ISU Extension Educator Tom Keinert. Photo courtesy of ISU Extension

This weekend will likely be a major grocery shopping time for several people as meal planning starts up ahead of Thanksgiving.

ISU Extension Health and Human Sciences Educator Tom Keinert says a variable for a lot of people when they are cooking their Thanksgiving Day meals are the side dishes. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that he tends to gravitate toward side dishes that add different texture and taste to all of the brown colored and buttery main dishes and one resource that can help people out is the “Spend Smart, Eat Smart” website from ISU Extension, which includes over 100 recipes.

“All there, there’s all sorts of side dishes, things that, you know, you’ve been making the same dishes for years, maybe mix it up a little bit. What’s nice about Spend Smart, Eat Smart is they are within healthy nutritional guidelines, they are easy to make, only a couple of ingredients, simple directions and they are low spice and low sodium.”   

Keinert adds that their website also has tips on knife and food safety, as well as saving money at the grocery store and organizing a fridge better, among other resources. Click here to see more options.