This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

While I’m not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day (*ahem* Singles Awareness Day), I can always get behind some chocolate covered strawberries, no matter the time of year! Even better — they are about the easiest treat to make and only require three ingredients.

I purchased my ingredients at my local Albertsons. But if you’re short on time, any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons, offer a wide variety of options for Valentine’s Day, including pre-made chocolate-dipped strawberries, custom floral designs, wine, meat and seafood, custom bakery treats, and more.

And if you want to make things even quicker, Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go for convenient ways to shop! I’ve used this service before and it truly is simple, fast, and efficient.

The strawberries available at Albertsons were bright, plump and shiny — perfect for making these chocolate covered strawberries. Combine semi-sweet chocolate chips and a little coconut oil and you’re ready to rock!

First, wash the berries and make sure they’re dry. You can either let them air dry or dry them with a kitchen towel, but it’s important that they’re no longer wet, otherwise your melted chocolate won’t stick to them.

Next, melt your chocolate along with the coconut oil, taking time to stir between heating time in the microwave. After the chocolate is totally smooth, get your dry berries set to dip, and prepare a small baking tray covered with parchment paper to place your chocolate covered strawberries on.

The key to a good dip is to hold the strawberry by its green top and then dip and swirl the berry around in the melted chocolate. Try to ensure that the chocolate comes as close to the green top as possible. If you have excess chocolate on the berry after its covered, just gently wipe one side on the side of your chocolate bowl and then place that side down onto your parchment paper.

Repeat the process until all the berries are covered and then pop those beautiful little treats into your fridge to set.

Lastly, try not to eat them all before you give them as a surprise. (But I do recommend a quality control sample or two. ) And, it’s totally legit to surprise yourself with these — treating yourself well as a single person is important, too.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

 

Print

Prep time

3 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

6 mins

 

Chocolate covered strawberries make for an easy, fast, beautiful dessert!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: approximately 22 medium berries

Ingredients

• 16 ounces fresh strawberries
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

1. Wash the strawberries and let them air dry completely, or dry them off with a clean dish towel or paper towel. (Chocolate won't stick to wet strawberries.)
2. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well after each heating, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
3. Dip strawberries into the melted chocolate, one at a time. Hold strawberry by the leaves, dip into chocolate, swirl, and coat all sides.
4. Lift the berry and allow any excess chocolate to drip off. Place the berry onto a parchment-covered baking sheet.
5. Repeat until all strawberries are chocolate-coated. Transfer the dipped strawberries to refrigerator and let the chocolate set for about 15 minutes.

Notes

Store berries in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, enjoy within one day of making.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

The dawn of a new year traditionally invites people to clean the slate, so to speak. And many folks use this as an opportunity to introduce healthy practices into their lifestyle. (Happy New Year, by the way!) While I’m a huge proponent of living mindfully and healthfully, I’m also not one to push for diets or fads or changes that cause you to just beat yourself up. That’s the opposite of healthy. All that said, if you want to introduce some better choices into your routine, whipping up this healthy green smoothie is a great way to start!

And when I say whip it up, I mean whip it up. This delicious smoothie comes together in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients! The recipe was made even quicker by the fact that I took advantage of Albertsons‘ DriveUp & Go for a super convenient way to shop.

As I mentioned above, the smoothie requires just five ingredients — a banana or two, frozen peaches and frozen mangos, spinach and some water. As someone who is mindful about what I put into my body, I opted to use O Organics® brand peaches, mangos, and spinach, which are all certified USDA organic.

But what does that actually mean? According to the USDA’s website:

USDA certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives. Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.

Produce can be called organic if it’s certified to have grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to harvest. Prohibited substances include most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Pesticides are no joke, so when I can’t grow my own food, I purchase organic to avoid ingesting a dangerous pesticide cocktail.

This healthy green smoothie makes about one large serving or two small ones so you can share with a friend. I love it because it’s an easy way to get some greens into my system, without needing to eat them in a salad. And, I can assure you, this smoothie in no way tastes like spinach. It would also be a great way to sneak greens into kiddos, too! (I’ve heard some folks get their kids excited by the green color and tell them it’s a Shrek drink – smart!)

