Produce Profit

Good morning everyone hope you all got to work safely. Its a real life snow globe out there. Despite the snow this morning has been pretty typical which is nice after the way yesturday started. So today I wanted to take a look at the produce department. I am so often told that it is too expensive to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. To that I say take a look at what else you are spending. I bet if you took the amount of money you spend on going out to lunch and the blood pressure and cholesterol medication you take to accompany your burger and fries you would see that taking that money and applying it to the produce department at your local grocery store you would see if go farther. However there are some things to look out for
1. Do not buy prepared produce. Anytime you purchase fruits or vegetables that are already cut and packaged you are paying more money for less product because you are paying for the packaging, labor, preservatives, ect. Ex. carrots vs baby carrots, buy a bush of carrots for $1.29, each carrot probably equals about 4-6 baby carrots, peel, and cut them up at home. Save yourself anywhere from $1.50 to $2.03, depending on where and how much you are purchasing.
2. to follow the above tip, prepare your fruits and veggies ahead of time for the week. Cut up celery, carrots, asparagus, pineapple, oranges, and other produce and keep in the fridge for easy access and a quick grab for your lunch or a snack. Put a bit of water in the bottom of the container to make sure they do not dry out.
3. So that you aren't tossing away the green (veggies and money) make sure to prioritize the fresh produce in your meals to assure it gets used up prior to spoiling.
In the long run these fruits and vegetables are going to give you the fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to improve your health, immune systems, and general daily function.
Food for thought: In my moms fridge the other day I found a package of ham lunch meat, the use by date was 12/2/10, first thought is THROW IT OUT! however upon further inspection we found that the ham appeared to still be GOOD. WHAT! What the hells angels is in our food?