Reduce Stress, Save Money, Be Healthy! Plan Meals Creatively

Creative and healthy cooking on a budget
No matter what happens in the world, no matter where you are, no matter your politics, one thing is sure: people are going to get hungry.

What’s for Dinner?

At 5:30 or 6:00 (or 7:00....) p.m., not knowing the answer can cause:
--high stress levels
--tossing the budget out the window
--healthy? Don’t have time for that

You can make a BIG difference
in the budget and your families’ health ( broccoli rice with baked fish and salad was only 350 calories and tasted very rich - and no one knew it was brown rice, very little cheese, and way more broccoli than most)

Through Planning, Learning, and Creativity, you can SAVE MONEY and TIME and BE HEALTHIER while cooking dinner. I've broken it down into four areas with four ideas in each - many have links to recipes or other information.

Four Ways To Plan Menus
 
1. Choose meals you like and plug them in on a calendar, use it to plan your shopping list.
        *Name some dinners your family likes         *what are ingredients you would have to buy
   OK, this is the rich person method, but at least you can answer the question (what’s for dinner?). And the stress is way lowered because there is a plan. If you have trouble with this, get your family together and make a master list of all the dinners you can think of and post it on the fridge. Add to it as you think of others.

2.  Plan around ads, sales, and in-season foods
Use grocery ads to plan around sales items and check what else is needed for your shopping list.
             *Skim ads, plan meals based on good deals and in season foods

3. Consider ads, making sure sales are actually sales, but also take into consideration:
    *What is in your freezer right now that needs to be used (or can be replaced from sale),
    what your schedule will be like (easier meals on busier days)
    *what ingredients in your food storage you can use with sale items - or need to be rotated,
make potential menu and note on shopping list what's on sale and what ingredients are not in your pantry or storage.
    How many meals will you eat leftovers or what you can make using ingredients cooked for another meal? (crockpot roast broth for soup? leftover ham in casserole? etc.)

 4.   Informal method (this has become my method of choice over the years, I like something flexible so I can make what I feel like or have time for or fits the weather.....):
 Make sure when you shop you have half a dozen ideas for dinners that you can have all ingredients on hand (Pantry, Freezer, as well as shopping sales) and note on whiteboard calendar along with perishables that need to be used so you can put together something to fit your daily schedule as it changes through the week.
           

Four ways to shop for savings

 1  Plan ahead to use what's actually on sale and in season
        know your stores and prices, price match, farmer's market
    (making your own price comparison chart between stores is educational)
   
2  Use sales to seriously stock up pantry/food storage (they aren't really separate things) including freezer.
    Having a can opener and knife in glove compartment lets you taste things on sale and then buy more.    

3 Use a list! Stick to the list, stick to the list, stick to the list, don’t go to the store hungry or bring kids (babysitter can save three times the cost)

4 Shop your pantry/storage/garden,  stay home from the store!
If your garden is doing well, use money saved to stock up on storage items, fill freezer, etc.
***How many meals could you cook without going to the store at all?
USE WHAT YOU HAVE

               
Four ways to save through creativity

1  Use imagination, experience, or Internet (pinterest) or cookbook research to adjust recipes to skip or replace expensive/out of season ingredients. For instance, an asparagus-black bean salad can be made with fresh or frozen corn instead of asparagus. See "almost ratatouille" coming to blog soon
   
2 Knowing basic cooking skills and principles allows you to create dishes with what you have as well as adjust to your family's preferences. Having a well-stocked basic pantry is essential.
             ( sample basic pantry list)

3  Prevent waste -
    list leftovers on whiteboard calendar on date (or label)
Freeze (label!) extra almost anything - half can of refried beans, broth from crockpot dish, etc. and use in soups or other dishes,
*list fragile produce and leftovers on your whiteboard to prevent throwing out spoiled food and check this list when planning or preparing meals.
    Buy What You Will Use - You can ask the store to package just how many chops you need. Bulk is not always cheaper, and throwing out food doesn't save anything.
 
    4 Make sure you have a couple of super fast options to save having fast food emergencies. (Taco salad truly in five minutes!) Even if its just opening a can of spaghetti sauce and cooking pasta and a frozen veg, its  cheaper and healthier than a drive-through dinner. And possibly faster.
  

