Frugal, Healthy Cooking Will Help You Save Money and Truly Nourish Your Body
By Sue Merriam
Frugal, 
healthy cooking is not only a great way to give you the energy you need for a successful homestead, it also gives a boost to your budget. Cutting back on food expenses is the easiest way to save money and get out of debt. But limiting yourself to boxed macaroni or other cheap foods isn’t the wisest of choices. A lot of cheap food has been highly processed. It’s full of chemicals and low on nutrition.
It may seem like a good deal at the time, but such choices are costly in the long run. Deprived of the proper nutrients it needs, your body becomes less resistant to disease. Also, studies have shown that highly processed food is a significant contributor to obesity. If you have a weight problem, it may not be because you over eat. Rather, you are eating the wrong types of food.
Does High Quality Mean High Cost?
The good news is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to obtain high quality food. But you do have to make a time commitment. Things like brown rice, beans and grains are not “instant foods.” They take time to prepare. But once you taste the difference, I’m sure you’ll agree, these delicious foods are worth the extra time.
Rethink Ground Beef
Many people consider hamburger meat to be a staple of the American diet. The problem with this is, unless you’re raising a steer on your back 40 acres, you’re going to be consuming a lot of extra things that may not be good for you. Recently, I watched a documentary called “King Corn,” in which two young men had a DNA sample taken of their hair. They were shocked to discover that despite their fast-food diet, they were made primarily of corn. They decided to rent a corn patch, grow some feed corn and trace where it ends up. It turns out that most farmer in the farm belt are raising feed corn.
Feed corn tastes awful and has little nutritional value. But that doesn’t matter because it’s fed to cattle anyway. Problem with this is, cattle are not meant to eat corn. They’re designed to eat grass. If they’re given a strict corn diet, and no grass, a cow will die within six months. They just can’t digest the corn. It makes them sick. Yet, that’s all these cattle eat. Furthermore, they’re crammed into feedlots where they can barely move.
Naturally, they get sick, so they’re pumped full of antibiotics to keep them from dying prematurely. So when you buy ground beef at the store, you’re buying the meat of an animal that was probably sick, stressed out and crammed with steroids. Suddenly, that burger doesn’t look so good, does it?
Lentils, Wonderful Lentils
Fortunately, there is a wonderful, healthy, low-cost substitute for that ground beef. It’s the lentil, an often overlooked, unappreciated member of the legume family. This wonderful little bean can be cooked quickly without pre-soaking (20 minutes generally) and can be used as a substitute for ground beef in tacos, chile and any casserole calling for beef.
Brown Rice - And We’re Not Talking Instant
Another important staple that should be on your shelf is brown rice. Not the processed stuff that can be prepared in ten minutes, but real whole grain brown rice. It takes 45 minutes to prepare and is worth every second. One of the main reasons people get colon cancer is because they don’t have enough fiber in their diet.
White rice is nothing but starch. Brown rice on the other hand provides not only fiber, but wonderful nutrients your body needs. Brown rice with butter and sugar makes a delicious breakfast food. Plus, brown rice can be added to any casserole for both texture and flavor.
Whole Grains
Buying a loaf of whole wheat bread at the store isn’t really the answer to including whole grains in your diet. Unfortunately, several brands of commercially prepared bread has a chemical called potassium bromate. Sometimes it is called “dough enhancer.” This chemical is used to give the flour a finer texture and kill bugs.
It’s the “kill bugs” part that should have you alarmed. Researchers found a link between consuming bromate and developing cancer. Want a really radical way to include whole grains in your diet?
The Miracle of the Grain Mill
A few months back I took the plunge and bought a grain mill. The difference has been huge. Breads made from freshly ground flour taste fabulous. I was amazed at the amount of energy I had after I began eating bread made from flour I ground fresh.
