Feeding Your Family For Pennies on the Dollar

By Cynthia Scott, MA CCC-SLP

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Preparing meals for your family can take a "bite" out of your monthly budget. The cost of food is rising, and with restaurant prices rising even faster, cooking nutritious meals for your family at home really makes sense. But, what if you don't have much money left over each week for your family's groceries? You can find ways to spend less on groceries each week. But, how can you save money at the grocery store, and still prepare delicious, home cooked meals?

I've created delicious meals for family and guests for many years. Because we enjoy eating good food, I've been forced to discover ways to make the most out of our grocery budget. Here are a few of my favorite ways to save money, and time. Why not try a few of these ideas yourself!

First, check the Sunday paper to see what weekly specials are available in the meat and produce departments. I have found that these two items comprise a large percentage of a family's grocery costs. We keep a small stand-alone freezer in the garage to store meat and soup stock, vegetables, and other frozen foods that I purchase on sale. Pork has been down in price and frequently on sale in family or budget packs with ribs, roasts, and chops for very little a pound. Occasionally our store also offers chicken packs of thighs, legs, or family packs two for the price of one. I also have noticed that ground turkey is less expensive than ground beef. I purchase meat on sale, and then freeze what I won't use that week. With respect to fresh produce, it makes sense to buy produce in season. That way, it is the freshest, most nutritious, locally available, and least expensive!

A second suggestion is to cook in quantity, and freeze meal size portions of left over soups, stocks, quick breads, and casseroles. I use tape and a marker to note the date that the item was prepared, and rotate the items in the freezer to make sure I use them within recommended guidelines. The amount of time that food can be frozen can be readily found online or in many cookbooks. If you purchase fruit on sale that cannot be used within the week, this often can also be frozen and used later. For example, if you purchase too many bananas, they can be frozen and later used in smoothies or banana bread or muffin recipes. Berries can be frozen separately on a cookie sheet, then once frozen stored in a plastic freezer bag until ready for use. Frozen berries are also wonderful in smoothies, muffins, and pancakes.

A third suggestion, and the one that really helps economize in preparing your family's meals - find recipes that can be changed into second and third meals later on! For example, find a recipe for the perfect meat/tomato sauce. Then cook it in quantity, and use for spaghetti sauce now, and freeze the rest in separate containers to make lasagna. Add a few extra ingredients to the sauce, and you can prepare delicious tacos or enchiladas from the same basic sauce. Another way I've adopted this technique is by poaching two roasting chickens. I first boil the chickens in a soup pot with vegetables such as celery, garlic, onions, and carrots, until almost cooked through. In the meantime, I roast root vegetables cut into chunks in a roasting pan in the oven with olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme. During the final few minutes of stewing the chicken, I remove the chickens (while they are still whole), and place them in the roasting pan with the root vegetables, and complete roasting them in the oven at 375 degrees. I freeze the strained chicken stock to prepare delicious soups later on; my family dines on delectable roasted chicken and vegetables tonite. Tomorrow, we use the leftover chicken for chicken salad sandwiches to pack in our lunches.

I hope that these ideas will spark your creativity in finding new ways to maximize your grocery dollars and create nutritious meals for your family!