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How Balanced Are Your Meals?

July 23, 2015 by The Motherhood

Did you know that the average American meets the U.S. Dietary Guidelines only seven days out of the entire year?* It’s a shocking statistic, and one that the Balance Your Plate initiative is hoping to change.

As part of that initiative, The Motherhood recently worked with California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) and a team of amazing moms to share simple, convenient ways to make nutritious, balanced meals using CPK frozen pizzas (yes, pizzas!).

Read on for their recipes, timesaving strategies and tips on incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables into their meals!

AmyAmy, Grinning Cheek to Cheek

  • Amy with Grinning Cheek to Cheek paired her CPK Crispy Thin Crust Margherita with a friend’s Greek Barley Salad and raw sweet bell peppers.
  • A tip from Crystal, Simply Being Mommy: “Always check the serving size on the back of the box to ensure you are putting the proper portion size on your plate. A good rule of thumb is to fill half of your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables.”

AnneAnne, Upstate Ramblings

  • Anne with Upstate Ramblings whipped up a delicious Strawberry-Cranberry Salad to accompany her family’s CPK Crispy Thin Crust White pizza.
  • If your kids aren’t salad eaters, Jen at The Suburban Mom suggested including fruits and veggies they’ll happily eat. In her girls’ case, that’s tomatoes and peas!
  • Mariah, The Simple Parent, shared her easy tip for serving veggies to her kids without doing double the prep: “I throw together a quick salad for the adults and then I break out cut-up fruit and veggies for the kids! It’s easy and delicious! They love dipping so sometimes I had a bit of a dipping sauce and they are ready to eat!”
  • Brett from This Mama Loves shared her Raspberry Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing, which she drizzled on her salad of spinach, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and walnuts.
  • Enza with Enza’s Bargains shared a fun idea of having an indoor picnic, where her family enjoyed pizza, salad, and some dried cranberries on the side!
  • Cherise with Mom and More showed how she fills half of her plate with fresh veggies to balance the two slices of CPK Hand-Tossed pizza.
  • Nicole with Mom Always Finds Out tried the BBQ Chopped Salad recipe from the back of her CPK Crispy Thin Crust BBQ Recipe Chicken box (you can find the salad recipe here, too: www.cpkfrozen.com).
  • If you’ve ever wondered if frozen is as good as fresh, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier, shared this information: “As freezing is nature’s ‘pause’ button, vegetables that are picked at their peak of freshness retain the nutrients that are often lost by the time fresh produce is consumed. Many frozen options are also lower in sodium, saturated fat and calories than quick-service meals and national chain restaurants.”

JenniferMBTTJennifer, My Boys and Their Toys

  • Jennifer, My Boys and Their Toys, shared a rainbow-colored fruit salad and helpful budget tips: “Plan ahead and write it down. Stick to your list when shopping. Reuse ingredients throughout the week to eliminate waste. Balance your plate with produce in season, and stock up on frozen produce as well.”

JenniferMomSpottedJennifer, MomSpotted

  • Jennifer with MomSpotted paired her CPK Crispy Thin Crust Margherita pizza with a gorgeous salad using fresh produce picked from her garden!
  • If you’re looking for balanced meal inspiration, head over to Life with Lisa, who shared some helpful meal plans like those from the Balance Your Plate site.
  • Did you know CPK has a line of gluten-free flavors? Mickey with A Helicopter Mom tried the gluten-free CPK Crispy Thin Crust Margherita, and shared an easy formula for pairing frozen with fresh for a balanced meal.

KendaKenda, Remaking June Cleaver

  • Kenda, Remaking June Cleaver, shared her recipe for Strawberry & Spinach Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette.
  • Ever had a frantic moment when you commit to making dinner for someone and it slips your mind that day? Mary with Giving Up on Perfect can relate! Read how CPK Frozen Pizza and a quick salad came to the rescue for her.
  • Mellisa, Mom Luck, paired her CPK Crispy Thin Crust Signature Pepperoni with a side salad and shares helpful tips on balancing her family’s plates.