Even my gravies and sauces taste better. I often bake bread for my mom, and she prefers the bleached white flour. Recently I was out of my own fresh ground flour and in a hurry, so I borrowed some of hers. The sauce I made was awful! I could taste the chemicals in it. Once you start using your own freshly ground flour, you won’t want to go back.
Sue Merriam is author of the website, Organic Gardening and Homesteading.
http://www.organic-gardening-and-homesteading.com
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Secrets To Budget Cooking
By cutting a few corners and carefully controlling what you spend, you can definitely eat healthy while not breaking your bank account. Below is a list of excellent points that you can start today to help you save some money on home cooking:
1.) The first step is to decide on a grocery budget and ensure to stick to it before you go to the grocery store.
2.) Every week many families will receive grocery flyers in the mail that contain discount sales items. Sit down and go through the flyer making a list of the discounted items that you plan on purchasing before you leave to the grocery store. A substantial amount of money can be saved by taking the time to do this.
3.) Goods that you will not use for sometime are great items to stock up on. You can store items such as tuna fish, canned soups and beans for a long period of time. If you find deals on these items then you may want to purchase several months worth. Other items that can be stored for a few months include dry goods such as breakfast cereals. Make sure to watch for cheap prices when you see them, and stock up on them.
4.) An excellent place to store foods are in the freezer. Large quantities of various food items can be bought and stored in the freezer. You can buy large sized bags of fruits and vegetables and store them for weeks in the freezer. Storing them this way will allow you to keep them for a few weeks which in turn will save you money in the long run. Other items that you can freeze are various meats such as chicken, turkey or burgers. You may want to refrigerate these items if can find them on sale. Putting them into freezer bags or enclosing them in aluminum foil will allow them to last even longer. Purchasing a few loaves of bread can also be a good idea. You can eat one for the week, and freeze the other loaves for the following week.
5.) Do your best to try and buy foods that are in season. Choosing out of season foods can be quite pricey.
6.) Cut and use vouchers from the weekly flyers. Look out for coupons for brand name foods, always compare them with the prices of generic brands, they can be cheaper. Also use coupons on items that you are likely to buy every week. Be sure to buy items that you will use, not just because they’re on sale, this will surely increase your grocery bill.
To find out more about how to save money on easy home cooking during these rough economic times. Read the comprehensive digital report “Times Are Tough - So Eat Cheap”. It is available for instant download. You will find detailed information to help you save money.
Trim Your Budget With Frugal Meals
In our family December means it’s the month where we spent too much on Christmas presents and try to make up for it from now until spring by saving money elsewhere. One place that you can quickly and easily save some cash is food. But how? frugal recipe to the rescue. Once you’ve mastered the art of frugal cooking, you can easily slim down your grocery budget whenever you need to. Let’s start with some frugal staples like:
- black beans
- bread
- lentils
- pinto beans
- crackers
- flour
Keep as many of these items as possible in your pantry and use them as fillers for meals or as quick and easy snacks. Cook up a few potatoes or a few cups of rice to stretch your main course. If you have just a small amount of meat leftover from a different meal, turn it into a casserole by adding some rice and beans and top it with some crumbled crackers. Instead of buying “cream of”… type soups to make your casserole, make your own out of butter, flour, water and some seasonings. A little dash of chicken bullion turns this simple white sauce into cream of chicken soup.
You don’t need to cook meat each night. Experiment with some beans or lentils instead. They are inexpensive, healthy and a great source of protein. You can also combine small amounts of meat and then get the bulk of your protein from beans. Good examples of this are chili and pork and beans. I use less than a half a pound of ground beef or ham each time I make these two dishes and then use plenty of beans to turn them into delicious and hardy meals.
Soups are another great way to cook frugally. Almost any leftovers can be turned into some sort of soup. I usually start with a chopped onion and any other raw vegetables I have, then I add various leftovers including meats, vegetables, rice, noodles etc. If it still doesn’t look like a filling enough meal, you can either add a can or two of vegetables or beans, or just add a homemade bread, some muffins or a dessert to complete dinner.
