Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Recently, I did an educational program on Spend Smart. Eat Smart. for employees at a local public health department. A dietitian in the group shared a way her family could save money on milk:  “Get my family to drink more water and not always drink milk.” Some in the group seemed surprised that a dietitian would make that suggestion. What did she actually mean? Her point was that she wants her family members to drink the amount of milk they need nutritionally, but not necessarily more than that. 

This brings out a good point when it comes to saving money on food…how much are we actually eating/drinking and is it more than we need? In the case of milk, MyPyramid recommends that children ages 2 – 8 need the equivalent of 2 cups (16 ounces) per day and everyone age 9 and over needs the equivalent of 3 cups (24 ounces) of milk per day. At my house, the glasses we usually use hold 12 ounces. If I have two of those each day, I have met the recommended amount. For more information, see dairy - milk, cheese and yogurt.

This concept makes an even bigger money-saving impact when you are talking about meats. The daily recommended meat equivalent is 4 to 5 ounces for children aged 2 to 13, and 5 to 6.5 ounces for teens and adults. When you plan meat for a meal, plan for 2 – 3 ounces per person. This will encourage healthy eating and save you money. For additional information on saving money on meat or other protein foods, see meat – poultry, beans and nuts.

-contributed by Renee Sweers

food cost, resources dairy, meat, milk, needs, protein, savings, wants

The conversion chart on eggs is on the Spend Smart web page at
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/meat/allabouteggs.htm

Let us know if we can help with anything else.

Peggy

Uncategorized

What I learned about the cost of eggs is interesting. Alan, my son, had a late morning graduation party with egg casserole, fruit and coffee cakes. Almost every coffee cake recipe called for 4 eggs. At the store, I found large eggs to be $1.29 per dozen. Medium eggs cost $ .69 per dozen. A book I have indicated that 5 medium eggs are equal to 4 large eggs. By using the medium eggs, I saved 14 cents for each recipe.

-contributed by Jan Temple

P.S. For more information comparing egg size and cost, see the all about eggs section on the meat foods aisle of the SpendSmart. Eat Smart. web site.

-Peggy

food cost, food preparation comparison, conversion, cost, eggs

My husband started a ‘community sandwich’ option at his worksite. He takes a week’s worth of ingredients for sandwiches (deli meats, sometimes cheese) on Mondays. It’s stored in the frig in the break room and anyone can use the ingredients to make a sandwich. They pay $1.00 per sandwich. Every week he buys a couple of different deli meats (pepper turkey is the most popular). Someone else brings the bread and other fixings. They take the money out of the sandwich ‘kitty’ to fund the ingredients each week. This started as a ‘trial’ run that has helped my husband save money and is so much easier then packing a lunch. Many of his co-workers are appreciating the cost savings and healthier eating as well.

-contributed by Renee

food cost, food preparation deli meats, lunch, sandwich, savings

When barbecuing, you need to follow food safety rules and also cook meat to a temperature that will kill bacteria, if you want to avoid getting sick.  Here are some rules I keep in mind:

• Keep everything clean. This means utensils and platters (don’t put cooked burgers on the same platter you had the raw ones on). It also means keeping hands clean. If you are cooking and eating away from home, find out if there’s a place to wash your hands. (Is there soap and water in that outhouse?) If not, bring water, soap and paper towels from home. 
• Cook meat thoroughly. The only way to tell for sure is with a thermometer. It sounds weird, but I keep an instant read thermometer in my car…and you can’t believe how many times I’ve had to pull it out. My Dad counts on me always having it with me when he’s smoking or cooking meats. Below is a chart with the recommended temperatures. You might want to clip it out and put it with your grill equipment.

 

You can find more information at USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Here’s to a summer of fun, safe, and delicious meals!

-contributed by Renee

food preparation, resources barbecue, food safety, meat, temperature, thermometer

My entire family enjoys snacking on baked taco chips and salsa for an easy snack. We usually just eat tomato salsa that I buy at the store until our home grown tomatoes are ready from the garden. But, for something a little different, I tried adding some plain yogurt to it along with some fat free sour cream. It was a big hit with my son and husband – the yogurt was cool but there was still the spiciness of the salsa for a great flavor combination. It couldn’t be any easier to make – equal parts of salsa, fat free sour cream and nonfat plain yogurt. Just a 2 tablespoon serving yields 2% of the daily value for calcium and it only costs $ .15 a serving. I also liked the fact that it tasted great with vegetables. There was just enough spice to make you keep eating and that IS what I need – ideas to keep me eating more nutrient rich vegetables. At only 25 calories for a 2 tablespoon serving of this South of the Border Dip, you can enjoy this guilt free, inexpensive snack.

