Remember all those tips saying you should cook rather than eat out? Well the USDA says we might just be wrong about that in the near future. A recent study by the government agency estimated the price gap between eating at home and dining out will narrow even further in 2012. Grocery prices are expected to rise 3 percent to 4 percent, while menu prices will likely go up 2 percent to 3 percent.

That doesn’t mean you have to resort to the McDonald’s Dollar Menu, however. It’s still cheaper to eat at home, but amateur chefs will have to cut even more corners this year. Here are a few tips on dining at home frugally in a dine-out world.

1. Shop on Tuesdays
Wednesdays are the heaviest shopping day for supermarkets as that’s when they publish their weekly newspaper ads. (Manufacturer ads are usually distributed with the Sunday paper.) That means grocery stores are interested in ditching last week’s produce and meats on Tuesday night. Talk to the butcher and produce clerks about slapping a better price on those products they’re about to toss.

2. Use Mobile Coupons
Shopping on Tuesday means you can’t take advantage of Wednesday coupons. Happily, you can access mobile coupons right there in the store from the Coupon Sherpa app. This fab app allows you to search for your favorite local store, access desirable coupons, then download them to your store loyalty card.

3. Plan Your Meals Around Ads
If you plan on shopping after newspaper inserts are printed, plan your menu around featured items and build a list before you hit the store. You can use apps like Grocery Gadget (Apple) and Grocery IQ (Android) to create lists based on your supermarket’s layout.

4. Shop Stores That Double Coupons
Not all supermarkets are willing to double-up on coupons, and not all maintain such a policy continuously. The acceptance rate has gone down since the advent of “Extreme Couponers,” so check before you start clipping. This practice is usually limited to specific days and allows you to double the face value of a coupon, up to a certain amount.

5. Don’t Overbuy Bulk
It may be tempting to buy the super-sized box of Cheerios, but you have to consider whether you’ll actually eat all those little oat donuts before they turn into rocks. Buy just enough to last until the next sale.

6. Limit Produce Purchases
Americans throw away roughly one quarter of the food we buy. For a family of four, that figures out to $2,200 a year in food, according to American Wasteland author Jonathan Bloom. Rather than grab fruits and vegetables that look appealing, stick to your list and avoid spoilage. You’re also more likely to use produce if you don’t hide it away in your refrigerator’s bins. Keep it in plain site or make a list of contents that you stick on the fridge drawer as a reminder.

7. Avoid Temptation
King Soopers (owned by Krogers) has launched new “Marketplace” stores in the west, with layouts similar to Whole Foods. Walk in the door and you’re immediately assaulted by the smell of stunning flower arrangements, fresh deli items, and beautifully arranged produce. It’s tempting to fill your cart in this section, so be on your guard. Also beware of the non-food items for sale, including everything from furniture to high-end jewelry.

8. Don’t Use a Cart
Ditch the carry-all cart and carry a basket for quick trips. The less room you have to fill, the less likely you are to make impulse purchases.

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc., and has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more.

Photo: Myrrien

Homemade strawyberry jam

Summer is here and nature’s produce is at its finest.  What’s not to love about the succulent berries, sweet corn, and flavorful tomatoes of this season?  Whether you grow your own, or hit your local farmers market, why not try your hand at canning some some of that goodness so that you can enjoy it all year long.

Never canned before?  Start off simply by canning jam or preserves.  Here’s a good recipe to try:

Strawberry Jam
Makes roughly four half-pint jars

35 oz. strawberries washed, hulled and cubed
35 oz. granulated white sugar
1 lemon, sliced
1 packet pectin
1 Tbsp butter (to reduce foaming)

Method:
Combine the strawberries and sugar in a large, nonreactive pot; enamel or stainless steel are best. Let stand for at least 20 minutes, up to two hours.

Stir the contents of the pot well, and put over medium-high heat. Add the lemons, pectin and butter. Stir frequently, taking care not to burn the sugar. Bring to a boil and maintain a rolling boil. Skim away any foam that forms; if there is too much foam, add a little more butter.

Once a boil has been reached, take the temperature with a quick-read thermometer. Continue boiling and stirring until the mixture consistently reads 220ºF. Turn off the heat. Remove the lemon slices. If canning, process immediately (see On Canning, below). Otherwise, allow to cool, then pack in jars and refrigerate, or freezer-safe containers or bags if freezing.

Variations
For an extra berry punch, replace some of the strawberries with an equal amount of Driscoll’s® organic raspberries, blueberries or blackberries.

