(NC)—Convenient foods, a rapidly-growing grocery store segment, take the rush out of meal time preparation and make it easy for family members to help get dinner on the table.

Convenient foods are quick to prepare or ready to heat-and-eat vegetables and meats that you mix-match-and-season according to your family's tastes. Many convenient offerings, including new Schneiders Quick Serve frozen chicken and pork, are packaged in re-sealable bags to minimize waste and make storage easy.

With convenient foods, it's easy to prepare nutritious balanced meals. Dieters and moms who want to include some vegetables in school lunches are already familiar with pre-washed baby carrots. Mixed salad greens and pre-sliced ready-to-eat fresh fruit salads are great ways to enjoy the recommended five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables. Shredded cheese, as a quick topping for broccoli, enriches the meal with extra calcium. And, using frozen, fully cooked chicken and pork slices meal preparation down to size.

Stocking convenient foods in your refrigerator or freezer makes it easy for school-aged children or kitchen-adventurous dads to start dinner. Ready-to-heat mashed potatoes eliminate the need to use sharp knives to peel and slice. And, heating individual portions of Schneiders Quick Serve fully-cooked chicken and pork in the microwave oven is quick and safe, even if a telephone call interrupts the task at hand.

With preparation so easy the only hard part is deciding what's for dinner. While you may not like preplanning meals, posting a weekly menu on the fridge eliminates one more excuse for reluctant helpers. Include simple instructions and challenge the first one home to start meal preparation rather than raid the cupboard for snacks.

- News Canada