Ever wonder how our forefathers and foremothers always seemed to have food on the table even in lean times?
When we are go to the grocery store every week and get hit up to the tune of hundreds of dollars, we long to know their secret.
Actually, it isn’t a secret at all. It was merely good planning and preparation on their part, and an attitude of letting nothing go to waste.
Once we adopt this mind set, and focus on the essentials of good nutriion, we too will see our grocery dollar stretch further and our meal times more stress free.
The items that we have on hand are what determine what we can cook, and how far our food will go.
Filling your cabinets or pantry with a few useful staples can be the difference between a trip to the grocery store each and every week for a huge load of shopping, versus once or twice a month apart from a quick trip for fresh milk, bread, and meat.
Stocking up just a few choice items is all you need to create wonderful meals.
Flour. Flour is a starter item for many recipes. You can add it to some water and make gravy in the pan for many meat dishes. Flour is used to make bread (biscuits, rolls, loaves) and to coat chicken. It can also be used to coat a round or square cake pan to prevent the cake from sticking. Of course, one of the favorite uses for flour is in cookie recipes that make scrumptious desserts without you spending a fortune on ready-made.
Yes, there are a lot of pre-packaged convenience foods out there, but if you are also weight conscious as well as budget conscious, then take control of your health by making it yourself fresh, instead of pulling it out of a package and eating food laden with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.
Rice. My mother loves rice so much that we once bought a fifty pound bag from a grocery store. Rice is a side dish, but it doesn’t have to be plain. It can be jazzed up with veggies to accompany dinner. Spanish rice can be made with finely diced peppers, tomatoes, and a dash of turmeric.
My sister-in-law is from Indonesia, and she uses leftover rice for a dessert called sweet rice. Just add evaporated milk and some sugar to a bowl of rice and warm it in the microwave. It is a tasty treat for after dinner. She has rice in the house all the time, which she cooks in an electric rice steamer. She eats it with every meal, including eggs at breakfast. It is certainly cheaper than bread!
Another popular dessert is rice pudding. Rice can also be mixed with leftover meat and a cream soup to form a casserole. Rice has many uses as a thickener in soups and so you can be sure to find a few that your family will love.
Continued in 5 Kitchen Staples to Help Stretch Your Food Budget Part 2
