Quick tips to prepare food on a budget

By Connie Burns, University of Minnesota Extension

ST. PAUL, Minn. (6/8/2009) — Preparing meals at home is a great way to save on the family food budget. With a little planning, and some savvy shopping, preparing meals can be economical and even fun! If you’re not used to preparing meals at home, the very thought may be daunting. But, as with all new habits, start slowly with achievable goals.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Start using the term ‘planned overs’ instead of ‘leftovers.’ When making a meal, make extra amounts of the starch, protein source (meat/dry beans) or veggie and freeze these for later use. For example, while cooking rice for tonight’s stir fry, cook up extra rice to be frozen for a soup later in the week. Are you slicing up chicken pieces for that stir fry tonight? Slice and freeze extra for a stew or soup for the weekend. In other words, make extra of whatever you’re cooking, and freeze for later use. Label everything!
• Start thinking of meat as a condiment or a side dish. Instead of having a meal revolve around meat, let the starches, veggies and fruits take on more of a central role. Use meat in soups, stews and casseroles, and bulk up these dishes with rice, pasta or veggies.   Don’t forget the dry beans! They’re a great source of protein, carbohydrate and fiber.
• Know your herbs and spices. You don’t need a shelf full of fancy spices to add a little variety to your dishes. Here are some basic spices that can be used in various cuisine:
  Latin American/Southwest:  use cumin, chili pepper, oregano
  Chinese/Asian:  use cumin, black pepper, red chili pepper
  Italian:  use basil, parsley, oregano
  Again, start slowly, adding a couple of new spices to your cupboard at a time. Many of these herbs and spices can be grown in window sill containers to save you money.
• Set aside time during the week for a ‘cook-athon’.  Get the kids involved and start a family tradition. Choose some family meal favorites, gather the needed cooking equipment, foods and storage containers, assign fun tasks to the kids, and start making batches of food for the week. Lasagna, spaghetti, soups, casseroles and stews all freeze well. Make up several different meals for variety throughout the week.
• Remember those dry beans I mentioned?  Have you ever thought of using them, but hadn’t soaked them and knew they’d take too long to cook?  Why not keep some canned beans in the cupboard to use in a quick meal?  To use those dry beans, which are cheaper, leave a note on the fridge to remind yourself to soak them for later in the week. 

Any use of this article must include the byline or following credit line:
Connie Burns is a health and nutrition educator with University of Minnesota Extension.

Media Contact: Catherine Dehdashti, U of M Extension (612) 625-0237, ced@umn.edu

URL: http:// www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/2009/food-budget-2.html  This page was updated June 8, 2009 .
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