kscoblick@sbcglobal.net

Are you trying to turn off your stove and oven but still looking for ways to eat healthy, spread your grocery dollars farther and make everybody happy?  Take a look at some of the less expensive seasonal fruits and veggies and buy organic when you can and when it makes economic sense.

On Sale Conventional (non-organic):

Strawberries: Quart $2.99

Blueberries:  Quart $3.99

Bananas:  Always Economical

Watermelon:    $4.99

Mangos: $.80 each

Tomatoes:  $1.00 each

Bag of Carrots:  $1.99

Avocados: 2 for $3

Red Bell Peppers:  $1.50 each

Lemons: 5 for $1.00

Variety Canned Beans:  $.95 each (making your own are even cheaper and more nutritious)

It is hot outside!  Cool off with these economically summer priced snacks.  All you need to do is wash thoroughly, peel if necessary and cut up for easy to eat convenience.  If you get bored with the individual produce, then let’s mix them up for some complementary tastes!  Here are my recipes without a recipe…

Basic Mango Salsa

Mangos

Red Bell Pepper

Can of Black Beans

Squeeze Lemon to taste

A little Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Add a finely chopped jalapeño and cilantro for REAL flavor!  Let the Mango be the most abundant ingredient and add the other ingredients for color, your taste and more nutrition!

Serve over fish or chicken, eat as a snack or side dish, or as a chip dip

Black Bean Wraps (or over brown rice or as a yummy dip…)

Green Bell pepper (chopped)

Little onion (chopped)

1 clove garlic pressed

Little olive oil to sauté first 3 ingredients

And then add:

Two cans of black beans and 1 can Rotel tomatoes

Heat and mash some of the beans with spoon

Cumin/salt/pepper to taste

Serve over rice or in tortillas (you can stuff, roll and bake tortillas for a while to heat thoroughly)

IN A REAL HURRY?  Open two cans of black beans and one can of Rotel tomatoes, season to taste, heat and serve in tortillas or over brown rice.

Avocados

1) Cut in half, score, salt pepper and lemon- EAT IT OUT OF THE SHELL for a healthy snack

2) Add to Salads

3) Make either salsa or guacamole, you can add chopped tomatoes, onions and lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste (Add cilantro and or jalapeño for salsa if you like)

Fruits

American Flag:  Cut up strawberries and bananas and add blueberries.  Eat as is, add milk or yogurt.

Fruit is a great way to sweeten up any meal and is a nutritious snack. 

Garbanzo Beans

1) Add to salads

2) Make Hummus in your blender…here is how

·         2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained-but save some liquid to add in mixing if dry

·         1/3 cup tahini (start with a little less)

·         1/4 cup lemon juice (might want to add more for your taste)

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         2 cloves garlic, cut in half  (might want to add more for your taste)

Blend above ingredients in a blender, transfer to a serving bowl and decorate with 1 T olive oil drizzled on top, sprinkle with paprika.  Cut up carrots and bell peppers and eat hummus as a dip or spread for sandwiches.

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.  Genesis 1:29

Keep introducing your kids to new foods.  Offering fruits and veggies for snacks as a part of every meal will teach them a healthy lifestyle.  Getting them involved in the kitchen, of course, is a great way to get them to try more foods.  The most important part is to never give up with finicky eaters.  The “rule” says a child needs to try a food 17 times before he/she may like the food; but this mom will say try it 100 times.  No nagging allowed.

We are a generation away from a truly healthy generation.  The statistics for diabetes are staggering (1 in 3 children born after 2000 will have diabetes).  We are here to help one another and create awareness.  If you are the parent that brings fruit for children at their sporting events, serves fruit for snacks on play dates and brings it in the car for travels, continue being that leader and others will follow.  God gave us our physical bodies and we are to take care of them and be productive in His work.  We can help our children stay healthy by working together and Mother Teresa would remind us that it starts with taking care of our own families.  It starts at home…just like everything else.

Stay Healthy!  Keep Cool!  Be Active!  Have Fun!

Copyright By Kathryn Scoblick