I have always loved all things dairy. As a child, I had my 3 servings of milk (probably more) everyday. Nothing beats an ice cold glass of milk, especially with a dinner meal or a piece of chocolate cake.
My parents understood the importance of dairy foods; calcium to build our bones and teeth and protein to keep our muscles nice and strong. I was the kid who got caught many times drinking milk right out of the container in front of the refrigerator.
I still have my more than 3 serving a day, milk for my morning smoothie, yogurt at lunchtime and many snacks and dinners filled with low-fat cheese. Dairy products help me maintain the strong bones I built as a child and the protein in milk really does help me maintain my muscles and calms my hunger during the day.
Do you strive for 3 servings a day? Do you know what a perfect little health food package milk is? Take time this month to make a goal to increase dairy in your life, 3 a day for the 30 days of June in which to celebrate all things dairy. Start with this delish recipe I made today, created by a dairy farmer!
Tropical Garden Spread
Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 (1.4 ounce) package vegetable soup mix
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped red pepper
½ cup chopped honey roasted peanuts, no salt added
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Preparation
In a medium bowl, whip the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. With a wooden spoon, mix in the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate for 24 hours for flavors to blend. Serve with your favorite crackers or vegetables.
Recipe courtesy of www.midwestdairy.com
