Weekly Menus: March 7 – 13

I’m going to try to do a little experimenting this week…a few items on my menu that I’ve never tried before.  I’m going to use some recipes I’ve found on the web and see what fits with what is in my pantry…just to keep things a little more interesting!

Monday - Hamburgers, French Fries, carrot sticks and ranch

- Ok. So this is not interesting…nor unique…but it is going to be a rock star kind of day and I’m looking for simple and fast.  Venison from our freezer, french fries from the massive stock up sale price I found several months ago.  I will need to buy some carrot sticks and hamburger buns.

Tuesday - Make Ahead Spinach Manacotti, broccoli, mixed fruit salad.

- I won’t even be home for dinner on Tuesday so I thought I would make it as simple as possible for my husband.  I have this in the freezer.  I will need to buy some spaghetti sauce but will pull it out of the freezer on Monday and pour the sauce on…he will just need to pop it in the oven.  Green Giant Steamers vegetables are on sale at Dillon’s this week and next: with a coupon you can get them from about $0.28/bag. I have a bag of frozen fruit salad I got at Aldi about a month ago.

Wednesday - Asian BBQ Chicken Thighs, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and Homemade Dinner Rolls

- I found this recipe this past summer and made it with salmon on the grill.  (I’m desperately looking for the link to this and will post it as soon as I locate it!)We were so pleased with the flavor, it really is amazing!  The ingredients, when purchased all at once, can be quite costly.  I happen to have them all on hand…I’ve purchased them over time for various recipes.  You can often find these ingredients at an Asian Market for a much cheaper price than your local grocer.  My kids LOVE green beans…I do to.  In fact, I can’t wait until we get fresh from the garden green beans this summer.  In the meantime…I’m bored.  Plain green beans are getting old.  I found this great recipe at Savor The Thyme and will definitely give it a try! If they look good, I’ll buy fresh green beans this week…if not I will use the Green Giant Steamers.  Potatoes I bought last week for a dish and have enough remaining to make mashed potatoes this week.  I ran out of flour and sugar last week so I purchased some on Saturday night.

Thursday - Mexican Casserole

- A meal all in itself!  This is my biggest experiment this week.  I found this reciepe at Succeeding As Mom and it sounds really good to me!  It actually includes three separate recipes, one for Rice Wheatberrie Bake, one for Meatless Taco Filling, and then the Mexican Casserole recipe.  I will need to hit up the bulk section at the Merc for some wheatberrie and TVP … although I may use Bocca Crumbles instead as I have a coupon for one bag FREE.  I believe I actually have everything else on hand!

Friday - Sticky Chicken, Roasted Cauliflower, Rice/Carrots/Peas, Left Over Homemade Dinner Rolls

Saturday - Brinner! Eggs, Biscuits and Gravy, Fruit Salad

- An all time favorite fun dinner at our house.  The kids (and by kids I mean Eric and I) really like this.  We get our eggs from a farm in Topeka (someone at Eric’s office) so we always have those around….I will make biscuits and I will need to buy a packet of Country Gravy mix… I don’t do gravy very well.

So what does my “essentials” grocery list look like for the week?

Hamburger Buns

OrrowWheat Sandwhich Thins

Ground Black Pepper

Fresh Green Beans

Fresh Cauliflower

1 each Red/Green/Banana Pepper

Onion

Spaghetti Sauce

Bananas

Strawberries

Vanilla Yogurt

Orange Juice

Fat-Free Milk

When I figure out what I have spent I will be using the remainder to stock up on frozen vegetables.  The sale at Dillon’s is amazing and I can use them and use them and use them until our garden is ready this summer.

What is on your menu this week?

Weekly Menus: February 21- 27

A week of stomach bugs and long days at the office for my husband has left me with an easier task this week than most… we had lots of sandwiches and snack-type meals last week and I’ll be doing more carryover for this week’s menu.  Last week I only spent $30 on groceries and was able to put the remaining $20 towards buying chicken on sale at Target.  I’ve successfully replenished my stash!

Sunday – Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Homemade Dinner Rolls, Cooked Carrots, golden potatoes

- Drumsticks from the freezer from a sale this past summer.  Carrots from a meal I made a little over a week ago and I purchased the potatoes last week in anticipation of this being on the menu then.

