ROCHESTER, NY, 2015-7-2 — /EPR Retail News/ — A new Mix-and-Match Meal Guide from Wegmans Food Markets might just be the next best thing to having a personal chef. The guide can be viewed online at Wegmans.com, and if you sign in, you can pick what appeals to you, click, and your shopping list is ready. With the meal guide, you’ll spend more time enjoying over 50 delicious breakfasts, lunches, snacks, or dinners, and less time planning and shopping for them. There’s a picture of how each meal idea looks on the plate. Like it? Just click the “add all items to list” button, and its ingredients instantly appear on your shopping list.
“These meal ideas are fun, tasty, smart, and easy,” says Wegmans Nutritionist Kirby Branciforte, RDN, who was on the team that created the guide. “They have a balance of fruits and veggies, protein and whole grains, and they’re affordable. On average, these meals cost less than $5 per serving. Affordability is one of the many benefits of plant-based foods, not to mention helping folks live healthier, better lives. Most of these ideas are also quick to the table, making it even easier to improve a family’s pattern of eating.”
The Mix-and-Match Meal Guide is built to give customers enormous flexibility in choosing meal ideas that fit their own family’s preferences. “We know most customers aren’t looking for a total meal makeover at home, but many would welcome practical help with meal planning and organizing shopping lists – a chore that many busy families find challenging,” says Branciforte.
One good way to use the guide, she suggests, is to start small, by sampling one category at a time. “Maybe you need a couple new snack ideas, or maybe you want more dinner ideas. Just start there. It doesn’t have to feel like a big change to your own routine and don’t get overwhelmed or feel boxed in by the suggestions. Make it your own by swapping in foods you prefer or have on hand. Keep the concept the same and you still have a quick, well-balanced solution.”
For those ready to take meals and snacks to the next level, Branciforte suggests incorporating the basic guidelines found in the guide. “These guidelines are meant to help folks round out and fine tune their pattern of eating,” she says.
Ready for a taste of the kinds of meal ideas the guide offers? Here’s an example of how one day might look if all of your meal and snack ideas came from it:
Breakfast: organic waffles with organic almond butter and berries
Mid-morning snack: blueberry Greek yogurt parfait
Lunch: Southwest turkey salad
Mid-afternoon snack: Celery, carrots and hummus
Dinner: grilled bourbon chicken with grilled yams, onions and peppers; organic spring mix
After-dinner snack: fruit cup
For those watching calories, the guide posts the calorie count for each meal and snack idea. But those who just want to enjoy a yummy, wholesome meal without tracking calories can choose any meal or snack idea, knowing that all have sensible portion sizes.
Smart eating was never easier: Each idea from the guide is a taste-appeal winner that also reflects the healthy eating principles of the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
“It’s summer, when all of us welcome easy, relaxed routines,” says Branciforte. “We think the ideas in this guide can help families make the most of the season, with everyday meals that are delicious and support good health. Spend less time shopping and prepping, and more time out on the patio.”
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Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is an 86-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The family-owned company, founded in 1916, is recognized as an industry leader and innovator. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for eighteen consecutive years. In 2015, Wegmans ranked #7 on the list. The company also ranked #1 for Corporate Reputation, among the 100 ‘most-visible companies’ nationwide in the 2014 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient ® study.
Contact Information: Jo Natale, vice president of media relations, 585-429-3627