-contributed by Jan Temple

food cost, food preparation, recipes calcium, salsa, snack, vegetables, yogurt

We all know it is much easier to shop without kids along, but sometimes it can’t be avoided.

Recently, Ruby, an Extension staff member, shared how she dealt with this issue as a single parent. Together, she and her pre-school daughter planned their meals and snacks, wrote their grocery list and then went to the store. When the four-year old saw something she wanted, they’d check the list. If it wasn’t on the list, they didn’t buy it.

The list was specific. If they needed cereal, the brand was included. No more ‘middle of the cereal aisle’ arguments as to whether to buy plain Cheerios® or a pre-sweetened cereal with a favorite character on the package front. Yes, the four-year-old sometimes said “we need to put that cereal on the list next time,” but generally forgot about it when time came for the next planning session.

Snacks were part of the planned list, too. It is much easier to guide a child’s snack choices at home where healthy snacks can be planned for, than in front of the tempting candy or chip section at the store.

What about toys, books, and other trinkets? Since they didn’t eat them, they weren’t on the list!

Looking back, Ruby realizes this strategy has lots of benefits. They stayed within their limited food budget, ate healthier food choices, her daughter learned discipline at an early age and they shared a pleasant time together.

What do you do to make shopping with kids a little easier?

For additional shopping tips check out when to shop on the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. site.

-contributed by Joyce Greving

food cost, resources budget, discipline, grocery list, kids, planning, shopping, snacks

I was browsing the Internet this morning and came across an idea from Minnesota Extension on grocery lists. They developed a form you print right on an envelope for your grocery list.  You can put any coupons you have inside the envelope to keep everything all together. If you can’t print on an envelope, there is another version you can use to fold and staple/tape your paper together to make an envelope. Check it out at:

Print on an envelope
Make your own envelopes

-pointers by Peggy

resources coupons, envelope, grocery list, shopping

Do you regularly pack a lunch? It saves money, but until you make it part of your regular routine, it can be a hassle. My husband and I want the health and money saving benefits of taking lunch from home, but often are too unorganized, lazy, short on time, or whatever to consistently get something together either the night before or in the morning. Here’s what we’ve done:

My noon lunch is usually ‘super cheap’…and super easy. I always keep a variety of light yogurt and fresh fruit on hand. If there are no leftovers available, I can just grab a yogurt and 1 – 2 pieces of fruit and my lunch is ready. If I happen to have cut up veggies or whole wheat crackers on hand I may grab them, too. This lunch costs about $1. The down side is that for some people it would not be enough to eat…and I admit, some days I’m hungry at the end of the work day. If you want to watch calories and sugar intake you do have to be careful when buying yogurt. Look for the containers that are both low fat and low sugar, they will usually have 100 calories or less for a 6-ounce serving. (Check out the yogurt buying tips on the website at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/dairy.)

Tell us about your ‘lunchtime solutions.’ How do you eat economically—yet healthy—for  lunch?

-contributed by Renee

food cost, food preparation, resources fruit, healthy, low fat, lunch, yogurt

If you haven’t tried the skillet lasagna recipe from the Spend Smart. Eat Smart website,  I highly recommend it.  Here’s why I like it:

• It’s a nutritious tasty recipe that only costs $.75 per serving.
• You can make it on top of the stove or in an electric skillet.  I don’t like to use the oven in the summer so this is a perfect ‘no oven’ hot dish.
• It’s easy.  There are not very many ingredients and you don’t have to cook the noodles first…saves on dirty dishes and time. 
• It tastes good, I recently made it when my 20 year old son and 3 of his friends were at the house.  They all loved it.
• It’s a very versatile recipe.  My youngest son loves meat and likes it with a bit more meat in it.  The original recipe calls for 1/2 pound of ground beef.  Since it makes 8  1-cup servings, that provides 1 ounce meat per serving.  If you double the meat you really aren’t overdoing  the protein, it will provide 2 ounces per 1 cup serving.  This will increase the cost to about $.90 - $.95 per serving — still a really good buy.  You can also make this recipe without any meat at all. 

My personal cooking tips:

• My family has a favorite spaghetti sauce brand that comes in a jar, but for this recipe I use a store or generic brand canned sauce (28 ounce can).  It costs less and still tastes great.
• I stir in 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder to the cottage cheese before spooning it on.
• You want to make sure you thoroughly heat it after you put the cheese on top.  The recipe says to cover and heat it for 5 - 10 minutes after putting the cheeses on.  During that cooking time, I occasionally remove the lid and insert a spoon in a few places throughout the skillet.  I’m not stirring it, just allowing some of the juices on the bottom to sort of rise up and mix with the cheeses a bit. 

- comments from Renee Sweers

food cost, food preparation, recipes budget, cooking, lasagna, recipe, savings