Or, once the jam reaches the target temperature, try giving yours a twist by adding one of the following:

1 Tbsp real balsamic and a few fresh cracks of black pepper
2 Tbsp Campari
A handful of mint or basil, finely chopped
Seeds from a vanilla bean
Whatever you like

On Canning
As a rule, fruit preserves can be canned using the water-bath method. Water-bath canning is not difficult, but it does require attention to detail. You’ll need some specific equipment (see Equipment, below), and you need to make sure your jars, lids and utensils are well sterilized.

The USDA publishes a very thorough guide to home canning, with excellent instructions on how to can safely. We recommend reviewing this carefully before canning. You can view the guide here: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html

Equipment
Before you start cooking up your berries, make sure you have the following items:

A large pot *
A rack that fits in the bottom of the pot *
A pair of canning tongs *
A magnetic lid wand *
A jar funnel *
A ladle *
A quick-read thermometer
A kitchen scale
Cooling racks to set the hot jars on
Plenty of kitchen towels
Plenty of jars, rings and unused lids
Patience, and a sense of humor

Most of these items, as well as a variety of jars, lids and rings, are readily available in most hardware stores, as well as some grocery stores.

* You can often find kits that have all these elements together, rather than purchasing them separately.

Recipe courtesy of Driscoll’s.

Please note: This is not an actual picture of a school lunch from my daughter's school. I just put this image up to further gross myself out!

Before I begin, let me just say that I in no way wish to condemn the excellent cafeteria staff at my daughter’s school.  Those woman (they are in fact all women) bust their buns every day to make two meals a day for hundreds of kids; put up with a constant din of adolescent noise, clean up disgusting spills, and manage to get it all done each day with a smile on their faces.

But it is no secret that I am not thrilled with the quality of food served in schools, at my daughter’s school, and at schools around the country.  For the most part, I have tried to work quietly behind the scenes to improve this nutritional fare.  But  an incident occurred yesterday that just has me spitting mad….and shouting out loud.

Here’s the scoop.

My 7 year old daughter, Emily, has recently become fascinated by the Nutrition Facts label on her food.  She has always been a numbers girl, so the fact that different foods contain varying amounts of calories and fats is enthralling to her.  She took it upon herself to start a food journal, writing down the calories in the food she eats each day.

Just to clarify…this project was never meant as a way for her to limit her caloric intake.  I don’t think that my kid needs to start counting calories, nor does she need to be on a diet.  She was merely interested in learning how many calories each different food has.  So you can imagine my dismay when her own school blocked her efforts to learn more about nutrition.

Just for the record, my daughter packs her lunch 95% of the time.  But yesterday was one of those rare days when she wanted to buy lunch at school.  She was still trying to keep her food journal, so I suggested that she nicely ask the cafeteria staff about the nutritional content of the day’s lunch.

Turns out, when she asked, the cafeteria staff told her that they had “no idea and no way of finding out” how many calories and fat grams were in that day’s meal.  Are you kidding me?  I know my kid, and I know that she asked politely, so even if they had to tell her to wait until after lunch, they should have been able to find that info for her.

Again, I’ve never been thrilled with the never-ending rotation of hot dogs, pizza, and corn dogs fed to these kids each day at school.  But my issue here was more that they didn’t know and didn’t seem to care to find out about the nutritional content of the food they were serving these kids.

Isn’t this the same school where I send my kids to learn each day?  Why was it necessary to totally squash the interest of a first grader who was taking it upon herself to learn about healthy foods? It’s obviously not something they think is important for the kids to know and I couldn’t disagree more on that point. I do think that health and nutrition should be emphasized, even in the 1st grade.

Childhood obesity is in the news each day.  It’s killing our kids.  Everyone seems to agree that we should do something about it.  Yet, the actual quality of the food that is served to kids in school each day (and marketed to kids at home) seems to be an afterthought.

There is quite a discussion going on via my page about this incident at Emily’s school and school lunch programs in general. One of the posters contends that we can’t make school lunches healthier without “ponying up the big bucks.”  But I disagree.  And as I said on Facebook, I think that’s just a cop-out for folks who are too scared to try new things (like Farm to School, school gardens, etc.)

What do you think?  Care to rant (or brag!) about your own school’s lunch program?  Do you know of a school district that is offering healthier lunches without breaking the school’s budget?  Let’s hear it!

It is no secret that obesity and a lack of good nutrition plagues many Americans. With more than 66% of Americans obese and more than two-thirds of obese children destined to become obese adults – we must break the cycle, but where do we begin?

Try these ideas to help you E.A.T. R.I.G.H.T.

• E

  at the rainbow! Not only do foods of varying colors pack a wealth of nutrition, they also look ever so enticing on the plate!

