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inspired by M otherboard’s m illion m om s like you who w ant a sim pler, b e tte r life right now.
E v e ry g o o d - d ie t o b s ta c le h a s
a w o r k a r o u n d .
For kids w ho refuse to try new foods:
“In m y fam ily w e in stitu te d a tw o -b ite rule.
If th e kids really d o n ’t like a food a fte r tw o
bites, th e n it’s OK not to eat it. But at th is
point th e y ’ve tried m any different foods
and ended up liking th em .”
For fam ily m em bers w ho rum m age
for snacks: “I clean and cu t up fru its and
veggies in to snack-size pieces and keep
th em right in th e fridge. W ith th e w ork
already done, th e re ’s n o th in g left for th e
kids to do b u t eat th em .”
For nights w hen cooking is im possible:
“I pick up som e h eat-an d -eat food, th en
th ro w in som e fresh veggies as a side or
m ixed into th e m eal.” .
.. “O n th e days
w hen I
d o
have tim e to cook, I ju st double
th e recipe so I have leftovers.”
I f y o u ’re tr y in g to c u t d o w n o n ju n k
fo o d p u r c h a s e s —lik e
3 2
% o f m o m s
s u r v e y e d —th e s e a p p r o a c h e s c a n h e lp .
•
“I shop th e o u ter aisles o f th e grocery
store. Except for cereal, I rarely buy
prepackaged foods from th e center.”
•
“I check labels at th e sto re so u n h ealth y
in g red ien ts like h igh-fructose corn syrup
and p artially hydrogenated oils d o n ’t sneak
hom e w ith m e.”
•
“I buy y o g u rt and fru it for snacks and have
ju s t about elim inated candy.”
•
“I buy only a sm all n u m b er o f tre a ts for my
kids each m onth. O nce th e y ’re gone, th a t’s
it u n til th e follow ing m o n th .”
I f y o u r k id s w o u ld r a t h e r e a t f r u i t
t h a n v e g g ie s, th e y ’re n o t a lo n e .
Fully
8 4
p ercen t o f m om s said th e ir kids
prefer fru it. So it’s no w onder apples are
th e ir No.
1
h ealth y snack, follow ed by grapes,
b ananas, oranges, and clem entines. H ere are
som e o th e r successful snack ideas.
• “N o n -b u ttery air-popped p o p co rn ”
• “H um m us on w hole w heat to a s t”
• “W hole g rain G oldfish crack ers”
• “Real fru it le a th e r”
• “Baby c a rro ts w ith dill d ip ”
• “S traw b erries w ith a sm all am o u n t of
chocolate sy ru p ”
• “C elery and p ean u t b u tte r”
• “H om em ade fru it sm oothies w ith y o g u rt”
• “G ranola b ars w ith dried fru it and n u ts”
• “C ucum bers cu t like french fries”
• “M ini shredded w h eat”
I t ’ s
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f i n d
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a s k e d
t o
n a m e
a
f a m
i l y f a v o r i t e .
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S a v e
m
o n e y
o n
p r o d u c e
M any m om s in our
survey w ere concerned
about th e high cost
of fru its and veggies.
S tretch your produce
dollar w ith these tips
from Phil Lem pert,
founder of
superm arketguru.com .
Bag y o u r o w n .
Item s such as grapes
and broccoli often are
sold in prem easured
bundles. As a result, you
can end up buying m ore
th an you’ll actually eat.
Instead, grab a plastic
produce bag and take
only w hat you’ll use in
th e com ing days.
E a t fo r th e s e a s o n .
“Straw berries sold in
w inter have been flown
th o u san d s of miles,
and consum ers pay the
price,” Lem pert says. To
see w hat fru its and veg-
gies are at th eir peak,
go to usda.gov and type
“W hat’s in seaso n ” in
th e search box.
C o n sid e r p re c u t
p ro d u c e . Sure, you pay
for th e convenience of
not having to slice th a t
pineapple yourself. But
you w on’t get stuck pay-
ing for p a rts you can’t
eat, such as the rind.
Com pare costs closely;
precut produce m ight be
th e b etter deal.
S to re it rig h t. W asted
produce m eans w asted
money. To slow spoil-
age, set your fridge tem p
to
4 0
°F or below. Go to
B H G . c o m I f r e s h p r o d u c e
for m ore storage tips. ■
1 9
%
1 6
%
1 2
%
1 0
%
9
%
1 %
6
%