Overall, this recipe is light, bright, and fruity. If you’d like to add a little extra protein in your drink, feel free to toss in a bit of plain, low fat greek yogurt and just increase the water so your smoothie isn’t too thick.

Once you’re ready to go, throw all your ingredients into a blender, puree away and you’re set! Enjoy at breakfast, as a healthy snack, or (my personal favorite), after a workout.

I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to score these ingredients, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

Healthy Green Smoothie

 

Print

Prep time

3 mins

Total time

3 mins

 

Whip up a healthy green smoothie in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Makes: 1

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 bananas (I usually opt for 1)
• ½ cup O Organics frozen peaches
• ½ cup O Organics frozen mango
• A couple large handfuls of O Organics baby spinach
• 4 to 8 ounces of water, depending on how thick or thin you prefer your smoothie
• 4 ounces non fat, plain greek yogurt (optional)

Instructions

1. Add all your ingredients to your blender, layering heavier ingredients at the bottom.
2. Add enough water to blend, and enjoy!

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Baked apples aren’t typically a “wow” of the dessert world. But I’d like to help you change your opinion on that with some baked Honeycrisp apples. These baked apples are perfectly cooked (not mushy!) still retain a slight al dente feel to them, but have all the taste and goodness of hot apple pie. And they’re super easy to make! Not a lot of prep, no crust to toil over and roll out — what’s not to like?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love pie. Like LOVE. And I love making a traditional pie with a homemade crust. But sometimes you just want something quick, easy, satisfying and ultra cozy. (And maybe slightly healthier. ) That’s where baked apples come in.

I honestly don’t usually think of Honeycrisp apples as a variety you’d want to bake. But, I think for this recipe, you’ll find that they’re the perfect apple — they’re sweet, they don’t fall apart when baking, and they’re pretty easy to find.

Speaking of which, I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to pick up these apples, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Safeway, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

The virus is still running rampant in Missoula, so I opted to stay out of the store and use Albertsons DriveUp & Go for a convenient way to shop, which I really appreciate. (Also, the folks who bring out my groceries are always so nice! And yep, masks are always in place — both on them and on me.)

After picking up my apples and ingredients for this recipe, it was a pretty quick make!

Just wash your apples (always wash your produce!), cut off the tops, and remove the core (plus just a little extra) from the inside of each apple. (Those little extra bits are tasty!) I found it easiest to do this with a melon baller tool, but you could also use an apple corer or a paring knife. Just make that that you don’t pierce through the bottom of the apple. Retaining that base will help the apple keep its shape and prevent it from becoming waterlogged.

After you’ve got your apples ready, mix the apple “stuffing,” and pack it in to each apple when it’s all set to go.

At this point you’re almost done!

The last step is to top each apple with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of the sugar mixture, admire your handiwork and then pop those beauties into the oven for about a hour.

Truly — this is an easy and delicious recipe. Side bonus: your house will smell soooo good.

Once the apples are tender, remove them from the oven and serve warm in a small dish (you’ll want to be able to scoop up the caramelized goodness). You may even want to throw some ice cream into the mix. And enjoy!

Baked Honeycrisp Apples

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Baked Honeycrisp apples are an easy, delicious dessert!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: 4

Ingredients

• 4 Honeycrisp apples, washed
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• Dash of salt
• 4 Tablespoons butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Slice the top portion off the apples and scoop out the core with an apple-corer or melon-baller tool, leaving a well in the center. Be sure not to cut through the bottom of the apples.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, cranberries, walnuts (or pecans), and salt until blended.
4. Reserve about a teaspoon and half of the brown sugar mixture, and stuff each apple with ¼ of the remaining mixture. It's ok to pack it in if you need to and mound the top a little.
5. Place the apples in a deep baking dish (an 8"x8" baking dish works well). Top each apple with 1 Tablespoon of butter and a sprinkle of the reserved brown sugar mixture.
6. Pour about ½" to 1" of water into the baking pan around the apples, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until apples are tender.
7. Serve the apples warm. If you'd like, top them with whipped cream, a caramel sauce, or serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Notes

After baking, cover and refrigerate the apples for up to 4 days, then warm at 325° before serving.
You can also reheat Individual apples at 50% power in a microwave.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of my all time favorite side dishes to celebrate autumn harvest and to make for holiday celebrations is browned Brussels sprouts with lemon. These are so good I could easily eat the entire recipe all in one sitting. (But shhh, don’t tell anyone I said that.) And Albertsons is your simple solution for your own holiday planning. You can purchase ingredients for your holiday meals (like these Brussels sprouts), prepared foods from the bakery and service deli, holiday treats, party trays, décor, greeting cards, gift supplies, etc. — all from Albertsons.

