Budget Pantry

[houghchrst]

Hi guys, I am one, like I am sure many others here, who is trying to feed a family on a budget. A family of four at that. I have found some sites that help give advice on pantry stocking, recipes, shopping and other things to help stretch your budget to help get by.

If anyone has any advice, recipes or anything else they can think of then please add on. I for one can use as much help as I can get.

So to start here are a couple of sites.


http://www.cheapcooking.com/index.htm

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/index.htm

For the vegetarians

http://lbveg.com/


Good for now.

Happy eating.

[houghchrst]

Hi all, here are a couple more,

http://www.faqs.org/docs/consumer/recipes/

Gluten Free, I know there aren't many for on a budget so I am sure many have this one but maybe some don't.

http://www.beyondricecakes.com/glutenfree_on_a_budget/

Vegan

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=07budget

Night all.

[houghchrst]

Here is a site with some tips for shopping on a budget for a family that has food allergies.

http://foodallergies.about.com/od/livingwithfoodallergies/tp/frugalliving.htm

If you browse around from this particular link it can lead you to some great recipes for those with food allergies.

[houghchrst]

Here are some great tips for stocking your pantry.

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/05/05may16a.cfm

Here are the bare essentials for your pantry.

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/The-Perfect-Pantry/Detail.aspx

Now you can tell by looking that there may be some things that you will never use but be careful because you may look at it and say to yourself I'll never use that and find yourself in the middle of a recipe only to find you should have bought it.

for those that are on a Gluten free diet here is a site that will help with stocking a pantry

http://glutenfree.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/gluten-free-staples-what-do-you-have-in-your-cupboards/

[Lavandula Canadensis]

Christina, great idea to start this thread!

this is an interesting cookbook (pocket) that i have - possibly available in most public librairies for the ones who would like to expore it before investing 8$ - "Diet for a Small Planet" (vegetarian)

http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Small-Planet-20th-Anniversary/dp/book-citations/0345321200/ref=sid_dp_av?ie=UTF8&citeType=cited#cited

[howdydave]

Howdy!

One of my first lessons was:

"Always have a well stocked spice rack"

With a well stocked spice rack you can get the cheapest cuts of meat, the cheapest vegetables and still make them taste good.

[houghchrst]

If you notice that book is available on Amazon used for as low as .72 cents if someone peruses and likes it. Amazon will also let you get a little bit of a view of what the book has in it if you use the search inside feature.

A small amount of the info may need to be updated.

[houghchrst]

Thanks Dave. That's right, spices tend to be expensive and a lot of people are not too sure of what goes where. Takes a lot of practice.

If you all look on the allrecipes list and go on farther down the page there is a list of the most basic necessities. As you cook more you will find recipes that require spices you don't have but as you expand your cooking skills you will see that you use the newer ones more often and you will begin to learn which can add flavor to what.

[howdydave]

Howdy Christina!

Just took a look at a meat loaf recipe on the "cheapcooking" site.

Instead of bread crumbs, I use Quick Oats (oatmeal.)

Oatmeal is cheaper (especially if you buy it in bulk,) makes your meat go further (bigger meat loaf with the same amount of meat) and IMO it gives meat loaf a better texture.

[Lavandula Canadensis]

howdy Dave and Christina,
very true about oatmeal... when i was married to a construction worker who was eating like a grizzly bear, i was using oatmeal or rice 50/50 with ground meat (beef, bison, horse or pork) in spaghetti sauce meatballs, in meatloaves, in cabbage rolls, tourtières (meat pies)... a tiny bit more of your preferred spices and more garlic or onions... and nobody will notice any difference...

also, oatmeal and brown rice are more healthy as they are entire cereals (not refined like the white bread crumbs)

p.s. i found a lot of my cookbooks (french and english) at garage/yard sales for less than 1$ each :D

i use to love the "porkupine meat balls" from the little cookbook included with the "presto" pressure cooker - these receipes could also be cooked in a slow cooker by adjusting the cooking time according to your other receipes - but, in fact, you can't go wrong with either one... :p personally, i prefer the lagostina pressure cooker... 10 min. to cook 4-5 entire beets the size of grapefruits... faster, and cheaper on electricity...

[houghchrst]

What I would like to do is find some recipes with ways to incorporate (sneak) veggies into them. I don't have much of a problem here because we all like to eat raw and cooked veggies but I know that there are some families that have trouble with picky eaters.

Meatloaf is one of my favorite foods :D. I think television has given it a bad rap :rolleyes:. I use what ever I have on hand for a filler, crackers too. Not so healthy but a good stretcher.

Thanks guys.

[Lavandula Canadensis]

a good way to hide veggies into a meal or a gravy or a dressing (and fruits, or nuts or tofu...) is to bzip them through the blender or the food processor... bzip bzip and they're gone into liquid... :eek: so you don't have to put as much water into your receipe... :D

for someone who doesn't have these tools, they can mash the cooked veggies with a manual potato masher or a potato ricer, and grate the raw veggies with a manual cheese and veggie grater... :eek: i love these cheap tools that are very easy to clean too...
20482049

[Lavandula Canadensis]

Christina and everyone...

just in time for supper preparation...

someone might find this website interesting... they also have a paper magazine... i used to buy it mainly for their great receipes, kitchen tips... with a theme for each month... i still have a full box of them... :D

http://www.canadianliving.com/
bon appétit !!!
http://bestsmileys.com/eating1/2.gif

[Lavandula Canadensis]

Jessica's cooking advice... how to hide puree fruits & veggies into...

this website FOOD section is worth exploring :D

http://www.oprah.com/package/food/healthyeating/pkgjessicaseinfeldsdeceptivelydelicious/20070918_expert_deceptivelydelicious

[dannielle]

Ialways use oatmeal in my meatloaf