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Now that we are heading into the New Year, it is time to reset those good eating habits and get back to a more balanced diet. Over the holidays my meals definitely lacked as many fruits and vegetables as I would have liked, don’t get me wrong though I enjoyed every bit of it.
However, it is time to get my family back on track and thankfully I don’t have to do to much convincing for my kiddos to eat better. On the other hand, the adults in my house need a little more motivation and a simple way to get us started was with a sweet Cranberry Pasta Salad With a Homemade Apple Cider Vinaigrette.
The first step to making this of course was purchasing the right ingredients, and a little bit of experimentation. Now to make this happen, I would first need to take a trip up to Walmart to pick up a few groceries.
When I arrived at the store, I headed over to the produce aisle to add carrots and celery to my cart. I then made my way to the snack area to find some sort of sweet addition for my dish.
There, I was excited to find 24 ounce Craisins® Dried Cranberries Value Packs as well as a Craisins® Fruit Clusters in the Cranberry Almond and Cranberry Granola flavors.
Not only are these a favorite snack of my kiddos, but did you know that 1/4 cup of Craisins® Dried Cranberries provide a 1/2 cup serving of fruit? I definitely learned something new.
It was then time to make my creation and after playing around with the parts of the recipe, I found a combination that my family enjoyed. Be sure check out the details below.
Cranberry Pasta Salad Serves around 8-10
Ingredients:
1 – 16 oz box of Cooked Penne Pasta (Around 6 Cups of Pasta uncooked)
1 Cup of Craisins®
1 Cup of Chopped Celery
1 Cup of Shredded Carrots
As well as a Homemade Apple Cider Vinaigrette:
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
1/3 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp of Salt
3 Tsp of Sugar
1/4 Tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp of Dried Dill
Directions:
First prepare the Vinaigrette by combining all the ingredients and shaking in an air tight container. Place this into the refrigerator to chill.
Then prepare the Pasta and also chill separately. Once both are cooled through, chop the celery into small pieces and shred the carrots.
Finally, combine all the ingredients with the pasta including the Craisins®, vegetables, and vinaigrette.
Serve immediately and store any leftovers in the fridge. For freshness, I suggest consuming within the next couple of days.
What items do you incorporate into a Pasta Salad? Have you ever used Craisins® in a recipe?
To learn more about this delicious dried fruit visit Craisins® at Walmart. You can also check them out on Facebook at facebook.com/oceanspray and Twitter at @OceanSprayInc. For additional recipe inspiration be sure to follow them on Pinterest at pinterest.com/OceanSpray.
Of course once my kiddos discovered my stock pile of Craisins®, they were asking for both varieties in a bowl.
Carlee @ LAAF
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