Even better? These Brussels sprouts are easier than easy to whip up, they don’t take lot of cook time, and they’re cheap!

If you want to up the ease factor, take advantage of Albertsons Grocery Delivery or DriveUp & Go services to order your groceries ahead of time and pick them up — all without having to go into the store yourself. That’s what I did for this recipe to save a little time, which was a huge bonus! Don’t forget to visit the Albertsons website for recipes, shopping, meal orders, etc.

Once you’ve got your veggies and any other ingredients you need back home, preheat your skillet, be sure to wash the sprouts, trim the bottoms off and discard any outer leaves. (You might want to give them another rinse after this step, too, just to ensure you’re cleaning off any residual dirt.) Then, slice your sprouts in half (or quarters if you’d prefer).

Once your skillet is nice and hot (I love my cast-iron skillet), add the oil and butter and sprouts and you’re off to the races! But don’t get too fired up yet — let the sprouts chill for a bit to give them their first browning.

Then, get your stir on. Shuffle those sprouts around a few times to evenly brown them on all sides. (I like mine extra browned, which you can see in my images. If you prefer a less-browned sprout, stir them more often.)

To give your sprouts the perfect bite — not too hard, not too soft, juuuust right — you’ll want to steam them. Toss in the water, put a lid on it, and let those little gems soften.

Last, but not least (because this is my absolute favorite part and what really makes this recipe sing), season your sprouts to taste with salt, pepper, (the optional pinch of nutmeg), and the ever-magical lemon juice.

I absolutely love a sprout that’s a little tart, so I opt for the larger amount of lemon juice. If you’re unsure how you’ll like it, start small and add more juice to taste. A large half of a lemon will typically give you plenty of juice. (And that leftover second half of the lemon will come in handy when you decide to immediately make this recipe again.)

Serve the sprouts warm and try not to devour them too quickly!

I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to get my ingredients, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Safeway, and Vons.

Browned Brussels Sprouts with Lemon

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

16 mins

Total time

26 mins

 

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Side dish

Cuisine: American

Makes: 8

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup water
• 2 to 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I like mine tart so I usually use 4)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat (I love my cast-iron pan for this). When it’s hot, add the oil and butter. As soon as the butter melts, add the Brussels sprouts and spread evenly around the pan. Sprinkle with salt and cook without disturbing until browned on the first side, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the pinch of nutmeg if you'd like, and continue to cook, stirring the sprouts occasionally, until they’re well browned all over, another 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the water, cover partially, and cook until tender, another 4 to 5 minutes (if the water evaporates completely during cooking, add more, 2 Tablespoons at a time). Don’t overcook; the sprouts shouldn’t be mushy.
4. Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately or keep warm for up to 20 minutes. These are also delicious as leftovers.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now that autumn is here and the temperatures are rapidly dropping, is there anything that screams fall more than pumpkin pie from scratch? Pumpkin pie is such a simple, satisfying dessert to make, and in this recipe, we take it up a notch by using our own pumpkin puree from a sweet pie pumpkin!

I shopped at Albertsons in my local area for my pumpkin pie ingredients, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

Currently, Albertsons has small pie pumpkins for sale in their Pumpkin Patch display. When I visited, there were also a variety of other baked goods to choose from, like pumpkin spice cupcakes and macaroons. So if you need a whole dessert smorgasbord to complement your pumpkin pie from scratch (think Thanksgiving or a Halloween party), there are plenty of additional options to choose from, too!

To make your pie from scratch you can prep several of the ingredients ahead of time to make things a bit easier. For your pumpkin puree, you’ll need 3 cups for your filling. You can typically get 3 cups from a small-t0-medium sized pie pumpkin. Be sure to choose a pie pumpkin instead of a jack-o-lantern, as pie pumpkins are sweeter. They’re also smaller.

