We are all concerned with the financial situation in our country right now and with looking for ways to be more careful with the money that we do have.
I was listening to a radio show the other day. There was a woman on who has written a book to help families adjust to this new financial challenge by giving them tips on how to cook at home, instead of eating out on a regular basis.
She wasn't talking about actually learning how to cook though, she was just throwing out ideas as to items that can be purchased at the grocery store, similar to the meals you would eat out.
Prepared meals are still very expensive and not terribly healthy. There is nothing wrong with using boxed mixes as shortcuts when we are pressed for time or when there is something that we don't want to buy a bunch of special and expensive ingredients for.
I guess I hadn't thought about it. I have always thought that the first step to tightening the family budget is to look at what is being purchased at the grocery store and then to see what can be cut out, made from scratch or simplified. It doesn't seem like buying the same type of convenience food to cook at home is really going to cut costs, because you are still depending on someone else for ingredients, which is costly, and you aren't making more wholesome foods just because you are cooking them at home.
Cooking simple is easy, low cost, healthier and becomes a habit.
I am just talking about making a menu, shopping for foods that are basic, and learning how to build meals from a few ingredients, in a reasonable amount of time.
Menu planning takes a little practice and if you haven't been cooking at home as a rule, it takes a while to get into the habit of sitting down, figuring out your week's meals and then making a list of the things that you will need for each meal. It is a good idea to start slow, maybe planning for two days a week. Choose something that you know most of your family likes, and something that you enjoy making. Burgers and homemade fries and a simple fruit salad are usually a hit, or you could just do a chili and cornbread or biscuits.
Once you get the hang of the things you need to keep in the house for most of the meals that you will be making regularly, you can bulk shop and buy ahead so that you always have something to base your meals on. The great thing about meal planning is that you know at the beginning of the week what you need to buy and what needs to come out of the freezer a couple of days before.
Try to think of the meal with four basic components.
You need a main course, usually a meat, fish, casserole or soup. Then a starch of some kind like potatoes, rice or pasta. A vegetable and/or fruit. And then a salad and/or bread.
There are so many different tastes and cultures in our society, that the variety can be a lot of fun!
I try t0 vary the types of main courses throughout the week.
I do a couple of meats, a casserole, a "fun" meal, and leave open a night for leftovers.
I keep a few things on hand all the time to add to the main part of the meal.
Potatoes, rice, and several different types of pasta.
Frozen or canned vegetables in the winter and fresh in the summer.
As an example, take for instance, potatoes. Potatoes can be done so many different ways. My family prefers them baked in the skin; just plain old baked potatoes. Tim loves them shaken in olive oil and spices and baked in a shallow pan. Sometimes I put them in the crockpot with the meats that I am making and of course we have them mashed fairly often. There is so much you can do with a bag of potatoes and a little imagination.
Rice is another thing that is pretty much a staple in our house. I love white rice, but I often do a pilaf or add rice to other ingredients, like chicken or fish.
I learned how to make a great Jambalaya years ago from my friend Suzanne. It is just about complete as a meal.
We do Spagetti or another pasta meal once a week. These are favorites of the boys and they are also meals that go great with bread and a salad. Another mostly complete meal.
When I shop, I keep an eye open for sales on meats. If I find a great deal on ground beef, chicken or fish, I grab them and put a bunch in the freezer and then plan the menu around them the next week or two.
Another great benefit that we have gotten from cooking more simply, is that I can limit the sodium in our meals. Tim has high blood pressure and he limits his sodium intake, but prepared foods have so much that he can't avoid it if I cook out of boxes. I try to read labels on the prepared foods that I do buy, but if I make a chicken dish, baked potato, broccoli and a salad, he doesn't even have to think about it.
I'm still thinking about this topic, and so I'll add more later...
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