Wellfie Wednesday Tip #144: Know Your Seasonal Produce

Happy Wellfie Wednesday! Welcome back! This week is brought to you by Patrick (@TheFuelPhysio) and is a perfect mention for the Spring Season!

Spring is finally here!! Well at least for where I am in upstate South Carolina. The temperatures are finally where they should be, everything is COVERED in pollen, and it’s forecasted to rain… like every day. But we do have some beautiful weather forecasted for the future. But enough about that, lets talk PRODUCE!

Spring is an amazing time to start being on the lookout for fresh produce, which if you didn’t know can be very specific to your region of the country. Fresh produce is not only important to get the best flavors, but also that time of the year they become a bit cheaper. For example, early this week I took advantage of buying a larger quantity of strawberries and they’ve been fantastic!

A great resource that you can use to find what’s available in your area, and even specific to ANY time of the year, is the Seasonal Food Guide. I love this resource because it’ll also link you to info on storing and even cooking methods for specific fruits or vegetables.

So check out what’s fresh in your area and let us know! Thanks for all of the support, be sure to post your pictures this week and tag the WW crew members in your post (@TheFuelPhysio, @Eric_in_AmERICa, @FreestylePhysio, @DianaKlatt) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

- WW Crew

Wellfie Wednesday Tip #112: If Its on Sale, Stock Up!

Happy Wellfie Wednesday! Welcome back! This week is brought to you by Patrick (@TheFuelPhysio) and he wants to chat about being thrifty when food shopping. 

What you need to first do is start recognizing the price of items you frequently buy. And of course take notice when the price is significantly lower, most likely for seasonal reasons, or because your store has posted a sale (most likely to unload their stock).

Now there are only certain things that I tend to stock up on when the price is right. Of course that includes any dry goods (beans, legumes, lentils, whole grain pastas, etc.), because they will eventually get used at some point in the year. Also, chicken and meats if I know we'll use them within the next month or two; they'll last in the freezer until then. But more recently because of the season, my eye has been on berries, specifically BLUEBERRIES, as they are my favorite and of course provide a tremendous nutritious punch. Berries are also the easiest to freeze and most frequently eaten fruit in our house, aside from bananas, which we prefer fresh. 

As blueberries have been on and off sale the last couple weeks, dependent upon where my grocery gets their supply (this week came from Washington state, who is nearing the end of their blueberry season), I have been stocking up. On the norm, blueberries can tend to be very pricey if bought out of season, anywhere from $4-5/pint. But because of recent seasonal sales, I've been buying them at $1.24/pint. And I currently have roughly 16 pints (washed, air-dried, and frozen) in my freezer. 

Now it may seem a little crazy to have purchased $20 worth of blueberries, and I'm actually thinking of going back for more, but I've realistically saved upwards of $40-50, because blueberries are something we eat year-round.

So next time your out food shopping, see if you can stock up on any sales, or just purchase seasonal items to cut the cost. Healthier eating is certainly achievable on a budget, though it may just take a little planning. 

Thanks for all of the support, be sure to post your pictures this week and tag the WW crew members in your post (@TheFuelPhysio, @Eric_in_AmERICa, @AaronPerezPT, @DianaKlatt) and keep the wave of healthy change going!