Friday, November 7, 2014

Produce On A Budget? - Totally!!

I love my veggies!

A typical haul of fresh produce
When I hear people complain that they can’t afford fruits and vegetables on a budget I'm seriously skeptical.  If you want to eat fruits and veggies and you enjoy eating them you can easily make it happen.  I sometimes wonder if those doing the complaining aren't just making an excuse so they don't have to eat them.  Maybe??

Having plenty for produce on hand for the family has never been a problem for me and it is always a priority.  I prefer fresh produce as our mainstay and I serve a lot of salads and fresh veggie plates.  I also find some wonderful frozen and canned options work well for us too.

Less money than a bag of potato chips!!
It doesn’t have to be expensive.  I will usually make a produce run once every seven to ten days and I tend to buy a lot of the same things repeatedly, but I also try to be flexible so I'm not overspending on non-seasonal items.  In addition to "the usual" I'll grab something on sale to mix it up a bit and add variety.


Fresh Produce Basics:

Lettuces, baby spinach, shredded cabbage blend.
Tomatoes
Carrots, celery
Broccoli, cauliflower
Mushrooms
Bell peppers
Onions, green onions, garlic
Potatoes - russet, red, yellow
Apples, bananas, oranges


Canned Fruit & Vegetable Basics:

Tomatoes - all varieties
Tomato sauce
Green beans
Sweet kernel corn
Sliced beets
Peaches, pears, pineapple, fruit cocktail
Applesauce


Frozen Basics

Broccoli, cauliflower, mixed blends
Corn
Peas
Peas and carrots
Potatoes - tater tots, fries

I try to keep most of these things on hand.  How about you?  Do you like eating fruits and veggies or not so much?



2 comments:

  1. Seriously, I think I could have written this post myself- word for word. Shocker, right? Even your lists of basics, canned and frozen (except for the beets- I've tried getting them a few times and we just don't dig them.)
    I also make it a priority to have plenty of produce in the house. When I see the fruit and veggie drawers or the fruit bowl getting low I know it's time to replenish. I do try to get mostly fresh, although I have absolutely nothing against canned or frozen. And I agree with you about trying not to spend too much on out-of-season produce. Lately though, I haven't bought as much junk food such as cookies, etc., so instead I make a splurge here and there on a special fruit as a treat: blueberries, etc. even if they are a little more expensive. Pretty much costs the same as a bag of cookies, but it's better for the kids. The things I buy A LOT of are apples and carrots- we really go through these!
    I like this post! It's cool to read what other people like to keep on hand. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd live off of veggies if it wasn't for the fact that I love meat and sweets. Oh and rice and pasta too. And.... I love everything. LOL.

      Delete

Your kind comments are always appreciated. I love hearing from you.

**Note: Comment Moderation has been turned on due to spam.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...