Rachael Ray has teamed up with Ziploc to give America’s favorite foods a “freshness makeover” and the results are delicious!

Ziploc conducted a surved and found that 81% of Americans are looking for more ways to incorporate fresh ingredients into mealtimes but only 50% actually eat fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. To remedy this, Rachael Ray and Ziploc teamed up for the Great American Fresh Over Project to bridge the gap between what families want and what actually makes it to the table at mealtimes.

One of the most important things that Rachael Ray and Ziploc demonstrated at this event was that eating healthy and fresh can be convenient and taste great, and the dishes that Rachel Ray prepared for the event were a great example of this. During the event we were served Rachel Ray’s Chicken Satay Sliders, Vegetable Soup with Mixed Herb Pesto, Yogurt Crunch, and Braised Pork Tacos. All of these dishes were easy to prepare and full of fresh ingredients and the recipes for all of them can be found on the FreshOver Facebook Page. My personal favorite of the night, however, had to be the the build your own bruschetta bar which would be a great appetizer for a party because it’s easy to assemble and a real crowd pleaser.

There were lots of great tips for making fresh cooking more convenient, but that one that inspired me the most was prep, prep, prep! So many nights I get home tired and starving and don’t have the energy to put together a complicated meal. Rachael Ray recommends preparing your ingredients the night before by washing and chopping all of your veggies and ingredients for your dish and then storing them in Ziploc containers to keep them crisp and fresh. That way, when it comes time to make dinner all you have to do is heat and combine ingredients so you can whip up a fresh and delicious meal in a snap. Because Ziploc containers can keep ingredients fresh for several days, you could prepare several days worth of meal ingredients at a time and still whip up healthy and delicious dinners in a snap even on your craziest of days.

I have always been a big Ziploc fan, but at the FreshOver event I discovered two new Ziploc products that I cannot live without!

Perfect Portions are designed to make storing bulk items, like chicken breasts, easier and mess free. I am in LOVE with this product because I hate touching raw chicken, and I only need a little bit of it at a time because I am usually cooking for two. The Perfect Portion bag is used to pick up you food and then turn the bag around on the item and voila, each individual portion is ready to be frozen until you need it. The Perfect Portion bag clings to the meat creating a seal that reduces freezer burn and the individually stored portions make it easy to grab just what you need from the freezer and easier to defrost because all your meat isn’t in one big chunk.

VersaGlass is another amazing new Ziploc addition that I am so excited about. I cook a lot and my fridge is always filled with lots of leftovers, so this is exactly what I need. VersaGlass is the ultimate chef and entertaining tool. This same container can go in the fridge and freezer and without the lid into the microwave and oven (up to 400 degrees). The best part is, the sleek glass design means that it looks nice enough to put out on the table as a serving container and when the meal is done, pop the lid back on and presto, the leftovers are ready for the fridge. Store, heat and serve all in one container — genius!

To learn more about how you can give your meals a FreshOver and for recipes and inspiration visit Rachael Ray and Ziploc or checkout FreshOver on Facebook where you can get the exclusive Rachel Ray downloadable FreshOver Recipe Guide, get the FreshOver app and participate in weekly giveaways.

Tags: celebrity, FreshOver, Rachel Ray, recipe, Ziploc