You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Nutrition, Cooking & Health' category.
While your food budget mayhave tightened, you need not sacrifice taste and freshness to save a few dollars. Aim for the best value in terms of quality, freshness, and good nutrition to feed your family healthful foods. We’ll show you how.
Eat more meatless meals.
Meat accounts for the most expense at grocery store visits, so make one or two vegetarian dinners a week to cut costs. Dishes based on pantry staples such as rice, whole grains, beans, and legumes are protein-rich, filling, and inexpensive; add seasonal produce for crunch, freshness, and color. A bonus: Research shows eating more plant-based foods will lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
Make a meal plan.
This strategy may be the most challenging to consistently employ but can make the biggest dent in your budget. Sit down once a week and plan all the meals for that week, and then shop only for the items you need to prepare those meals. Allow for leftovers in your meal plan, and be realistic about how many nights you might eat out or be too busy to cook. Not only does this strategy cut down on the amount of food you buy at the grocery store, but it also decreases the amount of food you waste.
Do it yourself.
For maximum savings, skip convenience products, as you pay a premium for the work that’s done for you. For just a few extra minutes, you can save by chopping your own produce, for example. On the weekends when you have extra time, or some nights after putting the kids to bed, do a little work that puts you ahead for the next day, like making a pizza dough that sits in the fridge overnight.
Learn to stretch meat, poultry, and fish.
Instead of making protein the center of the plate, use it sparingly for flavor and texture — almost as if it’s a condiment. Extend beef by tossing a conservative amount in a vegetable-rich stir-fry, for example, or combine a small quantity of shrimp with pasta. Pizzas, calzones, pasta bakes, and casseroles are easy dishes that use this strategy to great effect.
Eat in season.
Out-of-season produce is costly and lacks flavor. Skip it; instead choose fruits and vegetables that are in season. When produce is at its peak, there’s an abundance of it — and you can find it for a bargain. In the summer, enjoy tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs, bell peppers, and more. During fall and winter, look to winter squashes; dark, leafy greens; citrus; and sweet potatoes. And in spring, try berries, asparagus, artichokes, and fresh peas.
Summer green beans are here! Perhaps other beans, too, so substitute any of the three beans with what you can get on sale or from your garden…or the neighbors’. Canned garbanzos, pintos or black beans are fine, too, in this beautiful and delicious summer salad that works as a side dish or protein-filled vegetarian entrée. Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a light, whole grain with plenty of protein by itself. It’s inexpensive and easy to prepare. Once you try it, you’ll invite it back to your table again and again.
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces, cooked and rinsed in cold water
1 1/2 cups frozen Shelled Edamame, thawed
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1 (15-ounce) can 365 Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Italian Dressing (or mix oil and vinegar with some seasoning)
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Method
Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain. Bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil in a small pot. Stir quinoa and a pinch of salt into water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Put cooled quinoa, green beans, edamame, peppers, kidney beans, dressing, tarragon, salt and pepper into a large bowl and toss well. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Find more great recipes at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes
What’s fresh now and what to look for at your grocery or farmers market:
Asparagus. Fresh local asparagus is one of the delights of year. As with other spring vegetables, the season is tantalizingly short, so as soon as asparagus appears in the shops start buying and enjoy it while it’s there. The stalks should be firm but tender, the color bright and the tips tightly closed. Eat on the day of purchase if you can, as the flavor diminishes quickly after picking. To cook, steam or boil for around 5-8 minutes until just tender, or brush with oil and roast in the oven. Serve just it is, with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice or melted organic butter. Use in salads, quiches, soups or pasta sauces.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Such a pretty vegetable, with its bluish-green leaves and tight little purple heads that look like flowers. Look for firm, slender stems and leaves with a good color. Avoid any that look brown. Cut the stems into manageable pieces and steam until tender. They’re good tossed in a little oil, sesame seeds and a dash of chili. Also good in soups, and an attractive addition to pasta sauces.
Radishes. Their bright pink skins and fiery flavor add color and punch to salads. The variety ‘French Breakfast’ has a longer shape and milder flavor. Wash well, slice off the root and leaves, and slice. Good in sandwiches, too.
Spinach. A fantastic vegetable, and a super food crammed full of vitamins. Wash well, and cook it with no additional water. Spinach cooks right down, so buy plenty. You can steam or boil it, or cook, covered in a large bowl in a microwave, until the spinach collapses. When tender, put the spinach into a colander or sieve, and press out excess liquid. Then chop it finely, season with nutmeg, and serve as an accompaniment to chicken or fish. You can also use it salads, soups, quiches, curries and pasta sauces.
Recent Comments