Frugal Food Tips

I have been doing a lot of real life talking about feeding the family. It seems that we somehow get caught up in what we are going to be missing out on, when saving money at the grocery store. There are also those that are committed to clipping coupons and saving that way. I have my own style of frugal food ideas that I wanted to share with you.

1. Eat Real Food- That is not to say that you have to eat only organic foods(although try to get what you can afford. More on that later), simply buy, cook and serve foods that do not include fillers, preservatives and colorings. If you like some sort of junk food, find a way to…

2. Make It Yourself – I know, you don’t have time, energy, know-how to do that. Trust me, it is always easier than you think. I challenge you to send me something you love to eat that I can’t possibly make homemade(to be fair, I am not sure about serious ethnic foods, your mom would probably be the go-to gal for that)

3. Do away with no/low fat dieting – Gasp! Can she be for real? I truly believe that your body needs and craves fats. Removing them from foods is not only weird(I am sorry, fat free chips? Whaaat? ), it also sets your body up to feel unsatisfied when you finish eating. Eat the real deal: Full fat foods mixed with whole grains and proteins. Enough to satisfy your body’s need for fuel! You do eat less and no, you won’t blow up like a hot air balloon if you do. The problem lies in overeating, eating without thought and mixing healthy real foods with junk food.

4. Plan your meals – Do you shop day to day, buying what looks good in the moment? Do you open the fridge and hope something jumps out at you for a dinner idea? Do you order out because you don’t have the energy to figure out a meal? Every one of these problems($$$) can be resolved with simple meal planning. You can plan two weeks ahead as I do, or simply plan for X number of days that you are having a chicken dish, a fish dish, a vegetarian dish and use the leftovers for lunches. Nothing has to be elaborate. Remember, I have had 15 years as a mother, to hone my food obsessing skills. 🙂

5. Work in cook time – No matter if you cook a bunch of meals ahead, make enough for two meals and store one for later, organize a meal cooking group with some friends or otherwise, find that time to actually prepare your own sustenance. You will then have the food to fill your belly and the self satisfaction to feed your soul. You can do it!

If you have survived thus far, my final tip for tonight is to

6. Use only real oils. Yep, butter, olive oil and lard, coconut oil, etc. Yes, I said lard. No need to render your own(we cant all be farming divas-LOL), but never under any circumstances use hydrogenated anything, margarine of any variety or heaven forbid, shortening. These things are not only hideous on your body, they are interfering with the way you digest every other thing you are eating at the time.

Now I am not going to tell you that we are the perfectly healthy family. My kids know what a burger is at a fast food joint. They also drink kool aid and by golly, they get a hankerin’ for something sweet just for the fun of it. I also know that I make a mean hamburger/fry feed, my desserts rival the best store bought variety, and a glass of koolaid made with 3/4 cup of sugar per 2 quarts, will be miles ahead of any juice flavored drink in a bottle or fountain. Not to mention that a packet of koolaid type juice is a dime.