Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Get the Most Out of Your Food Dollars

 Food is money!!!!!  FACT!
If you are wasting food - you are wasting money.  It always makes sense to use up everything and not waste - but as times change - and items become less available - it makes even more sense.  Waste not - want not!!!!  There are ways to use up and not waste and be creative and eat well!

I know some of these ideas have probably been presented before, but we always need reminders.  Just a few ideas to get creative and use it up!
  • Add a grilled cheese sandwich to any soup dinner.  Good protein and very filling.  I have even made a grilled cheese sandwich by using leftover mac n cheese - it was GOOD!!  LOL!  A sandwich can really extend the meal to provide for more people
  • Add noodles, pasta or rice to soups to extend servings
  • Turn a simple tuna noodle or mac n cheese dish into more of a meal by adding veggies - you can add broccoli, peas, carrots, etc. You can also add a little meat to mac n cheese if needed (I like tuna or smoked sausage bites).
  • Got an 1" or so left in a bottle of dressing?  Add 2 tsp. of vinegar and shake vigorously.  Then add 1/2 cup of mayo or sour cream and shake again.  You have just created a new type of dressing and didn't waste a thing!
  • Pizza can be anything!!!  The crust can be anything - pizza crust, bread, tortillas, etc.  Toppings - use all your leftovers - can be meat, veggies, etc.  Scraps and bits can make for a flavorful pizza.  No sauce - maybe use a white sauce or thinly slice tomatoes or canned tomato chunks.  Get creative.  Any type of cheese can be used - or serve without cheese.
  • Keep your bacon grease.  Not only is it a free oil, but it adds so much flavor to your food.  Use it to fry up potatoes, or any other veggie for added flavor.  Flavor and spices makes things more desirable!!!!
  • Use those ketchup and mustard containers for decorating icing!  You can get those generic containers at the dollar stores or clean and use the actual containers.  Great for decorating
  • Keep a shaker of flour next to your stove for quick uses.  I keep a mason jar topped with a parmesan lid.  Makes it simple to add flour to a dish and not make a mess getting out canister or spillage
  • TIP  - don't put oil in a cold pan then heat up.  Heat pan and then add oil - this helps keep food from sticking!!!!
  • Use ground meat (mince) - beef, pork, poultry - when needing to stretch your meat budget.  Ground meat seems to go further, as you can get by using less
  • Don't store apples and carrots together.  The gases the apples put off tend to make the carrots taste bitter when cooked
  • CRAZY TIP - don't use milk when making scrambled eggs - it makes your eggs watery.  Use WATER and your eggs will be fluffy and not watery!!!!
  • If you need to measure something sticky like honey or molasses or corn syrup - first spray the cup with oil spray or measure oils first.  Sticky stuff comes right out.
  • Throw all those leftovers into eggs for a fun omelet or quiche.  Hides the leftovers and uses up everything
  • Freeze all those ends and bits and pieces of cheese.  You can chop and add to pizza or macaroni or any dish - all assorted, for a unique taste!
  • Freeze leftover coffee in cubes to use in your chocolate dishes.  Coffee really enhances the flavor of chocolate.  Also can add to brown gravy for a heartier flavor to gravy. (Red eye gravy)
  • Use flat pop - to make Jello.  Creates some new flavors and tastes
  • Need a side dish to feed several and only have odds and ends of veggies?  That's OK.  Mix them all up - any kinds of veggies.  You can roast them, or steam them or saute' and then add cheese sauce or soy sauce or any flavoring.  Stir fry them - just mix and serve.
  • Keep those chips from the bottom of the bag or flavored cracker remains to use as a tasty topping to a casserole.
  • Keep cookie and cake crumbs to add to ice cream or pudding as a topping.
  • Need to extend eggs to feed several people?  Crush up some crackers and add to your scrambled egg mixture.  Extends the eggs and it all tastes like eggs.  We used to do this when camping a lot.
  • Add crushed cracker, bread crumbs, or oatmeal to ground meat to extend
Yes, stretching our food and our dollars is very important.  Our Moms and Grandmas knew how to do this well.  Many of these ideas were used back in the depression and always when times and funds were lean.
It is shameful to waste food when so many are hungry.  It is shameful to waste funds that you have worked hard for.

