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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Fruits and Veggies
fctjc1979 05:18 PM 06-03-2010
How does everyone afford all the fruits and veggies that kids need? I know some of you are on food programs once you become licensed, but are there other ways of keeping this cost down?
momofboys 05:21 PM 06-03-2010
Originally Posted by fctjc1979:
How does everyone afford all the fruits and veggies that kids need? I know some of you are on food programs once you become licensed, but are there other ways of keeping this cost down?
I am not on the food program but we tend to buy what is in season & when it is on sale. So this week, grapes were on sale for $1.19 lb & we bough 6 pounds! We also stocked up on strawberries b/c they were 3 packs for $5. This weekend we are going to go pick strawberries also. When nothing good is on sale we do lots of bananas & we buy apples from an orchard b/c they are much cheaper.How does everyone afford all the fruits and veggies that kids need? I know some of you are on food programs once you become licensed, but are there other ways of keeping this cost down?
momofboys 05:23 PM 06-03-2010
I forgot to comment on the vegie aspect of your question. We buy tons of baby carrots (the 1 lb bag) when they are on sale for $1. The older kids can eat them with no problem but we steam them for the younger kids. Other than that we mostly do frozen vegies which are in most cases just as healthy as fresh. So I guess what I am saying is we just buy it when it is on sale. We don't pay full price.
Lianne 08:26 PM 06-03-2010
I'm in Canada, there is no food program here. The daycare kids and I eat mostly fresh produce. I buy what I buy because the kids and I both need to eat it. Yes, it can be expensive but it's worth the money. I don't do any canned vegetables and very rarely store-bought frozen. I keep store-bought frozen corn and peas on hand to add to soups or casseroles in the winter but otherwise we use fresh produce or produce I've frozen myself, even in the winter months.
Produce is half of my grocery budget but well worth it. I buy what's in season and on sale but even better, I buy locally. I'm growing a garden this year and we'll have lettuce, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, celery, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, watermelon, onions and several herbs. I have several farm stands just outside of town and a farmers market in town. In fact, the kids and I are walking to our Farmer's Market toorrow to stock up for next week. I also invested in some good quality containers that help keep produce fresh for weeks longer than usual. Today we just finished a head of broccoli that I bought four weeks ago that was as fresh today as when I bought it. And strawberries that I bought two weeks ago are still fresh and ripe.
None of my produce goes to waste. When I see vegetables in my fridge that are beginning to turn, I steam them and puree them then throw them in the freezer to add to casseroles, soups or sauces. Some vegetables and most fruit get blanched then frozen if we won't use it before it goes bad. I then use the fruits or vegetables to make meals or muffins or smoothies.
Produce is half of my grocery budget but well worth it. I buy what's in season and on sale but even better, I buy locally. I'm growing a garden this year and we'll have lettuce, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, celery, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, watermelon, onions and several herbs. I have several farm stands just outside of town and a farmers market in town. In fact, the kids and I are walking to our Farmer's Market toorrow to stock up for next week. I also invested in some good quality containers that help keep produce fresh for weeks longer than usual. Today we just finished a head of broccoli that I bought four weeks ago that was as fresh today as when I bought it. And strawberries that I bought two weeks ago are still fresh and ripe.
None of my produce goes to waste. When I see vegetables in my fridge that are beginning to turn, I steam them and puree them then throw them in the freezer to add to casseroles, soups or sauces. Some vegetables and most fruit get blanched then frozen if we won't use it before it goes bad. I then use the fruits or vegetables to make meals or muffins or smoothies.
fctjc1979 09:02 PM 06-03-2010
Originally Posted by Lianne:
Some vegetables and most fruit get blanched then frozen if we won't use it before it goes bad.
Blanching is like a quick boil right?Some vegetables and most fruit get blanched then frozen if we won't use it before it goes bad.
Greenshadow 02:45 AM 06-04-2010
I grow most of my own but what I cant grow, I buy locally or on sale.
mac60 04:06 AM 06-04-2010
We mostly eat canned veggies. Corn, green beans, and peas, and a couple of the kids them won't eat any of them. For fruit, canned as well, plus bananas and apples. I am going to start buying gallons of veggies and freezing them in containers, much less waste. I do that with a gallon of peaches and applesauce too.
fctjc1979 06:21 AM 06-04-2010
Thanks for all the ideas. 
nannyde 07:37 AM 06-04-2010
Originally Posted by fctjc1979:
Thanks for all the ideas.
If you are willing to do the work to put up fruits and veggies you couldn't be in a better place.Thanks for all the ideas.
Watch Craigslist to buy in bulk in season. Start searching mid summer for whatever you like. People will sell their extras for cheap.
If you want to do frozen.. watch HyVee in August. They will usually do a HyVee or Midwest Fare frozen sale at about .70 a poiund for corn, green beans, peas, and mixed. They are cleaning out the previous years stock to make room for the new season.
