Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

One great change in the food that families receive from WIC is vouchers for fruits and vegetables. The amount of the voucher varies, but as I understand it, each child on WIC old enough to eat table food gets a $6 voucher each month. Amanda and I headed to the grocery store last Friday to see what $6 would buy. We were in luck because lots of fruits and vegetables were on sale. 

The first two pictures show a variety of fruits and vegetables purchased for $6. We tried to get the most food we could, but also tried to get a variety of colors in both fresh and frozen foods. Some of the foods were priced by the item—celery, carrots, grapefruit, cucumbers, bell peppers, spinach and frozen vegetables. Other items—bananas, apples and onions—must to be weighed (there is always a scale in the produce department) and you have to take the weight times the price per pound to see how much the item costs. If you have your cell phone, use the calculator on it to do the math for you.

Picture #1
3# bananas  .87
1 celery stalk  .69
2 bell peppers/1 cucumber  3 for $1
2# yellow onions  .58
1# bag baby carrots  .79
3 grapefruits  3 for $1
16 oz bag frozen veggies  .98

TOTAL  $5.90

Picture #2
2# large braeburn apples  1.38
2 bell peppers/1 cucumber   3 for $1
2# bananas   .58
1# bag baby carrots  .79
16 oz bag frozen veggies  .98
Dole Spinach  .99

TOTAL  $5.72

The last four pictures show how the price of fruits and vegetables goes up when you choose specialty products, or the grocery store does some of the food preparation work for you.

Picture #3
Each 12 ounce package of vegetables costs $2.50.  So these two packages together cost $5.  Since the Green Giant vegetables have a butter sauce, they can’t be bought with WIC coupons.

Picture #4
The Green Giant vegetables at the left cost $2.50.  The Birds Eye Vegetables were on special for $1.00.  Both are 12 ounces.  Neither has a sauce.

The frozen vegetables in the first 2 pictures  above are .98 for 16 ounces.

Picture #5
If you want  someone else to chop up your vegetables, you pay dearly for that service.

Picture #6
Same goes for cantaloupe.  You get 2 whole cantaloupes for $6. The cut up bowl would cost $8.22.

-pointers by Peggy

food cost, food preparation, resources color, fruits, variety, vegetables, vouchers, WIC

Yes, it costs money and takes some time to eat healthy. But when people who have a large, flavored cappuccino or a 32-ounce soda in their hands tell me that they can’t afford fruits and vegetables, I want to point out how many they could have bought for the same amount as their snack.

Every six months we update the prices on our handout, Fruits and Vegetables-Try for More. The prices this time were less than they were last time we updated. This might be because many of the fruits and vegetables are in season.

When I can buy 9 medium apples for $2.00, I think that is a good deal.

-pointers by Peggy

food cost, resources apples, cost, fruits, prices, vegetables

What is cheaper? The slaw mix or the entire head of cabbage and shredding it yourself?

This was a question I encountered recently when I was planning to make broiled fish tacos.  (If you have access to fresh fish, this is a way to prepare the fish without drowning it in grease by breading and deep fat frying!). I discovered I could pay $ .22 per cup for the prepackaged cabbage slaw, or just $ .11 per cup if I shredded it myself – half the price! That’s pretty impressive. But whether you use the slaw mix or the whole head, either is an inexpensive source of nutrient rich vegetable.

 -pointers by Peggy

food cost, food preparation, recipes cabbage, cost, fish, recipe, slaw mix, vegetables

Did you know there are more than 212 farmers markets located in communities across the state with direct access to Iowa’s nutritious, affordable and delicious products?

To find a market in your area, as well as days and times of operation, check the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Iowa Farmers Market Directory.  It has a full listing of markets found across the state.  (If you are in a another state, just Google “farmers market locations.”)

If you are a low-income senior, you can get coupons for fresh produce through the Iowa Area Agencies on Aging.  If you are on WIC, ask about coupons at your local agency.

In-season vegetables for July are: beets, bok choy, cabbage, chard, cucumber, new potatoes, snap beans, summer squash, sweet corn and tomatoes.

You can find information on buying fruits and vegetables in season on Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

-pointers by Peggy

food cost, resources farmer's market, fruits, seniors, vegetables, WIC

My entire family enjoys snacking on baked taco chips and salsa for an easy snack. We usually just eat tomato salsa that I buy at the store until our home grown tomatoes are ready from the garden. But, for something a little different, I tried adding some plain yogurt to it along with some fat free sour cream. It was a big hit with my son and husband – the yogurt was cool but there was still the spiciness of the salsa for a great flavor combination. It couldn’t be any easier to make – equal parts of salsa, fat free sour cream and nonfat plain yogurt. Just a 2 tablespoon serving yields 2% of the daily value for calcium and it only costs $ .15 a serving. I also liked the fact that it tasted great with vegetables. There was just enough spice to make you keep eating and that IS what I need – ideas to keep me eating more nutrient rich vegetables. At only 25 calories for a 2 tablespoon serving of this South of the Border Dip, you can enjoy this guilt free, inexpensive snack.

