This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Facts Up Front program.

This morning I zipped up my too tight jeans, yelled at the kids to get their shoes on, and explained to them why Valentine’s Day candy was not on the breakfast menu. I understood their confusion, and I couldn’t blame them for pressing the issue. We had been hitting the sweets pretty hard this past week, and while our dinners had been fairly well-rounded, our breakfasts may or may not have included apple pie and peanut butter cookies.

My kids have been on an extended vacation from school, a result of piecing together a few snow days and four-day mid-winter break. On snow and vacation days, the rules are more relaxed, the schedule looser, and the menu packed with non-traditional meal choices.

Now things are settling down, the pie and cookies are sugary memories, and with the exception of my weekly Crock Pot Thursday dinner, our family’s meals need to be planned. I am not an organized girl. I sometimes make a shopping list, and occasionally I actually remember to bring that list to the store with me. It is not uncommon for me to menu plan on the fly as I peruse the selection and the current sales at our grocery store. This is moderately successful when I am shopping alone, but when I have one or both of my children with me, it is nearly impossible.

This is where the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s Facts Up Front initiative comes into play. With key information from the Nutrition Facts Panel on the front of the package, I can hold my escaping kid with one hand, read a recipe on my phone with the other, and still be able to see nutritional information on packaging. Were I an octopus, it would be fine to have to turn an item around to read the nutritional information on the back, but sadly, I only have two hands. It’s like the Grocery Manufacturers Association recognized we busy parents would appreciate a little help when it comes to feeding our families healthfully, and hooked us up with the easy to read Facts Up Front label. I hope the next initiative is sending babysitters to all grocery stores to watch our kids while we do our food shopping. I’m told I shouldn’t hold my breath.

It doesn’t stop there. The Facts Up Front website shares tips on making informed choices and building a healthful diet. There is an incredible infographic full of information about making smarter dietary choices, a cornucopia of professional resources, and a nutrition quiz for you scholarly-types. I did pretty well on the quiz, but didn’t ace it. Yet. Grocery shopping doesn’t have to be a nightmare. It can be fun, it can be the jumping off point for fun and nutritious family meals, and it can even be completely adorable. 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Facts Up Front program.