Don’t forget to visit my blog for more frugal tips. On Mondays’ you’ll find my frugal challenges there. They are fun ideas to help you spend less and make more with what you’ve got. Just get started and before you know it, you’ll be cooking on the cheap all the time.
PENNY PINCHING COOKING TIPS
Stop going out to dinner! Period! - O.K. if you’re family is screaming at you then take them out maybe once a month. Make it an occasion. Most of us get caught up in fast paced living and eat out more frequent then we really should. It’s just an insane waste of money. Remember that the cost of dinner for four at a nice restaurant can feed the family for a week or more.
So what is the first Penny Pinching Cooking Tip? That’s it, COOK!
Cooking can be a problem when you don’t have all of the right ingredients but there are penny pinching substitutes. You can still cook like a pro and use what’s available.
What I am trying to do is show you how to save money and give different cooking tips. Looking on the web, everybody and their brother has recipes. I have put in a few recipes, but mostly cooking tips to pinch those pennies and stretch those dollars.
Some substitutions and varying ways to save money, still serving your family tasty and healthy food. How to use what is on hand in your kitchen if you don’t have the exact item.
ROAST BEEF cooking tip
Easy, use your crock pot. Place your potatoes carrots and onions in the bottom and put your roast on top. Pour a pkg of onion soup mix over and add a cup of water. Turn on low and by the time you get home from work you will have a deliciously cooked meal to serve.
• Don’t have onion soup mix, substitute!!
Crush a couple beef bouillon cubes and add some dried onion flakes, you will never know the difference.
Want a little different flavor? Instead of water, pour in a cup of bourbon or a cup of wine (any kind). The alcohol cooks out, so don’t let that be a worry.
STROGANOFF
Now that you have leftover roast beef, you can make stroganoff. Cut your beef into small cubes, heat through with a can of mushroom soup, stir in a cup of sour cream and if you want add a little bit of red wine; serve over hot buttered noodles.
• Don’t have any sour cream? Substitute!!
Do you have a cup of cottage cheese? Place I cup of cottage cheese, 5 Tbs of milk and 1 Tbs of lemon juice in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
CHICKEN AND GRAVY
Use your crock pot. Place your chicken pieces (any pieces will do, drumsticks, thighs or whole cut up) in the crock pot. Add a can of cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery, or creamy tomato. You could even use bar-b-que sauce. Cook on low and when you are ready to eat, serve over rice or noodles. Your family will love you.
• Don’t have creamy tomato, but have a can of regular tomato soup? Make your own, simply add a half can of milk and blend together. You could even make it spicy by adding some salsa or Tabasco.
POTATO PANCAKES
Don’t know what to do with that little bit of mashed potatoes? Make potato pancakes. Stir the potatoes with some milk and baking powder. The consistency of regular pancakes. Fry in a little bit of butter or margarine, making them about the size of dollar pancakes.
If you wish add some onion or grated cheese or both. Serve with sour cream or spread cheese. Delicious!!
GREAT GREEN BEANS
Want a change from ordinary plain green beans? Take a can of green beans and drain. Cook until heated through in a pan or in the microwave, add a little butter to coat and add garlic salt or garlic powder and sour cream or mayonnaise. Tasty!! Even my children who didn’t like vegetables loved them this way.
CHOPPED ONION
Use chopped onions all the time, but tired of chopping every time you need them?
Prepare ahead. Buy that bag of onions and chop all of them to the size you like. Spread out on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. After they are frozen, put into a zip lock bag and put back in the freezer. Ready to use anytime you need them.
I believe in the saying that a penny saved is a penny earned and if you want to learn more penny pinching tips check out Grandma’s web site at: http://www.pennypinching-grandma.com
Cal Bolton is the webmaster for Grandma who is the actual content provider of: http://www.pennypinching-grandma.com
