Skip To Main Content

Dinner

Brinner: Your Answer To The End Of Summer Dinners

by Leave a Comment

By Dylan Bailey, MS

It’s news that many don’t want to hear – summer is on its way out. That’s right, fall will officially begin on Saturday, September 22nd. This switch in seasons marks significant changes in our day-to-day experiences, from the foods we prefer, to how our schedules look, to how the weather acts.

While the shift in seasons may be gradual, it can still require some lifestyle adjustments. At Libby’s®, we want to help you ease into a fall state-of-mind with a comforting and healthy approach to cooking for summer’s end: “Brinner,” better known as breakfast for dinner.

This fresh take on dinner using familiar breakfast foods has a few benefits:

  • It eases the time burden of meal planning, as many breakfast foods are already pantry staples and may be on-hand (e.g. eggs, cereal, canned vegetables, waffle and pancake mix etc.)
     
  • It offers a unique opportunity for the family to get together over foods that might normally be consumed on-the-go or without much meal structure in the morning 
     
  • It lets new versions of classic breakfast food recipes shine in an exciting way

In addition to being tasty, breakfast foods can be nutrient-dense. Let’s examine one staple breakfast item, the egg. One large egg packs 70 calories, varying amounts of 13 essential vitamins and minerals, and 6 grams of high-quality protein (nearly half the protein and most nutrients of an egg is found in its yolk, so don’t toss it). Who wouldn’t want to end their day with that!

Vegetables, including canned vegetables, can also round out the nutritional profile of a meal to complement your end of summer brinner. Take command of the changing seasons with these comforting, quick and easy brinner ideas using Libby’s® Canned Vegetables as core ingredients for health-focused offerings that benefit the entire family.

Frit-ta-yum

Frittatas are Italian-style omelets that can be whipped up in no time with some very simple ingredients. They’re the perfect brinner solution for when the back-to-school period hits. This Frittata With Peas And Potatoes features eggs and is packed with fiber, vitamin C and potassium, making for a hassle-free, nutritious way to end your day.

Frittata with Peas and Potatoes

Mini Quiches – Big Flavor

What do you get when you combine eggs, cheese, corn and chives? A savory protein and flavor-loaded brinner specialty that is sure to please the whole family. For a simple version of quiche that’s been miniaturized, try these Mini Cheese Quiches With Corn & Chives. Better yet, these are portable so they can also be taken to any after-school event that’s on your radar.

Mini Cheese Quiches with Corn and Chives

 

Waffles For Dinner

You’ll really enjoy these Easy Carrot Cake Waffles With Whipped Cream Cheese Topping. Created by registered dietitian Serena Ball, these waffles are a nutritious spin on carrot cake, making use of whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt and Libby’s® Sliced Carrots, which provide 150% of your daily vitamin A requirements per serving. For more flavor, top with shredded coconut, walnuts, pineapple or shredded carrots!

Carrot Cake Waffles

New Libby’s® Vegetable Pouches Help Deliver Dinner in a Flash

by Leave a Comment

Marion, N.Y. (September 7, 2016) – Libby’s® Fruits & Vegetables announced today the launch of brand-new Libby’s®  Vegetable Pouches, which will begin rolling out at retailers across the country. A first for the vegetable market, Libby’s® Vegetable Pouches will sit alongside their canned counterparts on the shelf, but cook in less than 60 seconds in their own pouch – no pots or heating containers needed. The result: hot, nutritious vegetables in a flash and more time to enjoy food and family.

“Although most parents know vegetables are healthy, they are served at only 23 percent of dinners[1]. Libby’s understands that parents need options for bringing vegetables to the table that they can feel good about and that help preserve important family time,” said Bruce Wolcott, Vice President of Marketing for Seneca Foods. “New Libby’s®  Vegetable Pouches bring farm-fresh goodness to busy families, providing a wholesome addition that cooks quickly and is easy to enjoy together.”  

Libby’s designed these state-of-the-art, lightweight pouches containing Libby’s® Vegetables to make preparing and serving hot vegetables more convenient than ever. Libby’s® Vegetable Pouches:

  • Come in five family favorites – Sweet Peas, Cut Green Beans, Sliced Carrots, Whole Kernel Sweet Corn and Mixed Vegetables – and are all grown and packed in the United States
  • Stand up straight, are flexible, easy to open and fit nicely into kitchen cabinets, taking up less space  
  • Are shelf-stable – no need for refrigeration
  • Can be served hot or cold, by themselves or as the star ingredient in side dishes, appetizers and other recipes

To introduce the new Vegetable Pouches, Libby’s is teaming up with Donatella Arpaia, Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur and Head Judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America, to develop exclusive recipes featuring the Vegetable Pouches. Arpaia’s recipes will be featured in the Libby’s® Digital Recipe Box, among hundreds of others that provide quick and easy ideas for preparing and serving vegetables.