Four ways to eat healthier without too much murmuring

1 Read up on nutrition, don’t jump on everything in the news - basically anytime you replace something with fresh (or frozen) produce or whole grains the nutrition goes up. (try whole wheat pastry flour)
         Find one or two books every now and then when you are at the library, or read articles online. You need to at least skim a variety of sources because any one may lead you way off into unproven territory.                                      
 2 Adjust favorite recipes instead of changing everything you cook-  many family-pleasers can become healthier fairly easily by simple means such as:
parboiling brown rice 15 minutes to use as white,
replacing sour cream with Greek yogurt,
adding de-stemmed chopped spinach on a pizza with whole wheat crust (you can still top with pepperoni)

Avoid spending money, time and calories on “empty” foods
    (learn from healthy cookbooks too - free at library)

3 Many healthier breakfasts are way cheaper and just as fast and more filling than cold cereal or pop tarts - oatmeal/fruit/yogurt    in a small jar in fridge overnight is a grab-n-go example. Whole wheat or brown rice or whole or steel-cut oats in a thermos with boiling water overnight, ready to serve in the morning.

 4 Learning to use food storage items like dried beans and whole grains not only helps you rotate your storage, but is healthier and saves money and trips to the store. Think Mexican Fiesta Dinner! (ooops, another coming soon to blog)
   

CHALLENGE:           
Take just one idea that might help you, whatever you need most -- planning ahead, saving money, eating healthier, and set a goal to take a first step, you can always come back and reread for more. And feel free to comment and add suggestions and ideas if you like. Try pinterest too, for healthy recipes and ideas.

Really Quick and Easy Summer Soup

This is simply a set of instructions for infinitely variable soup that is quick and yummy and healthy - based on Lunchbox Vegetable Soup (From Sunset 30 Minutes or Less cookbook). I call it Summer Soup because you don't need long simmering like you might enjoy in winter.
Today we made it with leftover pork broth and meat scraps from Sunday's crockpot dinner and used basil fettuccine, usually I make it meatless or occasionally with remains of a rotisserie chicken that's pretty picked over (simmer a little while to get your broth and pick off any meat left while the rest simmers).


large chopped onion, (I precook in a small bit of butter or olive oil so its well done - even richer flavor comes from using a little bit of bacon grease you've frozen)
4 large carrots (about 1 lb. total) peeled and thinly sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced or chopped

6 cups Knorr Vegeterian vegetable bouillon or other favorite broth/stock
1 or 2 cups water
1 can (about 15 oz)  corn, drained or 1 cup frozen corn
1/4 teaspoon pepper
salt
2 cups dried pasta bow ties or other pasta
1 cup frozen tiny peas
1/4 cup chopped parsley(if available)
(we like to add a can of kidney beans, drained - or black-eyed peas for more flavor)

1. Peel carrots and cut crosswise into thin rounds.
2. Melt butter in a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, and corn.  Cook, stirring often, until celery and onion are tender to bite (5 to 6 minutes).
3. Add broth, pepper, and salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon); bring to a boil.  Stir in pasta; return to a boil and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes.
4. Add peas and continue to cook, uncovered, until pasta is just tender to bite (7 to 8 minutes more).  Sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 6 servings (about 12 cups)

options: baby corn is good but pricey, black-eyed peas have lots of flavor and work well, you can add any veg you have - broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, slaw mix, zucchini or yellow squash (add summer squash later on, it takes about as long as the pasta)

I love to use Penzey's spice and herb blends, like Foxpoint, Paris, Mural of Flavor, etc. Or use Mrs. Dash, etc. The original calls for tarragon but we didn't like it, "spice to taste"! This is a good time to use your summer herb garden - parsley, chives, basil, oregano, savory, all would be good- or freeze dried chives, parsley, etc if its winter or you don't have fresh on hand.

