Putting together a fruit platter looks impressive to friends and family, but is truly one of the easiest ways to enjoy fruit! A couple of other options are my Fruit Pizza and Blueberry Galette!
One of my biggest struggles of late has been grocery shopping. It may sound harmless and mundane to most; the simplistic task of making a list, finding a store that sells those items, and then going to purchase them.
List, store, buy, go home. Easy peasy.
Only… not so much.
Fresh Fruit Platter and How I Shop (kinda)
This is usually how grocery store shopping goes in my house:
Monday-Decide that I must go grocery shopping, start thinking about what I need to get. Day gets busy and by the time hubby gets home and we finish dinner I am exhausted. No grocery store today.
Tuesday-Running low on supplies… need to ransack the freezer for dinner. Plan on going to the store in the afternoon, smallest child ends up taking nap at a weird time and can’t make it. Too exhausted by the time dinner is over. Must go tomorrow.
Wednesday– Kids have activities at night, must go to store this afternoon! Schooling takes longer than expected, one child seems to have a runny nose and sniffles. Yuck, germs. Skip store. Have hubby pick up dinner on his way home.
Thursday-Completely out of milk and bread. Consider watering down some heavy cream for cereal. Make bread from scratch and pretend it was my plan all along. Dinner is left overs, and I declare it “clean out the fridge day”, only don’t actually clean the fridge. Hubby is out of town, so at 8:00om at night I put all kids into the car in their jammies and run to the convenience store for tiny sized totally overpriced milk so we can have breakfast in the morning.
Friday-I will make it to the store today! Absolutely must do anything in my power to avoid grocery shopping on a Saturday. Kids are starting to get tired and run-down (not to mention cranky!) … must get them some fresh and healthy food! Desperate for good food we venture out to the nearest Super Store. The selection is sub-par. Fruits and veggies are wilted and picked over. The meat selection is near expiration. My feet start hurting and I get distracted in the cookie aisle. We go home with 1-gallon milk, four packages of Oreo’s, and some diapers.
Saturday– Family is planning a revolt. They want good food! I finally make up a list and head to the store. The parking lot is full and I walk 100 yards in the rain. The store is a mad house. Everything is picked over and I trip on the stock boy trying to replenish the bananas. They are out of coupon books so I have to pay full price for everything. Checkout lines are three deep and the baby is kicking me in the bladder.
Sunday– We are out of milk as I forgot to buy more yesterday.
If you want more amazing Appetizers, I have a fantastic list!
Fresh Fruit Platter
Ingredients
- watermelon
- green grapes
- blueberries
- kiwi
- cantaloupe
- apple
- orange
- raspberries
- strawberries
Instructions
- Cut up orange, apple, and watermelon.
- Peel cantaloupe and kiwi and slice.
- Arrange rest of fruit on platter.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I make a list (and a list where I draw pictures of all of the items so that my preschooler can help).
I shop at a discount retailer, so that I can keep my food budget in check.
I walk to another grocery store for staples (eggs, milk, bread) that we need to stock up on between bigger trips.
Once or twice a month we go as a whole family to farmer’s markets to get fresh fruit/veg/dairy and support local farmers and the local economy.
I shop at the local farmer’s market, which is WAY cheaper than the Giant nearby. I can fill a whole bag with produce for $20! (I have recently turned several of my friends on the to place!) The market has everything from produce to grains and bulk foods to breads and meats. And STILL cheaper than Giant or Weis. I also rotate farms and pick my own when possible. We are also looking into joining a co-op for a local organic farm. Since I’m at home, every penny counts!
I shop local farmers markets and my own garden
https://mobile.twitter.com/jhoneypie411/status/334782090598043649
to find the freshest food I always reach to the back on the shelves because they put the older stuff in front
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/334783870715183104
I go by look and feel
Look at the food closely and check the dates to make sure you get the freshest food
My tricks of the trade include hitting Costco first, checking the Wednesday grocery ads and always checking out the local, public market for what’s in-season. Do I do all of these things on a regular basis, you ask??? Not nearly as much as I wish :/
I look over the grocery ads and my coupons on Tues. when the ads come out. I work a night shift, so it is easier for me to go to the grocery store right after work, otherwise I may not make it. Morning seems to be a good time to go as everything is usually fully stocked and the freshest.