Monday – Vegtarian Chili, Cornbread

- Black beans, diced tomatoes, green peppers and diced chilies…all are staples in my house.  I stock up on these things (buy the peppers fresh) whenever possible.  I have some Morningstar Farms Recipe crumbles in the freezer that I will use.

Tuesday – Venison Stroganoff, Green Beans, Egg Noodles

-Venison from my husband’s hunting adventures and I purchased egg noodles last week thinking this would be on the menu.  I have sour cream and mushroom soup on hand as well.  I will buy fresh green beans this week.

Wednesday -Leftovers

Thursday – General Tsoa’s Chicken, Fried Rice, Frozen Mixed Vegetables

- Chicken from the freezer.  I stocked up on Chicken Breasts and thighs this week at Target.  A brand I particulary like was on sale for $3.99/16oz and I had a $1/1 coupon.  Not the best price but as I said, I like this particular brand.  I have rice on hand as well as the frozen vegetables.

Friday – Brinner!! Biscuits and Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, Veggie Sausage, Fruit Salad

- I will make biscuits, I’ll need to buy a gravy mix as I’m not that creative…but there was a coupon in today’s paper…Veggie Sausage Patties are a splurge but will go on the list this week bc it is so small.  I have frozen fruit salad in the freezer I purchased at Aldi’s several week’s ago.

Saturday -Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Carrots and Ranch

- Venison burger from our freezer, I have two ginormous bags of french fries in the freezer I got on the SUPER CHEAP at Dillon’s a while back, carrot sticks and ranch dressing.  I will need to pick up some Manwhich and Buns

My Grocery List:

Fresh Green Beans

Skim Milk

Smart Ones (Freezer meals for DH and MY lunches)

Veggie Sausage Patties

Gravy Mix

Manwhich

Burger Buns

*After I see the total I will need to add some household items to my shopping list.  We need some fabric softener and trash bags for the diaper pail.

Weekly Menus: February 14 – 20

Last month went fairly well in the Hethcoat household.  We stayed on target with our menus for the most part and I think we only ordered out ONE night!  Posting my menus here on Sundays is definitely holding me accountable and forcing me to get the menus done on time.  Its helping my stress level AND my budget!

We have set a new goal for ourselves for the year: We need a new truck….we are going to get one and hope to have it paid off by the end of the year … when we plan to move to a new house!  This means I will need to be even MORE frugal then I’ve been and be very strict with our budget so we can save every last dime.  That being said… my husband and I are also going to take our honeymoon this year…FINALLY!!  We have been saving and saving and will be booking it TODAY!!  And you know what? We are paying CASH!!  A little bit of planning and saving really can pay off!

So… I’m going to continue to post my menus here on Sundays…its one little step to help our family reach our goals for the year!

Sunday: Chicken Salad Sandwhiches, Fruit salad, Pringles and raw veggies.

- Not an exciting meal but we have all of these left overs from a baby shower that I co-hosted this weekend.  It will let us kick back and enjoy Valentines’ Day as a family with little fuss over dinner.

Monday: Spaghetti, peas, fruit salad

- My husband will be working late so it is a kid-favorite night again for dinner!  I have spaghetti and sauce on hand as well as peas and lots of fruit salad from the Shower.

Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn

Wednesday: Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Homemade biscuits, cooked carrots, potatoes

- I have drumsticks in the freezer from a sale at Target this summer and I have the other ingredients on hand.  I am almost out of flour to make the biscuits so that is on my shopping list this week.  Carrots I have on hand from a trip two weeks ago and they need to get used and potatoes are on my shopping list.

Thursday: Stroganoff, green beans

- Using venison from our freezer and other ingredients I have on hand I can whip this up in the crock pot.  I can use rice instead of noodles…or, depending on my total shopping list I may pick up some egg noodles.  I have frozen green beans on hand.

Friday: General Tsao’s Chicken, Rice, Frozen Mixed vegetables

- I have chicken breasts on hand I will use along with Jasmine Rice and a bag of frozen steam-fresh veggies.  This is a great Weight Watchers meal that I discovered 3 years ago and my family loves.

