As Summer shifts into Fall, an entirely new set of fruits become available locally, and many of the Hectic Family favorites become pricier and harder to find. The last farmers' markets wrap up here in Kansas, so you have to act fast to get locally grown produce. I'll be rushing off to the last couple of markets to stock up on locally grown fruits before I'm relegated to buying … [Read more...]

Previously I wrote about in-season fruits during the summer. I've finally gotten around to putting together an infographic that covers in-season veggies for summertime. Sorry it took me so long, somehow I forgot I was supposed to do this. Like it says on the masthead, I'm living the Hectic Life. It's not an excuse, it's just a fact! Vegetables tend to ship and store a bit … [Read more...]

With the prevalence of International shipping, sometimes it’s hard to know what fruits are truly in season. We get a lot of produce from South America since their seasons are the opposite of ours. It's weird to have fresh fruit all year round! But let’s be honest, if the grapes you’re eating were shipped from Chile…how truly fresh are they? There’s simply no beating locally … [Read more...]

Your Mom was right, eating more vegetables is a good thing! But let’s face it…buying fresh vegetables can drain your wallet. It’s hard enough to live on a budget, but then you’re expected to eat healthy too. That’s a tall order. Over the years I’ve always made the assumption that frozen veggies were vastly inferior to their fresh counterparts. It seemed reasonable that fresh … [Read more...]

You’ve got your menu for the week, including the recipes that you’re preparing. You used those to create your shopping list, not some general list, but an itemized list including quantities. This week is going to be different…no impulse shopping your way through the supermarket hoping to get inspiration from above. Heck, the kids are even going to behave as you shop. We can … [Read more...]