• Avoid processed foods.
• Take a list with you when you shop – with a mind to whole meals containing those fresh fruits and vegetables of varying colors as well as whole grains.
• R

  ead package labels carefully.

• Inspect fruits and vegetables carefully for signs of spoilage, store them properly, and wash them immediately before using.
• Get locally grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables when possible, in order to maximize nutrition; decrease the risk of contamination and save money.
• Have fish at least twice weekly – it’s high in protein, low in calories and fat, and high in omega-3 fatty acids.
• T

  ake time to enjoy your meals, eating slowly to decrease portion size and to help digestion.

Photo by

For some, greasy comfort foods, great friends and the biggest sporting event of the year is what makes the day great. For others, Super Bowl Sunday is the quickest route to breaking New Year’s resolutions. To keep yourself on track, try some of these healthy alternatives to the classic football fare.

Here are some healthy alternatives on Super Bowl Sunday:

• Instead of 

  , which packs 250 calories and 11 grams of fat in each slice, try ,

  which has 144 calories and 5.1 grams of fat per slice.

• If you’ve got a weakness for , with up to 250 calories and 16 grams of fat per wing, try , which have 121 calories and 6.1 grams of fat per skewer. Same finger food fun, and bursting with flavor!
• Instead of 

  , which can pack 312 calories and up to 21.44 grams of fat, try

  when can i buy the eagle film

  , a fun twist on Caprese salad, with only 147 calories and 11.6 grams of fat in a serving of two kebabs.

Recipes courtesy of

The summer berries are out in full force this year…in backyard gardens and at the grocery store.  And they’re so darned good and good for you, it makes me want to serve ‘em up in one form or another almost every day.  Last nnight I made a Mixed Berry Crumble by baking blueberries and rasperries in a pan with a little flour/brown sugar/butter mixture spinkled on top.  Delish!!  Tonight, I think I’ll try this treat.  The recipe was sent to me by the folks at Driscolls to celebrate National Berry Month (who knew??)  So grab a batch of organic berries and mix up this yummy summer dessert:

2 (16-ounce) cartons vanilla low fat yogurt

2 ½ cups Driscoll’s organic blackberries

½ cup light-colored corn syrup

¼ cup sugar

½ cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate (3 ounces)

In a blender container or food processor bowl, combine half of the yogurt, ½ cup of the berries, half of the corn syrup and half of the sugar.  Cover and blend or process until almost smooth. Pour mixture into ice cream freezer container.  Repeat.  Freeze mixture in an electric ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions.  Remove dasher from freezer.  Add remaining 1½ cups berries and the chopped chocolate; stir to distribute.  Ripen*.

*Note:  To ripen frozen yogurt or ice cream, after stirring in berries and chocolate, cover top of freezer can with waxed paper or foil.  Plug hole in lid and replace lid. Pack outer freezer bucket with enough ice and rock salt to cover top of freezer can, using about 4 cups ice and 1 cup salt.  Ripen about 4 hours.

Nutritional Information Per ½ Cup Serving:

175 calories, 3g total fat (2g saturated fat), 5mg cholesterol, 70mg sodium, 32g carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 4g protein.

The third edition of Greenpeace’s seafood sustainability scorecard – — was released the other day, with rather surprising results.  The good news is that more than half of the leading supermarket chains in the U.S. have now made some sign of progress in increasing the sustainability of their .

The supermarket chain Wegmans received top ranking followed by Ahold USA, while Whole Foods dropped to third place from its December 2008 first place ranking. Trader Joe’s remains ranked at # 17, the worst ranking of the national supermarket chains surveyed. Three regional chains ranked at the bottom.

Of the 20 largest supermarket chains in the United States, nine remain that have made no visible effort to increase the sustainability of their seafood operations and continue to ignore scientific warnings about the crisis facing global fisheries and the marine environment. These include: Aldi, Costco, Giant Eagle, H.E.B., Meijer, Price Chopper, Publix, Trader Joe’s, and Winn Dixie.  Despite the progress of many companies, all continue to stock “red list” seafood like orange roughy, swordfish, or Chilean sea bass – some of the world’s most critically imperiled species. None of the companies featured in the report guarantee that they won’t sell seafood from fisheries that are harming sea turtles, dolphins, seals, sea lions, or other marine mammals.

“The good news is that seafood sustainability is now on the radar of many major retailers so we are seeing a shift in practices, but much more progress is needed,” said Greenpeace’s Senior Markets Campaigner, Casson Trenor. “Unfortunately, our oceans remain in crisis and retailers that ignore this fact are contributing to the collapse of our marine ecosystems.”