-contributed by Jan Temple

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I was surprised by the number of fruit and vegetable coupons that were in the newspaper (see To Coupon or Not To Coupon), so I took another look. Here’s the list and my analyses:

• Green Giant frozen boxed vegetables (they have cheese sauce on them) - coupon was for $.50 off when you buy two
• Green Giant frozen bagged vegetables (19-24 ounce bags, some have butter sauce on them) - coupon was for $.50 off on one

Buying the brand name frozen vegetables with the cheese or butter sauce and using the coupon is still going to cost more (sometimes double) than buying bags or boxes of frozen vegetables and adding a little tub margarine, or letting some shredded cheese melt on top at the end of cooking. Plus, I get to control the calories and fat. The boxes of Green Giant were running $1.79/10-ounce box and you have to buy two to use the coupon. The Green Giant bags of peas I saw were $3.39 for 24 ounces. With the coupon, the cost per ounce is $.12 ($2.89/24 ounces = $.12), while the store brand was on special at $.88 for 16 ounces, or $.06 per ounce ($.88/16 ounces = $.06). 

• Betty Crocker boxed mashed potatoes - coupon was for $.25 off when you buy one

Boxed mashed potatoes can be a low-cost convenience food if you get the larger size box and add your own seasonings. The coupon was for an 8-serving size box and with the coupon cost per serving was $.18—without the milk and margarine needed. There were two different brands of the large 17-serving boxes. One cost $2.49 ($.15/serving) and one cost $1.69 ($.10/serving)—again without the milk or margarine. Fresh potatoes were on sale for $1.49/5 pounds. The cost of the potatoes to make homemade mashed would be about $.12/serving.

• Nature Sweet Cherry tomatoes (fresh) coupon was for $1 off when you buy two bags

This one is a no-brainer. The cost of two bags of the cherry tomatoes minus the coupon was $5. I guess I’ll wait until later in the summer when my tomatoes start producing.

• Ragu pasta sauce - coupon was for $.30 off when you buy one jar
• Bertolli pasta sauce - coupon was for $.75 off when you buy one jar

The $.30 off coupon for the Ragu is a good price especially if it happens to be on sale. The only spaghetti sauce cheaper would be Hunts in the can. I would use the canned sauce if I was using it in a casserole; but, if I was serving spaghetti and sauce, my family would prefer the Ragu.

• Welch’s dried fruit (6-ounce bag, 5.5-ounce bag, or 9-count variety pack) - coupon was for $1 off when you buy one bag

I couldn’t check this one because my store didn’t carry the product. Not surprising, since coupons are often used to introduce new products.  

Bottom line—I would have used one of the seven fruit and vegetable coupons. 

-pointers by Peggy

food cost, resources cost comparison, coupon, fruits, vegetables

As the weather warms, my mind turns to gardening and all those great, fresh fruits and vegetables I’ll soon be enjoying! I’ve discovered a useful handout, Spring Produce, written by Catherine Burlage, Purdue University. It provides tips for selecting, preparing, and storing those seasonal fruits and vegetables soon to be found in abundance at farmers markets, roadside stands, and groceries. The handout even includes healthy and delicious recipes for Strawberry Spinach Salad, Broccoli Stir-Fry, and Spring Vegetable Saute. What’s your favorite spring fruit or vegetable, and how do you prepare it?

Other publications in the Purdue series include Summer Produce and Autumn Produce.

-contributed by Peggy Martin

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The “green bags” are designed for fruits and vegetables that ripen by the production of the plant hormone, ethylene. Ethylene gas is produced in copious quantities by certain fruits, most notably bananas. As the concentration of ethylene gas increases in an enclosed environment, the fruit ripens faster. Removal of ethylene helps keep fruits from over-ripening quickly. The green bags are made of a polymer that allows the escape of the gas while keeping others, and some of them actually use additives to the film to absorb other gases that promote ripening or deterioration. 

The green bags do work for certain types of produce. Some caveats–the shelf life is extended as long as the product is very dry (mold growth appears to be a problem in damp produce). Also, the bags have a shelf life and can only be reused 10 times. If you intend to eat a product quickly, say strawberries, it might not make economic sense to use the green bag when normal plastic film would work.   

-contributed by Sam Beattie, ISU Food Safety Extension Specialist

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Are you trying to eat healthy AND use packaged foods because your time is limited? If so, here are a few tips to make convenience foods healthier:

1. for boxed mixes of rice, pasta, stuffing or macaroni and cheese, use half (or omit) the butter or margarine called for in the instructions;
2. to spaghetti sauce or creamed soups, add canned, frozen or cooked vegetables;
3. to frozen pizza, top with raw or cooked vegetables before baking; and,
4. for seasoned rice mixes, use only half the seasoning packet–the remaining seasoning may be added when cooking plain rice or to flavor slow cooked meat.

For more ideas, see Tips to Make Convenience Foods Healthier on the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. web site.

–contributed by Peggy Martin

food preparation, recipes convenience foods, mixes, pizza, soups, spaghetti sauce, vegetables