Meal Planning

Saving on your food bill isn't all about coupons - its also about shopping wisely and pre-planning. If you can plan meals around what is on sale or if you have extra freezer space and can buy when things are on sale and freeze for later then you can probably save money. You can also save money when you cook more things from scratch or cook extra food in advance and save for a future date (notice I said money and not always time - though if you watch meatless Monday you will find some quick recipes that are also mostly from scratch).

For meal planning, the best tip I have is to make or buy a cheap weekly calendar (shows Sun-Sat in whatever order you want based on the day you shop - we usually shop on Sunday and so ours usually starts there). Another tip is to do your meal planning after the weekly adds come out - in our area that is Tues - and plan meals around what is on sale. If certain vegetables are in season they are likely to be on sale so now is the time to cook with them. If you visit a farmers market or cook from a CSA farmers box you might wait to see what you get from there and then plan your meals around those vegetables. I also always make sure that Monday's meal is really quick or leftovers because I know it is garbage and bath night and so I want us to eat fast.... I will also often plan for a fish meal on Monday or a day I know I can leave early to pick up the fish at a market because I know it should be eaten that day. Spaghetti or Chili is great for Friday or Saturday because the ground meat can be frozen and then thawed (so it won't sit in the fridge all week or so I can buy more of it the weeks it is on sale).

Planning out your meals means you will only shop for the food items you need (just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you need it - stick to what you need either now or something you are planning in advance for). Shop, then post the meal plan on the fridge so you know what you are making each night. We also always keep a list for the next week right next to it so when we use up something that is a staple (like eggs) we add it right to the list.

I recently read in this article "cut your food bill by 25%" that "roughly 25% of the food Americans buy goes to waste. That's about one pound of food, per American, per day -- thrown in the trash." So, be sure to count for leftover days or plan to take extras for lunch. Also, if you have extra items in your pantry that are just sitting around use the web to search for meals that use those ingredients - why leave money on the shelf. The same goes for your freezer - make it a game to see if you can use up something that has been in there for a month rather than throw it out at the next spring cleaning. Then, be sure you are always meal planing and using up your fresh ingredients so nothing goes in the garbage.

I would love to know how you plan your grocery trips or other tips you have for eliminating food waste!

Saving With Every Wipe

I don't know when it started for us but certainly having kids makes you realize that you can go through napkins and paper towels really fast. Those pennies really add up and it isn't so hot on the environment either. When my older was little we bought some cloth napkins and hand towels and started re-using... but now that we have our second we have really become conscious of how much we use paper products. We don't use paper plates, we use cloth wipes with our cloth diapers and recently picked up more cloth napkins at Goodwill for meal times. Our new goal is to make our few rolls of paper towels we have left last the next six months. What other things do you use to save money on paper products (and save the waste in the trash too)?

Meatless Monday - Don't Forget the Legumes!

Ah, legumes. These little guys are often overlooked due to the perception of complexity to cook them. My first memory of lentils is my mother soaking them and removing their skins before making soup. She declared at that time we'd never eat lentils again. Now, I have since discovered that removing the skins from lentils is not required!

After reading this recipe in the Week magazine, we have been regular consumers of red lentils. I buy them in the bulk food aisle. They are inexpensive, have great flavor and fantastic nutritional value. 1/4 cup uncooked red lentils = 166 calories, <1g fat, 12g protein, 28g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 3mg sodium. Red lentils have had their skins removed and are split, so they cook quickly and evenly. I will often toss them into my homemade soups for extra protein.

So, for us busy parents in the need for a quick and healthy dinner, here is a hearty soup recipe we love. For you Slow Food lovers out there, adding the spices to the hot pan is really something to savor. Add a little cayenne pepper if you like to kick things up a bit.

RED LENTIL SOUP

Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 large carrot - chopped small
2 T tomato paste
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 qt vegetable broth
2 C water
1 C red lentils
juice 1/2 lemon
3 T chopped cilantro

In a large pot, heat oil. Add onion and garlic. Saute until golden.Add tomato paste and spices. Saute 2 minutes longer. Stirring constantly.Deglaze with broth. Add remaining broth, water, lentils, and carrot. Simmer partially covered, for 30 minutes.

