Now Offering Organic Gerber Baby Cereals
Pick up organic Gerber baby cereal next time you visit Lone Star Family Market.
All of our locations are now providing Gerber organic cereals to help you provide the best nutrition for your baby. Organic cereals will help your little one get a healthy start to eating solid foods.
It’s the #1 Pediatrician recommended brand for infant cereals and provides “essential nutrients – like iron, B vitamins, vitamins E and C, zinc and calcium,” according to Gerber.
The organic cereal is commonly a first solid food for babies to try, and is usually recommended when your baby is a supported sitter from 4-6 months.
Our stores will offer Organic Gerber Rice and Oatmeal Cereal in 8oz containers.
Lone Star Family Market is a chain of primarily WIC grocery stores in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos that aims to provide quality WIC-approved products in an easy, hassle-free shopping experience. Pick up all your WIC groceries in one convenient stop. SNAP also accepted.
Need Help With Food? WIC, SNAP Can Help
Sometimes everyone needs a helping hand with their groceries. Food assistance programs – like Woman, Infant and Children (WIC) and SNAP – can offer much needed help putting food on your table so you don’t have to worry how you are going to get your next meal.
WOMAN, INFANT & CHILDREN (WIC)
Texas WIC provides free food assistance for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and children up to age 5. The program is for Texas residents that meet income requirements. WIC recipients get free nutrition counseling and education, breastfeeding support and food assistance to help ensure children get a healthy start.
WIC participants get their monthly food package benefits loaded onto an ebt card that can be redeemed for WIC foods.
Pregnant mothers may get food packages that include cereal, beans, dairy, fruits & vegetables and more. Infant children would qualify for a food package that includes baby formula and baby food. Older children would qualify for packages that include milk, eggs, cheese, bread, fruits & vegetables and more. To learn more about food packages visit WIC online.
The program is a great tool for mothers to ensure that their babies are getting the right nutrition that they need. Afterall, baby formula is expensive, and you don’t need to worry if your little one will have enough. Apply online at TexasWIC.org/apply.
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)
SNAP , sometimes called a food stamp program, is a food assistance program that loads benefits onto an ebt card, used like a debit card, called the Lone Star Card, to pay for groceries. To see if you qualify, visit YourTexasBenefits.com
MAXIMIZING FOOD STAMP BENEFITS
If you qualify for both programs, understanding key differences can help you maximize your benefits.
WIC expires at the end of each month. If not used, SNAP rolls over to the next month to be used later. To maximize food stamp benefits, use WIC benefits first. Any SNAP benefits you don’t use during the month can roll to the next month up to a year. If you don’t use WIC benefits during the month it was issued, you lose them. To maximize all your benefits, use WIC first and roll what you don’t use for SNAP to the next month.
WIC is geared toward paying for nutritious food for growing children up to age 5. SNAP can be used for adults and older children.
Also, some WIC clients that have both WIC and SNAP use their SNAP benefits for extra baby formula for their little ones if it is needed.
LONE STAR FAMILY MARKET
Lone Star Family Market can help you avoid the hassle redeeming any of your food benefits. We cater to families that need food assistance. Because our staff is familiar with food assistance programs, you won’t have any hassle at check out, and you will be in and out with nutritious food for your family in one easy stop.
Lone Star Family Market stores provide all the food categories for the WIC program so you don’t have to search aisles trying to determine what qualifies for WIC. We also accept SNAP. To find a location near you, visit LoneStarFamilyMarket.com/locations.
Prepping WIC Produce To Eat
How To Care For Your Fruits & Vegetables
You picked up your fresh Austin WIC produce from the store, but before you cook and prepare your favorite recipes it’s important to take a few steps to prepare your WIC fruit and vegetables.
You should wash all of your produce under running water and dry with a clean paper towel as soon as you bring it home. Also, cut away any damaged or bruised areas before you eat or prepare, according to guidelines from the CDC.
