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more photosFrugal foods
Get more mileage and nourishment out of your food
By Anna Sowa / The Bulletin
Published: June 03. 2009 4:00AM PSTWhen Certified Credit Counselor Linda Young cooks, she thinks of meat as a flavoring instead of the main course. This mind-set, she says, helps save her money on groceries. She also bulks up her meals with inexpensive protein sources, such as beans and quinoa, which are low-fat as well as low-cost.
Young’s practices prove that being a frugal foodie goes beyond being a loyal coupon-clipper and bargain shopper. You have to buy foods that will give you the most mileage in the kitchen.
And just because you are eating inexpensive food does not mean you are eating unhealthy food, Young is quick to point out.
“When you consider frugal eating, it’s important to consider nutrition,” said Young, who works at Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Mid-Oregon. “Beans are a wonderful choice; I make a big pot of chili at least once a month.”
Her chili is easily frozen and can turn into filling for a taco salad when she adds a can of refried beans to it.
With the growing demand of living on less, many are looking at how people pinched pennies during past difficult economic times. The art of thrifty grocery shopping is one that can quickly save a household extra cash.
Stretch that dough
Cascade Culinary Institute instructor Jules Schmitz says she is a firm believer in being frugal in the kitchen, saying you don’t need chef’s skills to be creative.
Schmitz offered 11 food items that are inexpensive to buy and will stretch your dollar further:
1. Rice, beans and grains — These cheap items have a long shelf life and can be purchased in bulk bins, which is always a better deal than the prepackaged brands. To prepare them, you usually need just a little liquid and seasonings, Schmitz said.
Rice alone contains folic acid, iron and other nutrients for a healthy diet, according to the USA Rice Federation. Brown rice is a whole grain, providing dietary fiber and even more nutrients than white rice. The company says that on average, rice only costs 10 cents per serving, and 1 pound of dried rice will make 2 pounds of cooked rice.
It can also be used as a meal-expander; add it (or quinoa) to your hamburgers, meatloaf and meatballs as a substitute for a quarter of the meat, which will cut the fat and stretch the more expensive meat protein.
2. Canned fish — Whether it’s salmon or tuna, Schmitz says these lean proteins are great to stock in the pantry. They can be tossed with pasta, mixed with bread crumbs and fried as patties or spooned onto a cracker or crusty bread, with seasonings and lemon juice, for a nice snack or appetizer.
The StarKist Tuna company says its tuna pouches have a shelf life of three years. The pouch variety doesn’t require any draining; eat it right out of the pouch or incorporate it into recipes. The fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and available in preseasoned packets, which makes it flavorful enough that it doesn’t need mayonnaise.
3. Canned olives — Choose high-quality olives, not the ones that come on your pizza. Sliced or whole, they last a long time and are a healthy snack that can be incorporated into other frugal food recipes, such as quinoa salad or nearly any pasta dish. Try adding them to a mixture of canned tomatoes, your favorite canned vegetables and dried herbs for an easy pasta sauce.
4. Salad dressing — Make your own, Schmitz says. All a good salad dressing needs is olive oil, an acid (vinegar or citrus juice), seasoning and any added herbs and spices you like. Most people have oil and vinegar in their pantry, Schmitz says, so this should be one item that you should never have to buy at the store.
5. Chicken — Buy the whole bird. When you buy the whole chicken, you’ll get a variety of usable parts, and it is way less expensive. For example, boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be $4.99 per pound, whereas whole chickens are often on sale for 79 cents per pound.
One chicken yields two breasts, two thighs, two legs, two wings and the rest of the carcass can be boiled and picked to make chicken noodle soup, or flavorful chicken stock that you can freeze for later.
6. Bread — Bread is basically four ingredients: flour, yeast, water and salt. Most people already have these in their pantry, and you don’t need an expensive standing mixer to make the bread; just use a wooden spoon and your hands. A baguette costs $3 to $6, whereas you can make at least four baguettes yourself for that much, Schmitz says.
Bread also freezes well and can be turned into croutons, crostini and bread crumbs for other meals.
7. Grow your own herbs — You don’t need a garden to do this, just a pot that can be kept in a sunny spot during the cold months and can be set outside during the summer. Most herbs are hardy, Schmitz said, and a packet of seeds costs $1 or $2 and will be good for many plants over the years.
8. Can it — The makers of home-preserving materials are seeing a surge of business in recent years. You could be one of the many who are learning to preserve fruits, vegetables and sauces to enjoy year-round. Canning essentially means filling a sanitized jar with the food and then simmering it in water to seal and destroy any bacteria. Schmitz says the initial investment in the canning tools — cans, lids, a large pot — is well worth the yield.
9. Pasta — Schmitz recommends the more-nutritious whole-wheat pasta, which can be more expensive. All pastas have a long shelf life and fill you up for relatively little money.
10. Evaporated milk — Keep this in the pantry to use if you don’t have fresh milk or heavy cream, Schmitz says, because you can substitute evaporated milk for regular milk or cream in almost any recipe.
11. Dried fruits — Apricots, raisins, cherries, pineapple all are available in the bulk section at your local grocer. They have a good shelf life, taste great in trail mix or cookies and are a healthy snack. They also are delicious when cooked with couscous or rice, and can be sprinkled over a salad with roasted nuts which also can be purchased in the bulk section.
Finally, Schmitz recommends investing in some sort of food-saver system that allows you to shrink-wrap your freezer foods. The initial investment is around $100 to $120, she says, but the mileage you get from your frozen foods will recoup the cost.
“We utilize almost everything in the freezer,” Schmitz said about her food-saver system. “It takes away any chance of air getting in (to the food), which is what causes freezer burn.”
Anna Sowa can be reached at 541-383-0304 or at asowa@bendbulletin.com.
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