I've switched to all organic so I do meats from Bontrager Farms, grains from Pauls Grains, Milk from Pickett Fence, and fruits and veggies all local in season. I buy my rice at an Asian store that has 25 pound bags of organic.
MarinaVanessa 08:55 AM 06-04-2010
We buy fresh when in season or frozen when it's on sale. The canned stuff is a last resort for me since there's not much nutritional value in it but hey, sometimes you do what you have to do.
fctjc1979 10:36 AM 06-04-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:
If you are willing to do the work to put up fruits and veggies you couldn't be in a better place.
Watch Craigslist to buy in bulk in season. Start searching mid summer for whatever you like. People will sell their extras for cheap.
If you want to do frozen.. watch HyVee in August. They will usually do a HyVee or Midwest Fare frozen sale at about .70 a poiund for corn, green beans, peas, and mixed. They are cleaning out the previous years stock to make room for the new season.
I've switched to all organic so I do meats from Bontrager Farms, grains from Pauls Grains, Milk from Pickett Fence, and fruits and veggies all local in season. I buy my rice at an Asian store that has 25 pound bags of organic.
I'm going to go ahead and do some research on the most effective ways of preserving fruits and veggies. I have a small deep freezer that usually holds the tv dinners and other premade foods that my husband buys when he's out and about. (Which is weird since he doesn't eat them, lol) I'll have to clean it out and start using it to freeze stuff that I buy when it's on sale. I have easy access to a Hyvee so I'll have to put that one on my calander. Thanks!!If you are willing to do the work to put up fruits and veggies you couldn't be in a better place.
Watch Craigslist to buy in bulk in season. Start searching mid summer for whatever you like. People will sell their extras for cheap.
If you want to do frozen.. watch HyVee in August. They will usually do a HyVee or Midwest Fare frozen sale at about .70 a poiund for corn, green beans, peas, and mixed. They are cleaning out the previous years stock to make room for the new season.
I've switched to all organic so I do meats from Bontrager Farms, grains from Pauls Grains, Milk from Pickett Fence, and fruits and veggies all local in season. I buy my rice at an Asian store that has 25 pound bags of organic.
fctjc1979 11:11 AM 06-04-2010
I THINK I found a good site about preserving food but there is a lot of info on here that I'm going to have to sort through. If anyone's interested it's http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/
Like I said, I'm going to have to do some exploring and experimenting before I know if their info is good.
Like I said, I'm going to have to do some exploring and experimenting before I know if their info is good.
melskids 11:24 AM 06-04-2010
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
We buy fresh when in season or frozen when it's on sale. The canned stuff is a last resort for me since there's not much nutritional value in it but hey, sometimes you do what you have to do.
same here....and i have to add....anything they get canned here (which is rare) is still better then some of the junk i know they get at home. We buy fresh when in season or frozen when it's on sale. The canned stuff is a last resort for me since there's not much nutritional value in it but hey, sometimes you do what you have to do.
nannyde 12:33 PM 06-04-2010
Originally Posted by melskids:
same here....and i have to add....anything they get canned here (which is rare) is still better then some of the junk i know they get at home.
Thank God all my day care kids eat home made food at home. same here....and i have to add....anything they get canned here (which is rare) is still better then some of the junk i know they get at home.
Having a group of kids that chow anything you put in front of them makes me feel honored to cook for them.
I really love feeding kids.
grandmom 12:36 PM 06-04-2010
Originally Posted by fctjc1979:
Blanching is like a quick boil right?
Yes, boil the water. Then drop the food in for the specific period of time for what you want. It begins the cooking process, that stops them from continuing to ripen (read: spoil). Then you throw them immediately into ice cold water, to stop the cooking process. Then you freeze them.Blanching is like a quick boil right?
Get a book, or look it up online about how long to blanch each item.
Janet 02:19 PM 06-04-2010
I try to do fresh fruits and veggies whenever possible. I do use canned veggies on occasion, Fruit is almost always fresh here, except for mandarin oranges and applesauce. I tend to stick to grapes, apples and bananas in winter as far as fruit is concerned, but during summer time, GAME ON! My kids are introduced to as many different fruits and veggies as I can get my hands on! They find out that the veggies and fruit that they are convinced they hate are actually pretty good. We do the "no thank you bite" system here. How do they know if they hate starfruit if they've never had it before? I like to hit the farmer's market during summer time.
professionalmom 03:27 PM 06-04-2010
Originally Posted by grandmom:
Yes, boil the water. Then drop the food in for the specific period of time for what you want. It begins the cooking process, that stops them from continuing to ripen (read: spoil). Then you throw them immediately into ice cold water, to stop the cooking process. Then you freeze them.
Get a book, or look it up online about how long to blanch each item.
Thanks. I don't think I ever knew that. It just goes to show that you are never too old to learn new things!Yes, boil the water. Then drop the food in for the specific period of time for what you want. It begins the cooking process, that stops them from continuing to ripen (read: spoil). Then you throw them immediately into ice cold water, to stop the cooking process. Then you freeze them.
