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Innovative and Fresh Solutions for Healthy Eating

(Family Features) - Active individuals and families often struggle with finding enough time to prepare and eat healthy meals. In a day filled with activities, well-balanced meals served at home seem to be losing out to fast-food solutions. In fact, the number of meals prepared at home continues to decline, falling from 64% in 2003 to 58% in 2005¹.

While eating "on-the go" offers a rapid and convenient solution, there is no true substitute for a nutritious meal served at home, and an important ingredient for any well-balanced meal is vegetables.

Birds Eye Foods understands that busy cooks need innovative solutions, which is why it has developed Steamfresh — a collection of frozen vegetables that delivers unmatched taste, quality and convenience. How is this possible? Steamfresh uses patented steaming technology in a custom-designed bag that allows frozen vegetables to be steamed to perfection. Vegetables go from freezer to microwave to table in just five minutes.

According to Birds Eye Corporate Chef Mark Susz, there are some additional great ways to cut time in the kitchen without sacrificing quality meal solutions and he offers the following tips:

Visualize The End Result: Before grocery shopping, take a few minutes to plan meals you would like to prepare for the week. Shop with a goal in mind and plan for meals for the entire week, not just one to two days. If a kitchen is stocked with nutritious ingredients and if you have a "game plan," you will be less likely to opt for take-out food.
Keep It Simple: You must be comfortable with the meals you prepare. If you are short on time, select a recipe that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. With less mess and less worry, you'll be more likely to make healthy eating a way of life.
Seek New Solutions: Comb the Internet for fun, easy recipes and ask your friends for suggestions. Keep your family involved in the menu planning and preparation as well.Additional input will help keep recipes creative and kids will be more likely to eat healthy if they help with selections.
Chill Out: Frozen vegetables can keep much longer than fresh vegetables and are usually easier to prepare. Prevent additional trips to the store during the week by frequenting the frozen food aisle and stocking up on nutritious side dishes. Preparing frozen vegetables, like Steamfresh, is a perfect solution to cut time in the kitchen.

A healthy dinner doesn't need to be fancy, elaborate or even take long to prepare. It should, however, offer variety, and the new Steamfresh line is available in nine great selections, among them:

Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrots
Mixed Vegetables
Broccoli, Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas & Water Chestnuts
Sweet Mini Corn on the Cob

Each 12-ounce package serves about four people. For additional information regarding innovative mealtime solutions and the new Birds Eye products, please visit www.birdseyesteamfresh.com. ______________________________
¹ MSI. 2005. The 2005 Gallup study of home meal replacements. Multi-Sponsor Surveys, Inc., Princeton, N.J. www.multisponsorsurveys.com.

SOURCE: Birds Eye