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Friday, January 25, 2008

Recipes and tips to stretch your food budget

By KIM PIERCE / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
food@dallasnews.com

Budget days are here again, as prices increase for food staples such as milk and products that depend on wheat and corn. The latter includes everything from bread to beef, not to mention goods made with high-fructose corn syrup.

The budget crunch doesn't mean you have to give up favorite foods. But who wouldn't welcome ideas for making smart choices?

Toward that end, we talked with Amy Lopez, a registered dietitian who is the nutrition education manager at the North Texas Food Bank. We've come up with a number of ways to sharpen decisions and make the most of what you spend for food. Ms. Lopez emphasizes smart nutrition.

"There are lots of things you can do to maximize your nutrition on a minimum cost," she says, from using leftovers to brewing coffee at home instead of buying it at a coffeehouse.
Also Online

More tips for saving on groceries

Throughout the year, Ms. Lopez and the Taste staff will help you plan, shop and cook more efficiently. We'll also update you on the best freezing techniques so you can save money by cooking large batches and stashing portions for later.

To introduce this occasional series, we start with some of Ms. Lopez's favorite tips for shaving dollars from the food bill, and we include winter recipes that put the advice into action.

SAVE AT THE STORE

• Because meat prices are on the rise, registered dietitian Amy Lopez says, "definitely plan a couple of meatless meals a week. Include eggs, nuts, legumes, even tofu." You'll get protein for less money. "Eggs are very versatile and very high in protein," she says. "And include beans in lots of different things." You can also use meat as a flavoring rather than the centerpiece, the way you do in White Beans and Chorizo.
  
  
• When you buy bread, she says, "Freeze it so that it's not going bad. ... You can make bread pudding out of it, too." Deborah Madison's Eggs Baked on a Bed of Sautéed Mushrooms and Croutons is a double money-saver, with eggs as the centerpiece and leftover bread in a supporting role.
  
  
• Buy fewer processed foods and convenience items, Ms. Lopez says. But you don't have to give them up entirely. Just be selective. Maybe you'll buy prepared guacamole for Grilled Chicken Tacos al Carbon With Orange, for instance.
  
  
• Buy seasonal produce such as the varieties sold at farmer's markets to cut costs and improve flavor. You get price breaks on seasonal produce at supermarkets, too. Examples of seasonal winter items include citrus fruits, root vegetables and hard squashes. (You can track seasonal and local produce each week via the In Season column at dallasnews.com/food.)
  
  
• More than anything, Ms. Lopez stresses, be creative and don't be afraid to experiment. That's how you learn what works, and what fires up your family.

Kim Pierce is a Dallas freelance writer.