Parents Admit Hectic Weeknights Lead To Skipping Vegetables an Average of Two Dinners per Week in New National Survey
Celebrity Chef Gina Neely Helps Kick-Off 'Fresh Take on What to Make' Campaign with Green Giant Frozen Vegetables to Help Time-Crunched Parents Transform Weeknight Dinners
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for hectic back-to-school schedules, Green Giant Frozen Steamers is kicking off the 'Fresh Take on What to Make' campaign in partnership with beloved celebrity chef and TV host Gina Neely. The campaign comes on the heels of new findings from the 2014 Fresh Takes with Green Giant Frozen Survey* in which more than a third (36 percent) of parents surveyed admitted to forgetting about, or even purposely cutting out, vegetables when crunched for time at the end of the day, leaving them out of meals an average of twice a week. This is despite four-out-of-five (83 percent) parents agreeing no dinner is complete without a vegetable.
Celebrity chef Gina Neely is partnering with Green Giant Frozen Steamers. (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant)
Fresh Takes with Green Giant Frozen meal ideas feature just five ingredients and can be on the dinner table in about 20 minutes, such as Quick 'n Easy Pot Pies (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant) (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant)
Fresh Takes with Green Giant Frozen meal ideas feature just five ingredients and can be on the dinner table in about 20 minutes, such as White Pizza with Sweet Corn and Bacon. (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant) (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant)
Fresh Takes with Green Giant Frozen meal ideas feature just five ingredients and can be on the dinner table in about 20 minutes, such as Chicken Divine. (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant) (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant)
Green Giant Logo (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant) (PRNewsFoto/Green Giant)
Featuring exciting ways to transform tried-and-true go-to meals with just five ingredients, The 'Fresh Take on What to Make' campaign aims to provide time-crunched parents with helpful ideas and tips to reinvent dinnertime – showing that it can be as simple as just adding Green Giant Steamers to your family's favorite go-to dishes. People can find expert tips, meal ideas from Gina Neely like her Quick 'n Easy Chicken Pot Pies using Green Giant Steamers Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce, and more on greengiant.com/easymeals.
"As a mom, I know parents have the best of intentions and want to prepare exciting and nutritious dinners every night, but hectic schedules lead to falling back on those go-to meals – spaghetti, anyone?" says Gina Neely. "Easy steps, like preparing your grocery list and stocking up on simple ingredients like Green Giant Steamers, can make a big difference in the kitchen."
Solutions for Dinnertime Challenges When it comes to dinnertime, the majority of parents (78 percent) would rather spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying dinnertime with their kids, according to the 2014 Fresh Takes with Green Giant Frozen Survey. However, key findings show that parents run into many challenges at dinnertime, including:
Never having enough time to cook dinner leaves more than two-in-three (63 percent) parents falling back on the same tried-and-true, go-to meals, which most often include spaghetti (60 percent), sandwiches (39 percent) or chicken tenders (37 percent).
When genuinely trying to incorporate veggies into meals, 70 percent identify challenges, including getting kids excited about eating them (42 percent), not having vegetables on hand (32 percent) or not knowing how to prepare them (20 percent).
Learning to cook new and different meals comes with its own set of challenges. Nearly half (44 percent) of parents are worried their families won't like new recipes, 27 percent don't want to spend the time or money trying to hunt down unfamiliar ingredients and 21 percent say there are so many recipe resources available that they just don't know where to start.
"The 'Fresh Takes' survey highlights real dinnertime challenges facing parents today who are balancing a lot – work, kids' school and after-school activities, house chores and pets' needs, to name a few," said John Stockman, associate marketing director for Green Giant. "We want to help make dinnertime exciting again by showing families how to transform their go-to meals in simple ways that let the veggies shine and bring families together."
Green Giant Steamers are a perfect solution for busy parents, offering 25 delicious steam-in-the-bag varieties, including options with unique sauces, seasonings and blends that help make meal-time more exciting. With favorites like Roasted Red Potatoes, Green Beans & Rosemary Butter Sauce and Broccoli and Cheese, the Steamers offer a convenient and simple way for families to enjoy their vegetables.
The Fresh Takes with Green Giant Frozen meal ideas feature just five ingredients and can be on the dinner table in about 20 minutes. Among other great ideas, Gina's meals include:
For additional information and helpful resources, please visit greengiant.com/easymeals. People can also connect with Gina Neely and Green Giant during a Twitter Chat on September 16 at 8pm ET and during a Google+ Hangout on September 23 at 8pm ET.
* The 2014 Fresh Takes with Green Giant Frozen Survey presents the findings of an online survey conducted by ORC International from August 5-8, 2014 among a sample of 986 American parents of children under the age of 18, comprising 487 men and 499 women.
About Green Giant® Few companies enjoy a heritage as rich as that of Green Giant. It all started 110 years ago in 1903, when the Crosby family created the first cannery in the rich valley of Le Sueur, Minnesota, where glaciers carved out some of the richest soil in the world. For generations, Green Giant farmers have been growing the best quality vegetables and freezing them quickly to lock in the freshness. That's how we've made our vegetables deliciously unforgettable for years, and made Green Giant a trusted household brand. For more information and delicious recipes, please visit www.greengiant.com.
About General Mills General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2014 worldwide sales of US $17.9 billion.
About Gina Neely Gina Neely is a nationally-known chef, television personality, entrepreneur and best-selling author. She has hosted top-rated television programs, written three cookbooks, operated successful businesses and appeared before live audiences across the country and around the world. Gina enjoys sharing her messages about food, family and fun with people everywhere!!!
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