Summer break is winding down and school will be here soon! It’s time to get back to the regular scheduled weekday routines. While there’s still some time, let’s discuss some tips for weekday

1. Make a budget and stick to it! It’s easy to overspend on groceries. Look for sales in your local grocery store and plan your menu based on weekly specials. Each grocery store may run their sales beginning on different days so be sure to keep up. Joining store programs such as Food Lion’s, MVP, may allow for additional savings.
2. Highlight in season fruits and vegetables. Check out the North Carolina in-season agriculture chart. When fruits and vegetables are in season, prices tend to be lower due to abundance. Take advantage of lower prices and potentially fresher produce. Don’t forget to visit your county’s farmers’ market or farm stands to support local farmers.
3. Freeze your leftovers. Once your grocery list is written, meal prepared and served, freeze your leftovers! Freezing leftovers not only ensures your family doesn’t tire out of the same meal, but

4. Grab and go snacks. Maybe you’re not a morning person, or preparing breakfast every day for your family isn’t ideal. Keeping grab and go snacks on hand may be the solution. Fruits such as apples, oranges, and bananas are easy to rinse and peel if necessary. Round out your breakfast by pairing fruit with yogurt, cereal, nuts, toast/bagels, or muffins. Don’t forget to use any supplemental benefits such as SNAP, WIC, or any additional vouchers to purchase eligible food items. For questions about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or to receive SNAP Application Assistance contact the More In My Basket staff at morefood.org or by calling 1-855-240-1451.

Peachy Pops – serves 6

2 peaches

2/3 cup yogurt, low-fat vanilla

2 cups orange juice

6 paper cups and 6 spoons

Use a knife to remove the skin from peaches, and to chop the peaches. Spoon the peaches into each of the 6 paper cups. Place the yogurt in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly pour and stir the orange juice into the yogurt. Mix well. Pour some of the juice and yogurt mix into each cup to cover the peaches. Place a spoon in the center of each cup. Cut 6 squares of aluminum foil big enough to cover the tops of cups. Stab each spoon handle through each piece of foil. The foil will hold the spoon in the center of the cup. Place cups in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Just before serving, peel the paper cups away from the pops to eat.