Saturday: Homemade pizza

- I will make homemade pizza crust and I have pizza sauce on hand.  I will buy some turkey pepperoni (my son’s “FAVORITE” for pizza) and we will use that and cubed chicken.  I have cheese in the freezer from a good deal at HyVee about a month ago and I have Rice Cheese for my daughter that I purchased last week.  I will add mushrooms and green pepper to my shopping list.

So far my list of “needs” for the week includes:

• skim milk
• russet potatoes
• red potatoes
• turkey pepperoni
• egg noodles
• flour
• mushrooms
• green pepper
• rice milk
• yogurt
• eggs

Anything I have left in my budget I will put towards stocking up on a few items this week: chicken at Target in particular.

What’s on your menu this week?

Weekly Menus January 31 – Feb 6

For the past two weeks I’ve been posting my family’s menu in an attempt to both hold myself accountable…and stay organized as well as showing you how the principle of using coupons and stockpiling can actually work. 

I’ve been following my menus very well!  I’m rather impressed with myself.  We will be ordering pizza tonight…because I’ve been up with sick kids and am DONE for the day…but once in a while won’t break our budget.  I will carry over tonight’s meal to tomorrow.

I will be attending BlissDom in Nashville, TN this week and will be gone Thurs – Sunday.  I’m taking SuperBaby with me but Eric and the two big kids will be home by themselves.  I’m trying to keep things simple and easy to prepare this week so I’m not spending a lot of time cleaning up when I could be doing other things.  I went a little over budget ($20) last week stocking up on some things (Juice, chicken) so I have a VERY short list this week and plan to do almost no shopping: bananas, Rice Milk, asparagus, french fries, hot dog buns, deli turkey. 

How about you?  Have you planned your family’s menu for the week?  Start by looking through your cupboards and see what you have on hand…then buy the essentials and stock up on what is on sale!  You will feel more relaxed and organized when dinner time rolls around each night!

Sunday: Make ahead Spinach Manacotti

• I have spinach from our garden in the freezer and I purchased noodles and cheese on sale last week at Hy Vee.  The recipe for this makes a 9×13 which is too much for my family so I will freeze half (without the sauce) for another meal.

Monday: Foil Pack Chicken Marinara

• I have chicken breasts in the freezer I purchased for $1.68/lb at HyVee, tomatoes I stocked up on when they were $0.38/can and mozzerella cheese that was a MONEY MAKER at HyVee when it was 5/$6 with a $5 ONYO + coupons.  I got this recipe from the Kraft Website and haven’t made it before…we’ll see if its a keeper or not.

Tuesday:  Grilled Cheese Sandwhiches, Tomato Soup and Homemade Applesauce

• Daddy will be out of town so its a kid-food kind of night!  I almost always have tomato soup on hand…I like to make it up with a little milk (or soy milk) and some basil…yumma!  Made the applesauce last week in my crockpot with the apples on sale at HyVee.

Wednesday: Tilapia in mustard cream sauce, asparagus, Long Grain Wild Rice 

• Tilapia I have in the freezer I purchased on a monthly trip to Aldi ($3.99/4pieces) and I have the wild rice on hand as well.  I will need to purchase fresh asparagus this week.

Thursday: Chili Dogs, French Fries, carrots and branch (Ranch) 

• My first night away and Dad and the kids will have some “fun food” .  I have Hormel Chili I got on sale, with a coupon for about $0.30/can a month or so ago and I have veggie dogs and hot dogs in the freezer.  I will need to pick up more french fries unless I can convice Eric that he can make oven fries out of potatoes.  I bought a bag of carrots last week to make chicken soup and we can cut those up.

Friday: Left over Chicken Enchiladas

• We had these last week and I froze half of the batch so Eric and the kids could have them while I was out of town…they will be eating while I’m listening to Harry Connick, Jr!

Saturday: Shepherd’s Pie  

•  I use venison from our freezer that my husband provides for us, potatoes I bought on sale at Dillon’s last week and some vegetables and broth I have on hand.  I have one in the freezer for the fam to chow on while I’m living it up in Nashville.

Weekly Menus: January 24 – 30

Last week I committed myself to posting weekly menus on Sunday…to inspire others and to hold myself accountable!  We followed our menu last week with the exception of having more leftovers than we had planned and a family birthday party that I forgot to plan in…so I have two of my meals carry over to this week!

