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New Videos that Help you Shop for Fruits and Vegetables
When you’re planning your meals and writing your grocery list, do you ever wonder how many fruits and vegetables to buy or how to get the best deals on them? If so, check out our new series of 2-3 minute ‘how to’ videos. Some of the topics for the videos include:
5 Steps for Safe Produce
Iowa and 15 other states have had an outbreak of cyclospora the past month. In Iowa and Nebraska the cases were linked to restaurant salads.
Plant. Grow. Share.
Is your garden overflowing with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash or zucchini and you are not quite sure what to do with the extra harvest? Consider donating your fresh garden produce to your local food pantry.
What is the best-selling food at big stores like Wal-Mart?
Did you guess bananas? I was surprised when I learned bananas are also the world’s best-selling fruit. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium and magnesium plus they are usually inexpensive. You get about 3 bananas for a pound depending on the size. Here in Iowa bananas have been 44 to 59 cents per pound which means they cost 15 to 20 cents each. Last week at my store you could buy bags of ripe bananas for 19 cents per pound which means they would cost about 8 cents each. That’s a really good deal IF they don’t spoil before you use them.
Holiday Breakfast – Baked Oatmeal
I look forward to the traditions associated with holidays because I find comfort in doing the same things each year. Many of our family traditions include food. We work together in the kitchen to create foods we often eat only once each year. When visiting my husband’s grandparents, we were introduced to baked oatmeal and we fell in love. We decided that it needed to become part of our family traditions. Baked oatmeal is a great breakfast any day, but we think it will make a perfect holiday breakfast for us this year and in future years. Here is why I am choosing baked oatmeal this holiday season:
Fruit Salsa, the new rage!
Americans love salsa. We eat more of it than ketchup these days. When I think of salsa I think of a tomato based sauce with hot peppers used as a dip. However, more and more salsas are using fruit as the main ingredient. With warm weather coming soon (thank goodness) many fruits will be in season so they will be abundant and lower in cost.
Apricot Pops
I remember when we were kids we made our own popsicles in the summer time using a flavored drink mix like Kool-Aid. We had an ice pop mold that we used. Since we were making them out of sugary water they were very hard (basically ice on a stick) and they didn’t provide many nutrients.
MmmmGood Fruit Pizza
Recently my four-year old son and I made MmmmGood Fruit Pizza for snack time. Fruit pizza tastes good any time of the year, but we especially like to make it in the summertime when we can use fruits that are in season. This time we chose to use fresh blueberries and raspberries along with some canned pineapple and mandarin oranges.
Crisp Fruit Salad
This recipe is so easy it is almost embarrassing, but it tastes so good we had to include it. The dressing is what makes this a hit. Adding just a little mayonnaise to the yogurt really ups the flavor. The lemon juice prevents the apples and pears from turning dark.
Premade Versus Homemade Breakfast – Smoothies
My husband has a 30 minute drive to work each morning. That means he needs to leave our home by 6:30 am so he can be to (or at least near) his desk by 7 am. He is also not a morning person, so sitting down and eating breakfast before he leaves is not an option.
Summer Snacks for Healthy Kids
Summer is right around the corner. The days are getting longer, and kids are out of school. The warm weather is perfect for spending time outside with your kids. There are so many ways to get active in the summer – I love to hit the pool and go for walks in the evening. But with all this fun activity comes the need for yummy snacks!
What’s In Season Now?
It’s that time of year when my son asks me to buy pomegranates when he sees them in the grocery store because he so enjoys eating pomegranate seeds. I think it might have something to do with whacking the fruit to get the seeds to fall out. My 2-year old daughter is now a fan of them also. They are quite tasty and fun to eat… if only the seeds were easier to get to! Here is a video that shows how to get them out without making a mess!