Trim meat from meals to trim your expenses
June 13, 2008
Many people are trying to scale back their expenses to make ends meet.
I don’t want to say that it’s easy to scale back on the things we want, because that often means a change in lifestyle. However, it’s possible.
It is much harder to control costs when it comes to life’s necessities. One of those necessities is food. We all have to eat, and most of us would like to eat a somewhat healthy and balanced diet.
Cutting back on meat in meals may seem daunting if you’ve never ventured into meat-free cooking.
A recent New York Times article offers some great practical advice for scaling back on meat in your meals. Like any other habits you change, it will take some getting used to, but it can be done.
One great suggestion in the article is to make meat a small part of your meal instead of the main attraction. Rice and beans are very affordable and can be purchased in bulk if you’re trying to feed a growing family. Serve rice or beans as the main staple of the meal and incorporate a little meat.
For some great vegetarian recipes, check out www.vegcooking.com. You can also Google “vegetarian cooking” for more sites. If you can’t stomach the thought of going completely meat free, you could add a small amount of meat to many of these recipes.
I am not a vegetarian, but I like to eat meat-free meals. I have found lots of ways to convert some typical meaty meals into vegetarian meals. Here are two suggestions to get you started:
One of my favorites is lasagna. This is an easy one. Instead of using beef in the layers, I substitute spinach and mushrooms sautéed with a little garlic. You get a ton of protein from the spinach (plus frozen spinach is only about $1 a pack) and a meaty texture from the mushrooms.
Another one of my favorite meals is chicken fajitas. If I want to go meat free, I substitute zucchini, squash and black beans for the chicken. You could also add tofu.
But now the question becomes, how do you eat meat-free in a cost effective way?
Starting a garden of your own is one of the most money friendly ways to get vegetables. Even if you don’t have a lot of space you could grow some things, like tomatoes or fresh herbs, in pots.
Don’t pass by Farmer’s Markets. You can often find high quality produce at a lower cost than the grocery store.
If you are shopping at the grocery store, buy what’s on sale that week. Check out the store circulars and plan meals around the weekly specials.
If you find fruits or veggies that are on sale and will freeze well, buy extra and store it.
Going meat-free, at least a few times a week, can help you trim your food costs. You just have to show a little initiative and a willingness to try something new.
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