Supermarket Survival Guide (Plus a FREE Giveaway!)

Let’s face it: Grocery shopping with children can be challenging. But it doesn’t have to be. Shopping can be fun and educational if you involve your children in the process.

Malia Dell author of Food That Works, offers five fun ways to get your family involved:

1.     Time It. Armed with your grocery list, see if you can get in and out within 20 minutes (or whatever may be reasonable). Set a timer and make it a game.

2.     Read It. The fewer ingredients on a label, the better. Find two like food items and ask your child to count how many items are listed. Then make a healthy choice by selecting the one with the fewest listed ingredients.

3.     Reject It. While you’re label reading, have your child look for high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil. If those ingredients are listed, put the item back on the shelf. “I don’t subscribe to many things,” Dell says, “but eliminating these two things from my diet is one of them. This will weed out a lot of junk food we throw in our cart.”

4.     Replace It. Fresh trumps frozen every time, Dell says. Rather than frozen pizza, ask the kids to choose toppings for pita pizzas they can make at home. Also, forget the freezer fries. Grab some sweet potatoes and bake potato wedges yourself. The same goes for bread; a fresh baguette not only tastes better than processed rolls, it’s healthier.

5.     Make It. Come up with a delicious dessert the kids can whip up at home, like a smoothie made with frozen berries and Greek yogurt. Or make yogurt bowls with fruit, nuts and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

*GIVEAWAY* Comment with your current fun tactics for surviving a trip to the grocery store with the kids and be entered to win a copy of Malia's brand-new cookbook, "Food That Works"! 3 winners will be selected and will also receive a LooHoo 3-Pack. Winners will be announced March 25, 2016.

To learn more about Malia and her cook visit the website Food That Works and be sure to read our interview with Malia, Real Food Works.