Foodie Swellness: The 2017 Milk Calendar (and a giveaway!)

December 7, 2016

(THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Scroll down to find out if you’re the winner of this prize valued at $150!)

I thank my lucky stars pretty regularly that I’m not lactose-intolerant. Usually it’s when I’m digging into a pizza, or devouring a cheesy pasta dish, or nibbling on a cheese and charcuterie board. I’m a big fan of dairy.

And so when the Dairy Farmers of Canada asked me if I was interested in cooking (which, of course, leads to eating) from the 2017 Milk Calendar, and hosting a giveaway, I was in.

In the process, I learned lots of cool things. For example, did you know that the Milk Calendar is celebrating its 40th year?  That’s much longer than I realized, and how nicely for it to be celebrating when Canada is celebrating its big 150th in 2017. And with that theme, the recipes in this calendar include many favourites but updates to today’s tastes and food trends. In the calendar, you’ll also find a charming farm from P.E.I. in the spotlight, Crasdale Farm. This family farm has been in the farming business for more than 150 years Yes—even older than Canada.

I remember getting copies of the Milk Calendar year after year, and the recipes always get me salivating, and 2017 is no different. I like that the recipes are simple, so it’s easy for families to cook up (or single folks like me!). Take this spinach and roasted red pepper crustless quiche; most of the ingredients are staples and it comes together so quickly, dirties few dishes and I think it’s a dish most of us are happy to enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Oh, and there’s more than just recipes in the calendar; you’ll also find helpful cooking tips, nutritional analyses and ideas for ingredient swaps. You can find all of the recipes (along with cooking videos) online at MilkCalendar.ca (and on the site, you can also find where you can get a hard copy of the calendar!). I like having an actual physical copy of the calendar as I post it up in my office and I have meal inspiration handy for those busy weeks.

Also, it helps me get more dairy in my diet. Most Canadians don’t get enough calcium and I know I don’t (so I supplement when I remember to…), and the calendar makes this a simple task because the recipes feature only 100% Canadian milk products.

Other recipes I can’t wait to try out in the 2017 Milk Calendar? The Perfect Potato Salad and the Fall Vegetable and Chickpea Curry.

As for the quiche, it’s a classic, tasty dish; the kind of recipe you can return to time and time again. I think if I were to tweak it, I’d add some chili flakes to spice it up a bit, or to make it heartier (and I’m often looking for ways to include carbs in my diet when I’m running long distances), I’d include some sauteed, diced sweet potatoes.

Now, because I’m not going to hoard all of the Canadian dairy goodness for myself, I’m holding a giveaway. The prize is a basket of Canadian cheese valued at $150. That’s a lotta cheese! You’re welcome.

To enter this giveaway, which is open to Canadian residents, you can enter once in each of the four entry methods:

1. Email: Write me at healthandswellness@gmail.com with your name and mailing address (it just makes it quicker for us to send you the prize  if you provide me with your address off the bat), and how you would tweak the recipe to make it your own! Please put “Milk Calendar giveaway” in the email’s subject line.
2. Twitter: Follow me @healthswellness on Twitter, and then tweet:

A basket of Canadian cheese, yes, please! Here’s how you, too, can enter this @healthswellness #giveaway! http://bit.ly/2hfmiyK

1. Instagram: Follow @healthandswellness  on Instagram; like my Instagram post for this giveaway (posted on December 7th), and tag a friend who you’d make this quiche for.
2. Facebook: Like the Health and Swellness page on Facebook (at the top of the page), and then leave a comment on the photo of this Milk Calendar cheese basket giveaway — tell me what one ingredient you’d add to this dish.

This giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. EST,December 14. 2016. Please note that this giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. The one winner will be chosen at random. If I cannot reach the winner within five days, another winner will be selected. The winner’s names will be announced on the blog here on this post once confirmed.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ERICA K. OF ONTARIO, WHO IS THE WINNER OF THE DELICIOUS BASKET OF CANADIAN CHEESE! AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!

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Filed under: Foodie Swellness