I need to eat more fruits and vegetables, but I only go to the grocery store once a month. What should I do? Plus, I eat out too often. I like frozen veggies, but most fruits need to be bought fresh. Is there a way I can get a weekly delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables that I can tailor to my tastes but not have to think about too often?
Yes, I'm lazy. I want a subscription food service that bills me monthly and doesn't take any effort.
Cherries (Bing or Rainier) are a weakness of mine. I love them. Now is not the season for them around here (WI)... and the only way they're available.. in their natural goodness.. and for a reasonable price is frozen.
I buy them, thaw them, and eat them as I would fresh... and they taste pretty darn close to fresh.
If I'm feeling ambitious, I combine the frozen Bing cherries with some sugar, cinnamon, and almond extract... boil it for a bit, add some flout for thickening, and throw it into a pie pan with ready-made crust.... and voila... fresh cherry pie... that's pretty damn good (or so I'm told by my co-workers).
"flour".. not "flout"
Oh, goodness.
Wow, thanks for making me feel better about my laziness.
1) Frozen is good: berries, of course. Also, green beans and whole-kernal corn.
2) Dried fruit might be one thought: that's what they ate on the covered wagons when the West was settled. Try raisins and apricots. Craisins (flavored cranberries).
3) Apples keep for weeks on the counter in a bowl. And carrots keep almost as long covered in the fridge. Winter squash also lasts a while: I love all those ones that look like itty bitty pumpkins (various colors, but you'll recognize the shape). Just cut it in half, puncture the skin in a few places, and microwave it flesh-side-down in a bowl of water (5-10 minutes, as I recall). Throw some butter and brown sugar on there, and you're good.
4) Is there a farmer's market in your area? Could you sneak in a visit to one on your lunch hour once a week?
5) If worse comes to worst, can you have a little canned fruit in your lunch every day, or do you eat lunch out? When I was making box lunches for my husband and myself, I always included some canned peaches/pears, or a little fruit cocktail. There are even snack-sized packages of canned fruit, and flavored applesauce.
6) Some high-end supermarkets have salad bars where you can make yourself a salad and pay by weight. It isn't cheap, but it might be a way to have a lunch that's produce-rich once in a while.
FWIW, most winters I tend to shop once or twice a week. During the summer I take advantage of the sumptuous produce and go 3-4 times a week--mostly just picking up more produce during the week.
Here in New York City, we can get all our groceries from Freshdirect, and you can set up a regular grocery list with them if you want.
We get a Freshdirect order every 1-2 weeks. The prices are reasonable, too, for NYC. They actually beat our local grocery store on many items. They just don't take coupons. You can also get fresh cuts of meat and measured cuts of cheese. The quality is pretty high.
But you don't live in NYC, do ya?
Nyah nyah.
That is some good advice attila, I may have to put it to use.
Although , becareful not to eat too many dried apricots.
Wow, Vons.com will deliver! It looks like it's about $10 for delivery, plus I bet the prices are higher.
The best way for a non-veggie-eater to eat veggies is to mix them into a dish-- carrots in your stew, pumpkin in your cake. I make a killer spinach quiche that never survives to see Leftover Day, and this in a family where my husband and son won't eat vegetables. (My husband is allergic to all fresh fruits and vegetables, my daughter is allergic to some, and my son wants to be just like his dad.)
To do this, though, you have to learn how to cook from scratch instead of from a frozen meal packet. It's well worth it, though, as cooking from scratch gives so much better flavor. You'll notice a difference in your vitality when you eat home-cooked food.
I prefer frozen vegetables myself, but we've only got limited freezer space, so I use a lot of canned vegetables. Some fruits and veggies last longer than others-- you may want to get a month's worth of apples, oranges, carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, etc. next time you go to the market.
you should look into community supported agriculture--- a box of fresh fruits and vegetables delivered every week or 2 from a local farm.