Sunday - Sticky Chicken, Salad, mashed potatoes, rolls

• I will use a whole chicken from my freezer stash… I bought them for roughly $2.50 ea this summer at Target.  The chickens were $4.50 and I was able to stack a $1/1 man. printable coupon with a $1/1 Target coupon.  I bought a LOT of them and stocked my freezer.  I have salad left from my purchase last week… it will need to be used today.  I will need to buy some potatoes at the store.  I’m also experimenting with some homemade rolls … hopefully I can share how those go next week.

Monday – Salmon, Lemony Rice Pilaf, asparagus

• I purchased a 4pk of frozen Wild Caught Salmon at Aldi’s last week for $3.99.  The lemony rice recipe is a new one I’m going to try this week.  I have jasmine rice on hand and will need to purchase a lemon and some parsley to round out the dish.  I will also purchase fresh asparagus this week.

Tuesday - French Dip Sandwiches, French Fries, Corn on the Cob

• We will use venison from the freezer and the leftover homemade rolls from Monday.  I have an immensely large bag of frozen french fries I got on super sale at Dillon’s a couple of months ago…and I will get corn on the cob at HyVee where it is on sale this week 4/$1.

Wednesday – Chicken Soup

• This week chicken breasts and thighs are on sale at HyVee for $0.99/lb.  I was originally going to make this soup with one of my whole chickens…but I decided to use breasts and thighs…skinless these will make less fat in the soup and boneless they will make it just a little easier.  I will buy some barely to use in the soup in lieu of noodles…I’m giving this a try as a whole grain option.

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday – Make Ahead Spinach Manacotti , green beans

• I have spaghetti sauce on hand that I bought on sale at Dillon’s and spinach in my freezer from our garden this summer.  I will need to buy manacotti shells and ricotta cheese.

Saturday -Chicken Enchiladas, broccoli, spanish rice

• Leftover chicken from Sunday’s Sticky Chicken makes great filling for these enchiladas.  Tortillas can be purchased w a coupon at Dillon’s this week.  I have tomatoes and sauce for the homemade enchilada sauce…I bought them last week on sale at HyVee…$0.38/can.  I have frozen broccolli in the freezer and Old El Paso spanish rice that I purchased on sale ($1.25/bag) with a coupon ($0.50/1) that doubled…so final price was $0.25.

There you have it.  A little diversity…. what does your week look like?  Are you utilizing the groceries and supplies you have on hand? 

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!

Fitness Friday: Wii Eat Healthy Dinner

We can exercise to our hearts content…but being healthy…being fit… takes a complete package.  You need sleep, you need to eat right, and you need to destress!  Today’s Wii Eat Healthy is Dinner…an easy, quick recipe that you can make any night of the week…you can even toss it in the freezer to have on hand when there isn’t any time to cook!

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

1/2c.  fresh lemon juice

1/2c. fat-free chicken broth

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 medium garlic cloves; minced

1 1/2 lb.  boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Cooking Spray

1 lb. uncooked new potatoes, cut in half (about 10 potatoes)

Place lemon juice, broth, olive oil, garlic and oregano in a large resealable bag or medium glass bowl.  Add chicken, seal bag or cover bowl and marinate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 11″ pan with cooking spray.

Place chicken and marinade in pan, add potatoes  Bake 45 min (breasts) or 60 min (thighs) or longer for softer potatoes.  Yield is 1 breast or 2 thighs and appx 5 potato halves per serving.

This is  8 Weight Watchers Points Per Serving.  Pair it with some fresh, steamed green beans to round out your meal…be full, be healthy with very little mess to clean up when you are finished!

Tips:

*To make ahead and freeze: After you have added the chicken to the marinade, seal bag with as little air in the bag as possible.  Set in the freezer on a flat surface (cookie sheet or shelf) to freeze.   The night before you plan to serve, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge.  Marinate all day the next day before baking.

* The longer you let this marinate, the better the flavor will be when you prepare it.

* This would be a great freezer meal to make for a friend with a new baby or who has been in the hospital.

Want to hear what other people have to say about their fitness journies?  Want to share your own story or get encouragement from others who are fighting the good fight?  Visit Wii Mommies and join the community!

