Eating Well on a Budget

As a foodie and a student, it's hard to find the right balance between spending all my money on delicious food and saving enough so I can buy textbooks.  So, today we'll be talking about how to eat well on a budget.

• Keep a well-stocked pantry

     Having a well-stocked pantry is going to be the easiest way to make sure you always have food on hand to make a meal.  Eating out often is an easy way to lose a lot of money very quickly, so having the ingredients to make meals every day of the week is important.  Now, I don't always want to make an elaborate meal, so I stock up on easy things like pasta and sauce, ingredients for nachos, etc because they are  fast and easy meals to make.  This saves me from having to get take out because I don't want to go to the grocery store to buy ingredients.  Here's what I stock my pantry with, but the idea is to think up a few fast meals that use ingredients that tend not to go bad quickly.

Whole-wheat Pasta

Sauce

Tortilla Chips

Ingredients to make chili

Vegetables (carrots, celery, onions...these tend to stay fresh for a while)

Frozen chicken, beef, shrimp, or scallops

Brown Rice

Beans

Sauces (teriyaki or barbecue--anything to spice up the stock ingredients when you want a kick)

Having some stock ingredients always on hand will save you a lot of money.  

• Brown Bag It!

    Yeah, so you might seem like a bit of a dork bringing your lunchbox to work or school, but it's going to save you a lot of money and most likely make you healthier!  I know, it seems like extra work to prepare a lunch for the day, but once you start doing it, it will become a habit.  Take half an hour the night before to prepare a lunch, store it in the fridge, and then grab it on your way out.  I wouldn't leave it until the morning to prepare, just because it's easy to forget something in your haste or realize you don't have a key ingredient and stress yourself out. 

     Some easy lunches to bring are:

Any kind of sandwich (PBJ is one of my favorites)

Salads (pack the dressing in a separate container so your salad doesn't get soggy through the day)

Rice with meat and/or veggies (heat it up in the microwave at lunchtime)

There are lots of other options, but these are a few of my favorites!

• Plan Your Meals

     Like I said before, having a well-stocked pantry is key to eating on a budget.  But having a well-stocked pantry isn't really going to save you any money if none of it makes up a complete meal.  So, take a half-hour or so each week and plan what meals you're going to have.  This way, you have a list when you go to the grocery store.  Having a list makes you less likely to impulse-buy, which in turns saves you money.  It also helps you keep track of what food you have available to you, and you tend to know exactly what you need to buy next time you go to the grocery store.  This cuts down on buying extras of items you already have.

• Check Out the Freezer Section

      I was shocked last week when I found that Trader Joes sells a 2.5 bag of frozen chicken breasts for $6.99.  One pound of fresh chicken breast costs exactly the same amount.  We actually end up freezing our chicken anyways, so buying frozen chicken in bulk actually saves us a lot of money!  It's also usually cheaper to buy frozen fruits and vegetables, so check those out too.  We buy frozen mixed berries for 2.99 a bag, whereas fresh berries cost much, much more than that.  

These are just a few tips to help you cut down on your food budget, and feel free to comment with your own suggestions!  

Happy eating,

KS

Simplify Your Diet

Alright, so today we're talking nutrition.  What's the best way to eat (if there really is a best way--this is my opinion based off the things I've learned)?  While my blog may often focus on the delicious (and sometimes not-so-healthy) things I eat, it doesn't mean I shouldn't teach you a bit about nutrition in the process.  Here goes.

     With the many options out there to choose from, it’s difficult to know what to eat.  There are many complicated diet plans that promise amazing results, but the truth is they often provide results that don’t last.  It’s time to go back to basics and learn how to simplify your life and your nutrition.  To reevaluate your food choices, start by learning to follow these six simple steps.  Don’t do everything at once; pick and choose which steps you’d like to do first.  A major diet overhaul will likely overwhelm you and thus be hard to stick to.  By changing your diet slowly, you can ensure that each change you make will last you a lifetime.

·      Start looking at nutrition labels and ingredients

  Everyday products contain ingredients you might not expect.  Check for things like trans fat (which can claim to be zero on the front of the package, which is legal if the product has less than 0.5 grams—only by checking the ingredients and seeing “partially hydrogenated oil” will you know if the product truly does not contain trans fat), and high fructose corn syrup (it’s in many things you wouldn’t even consider—ketchup and bread, for example).  Cleaning up your shopping list will do wonders for your body.

·      Clean out the cupboards

  Now that you’ve stocked your grocery cart with knowledgeable choices, it’s time to take a look at the pantry.  Our kitchens are stocked full of things that we shouldn’t eat.  Take time to go through your cabinets and purge anything with unhealthy ingredients.  Try to get rid of most processed foods, such as packaged cookies, cakes, chips, etc. If it’s not already in the house, you’ll have a hard time convincing yourself to go out and buy it when you crave it.  Even better, if you do decide you really want a cookie one night, you’ll be more likely to make them from scratch.  Though it’s still not particularly healthy, it will not have the processed ingredients of prepackaged foods.

·      Re-evaluate your grains

  Even if you decide to make homemade cookies, they can be that extra bit healthier if you use whole-wheat flour or even white whole-wheat flour.  Whole grains include all three parts of the grain—the bran, germ, and endosperm.  Unlike refined grains, whole wheat gives you fiber to keep you full, as well as vitamins and minerals.  Refined flour only contains the endosperm.  Many manufacturers enrich this flour to contain enormous amounts of some of the vitamins and minerals, but do not add back all of them.  This creates an unbalanced product that is not nearly as healthy as natural whole grain flour. 