“As a working mom, I know firsthand how tough it can be to get the wholesome goodness of vegetables on the dinner table after a busy day,” said Arpaia. “Libby’s® Vegetable Pouches are the perfect solution for these time-crunched moments, as they’re an easy, quick, healthy and delicious addition to side dishes, main courses and even appetizers. I can’t wait to share my new Vegetable Pouches recipes with other busy parents.”

About Libby’s® Fruits & Vegetables

Libby’s, the nation’s second largest brand of canned vegetables, has been a staple on American dinner tables since the 1880s. With 117 product varieties, Libby’s offers among the industry’s most complete lines of canned fruit and vegetables, including Libby’s® Naturals, which contain no added sugar or salt. Since 1983, Libby’s® Fruits & Vegetables have been produced and distributed by Marion, N.Y. based Seneca Foods Corporation, an independent, publicly traded, fully integrated food processing company. For more information on Libby’s and Seneca Foods visit www.senecafoods.com. For information on Libby’s mission, visit www.getbacktothetable.com, like Libby’s on Facebook, or follow @LibbysTable on Twitter or Pinterest.

 

[1] Wansink B, Shimizu M, and Brumberg A. How vegetables make the meal: their hedonic and heroic impact on perceptions of the meal and of the preparer. Public Health Nutrition. 2016. Available at:http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FPHN%2FPHN16_11%2FS1368980012004673a.pdf&code=2317478727e791c5a8274c4fdfabca59 

One-Pot Meals Bring Perfection to Dinnertime

by Leave a Comment

During this busy time of year, we could all use some short cuts. Cooking dinner is one of the biggest chores of the day—but these one-pot meals are simple to make and delicious.

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Stew

This is a great hearty dinner for the cold winter nights. The beauty of the slow cooker is being able to throw all of the ingredients in and letting it work its magic. You don’t have to worry about constantly checking a pot on the stove.  Libby’s® Whole Kernel Sweet Corn and Libby’s® Sliced Carrots add delicious veggie flavor.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

This is a really satisfying meal for a busy weeknight. And it certainly delivers your daily dose of veggies!  You’ll need two cans of Libby’s® Mixed Vegetables and one can of Libby’s® Sliced Carrots for this recipe. 

Make Your Own Cloth Napkins

With dinner taken care of, you’ll have some time to spend on an interesting project. So many of us are DIYers—why not make something that you can use for this and future dinners? And think of it this way: You’ll also be more sustainable because you won’t be wasting paper.

What’s your favorite one-pot recipe? Share your go-to winter recipe on our Facebook page.

Start with a Can, End with a Happy Family

by Leave a Comment

 

Weeknight meal planning is tough for busy families. Our friend Deanna Segrave-Daly (who is also a dietitian!) started with a can of Libby’s® Vegetables and whipped up a variety of healthy, flavorful meals that will have your family scrambling to the kitchen table. Take a look at her suggestions below, and comment on our Facebook page to tell us which one you like best!

Family Meals Matter

by Leave a Comment

Believe me, I get it – gone are the days of seven days a week, dinner around the table with the entire immediate family (if you do manage this, I truly admire you!) But while it may not be happening every night, nowadays with a grim economy and unemployment rising, most of us have cleaned the clutter off our kitchen table (or maybe just put it on a chair like myself) and are dining in instead of out. While the current financial picture may be motivation enough to eat at home more often, unfortunately, it doesn’t always mean we’re eating together as a family. You may be surprised that there are so many benefits, besides healthier eating habits, which can be credited to the family meal. Take a look:

http://www.getbacktothetable.com/content/get-back-table

OK, we’re convinced – but HOW can we make this work with our overbooked lives and truly “get back to the table”? Here are three basic tips:

Schedule Family Dinner
Whether it be a Smartphone sync, a day planner or a good old fashioned calendar, get out whatever you use to coordinate schedules and mark down “FAMILY DINNER” for at least one more night a week than you’ve been doing it. And here’s the extra challenge: besides an emergency, do not bump it once it’s on the calendar (unless you can reschedule for the very next day.)

Keep It Simple
Of course the food selection is important, but don’t let visions of a turkey with trimmings or three courses from scratch thwart your family time efforts. This dietitian says a take-out pizza, salad and pitcher of milk can count as great dinner, too.  And of course, Libby’s has you covered when it comes to convenient, nutritious and delicious recipes.

No Multitasking at the Table
Make the family dinner table a cell phone-TV-computer-handheld-free zone. Without these major distractions, it’s easier to ask about everyone’s day, share stories or even tell jokes. The key is to have an actual conversation with your entire family.

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!