I provided my grocery list in six areas: Fruit/Veggie, Bread, Frozen, Dry Goods, Meat, and Cold items (like dairy). As you will see, the list of foods that I buy could stand some improvement. Why not use this list as a springboard to make over your own grocery list, keeping in mind that the most important changes to your shopping list need to be both manageable, sustainable and will help you to be as efficient and healthy as possible – always a bonus for all of us!

See our Healthy Family Grocery Guide now. Download, print, and use to inspire your own grocery makeover!

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Get a Grocery Makeover with the Healthy Family Grocery Shopping Guide

But how did it taste?

Offered in lemon, berry, orange and grape, there is a flavor for everyone. I was especially impressed with the berry. It was crisp and refreshing, not overly cloying or sweet. Often, I need to add additional water to many flavored waters, especially Propel and Crystal Light, but the Bot Water was not overwhelming. The grape flavor was especially enjoyed by my children, who remarked that it tasted very similar to Kool-Aid, but it was much better for them.

Sold at Whole Foods, Wegmans, and available online at various retailers for a bit more than $1 per bottle, this beverage is a healthier choice than soda and more flavorful than plain water.

While Bot Water provided Carmen with sample product, this review is her own opinion and was not influenced or sponsored in any way.

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We Love BOT Water

Cocoa Krispies were labeled, until last week, with a splashy logo touting a 25% daily value of antioxidants and nutrients – Vitamins A, B, C and E. To this mom, it seemed to capitalize on the H1N1/Swine Flu hype that has been ongoing. How will we protect our children? What can we do to keep them safe?

Hint: the answer is definitely not “Feed them Cocoa Krispies.”

Sugar is the top ingredient in this cereal, listed three times – as sugar, as an ingredient in the chocolate, and as high fructose corn syrup. The label also lists partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (translation, trans fats!), and artificial flavoring.

A serving size of this cereal is listed as a three-quarter cup, and that amount contains more than three teaspoons, or more than 39% of the weight. In my book, I would look no further. This cereal is not a healthy choice for a growing child. The vitamins that are listed are sprayed onto the cereal bits, and when you add milk to the bowl, they wash off. If your child does not drink the milk, there are no immune-boosting vitamins ingested. Even if your child drinks the milk, or eats the cereal dry, the amount of the touted vitamins is minimal, and some schools of thought indicate that sprayed-on vitamin supplements are poorly absorbed.

On the recommendation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Kellogg’s is voluntarily discontinuing this product label.

A far better way to boost the immune system is a healthy intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, adequate rest and exercise, and frequent hand washing, as well as avoidance of those who are ill. Don’t be swayed by flashy labeling that preys on your fears – take the time to read the label and make an informed choice.

Also read: Four Ways to Make Breakfast Cereal a Winner

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Kellogg’s Ends Deceptive Cereal Labeling

If you aren’t close enough for the fresh meals, the frozen meals are a delicious, nutritious choice. The meal plan is fully customizable, allowing you to swap unwanted meals for more favored choices. And the fact that many of the meals are accompanied by side dishes that fully complete the meal makes the plan more economical than I first thought. If you were to purchase a week of the three-meal-a-day plan, you would need nothing from the grocery store other than any beverage choices you might make. It is definitely more cost effective and much more nutritious that visiting fast food restaurants for your dining options.

The meals ranged from Italian to homestyle American and Indian, and I don’t think you would ever have the opportunity to grow bored. It is nice to be able to go to the freezer and grab a meal for my husband to take for lunch and not worry that he has to supplement it with a hamburger (true story!) because he’s still hungry. The portions are large enough to fill even the most hungry appetite, and every meal was well seasoned and not at all bland. In fact, the portion size is a great reminder of how much food one actually should be eating at a meal – a portion size refresher course, if you will.

My one thought for improvement is the amount of starchy food offered for breakfast – many pancakes, french toast and muffin options, and I’m more of an egg, oatmeal, yogurt and fruit kind of girl. Those foods are offered, so the option to customize is key here. I give Diet to Go two thumbs up. It’s a delicious, convenient, non-stressful way to plan your meals and stay within your selected calorie range.

Try Diet to Go for yourself and Save $20 on your first order!

While Diet to Go provided Carmen with sample product, this review is her own opinion and was not influenced or sponsored in any way.

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Diet to Go Review: The Final Word

The meals arrived packed on dry ice and very cold, and I popped them right into my freezer. The portions seemed to be quite large and I looked forward to being able to sample them. Much of the food was vacuum packed and all of it appeared to be very fresh and appetizing.

The first meal I sampled was turkey Salisbury steak with gravy, mashed potatoes, and whole green beans. I microwaved it and within five minutes I was sitting down to a hot, fresh, perfectly seasoned meal that completely satisfied me. It was filling, and in fact, I didn’t even finish the potatoes. My usual meal choices might involve a Lean Cuisine or other frozen meal, and I’m often left still hungry and scouring the kitchen an hour later. The Diet to Go meal removed that action from my life.

