Eating Well on a Budget

[ducks4you]

I made one old (older than "big boy") and small chuck roast. I marinated it in wine for 6 hrs in a bag and pierced. We are Very spoiled. It was just tough. I cooked the potatoes and onions in my small crock pot with my broth, I seared the meat, but...the dogs ate great tonight!
Poured the "used" broth in a pint for the dogs for tomorrow's dog dinnner, nothing wasted.
I will eat on the leftover harvested/cooked beets and green beans tomorrow.
DH ate 3 large tomatoes with dinner and isn't hungry for any treats tonight!

 

[Phaedra]

IMO, there is an important prerequisite to reaching "Eating well on a budget" - willing to spend time on food preparation. Willingness creates/improves capabilities, and it's a positive circle.

I learned how to cook when I was an elementary school student simply because I wanted to save the money my parents gave me for the next day's lunch for pocket money. My parents are party animals and love all kinds of social activities. They were always outside for friends and left money for us to buy food from the store. Our fridge was always full of leftovers from parties or ingredients from their friends.

So, I learned how to handle all kinds of ingredients when I was that young. Motivations appeared, and then actions followed. DD is a different story since I can cook pretty well. Although I tried to teach her, it won't really work unless she finds her own motivation one day. She appreciated whatever I cooked, but she was NOT willing to spend time doing anything similar. Well, it's not "never," but I will say, once or twice per year, that she will cook something "balanced" for herself from my perspective.

For example, I had six chicken thighs and one Gilt-head bream today. DH and DD will never buy any fish like this. I cleaned it in a bucket and brought the used water to the newly transplanted shrubs.

Part of the tail and chin became food for our two cats.

Some bones became food for cats/dogs, and the rest would be used for making broth with the fish head.

We love boneless chicken thighs - crunchy, juicy, and satisfying.

Same for veggies and fruits - besides the orange peels reported to the two fridges, most of the unwanted became food for the hens.

Seasonal and local ingredients are always cost-effective. For example, leeks are very affordable here now. I got these huge leeks for less than 3 Euros. It's a lot of food, and they are very "multi-functional."

When organs are acceptable, there will be even more choices and combinations. We had a hot pot during the weekend. Sliced pork butt, liver, heart, some noodles, and mixed veggie plate guarantee a warm and cozy evening, even though it was cold and rained badly outside.

 

[ducks4you]

Please explain "hot pot". I tlooks like you dip? Very interesting!

 

[Phaedra]

Please explain "hot pot". I tlooks like you dip? Very interesting!

It's a kind of lazy meal in the wintertime. I will say it's a bit like the concept of Fondue, but we use broth instead of cheese.

(Photo is from the internet)

While making some broth, you prepare some vegetables, meat, and whatever you like to cook in that broth. Everyone can pick/make the dipping sauce they like.

Then, you set up a table-top gas stove and enjoy cooking-and-eating-and-chatting with family and friends.

In other countries, there are also similar-purpose hot pots. The one that combines table-top BBQ and hot pot is also very welcome.

 

[digitS']

Seasonality.

I shoulda posted on this thread that picture of all the Winter squash out there on the deck. There was a reason why I didn't grow potatoes for years until I was lured back into it, happily! Winter squash/potatoes/storage crops -- they are cheap. Without a great deal of industry, they can be made available to consumers for months!

And, face it, gardeners are consumers. It may not be a primary reason to have a garden of some sort. Beauty, exercise, a family weekend activity - sure. If you enjoy the very freshest vegetables in your salads and those salads are important in your diet, grow them if you have any opportunity to do so. Pound for pound, those fresh salad veggies are expensive.

Fresh vegetables are available to us through the growing season in abundance. Timing, succession planting - coordinated with the seasons, this makes it possible. Fortunately, DW and I also like potatoes and Winter squash. Yes, there is a nutritional need for higher protein foods and for what is available in fruits and other vegetables.

Seasonality. Visiting a farmers' market and checking out what local growers have available can clue us in. Besides that, it's fun!

Steve

PS: There are "body mass index" calculators online. I've just ran my numbers and learned that I have varied from slightly underweight to slightly overweight through the entirety of my adult life. No doubt, a diet with too much starch would lead to weight problems. However ...

 

[Phaedra]

I seldom buy herbs from supermarkets/markets, but they are also pretty expensive, whether potted or packaged. I understand that most of them grow up in professional greenhouses, which means a lot of costs. Keeping a herb corner or a pot of frequently-used herbs will also save.

 

[ducks4you]

Just bought 6 pounds of rice, now stored, and I bought 8 pounds of pinto beans, (used 2 on 10-08-22 for the party,) and I stored the rest of the beans today.
They were all a good price, and California had a bad rice harvest this year, too, so rice will be going up, too.

 

[ducks4you]

I seldom buy herbs from supermarkets/markets, but they are also pretty expensive, whether potted or packaged. I understand that most of them grow up in professional greenhouses, which means a lot of costs. Keeping a herb corner or a pot of frequently-used herbs will also save.

I am going take a stab at keeping some of this year's purchased/planted herbs alive inside this winter. I never took down the winterization in my south facing 2nd story office windows. Maybe, if I can find all of the pieces of the tiny greenhouse, I might be able to put them there. In the past, herbs didn't like the gro light, heat mat setup in the basement. Maybe they will like more sun. We shall see.
I do know that I kill geraniums bc I forget about them. This year I will take plastic bags and put them in their pots before transplanting. They have shallow roots, so they won't fill the pots and I won't have to water as often.

 

[digitS']

When I moved to the sticks in the 70's, I planted a few herbs. Thyme grew well and I learned to like it. As with so many American families at the time, Mom didn't use much other than black pepper for seasoning. I was probably 30 years old before I learned that it was cilantro that I enjoyed in the Chinese and Mexican food that I enjoyed.

DW likes cilantro. She is okay with thyme (teases me calling it time-ee ) but prefers rosemary on meat and fish, basil with pasta sauce and veggie/noodles. Yes, of course! She also likes mint with those noodles ... umm, I'm careful not to eat any of it . Sage and oregano grows comfortably in our yard. I'm trying to learn good uses for sweet marjoram ... . All of these perennials are growing outdoors and maybe in pots that can be moved to Winter protection into the basement or unheated greenhouse. The basil and cilantro are grown each and every year. With experience with the timing I've actually learned that cilantro can be available late in the season and finally have it available for DW's salsa sauce, coordinated with the late abundance of tomatoes!

Steve

 

[digitS']

Oh and @ducks4you ,

I knew that Arkansas farmers grow rice but just learned that the state produces well over twice as much as California.

It all moves into a world market, of course. The US companies export and import rice (mostly from Mexico but also Thailand). LINK