What’s your New Year’s resolution?  Is it to get fit, eat healthier or lose weight?    Well, there is one thing you can do to make your resolution come true, just one thing that can make a big impact.  And it’s a manageable resolution because you can evaluate how you are doing on a daily basis.

Here is the strategy — drum roll please — eating two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables each and every day.  Doing this will lower your calories because in those five cups — think about how much volume 5 cups is — you only consume 195 calories, plus get excellent amounts of fill-you-up fiber, vitamins and minerals.  Exchange that with say something like soda, where five cups of soda would be equal to 500 calories.  No vitamins, no minerals and no fiber either.

But how to do this without breaking the bank?

In a study published in 2011 and conducted by the USDA, researchers looked at the cost of eating the recommended amounts of all fruits and vegetables (including dried beans and lentils as well) in all forms, including canned, fresh, frozen and dried.

Their research found that in fact, an adult could meet the recommendation for fruits and vegetables at an average cost of $2 to $2.50 per day, or approximately 50 cents per edible cup.

The following shows a listing from their research of the less expensive fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables to help cut your budget

•Fruits: Apples — fresh; applesauce — canned; bananas — fresh; grapes — dried (raisins); honeydew melon—fresh; nectarines — fresh; oranges, navel — fresh; pears — fresh; pineapple — canned; plums — fresh; watermelon — fresh.

•Dark green veggies (three times/week): Kale — frozen; mustard greens — canned; mustard greens — frozen; romaine lettuce — fresh; turnip greens — canned.

•Red and orange (daily): Carrots — baby, fresh; carrots — canned, cut; carrots — frozen; carrots — whole, fresh; sweet potatoes — boiled from fresh; tomatoes — canned, whole and cut.

•Beans and peas (three times/week): Black beans — boiled; great northern beans — boiled; navy beans—boiled; Pinto beans — boiled; red kidney beans — boiled.

Starchy (daily): Corn — canned, whole kernel; green peas — canned; potatoes — boiled from fresh

•Other (daily): Cabbage — boiled from fresh; cauliflower — boiled from fresh; celery stalks — fresh; Green beans — canned, cut and sliced; green beans — frozen, not whole; iceberg lettuce — fresh heads; onions — fresh; radish — fresh; sauerkraut — canned.

I hope you have a healthy and happy 2013.

Eat-all-you-want soup

Serves 15 (about 1 cup each)

All you need

•1 head cabbage, chopped

•4 ribs celery, chopped

•5 large onions, chopped

•1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

•1 clove garlic, chopped

•1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes

•1 (1 oz) envelope Hy-Vee onion soup mix

•1 (46 oz) can Hy-Vee vegetable juice

All you do

1. Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot.

2. Bring to a simmer; simmer 1 hour or until vegetables are tender.

 

Nutrition Facts: 60 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 310mg sodium, 14g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 8g sugar, 2g protein.

Daily Values: 20% vitamin A, 90% vitamin C, 4% calcium, 4% iron.