This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Frozen Food Foundation for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Did you know that almost 80% of Americans don't get the recommended daily allowance of fruit? That's pretty crazy, isn't it? The numbers for vegetables are even worse, with almost 90% of people not meeting the recommended amount of vegetables. Fruits and veggies are a huge source of essential nutrients in our diets, and many studies have shown that a diet high in nutritious fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Given the increase in the rates of chronic diseases, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is more important than ever! The University of California-Davis (UC Davis), in partnership with the Frozen Food Foundation, conducted an in-depth study to evaluate the nutrient content of eight commonly-purchased frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables, specifically analyzing vitamins B2 (riboflavin), C and E, and B-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A); the minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron; dietary fiber; and total phenolics (health-promoting plant compounds). Results found that frozen fruits and veggies are usually just as nutritious as they are when they're fresh! In some cases, they were even higher in nutritional content!
So why aren't Americans getting enough of these vital nutrients from fruits and veggies? The answer is simple, really: time, effort and expense.
If you think about it, fresh fruits and veggies are often costly, especially in parts of the country where certain produce doesn't grow and needs to be brought in - or even imported from other countries.
Add to the expense aspect that fresh fruits and veggies often need a lot of preparation to eat (hulling strawberries, peeling, dicing and chopping vegetables), sometimes it isn't convenient to work a lot of fruits and vegetables into our diets. I was working on an Eat Fresh Challenge the past few weeks and it reminded me just how much work it is to chop and dice all of the fresh vegetables necessary for most recipes!
These are some of the reasons why many Americans don't get the recommended daily allowance of fruit and vegetables - but there is an easier (and often less expense) way to get more fruits and vegetables into our diets: frozen food!
Freezing is simply nature’s pause button. Frozen fruits and vegetables are picked at the peak of ripeness and frozen, which locks in the nutrient value. Frozen fruits and vegetables offer us a more conveinent, affordable way to simplify meal preparation and fill our family's bellies full of healthy fruits and vegetables.
I always keep my freezer stocked full of frozen fruits and vegetables because they are so easy to cook with. I was in the mood to make a Hearty Minestrone Soup recipe the other day and instead of spending an hour chopping vegetables, I bought a carton of tomato sauce and a bag of Bird's Eye Classic Mixed Vegetables and a bit of ground pork. It literally took me five minutes to prep the soup, and that was just because I had to cook the ground pork!
The result was a delicious soup that Angeline and I enjoyed while she was home sick from school, and it was so easy to make!
Easy Homemade Hearty Minestrone Soup Recipe
Easy Homemade Hearty Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 bag Bird's Eye Classic Mixed Vegetables
- 1 16 ounce carton of tomato sauce
- 1 16 ounce carton of vegetable stock
- 1 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup of elbow macaroni
- 1 lb ground pork You can substitute beef or chicken
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
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In a pan over medium-high heat, brown ground pork.
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In a large pot, add vegetable stock, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and seasonings. Mix well.
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Add elbow macaroni, cooked ground pork and vegetables and stir.
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Let cook over medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes.
To learn more about the benefits of frozen food, check out the Frozen Food Foundation Twitter and like the Frozen Food Foundation Facebook page!
Robin (Masshole Mommy)
That soup sounds perfect for a chilly winter night. Nom!!
Tracey
This soup sounds perfect for this cold, fall weather! Never would have thought to add frozen veggies - so smart!
TerriAnn @ Cookies & Clogs
Love your use of frozen veggies in this recipe. I also find that having frozen vegetables on hand make us more likely to eat them as fresh can go bad so quickly.
Kenda
The minestrone sounds like it would be a perfect fall recipe. I like that you can use frozen veggies in it because they are so much easier to handle and use.
Marybeth Hamilton
I love comparing frozen veggies to a "pause button'. It just makes it all make sense. I've never seen such pretty frozen vegetables, either!
Pam
This soup looks really good! I love using frozen vegetables, they taste great and save so much time.
Liz Mays
That looks so chock full of goodness. I love when the spoon doesn't come up with just broth. YUM!
Catherine S
Thanks for the great soup recipe. Onlookers healthy, quick and easy on week nights.
Krystal
I love frozen veggies! It's so much easier to prepare and the nutrients are the same!
Felicia
We are on a soup kick around here. What a great way to make a favorite a lot easier.
April @ Everyday Fitness and Nutrition
My husband is a huge fan of minestrone soup so I'm sure he would love this recipe. I prefer using fresh vegetables but we always keep frozen veggies on hand to make sure we are always stocked with veggies.
Dawn
This is a great recipe. I'm a big fan of frozen ingredients. It saves SO much time.
Janell Poulette
My 6 year old son loves soup! This is such an easy way to throw a soup together for him!
Melinda
we always have a stock of frozen veggies on hand. This soup sounds amazing. I always order it out but never make it. Thanks for the kick in the pants
Lori Gunn
Excellent, appetizing display of the soup. I enjoyed your comment about the work of chopping and dicing. I made soup the other night and simply shredded the carrots into the broth. I'll have to stock up on frozen carrots for the times when neat cubes are called for.
Melissa @ This Girl's Life Blog
I love hearty soups. Growing up and even still has always made soup more soupy and it was never how I liked it. I always had to add a whole sleeve for of crushed crackers. lol
Christie
Love the colorful soup! We're always looking for more ways to add veggies to our days, yum!
Ann Bacciaglia
This soup looks so delicious i want to have a bowl right now. I love to make soup especially at this time of the year. I use frozen vegetables when i can not get fresh veggies.
Kristin
This looks and sounds so good. I've printed a copy of later. Thank you for sharing.
Pauline Cabrera
Delish! This calls for a new comfort food to add my recipe.
Shell
Your soup looks yummy! Frozen veggies are so convenient.
Tammy
What a great lunch or dinner option for a chilly fall or winter day.. Add garlic bread sticks and you've got a restaurant worthy meal.
Lara
That looks delicious, and healthy! I love how easy it is too!
Dina
My grandma made this amazing mixed veggie casserole that I loved. I hadn't even thought about it until I saw this. I'm going to pull that recipe out for Thanksgiving.
Theresa @ Faith and Family Reviews
Looks great! We eat a lot of ground beef and pasta dishes, this would be a new one with a twist to try out. Thanks!
Shannon Gosney
Bird's Eye is a great brand! This sounds like a yummy recipe.
christina p
Perfect for the cold weather we have outside. Thanks for the post.
M.Clark
Yum, this looks delicious, what a great Winter dish. It's always nice to find vegetarian or vegan dishes. Thank you for sharing this recipe.