Diet to Go meals: Beef short rib with green bean blend

Other meals of mention include the Tuscan potato boats, which were offered with a low-fat drinkable yogurt, and the blackened turkey loin with carrot chipotle puree. The curried shrimp with basmati rice was especially memorable, with large shrimp in a more than adequate quantity. I’m not a fan of chicken Brunswick stew, but even with a meal I didn’t especially care for, I was impressed with the quantity of high quality meat and the size of the ingredients. No minced meat, no veggie shreds. While some meals contained whole vegetable chunks and large pieces of easily recognizable meat, the veggie portions on others were sparse.

One caveat: all of the meals contain directions to microwave, but a few of the meals would have been much tastier had they baked in an oven. The veal cutlet in particular, and the veggie pizza had excellent flavor but the texture of the meal suffered in the microwave. I learned my lesson and the next meal I prepared, the stuffed shells, surpassed my expectations. I’d really recommend taking the time to defrost the meals in the refrigerator, as the site recommends, and then taking the time to bake them. You’ll be glad that you did.

I neglected to mention in my prior review one of the small details that impressed me with Diet to Go meal delivery service. Each meal container was marked with a motivational thought – and more than a few of those motivational thoughts have stayed with me. A little philosophy makes a meal that much more enjoyable.

All in all, this week of frozen prepared meals was just as enjoyable as the fresh prepared, and I’d highly recommend the purchase of them. It’s nice to know that your meal is both tasty and healthy, and convenient to boot.

Try Diet to Go for yourself and Save $20 on your first order!

While Diet to Go provided Carmen with sample product, this review is her own opinion and was not influenced or sponsored in any way.

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Diet to Go Review: Frozen Meal Delivery Service

The FDA cited the use of multiple nutritional markers on foods, from check marks to stars, icons and even numerical ratings, that can overwhelm the consumer and in reality label foods healthier than they really might be. Foods could contain as much as 50% sugar and still receive the green check mark if they had extra fiber or were high in one of twenty nutrients. In my book, there’s not one food that is 50% sugar that I’d label as “healthy.”

The FDA is currently creating nutritional standards that would have to be met before manufacturers could list any type of healthy label on their packages, doing away with multiple different options. Having one set of standards would make it much easier to select the best choices at the grocery store and use to create the healthiest diet possible.

I’m really interested in seeing this option come to fruition – it would certainly simplify shopping for many who are pressed for time when it comes to grocery shopping and label reading.

Score a victory for truth, honesty and healthy eating!

See the Smart Choices program in action! Watch my video comparing different peanut butters with and without the Smart Choices green checkmark, and see which one is really better for your family!

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Smart Choices Grocery Program Discontinued

My Diet to Go meals were delivered packed in a bag, as the meals are delivered fresh. Everything was packed tightly together and all of it was very cold. Unpacking the bag I noticed that the meals were much bigger than I’d anticipated, and everything looked absolutely fresh and delicious. I couldn’t wait to get started!

I was sent a variety of different meal choices, mostly lunches and dinners, but I was also sent two breakfast choices. Every meal that I ate exceed my expectations. I’ve gotten into the habit of purchasing a Lean Cuisine or a similar frozen meal for lunch, and these prepared meals blew those away. Typical frozen meals are often not enough to satisfy my appetite, and I often add a piece of fruit, a side of vegetables or a salad to keep me full longer than an hour. That was absolutely not necessary with the Diet to Go meals.

For example, let’s talk turkey. Specifically the turkey dinner, which contained two very thick slices of white meat turkey, a small amount of mashed potatoes, gravy over both, and not quite 1/2 cup of green beans. It was perfectly seasoned and so full of flavor that I had to double check that it was a “diet” food.

Other meals eaten this week included Tuscan potato boats with a yogurt smoothie, turkey Swiss sandwich with terra chips, curried shrimp with basmati rice, whole grain French toast with mango cranberry syrup, whole grain pancakes and sausage links, egg and broccoli pie with apple juice, Michigan turkey salad with a dakota roll (what seemed to me to be a whole grain, palm sized nugget of goodness).

I have to call special attention to the Turkey Salad. So often, prepared turkey or chicken salad is merely pulverized meat, but this was comprised of chunks of meat, mixed with fruits and diced celery. It was outstanding and extremely tasty. In fact, I found myself scoping out the other meals, to see if this was repeated. Alas, it was not.

I found the entire week of food to be outstanding in quality, taste and convenience. Many times, meals were accompanied by a piece of fresh fruit, a prepared yogurt smoothie, a roll, coleslaw, applesauce, or terra veggie chips. This truly led me to believe that if I were purchasing a week of food to be delivered to my house there would really be no need to visit the grocery – literally everything is contained in one inclusive package.

