As my friend Nonna Joann Bruso predicted, we are seeing rising food prices as the effects of this summer’s drought conditions sink into the food supply chain.
Restaurants are responding by shrinking portions or raising prices, but the home cook needs to get creative to stretch the food budget. Here are some tips for making your food dollars go further.
Cook at home.
A great way to combat rising restaurant prices is to cook at home more often. Here, of course, I have to do a shameless plug for my Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook because it introduces a quick and easy technique that makes cooking at home convenient, healthy, and delicious. Check out some video cooking demonstrations to see just how simple cooking this way can be.
Eat vegetarian more often.
Let’s face it, the most expensive part of a home-cooked meal is usually the animal protein. There is already a movement to have “Meatless Mondays,” but you can easily choose to go meatless three or four days a week to cut costs. Who knows, you might even see some other side effects like increased energy and weight loss. Here’s a delicious meatless recipe to try: Farmhouse Pasta!
Stock your freezer.
By loading your freezer up with fresh vegetables while they are cheap and in-season, you can enjoy vegetables all winter long without paying higher prices. Did you miss the harvest window for preparing and freezing your own veggies? Commercially-prepared frozen vegetables may often be less expensive than fresh veggies in the winter. Just make sure that your frozen veggies don’t have any additional additives, and you’re good to go.
Joann Bruso has been devoting a lot of blog space to making your grocery dollars go further, and I suggest you check out her Baby Bites blog for more great tips, suggestions, and recipes for making it through this coming winter of high food prices.
Do you have any tips to share for stretching your food dollars and still eating well and healthfully? Share them in the Comments below!