Learn to extend things and get creative.  It is so IMPORTANT.
This could possible help you or someone you know not be hungry.  Spread the word!
We all need to be teachers!!!

44 comments:

  1. Omg, I love that idea about the flour in the mason jar with a Parmesan lid. I hadn’t thought of that before. You have some of the best ideas, Cheryl.

    I like adding a little meat to my Mac and cheese too. A small can of ham is really good mixed in with it.

    Another good tip I read from a Father was the point of feeding them was not to feed them to the point where they were stuffed, but to feed them to the point where they were full. There’s a difference.

    Another great blog post.

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    1. Thanks - glad you got a new idea. Mmm the ham in mac n cheese sounds yummy.
      Exactly - they didn't eat to be stuffed. We would all be better off to eat to full not stuffed!

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    2. I make my Mac n Cheese from scratch as I expect most readers do. I add broccoli to the pasta the final 3 minutes so it is tender crisp. I also chop a slice of ham. I buy ham on sale, slice it and freeze. I put 2 slices on a sheet of wax paper, fold that over and do another 2 slices. Once all stacked this way, into a ziploc bag and in the freezer. It keeps just fine for about 3 months.

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  2. Any ideas to repurpose a big batch of beans and weenies into something new?

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    1. Hmmm - maybe add some BBQ sauce to change up flavor a bit or some oriental sauce. Serve over rice or over biscuits or pasta. Top with tater tots and cheese and bake.
      Chop onion, shred cheese and add whatever else you want and serve in a rolled tortilla (maybe grilled).
      You can add beans to chili.
      Top a baked potato and add cheese and sour cream.
      Maybe that will help a little!!!!!

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    2. Mom used to put them into a casserole-type dish and top with corn bread, and then bake until the corn bread was done. I think she also did it sometimes with a can of biscuits or maybe homemade biscuits???? Just remember how good it always was.

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    3. They will freeze perfectly for another day. Thaw completely in the fridge before heating to avoid mushy beans. We freeze bakes beans all the time and I don's see how freezing them with weenies would be any different.

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    4. Thanks for the ideas. My husband is currently out of town, and I've never been very good and making a small amount for just myself and the girls, LOL!

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    5. Lori K - great idea! That sounds yum.

      Lana - I am like duh - I can't believe I was over thinking so much, that I forgot that!!

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  3. I have a question too. What to do with the bottom half of asparagus that gets cut off? It's always so tough.

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    1. I always stick them in the veggie bag in the freezer to use in making stock/broth. You can also dehydrate and pwder and use in soups!

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    2. I slice the tougher bottoms on the diagonal rather thin. I saute' these first in a pan with a bit of butter and EVOO until they are soft. Then the spears go in until they are tender crisp.

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  4. When the crackers are starting to get stale, that's when I crush them up and put them into a mason jar, rather than throw them out. I've got a couple of recipes that call for bread crumbs and I often substitute crushed crackers.

    And, as a single person who tries to eat healthy, I've found that, although they are more per ounce, the single-serve vegetables (cans) are actually a cost savings for me, as I'm not wasting what is left over and gets shoved to the back of the refrig.

    I also make 1/2 pot (6 cups) of coffee in the morning and typically drink half. The rest gets nuked the next morning. Everyone says I should get a Keurig, but those pods are costly and environmentally unfriendly.

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    1. There are some highly rated one cup coffee brewers on Amazon. No pods required. We have a one cup grind and brew machine and it saves us a lot in coffee because we were always misjudging and pouring coffee down the drain.

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    2. Have done that with crackers as well - I think I have a container in the pantry now.
      It is hard to cook for one - I do leftovers or re-invent.

      My sister has a K pot and has a re-usable pod to put in it. She uses whatever coffee she wants

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    3. Lanna I used to have a small 2 cup pot when Glen was here. He liked coffee in the morning and 2 was good.
      Neat that you found a single cup.

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  5. I never realized I should heat the pan BEFORE putting in the oil. Also, I didn't know you could use water to make scrambled eggs. That, alone, will save me a fortune on wasted milk. Thanks, Cheryl.

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    1. I only recently learned to heat the pan first and I was amazed how it worked.
      I have always used water in eggs - it really does work!

