Eliminate Food Waste: Chocolate Waffles and Pancake Mix

I’m making it a goal to check my fridge and pantry at the end of each week for ingredients that need to be used soon. This way, I can eliminate the food waste. Sometimes even this effort isn’t enough. For example, I pulled out some chicken that had a sell by date of a few days into the future, however, it had already gone bad. I won’t be shopping for chicken in that store again. I bought it at the beginning of the week. Today’s hunt through the pantry yielded a carton of buttermilk and some organic cocoa powder, so … Continue reading

Eliminate Food Waste: You Can Eat These Part 2

Are you throwing away valuable nutrients that could not only keep you healthy but could reduce your food bill? Most of us do. Eliminate food waste and reap the rewards of a lower grocery bill! Yesterday’s blog post covered typical items that we throw away, such as broccoli stems, and how you can take advantage of these common discards to eliminate some of your food waste. If you missed the post, click on the title, Eliminate Food Waste: You Can Eat These Part 2, to read it. Today, in Eliminate Food Waste: You Can Eat These Part 2, I’ll expand … Continue reading

Eliminate Food Waste: You Can Eat These

Eliminate food waste by taking advantage of good food that is commonly thrown away. Get some valuable nutrition and save money on your food bill. Here is how. Almost-Expired Eggs Most eggs will last for at least a few days past their expiration date, but if you don’t want to take a chance, try this trick. Boil almost-expired eggs. The hard-boiled eggs can be used as snacks, turned into egg salad, or used to pump up the nutrients in a green salad. Broccoli Stems We buy a lot of fresh broccoli in this house because it is inexpensive, and the … Continue reading

Slow Cooker Basics Part 2

If you want yummy, perfectly cooked slow cooker or crockpot recipes that cost pennies per serving, then keep reading. With a little knowledge, your slow cooker meals will help you reduce your food bill while keeping your family happy. This post is part two of Slow Cooker Basics. If you missed the first post, you can find it here: Slow Cooker Basics. Now, let us add to your knowledge about how to make delicious slow cooker or crockpot meals. Some Food Cooks Faster than Others Vegetables usually take longer to cook than meat does. Don’t worry, you can still cook … Continue reading

Slow Cooker Basics

Save money when you use your slow cooker or crockpot. You can have dinner on the table, ready for you, and spend just a few dollars a meal for the privilege. Most people who want to save money, really want to save money, rely heavily on at least one slow cooker to help them prepare low cost meals. Others may have given up a slow cooker or crockpot prematurely, because they had a bad experience, such as with an overcooked, an undercooked, or a tasteless meal. Usually this is because they simply weren’t aware of some slow cooker basics. Slow … Continue reading

My Bulk Cooking Section –Organized Pantry

Yesterday’s project of organizing the pantry yielded some food that needed to be used up soon. Time to do some bulk cooking. These are items that were nearing the expiration dates or had just over stayed their welcome in the pantry. What I didn’t mention in yesterday’s post is that I actually cleaned out two pantries, plus a smaller three-section bin that usually holds produce. In the latter, was a five-pound bag of organic potatoes that were just threatening to grow eyes. I hate potatoes with eyes. Ew. I mean, really ew. So, this afternoon I decided to attack the isolated … Continue reading

The Best Healthy Food on a Budget

Most of us are familiar with the Ramen every night diet. It isn’t a plan to lose weight, rather a plan to actually afford food, and it has been made famous by college students or anyone just starting out with only a limited budget. But the Ramen Noodle diet isn’t exactly a healthy one. The “meal” contains high levels of sodium and carbs and pretty much zero nutrients. Yes, it will fill you up for less, but it isn’t something you can use to feed a family and keep them all healthy. Another source of cheap food that people often … Continue reading

How to Have Healthy but Cheap Food

Many people on tight budgets forego healthy food because they think it is expensive. While some organic choices and produce can cost more than some processed foods, the truth is that there are many good ways to eat healthy but cheaply. Substitutes Instead of buying inexpensive white bread (it is cheaper than whole grain) learn how to make your own wheat bread. A bread maker can be picked up at Target or even a thrift store. Just add the ingredients and let the machine do the work. Hot dogs are cheap, but they are loaded with nitrates, preservatives, fats and … Continue reading

The Frugal Baked Potato (1)

One of my favorite fast, frugal foods to prepare has always been baked potatoes. In fact, I almost continuously have them on hand, sitting in the darkness of our pantry, just waiting for an opportunity to come and be enjoyed at dinner. There are not many foods that are as cheap as a potato. What other hearty food can be purchased in large ten and twenty pound bags for simply a few dollars? And if you are lucky and happen to have a farmer’s market nearby, you can get even better deals. Awhile back I wrote about A Very Frugal … Continue reading

Two of the Biggest Ways American’s Waste Money In The Kitchen

There are so many ways Americans waste money every day. Sometimes, when I see how other families spend their money, I want to cringe. But the thing is, saving money is a personal choice. However, there are a lot of ways that you can save money on food costs, just by changing a few habits. Eating Out Eating out has become an American past time. In fact, American’s do it far more than any other country. However, it is a wallet slimmer every time. A meal for five at a restaurant, depending on what type you have chosen can cost … Continue reading