Shopping Guide

Here are a few tricks and tips to make shopping cheaper, faster, and easier. In general look for fruit that is either in season or frozen. If you can’t find something, use the Swap Guide on page 12 to get an alternative.

BUY IN SEASON —Out-of-season produce that had to be flown in from the Southern hemisphere will cost several times more per pound. You can check online to see what produce is currently in season in your area.

BUY WHOLE — Precut and prewashed fruit and packaged veggies come with an additional cost; weigh convenience against your budget.

BUY IN BULK AND FREEZE — Make sure that you’re really going to use the fruits and that they can be frozen!

COMPARE PRICES — Check your local newspaper, in-store and on-line for store specials and coupons that can cut food costs.

STICK TO THE LIST — For the smoothies, refer to the shopping list provided and don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry!

Fresh vs Frozen

Wondering which one is nutritionally healthier? Well, you may be surprised to know that frozen produce may be healthier than some of the fresh ones sold in supermarkets. That’s because frozen fruits and vegetables are first blanched to kill bacteria and inactivate enzymes that degrade foods and then quickly frozen to lock in the nutrients. On the other hand, produce that is transported around the country are picked before they ripen and thus, before they have time to reach their full nutrient ‘potential’. Moreover, they are also exposed to a lot of heat and light during transportation, which destroys delicate vitamins and minerals.

Storing Fruits And Vegetables

As I’m sure you know, greens can wilt and spoil before you have a chance to use them. So, here are a few tricks to keep your leafy greens fresh for as long as possible:

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1. Keep fruits and veggies in separate drawers in the fridge to prevent spoilage due to ethylene build-up. This odorless, harmless and tasteless gas produced by fruits and vegetables will speed up the ripening process.

2. Place your greens in plastic tubs lined with paper towel as soon as possible after purchasing them. Cover the greens with more paper towel before closing the lid. Excess moisture is the #1 reason greens go bad quickly.

3. Make sure that your tubs do not touch the sides of the fridge since the delicate greens may freeze and get all mushy once you try to use them.

Storage times vary depending on how fresh your produce was but here’s a rough guide:

Most lettuces: 3 to 5 days (if kept relatively dry)

Chard, Bok Choy and Kale: 4 to 5 days

Baby spinach and mixed greens: 3 to 4 days.

Avocados — To prevent your avocado from turning brown, keep the pit inside the half you want to keep. Or mash the avocado, add some fresh lemon juice and freeze.

Bananas — Remove them from your shopping bag as soon as possible to slow down the ripening process. You can also cut them in slices and freeze for later use if they are too ripe.

Melons — Remove the seeds and pulp in the middle (if you bought only half of a melon) to prevent your melon from getting mushy.

Pears — If ripe, store in the fridge. To speed up the ripening process, store in brown paper bags.

Watermelons — Cut in large chunks and store in airtight containers in the fridge.

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