Top Ten Tips for Creating a Happy & Healthy Home this New Year

If you're like most families, your New Year's resolution usually includes creating more family time, saving money and banishing stress.  With the kids' busy schedules from after-school activities to homework assignments, work commitments filling parents' calendars, and the challenge of keeping things clean and organized-it's time for a New Routine this New Year!  Lifestyle expert Corey Colwell-Lipson makes it easy with a few great tips for creating and maintaining a happy, healthy and stress free home.

1. Find It All in One Place: Budget-conscious moms can spend hours going from store to store to find the best deals. While a dollar may be saved here and there, something just as valuable is being spent-time. Instead why not find one store that offers everything you need all in one trip.   For example, your local Safeway has great prices on everything from school lunch items, to dinner time ingredients, to cleaning products and pet food. And with thousands of new everyday low prices, you'll spend less money in less time leaving plenty of room for quality time with the family.

2. Make Shopping Fun: Once you have your shopping list together, head to the store with the family. Have fun with younger kids by making them "price pirates" for the best deals on all the items you need. "X" marks the spot with Safeway's new bright yellow shelf tags which show the old price crossed out and then the new everyday low price. Older kids can practice their math skills by subtracting the new price from the old to tell mom exactly how much she'll be saving! 

3. Eliminate Morning Madness: With getting everyone off to school and work, weekday mornings can get crazy. Simplify your morning routine by introducing your family to the healthy home "Breakfast Bar". For a unique alternative to regular cereal, let them make their own oatmeal concoctions by setting up a pot of cooked old-fashioned oats alongside sweet toppings such as raisins, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and fresh berries. You can also make healthy yogurt parfaits with different flavored yogurts, fruits and granola. This simple set-up will get your kids excited about eating their own personal breakfast creations and make morning mealtime a breeze. 

4. Make Cooking Time Family Time: With busy schedules for both parents and kids, why not set aside some quality time while preparing dinner and give each family member an age-appropriate duty.  It's often easiest to talk to kids while they're busy with a task like measuring, mixing or setting a table.  Engaging children with the preparation of their food and even coming up with fun names for "healthy choices" (such as Pirate & Princess Peas) may also have an added bonus � they're more likely to think it tastes great!

5. Plan ahead:  Eating on the go can put a cramp on your food budget and is rarely as nutritious as what you prepare at home. In fact, restaurant meals can have as much as 60% more calories than home cooked and can cost twice as much![1] The key to saving money and eating healthy meals is to plan ahead. Tag simple, healthy recipes in your favorite cookbooks or online on sites, such as Safeway.com, and give your kids "choices." If you plan on having 5 meals at home during the week, let your family pick their favorite five recipes from your list, stock up on the ingredients during your weekly grocery trip (remember, to keep an eye out for the weekly Club Card specials) and the "what to make for dinner" stress is gone.

6. Cook Once, Eat Twice: Make the most of your time in the kitchen by planning out several meals at once. Instead of preparing just enough for that night's dinner, double up - serve half the first night and save the second half to prepare lunch and dinner time delights the next day.  Salad, tacos, sandwiches or homemade soups are all great options.  And, remember, brown bagging isn't just for kids; you can also set out two extra bags for mom and dad.  Budget-conscious parents know that buying lunch at work every day can add up.

7. Healthy Doesn't Have to Mean Expensive: The old myth that healthier food has to cost more is long gone. When shopping for good-for-you snacks and meals, check out Safeway's own brands of O Organics�, Eating Right� and Eating Right for Kids� that offer great healthier choices at new everyday low prices the whole family will enjoy.  You can even make your own low-calorie snack pack by mixing whole wheat crackers, popcorn, pretzels, baked chips and the like, and place into plastic sandwich bags in 100 calorie portions (check the Nutrition Facts panel for calorie and serving size information).

8. Beat the Lunch Box Blues: Make lunch and munchies fun! Even the pickiest eaters are hard-pressed to resist fun-shaped foods. Use cookie cutters to make peanut butter and jelly or cheese sandwiches into fun shapes kids love, such as cars or zoo animals. Or toss in a special note (which kids of ALL ages love).

9. A Healthy Family, a Healthy Home:  Keeping a healthy home isn't limited to just the food you serve; it also applies to the products you use. Many moms fear that "green" cleaning supplies cost too much and do too little-not so. Safeway has created a line of affordable, eco-friendly cleaning products called Bright Green�--an effective, earth-friendly (also packaged in up to 25% post consumer waste materials) alternative to cleaning. At new everyday low prices Bright Green� is an easy way to keep a "green" home AND save money at the register. 

10 Prioritize: Every busy mom wishes there were more than just 24 hours in a day to complete all the important tasks. Make the most of the time you have by prioritizing what's most important to you and make a list. For example, if having quality family mealtime is a priority, then take some time at the beginning of each week to plan meals and the evenings you'll be enjoying them together. If this means saying "no" to other events or obligations, you may need to. By prioritizing your family's wants and needs, you'll be better able to know what can stay, and what can go, what things you need to make time for, and what you can let go of. Consider it a "business plan" as your household's CEO!