Tip 1 : 1 cup cooked pasta or macaroni counts as 2 oz of grains. Use My Plan to find out how many ounces of grains per day you need.

Tip 2 : When storing raw seafood, meat, and poultry, place them below ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator.

Tip 3 : An ounce equivalent of protein foods is 1 oz of meat, poultry, or seafood, ¼ cup beans, 1 egg, 1 T. peanut butter, or ½ oz nuts or seeds.

Tip 4 : Fruit with a low-fat yogurt dip makes a great party snack. Use melon, apples, bananas, berries, grapes and provide toothpicks!

Tip 5 : Not sure if you will use the whole bag of spinach? Add baby spinach leaves to a stir-fry, pasta sauce, salads, wraps or omelets.

Tip 6 : Jazz up raw vegetables with hummus dip or bean spread.

Tip 7 : Fruit purees make colorful sauces. Simply crush fresh fruit like strawberries or ripe peaches and serve over waffles or angel food cake.

Tip 8 : Choose fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt more often than cheese. When selecting cheese, choose low-fat or reduced-fat versions.

Tip 9 : Create a whole-grain pilaf using a mixture of barley, wild rice, and brown rice. Check online for recipes.

Tip 10 : Serve a watermelon salad for a refreshing treat. Check online for recipes.