The CDC also recommends: “Keeping fruits and vegetables separate from raw foods that come from animals, such as meat, poultry, and seafood and refrigerating fruits and vegetables within 2 hours after you cut, peel, or cook them (or 1 hour if the outside temperature is 90° or warmer). Chill them at 40°F or colder in a clean container.”
If you don’t think you will eat your fresh produce before it goes bad, you can always freeze it. Frozen bananas are great in smoothies. For best results, blanch vegetables like broccoli before freezing. Place cut broccoli in boiling water for about 3 three minutes, derailed, cooled and placed in freezer bags and then freeze.
Blanching times for vegetables vary, but there are a lots of guides, like this one, from the Texas Agricultural Extension Office.
AUSTIN WIC PRODUCE CLASSES
Texas WIC currently offers two Click & Learn classes on their website that offers great information about preparing and eating fruits and vegetables. To sign up for the free classes, visit the following website and follow the instructions for taking the classes. 
The first WIC class, Food Safety at Home teaches about:
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- Food safety practices
- Importance of washing hands and surfaces
- Ways to prevent bacteria from spreading
- How to cook at a safe temperature
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The second WIC online class, Follow the Rainbow with Fruits & Vegetables, covers the following topics:
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- Health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables
- Daily fruit and vegetable recommendations
- Tips for increasing fruits and vegetables
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Texas WIC is a free nutritional education program that provides nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support and free food packages to qualifying mothers and their children up to age five. To apply for the program, apply online.
Texas WIC is offering extended fruit and vegetable benefits through September. Individuals are receiving $35 in fruit and vegetable benefits instead of the normal $11 per person benefit. Learn more online at Texas WIC.
Lone Star Family Market is a primarily WIC grocery store chain in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos that caters to WIC clients by providing an easy, hassle-free shopping experience for WIC clients. Find a location near you at LoneStarFamilyMarket.com/locations.
Recipe of The Week Using WIC Foods
VEGGIE OPEN FACED SANDWICH ON WHOLE WHEAT
Using popular WIC foods, here is a twist on a classic American favorite – grilled cheese.
Texas WIC is a nutritional assistance program that provides free counseling and monthly food packages for moms and their children up to age five. The program helps ensure children get a healthy start in life. Each month WIC clients get access to FREE nutritional foods.
The recipe below uses WIC foods like whole wheat bread, cheese and vegetables. It’s a great way to get multiple healthy ingredients in one meal. Plus, it’s super easy and quick to make, something every mother will love. In a few easy steps you can have this meal ready for a weekend lunch or quick family dinner.
VEGGIE OPEN FACED SANDWICH ON WHOLE WHEAT
2 pieces of Whole Wheat Bread
Enough cheese slices to cover top of toast, use whatever flavor you like
1/2 Onion, sliced
½ Bell Pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
Add olive oil to pan on medium heat. Add sliced onions and bell pepper and cook until tender. Lay bread on baking sheet. Add cheese on top. Add cooked veggies on top of cheese. Cook in oven at 355 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes until toast is gold
Get your WIC foods at any Lone Star Family Market location in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos. Lone Star Family Market offers WIC Grocery shopping in 1 easy stop. The stores carry baby formula, baby food, milk, cheese, yogurt, bread, beans and produce – all in an easy shopping format so you can get everything you need without all the hassle.
Pregnant? Join Texas WIC
Get WIC Nutrition Help For Your Baby Before They Are Born
Are you pregnant, and need a helping hand with your baby? Get FREE nutrition help from Texas WIC. It’s a great resource for qualifying expecting moms and moms of children up to age 5.
The program provides nutrition education and free monthly food packages for expecting mothers. Once your baby arrives, they also provide breastfeeding support, nutrition counseling and even free formula for your baby. If you would like to apply to the program, visit TexasWIC.org/apply to find out if you qualify.
Let Lone Star Family Market show you how easy WIC grocery shopping can be. The primarily WIC grocery store chain helps WIC clients get all their WIC groceries in one easy, hassle-free stop. Locations in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos are located near WIC clinics for convenient access. Find a location at Lonestarfamilymarket.com/locations.