6 Steps to Shop Smart for Fruits and Vegetables

When you have the luxury of going to the store often, shopping for fruits and vegetables is not that big of a deal, you just buy what you need for the next few days. But what if you are trying to shop just once in a while and stay home as much as possible as recommended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19?

Here are six simple steps to set you on your way to smarter shopping:

1. Buy a variety of fresh, frozen and canned produce. 
2. Eat the salad greens first, these are the most perishable.
3. Buy salad greens that can also be cooked, such as spinach or arugula. If you don’t eat them all in the first few days, cook them and use in omelets or bowl meals. 
4. Buy fruits and vegetables with a long shelf life. Apples, oranges, grapefruit, cabbage, Napa cabbage, carrots and onions all keep for weeks.
5. When you cook vegetables, decide what you will use in the next few days and freeze the rest for later.
6. Freeze bananas immediately. Peel and place in a zip-top bag and freeze. Use for pancakes, muffins or smoothies.

Check out a few great recipes that use fruits or vegetables with either long shelf lives or that can be made from frozen:

• Banana Pancakes
• Apple Cucumber Slaw
• Brussels Sprouts Caesar
• Whole Wheat Pasta with Pesto and Vegetables
• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Banana Granita
• Cabbage Stir Fry

Find these and other delicious recipes at Med Instead of Meds. A program of NC State Extension and the N.C. Division of Public Health, Med Instead of Meds promotes a healthy lifestyle that incorporates a Mediterranean-style diet and can reduce the need for medications associated with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure.