7 Ways to Get more Fruits and Veggies without Breaking the Budget

As we talked about yesterday, on June 2nd the USDA released their new MyPlate guidelines. The new guidelines show a diet filled with more fruits and vegetables with less grains. Have you looked at the price of fresh produce in the grocery stores? Not a pretty site! And many people, including our family, have always viewed the "grains" as fillers....I know rice, pasta and breads are cheap ways to fill up a hungry teenage boy and at that age, they are able to burn all those extra carbohydrates and calories. Of course, it probably sets a bad habit for them to fight in later life?

So....how can we increase the fruits and veggies without breaking the grocery budget? Well, I have some ideas.

1. Many of us use the meat as the "centerpiece" on our plates. We'll throw a big hunk of meat on there and then the rest of the plate was given to fillers and a little veggies. Fruits were usually reserved as dessert or a snack. Change your thinking...if the veggies and fruit take a larger role on our plate, then we'll be spending less money on meat or "proteins" as the MyPlate guideline shows. 
2. Buy fresh produce in season. This is a no-brainer. If the produce is not in season, it is picked early, shipped from long distances and has a higher cost especially as the cost of fuel rises. Learning to buy produce in season for your area may mean that you try new types of produce...that's not a bad thing. Have fun with it.  You might find a new favorite! 
3. Shop at discount stores like Aldi's. The Aldi's store near us gets their produce shipment in on Tuesdays. That means I am there usually on Wednesday buying our produce for the week. The produce varies but I have always found it cheaper. For example, our local Walmart and other grocers charge about $2.88 per head of califlower but at Aldi's, it's $1.49. Bell peppers at other grocers cost about $0.89 each...at Aldi's, I've purchased them in a three pack for $0.99 on sale with a regular price of $1.49. That's quite a savings. Of course, I stock up on them when they are on sale...bring them home and slice or dice them to put in the freezer. 
4. Check the "discounted" bin at your local grocer. If you are uncertain where it's located in your store, ask the produce manager.  Just because it's marked down doesn't mean it's bad...choose the best packages from those available. When you get it home, if you don't plan to use it immediately, chop it up and put it in the freezer.
5. Find your local restaurant supplier. In or near every town there is a company that supplies produce to local restaurants. Find that company...they are usually listed in the phone book but you can also call your favorite restaurant and simply ask where they get their produce. Then contact that company and find out if they offer sales to the public. Many of them do. If you must buy a case of something to get the special pricing...find friends to go in with you to buy a case and then divide it up.
6. Don't forget frozen and/or canned fruits and veggies. Although fresh is best, sometimes we must use alternatives. Frozen foods would be the second best to fresh as it's "flash frozen" and retains a lot of the vitamins and minerals. Canned is also fine, however, with fruits, try to choose those canned in fruit juice or light syrup instead of heavy syrup. 
7. Lastly, it might be in your best interest to have a small garden. If you are new to gardening or it sounds daunting, I recommend the "Square Foot Gardening" method. It's great because it produces a lot of stuff in a small area. It's great for rural areas, city lots and even those who live in apartments or townhouses.

I hopes these ideas have helped. What do you do to keep the costs of fruits and veggies down? Share them with us by leaving a comment.

Have a great day!

Mavis D.

5 Reasons I Like the New MyPlate Guidelines

On June 2nd, the USDA announced their new nutritional guidelines replacing the outdated (and I believe, flawed) "food pyramid." Of course, there is already quite a bit of talk about big changes like this and people are chiming in with their opinions. I figured....I feed a large household ranging in ages from older adults (hubby and myself) to our 17 month old baby girl...I should be interested in what they recommend. This is what the new guideline picture looks like.