If you have a pressure cooker, place the pumpkin inside with some water and pressure cook until the pumpkin is soft. If your pumpkin is too large, you can cut it in half. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can boil your pumpkin or roast its halves face down on a baking sheet to soften the flesh.

Be sure to scoop out the seeds and discard (or save if you like to eat them). Then, scrape the flesh from the skin, place it in a bowl and puree to a smooth consistency. The flesh might be a little watery – that’s ok, as long as it’s not too thin. (See the above photo, third from the top row, for an image of the consistency of the puree.)

Measure out the puree until you have 3 cups. You can either use this immediately in your pie filling or bag and freeze it so you can have from-scratch pumpkin pie whenever you’d like!

In my pies, I prefer to make my crust from scratch, too. However, if you’d like to save time by purchasing a store bought pie crust, that’s perfectly fine too. Basically, choose your favorite crust or crust recipe and line a 9-inch pie dish with it.

Mix your pie filling ingredients and pour the filling into your prepared pie shell. Instead of using evaporated milk in this pie recipe (like many pumpkin pie recipes to), I like to keep it simple and use half and half instead.

Bake following the recipe instructions found below.

Let the pie cool to set. Enjoy warm or chilled, and treat yourself to a little whipped cream topping, too!

Don’t forget to tell your friends that this pumpkin pie is made with real pumpkin! Did you know that lots of canned pumpkin is actually a mixture of winter squashes like butternut, hubbard, and golden delicious?

And, don’t forget – Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go for convenient ways to shop if you don’t want to have to spend time shopping for your pie ingredients!

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

 

Print

Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 40 mins

 

From-scratch pumpkin pie is absolutely delicious!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: 12 slices

Ingredients

Pumpkin Puree

• 1 small to medium sized pie pumpkin

Pie crust of your choice

Pie Filling

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups pumpkin puree from a cooked pumpkin
• 1½ cups half and half

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extrat

Instructions

Pumpkin Puree

1. Make your pumpkin puree, either in a pressure cooker, by boiling the pumpkin, or by roasting it. The goal is to soften the pumpkin flesh until it's easy to scoop away from the skin and puree into a smooth consistency. Don't forget to remove the seeds. The easiest way to puree the pumpkin is with an immersion blender, but a standard blender will work, too.
2. Make enough puree to equal 3 cups.

Pie Crust

1. Roll out your pie dough until it is slightly larger than your pie dish. Place into your pie dish with about an inch overhang all around the edge of the dish. Flute the edges of the dough.

Pie Filling

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Mix all filling ingredients well using a hand whisk or electric mixer. The mixture may appear very runny, but it will thicken up in the oven.
3. Pour the filling into your pie crust.
4. Place the filled pie into your preheated oven and bake at 425 degrees F for the first 15 minutes. (Prior to placing the pie into the oven I like to put a pie shield around the crust to prevent it from over-baking and getting too dark. If you don't have a dedicated pie shield, you can simply cover the edges of your crust with a loosely-draped layer of tinfoil. I leave my pie shield on the crust for the entire duration of the bake time.)
5. After you have baked the pie at 425 degrees F for the first 15 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F. Bake for another 45 to 60 minutes (I usually end up at about 60 minutes), until a clean knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean.
6. Cool the pie.
7. While it cools, get your whipping cream ready.

Whipped Cream

1. Place all whipping cream ingredients into a bowl. Whip at high speed for about 3-4 minutes until stiff peaks form. (Be careful not to over-whip, though.)
2. Top your pie slices with the whipped cream and sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon.

Notes

If you have more filling than your pie dish will hold, you can use this extra to make a few smaller crustless pies. Simply grease some smaller baking dishes, pour the extra filling in to a depth of about 2 inches and bake along with your regular pie. You'll likely need a shorter baking time for these smaller dishes, so keep an eye on the consistency of the filling and regularly test the mini pies for doneness.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s hard to believe it’s October already! And with cold weather right around the corner, convenience and safety remain paramount as Covid (unfortunately) continues to spread. I recently tried out Albertsons‘ DriveUp & Go for a convenient way to shop. This was rolled out to its stores not too long ago. I shopped at Albertsons in my local area, but you can also look for Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go (DUG) at many of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Tom Thumb and Vons.

