Enjoy Life More with Del Monte $100 Sweepstakes

During this hectic time of the year, when I am preparing for the holidays and enjoying the special festivities of New York City, I still like to prepare a nutritious homemade meal packed with quality ingredients. This will be my last Christmas in New York for a while, as I am packing for a move out West.

Although I'm very busy I also want to find the time to enjoy life more each day. What better way to fulfill that goal than having quick, fuss free, and delicious meals to prepare, with the help of Del Monte canned Fruits, Vegetables and Tomatoes, such as the pizza seen above?

Or a meal that almost cooks itself, such as chicken and vegetables in the crock pot ...

... or a side of hearty cornbread, fresh from my oven?

That is why I always have Del Monte canned products in my pantry! Did you know that Del Monte canned Fruits, Vegetables and Tomatoes contain similar essential nutrients to fresh, with no artificial colors or flavors? That they are grown in the best regions for a consistently high-quality product? That the majority of Del Monte canned Fruits, Vegetables and Tomatoes are grown in the United States, and are packed at the peak of ripeness, with nearly 90% canned the same day to lock in nutrients and flavors?

Adding Del Monte canned Fruits, Vegetables and Tomatoes to your meals is an excellent way of adding more garden fresh versatility, along with ease of preparation.

Here are the recipes for some of the ways I add Del Monte canned Fruits, Vegetables and Tomatoes to my meals:

Quick and Easy Pizza

Press a store-bought pizza dough in your pizza pan to form a 14 - 16-inch circle.

Spread one 14 1/2 oz. can drained, of Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano on top.

Spread 1/2 pound of sliced mozzarella cheese over the tomatoes

Add whatever other condiments your family enjoys to the pizza toppings. For this pizza I added some jarred artichoke hearts, sliced roasted red peppers and one small can of anchovies. I also added a few basil leaves that came from the garden that I have frozen for just such use.

Bake the pizza in a pre-heated 500 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and slightly browned and the toppings are hot, and the cheese is bubbly.

Slice and enjoy!

Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano makes the perfectly flavored pizza sauce, and they are a natural source of vitamins A and C and the powerful antioxidant, Lycopene.

Chicken and Vegetables in the Crock Pot

Two pounds of chicken thighs, skin and fat removed

One medium sized onion, sliced

One 14 1/12 oz can of Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano (or substitute plain Del Monte Diced tomatoes and add your own blend of seasonings)

Add chicken to the pot, followed by sliced onions and the diced tomatoes on top. Cover and cook on crock pot low setting, 7 hours.

Open and drain one can Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans, one can drained Fresh Cut Sliced Carrots, and one can drained Fresh Cut Sweet Peas. Pour drained vegetables over the chicken and tomatoes in the crock pot, cover, and turn crock pot to high for the last hour of cooking.

Prepare rice or pasta as a side. Remove chicken from the crock pot and place on a platter to serve. Add the rice or pasta to your dish and ladle sauce and vegetables on top. Serve.

The Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano adds the perfect amount of seasoning to the chicken and sauce, and the added Del Monte vegetables makes this meal a snap to make, as all the preparation work is done for you. They are also a wonderful way to add more vegetables to your diet.

Hearty Skillet Corn Bread

One 15 1/2 oz Del Monte Fresh Cut, Golden Sweet, Whole Kernel Corn, drained

One cup all-purpose flour

One cup cornmeal

One tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Two beaten eggs

One cup of milk

1/4 cup cooking oil or shortening, melted

2 - 4 tablespoons sugar

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 12 inch cast iron skillet, set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.

In another bowl combine the eggs, milk, and cooking oil or melted shortening.

Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Add drained corn. Stir just until moistened.

Spoon batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

The addition of Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn adds more fiber, nutrition and a sweet delicious taste to my favorite cornbread recipe, making it an extra special treat. I love to serve it as a side dish for a soup or stew, or as an accompaniment for a holiday meal.

Last, but not least, one of my favorite desserts as a child remains one of my favorite comfort desserts of today -- a scoop of cottage cheese covered with a few Del Monte Sliced Peaches in Extra Light Syrup. It has just the right amount of coolness and sweetness to bring a smile to my face every time I eat it!

I hope you'll try one of my recipes or find one you'd like to try at www.delmonte.com. Also, visit Del Monte's "Add Some Garden™" campaign Facebook page for more delicious recipe ideas.

Tell us about meals that make you feel good and are good for you, in the comment form on my blog, and you will be entered in sweepstakes for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
"b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the
following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post"
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise, a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstake runs from 11/19/2012 - 12/21/2012

Be sure to visit Del Monte's brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

* This is a paid promotion by Del Monte and BlogHer, but all recipes and opinions are my own.