The giveaway in this post is now closed. But there’s a recipe, so keep reading!

When it comes to my kids’ lunches, I try to do a decent job of feeding them a balanced meal. There’s not much sugar, always a protein of some kind, and definitely fresh fruit. The one area where I am lacking, however, is vegetables. Once in a while I throw in sliced cucumbers or carrot sticks, but more often than not I miss vegetables entirely.

Libby’s® recently contacted me about developing a quick and easy single serving recipe using Libby’s 4 oz. Vegetable Cups. To help with developing the recipe, Libby’s mailed our family a box of the vegetable cups to try out and experiment with. My daughter Anna, who loves trying food and cooking with me, was genuinely excited about the cups.

Anna: “Mom, what are these?”

Me: “Those are the veggie cups I am going to use for a recipe.”

Anna: “Ooooo! Can I have some green beans? Please?!”

Um, yes, she actually said that. And she actually liked the green beans! She liked the carrots, too, and she looooooved the corn. Anna is 100% supportive of me packing the Vegetable Cups in her lunches.

For the recipe I developed I decided to go with a super quick and easy 3-bean salad for one! This makes for a “fancy” after-school snack or even a quick side dish with dinner when life gets busy. And this recipe utilizes one of my favorite magical ingredients: Italian Dressing. Italian dressing has a way of making pretty much any recipe easier, including salads of all kinds.

In addition to today’s recipe, we also have a giveaway! Not only will the winner receive an assortment of Libby’s Vegetable Cups, but they will also be gifted with this ridiculously cute Amanda’s Kids’ Lunch Playset from Food52.com. I wish I could enter the giveaway, all three of my kids would love this playset! (Maybe I’ll just have to go buy it!)

To enter the giveaway, please do the following (comments must be posted by Midnight PT 9/3/15):

• Simply leave a comment on this post! That’s it!
• Bonus entry: Follow Libby’s on Pinterest (leave a separate comment indicating you follow)
• Bonus entry: Like Libby’s on Facebook (leave a separate comment indicating you follow)
• Bonus entry: Follow This Week for Dinner on Pinterest (leave a separate comment indicating you follow)
• Bonus entry: Like This Week for Dinner on Facebook (leave a separate comment indicating you follow)

The randomly-selected winner of this giveaway was comment #22 Kelly, who said, “What a great idea! My Mom used to make 3-bean salad, but I never thought about sending it in the kids’ lunches. Thanks for the recipe!”

And now for the recipe! It seriously took me less than 5 minutes to toss this salad together. It doesn’t get easier than that. Enjoy!

3-Bean Salad for One

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 Libby's 4-oz. Green Bean Vegetable Cup
• 1 tablespoon garbanzo beans
• 1 tablespoon kidney beans
• 1 teaspoon chopped red onion
• 2 teaspoons Italian dressing

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Voila! You're done!

Notes

Cost: Appx. $0.60/serving

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Big thanks to Libby’s for sponsoring today’s post.

I’m starting to sound like a broken record this month, but I really love how the food around the holidays reminds me of loved ones and years past. It’s definitely the time of year that I turn to beloved family recipes the most.

Nate’s Gram Maynard didn’t cook much, but she had a few signature recipes that were pretty much perfect. Like potato salad – it was simple, reliable and perfectly flavored. And her homemade hot fudge was to die for. Another one of her recipes that we loved was her marinated 4-bean salad. It appeared at every family gathering and, even though Gram is no longer with us, the bean salad is always still on the table when we all get together. Just seeing that bowl of beans instantly reminds me of Gram.

Thankfully we have the recipe and can recreate the magic whenever we want. I love this 4-bean salad because it is beyond easy to throw together, has just the right amount of sweetness and goes with pretty much anything. Plus, for our family, every bite reminds us of Gram, which is especially welcome around the holidays.

Gram's Marinated 4-Bean Salad

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups canned wax beans
• 1¼ cup canned green beans
• 1 cup canned kidney beans
• ¾ cup canned chickpeas
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced into rings
• ½ cup chopped green pepper
• ⅔ cup vinegar
• ½ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Drain al lof the canned beans
2. In a large bowl combine the wax beans, green beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, onions and green peppers together.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over the bean mixture.
4. Stir, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
5. Drain before serving.

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