Future Foods

I was presented with an awesome opportunity a few weeks ago by my old college roommate. Her husband is the president of Future Food brands, and asked if I would be willing to blog about their products and write some new recipes. The two brands I was asked to write about are Santa Barbara Bay and Salads of the Sea. Of course, I jumped at the proposition! What a great incentive to eat!

I recieved two boxes full of dips, salads, and tater toppers the day before we left for vacation. It just so happened that I had let my cupboards and fridge run empty in preparation for vacation; we got lucky to get food in the mail so we didn't have to starve!

I was totally unprepared for how delicious everything looked once I got it! The packages are all BPA free, and freezer and microwave safe, and reusable with tight-fitting lids.

The company's website is very easy to use, and has a great list of recipes for many of their products. There is also a 'Where to Buy' search engine. Most Walmart stores carry some of the products in their deli section (around the containers of potato salads). Check out http://www.futurefoodbrands.com/ and click on 'Our Brands' or go to http://santabarbarabay.com/ or http://saladsofthesea.com/.

Through a little bit of preliminary research, I knew what the different products were. Santa Barbara Bay offers an array of dips, including Spinach, Chunky Artichoke, Creamy Dill and more. Their best seller for several years running has been the Cajun Krab Dip. They also introduced new lines of Greek Yogurt-based dips, and Tater Toppers. We tried the super creamy Bacon Ranch Tater Topper last night on a couple baked potatoes, and it was AWESOME! We could have eaten it right out of the container with a spoon!

Salads of the Sea also produces dips, but I'm in love with their Seafood Salad! I accidentally ate a whole container of it for lunch the day we left for vacation! The Seafood Salad and Italian Seafood Salad (pictured in wrap below) are both super quick and easy on a piece of flatbread or a tortilla with some spinach, rolled up in an easy and healthy wrap. The salads are full of huge chunks of imitation crabmeat, as well as a variety of vegetables. You can eat them by themselves, or as a sandwich, or as a cracker topper. The possibilities are endless (and there are great recipes on their website).

Because some of my shipment of dips is getting ready to expire, I'm trying to use as many as possible this week. Last night, I also tried the Santa Barbara Bay Chunky Artichoke dip as a sauce on our vegetables. I warmed up a California Mix (asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, brocolli, cauliflower) and stirred in a couple heaping spoonfuls of Chunky Artichoke dip. It is full of chunks of artichoke and shredded parmesan cheese. My husband was a little skeptical at first (warm dip on veggies?), but after one bite, he was taken. It was way better than any cheese sauce! I've never seen him eat so many vegetables at once!

Tonight, I'll be using a Greek Yogurt Creamy Dill dip on chicken in Greek-style pitas. I'll let you all know how we fare!