Groceries seem to keep getting more expensive — but eating well doesn't have to be something you sacrifice to stay within your budget.

In this episode, Registered Dietitian Ann Kent shares 10 practical, evidence-backed tips organized into three categories: budget-friendly recipe strategies, reducing food waste, and smarter shopping habits.

In this episode:

• Why plant-based proteins, seasonal produce, and whole grains are the three most impactful budget-friendly swaps — and how to actually use them

• The real cost of food waste (in 2010, an estimated $161 billion worth of food was thrown out in the U.S. alone) and four tips to reduce it in your own home

• How to make a grocery list that actually works — including why meal planning doesn't have to be complicated

• The truth about best-by, sell-by, and use-by dates — and why your senses are more reliable than any stamp on the package

• Grocery store shelf placement strategies designed to get you to spend more — and how to shop around them

• When to shop your own fridge and pantry before heading to the store

• A note on food insecurity in the U.S. and the resources available for families who need them

• Ann's personal approach — including how tortilla pizza fits the plate method perfectly and why she always puts ice cream on the grocery list

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

• Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org/

• Lentil Frito Pie: https://app.peasandhoppiness.com/recipe/6990

• Meal Planning Style: https://peasandhoppiness.com/quiz/

• Seasonal Vegetable Guide: https://peasandhoppiness.com/seasonal-vegetable-guide/

• Super Easy Last Minute Meals: https://checkout.mailerlite.com/checkout/16532

• Meat Temperature Chart: https://peasandhoppiness.com/meat-temperature-chart/

The bottom line: You don't have to overhaul everything at once. Identify where your biggest challenge is — food waste, protein costs, too many trips to the store — and start there. One change at a time adds up.

The Peas and Hoppy Meal Guides app was built for exactly this. Members get:

• A pre-made weekly menu with plant proteins and seasonal produce built in

• A shopping list that auto-populates and syncs with Instacart or Walmart

• Leftover storage instructions on every recipe

• A recipe search by ingredient so you can use up what you already have.

An annual subscription is less than $2 per week, but will save you hundreds of dollars — try it free for 30 days at https://app.peasandhoppiness.com/

Read the transcript of this episode, find additional resources, and see the sources used for this episode at https://app.peasandhoppiness.com/post/how-can-you-eat-healthy-on-a-budget.

You spend an hour planning, shopping, prepping, and cooking — and then your picky eater takes one look at the plate and refuses to touch it. Sound familiar? You're not alone, and you're not a bad parent. A picky eating phase is actually biologically normal. But that doesn't make it easy.

In this episode, registered dietitian (and mom of a very picky toddler) Dietitian Ann shares the evidence-based strategies that actually work — and the well-meaning things parents do that accidentally make it worse.

In this episode:

• Why picky eating is biologically normal in children ages 1.5 to 5 — and what's actually going on in their brains

• The two core concepts that change everything: low pressure exposures and the Division of Responsibility

• What "exposure" actually means (hint: your kid doesn't have to eat the food — looking at it counts)

• The meal planner's job vs. the picky eater's job — and why splitting these up is what reduces the pressure

• How schedule, where you eat, and beverages between meals all affect whether your picky eater will try something new

• Common strategies that backfire: food bribes, hiding vegetables, becoming a short-order cook, labeling your child as "picky," and over-celebrating food wins

• What to do instead — including the one phrase that works like magic ("You don't have to eat that")

• When picky eating is more than a phase and it's time to call in the experts (ARFID, sensory issues, growth concerns)

• The real story of Ann's own dinner table: the pepper, the brownie, the Matchbox cars, and a 4-year-old who still prefers cheese pizza

The bottom line: Picky eating is a long game. Think in exposures, not wins. Trust the process, give yourself grace, and remember — you can do hard things.

Every recipe in the Peas and Hoppy Meal Guides app includes picky eater tips: how to modify the meal, involve your kids in prep, offer safe foods, and add low-pressure exposure right at your own dinner table.

This isn’t just a meal planning app. It's a tool to make every aspect of family mealtime easier.

Try it free for 30 days at https://peasandhoppiness.com/.

Read the transcript of this episode, find additional resources, and see the sources used for this episode at https://app.peasandhoppiness.com/post/picky-eating-tips

Is that afternoon diet soda leading you to an early grave — or is it actually the smarter choice? If the artificial sweetener debate has left you completely confused, this episode is going to be a breath of fresh air.

Registered Dietitian Ann Kent cuts through the noise with research-backed verdicts on the top five health concerns about artificial sweeteners and explains why the topic seems so much more complicated than it actually is.

In this episode:

• What artificial sweeteners actually are — including all eight FDA-approved non-nutritive sweeteners, naturally derived options like stevia and monk fruit, and where sugar alcohols fit in

• What the acceptable daily intake means, how it's determined, and how many diet sodas a 150-pound person would actually need to drink per day to hit the limit (the answer might surprise you)

• Research-backed verdicts on the top five health concerns: diabetes, heart disease, cancer, weight and sugar cravings, and gut health

• The one sugar substitute to use with caution if you're at risk for blood clots — and why the others appear safe

• The phrase every person should know when evaluating wellness claims: the dose determines the poison

• A special note on artificial sweeteners in children and what multiple organizations actually recommend

• What Dietitian Ann personally does — including how she bakes, what she drinks, and how she thinks about sweeteners in everyday life

The bottom line: Artificial sweeteners are not harmful when consumed at or below the acceptable daily intake. It's more important to zoom out and consider your overall lifestyle, health risk factors, and yes — your taste buds.

Want recipes that take the stress out of the sugar vs. sweetener debate entirely? The Peas and Hoppy Meal Guides app uses a balance of real sugar and fruit in dessert recipes — so the flavor and nutrition are both dialed in.

Or do you have more questions about artificial sweeteners or anything else nutrition-related?

Join the private community forum inside the Peas and Hoppy Meal Guides app — The app not only provides you with simple meal plans and tools to make mealtime easier, but you’ll also find a supportive community. Dietitian Ann personally monitors every post in the group and answers with evidence-based information, not with fear mongering.

All members get access. Join for as little as $24.99 per year at https://peasandhoppiness.com/.

Read the transcript of this episode, find additional resources, and see the sources used for this episode at https://app.peasandhoppiness.com/post/are-artificial-sweeteners-bad-for-you