Weekly Menus: January 18 – 24

My main sticking point whenever I talk about coupons and saving money is simple: Plan your menus from what you have in your pantry, shop for what is on SALE and your perishable items whenever possible.  I’ve been using coupons and using the theory of stockpiling for well over a year so this is a comfortable practice for me.  For someone just beginning, it will be a little more difficult.

Not only does planning menus help you to save money on your grocery bill… it keeps you from wasting money on eating out when you aren’t sure what to prepare….it gives you the opportunity to take better care with WHAT you and your family are eating…you will be more apt to sit down at the table and eat as a family…and it will help to ease the stress in your daily life.

I am going to post my weekly menus every Sunday as a way to share ideas and methods with each one of you, and I will be keeping myself and MY family on track as well!

Monday: Meatloaf, Noodles and Sauce, Cooked Carrots

• My husband hunts and processes venison for us every year so I will pull this from the freezer.  I bought a box of noodles in mushroom sauce on clearance, with a coupon from Dillon’s a few weeks ago for appx. $0.50.  Carrots in my fridge from last week.

Tuesday: Greek Lemon Chicken, Red Potatoes, Green Beans

• This Weight Watchers recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  I have some chicken breasts in my freezer, AND they are on sale at Dillon’s for $1.99/lb this week so I will use those instead.  I have red potatoes on hand from a previous meal and will buy fresh green beans.

Wednesday: Homemade Pizzas, Tossed Salad

• I make my own pizza crust using a recipe I found at MomAdvice .  We will use chicken breast, pepperoni which I will buy this week and pizza cheese from the freezer that I got on sale at Target for $1/ea this fall.  I will need to buy some Rice Mozzerella cheese for my daughter.  Dole bagged salad is on sale for $1/ea at Dillon’s.

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Homemade Chicken Soup

• This summer Whole Gold N Plump Chickens were on sale at Target for roughly $4.50.  I was able to use a $1 manufacturer’s coupon stacked with a $1 Target coupon to get these for appx $2.50/ea.  I bought 12 and put them in my deep freeze.  I will use one for the soup.  I will need to buy onion, celery and chicken bouillon at the store and I’ll use the carrots I have from last week.

Saturday: French Dip Sandwiches, French Fries, Peas

• Again I will dip into our venison store and make a roast to slice for sandwiches.  A little over a month ago I found a Family Size bag of Ore Ida frozen french fries for $3 and was able to use a $1/1 coupon.  This is my 4th meal using them and we will still have some left!  I have frozen Green Giant Peas that I bought on sale at Dillon’s in October for roughly $0.30 per package.  I will need to buy rolls for the sandwiches.

Lunches: Grilled Turkey and Cheese, Vegetarian Chili, Cheese Quesidillas and Black Beans, Leftovers, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Homemade mac and Cheese

I use fruit, juice, crackers and cheese as well as granola bars for snacks for my kids throughout the day.  I also will occasionally make desserts for my family with what I have on hand.

Wednesday this week is Brendan’s Birthday…so we will spend a little more money on groceries that we normally do since we are having company over for homemade pizza.

What will be on your table for dinner this week?

Wii Eat Heathy Lunch: Vegetarian Chili

With the snow piling up outside…school and activities being cancelled…I thought a hearty chili recipe would be just perfect!  I found this recipe years ago when I was exploring the South Beach Diet.  This is perfect for lunches… and it is a small recipe at just 2 servings…and doubles well if you need more.

1/4 medium onion, chopped

2 tsp. olive oil

3 oz. soy/meat alternative crumbles

3/4 tsp. chili powder (or to taste)

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1 oz. canned chopped green chilies, drained

1/4c an diced tomatoes (3.75 oz)

1/4 can black beans, drained (3.75oz)

1/4 can kidney beans, drained (3.75 oz)

1/4 can tomato sauce (3.75oz)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the peppers, onion and garlic to taste and heat until they soften.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

WW Points Per Serving: 4

*I couldn’t find a pic and forgot to take one of my own   I found this lovely picture at Recipefeast.com … wanted to give credit where credit was due!

