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Posted
May 07 2008, 10:48 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
We're in awe of the way "HollyM" does lunch. This thrifty reader starts by cooking big batches of soups, stews, stuffed peppers, lasagna, casseroles, enchiladas and other goodies -- all of it made with on-sale ingredients. The entrees get frozen in individual servings because variety is the spice of lunch.
"No boredom. Lunches ready to grab. Saves time/energy/money."
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Posted
May 07 2008, 10:34 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Having raised eight kids, reader "SGW" can make a little bit of meat go a long way. She would buy a chicken on sale and make a huge pot of soup -- but they didn't eat the chicken itself, just the broth with vegetables. Then SGW would cut up the bird and freeze it in one-cup portions.
"Yep, I make chicken enchiladas, chicken chow mein, chicken salads, you name it for a family of 10 using only one cup of chicken each meal."
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Posted
May 07 2008, 10:00 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
"Frugal-Cook" doesn't skimp on ingredients. Check her shopping cart and you'll find stuff like shallots, fennel, olive oil and fresh herbs. Yet she spends only about $500 a month to feed her family of five-going-on-six -- the mom of three is expecting again -- even though she lives in spendy Chicago.
Frugal-Cook bases her meal plans on weekly grocery specials, viewing the ads online at http://www.centsible.net/groceries.shtml. She also hits smaller markets in ethnic neighborhoods. Then she cooks one and only one type of cuisine per week.
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Posted
Apr 28 2008, 09:22 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
It's not your imagination: Restaurant meals are shrinking. According to a Washington Post article, restaurants are downsizing meats, retooling sauces and using trompe l'oeil trickery to make little shrimp look bigger. (Skewer 'em before boiling and they don't curl up!)
Portion sizes had previously gotten out of hand, so much so that many Americans are unable to perceive when they're overeating. Still, it's no fun to pay $25 for filet mignon and be served two petite steaklets, or to plunk down $6 for a dessert the size of the lid on the salt shaker. Cute food is irritating.
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Posted
Apr 04 2008, 09:04 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Who's up for a $15 cup of coffee, a $35 movie ticket, an $81 burger and a $480 cocktail?
Oh, and I'm not buying.
I'd be awfully surprised if you were buying, either. Those who read this blog are not likely to want to spend $81 on a sandwich.
Not that this is just any old burger. It's a 14-ounce Japanese Kobe beef patty formed around a quarter-pound seared Kobe medallion, according to an article at wcbstv.com. No plebeian Heinz or Hunt's for this sammich; it comes with house-made sake onion catsup and a miso and ginger aioli.
And if that doesn't fill you up? It also comes with a side order of Tater Tots. Honest.
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Posted
Mar 03 2008, 10:03 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Crunch time: Exams are approaching, two final projects are due, and I am still fairly shaky on certain fine points of Spanish grammar.
That's why on Saturday I filled the slow cooker with great northern beans, ham scraps, chopped onion and grated carrot. I stirred up a pan of cornbread and settled down to read Hélène Cixous. By midafternoon, I had five or six nights' worth of dinners in the fridge.
I refer to this as "one-pot glop" nutrition. Some days you don't have time to wonder what you'll fix for supper. Leftovers rule, and one-pot leftovers reign supreme.
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Posted
Jan 18 2008, 09:04 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
The other day I treated myself to a ham and cheese sandwich at Jimmy John's in the University District. As I ate, I wondered why I like this place so much.
Maybe it's the bread, I thought; it’s chewy, not crumby. Maybe it's the day-old baguettes that are sold for 50 cents and that turn leftover soup into a very nice supper. Maybe it's the price: $3.65 for a "plain slim" (no lettuce, tomatoes or onions).
Probably it's the staff, I decided. Quick with a smile. Always willing to cut those 16-inch baguettes in half so they'll fit in my book bag. And they really do provide the "freaky fast" service the store advertises.
Then I realized what really tied it for me: There isn't a tip jar by the cash register.
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Posted
Jan 09 2008, 09:22 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Americans spend almost half their food dollars on meals and snacks away from home, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Division. Sociologists have many theories about why this is so: single parents, two-career couples, after-school activities, the demise of cooking in America. My own theory? When you get home at 6:45 p.m. with a cranky toddler, the last thing you want to do is start peeling potatoes.
Be proactive, the frugal types say. Buy a slow cooker, or prepare and freeze meals on weekends. You might even do these things, at least some of the time. But sometimes you don't. Sometimes life throws a monkey wrench (or a flat tire, or a sick kid) into your plans. And yeah, sometimes you forget to plug in the slow cooker on your way out the door.
Stephanie, a mom of four who writes the Stop the Ride! personal-finance blog, has an ultra-simple solution.
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Posted
Nov 16 2007, 08:52 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Want to save a ton of money and enjoy comfort food to boot? Bake some potatoes in your slow cooker. I did this one recent weekend morning and they were done to a tender turn after two hours on the high setting. The aroma was irresistible, even though I'd had a late breakfast, so I split open one of the smaller spuds, glossed it with butter and sprinkled on some coarse kosher salt. Afterward, I realized this was probably the cheapest snack I've had in ages. At 99 cents for a 10-pound bag, the per-spud price was about 4 cents. The butter cost less than 2 cents (loss-leader price plus coupon). The price of the salt was infinitesimal, since it came from a one-pound box I bought at the dollar store . They can make a cheap supper, too, and involve practically no labor. We know that on some nights, we're more vulnerable to the allure of Thai takeout or the fast-food drive-through – maybe Mondays send us reeling, or Thursdays are crunch days at work. So on those nights, plan a spud supper instead
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Posted
Nov 02 2007, 09:12 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Americans not only need to be reminded to eat with their families, they have to be told how to do it. At least that’s the impression I got from radio spots touting “Family Dinner Night” as a way to, among other things, keep our kids off drugs . Then there's the print ad for a brand of frozen entrees: mom, dad and two kids enjoying lasagna from what looks like a glass dish, not a microwave tub. “Real dinner and great conversation any night of the week,” the ad copy exults. It goes on to say, “Get your family talking!” – and provides a Web site to help the conversation along. Let’s see: We don’t seem to know that families are supposed to eat together. Once at the table, we need cue cards to help us talk. Oh, and a frozen dinner is helpful, too. Yes, I know we’re all busy, busy people and that nuking a lasagna floe may seem like the only way to get food into our mouths. But let me throw out two reasons to find time to cook. • You’ll save a lot of money on food up-front. • Over time, you’ll
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