White to Wheat Bread, for introducing whole wheat or just want a good whole wheat recipe

This is a great fine-textured bread that you can start making with all-purpose flour and gradually add more and more whole wheat (freshly ground hard white wheat will give best results) until your kids (or your insides) are enjoying whole wheat bread. It simply makes a little more bread by volume with white flour. I do knead a minute or two longer with all whole wheat.
I always double it and found I got 7 loaves using all white or up to about half wheat.
Now I make 6 loaves almost all whole wheat - I use the smaller loaf pans (8x4) and use a little high-gluten bread flour kneaded in near the end and thus no need for dough enhancers or added gluten. Put it in the freezer as soon as it cools completely for fresh bread all week :)
If your kids are still not sure about whole wheat bread, time it to come out of the oven when they get home from school hungry or toast it with jam-

White-to-Wheat Bread
originally based on "White Bread Plus" from Joy of Cooking

In your mixing bowl:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 pkg yeast (1 Tbsp)
Start mixer on slow, combine 2 1/2 cups hot water and 1/4 cup canola oil and gradually add to dry ingredients, beat to combine.
Add 1 egg (works fine without it too) and 1 more cup flour, beat three more minutes. Add as much more flour as you can stir in, then knead in rest (up to 3-4 cups additional flour). Knead about 10 minutes. Rise in greased bowl about 1 hour, divide into pieces and shape into balls and rest ten minutes. Shape and put into seasoned or sprayed loaf pans and place in cold (or warmed a little in winter) oven for 30 minutes or until double, turn oven to 325 and bake 35 minutes.

Split Pea Soup

 Take a ham bone (with a good bit of meat left if possible), put in soup pot and cover with water, add a carrot and an onion (peeled and trimmed but whole).Cover and simmer for an hour or two.

Pour the broth thru a strainer and back into pot (discard carrot and onion, their flavor has gone into the broth) Take meat off bone and cut up while you start the peas simmering in the broth -- add at least a lb of green split peas, probably 1 1/2 lbs for a mostly full pot of soup . Depending on available time, this can simmer quite a while - you'll want at least an hour, or longer if the peas are old. About 45 minutes or so before eating add peeled and chopped potatoes (maybe two-three), sliced carrots (maybe 4-5), and a large chopped and sauted-until-golden onion -- can add some water to get bits off onion-y pan to add (can also add carrots/potatoes to saute a little while for extra flavor if you want).
OR while the broth is in the container you strained it into, brown the chopped onion in the pot (and celery and other things if you like), then you catch all the extra flavor when you put the broth back in and add peas, etc.but you might not want the potatoes and carrots as mushy as they can get with all the time needed to soften the peas.

Put in cut up meat off the ham bone whenever you get it done, use Mrs. Dash and Nature's Seasons or  Penzey's Foxpoint or Mural of Flavor seasonings. Bay leaf is good (added with peas) or other favorite seasonings added some early, some mid-cooking, some near end for layers of flavor. Usually there is enough saltiness from the ham that you don't need salt - check before salting! fresh ground pepper is good.
*Stir occasionally -- and turn down or stir more often if it sticks to the bottom.

Good dish for a cold day - just do one step every once in a while as you go about dealing with home and family till its done for dinner.

for best results serve with Fresh French Bread! (easy recipe in previous post - if you start both recipes early in the afternoon you'll be all set, maybe a little fruit for side or dessert)


for extra fun, if you have yellow split peas, divide up your broth and make half with yellow, half green, then pour both kinds in the bowl from opposite sides, do one careful swirl through both sides and dollop a little sour cream in the center and put on a parsley leaf - how high-class is budget dinner now?

Fast and Easy Chewy Bread

Makes the most wonderful toast - cut it pretty thin, it has nooks and crannies for the butter and jam.........and has healthy ingredients in a new form for kids that might not be used to whole wheat bread yet :)
Faster and easier than regular yeast bread, freezes beautifully, easy to half but why would you? Based on a recipe from Betty Crocker.

