Dairy Makes Sense ~ Midwest Dairy Council {Giveaway}

It is no secret that my family is hooked on dairy and I didn't realize my own love of dairy until we discovered that Lucian had a milk protein allergy as a baby. As a nursing mother I was forced to virtually eliminate dairy from my diet. Gasp! I didn't fully understand what this meant until I couldn't have my cereal for breakfast, yogurt for a snack, a glass of milk with dinner, cheese on my tacos or ice cream for a treat. Yikes! This lasted for over six months and I felt so deprived. I noticed that I craved dairy so much and sought out unhealthy snacks in attempt to satisfy this need. Thankfully Lucian has since grown out of this allergy and eats dairy like there is no tomorrow!

The Midwest Dairy Council is trying to get the word out about the wonderful benefits of dairy and since June is Dairy Month it is the perfect time to let you know all that dairy has to offer. Even in these harder economic times, dairy is not nutritionally the ideal area to cut in order to trim down the cost of groceries.

Did you know know that milk has nine essential nutrients, yet only costs 25 cents per glass? More expensive options like sodas and fruit drinks have a lot of empty calories which doesn't help your budget or waistline. Dairy foods are also one of the most economical sources of protein and calcium, both of which are important for the growth and development of strong bones and teeth. A one-ounce serving of hard cheese, like cheddar, contains 8 grams of protein, and an eight-ounce serving of yogurt provides nearly a third of your suggested daily calcium intake.

"This points to a need for more information about nutrient-rich foods, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, that deliver more bang for your buck than other options at the grocery store," says Stephanie Cundith, a registered dietitian with the Midwest Dairy Council. "Dollar for dollar, dairy is actually one of the most economical sources of nutrition."

Visit Dairy Makes Sense for more information, recipes and tips about banking on the basics by purchasing nutrient-rich foods to maintain a nutritious and well-balanced diet.

Now for the exciting part. The Midwest Dairy Council would like to help you get stay healthy and have more dairy in your fridge with some wonderful free coupons for dairy.

Land 'O Lakes Milk which is sold in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota, is a staple in our house! I love the jugs!

According to Borden, their new Borden Singles Sensations cheese slices will transform your meals from so-so to sensational. With three bold flavors—Applewood Bacon Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato Basil and Southwest PepperJack—your meals will never be ordinary again. Yummy!

Anyone who lives in Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa or Wisconsin and has Old Home available knows that their small curd cottage cheese, dips, sour cream and salsa are awesome!

The Midwest Dairy Council would like to give SEVEN (7) of my readers the following dairy prize pack worth $30 featuring the products above.

~ 2 coupons for Land 'O Lakes milk (up to $6.00)

~ 2 coupons for free Borden Single Sensations cheese slices (up to $2.99) and 2 coupons for $1 off this same product.
~ 1 coupon for a free Old Home or Gaymont product (up to $6.00)
AND the following goodies which includes a reusable shopping bag, jump rope, recipe booklets, and a magnetic fridge pad.Win it: Visit Dairy Makes Sense and tell me something you learned!

Want more entries? (Come on, we are talking about free groceries here!) After answering my question do any of the following and leave a comment telling me what you did. Each is worth one entry unless otherwise noted. Your comment is your entry so please leave the appropriate number of comments for each extra entry.

(Be sure to answer the win it question above or the extra entries don't count!)
-What is your favorite dairy food or drink?

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-Blog about this contest and link back here & to Dairy Makes Sense (3 entries)

This contest will end on 7/7/09 at 11:59 pm CST. U.S. residents where at least one of these products is available only please! The winner will be drawn via random.org and contacted via email. Please be sure to leave me a way to contact you if it is not available in your profile. The winner will have 72 hours to respond before I draw another winner.