The rankings follow:

1. Wegmans
2. Ahold USA (Stop & Shop, Giant)
3. Whole Foods
4. Target
5. Safeway (Dominicks, Genuardi’s, Pavilions, Randall’s, Von’s)
6. Harris Teeter
7. Walmart
8. Delhaize (Bloom, Food Lion, Hannaford Bros., Sweetbay)
9. Kroger (Baker’s, City Market, Dillon’s, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, Ralph’s, Smith’s, Quality Food Center – QFC)
10. Costco
11. Aldi
12. A&P (Food Emporium, Pathmark, Super Fresh, Waldbaum’s)
13. Supervalu (Acme, Albertson’s, Bristol Farms, Jewel-Osco, Save-A-Lot, Shaw’s)
14. Giant Eagle
15. Publix
16. Winn-Dixie
17. Trader Joe’s
18. Meijer
19. Price Chopper
20. H.E. Butt (H.E.B., Central Market)

Photo by

Photo by Bush's® Beans

Summer is here and grilling season is well underway. In an effort to grill green, and satisfy my 6 year-old, self-proclaimed vegetarian daughter, I have been on the lookout for the world’s best vegetarian burger. To aide in my search, my family and I took on what we deemed, “The Great Veggie Burger Smackdown-2009.” We looked through recipes, scoured store shelves, and came up with our top 3 contenders: the Griller Prime by Morningstar Farms, the Burger Original by Boca Burger, and a homemade veggie burger that looked almost too good to eat.  Here’s how they all fared:

Boca Burger’s Burger Original

Looks: Of the 3, the Boca Burger looked the least like an actual burger.  But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  I respect a veggie burger that doesn’t try to be something it’s not.

Taste: I think my husband summed it up when he said, “I’d eat it, but I wouldn’t ask for it.”  The Boca veggie burger didn’t taste like a burger, but rather like a veggie patty.  And as I said, this is fine, if it’s a really yummy veggie patty.  But overall I’d have to say the The Boca Burger is good in a pinch, but entirely unforgettable as a meal.

Morningstar Farms Griller Prime

Looks:

Taste: I could not believe my eyes when my picky 3 year old, who turns her nose up at ANYTHING she hasn’t seen before, not only ate this burger, but asked for more.  Since the smackdown, she has asked for this burger several more times by saying…”I want a veggie burger…the one that I liked.”  The Griller got equally rave reviews from the rest of the family.

The Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burger

Looks: I had high hopes for this burger.  I mean, in the picture (the one shown above) it looks fantastic.  And when you make it at home, it comes out looking just like this.  So if you ever need to do a veggie burger photo shoot…I can wholeheartedly recommend this recipe.

Taste: Unfortunately, I can’t actually recommend eating this burger.  My 6 year old described it as “gross” and my 3 year old (who actually does like black beans) took one bite, and then did not even acknowledge this burger on her plate.  I have to agree.  It turns out this burger actually did look too good to eat.   This particular veggie burger recipe, while yummy looking, falls short in the taste department.  It’s mealy, mushy, and well…gross.

And the winner is…

Got a Favorite?  Win a $25 Amazon GC

So let’s hear it.  Got a favorite veggie burger recipe?  I’d love to hear it.  And I’d love to try it on my (as yet unsuspecting) family.  I’ll give a $25 Amazon Gift Card to the best recipe (as judged by my clan.)  To enter, post your recipe here AND tweet or blog about this contest.  Include the link to your post or your twitter ID in your comment.  Contest ends June 30th!

Having a new baby can really test the Greenest of parents.  Lack of sleep, combined with lack of time leads many parents to buying packaged baby food.  Jars of baby food can certainly make life easier, and are a great solution for time-stressed parents.  But, they aren’t green.

So, what is a new parent to do?  Start cooking for you and baby.  You can make meals that both of you can eat and save time, money, and the environment.

Why start eating together now?  Well, many research studies have shown that the biggest factor determining the eating habits of children is the eating habits of their parents.  You eat fast food, your child will eat fast food.  You eat brown rice and tofu, your child will eat brown rice and tofu.

Cooking homemade baby food is actually really easy.  The key is to just plan meals for yourself that will incorporate some of the foods that your baby can eat, and then feed some to your baby.  You do have to go shopping and cook, but, with some planning, it should take you less time than waiting for the pizza delivery.  Cooking a meal will be less expensive and more satisfying.

Below is an example of cooking for yourself and baby.  This recipe includes a super easy pasta recipe for adults, a kind of grown up macaroni and cheese.  It also includes 3 foods that you could serve to an 8 month old baby: spinach, ricotta cheese, and pasta

Shopping List:

1 pound penne pasta
1 10 ounce package frozen spinach
15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

For Baby: