Thursday, March 19, 2009

Food tips for the budget friendly

It's lent over here in my house, so buying any type of beef (I gave it up, but not my bacon!!!! lol), is not even going to happen. Only family sized packs of ground turkey or chicken come in here, and I can get those from my neighborhood shoppers for under $6. The family pack equals 2 different meals (baked ziti and turkey burgers).
A roasted chicken equals about 3 meals: chicken with mashed potatoes and spinach one night, chicken hash (shredded chicken, thinly sliced potatoes, onions, salt and pepper with some oil), and of course some type of chicken soup (w/ veggies and rice or pasta). Yeah I've been good at this.
Also you know those turkey breast you can find at Wal-Mart, well that'll save you a lot of money when it comes to deli meat. You spend $8 for that breast, and bam you have sandwiches for at least a month (for a family of three).
When it comes to buying cheese, buy a block of cheese. That way you can use it for more than one thing (shred it go with your pasta, shave it to go on your sandwiches, cube to eat with your fruit/or crackers, etc.). You'll save at least $2 from your food bill.
Buy generic! This is coming from a certified food snob, but hey sometimes we have to budget. Who knows there might be that certain yogurt that you have to have because it has all of these health benefits (yes I am referring to myself, and my love of Kefir lol). You buy that store brand sharp cheese, pasta (Richfood and Nature's Promise are good brands), making it easier for you to get that special item.
Beans, beans the musical fruit. The more you eat, the less you have to worry about your fiber intake lol. I have a tasty version of black bean soup, that even steak lovers will love, and it's vegan friendly. It requires a a crockpot (have no fear you will be using this), a bag of black beans (don't get the can, you'll be spending more), 2 cloves of garlic, some olive oil, 2 plum tomatoes, 1/2 a habanero pepper, and onion soup mix (make sure there is no beef or chicken stock added). Soak your beans for at least 6 hours, overnight if you can. After soaking the beans, heat up a small pan with the 1/2 tsp olive oil (or margarine if you don't want to spend the money for oil), Add the 2 cloves of garlic (smashed), and sautee' until softened. Add the beans, tomatoes, garlic oil, the pepper, soup mix, and add water until the beans are covered. Put the pot on low (if you're going to work), or you can put it on high until the beans are tender. Make some rice, and if you want to get fancy you can add some cheese on top OR chopped onion and tomato.
Okay little one is up, courtesy of her Daddy, so I must retire. We have a busy day of playing and learning!

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