7 cups all purpose flour (could gradually replace part/all with whole wheat, I'm going to start doing that)
1/4 cup sugar or honey
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp yeast
4 cups warmed milk ( microwave till quite warm to touch - can use canned evaporated milk in food storage to rotate - use one equal parts milk and (hot) water to "un-evaporate") Would probably work fine with just water, or with powdered milk added to dry ingredients.
1 cup hot water (from hot water tap)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ (store in fridge after opening)
1 cup quick oats
(can also replace 1 cup of regular flour with soy flour, white bean flour, or any other type you might have, to add variety to nutrients)
up to 1 1/2 cups more flour

Mix 7 cups flour with sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast in large mixing bowl. Add warm milk and water and beat on low to moisten, then three minutes at medium speed, scraping occasionally. Stir in whole wheat, germ, oats, and enough flour to make a stiff batter.

Grease or spray 4 loaf pans (4 1/2 x 8 1/2 kind, not the huge ones) and sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide batter between them and sprinkle with cornmeal. Let rise in warm place about 20 minutes or until at top of pan.

Bake at 400 degrees about 25 minutes (gets fairly dark brown on top) and cool on wire rack.

French Bread

I used to think having the best pasta dinner meant a run to the store for crusty French bread - but my daughter Bethany changed that when she discovered how easy it is to make your own. There is very little prep time but long rising time, so you need to pick a day when you are working at home and make enough to freeze for future use. If you can't find long bags just tear it in half and freeze two halves in a regular freezer bag. You can reheat it in a toaster oven or regular oven (375 or 400 degrees) for about 8 minutes after thawing and it will be crusty and delicious. This recipe is based on one from Betty Crocker and makes 4 good-sized loaves.

2 Tbsp yeast
2 1/2 cups hot tap water
2 Tb sugar
2 tsp salt
6-7 cups all-purpose flour (if you want to use whole wheat, more than 1/3 will make it lose its airy, light character)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Dissolve yeast in water in large mixing bowl. With mixer on slow, add in sugar, salt, 4 cups of flour and oil. If its too dry to mix add more water. Beat until smooth.
Stir in enough flour to make it easy to handle then knead on lightly floured surface about 5 minutes.

(OR for super fast food processor method, cut recipe in half and after dissolving yeast by processing yeast and water on and off for a few seconds, add all the rest and process  for about 30 seconds til a ball forms.  That's it!  except it won't come out as light or as big, in my experience.)

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise 2 hours  (can cut to 1 1/2 if you must).

Divide dough in fourths (halves if food processor version) and shape into balls. Grease (spray) two large cookie sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll each ball of dough into a rectangle no longer than your pan and roll up tightly and seal, turning ends under a little if needed or rolling them a bit to taper. Place two on each sheet (seam down). Slash with sharp knife about every 2" and brush with water. Let rise another full hour (- in cold weather or a hurry, put in a slightly warmed oven to speed up)

Bake at 375, one pan at a time, for 25-30 minutes. You can brush with egg white and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds before baking if you want to be classy. This freezes beautifully and is a great accompaniment for all sorts of soups or pasta dishes.

Fluffy Brown Rice

Brown vs white rice is about like white vs whole wheat flour -- white rice is mostly just the starch without the nutrients. It can be hard to get your family to like brown rice if its new to you (using "Instant" brown rice can help, but its pricey and the processing undoubtedly hurts the nutritional value).
Fortunately this recipe, that probably originated with Cooks Illustrated, makes a really soft and fluffy rice that's not chewy. If you want to make extra sure they don't notice, add a scant 1/4 cup water to a frozen batch before you micro-thaw it along with an extra minute of heat. That softens it up even more. Also, like whole wheat flour, uncooked brown rice doesn't keep as long as white so its best to toss it in the freezer when you buy it, (or at least store it in a cool basement) if you are stocking up for the long-term.

Baked Brown Rice
2-lb bag of brown rice
9 1/2 cups boiling water
3-6 boullion cubes if desired, or 3 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 375
This batch requires a baking pan the size bigger than a 9x13, or a large oven-safe pot. Put in the rice and boiling water and boullion, can add a little oil or butter but I never have.
Cover tightly with two layers of foil. Even if your pot has a lid.
Bake one full hour. Fluff with fork.

divide into meal-sized amounts and freeze in freezer bags or sour cream/margerine containers. To thaw, microwave one minute on high.

smaller batch:
1 1/2 cups brown rice and 2 1/2 cups water in 8-inch dish, still takes an hour!