Wii Eat Healthy Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats

I’ve heard all this talk about steel cut oats…but I didn’t really know what the difference was…so I did a little research.  Steel cut oats are the inner part of the kernal grain (groats) that is coarsely chopped by a steel blade rather than rolled.  These are healthier for you, less processed and have a lower glycemic index than instant or old fashioned rolled oats (42 compared to 66 according to Wikipedia).  This means that you will get less of an insulin spike when you eat them….you will sustain your energy level longer after you have eaten.

Its no secret that although I’m sort of being drug behind the wagon…I’m a big fan of Weight Watchers.  Here are two recipes for Steel Cut Oats that I found in the Weight Watchers forums.  Both call for being cooked in your slow cooker overnight…but I would hesitate to cook them a full eight hours unless you are completely sure of the heat levels your slow cooker cooks at.  If possible…make one of these recipes the first time during the day and check for a finished product after approximately 5-6 hours of cook time.

Apple Steel Oats

1 cup steel cut oats
1 apple — coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 1/2 cups skim milk — or water

In a slow cooker, add all ingredients and set to low heat.  Let cook overnight.

Serves appx. 4 people (1c. uncooked steel cut oats generally makes 4 servings)

5 Points Per Serving made w/skim milk

3 Points Per Serving made w/water

Creamy Pumpkin Oatmeal

2 cups steel cut oats
1 12 oz. Can fat-free evaporated milk
1- 15 oz. Can pumpkin
5 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup splenda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup

1. Just put it all in the crock pot, mix until no chucks of pumpkin left. Cook on low for 8 hours (while you sleep). Yummy breakfast for the entire week.

2. For an apple version: substitute 2 cups sugar-free applesauce for the pumpkin. Add on large chopped apple. Substitute 2 teaspoons cinnamon for the pumpkin pie spice .

Serves appx. 8 ppl

4 Points Per Serving

Here are a few more tips for cooking your steel cut oats that I found in my search:

• Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray before you start adding ingredients.  I’ve read over and over how much easier it makes cleanup in the morning…almost to the point of a MUST.
• If you want more texture to your oats…toast them first.  Lay them on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes before adding to slow cooker.
• As I mentioned earlier…know the strength of your cooker…and adjust the cooking time as such.  You can always cook them longer…you can’t unburn them.
• Cook oats with water and any variation of dried fruit…serve w/ fat free half and half and honey to sweeten for appx 5 points per serving (I’m thinking of trying craisins and apricots)
• If you are using a large slow cooker…you may be better off doubling the first recipe…2c oats and 8c water seems to cook more evenly in a large cooker.
• Steel cut oats cooked overnight freezes very well.  Making a large batch and either keeping it in the fridge for several days or freezing it will make for easier, yet still healthy breakfasts on those days you are rushed.

Wii Eat Healthy Snacks: Dressing Up Your Fruit

This is sort of a no brainer, it seems to me.  The healthiest snacks you can have are fruits paired with a little bit of protein.  Sugar to boost you and protein to help sustain the energy!  Plain ol’ fruit and yogurt gets boring after a while…especially if you are trying to please kiddos at the same time so here are a few ideas I’ve gathered from Twitter and from my own childhood:

Frozen Bananas: My mom used to make these all the time when we were little and they are amazingly yummy.  On a stick or not…individually wrapped in saran these bananas will not brown as they freeze.  My mom used to dip them in chocolate first so they had a nice outer coating…I heard this week to dip them in yogurt (Yoplait Whips freeze nicely) and then roll them in nuts before freezing them and I think that sounds DIVINE!

Frozen Grapes/Blueberries: Eaten frozen these fruits will give you a little blast of cool, refreshing flavor that is (yes…I’m going to say it) better than ice cream!!  You can snack away and have none of the guilt.  Dip them in some yogurt to round out the snack.

Grapes and Sour Cream: Yes, you heard me.  Throw some grapes in bowl with a dollup of sour cream on top, sprinkled with a little brown sugar.  This looks pretty and tastes YUMMY…even though it sounds a little crazy.  The sour cream balances well with the sweet of the grapes and the sugar.

Apple O’s: Cut the core out of your apple then slice it into rings.  Spread a little peanut butter on the apple rings and make a little sandwich out of them.  Kids especially will LOVE this treat.

Just a couple of my favorite ideas for sprucing up your fruit snacks….what are some of yours??

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