With five weeks of meals offered, there is no thought that you’d get bored. In addition, if there is a meal that you don’t care for, you can substitute from an extensive list, in order to truly customize the meal plan to fit your life. If you don’t think that you’d eat an entire week worth of food, you can customize the plan by only purchasing a smaller Midweek plan with fewer meals. The average customer, according to Diet to Go, spends $85 a week. Meal plans range in price from $32/week for the dinner-only three-day plan to $124.99 for the 1200 calorie seven-day plan.

I think the meals offered by Diet to Go are a delicious, nutritious and convenient option, and one I think would fit into a healthy living plan.

Check back with me next week as I review the mail order option of meals. If they are anything like the fresh option, I think I’ll be pretty happy – and full!

Try Diet to Go for yourself and Save $20 on your first order!

While Diet to Go provided Carmen with sample product, this review is her own opinion and was not influenced or sponsored in any way.

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Diet to Go Review: Meal Delivery Service Makes Healthy Eating Easy

• The Power of 50 – 50 squats, 50 push ups, 50 sit ups and 50 lunges. It’s guaranteed to get your blood moving!

• The Birth Date Dash – One my friends invented this, and I thought it was too easy. Until I did it. Add up the numbers in your birth year. In my case, 1969 would be: 1+9+6+9 = 25. Now, run that number of flights of steps. (This is really good for you if you were born in any year that ends in a 9, and not so good if you were born in, say 2000.)

• Wall Work – Create a rotation of counter push ups and tricep dips facing away from the counter, and then rotate it with jumping lunges. Aim to do each set for a minute without stopping, and do 3-5 sets.

• Burpees – Possibly one of the most effective exercises ever, and the one I hate the most. Start by standing, drop to a squat, jump out to push up position, complete one push up, jump your legs back in, and explode up, clapping your hands above you as you do a jumping jack. That’s one. Shoot for 25!

• Jump Rope – If in doubt, and you only have five minutes, jump rope.

There are lots of exercises you can do at home, and most don’t require any equipment, no DVDs or even YouTube demonstrations. Don’t let your inability to visit a gym get in the way of your fitness!

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5 New Ways to Workout at Home

1. Apples – Studies have shown that apples can help lower cholesterol, manage diabetes, and prevent several diseases, including cancer. Apples peak in the fall, and the flavor can’t be beat. They are full of fiber, around 5 grams per fruit, and are comparatively low in calories.

2. Pears – High in both Vitamin C and fiber, pears are a low calorie and delicious fruit choice that add dimension to a chicken salad and make an excellent snack when paired with a low fat string cheese and a handful of walnuts.

3. Winter Squash – An awesome source of vitamin A and fiber, and lower in calories than you might think – one cup baked squash has only 80 calories with more than six grams of fiber. Add chunks of winter squash to your soups or stews or bake a halved squash and drizzle with a bit of maple syrup.

4. Sweet Potatoes – Among all of the root vegetables, the sweet potato is lowest on the glycemic index and chock full of fiber, so the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar which helps you to feel satisfied longer. Baked, they are delicious plain or with a smattering of cinnamon.

5. Kale and dark leafy greens – Kale is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and other nutrients shown to help prevent cancer. In fact, most of the dark, leafy greens are also a good source of calcium, folate, and vitamin B-6.

Make a goal to add at least three of these fruits and vegetables to your daily diet and reap the benefits of eating seasonally!

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Five Healthiest Foods for Fall

No, I’m not kidding. Spinach is a fine food and a great addition to an entire roster of dishes – but not, in my mind, a yummy addition to my beloved chocolate chip cookies. Which are just fine on their own.

I think that vegetables are a tricky subject for many kids. Vegetables have strong flavors, and many children are averse to them, but in my mind sneaking them into other, less nefarious foods is the wrong tact to take. Don’t get me wrong – I frequently add shredded carrots to my bolognese sauce, for extra flavor, and have been known to add cauliflower chunks to my homemade macaroni and cheese – but my kids know that I’ve done so.

The carrots add a sweet taste and cauliflower with cheese sauce is just yummy, no matter how you prepare it. But adding pureed veggies to other foods doesn’t teach your child to appreciate the subtle nuances of a fresh carrot, the brilliant hues of steamed broccoli and the strong flavor of fresh brussel sprouts. Any mom can tell you that it takes exposing a child to a new vegetable more than a few times before a child can appreciate it, but once your child has learned to enjoy it, it’s a good feeling indeed. Sneaking nutrition into a sweet robs the child of that experience.

One way that we’ve solved the veggie issue is to to offer fresh veggies 30 minutes before a meal and allow the family to eat as much of the tray as they want. I also let the kids pick the vegetable for dinner, and they often prepare it; and we do use a generous sprinkling of grated cheese on broccoli and peas. Also, I’ve tried a few of the recipes involving veggie purees added to foods you wouldn’t ordinarily pick, and they were not very palatable to me or my kids.

I think it’s important for your child to try new foods and learn to like them, but I know it’s a highly volatile issue. What has been your experience?

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Sneaking Vegetables Into Food Cheats Kids