Frugal SBD

[Kimboroni]

I thought of something that may be helpful-- if you're buying broccoli and cauliflower on their large stem, make sure you're using all of it and not just eating the florets. The stems can be cut in large pieces and used as sticks to dip in hummus or cottage cheese dip, the they can be broiled, or roasted with onions etc. We usually get one meal out of the florets and then get a second meal out of the stems.

[Southern_Charm]

Thats a good reminder. Thanks. I havent been buying broccolli fresh, I can buy it frozen by the bags so I usually by my broccoli that way. But, we have been buying the occasional heads of cauliflower. (wish I could find it by the bags frozen) I dont do it too much during the work week because of the time to chop and prep it. So I grab the frozen or canned items when we're in a rush. But, we do like the cauliflower. My husbands loves the cauliflower rice and faux mashed potatoes. We make that sometimes and come to think of it, I think I did toss the stems........ The weekends are the toughest on the diet for me. I tend to be one of those thats snacks alot out of habbit sometimes when Im hungry or not, or even out of boredom. But being home more on the weekends I tend to want to snack more. So I might try those stems and roast them like you mentioned. I have a head of cauliflower that I was going to fix this weekend actually. :O) I will try that thanks!

[Magna]

Peeled broccoli stems have a very nice, mild flavor. Even people who don't like broccoli that much might like them.

[Chris55]

I live in a rural area, too, but in a small town (1500 people) that has one chain grocer, a mom and pop grocer, and a health food co-op, plus farm stands and a farmer's market in season. I can tell you that the farm stands here are not any cheaper than the grocery store sales in summer. A few things might be cheaper, but for the most part they're not. I belong to a CSA, an organic farm where I buy a membership every year and get veggies every week. It's expensive since it's organic, but the produce is outstanding, and I like supporting our local farms and community so I cut my costs elsewhere.

I eat a lot of beans and usually save a bundle by buying dry beans and cooking them in my pressure cooker. I have black beans with my eggs in the morning and usually some kind of bean soup for lunch. They're very very inexpensive and one of the "superfoods", packed with nutrition.

I use frozen veggies, but only certain ones that maintain a decent texture when cooked. I like the whole green beans that are on the market now, especially since I can't seem to find nice fresh ones very often. They're great steamed and sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and sometimes some thinly sliced fresh red peppers for color. They stay fairly crunchy for frozen veggies. I also use frozen peppers for things like chili and soups. Frozen peppers are generally much cheaper than the fresh ones in my grocery stores and when they're going to be cooked in a soup or stew, the texture doesn't matter. I do buy fresh ones for my salads and snacks, or for stuffing.

Using every little bit of the fresh veggies I buy helps stretch my dollars. Broccoli is great when I can find it on sale. There have been times in the winter when broccoli is $4/lb one week and $1.29 the next. If I buy whole bunches rather than crowns, I cut off the stems and shred them for slaw. Most of the time I mix it with cabbage and shredded carrots. These veggies can be shredded and kept in a ziploc bag for a quick slaw or for stir frying. They will last for quite a while, so it's easy to do this on the weekend and have everything prepped for a weeknight meal. I like to use Newman's sesame ginger dressing for an asian slaw and the best part is that my family loves it this way. By the way, cabbage is usually fairly inexpensive and goes a very long way when it's shredded.

I also use veggies that are starting to wilt. Those nice packages of salad mix can be used in omelets when they start getting soggy. Just tuck a handful into an omelet - no need to cook the greens first - they wilt just from the heat of the pan. You can also throw them into soups. I also use up my grape tomatoes that are getting soggy by roasting them with other veggies like cauliflower. Almost any veggie tastes good roasted with a drizzle of olive oil, even some of the frozen ones!

[Magna]

Here are some tips on saving money on SBD:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=103756

[Magna]

It looks like this has become a general cost-saving discussion, instead of just a phase 1 one. There's an existing "Frugal SBD" discussion here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=97899

Would you like me to merge the two? (Whatever you want is OK.)

[Kimboroni]

Peeled broccoli stems have a very nice, mild flavor. Even people who don't like broccoli that much might like them.

I've never peeled them. Interesting.

[Chris55]

I peel them if they're really thick and woody, then shred the inside parts for my slaw.

[Southern_Charm]

@ Chris, Looks like we're roughly in the same boat! The town we're in is roughly 2000 population. We have one grocerystore too in this town. But I generally shop next town over. Again nother small town but they have two stores there. We're sorta close to either town. So we shop at all three places for different things. But, I can deffinately relate to the small town thing! :O)

@Magna, if you need or want to merge the two topics, its whatever you like. No problem. :O)

[Magna]

@Magna, if you need or want to merge the two topics, its whatever you like. No problem. :O)

Done. I'd never merged topics before - it was surprisingly easy.

[Chris55]

There's a short article on the NPR blog about saving money by buying bulk items. Depending on where you shop and whether the items are organic, you can save 14-56% by buying from bulk bins. Like everything else, the prices and savings vary. But the article also points out that it's also a greener way to buy since you're eliminating a lot of expensive packaging, which you then have to recycle or dispose of in some other way. That really hits home with me since we haul our own trash and recycling.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/0 ... bulk-foods

[Magna]

Article from the NYT on so-called "food deserts":
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/healt ... .html?_r=1

The argument in the past has been that lots of people in big cities have no access to healthy food (grocery stores, produce stands, etc.) This article questions that, pointing out it was just an assumption people made, and wasn't based on data.

I also looked at the comments and it seems like lots of people are buying into the "healthy is expensive" deception. Yes, healthy food can be expensive, but it can also be cheap. You can spend a lot on fresh strawberries and arugula, or you can do fine with bananas and dried beans. Just like you can spend a lot or a little money for unhealthy food.

[thisteensy]

I wanted to add to this discussion that it is VERY easy, and much cheaper to make your own yoghurt. All you need is milk and about a quarter of a teaspoon of yoghurt leftover from the last container that you might ever have to buy. Look it up! Then, if you're so inclined, you can drain the liquid off it, and make "Greek" yoghurt.

[Chris55]

There's a nice story/article on NPR this week about heirloom yogurt cultures. Interesting stuff, kind of like passing down sourdough starter! I may just try making some of my own one of these days. I want to make my own mozzarella, too!

I think I've found my favorite new cut of pork - sirloin. It's usually on sale here from $1.79-1.99/lb. I've bought some roasts in the past and used them for lean pulled pork, but it was almost too dry. No fat at all, which is nice since my butcher uses it for their breakfast sausages. I had bought a package of pork sirloin "steaks", just really slices off the roast. It was on sale for $1.99 with a 50 cent coupon, so I got three decent slices for $1.50!! I decided that maybe marinating and grilling them would be better, so I used some of my Penzey's Greek seasoning, a little water, olive oil, and white balsamic; let them sit in the fridge for a couple of hours then grilled on my cast iron grill pan. They were moist and delicious, and 50 cents a serving!!!WhooHoo! My husband was commenting on how nice they tasted and when I told him that all three pieces cost $1.50, he couldn't believe it.

[Chris55]

There's a news story in all the papers today, pretty amusing actually, that Mario Batali is trying to have his family live for a week on a food stamp budget to raise awareness about social service cuts. He's evidently President of the NYC Food Bank. Too bad he was recently sued by his employees over his holding back their tips. Wonder what their food budget is for a week. Nice guy. Anyhow, they're having trouble living on that small amount in NYC, big surprise. It would be helpful if he posted his recipes somewhere so the average person can figure out how many ways they can eat lentils this week.