Pretty huh? Well...in short, I think it's a better plan than the old pyramid and here are the five reasons I like the new MyPlate guidelines:

1. I think it's a more balanced look at what we should be eating. More fruits and veggies than the higher carbohydrates found in the former "grains" section of the old pyramid. 
2. I think the picture itself will help see what our plates should look like. Perhaps that's because I'm a very visual person. :)
3. It's a lot easier to remember! This will help a great deal in not only planning meals but making sure they are portioned correctly. 
4. Fats and sweets are not represented ON the place setting. This automatically tells us that we should not consider them our main sources of food or calories and to use them sparingly. We all know we use those items in our cooking and serving. 
5. Because of the ease of design and use...I think more people will be able to follow it. That's always a good thing. 

Go check it out at MyPlate ...be sure to check all the links for the sections, it's really gone into quite some detail about what should be included in that area. I do know one thing...we'll be switching out some of our old standbys with healthier options like replacing white rice with brown rice. Basically, getting more whole grains in our meals than fillers. 

So...what do you think about the new guidelines? Do you think you can follow them and still keep your grocery budget in check? I'll have more about that tomorrow!

Menu Plan Monday

Hi All!

We had a busy day so I'm just now getting to post a little more. I hope you all went to enter the giveaway that Robin is doing....if not, go and do it now....I'll wait for you! :)

Monday - grilled chicken, fresh cooked carrots, mashed potatoes and coleslaw
Tuesday - spaghetti with meatballs, fresh green salad and garlic french bread
Wednesday - pot roast with potatoes and carrots (crockpot!)
Thursday - I'm going to try and find a new chicken recipe to try..any suggestions using chicken hind-quarters?
Friday - burgers, herbed potatoes and a movie! Ok..we won't EAT the movie. :)

If you haven't noticed, our normal Friday night pizza night has had a little change. That's because our son, who normally makes our pizza for us, is on a mission trip to Nicaragua. He'll be gone for almost 3 weeks and they are providing a medical clinic however, the medicine that they took with them is being held by the government. Please pray that the medicine will be released so they can provide the clinic. Also pray for their safety there and in travel back home! Thanks!

Mavis D.

Spelling Software Giveaway!

My friend, Robin, is giving away a cool spelling tool on her blog....go check it out and enter to win! Hurry...the giveaway ends soon!

Crockpot Chicken & Dressing

We love turkey and dressing...or chicken and dressing and we like to have it more than just at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This casserole fits the bill....it's easy and it's great for the summer when you don't want to heat the house up using the oven although you can put it in the oven.

2 pounds chicken, cooked, deboned and cut into bite size pieces (use the pieces you like, light or dark meat)
2 packages cornbread dressing (16oz)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
water

This is really easy! Mix everything together except the water. You might need some and you might not...just add it if you need it. You're going for a well moisten consistency. Spray your crockpot with non-stick spray to make clean up easier. Dump the mixture into the crockpot and smooth out the top. Cook on low, 3-4 hours.

If you want to bake it in the oven....spread it in a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

It's so yummy and creamy....I hope you like it as much as our family does. By the way, this is a great "make ahead" meal...put it in the fridge or freezer and have it later so feel free to make a double batch.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Menu Plan Monday

What a great weekend we had! Just lounging around do nuthin'! LOL! Here's our menu for this week...you'll notice we will not be having our regular pizza night on Friday. Our pizza maker, Stefen, will be traveling on a mission trip and be gone for two weeks. Please keep him in your prayers!

Monday - Beef stroganoff
Tuesday - grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies
Wednesday - mac and cheese with turkey ham, green beans, cake for dessert (birthday)
Thursday - chicken fajitas
Friday - Lasagna!

What are YOU having this week?

Wow! What a Day!

This has been an interesting day! As I've mentioned, it's HOT here in Arkansas but today I decided to get some baking done. I wanted to do enough to last at least a week so I made 5 loaves of bread, two to keep out and three to freeze. Then I made a triple batch of granola....not the kids favorite "Chocolate Granola" flavor but it might actually last a few days! *grin* Then, I made a double batch of oatmeal and white chocolate chip cookies...Yummy!

Now I am off to fold laundry.

What have you been able to accomplish today? Leave a comment and let me know!