This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

We are a veggie-eating family. With our kids, we never made a big deal about it, we just put vegetables on their plates and let them choose to eat them or not.  At every dinner we eat at home, we serve a vegetable. Our favorites are peas, corn, carrots, and broccoli, which I usually buy frozen and steam either in the microwave or in a saucepan with a small amount of water.  Thanks to this campaign with Clever Girls Collective, I’ve now learned ways to make vegetables we don’t usually eat look and taste more appealing by cutting them into fun shapes and using Country Crock spread to prepare them!

I got this opportunity from Clever Girls to see the e-cookbook “A Very Veggie World”, written by Clare Crespo of Yummyfun.com for the Country Crock site Crock Country Chronicle.  ”A Very Veggie World” contains 25 veggie recipes sorted by their color of the rainbow – red peppers, orange sweet potatoes,  yellow squash, green broccoli, purple cabbage, just to name a few. You’ll never look at veggies the same way after you see her Mushroom Gnomes, Hippo Dip, or Bear Paws!

Besides learning new ways to serve vegetables, I also got information from Clever Girls about Country Crock, the spread with 70% less saturated fat and 30% fewer calories than butter and zero grams of trans fat.  Country Crock even found that 8 out of 10 kids think veggies with Country Crock are delicious!  After considering each of the 25 recipes in “A Very Veggie World”, I decided on “Peas and Thank You”, which combines two of our favorite veggies, peas and carrots, with Country Crock used to saute chopped shallots and the carrots.

It sounded like the perfect side dish to roasted chicken, so I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, plus a bag of frozen peas, a small bunch of fresh carrots, a bag of shallots, and a tub of Original Country Crock.  Then, I got to work in the kitchen with some help from Kaitlyn  Click through this slideshow to see the photos I took as I went and my kids’ reactions to this new twist on two of our favorite veggies!

First I measured out 3 cups of frozen green peas and let them thaw.

Shallots are a member of the onion family. They separate into pieces, but "2 shallots" means 2 whole bulbs.

I peeled them, cut off the ends, then diced them fine. Best part? No onion fumes!

I melted 2 Tbsp. of Country Crock in a skillet over medium heat. See the heart shape? :)

I didn't get a photo of the carrots, 7 small peeled and chopped carrots went in with the shallots.

Then the peas went in so everything could mingle and warm together. SO pretty!

Nathan gives "Peas and Thank You" a thumbs up!

Kaitlyn gives peas, carrots and shallots cooked in Country Crock TWO thumbs up!

She also liked Country Crock spread on a biscuit!

Are you looking for quick and simple tips and recipes to make serving veggies more fun? Download the free Clare Crespo Cookbook here for fun and whimsical recipes your family is sure to love!

Share your thoughts about Country Crock and getting kids to eat their veggies on Facebook and Twitter:

Country Crock’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/countrycrock
Country Crock’s Twitter page: https://twitter.com/#!/countrycrock

Visit the Crock Country Chronicle site for more recipes, tips for planting a vegetable garden, and more.  What are some of your family’s favorite vegetables? Share in a comment!

p.s.  Can you say “Crock Country Chronicle” five times fast? We couldn’t! lol

When most of us think of seasons with high fat desserts, we often think of winter where Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to overload us on pies, cookies, and candy. However, summer can be a deceptively unhealthy time as well. Just because you are outdoors doesn’t mean that you should be allowing yourself to frequently indulge in high fat ice creams, creamy pudding desserts, and others cool treats like key lime or french silk pie.

Instead, when you are craving something cool and sweet on a hot summer night, consider giving one of the following healthy snacks a try:

image credit:: www.chiquitabananas.com

Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to cool down during the summer. They are nutrient packed and easy to make, with dozens of banana smoothie recipes being readily available online. Not only are they healthy, but they can range in flavors from a banana pineapple smoothie to a more decadent banana split smoothie so you can easily find one that fits everyone’s palate. Also, because smoothies generally require frozen fruits, you don’t have to worry about fruit spoiling and going to waste, and can easily keep the frozen ingredients on hand to use at any time.

