Healthy produce that stays good awhile?

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aippolito1
aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So the last couple months that I've been trying to eat fruits & veggies for snacks... I've ended up running out after about a week to MAYBE a week and a half after shopping... or they go bad. My question is, what would be good options for snacks (fruits, veggies, healthy foods) that are as clean as possible but don't go bad for awhile? I'm thinking this time I want to get some watermelon...that stays good for awhile, right?

Also... carrots & hummus always last me awhile but I need at least 3 snack options because I eat 3 snacks a day and want as many different nutrients as I can posisbly get. Suggestions, please!! :happy:

Replies

  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
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    Apples and pears seem to last for weeks. I actually stop by the store every morning for fresh fruits because most don't last.
  • ka_42
    ka_42 Posts: 720 Member
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    You're right about carrots- in my experience they stay good the longest. I've also heard.. and tried.. wrapping your celery in aluminum foil before putting it in the fridge. THIS WORKS!! It stays fresh much longer. I'm guessing it would probably help with most produce. I catch myself throwing out soo many fresh foods that I didn't eat before they went bad. :( Good luck!
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    Oranges and other citrus fruits. Carrots and celery. Cantaloupe and kiwi.

    I go to the grocery store and replenish every 5 days or so. That way nothing goes bad and my produce is much fresher.
  • Clew
    Clew Posts: 910 Member
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    Fresh pineapple is KILLER-good ... It seems to hold up well - but then again, it's never around very long at my house ... ;) I think most melons seem to hold up okay in general as well.

    If you're looking for a salad-type thing, I'm addicted to jicama cucumber salad. If you've never had jicama, I am not even sure how to describe it ... it's really crunchy and kind of tastes like a cross between a very mild radish and an asian pear. Probably sounds weird but I love it. I'll give you the recipe later if you want :)
  • cassandra1220
    cassandra1220 Posts: 284 Member
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    Green apples, yaya pears, carrots, and cherry tomatoes (if you keep them in the fridge). For me bananas are the worst; they get brown spots by the time I get them to the car. :)
  • kk_stephens
    kk_stephens Posts: 129 Member
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    peppers, green, yellow red, orange.....These last a LONG time. Also for a snack you could try some almonds and an ounce of cheese. I keep my almonds in the fridge.
  • BbNuke
    BbNuke Posts: 82 Member
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    Get some of those "green bags" they sell in the produce section. They make produce last MUCh longer - even bananas!!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Get some of those "green bags" they sell in the produce section. They make produce last MUCh longer - even bananas!!

    Really?? Hmmm. I'll have to look next time! Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody! Definitely am going to get some carrots this next time and maybe try a different hummus than last time (it lasted me so long, I got tired of it - thought the day would never come! So I'm going to give it a rest and try another flavor someone suggested to me) and maybe will go back to canteloupe.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    Once I learned from my produce guy to put strawberries and blueberries and well any berries in the fridge and not wash them until you are ready to eat them, they last very well. Especially strawberries! Cantalope is great after you cut it up and it lasts well for me.

    Sugar Snap Peas have lasted me 2 weeks now in the fridge, I'm eating my way through the ones I got from my CSA, I'd highly recommend them with hummus and for a long lasting veggie. Or weekly grocery shopping for some types of produce might help?

    Good Luck Arielle in finding what works for you:flowerforyou: :wink:
    Becca
  • jbwegner
    jbwegner Posts: 254 Member
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    Those green bags never seem to work for me. Tupperware has some awesome fridge made produce holder thingys (I'm sure that is the exact name!) that are expensive but really good. And they last forever!

    I find that anything in the citrus family lasts a long time. Apples do too, but not as long as citrus. You could also try frozen berries. They're just as healthy as fresh.

    And you probably wouldn't want these for snacks, but spaghetti squash and butternut squash last forever and are super yummy. Both good alternatives to starches.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Once I learned from my produce guy to put strawberries and blueberries and well any berries in the fridge and not wash them until you are ready to eat them, they last very well. Especially strawberries! Cantalope is great after you cut it up and it lasts well for me.

    Sugar Snap Peas have lasted me 2 weeks now in the fridge, I'm eating my way through the ones I got from my CSA, I'd highly recommend them with hummus and for a long lasting veggie. Or weekly grocery shopping for some types of produce might help?

    Good Luck Arielle in finding what works for you:flowerforyou: :wink:
    Becca

    I always put my strawberries in the fridge & they go bad QUICKLY. Thankfully, this last time I ate them, I ate them 1 cup at a time and I used them up before they went bad. I have 3 more in the fridge & am going to throw them in my cereal tomorrow.

    The first couple times I bought canteloupe, I was able to cut half and separate them into servings in mini-ziploc bags and ate that for 2 weeks and then the other half was good after that to cut up and separate... but after that, I've tried 2-3 times doing this and the other half has been bad by the 2nd week. So... I may try bigger servings?
  • BbNuke
    BbNuke Posts: 82 Member
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    Those green bags never seem to work for me. Tupperware has some awesome fridge made produce holder thingys (I'm sure that is the exact name!) that are expensive but really good. And they last forever!...

    The trick with the green bags is you have to wipe the condensation out of the bags everyday, to keep the produce as dry as possible. If you do that, they work pretty well.

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