gathering. I love cucumbers - have you tried any of the cucumber ranch dressings? I love Feta cheese - I use it mostly on my spinach salad and my roasted shrimp and tomatoes dish. So, basically, I loved it all!

We had some friends over for dinner one night but were waiting on my husband to get home from class before eating. The kids were getting munchy, so I pulled out some carrots and celery and the dip.

Before opening it, I quickly scanned the ingredient statement, as I know that my friend can't have MSG and that she has said that many dips and ranch dressings have it in them. I didn't see it, so I opened it and set it out for the kids (my friend wasn't in the kitchen at the time). I ran to another room to grab something, and when I came back, sure enough, she was scanning the label looking for the same thing. (Turns out we had both missed the little note on the container that said - No MSG).

We both gave it a try. I have to say that I loved it! I used it over the nexthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif week for dipping vegetables and then tried it with honey wheat braid pretzels. I couldn't get enough (although I did exercise some great self-control and didn't over indulge too much). It became an evening requirement that along with my cup of tea, I had 5 pretzels with dip (counting the pretzels was my control).

I had good intentions of trying another flavor, but when I went back to the store, I just bought the same one again! Thankfully, my friend had enjoyed the dip and she bought the Garden Herb Ranch flavor to bring to a gathering at my house. I tried it, and it was good, but I think I will stick with the Cucumber Dill Feta flavor.

I just noticed, in sharing links that there is a $1 off coupon offer on their sidebar here.

No compensation was received for this post. I received coupons to try the product and share my experience. I also received $ off coupons to share with my friends and family.

Green Giant Vegetables - a giveaway

I'm pretty lucky, my kids love to eat vegetables. Whether it is fresh vegetables cut up and eaten plain or with some ranch dressing or hummus, or it is cooked vegetables there are few that they don't like. Like anyone, they have some that they prefer to be cooked over raw and some that they prefer to be raw over cooked. My son prefers his cauliflower cooked and my daughter prefers her carrots raw.

Saturday, as I was asking what everyone wanted for lunch, my son headed downstairs to see if there were any frozen meals. He came back with a box of Green Giant Honey Glazed Carrots and asked if he could have them for lunch, along with a PB&J. We suggested having carrots from the fridge at lunch and the other ones at dinner.

As a family, we love the Green Giant boxed vegetables. My husband's favorite is the Green Beans with Almonds, the kids like the Broccoli & Cheese Sauce, and I like the Asparagus Cuts. As a member of Weight Watchers, vegetables are an important part in helping me succeed. With so many varieties of Green Giant boxed vegetables to choose from, I don't have to worry about eating the same vegetable every day. What makes it even nicer is that even the varieties that include a sauce aren't high in calories, like the Broccoli & Cheese Sauce for example is still only 60 calories per serving (or 2 Weight Watchers PointsPlus values). The fact that they only take a few minutes to steam in the microwave, I can quickly include them as part of dinner (or pack them as a quick side at lunch!).

Here is some information that Green Giant shared:

Green Giant Boxed Vegetables can help you stay on track to achieve your weight management goals in 2011. Twenty-nine delicious varieties are now endorsed by Weight Watchers®, and most have only a 1 or 2 PointsPlus® value per serving! Packed with flavor and ready in minutes, Green Giant Boxed Vegetables are available in a wide variety of flavors, many featuring mouthwatering sauces and seasonings. They’re a terrific addition to any meal and a delicious way to achieve better health in 2011.

Don’t forget to visit Green Giant on Facebook and Green Giant on Twitter and “Like” or “Follow” the brand to keep up with their latest and greatest products! For more information and great recipe ideas visit http://greengiant.com/.

Giveaway!
Thanks to Green Giant through MyBlogSpark, I have the opportunity to giveaway a Green Giant prize pack to one A Busy Mom of Two reader. The Green Giant prize pack includes one VIP coupon for Green Giant Boxed Vegetables, in addition to an insulated tote bag, serving bowl, spoon, and pedometer.


To enter: Leave a comment answering this question: Which variety/how do you enjoy your Green Giant Boxed Vegetables?

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Giveaway will remain open until March 17th at 6pm. Winner will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. Green Giant provided me with the product and information through MyBlogSpark. In addition, I am an advocate for Weight Watchers.

Planting a Garden

When I was growing up, we had a garden every year. We planted a variety of things, the consistent items were tomatoes, onions and potatoes. I can remember planting melon (watermelon and/or cantaloupe), pumpkins, zucchini, strawberries, and corn from time to time as well. In addition, both sets of Grandparents lived on a farm, so we had even more selection from them as well. I can remember getting lettuce, rhubarb, blackberries, and more to take home when we would visit.

There is just something so delicious about eating produce right from your own garden. I'm not sure what it is, but they are always sweeter and more flavorful. Perhaps it is knowing that you grew that fruit/vegetable, or perhaps it is just because it is so much more fresh than what you can pick up at the store. In my opinion, tomatoes are best served, slightly warmed from the sun with a quick rinse to knock off any dirt. Not only that, but it is a very economical way to enjoy lots of fresh vegetables. When you consider the costs of seeds/plants and the amount of fruits/vegetables that they will produce, there is no doubt that it is cheaper than buying that amount of fruit at the store.

When I grew up and finally had my own house, I was determined to have my own garden. Where we lived in Pittsburgh, it was easy. Our house backed up to a wooded ravine, so I simply planted a garden at it's edge. When we moved to Ohio, it was a little bit harder - we have neighbors and no place to handily tuck it out of the way. In fact, the first few years after we moved here, we didn't even have a garden - we moved in in July, not ideal timing for planting a garden and the next year I was pregnant. But then finally, we settled on a small plot next to the garage wall.

The garden has grown over the years. We have tried different vegetables, some with good luck and others not. This year, we planted tomatoes - big and small, zucchini, peppers - bell and hot, eggplant, and lettuce (came in the Kraft Food and Family this month). It's a modest size, but it works.




The kids simply love the garden. All spring they have been asking about when we can plant the garden. This of course has led to an opportunity for them to learn as discussions about frost and why we have to wait to plant a garden ensued.

When we planted the garden last weekend, they were both anxious to assist. Each of them donned a pair of gardening gloves and carried over their little shovel. They tried to help me turn over the dirt to make it loose and easier to plant, but with their little shovels, they mostly wound up throwing dirt around. Then, when we finally were ready to dig some holes, my daughter wandered off to blow bubbles and play, but my son was eager to dig a hole and help to plant the garden. With my assistance, I allowed him to dig the holes, place the plant and cover them with soil. Then, after we were done planting, came watering. They both wanted to use the watering can, so they took turns (not always in the most calm fashion, my daughter is not fully fluent in share yet) watering the garden. Then, I pulled out the hose to ensure we actually got everything watered deeply, so they would root well.

Watching a garden grow is a great lesson in life cycle for children. They get to see the seeds sprout and start to grow. They get to see the fruits/vegetables develop and watch them grow and ripen. They get to pick the fruits/vegetables when they are ripe and experience fresh, homegrown vegetables. They get to see the plants die off as the frost hits and watch us turn them under to fertilize the ground. They learn about how it takes water and sunshine for a garden to grow.

Gardens expand the food experience for children. There is something about growing your own vegetables in a garden that leads kids to want to eat those vegetables. My son will pick through a dish at dinner leaving behind any tomato chunks, but can barely take the time to clean a tomato fresh from the garden before eating it.

A garden is a great learning opportunity for children and a frugal way to enjoy fresh produce in the summer, and beyond if you can/freeze the vegetables. This works for my family.

For more tips and tricks that work for others, check out Works For Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family.