Chocolate Covered Bananas

Bananas seem to go bad quicker than we can consume them in our house, but if you freeze them just as they go ripe, you can keep them longer and enjoy a greater summer snack. If you’ve got a few bananas laying around, peel them, put them on a stick and then freeze them. Once frozen, dip them in chocolate for a great, cool snack that tastes similar to an icecream bar – but with more nutritional value.

Homemade Fruit Pops

When you purchase popsicles from the store, they are not only expensive, especially the all natural ones, but they are also incredibly high in added sugar. To keep the health benefits high while still being able to enjoy a great snack, consider making your own fruit pops. You can add just about any fruit to them to fit your own tastes, and will be a family favorite.

Summertime is a time when most of us focus on getting back in shape. Don’t spoil your efforts by enjoying one too many decadent treats. Instead, focus on eating all those great fruits that come in to season as a sweet treat, and you should be able to give your family a nutritious snack without overloading on calories.

I’m thrilled and honored to be a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger! I’ll be blogging for Hormel Foods each month, starting with tips for incorporating Hormel Foods into your 4th of July celebrations.  Hormel Foods works to fight hunger both here in America and overseas. They’ve donated millions of dollars worth of product to local food banks and Feeding America, and developed a fortified, shelf-stable turkey spread to help nourish children in Guatemala through a partnership with Food for the Poor and Caritas Arquidiocesana. This is a company I’m proud to be representing!

With Independence Day right around the corner, how are you showing your patriotic support this summer?  Are you sending a care package to troops overseas? Do you host an annual 4thof July party with friends and family? Hormel and I want to know! Here are some tips and links to recipes to get you started:

Get the kids together to make cards and care packages for troops serving overseas. Not sure where to start? A hand-made card and care package with packaged snacks are always a good bet. Tip: Troops are sure to enjoy Hormel® pepperoni stix, Hormel® chili or Hormel® Snac*Cups™, which are filled with Hormel® pepperoni, Sargento cheese and Keebler crackers for a protein-rich snack or meal.

Invite neighbors, friends and family over for a backyard Independence Day party and invite each guest to bring an item to send in a care package to troops overseas. Invite everyone to bring their favorite summertime appetizers and desserts to share. Tip: At your party, spend more time catching up with friends by skipping the grill and serving BBQ Blue Sandwiches (recipe below) for the main course with an Applewood Bacon Spinach Salad!

Did you know Hormel Foods makes Chi-Chi’s Salsa?  For hungry guests, put out bowls of chips and salsa to snack on. It comes in jars and also in 3.5 ounce cups called Snackers.

So, what are your 4th of July plans? A barbecue, fireworks, a trip with your family? Tell me in the comments! And finally, here’s that recipe for the BBQ Blue Sandwiches featuring another Hormel Foods brand – Lloyd’s Barbecue, which is SO GOOD. It’s also a great summer recipe because all you use is the microwave, no turning on the hot stove. Plus, a recipe that only has TWO STEPS in the directions is my kind of recipe! Enjoy!

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Hormel Foods Recipes > BBQ Blue Sandwiches

Serves 4. Total time: under 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (12-ounce) package Lloyd’s Woodfire Barbeque™ Beef Brisket
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 4 Kaiser rolls, split and toasted
• 4 leaves lettuce
• 8 slices Hormel® Black Label® Fully Cooked Bacon, heated and slices cut in half
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• Barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare brisket according to package directions.
2. Spread mayonnaise on cut sides of each roll. Place 1 leaf lettuce on bottom half of each roll; top with brisket, bacon and cheese. Drizzle each sandwich with barbecue sauce.

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So, how are you spending 4th of July? A barbecue, fireworks, a trip with your family? Tell me in the comments!

disclosure: I received products and information fromHormel Foods as part of my participation in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Preferred Blogger Program. All opinions about the products are my own.