*According to the NPD Group National Eating Trends Database

Filed Under: Featured Clients, Influencers & Impact Tagged With: balanced nutrition, cooking, Family Meal

Brands Follow the Lead of Consumers, Making Products More Health Conscious

July 10, 2015 by The Motherhood

Have you made any dietary changes in the past year or do you plan to? If you answered “yes,” you are not alone: In a recent survey conducted by The Motherhood (full results to come!), we found that 55 percent of respondents had made or plan to make better-for-you, health-conscious dietary changes, including eating more organic and natural products, and less sugar and carbs.

Shoppers are paying closer attention to the labeling on food packaging, too, as they are increasingly concerned with what’s in the food they are feeding their children and themselves. According to Women’s Marketing research, 58 percent of consumers usually or always read the ingredients list. Most importantly, consumers are reaching for foods with no additives or preservatives, with real ingredients that they can recognize and that are minimally processed or natural.

Consumers aren’t the only ones reaching toward nutritious eating habits; big consumer brands are following that lead. To keep up with demand, many large brands are transitioning to more natural ingredients and expanded product lines. Consumer packaged goods brands are adopting new practices to appeal to health-conscious shoppers by removing artificial ingredients, expanding product lines into healthier markets, and giving priority shelf space to healthier foods. These practices are becoming a necessity to compete, penetrating the fast food and fast casual markets as a way to show intent and build sustainability.

 

heart_nutrition
Source: fleursvegankitchen.com

The government is also placing pressure on brands to eliminate harmful ingredients. Just this June, the Food and Drug Administration gave food brands three years to eliminate trans fats from the food supply! This effort is expected to save thousands of lives each year.

Bloggers and online influencers are fueling this trend of nutritious eating as they create content, share opinions and recipes and educate others on these topics via social media. In fact, 81 percent of U.S. women online trust Pinterest as a reliable source of information and advice, and furthermore, three out of every five boards on Pinterest are food-related, which creates a huge impact on formulating meal planning and food consumption practices.

Whole Food Blog: Fooduzzi - Pinterest
Source: Fooduzzi.com Pinterest

Social media and online platforms give brands a voice in the community to share authentically with consumers, which can have a huge impact on consumers’ opinions. Perceptions of brands and products are formed before shoppers even set foot in a store, through online and personal interactions — and more than 31 percent of food and beverage sales are directly influenced by digital.

Brands must connect with consumers on a level of trust regarding food ingredients as the demand for transparency increases. Not only do consumers want to know what’s in their food, they also want to know that it is coming from socially responsible sources.

Through the Balance Your Plate initiative, brands are educating consumers on how to make frozen meals more nutritious — providing families with tips on using frozen foods as part of wholesome, nutritious meals that meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We’re happy to be working with California Pizza Kitchen, a brand involved in the movement, providing packaging and a website that highlights nutritious pairings as well as healthy sides and toppings for their delicious frozen pizzas.

Other brands are getting in on the action, too:

  • Kraft Mac & Cheese removed artificial flavors and preservatives. (Can you taste the difference?)
  • Jelly Belly will be releasing a line of fruit-flavored organic candies. (Yum!)
  • Target notified manufacturers that they would start promoting healthier options in an effort to project a healthier image.
  • Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Hershey’s, Smuckers, Arby’s and many more are all joining in the movement of including more natural ingredients in their products.
  • Chipotle became the first national restaurant chain to cook only with non-GMO ingredients.

With consumers’ powerful influence online and in person, brands are making the choice to build more health-conscious, socially responsible products in order to compete. I (Kahlianne) was lucky enough to grow up in a household where my mom was always health conscious and encouraged the development of good eating habits in my brothers and me. Have you adopted healthier eating habits in your household recently?

Featured image at the top of the post courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user tsausawest. 

Filed Under: Research & Insights, Trending & Social Media Tagged With: balanced nutrition, Consumers, cooking, food, Insights

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