Whole Foods Market

I made these delicious and healthy organic veggies the other day, using the Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value Mediterranean Blend frozen vegetables. I added a Fresh Lemon Dressing on top, which was a nice lemony, tangy, finishing touch.

I also made this yummy chicken and veggie dish with the organic Southwestern Blend frozen vegetables, also from Whole Foods.

I mentioned in an earlier post that these are some of the new organic frozen food products in the Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value line. There are so many veggies and fruits to choose from, but the Southwestern and Mediterranean Blends are among their newest products. They can be used in soups, stews, casseroles, and many other ways. And they’re great just the way they are as a side dish with your meal.

Here are my recipes if you’d like to try them out. They’re really good and good for you!

MEDITERRANEAN BLEND VEGGIES WITH FRESH LEMON DRESSING

1 (16-oz.) package Mediterranean Blend frozen vegetables (a blend of zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, green beans, red peppers, and onions)

FRESH LEMON DRESSING (adapted from Lowe’s Creative Ideas )

4 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt

Prepare vegetables according to package directions.

To make lemon dressing, combine lemon peel, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until thickened. Whisk in sour cream or yogurt.

To serve, drizzle dressing over cooked veggies or serve dressing on the side and dip veggies in dressing. The 16-ounce package of frozen veggies makes about 4 to 5 side servings and the dressing makes 6 to 8 servings, so you’ll have a little dressing left over–you can save that for a salad!

SOUTHWESTERN BLEND VEGGIES WITH CHICKEN

1 (16-0z.) package Southwestern Blend frozen veggies (a blend of onions and red and green peppers)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cooked, chopped-up chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken I had purchased)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully add frozen vegetables to the skillet and saute 5 minutes. Add chopped chicken and saute 2 more minutes, or until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning and serve. Makes 4 servings.

These are both really quick and easy recipes, and so healthy! Hope you get a chance to try them sometime!

Do you ever shop at Whole Foods Market? I love going there whenever I have the chance! The closest one to me is about an hour and a half away, so I stock up on things when I go. I recently heard about some new products in the Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value brand of organic frozen fruits and veggies. I was excited to have a chance to try some out, too, compliments of Whole Foods!

The new item in their organic frozen fruit selection is the Frozen Berry Blend, which I used in my Very Berry Smoothie recipe. I also picked up some frozen blackberries to make a Blackberry Crumble, and I’ll be sharing that recipe with you soon. There’s also some new organic frozen veggie blends that I’ll be trying out and telling you about …the Organic Southwestern Blend, Mediterranean Blend, and Leafy Greens Blend. Don’t those all sound good and healthy?

But for now, I’ll tell you more about the smoothie I created with the Frozen Berry Blend, which is a delicious combination of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. I just love this smoothie–it’s one of the creamiest, smoothest, smoothies I’ve made! I’m sure the organic frozen fruit made a big difference in the taste, too. When it comes to berries, it’s good to use organic since so many pesticides are used on berries grown the conventional way.

Here’s the smoothie recipe…I hope you get a chance to try it out! It’s great for breakfast or anytime you’re wanting a healthy snack.

VERY BERRY SMOOTHIE by NancyCreative

1 (10-ounce) package (or about 2 1/2 cups) frozen blend of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries
1 medium banana
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 to 2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup low-fat milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Since this is a thicker smoothie, you may need to stop the blender and stir the mixture with a spoon or spatula to help it along. Then continue blending. Makes 2 servings.

Do you like to eat healthy? What’s your favorite healthy snack?