How do you actually use this service? You can either make your purchase via the Albertsons app or online at the Albertsons website, which is available here: coupons.albertsons.com. Just set up a pick up time, check out, pay, and then you’ll be notified when your order is ready to pick up without you even needing to go into the store. Pretty simple! So, here are my thoughts on this new Albertsons service.

1. Their app is really easy to use, and the search function is robust – it even has a barcode scanner! Having a good search feature is always nice if you don’t want to browse through endless products. And it was nice to be able to shop by aisle, which makes it much easier to locate what you need rather than relying on search alone.
2. I really liked the ability to toggle on “deals” (or sales) to make saving money just a touch easier.
3. Being able to schedule when you’d like to pick up your groceries is pretty great (you can schedule 7 days in advance).
4. You can plan ahead with your grocery shopping – just keep in mind that you’ll need to place an order of at least $30 or more to be able to use the service.
5. They email and text you about your order status – my order was actually ready an hour earlier than they initially said it would be, which was nice!
6. Their pickup instructions are easy to follow (though, in my particular case, locating the parking spots for pickup at the store I visited wasn’t totally clear).
7. There was a small discrepancy with one of the items I ordered – I was notified after I submitted my order that it was going to be replaced with a similar item, but the store employee who delivered my items to me at my car pointed out that the label was just wrong and the item didn’t need to actually be replaced at all. It’s clear that the Albertsons personal shoppers pick out your items as if they are shopping for themselves, which I really appreciated.
8. Everything I had ordered was accurate and in the correct quantity.
9. The masked (thank you!) store employee who delivered my items (in some light rain) was friendly, kind, and courteous. (Friendly reminder: please remember that you should be kind, too – service jobs can be thankless!)
10. Not having to go into the store greatly reduced my exposure to other people. And, in these weird times, that’s likely a huge “plus” for a lot of folks. Especially if you’re feeling unwell yourself. (Remember, please be courteous to those who are helping you, and be sure to wear your own mask, too!)

Final Takeaway:

Overall, I was pleased with this new service. Do I think I will use it again in the future? Probably here and there, as long as I can plan ahead for a large grocery run. Or if I’m sick and want to take the responsible route of not exposing others to whatever I may be afflicted with, this would make the DriveUp & Go option hugely convenient (and responsible!). Perhaps you’ll find these things convenient, too, and check it out yourself!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

If there’s one thing I love about summer, it’s definitely the abundance of fresh summer fruit healthy snacks! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and those beautiful Flathead cherries are all favorites of mine to satisfy my sweet tooth, but also still toe the healthy line. These fruits are available at most Albertsons and Safeway stores within Missoula, but be sure to ask a store near you!

Speaking of which, did you know that “fruits are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals, and they are high in fiber? Fruits also provide a wide range of health-boosting antioxidants, including flavonoids.” Additionally, “eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce a person’s risk of developing heart disease, cancer, inflammation, and diabetes. Citrus fruits and berries may be especially powerful for preventing disease.” (Source: Medical News Today)

The fruits that I picked up from Albertsons make it so easy to encourage healthy snacking. No chopping required! No baking in the heat of the summer! Just a good rinse under some water and you’re set to pop ’em in your mouth, or top off a healthy smoothie recipe. I shopped at Albertsons in my local Montana area to score these goodies, but you can also find a beautiful assortment of fresh, quality produce at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market and Tom Thumb.

I was pretty impressed by the quality of the fruits they offer at Albertsons. (And, when I went they had a 3 for $6 deal that was a pleasant surprise – keep in mind that this kind of deal may vary depending on where you’re located.) They were all beautiful, ripe, and the most important part, tasty! Flathead cherries weren’t yet in season when I made my fruit purchase, but definitely keep your eyes open for them as these gems will sell quickly! For all of you hikers out there, throwing some fresh fruit in my day pack is high on my list of essentials. I can tell you from experience there is absolutely nothing better than reaching the top of a peak after a grueling climb, plopping yourself down on a sun-warmed rock, whipping out a juicy strawberry or cherry and biting into that deliciousness as you survey the world from the tippy top of your new viewpoint.

And, if you’ve just spent a gorgeous day outside and would rather expend your energy anywhere else than on a grocery shopping excursion, don’t forget that Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go for convenient ways to shop! Even better – keep an eye out for regular deals in their Albertsons weekly ad.

