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Photo:Adobe Stock
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Growing up in Iowa, when my parents said, “Let’s go to the grocery store,” that store was always aHy-Vee. The employee-owned supermarket is a mainstay across many Midwestern states, and one of the more than 280 locations was 1 mile away from where I grew up.
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Tru Fru Natures Raspberries Frozen Fresh in White & Dark Chocolate
Since I report so often on the wide-ranging effects of ourmicrobiome on health and longevity, I seek out as many occasions as possible to sneak in a littlemore fiber. I love to mix up my sources of fiber; however, one of my all-time favorites is raspberries. In addition to promoting heart health and helping to tame inflammation,raspberriesare the mostfiber-richberries of all. A fresh pint of the delicate berries doesn’t last all that long, though,andit’s not dunked in white and dark chocolate like these beauties are. A day doesn’t pass that I don’teat dessertof some kind, and a handful of these frozen-at-their-peak chocolate-covered berries satisfy my sweet tooth and offer a decent amount of nutrition all at once.
Simek’s Original Meatballs
While I’m not a vegetarian, I tend to reserve eating meat and seafood for when I’m dining out, and stick to a mainly plant-based diet—plus eggs and dairy—when I’m at home. One of the few exceptions are these pre-=cooked beef meatballs, which deliver 13 grams of protein per 6-meatball serving. I’ll let you in on one of my party-hosting secrets: Combine a bag of these meatballs with a 24-ounce jar ofmarinarain a saucepan. Stir to coat the meatballs in sauce, warm over medium heat, then turn down to a simmer. Serve next to toasted baguette slices and you have an almost-instant party appetizer that looks and tastes like you put far more effort into it than you did. For quick-fix meals, I like to toss these meatballs with kohlrabi noodles or whole-wheat pasta, roasted vegetables and olive oil. I’ve also diced them to use in frittatas and hoagie sandwiches and to top pizza.
Dr. Praeger’s Gluten-Free Broccoli Littles
You might be thinking “36 going on 6?” Fair, but once you taste these garlic-spiked crispy vegetable bites, you’ll want to channel your inner kid again, too. The recipe sneaks in broccoli, potatoes and onions. Egg whites offer a small protein boost and help bind the simple (just nine!) ingredients together. They remind me of tater tots, just with a bonus produce glow-up. Each five-piece serving of the star-shaped snacks has so many veggies, it actually counts as a fullserving of vegetables.
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That’s Smart Brussels Sprouts
If there are Brussels sprouts on the appetizer menu at a restaurant I’m dining at, there’s at least a 90% chance they will get ordered. I despised the cruciferous vegetable as a kid, but I’ve grown to see the light and am now on a quest to find the best. In addition to eating them when I dine out, I like to add shaved, fresh whole sprouts and frozen ones to my meal plan at home. I used to rely on frozen ones for soups, stews andcasseroles, since the texture tends to change quite a bit during the freezing and reheating process. But as soon as I discoveredhow to make frozen vegetables taste just as good as fresh, I started roasting these frozen Brussels sprouts, too.
Hy-Vee Du Jour Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
Three dishes instantly remind me of home: homemade honey whole-wheat bread, snickerdoodle cookies andchicken noodle soup. She might have a few other nominations for the list, but I’d award these as my mom’s signature recipes. As far as her staple soup goes, the canned stuff simply can’t hold a candle to her cozy homemade version. With its chewy egg noodles, diced carrots and herb-scented broth, this store-brand homestyle version gets pretty close, though. On days when I feel a cold coming on or I could just use a “food hug,” I head to my freezer and heat up a serving. The optional—but practically essential—garnish? A handful of oyster crackers.
Wyman’s of Maine Frozen Wild Blueberries
Nearly every day for breakfast or a snack, I try to blitz up asmoothieor smoothie bowl to add to my fruit and protein tally (I add a scoop of Greek yogurt, too). Frozen peaches, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate seeds and mangoes have been known to join the party. No matter how the rest of the recipe adapts to my current cravings and freezer stock, I’m always sure to toss in ½ cup of wild blueberries.Wild blueberriesare about twice as concentrated in antioxidants as regular blueberries, plus they may help support brain health. Besides featuring them in smoothies, I frequently fold frozen wild blueberries into the batter for pancakes, muffins and cakes.
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Whitey’s Ice Cream Mint Chocolate Chip
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