If you’re worried about spoilage, think about buying frozen fruit or veggies – or even freezing your own. Fruits and vegetables hold up well in the freezer and you can quickly add frozen veggies to soups, spaghetti sauce, scrambled eggs, or hot dishes and no one would ever know they had been stored in the freezer. You can unthaw fruit and add to low-fat yogurt or in a smoothie for a refreshing sweet treat.
Inspiring Kids to Eat More Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and vegetables are important for the health of your whole family. A diet high in fruits and vegetables is usually lower in fat, salt, and calories and provides essential vitamins, minerals, and overall nutrition. If you are a parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle, it is especially important for you to eat fruit and vegetables. Kids follow role models, and their role model is you! So if you eat fruits and vegetables with them, they’ll be inspired by you. Want more role models to help inspire your kids? Check out www.fnv.com for special messages from pro athletes and celebs about why fruits and vegetables are where it’s at.
Avoiding Waste and Spoilage
If you’re worried about spoilage, think about buying frozen fruit or veggies – or even freezing your own. Fruits and vegetables hold up well in the freezer and you can quickly add frozen veggies to soups, spaghetti sauce, scrambled eggs, or hot dishes and no one would ever know they had been stored in the freezer. You can unthaw fruit and add to low-fat yogurt or in a smoothie for a refreshing sweet treat.
Saving money with fresh, local, and frozen foods.
Buying frozen or freezing on your own are two great ways to save money when you buy fruits and vegetables. You can also purchase fruits and vegetables when they are in season so they are cheaper like Georgia peaches in the summer. Georgia is actually a great place to get fresh fruits and vegetables because we can grow almost anything here! Plus, traditional Southern favorites include many healthy fruits and vegetables like collards, sweet potatoes, green beans, wonderful fresh Georgia peaches, and blueberries.
So let’s put this all together – here are five ways to add more fruits and vegetables to your family’s diet so that your kids will approve, you’ll stay in your budget, and nothing will spoil.
- Buy bags of frozen veggies when they’re on sale. Store them in the freezer and add them to cooked soups or with melted cheese on top. A little cheese goes a long way, and kids love everything with cheese
- Freeze your own fresh fruit. When it’s on sale, buy more than you need and slice it up, put it in airtight baggies, and stick it in your freezer. Frozen bananas, pears, and blueberries make a fantastic treat for your kids to snack on. Let them dip into peanut butter or yogurt and they’ll love it.
- Go to the store more often! Try to get your fresh produce on a weekly basis if possible – so head to the store once a week, or at least twice a month to get fresh fruits and vegetables. If you name one shopping trip a week as “fresh fruit and vegetable only” trip, it will help you avoid over-buying other foods.
- Use traditional Southern recipes as a way to sneak in more veggies. Encourage kids to eat their greens, make sweet potatoes more often (they can be your starch and your veggie for the same meal), and add okra when it’s in season too. Remember frying adds a lot of fat and calories, so consider grilling, baking, or steaming these vegetables.
- Make smoothies a ‘thing’ in your house. Kids love colorful foods, so you can add spinach and make a green smoothie, strawberries for a red smoothie, blueberries for a blue smoothie – or a combination of a mystery smoothie. Add low-fat milk or low-fat yogurt, and buy frozen veggies to save on money and avoid spoilage. Smoothies are a great way to get kids to eat their fruit.
You have the power to add more fruits and vegetables to your family’s diet – every little bit helps, so don’t feel overwhelmed by doing it all at once. Try one new idea each month, and see how it goes. You’re in charge – it’s your food, your choice. Check out our 4-Fruit Smoothie and Chicken Divan recipes for ideas on how to use canned and frozen fruits and vegetables in your weekly menu.
Posted May 4th, 2015