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Friday, February 6, 2015

Summer Breeze Corn Salad and a Green Giant BlogSpark Prize Pack Giveaway


For many people, the upcoming Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer! Here in Texas, we start warming up in April…so we’re already wearing our capris and getting pedis so we can wear sandals. And? We’re also eating lighter food. Being a food blogger has had one unintended side effect: a "few" extra unwanted pounds! As a result, I’m making an effort to cook and share more light options with yall. To help make eating healthier easier, the folks at MyBlogSpark teamed up with Green Giant and Weight Watchers to send me a prize pack that helps make eating light on-the-go much easier. 


The kit contains a VIP coupon for a free package of Weight Watchers-endorsed Green Giant vegetables, a water bottle,  a insulated lunch bag, a lunch-to-go kit and mini ice pack, a mini nutrition tracker, and a solar-powered pedometer. Its pretty much everything you need to pack a healthy lunch...and track all those steps you take during the day. And one of YOU is going to win a prize pack just like this one too!! 

Veggies are an important part of a healthy lifestyle, so I make an effort to eat my recommended five servings of  fruits and veggies each day. It’s not always easy, but Green Giant Steamers are really convenient for me. I just pop ‘em in the microwave, and they’re ready to eat in a matter of minutes. FYI...Green Giant is the only frozen vegetable brand to be endorsed by Weight Watchers, and most of their 30 varieties are only 1 or 2 PointsPlus per serving. You can even visit http://bit.ly/greengiantcoupon to download a printable coupon for $.60 off the purchase price of two boxes of Weight Watchers endorsed Green Giant Boxed Vegetables.



I decided that I wanted to create a healthy and refreshing salad using the white shoepeg corn that I purchased with my coupon. This is my riff on one of my favorite summer salads that my mother-in-law serves with grilled steak. Her salad combines tomato, cucumber, avocado, and purple onion tossed with store-bought Italian dressing. I made two tweaks to her recipe: I added sweet shoepeg corn to the veggies, and I made a homemade vinaigrette featuring lime juice, heart-healthy olive oil, and a bit of cilantro. 


Summer Breeze Corn Salad
adapted from my mother-in-law

Step 1:  Add the following ingredients to a large mixing bowl: 1 thawed package Green Giant Steamers White Shoepeg Corn, two small chopped tomatoes (seeded), 1/4 cup finely diced purple onion, 1 small seeded chopped cucumber, and 1 diced avocado. 


Step 2:  Combine the following ingredients in a measuring cup to make the dressing: 1/4 cup olive oil, a squeeze of sriracha (maybe 1 tsp.), the juice of one large lime, 1 tsp. salt, a few grinds black pepper, and 1 tsp. dried cilantro. Whisk well to combine.



Step 3:  Pour the dressing over the veggies in the bowl and stir well to combine. Be gentle so you dont break up the avocado too much, especially if its very ripe! Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors combine before serving.




This refreshing salad takes 15 minutes max to toss together, but it’s the perfect for summer: light and bursting with flavor! The creamy avocado and crunchy cucumber plays really nicely against the sweet corn...and the cilantro and lime in the dressing give it a bit of zest! This salad is best served the same day in order for the avocado to look its best, but I like to make it 1-2 hours before serving to let the flavors combine just a bit. I served this with simple marinated grilled chicken breast and rice pilaf for a fantastic simple supper. 


So...who wants to win one of these fun prize packs from MyBlogSpark? Simply comment below telling me which vegetable you would choose with your free coupon...and how you would use it in a healthy summer dish. Ill accept entries until 1159 PM this Friday...and Ill announce the winner this weekend. 


Disclosure:  The coupons, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Green Giant® and Weight Watchers® through MyBlogSpark. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

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