What an enchanting dream -- feeding your family a more nutritious diet and cutting the food budget at the same time. Well, you might want to pinch yourself, because it can be done.
We know, we know. Grilled seafood, rich in nutrients and low in fat, crisp asparagus, and large meaty tomatoes -- all of these things are so expensive.
And there's the waste factor. If you're like the average family, you buy fresh fruit and vegetables, only to throw them out because they've gone bad before you've had time to prepare them.
Time, of course, is a major consideration. It sometimes seems so much easier to order a pizza, or stop for hamburgers after work than cook a hot meal. At that time of day, thoughts of nutrition and budgets are often on the back burner.
According to researchers at Mary Imogen Bassett Research Institute in New York, however, a family of four could shave about $2,200 off its grocery bill by switching from a food plan high in fat, processed foods or fast foods, to a diet based on the Food Guide Pyramid recommended by U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritionists.
They found that when individuals with high cholesterol were switched to a low-fat diet based on the pyramid, each saved about $1.56 a day on food, or $569 a year.
So how do you know if your family's diet is adequate? What constitutes good nutrition? The simplest way to make certain your family is getting the nutrients it need -- and not getting too much of the foods that are bad if over-eaten -- is to base your diet on the pyramid.
The pyramid outlines the types and amounts of foods healthy adults and children need daily to assure proper nutrition, and luckily the typically expensive foods, such as meat and dairy are the ones we need in the smallest quantities. The foods we need in the largest quantities -- bread, pasta and rice -- can be the cheapest. In the middle are fruits and vegetables.
If your family is consuming more than 5 to 7 ounces of meat a day, a good way to save money and increase nutrition, is by cutting back on the amount of meat. By substituting less-expensive, but equally healthful foods such as beans or eggs for meat, you can slash your food budget even further.
"You can't beat eggs at about 8 cents each," says cookbook author Michele Urvater, whose show "Feeding Your Family on $99 a Week" is shown nationally on the TV Food Network. Ms. Urvater uses eggs in a frittata or omelet to stretch out meat and shore up protein in recipes.
If you think your family will find 5 to 7 ounces of meat too skimpy, there are ways to dress it up. Even 3 ounces of beef or chicken in a stir-fry "gives the illusion of a lot more meat," says Anita Wehrman, a nutrition instructor of Adult Education for Baltimore Public Schools and the Director of Education for the Beef Council of Maryland.
Ms. Wehrman buys whatever lean beef is on sale in large enough quantities for several meals. She freezes it for an hour or so, then removes it from the freezer and slices it into thin strips. What she doesn't use immediately, she freezes in half-pound packs. If it's well-packaged, it will keep up to 12 months.
Or if you savor the taste of grilled salmon, but can't fit it into the family budget, how about a pasta with a few ounces of the grilled delicacy and a homemade tomato-based sauce?
Even eating five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day need not break the bank. If you select produce that's seasonal, and round out the quota with frozen and canned vegetables, you'll not only save money, but you will consume a wide variety of fruits and vegetables year round.
When out-of-season produce is shipped from Florida, Texas or California, stored in a warehouse for a few days, displayed in a grocery store and left in the refrigerator for a few more days, "fresh" produce could be significantly less nourishing than frozen, or even canned produce.
Fresh green beans in the winter lose about 60 percent of their vitamins, compared to frozen vegetables that lose only 17 percent, according to a study conducted by University of Illinois professor Barbara Klein. "You should feel very comfortable consuming frozen vegetables because they are likely better in nutritional content than fresh," she says.
And canned vegetables are fine, too, she says, if you use the brine. Instead of draining canned carrots, for instance, she suggests cooking rice in the brine to retain water-soluble vitamins.
Besides green beans, other "fresh" produce to avoid in winter are tomatoes, zucchini, beets, corn, and melon, says local farmer Stephen L. Weber. Not only are they dramatically more expensive than at their peak season, the nutritional quality is questionable, compared to their canned and frozen counterparts.
Mr. Weber recommend cool-weather crops -- broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, collard greens, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes -- which are all grown locally and available at stores and markets through December.
But what about grapefruits, lemons, oranges and other citrus? Ms. Klein says to enjoy these seasonal and affordable imports. They're harvested in November, so they are seasonal. The citric acid, and their thick skins help stabilize the vitamin C, so long as they are refrigerated.
"Some vegetables are nutritional powerhouses," making them a great value year round, says Amy Dacyczyn, editor of the Tightwad Gazette.
She says that nutrition knowledge is a powerful weapon in the battle to cut costs, because the same nutrients can be found in different fruits and vegetables. She notes that one potato plus one tomato provide the same amount of vitamin C as one glass of orange juice, at considerable savings.
So, what if you would rather drink a glass of orange juice than eat a potato and tomato to get your vitamin C? Then you should. If you try too hard to save money by sacrificing taste, you could end up thinking: "That stunk -- now what can I really eat?" warns Larry Lindner, editor of Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter. By eating foods that are not fulfilling, you might turn to fattening and expensive ice creams, cookies, and other junk foods.
Since so many of our food choices -- good and bad -- are made in the haste of grocery shopping, shopping strategies that focus on fresh and simple can pay of with better nutrition and lower cost.
Not only can you save money by choosing fresh over processed foods, but you can reduce your intake of refined sugars, flours and fats that many pre-packaged foods contain. On the other hand, some packaged foods are both good values and good nutrition. The best examples are frozen juice concentrate and frozen vegetables.
