The news has been very doom and gloom as far as global food supplies this week and coupled with prices going up every single time I set foot in the grocery store, I have to admit it is causing some serious anxiety. For most of us, our Food Stamps, SNAP benefits or grocery budgets are having a really hard time covering our basic needs. One thing that is helping my family is the weekly snacks that the library gives out.
Stretching is the name of the game around here now. Well, we did it before anyway, like adding lentils to ground beef, but now it is so much more important. I am trying to make sure that absolutely nothing gets wasted. We are stretching our meat, we are stretching out times between meals on the weekend and like everyone else, we are rethinking our driving habits, stretching out the time between trips in the car.
TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR MEALS STRETCH
- Add bread to your meal. Bulk out your meal by serving a slice of bread and butter, corn bread, a biscuit or roll. Bread, especially homemade, is an inexpensive way to fill a belly.
- Portion control. Dip out an appropriate size portion onto your family's plate and leave the rest on the stove. This will cut down on taking more than a person actually needs just because they see it. If they are hungry enough to walk into the kitchen and make a second plate, then they are hungry.
- Add inexpensive sides. Adding rice, potatoes, pasta or beans to fill up on.
- Waste nothing! If there are leftovers, use them. When you make a meat with bones, make broth with the bones afterward. If a kid doesn't finish their plate, in the fridge it goes to be used as a snack when they eventually say they are hungry.
- Making meat a side, not the star. We do this with chicken legs. Everyone here gets one piece of chicken and I make something usually considered a side the main. Its funny, presentation really can be everything. If someone asks what is for dinner, for example I would say "Scalloped potatoes, green beans and a chicken leg" somehow that sets expectations differently than if I said "Chicken legs, with scalloped potatoes and green beans." Weird, huh? And when I plate the food up, the thing I want to showcase as the main goes in the middle and the chicken leg off to the side. Some weird psychology working there, haha.
- Mixing your meat and vegetables together. Soups, stews, pot pies, casseroles and stir fries are so popular because they allow you to use less meat per person as it is mixed in instead of sitting there on the side of the plate looking like an obviously small serving.
- MENU PLANNING- Seriously, the easiest way to cut down on waste, make meals that work together (cooking once, eating twice, planned leftovers) take advantage of what you have on hand and what is on sale is to menu plan. Figure out a way of organizing your meal planning and shopping that works for you and you will see less trips to the store, less stress about what to make after the work day, and less waste as you can plan for everything to be used up.
Have you got any tips to making meals stretch? Please share in the comments! I love learning new tricks.
This week's fabulous grocery find was chicken quarters for $0.79/lb in 10 pound bags. These used to go on sale for $0.49/lb a few times a year, but I will take it at this point. I bought four bags, split them up into gallon freezer bags in meal sized portions and shoved into my freezer. Luckily there wasn't much in there! We will be using those for the next few weeks.
Monday-
- Breakfast- Toast, egg, banana
- Lunch- Kids eat at school, us- Ham and cheese roll ups, pretzels, carrot and celery sticks
- Dinner- Chili, peanut butter sandwiches
Tuesday-
- Breakfast- Egg and fried bologna breakfast sandwiches
- Lunch- Kids eat at school, us-Thai Ramen, carrots and celery sticks, crackers
- Dinner- Roasted chicken pieces, roasted potatoes, corn, garlic bread
Wednesday-
- Breakfast- Oatmeal, applesauce
- Lunch- Kids eat at school, us- Sandwiches or leftovers, pretzels, carrots and celery sticks
- Dinner- Butter beans and rice, green beans, deviled eggs
Thursday-
- Breakfast- Oatmeal, applesauce
- Lunch- Kids eat at school, us- Microwave burritos , pretzels, canned peaches
- Dinner- Scalloped Potatoes, Baked beans, roasted frozen broccoli
Friday-
- Breakfast- Toast, egg, banana
- Lunch- Kids eat at school, us- Leftovers, pretzels, applesauce
- Dinner- Black bean burgers, pasta salad
Saturday-
- Brunch- Ham and cheese Frittata, fruit salad, biscuits
- Dinner- Fried Chicken pieces, Creamy Garlic Rice, peas, biscuits
Sunday-
- Brunch- Blueberry Pancakes, homemade pancake syrup, scrambled eggs with cheese
- Dinner- Chili mac, corn bread, glazed carrots
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