Budget cooking, cheap recipes, leftover recipes

Today budget cooking is on the minds of most people who have a family to feed. Prices of groceries seem to be rising every day and many families are having a tough time stretching their dollars to cover all their expenses. This may seem to be an impossible situation but there are many things you can do to help with this problem. Budget cooking can be good eating. It doesn’t have to be watery stews, heavy sauces and weird casseroles.

To hold down food costs, use less tender but equally nourishing cuts of meat. Dealing with them takes a little skill but can be very rewarding. Often the flavor is much better. If you put a tough piece with a little water in a tightly covered pan and place it in the oven, it becomes very tender and delicious. Something to be careful to avoid is to overcook or under cook. Either way the meat will be tough. Check it by cutting a small piece. It should cut easily and appear tender when a fork is inserted.

Plan your menus before you shop. Learn which ingredients are the most economical to prepare. I have always started with the meat and then add the vegetables to make a well balanced meal. Three to four ounces of meat is enough for any adult in a day. By weighing it out when planning a dinner, you will see that you save money on meat alone. Most people today eat way too much of everything.

When feeding your children, put only small portions on their plates. It is easy to give more if it is eaten. Many parents fill a child’s plate like they would an adult. The leftovers then go down the garbage disposal. This also applies to serving your children milk and juices. Teach your kids to drink water instead of costly drinks. You will be surprised how much money these little tips will save you.

Plan to prepare 3 to 4 vegetarian meals in a month. Prepare cheap recipes by eliminating the meat in a meal and this will save money. It is important to know how to prepare vegetarian style because your family needs protein to stay healthy. The grain “quinoa’ is wonderful for a vegetarian diet. Many dishes can be prepared with it. Also, below is a list of combination ingredients that will make up a full protein. Choose one from list 1 and one from list 2 and you will have a full protein. Serve with a vegetable, fruit and rolls and you will have a great meal.

List 1

• Green peas
• Kidney beans
• Lentils
• Chick peas
• Black eye peas
• White beans
• Peanuts
• Lima beans

List 2

• Pasta
• Rice
• Almonds
• Bulgur
• Couscous
• Corn
• Bread
• Sesame seeds

When purchasing meat, chicken and hamburger are generally the cheapest. These two are so versatile that you could serve only these and always have something different to eat. There are many recipes on how to cook hamburger and how to cook chicken. Shopping for these, different cuts, watching sales and buying other meats are covered more on our “how to grocery shop” page.

Another sure rule I have is “never throw anything out” when budget cooking. You will be surprised that every little leftover can be used in something. If you have a little onion, a piece of carrot, a tablespoon of green beans or whatever throw it in a freezer bag and save. These will come in handy for stews and soups and other leftover recipes.

More of the following will help to save money.

• How to grocery shop


• Cheap retirement living; learn to cook for two


• How to cook whole chicken; it is cheaper than parts

Free Cooking for a Crowd Guide

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