What are some of your favorite summer fruits? How do you love to use them and their easy pack-ability? How do you incorporate fruits in your healthy lifestyle? I’d love to hear your ideas!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Even though I was born in and currently live in Montana, I will always hold a soft spot in my heart for the midwest where I spent a good chunk of my formative years. And Wisconsin’s dairy culture is especially ingrained in my DNA. Cheese, ice cream, milk – you name it, Wisconsinites love it. And I still do too, even though I’ve since returned to my home state of Montana.

So, when Albertsons reached out to me to let me know that Signature SELECT is unveiling new deliciously fun flavors of ice creams, including: Unicorn Cotton Candy, Cinnamon Churro, Lemon Cheesecake and Black Raspberry Chip, I was excited to taste all of them! With summer right around the corner (*hint hint*, Montana – warm up!), it’s the perfect time to enjoy these new flavors! And even better, Signature SELECT ice creams are quality, affordable, new and exclusive to Albertsons and the Albertsons Companies family of stores.

These flavors are all pretty sweet, and even though I’m typically more of a fan of an ice cream that isn’t quite as sugar-forward, the ice cream is still super tasty, albeit in smaller amounts (at least for me anyway).

One of the ones I was particularly curious about was the Cinnamon Churro flavor. It reminds me a bit more of cinnamon rolls than churros, but I really enjoyed the cinnamon swirl that meanders throughout the ice cream – it has just the right satisfying crunch to it! Churro chunks star in this ice cream, too.

One thing that I particularly liked about this flavor is that I think it would go perfectly with some coffee as an after-dinner treat. Gotta love mixing hot and cold together!

In a very different direction is the Unicorn Cotton Candy flavor. As someone who loves color, opening up this container to see that pink and blue together made my color-loving heart skip a beat! I can only imagine how this would really appeal to the little kiddos in your life (or the big kiddos at heart!).

Even more fun is that when the pink and the blue colors of the ice cream melt together, they turn a lovely pastel purple shade! I can totally see why they branded this with a Unicorn!

This ice cream tastes shockingly like cotton candy (to be honest – I really didn’t know what to expect here), and is studded throughout with bright little sprinkles. I’ve got to think that this would be a hit at a summer birthday party! Can you imagine all those adorable little blue and pink faces? :)

One of the nice things about these new flavors is that they are available at most stores within the Intermountain Division. Being in Montana, I’m pretty used to watching from afar as my friends in other locations enjoy the newest of the new. So it’s great to see that these flavors are available to even those of us “in the middle of nowhere!” Be sure to ask an Albertsons store near you if they carry them!

I was also excited to try the Lemon Cheesecake and Black Raspberry Chip flavors – and the more I thought about it, I realized that these two flavors would go especially well with one another. The lemon balances the sweetness of the raspberry, and it really does make for a delightful dessert that you can enjoy in your backyard, soaking in the long evenings that make Montana summers so amazing. I ended up making a little parfait and alternated layers of the Black Raspberry Chip with the Lemon Cheesecake. It turns out it was both pretty and tasty! When raspberries are in season, throwing a few fresh ones on top as a garnish would complete the look!

One of the things I liked best about the Lemon Cheesecake flavor was the cheesecake bites that are included. Sometimes cheesecake added into frozen treats can be too hard or not even taste like cheesecake, and that’s definitely not the case here. The cheesecake bites actually tasted creamy and cheesecake-y, and were nice little surprises to run into.

And, as someone who always loves a little chocolate, the flakes of chocolate in the Black Raspberry Chip were a welcome treat, too.

Believe it or not, I only paid $2.49 per flavor (they were on sale from a regular price of $4.99), and you really can’t beat that at all! (Keep in mind that this was a deal local to me and my store, and pricing will vary depending on your location.) I shopped at Eastgate Albertsons in Missoula to snag these new flavors, but you can also find Signature SELECT ice creams at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

Last, but not least, did you know that Albertsons also offers Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go for convenient ways to shop! I haven’t personally used this myself, but I know more and more of my friends who are (especially during these odd pandemic times), and they’ve been thrilled that they can get their grocery shopping taken care of with minimal effort!

Don’t forget, you can always discover savings and more great items like this here!

Stay cool, folks, and here’s to summer, just around the corner!