Use your immersion blender and puree. We like ours smooth. The recipe called for it chunky. Pick your fancy.

Add the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve with your favorite crusty bread and a side salad. Serves four.

Meatless Monday - Getting into a Food Revolution

So here we are at Monday again and this week is tough. I'm headed to a conference this week and so meal planning has been sparse. I actually hate that because it means we aren't being as efficient with our food dollars (reminds me to post about meal planning soon).

To top it off, last night I was up way too late watching a new TV show with Jamie Oliver called the Food Revolution. This show is amazing and just what we needed. A wake up call - we are killing ourselves and we think it is just something we can't change or is too hard to change....His simple statements of asking what ingredients are in something and looking to put real food on the table were so refreshing and the whole section on school lunches was eye opening to say the least.

I'm inspired so I'm linking this week to a vegetarian inspired recipe by Jamie himself and I say bravo to him and his family and ABC for taking this on. I can't wait for next week.

Asparagus frittata with a side of baked new potatoes - this might be a new very simple favorite for us and I can't wait to try it (of course it might be when I return home).

PS if you like this show we used to get a show about the 100 mile food challenge so check it out if you get the channel.

Couponing 101 at the library

FYI - I just spotted this facebook post today from the library. They will be holding a couponing 101 class in 2 Multnomah County Library locations (check the event finder for more details).

I have also now linked to Angela Davis blog to the right http://www.frugallivingnw.com/ who will be teaching the class. I'm not sure if I will be able to make it but I have also asked a friend who is a major coupon clipin' queen to blog soon about how she does it. I will however post here soon about menu planing and how that can help you with savings on your grocery bills.

I'll say it again - I LOVE our libraries!

Birthday Party Planning

Our older daughter is turning 4 the weekend before Earth Day. This couldn't be better timing because we are looking to have a small affordable party and we'll Earth Day certainly makes for a great theme for that :)

So last Sunday we walked to Goodwill (we couldn't drive - it's an earth day theme). I love consignment shopping and we went as a whole family so it was super fun. We scavenged for party supplies like streamers and balloons and small toys to give out to the kids. I found a tie dye t-shirt to cut up and make into goody bags and we browsed the purses, sunglasses, hats, puzzles, books and all sorts of thing for ideas of what to put in the bags. Our best score was some classroom scallop boarder with what else but pictures of EARTH on them that we will make into crowns. We also got found some plant in the bag sunflowers and a flute that got played the entire walk home (yes my husband was a little unhappy with me for that one - maybe the neighbors too).

It was so much fun that we plan to do it again in a few weeks to buy a few more items. Since we have an earth friendly theme we asked attendees to look for alternate ways to get to the party and asked that they forgo the gift giving or bring something home made. I found a nice wooden marble run on craigslist that will be her birthday present (shhh don't tell her) and we are planning a special earth day lunch and craft (I could still use some ideas for the food).

I can't wait - we feel so inspired by our new found shopping fun.

Photo Credit: NASA JSC

Meatless Monday

So it is official... At the end of this month my husband will be a stay-at-home dad with our youngest and our older will eventually be in pre-k part time. This was a big decision for us and we are still working out the financial details and he swears he will help with some tips in that area soon.

What does this have to do with Meatless Monday? Well my sweet husband loves to cook, and now that he is home, he can do what he loves! He has always been the better cook and I think he could be a great chef. He is always experimenting and trying new things. We both meal plan but now that he has been home he has taken over more of the planning and purchasing and coming up with the dinner ideas. His idea for this weeks Meatless Monday is a Panko Breaded Tofu. We usually eat tofu with noddles and or miso soup nearly every week - it is one of our go-to's. Even our older loves cold tofu with soy sauce on it - maybe it is our Asian roots. So tonight he plans to bread and fry up some tofu "nuggets" to add to our rice, edamame, and possible miso soup.

Coming soon - I have several friends telling me all about hearty lentil soups they are making so watch for guest posters to chime in on Meatless Monday's soon. If you have something you want to share just let me know. We are always looking for inexpensive, healthy, and earthy friendly meal ideas that even the kids will love. We are also looking forward to gardening and farmers markets - yes spring is finally here :)