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  6. That is interesting about the crackers in the eggs. I had never heard that before. Bacon grease is so unappreciated! We always have a jar we are using and one we are saving into in the fridge. My favorite casserole topping has always been potato chip bits. Why throw them out? I pour them into a jar and they are easy to use when I need them.

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    1. The cracker/egg thing was a weekend favorite when camping. We had many families and kids get together for breakfast and it sure saved on eggs!!! We could really stretch them.
      I love bacon grease for all kinds of things - so much flavor!

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  7. Our neighbor has a great tip-he grocery shops on Monday so that over the weekend when their three teenagers are home all day they eat up what is left from the previous week. If he shops on Friday they don't eat last weeks food and it gets wasted.

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    1. Smart idea! Out smarted the teens - that is hard to do!!!!! LOL

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  8. All great ideas, Cheryl. I've mentioned always making broth from bones before discarding, and I also strain (roast meat) pan juices into a measuring cup and chill in the fridge overnight. Fat rises to the top and solidifies for easy removal, leaving concentrated "broth" that can then be frozen.

    That free broth comes in handy if you want to stretch ground meats. What I do is brown the ground meat (beef, turkey, etc.) in a large pot, then add 2 cups of dried lentils, 3-4 cups thawed broth and 1-2 cups of water. You can add seasonings to taste if desired. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed. As it cools, the rest of the liquid will be absorbed. It makes enough meat/lentil mixture for several meals, can be divided into meal-sized portions and frozen flat in zip-top freezer bags. Great for spaghetti, Sloppy Joes, tacos, taco salads, enchiladas, etc.

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    1. Great ideas!!!!! I love the lentils instead of meat. Same texture and flavor and probably healthier!
      I use bones too for broth - it always tastes so rich!
      Great tips.

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  9. WOw I did not know some of these. Great tips and so helpful. I missed you and wondered how you were doing.

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  10. My favorite way to extend meat is to use it in a stir fry. I can feed my son and I with one chicken breast rather than two. And I have enough leftovers for another meal for him. Since fried rice is one of his faves it's definitely a win-win.

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    1. For sure a win-win. I love fried rice and stir fry is so easy. It one super frugal and easy meal. Use up them leftover veggies in the rice.

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  11. Great ideas - I do most of them but that flour in a shaker is a new one to me and something I will definitely do!

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    1. It sure is handy to have it right there by the stove when you need a little.
      Thanks.

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    2. Also handy to flour cake pans when baking. I use an old parmesan cheese container, too.

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  12. Thanks for all the tips. This is my tip. My husband worked in grocery warehouses for years. If you want the freshest produce. Shop on Tuesdays. The trucks arrive at the warehouse on Sunday and early Monday. It then gets entered into the warehouse system and is all shipped out Monday afternoons and overnight. They also get a smaller amount in on Thursdays. Again it would be freshest on Friday morning. I have always purchased produce on these days and it lasts a lot longer. I lost my blog but it still shows as glorious Needlework and Life. I don’t know how to change it to the new one lol.

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    1. Great tip!!!! I noticed last week when I went to the store on Tuesday - skids were sitting every where in the store to be unloaded. I figured they must have gotten a truck the night before.
      I will sure keep those days in mind.
      Thanks again.

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  13. Lots of good tips in this post and from your readers also! Have to shop for produce on either Tuesday or Friday. We usually go to the store for last minute things before the Sabbath.

    We went to Rural King this week and passed by the Costco site. They are really comfortable by along.

    Loving these cooler temps!

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    1. I may rethink my shopping days for best supplies.
      I have never been in a Costco. We have down south of here.
      Oh, loving the cooler temps!

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    2. That is where we are headed this morning.

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  14. I love making casseroles as you can use very little meat and stretch that which you do use.

    I usually make egg salad or grilled cheese to go with soup suppers. Sometimes I use bits of leftover ham or chicken to make sandwiches. Mix little bits of meat with mayo and it is so good.

    God bless.

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    1. Casseroles and soups are the best - you can really lessen the meat in both.
      Mmmm that sounds good to throw in bits of meat. I need to make some egg salad - thanks for a reminder!

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  15. I got about 6 useful tips from this post. Thanks!

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    1. YAY!!!! I love it when someone gets a new idea they can use.

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