One of the biggest culprits of grocery budget’s sky-rocketing is the cost of meat. Before kids, I honestly didn't think twice about the two of us devouring an entire pound of ground beef in one meal. Not anymore! Now, I look for ways to cut our costs as much as possible without losing the benefits of having meat in our diet.
As I sit down every week and work through the sale ads, I keep in mind three types of meals, or theme nights, that I want to include in my menu plan. By including each of these types of meals, we've been able to reduce our grocery budget without sacrificing flavor and nutrition.
1. Breakfast for Dinner:
This is a personal favorite of mine, so it wasn't hard to incorporate. On breakfast night, I typically whip up pancakes or waffles and serve them with a side of my bacon, cheese and veggie scramble. By adding the bacon to the egg and veggie mixture, I can stretch one pound of bacon to last three meals. The bacon is used as a condiment, instead of a side dish. A meal built around bread and eggs is a really cheap way to feed a family.
At the same time, making sure that the family gets enough protein is really important to me. Because of that, I've started making pancakes and waffles with cottage cheese blended into them. Cottage cheese is almost always on sale (plus, you can't even taste it this way!). Between the high-protein pancakes/waffles and the eggs, the family is still getting a pretty good dose of protein!
2. Meatless Meal:
I started making these last summer when we were in a Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA). I'd end up with bags of vegetables that I wasn't sure what to do with. To use them all up, I started putting the veggies in everything, often using them in place of the meat in a dish. I couldn't stand the thought of their going bad before we had a chance to eat them!
In the process, I discovered that meat really isn't a necessity for a great meal! Some of our favorite meals have become baked eggplant parmesan, summer spaghetti and Mediterranean spaghetti squash skillet. We really don't even miss the meat because there is so much flavor from the veggies, spices and herbs that lace each dish. And truthfully, even in winter, veggies on sale are cheaper per pound than meat when it is on sale.
3. Pasta Dish:
Pasta is insanely cheap. If you watch for sales, you can easily pick up a pound of pasta for $1.00 or less. That's the base for a whole meal! Even if you add in half a pound of ground beef or a couple of chopped chicken breasts, you are still ahead of the game. If you are worried about the nutrition (or lack thereof) in white enriched pasta, spring for the whole wheat version. There are some really good, non-cardboard-y options out there these days! Buying whole wheat pasta only adds an extra $0.50 or so to your meal total.
Also, spices and herbs are your best friends when it comes to taking an "okay" dish to a "great" dish. Don't be afraid to throw some in the skillet!
The truth of the matter is this: Our eating habits DID change when kids entered the picture. And yes, we DO miss some of the splurge items and getting to eat out, but that doesn't mean that we aren't eating well. With a little planning, your budget doesn’t have to influence the taste of your food!
Rebecca Ishum lives in South Kansas City with her husband and 2-year-old quadruplets. She spends her days chasing toddlers, trying to keep grocery costs low and blogging about her crazy, wonderful life at www.ABeautifulRuckus.com.