Choose brown rice over white rice and whole-wheat pasta over white pasta (the whole grain version again contains all parts of the grain).  Also experiment with other grains such as quinoa, a very high protein grain.

                       

·      Add fruits and vegetables

Here’s where you can get creative.  Many vegetables are easy additions to stir frys and soups, so don’t be afraid to experiment.  Add vegetables you know you like, but be open to new ones as well.  Take a stroll down the produce aisle and note vegetables you have never tried and look up new recipes to try them out.  There are so many vegetables out there—it’s a shame to limit which ones you try.  Don’t be afraid to go vegetarian for a day! 

  Adding fruit to your meals is as easy as carrying an apple with your lunch, or adding a fruit smoothie to your breakfast.  Fruits are also great for desserts.  Berries with a bit of homemade whipped cream adds just the right amount of satisfying sweetness.

·      Don’t be afraid of fat

Fat gets a bad reputation these days, but don’t let that deter you.  Yes, there are types of fat that one should not eat, such as trans fat, which lowers good cholesterol and raises bad cholesterol, but there are other types that are actually good for you. Polyunsaturated fats, such as that found in sunflower-seed oil, sesame oil, corn oil, and nuts and seeds are all sources of good fat that can help lower your cholesterol.  Monounsaturated fats are also good choices, and include sources like olive oil, canola oil, and avocados. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially good for the body, and have been shown to reduce inflammation.  These fatty acids can be found in sources like fish oils and flax seeds. By just knowing which fats to cook with and eat, you can make informed choices that will lead to good health.

·      Use your kitchen

In this fast paced world, it’s hard to find time to cook.  By cooking your own food, you can be sure that only the ingredients you want in your body are being used.  Learn to use your kitchen—take a cooking class, buy a recipe book, or make up your own recipe.  Have fun and experiment!  By learning how to re-use leftovers in other recipes as well as cooking in bulk on the weekends, you can cut your cooking time down and still make delicious home cooked meals for you and your family.

Happy Eating,

KS

Lemonade!

So, it's been absurdly hot in NYC this week, so I thought I'd post something to cool you down...


What could possibly be better on a hot day than LEMONADE?!


Mmmmmmmm....


One of the best beverages on Earth--and ruined by the soft drink companies.  I can honestly say I don't think I've ever bought a quality lemonade.  It pays to make it yourself.  So good.  If you've never made it before, I suggest you try it.  You'll be shocked at how delicious it is!


So, without further adieu, I present to you my lemonade recipe:


1 1/2 lemons (you can add more if you want)


Approximately 32 oz filtered water


2 tablespoons sugar (or honey or whatever you want to sweeten it with.  I think for the crispness of the lemon taste, regular sugar is best)


Alright!  So, juice those lemons, mix the juice with the water, add the sugar, mix, and YAY!  Fresh, homemade, AWESOME lemonade!


That was too easy, right?  I know.  Incredibly easy, and yet little kids still resort to those powdered nasty lemonade packets for their lemonade stands.  Now you can put them out of business...


Once you try homemade lemonade, it's hard to go back to the processed stuff.  Doesn't taste nearly as good and has more sugar than you can imagine--so why do you drink it?  STOP TODAY!  Making lemonade is so easy--there's no reason to drink the nasty stuff!


Here's my delicious lemonade!

Notice the clearer (read: not YELLOW) lemonade.  Oh right, that's what lemon juice looks like watered down without Yellow #5 dye added...


Enjoy this one!


Happy Eating,


KS

Sharing!

Sharing--it's great, right?  But, sharing food is one of those things that can go either way.  Some people would put a moat around their plate if they could, and others always ask for a taste of your food.  Though some may not be the biggest fan of sharing food, it can really be a great experience.

Recently, my roommates and I all started cooking for each other.  That is, one night a week, one of us will prepare a meal for the other three and we will all have a nice dinner together.  We used to all buy groceries together and occasionally eat meals together, but we gave it up a while ago in favor of each couple buying their own groceries.  The thing we missed about that, though, was the occasional dinner that we could share with each other.  It's a nice bonding experience, and we got to try foods that we may not have made ourselves.

First, Lay made us an awesome fettucini carbonara (which I do not have a picture of unfortunately).

Then, Cameo made a Frenched lamb rib rack, which was cooked to perfection.  You can see this piece of beauty here:

Looks awesome, right?  It was delicious.  The ribs were roasted with rosemary, salt, and pepper, and then a fantastic mint vinaigrette was poured on top.  As you bit into the meat, it was extremely tender and juicy.  Nice job, Cameo.

Next was A.  TACO NIGHT!  Fresh tacos are great!  Usually, tacos are something I don't want to eat because I just automatically think of something along the lines of a Taco Bell taco, which is just about the least appetizing thing ever.  But, A's tacos are something to die for.  Really, really great.  Grass-fed beef, fresh summer tomatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, and perfectly green lettuce. Here's a picture of everything:

And the delicious final product:

It's my turn next week, so I'll let you know what I decide to cook!  I'm considering duck la orange at the moment...

So next time you're sick of your usual dinners, try getting together with another family or some friends and cook for each other!  You'll get to try some new things, and prepare a specialty for friends.  If you end up loving something a friend makes, ask them for the recipe and you've got something to add to your repertoire.  It's a fun way to bond with friends and family, and make your life a little easier.

Let me know what you would cook for your friends!

Happy Eating,

KS