"Shop the perimeter of the supermarket, where the freshest, cheapest, and least processed foods are," advises Catherine M. Cassidy, editor of Prevention magazine's Quick & Healthy Cooking. If you shop first for produce, dairy, meats, and breads, you may find that you need fewer boxes of expensive frozen entrees, snack foods and other budget killers.
And "learn to bend and stretch," advises Ms. Urvater, because the most expensive products are at eye level in supermarkets, and the least expensive are high and low on the shelves.
But unless you are trying to lose weight, there's usually no need to waste your hard-earned money on over-priced low-fat foods. "There are plenty of naturally low-fat foods available without those processed foods," says Ms. Cassidy. The two low-fat products she recommends are fat-free mayonnaise and 1 percent milk, because neither is significantly higher in cost than the full-fat versions, and are both helpful at reducing overall fat intake.
Ms. Cassidy also recommends trying store brands, which she says are consistently nutritious and generally of the same quality as national brands.
Stocking staples, such as pasta, rice, canned tuna, canned beans, canned tomatoes and chicken broth, will make life easier, says Ms. Urvater, because these let you create dishes from left-overs or other foods you have on hand. When cooking seems easier, we are less tempted to order pizzas or other fast foods.
It may be cheaper in the long run to buy smaller amounts if you know you will never use that 3-pound box of cereal. Dianne Odland, nutritionist with the Agricultural Research Service, says their research showed we can save money on perishable items needed only in small quantities, such as cubed ham or grated cheese. Although the budget-conscious often eschew salad bars, it pay off, if stopping there makes home cooking more manageable.
"You have to make a pact with the kitchen," say Mr. Lindner, of Tufts. Even though he acknowledges we don't have tons of time for cooking, he suggests bringing the family into the kitchen while cooking dinner. If you enlist your family in the effort to eat healthier, you can save time by sharing the responsibility and "you will absolutely save money," he says. And if children help cut vegetables, and fruits, they will probably be more interested in eating those healthful foods.
Another strategy is to "economize on time and make extra," says Ms. Urvater. Since it takes about the same amount of time to make two roasted chickens as it does to make one, or as much time to make 4 cups of rice as 2, you'll be a step ahead with these on hand for soup, omelet, pasta or casserole.
Even when you didn't intend to have food left over, you can put extras to good use. Leftovers from our Beef and Sweet Potato Fajitas recipe below, can be used to create a frittata on another night.
Beef and Sweet Potato Fajitas
Serves 4
2 large sweet potatoes*
salt and ground black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef, sliced thin*
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
juice from one lime
8 small flour tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
1/2 thick tomato salsa
jalapeno peppers
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut the sweet potatoes into long, thin pieces, like french fries. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and place sweet potatoes, in a single layer on tray.
Spray tops of the potatoes generously with spray, and sprinkle salt and pepper over potatoes. Cook about 45 minutes, depending upon thickness.
Wrap tortillas in bundle in aluminum foil and place in oven to warm about 10 minutes.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and add vegetable oil. Saute thin strips of beef about two minutes or until done. Toss in Tabasco sauce and lime juice. Drain on paper towels.
Remove sweet potatoes and tortillas from oven. Place tortillas, wrapped in towel, in basket to keep warm.
Place sweet potatoes, steak, and all toppings on table and serve family-style.
Package left-over sweet potatoes and beef in freezer bags to use later in the frittata below.
Per serving: calories, 485; protein, 23 g; fat, 31 g; sodium, 1,132 mg; carbohydrates, 31 g.
Sweet Potato and Steak Frittata
Serves 4
6 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
salt and ground pepper
sweet red pepper (or 2 ounces canned)
1 14.5-ounce can of tomatoes, drained
1 cup cooked sweet potatoes (defrosted)
1 1/2 cups sliced, cooked steak (defrosted)
1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
1 cup grated Swiss or white Cheddar cheese
Heat broiler.
Chop tomatoes and squeeze out excess juices. Drain again and set aside. Chop red peppers into small strips. Cut sweet potatoes and steak into smaller pieces, and set aside.
Melt butter (or warm oil) in a nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Beat eggs until fluffy and add milk, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and pour into skillet. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata begins to cook, and add steak, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers.
Run heat resistant rubber spatula around the edge of the pan, tipping the pan slightly so uncooked egg will run to bottom of pan. Continue cooking until eggs are done. Top with grated cheese and place under broiler about 2 minutes. Serve warm.
Per serving: calories, 438; protein, 30 g; fat, 29 g; sodium, 655 mg; carbohydrates, 14 g.
Acorn Squash and Brown Rice Chicken Bake
Serves 4
2 acorn squash
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil or other oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup frozen peas,thawed
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice acorn squash from stem to tip. Scrape out seeds, and wash. Rub all surfaces of squash with vegetable oil and place on a baking sheet, flesh down. Bake about 50 minutes, or until flesh is soft.
Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium high and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute onions about two minutes. Add minced garlic and continue to saute another minute or two. Add soy sauce and brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove pan from heat and add chicken, rice, peas, almonds, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir. Cover and keep warm.
When acorn squash are tender, scoop rice mixture into squash and serve.
Per serving: calories, 427; protein, 35 g; fat, 11 g; sodium, 1375 mg; carbohydrates, 48 g.