If you’re picky about produce, you’re not alone. I don’t just buy produce anywhere, and neither should you. I buy produce at the store I know is just as picky as I am.

Here’s where you should buy your produce and 5 tips to get your kids [and entire family] to eat more fresh produce too!

Living in a small town in East Tennessee definitely has its advantages and sometimes disadvantages too. While we only have 2 main grocery stores in town because of a lower population, you get to know those stores really well… and the employees too.

While sometimes it’s great to have lots of choices, it’s even better to know exactly what you’ll find when you visit your favorite grocery store in town.

If you have a Food City local to you, I think you’ll definitely agree. They even agree with me – they are picky about their produce.

In fact, friends and I often talk about grocery shopping [and yes, I do realize that makes me sound old, but hey – I like talking about my produce] and we always agree… produce is one thing we only buy at Food City.

There’s a few reasons for that, but it all comes back to the fact that I’m picky about my produce. Here’s what I look for when buying fresh produce AND how Food City always delivers:

1. I want to buy as much local produce as possible. That’s easy at Food City because they have signs by each vegetable and fruit that is local and lets me know where and what farm it comes from!
2. Food City doesn’t just stock produce, they tend to it. Whether it’s on the farm or in the store, produce needs to be nurtured to maintain freshness. I see a produce employee tending to the products just about every time I go into the store.
3. Organic is always better. I love the variety of organic produce available at Food City.
4. Lastly, and one thing I’ve been loving lately, are Food City’s ShortCuts Meal Solutions. More about those below!

While I’m picky about produce, it is also important that we actually eat the produce I buy. While my girls definitely went through stages where they snubbed their noses at anything green, they have been doing much better when it comes to eating nutritionally.

From the highs and lows of eating more vegetables and fresh fruit, I’m sharing 5 tips that have helped us most along the way.

5 Tips to Get Kids to Eat More Produce

• Serve fresh produce every night. While that can definitely be tough, especially on busy weeknights, it’s important. I notice that when we get in a rut of eating out or not serving a vegetable for a couple of meals, the girls are less motivated to eat them. That’s where Food City’s ShortCuts are really coming in handy.

With different options like steamers, grillers, and roasters, these ShortCuts are designed to save time, make eating healthier, easier and more convenient.

• Hide veggies when you can. There are so many ways you can do this – cauliflower rice, adding in vegetables with smoothies, and even sneaking in some in favorites like macaroni and cheese, like I do in this Butternut Squash Healthier Mac ‘N Cheese.
• Pack bright colored, fresh produce in your kids’ lunches. Making their lunches look more fun with bright colors and easy bento supplies like food picks, make lunch time even more fun [and more likely to get eaten]!

• Buy quality produce. There’s nothing worse than produce that’s gone bad, especially within a day or two of buying it. If you want your family to eat more produce, you definitely need to buy quality food. That’s another reason I always buy our produce at Food City.

• Make a fun snack! My girls are always starving when they get home from school and while it might be easy for them to grab a prepackaged snack, it’s much more fun to make one – plus it gives them a chance to wind down a bit after a long school day. And gets them eating something good for them.

One of their favorites are these Veggie Pizza Bites. There are tons of variation that you can do, but the idea is always the same – build it yourself with lots of fresh produce!

Ranch Veggie Pizza

I shop at Food City for my produce because I’m picky – and because they have an excellent selection and variety of exceptionally fresh produce, including local and organics, at great prices and because doing so helps my family eat healthier and more produce weekly.