A Dietitian's View

To get the most from summer’s bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, consider these ideas:

· Save on your grocery bill by planting your own small garden. Buy plants at a local nursery or co-op to plant in pots on your porch or a flowerbed. Then your produce will be ready for picking to create tasty and quick meals.

· Shop at your local farmers market. These hardworking individuals bring you fresh produce at excellent prices! Don’t forget to take $1’s and $5’s and your reusable grocery bag!

· Get your kids involved. If you are planting a garden, let them help plant, weed and water it. When shopping for fruits and vegetables, ask them to pick out one or two. Then have the kids help prepare them in a dish or salad.

· Mix vegetables into your regular dishes. Add fresh or frozen green peas or grated carrots to spaghetti sauce or mix pureed sweet potato into the sauce. At breakfast, make yummy omelets by adding onion, bell pepper, fresh spinach and mushrooms.

· Make eating fruits fun by creating your own fruit kabobs. Simply use 2-3 fruits such as strawberries, pineapple and melon and lace them along a toothpick or skewer. Mix up a dip for the fruit combining low-fat whipped topping with fat-free yogurt.

· Don’t forget fun methods to prepare vegetables: cut them in bite size pieces to roast in the oven, make kabobs on skewers for grilling, enjoy them raw with light Ranch dressing or salsa, and steam or sauté them.