It Pays to Plan
We all get busy with life and its daily demands. Often, we find ourselves pulled in many directions— particularly when kids are involved.
Where meals are concerned, the business of life can make it can seem much easier to make a quick run to the corner store to pick something up or to head to the fast food restaurant to select items from the dollar menu.
A hectic schedule can easily lead a parent to ask, “Who has the time to cook?”
The answer to that question is…you do. Having the time to cook is often based on the way that we plan.
Planning is critical to your nutrition and your wallet. It can help you to buy the right foods while saving money doing so.
It’s a good idea to make a habit of planning what you will spend on food and what types of foods you’ll buy.
A plan can help you determine how much you’re spending and what types of foods you buy.
Planning helps you to budget and is one of the most effective ways to decrease the chances that you’ll make impulse buys when shopping.
Planning purchases with the help of a list will give you a much better chance of avoiding the urge to buy things you don’t need or to overpay for things you do.
Finally, planning allows you more time in the kitchen where you can spend quality time preparing a meal with your kids.
Recipe: Fruit Pizza
Makes: 12 servings Serving Cost: $0.36 Ingredients
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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cup assorted sliced fruit such as pears, kiwi, bananas, strawberries, peaches, or blueberries) 1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar 1 egg (large)
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cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 ounces cream cheese, non-fat or light 1/2 cup sugar
Directions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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For crust – cream margarine, sugar vanilla, and egg until light and fluffy. Add flour and baking powder, mixing well.
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Spread crust mixture about 1/8 inch thick on a pizza pan, baking sheet, or 9 inch by 13 inch pan.
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Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.
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For spread – mix together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread on cooled cookie crust.
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Arrange fruit on top of pizza. Refrigerate until serving time.