I saw a television commercial for car insurance and the message was clear; when you need to make cuts in your spending change companies to get cheaper car insurance. The convincing argument was car insurance is a required expense, but you can go with the one that will save you the most money. My message is the same; eating is a required expense, but you can eat the foods that are the least expensive. However, unlike car insurance, not all foods are equal and as it turns out the least expensive foods are the most nutritious.
Real foods, those that do not come with a label, are less expensive than pre-packaged, convenience, and manufactured foods. I did an experiment and compared the cost of a box of scalloped potatoes to my scalloped potato recipe. The cost to buy and make the box scalloped potatoes was $2.58 and it yielded five-½ cup servings; each ½ cup serving cost 51 cents. The cost to make my scalloped potato recipe was $3.95 and it yielded 10-½ cup servings; each ½-cup serving cost 39 cents. When you make scalloped potatoes from scratch, you will save 12 cents per ½ cup serving. If you are feeding a family of four, and each person eats one cup of potatoes, your total savings would be 96 cents. That is the savings at only one meal and for only the starch portion of the meal. You can imagine if you had purchased fresh broccoli and chicken on sale the entire meal would have been significantly less expensive than anything you make from a box.
Let’s Cook Tonight® and
Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.
Simple cooking idea: You will get more juice out of a lemon if you warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds and then roll it on the counter before you squeeze it.
Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.
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