Get a book, or look it up online about how long to blanch each item.
professionalmom 03:45 PM 06-04-2010
A couple years back, before I started my daycare, we fell on difficult times and I got really creative with the family budget. Although times are a little better, we still use these grocery tips:
- get a freezer (I prefer the ones that lay down)
- check out the "alternative" stores (Aldi, Sam's Club, GFS, Costco, etc.) in your area. Aldi is one that we have near me. Sure, they don't have every name brand and they store is not fancy by any means (boxes of stuff like 5 lb bags of sugar are on pallets) and you have to bag your own groceries, but you can save a ton of $$. I did a price comparison of Aldi, Mejier, and Kroger and found that at Aldi, I would save up to 50-75% on most stuff. I buy the canned veggies there. I buy fresh fruit (but from Aldi, it tends to ripen faster).
- buy what is in season and buy lots of it and freeze most of it in containers sized for what you will thaw at a time.
- Check farmer's markets for sales, what is in season, etc.
- Check online for coupons for the name brand stuff at the regular grocery stores. If you can find a store that doubles the coupons, great! Or hold onto the coupon until the item goes on sale and get something normally priced at $2.30 on sale for $1.80 and use the $0.50 coupon and get it for $1.30! If the store doubles the coupon, you would get $1 off the $1.80 and pay only $0.80! Cha-Ching!!
I'm on the food program and can get $200-$400 per month (Tier 1). Then I can go to Aldi and get non-perishables for a month + meats for a month + perishables (milk, bread, etc.) for a week and only spend $120 MAX. Then I still have plenty of money for perishables for the rest of the month and I can get those on an "as needed" basis.I also have enough left over to make a trip to the health food store and get some organic or gluten-free foods!
- get a freezer (I prefer the ones that lay down)
- check out the "alternative" stores (Aldi, Sam's Club, GFS, Costco, etc.) in your area. Aldi is one that we have near me. Sure, they don't have every name brand and they store is not fancy by any means (boxes of stuff like 5 lb bags of sugar are on pallets) and you have to bag your own groceries, but you can save a ton of $$. I did a price comparison of Aldi, Mejier, and Kroger and found that at Aldi, I would save up to 50-75% on most stuff. I buy the canned veggies there. I buy fresh fruit (but from Aldi, it tends to ripen faster).
- buy what is in season and buy lots of it and freeze most of it in containers sized for what you will thaw at a time.
- Check farmer's markets for sales, what is in season, etc.
- Check online for coupons for the name brand stuff at the regular grocery stores. If you can find a store that doubles the coupons, great! Or hold onto the coupon until the item goes on sale and get something normally priced at $2.30 on sale for $1.80 and use the $0.50 coupon and get it for $1.30! If the store doubles the coupon, you would get $1 off the $1.80 and pay only $0.80! Cha-Ching!!
I'm on the food program and can get $200-$400 per month (Tier 1). Then I can go to Aldi and get non-perishables for a month + meats for a month + perishables (milk, bread, etc.) for a week and only spend $120 MAX. Then I still have plenty of money for perishables for the rest of the month and I can get those on an "as needed" basis.I also have enough left over to make a trip to the health food store and get some organic or gluten-free foods!
melskids 01:16 PM 06-05-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:
Thank God all my day care kids eat home made food at home.
Having a group of kids that chow anything you put in front of them makes me feel honored to cook for them.
Thank God all my day care kids eat home made food at home.
Having a group of kids that chow anything you put in front of them makes me feel honored to cook for them.
geez, mine eat doritos and m&m's for breakfast, and most of the time they're eating dinner in the car on the way home which is usually mc'ds or lunchables. they look at my homemade food like its from another planet
....lol
Unregistered 07:57 AM 06-08-2010
All my kiddos eat canned veggies, corn, peas, green beans, and carrots and for fruit I buy mixed fruit, mandrin orages, peaches , and pears from the can and buy applesauce in the jar the fresh fruits I buy are bananas, strawberries, cantoloupe, honey dew melon, grapes, and watermelon some of those I only buy when in season I shop at ALDIS and BJ's.
mncare 12:20 PM 06-09-2010
Some of our produce some from an organic coop. It is always so good!
I buy what is on sale and we eat that for the week. Even if there are repeats, at least they are getting good food! I don't buy canned veggie, I just don't like them, but have no problem with frozen. Frozen veggies can actually be better than fresh because they are frozen "at the peak of freshness" and don't have time to sit and lose nutrients. Anyway, I will do canned fruits--and actually use them daily--but I will only buy them if they are canned in their own juices. I refuse to buy the ones with extra sugar.
I buy what is on sale and we eat that for the week. Even if there are repeats, at least they are getting good food! I don't buy canned veggie, I just don't like them, but have no problem with frozen. Frozen veggies can actually be better than fresh because they are frozen "at the peak of freshness" and don't have time to sit and lose nutrients. Anyway, I will do canned fruits--and actually use them daily--but I will only buy them if they are canned in their own juices. I refuse to buy the ones with extra sugar.