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Everything is getting more expensive today. From gas to groceries, our hard-earned dollars are challenged to stretch further. Now, we may be able to ride a bicycle around town if we can’t put gas in our cars. But, we have to eat. There’s no getting around that. So, we have to find ways to spend less on groceries while still getting the things that we need to feed ourselves and our families. Here are six money saving tips to try the next time you go grocery shopping.

Clip coupons. They put those in the newspaper for a reason. If there are new items you want to try, use a coupon to get it at a discount. If you like it, you have saved some money. On the other hand, if you don’t take a liking to it, you didn’t pay full price. For me, coupons save an average of ten or more dollars per visit. That’s money in my pocket that I can put towards gas for the car.

Buy more staples than prepared foods. It is easier to buy a box of macaroni and cheese, but is it more economical? A large box of macaroni and a block of cheese will make more servings for your family than one box of prepared macaroni and cheese. The next time you go shopping and pick up a box or bag of an already prepared item, ask yourself if you can make that at home for less. If you can, then put that item back in favor of less expensive staples.

Buy in bulk. Consider the food items that you use most often. Cereals, meats, vegetables, condiments, juices, and paper products can be bought in bulk usually at a lower price at food warehouses like Costco, BJ’s, and Wal-Mart. If you have a coupon, you’ll save even more money.

Don’t shop when you are hungry. This is a definite no-no. Shopping on an empty stomach means that you will pick up more things than you need. You are more likely to pick up that bag of chocolate chip cookies or that box of donuts when the growling gets underway.

Take a grocery list with you. This is another protection against picking up things that are too costly. Check your cabinets and the fridge to see what you need and write them down. Remember, the goal is to stick to the list as much as possible.

Shop at the same stores. This is more of a frustration reliever. In a new store, you spend most of your time looking for things and walking up and down every aisle, which oftentimes leads to forgetting an item or two. Going to the same store each time makes you more familiar with the prices so you can estimate your bill as you write your grocery list.

Rising prices don’t have to mean a lean dinner table. There are ways to make your food dollar go further and if you take the time to implement the ideas listed above as well as others of your own, you’ll see savings each and every time you shop.

How many times have we opted for fast food for lunch or dinner instead of cooking? There’s no telling how much money we’ve spent on that one meal that easily becomes a few (or more) meals a week. Instead of picking up that telephone and calling for delivery pizza, get the family together and make one at home.

Making homemade pizza can become a great new family tradition. Choose a day of the week when everyone can get together and enjoy the experience. You can even pretend that you are in a real Italian eatery and go all out by decorating the dining room table to resemble a pizzeria.

The best thing about homemade pizza is picking the toppings. Since it is your personal pizza, you can have as many different toppings as your heart desires. It’s a chance to raid the cabinets and the fridge to find good stuff to top your creation.

How will you prepare the crust? Now, this step can be easy or an adventure. If you wimp out and go easy, you can use an already prepared crust from the store like Pillsbury pizza crust in the pop open can or a Boboli pizza crust.

It you want to treat the family to a high time of flour and dough, choose to make your own crusts. With your own, the size of the pizza can be customized for each person in the family. Making your own dough crusts will also make use of those handy pantry staples. You can find a classic pizza dough recipe on the Internet and in just about any cookbook, so find one that you like and go to it.

When the dough is ready, shape it into a circle of appropriate size. Create a rim on the dough so that the sauce won’t bubble over onto the oven rack. Now comes the fun part.  The dough is ready to be dressed to the hilt.

For the sauce, we’ll let you slide and use the store bought kind if you wish. Spread the sauce over the dough and be sure to cover it to the rim. Next, top the pizza sauce with your favorite cheeses. It’s more economical to purchase a block of cheese and use a grater to slice it for pizza toppings. Those already shredded bags have only two or three cups in each which is not going to go the distance for an entire family. Besides, fresh cheese melts better.

Want to have even more fun with your family pizza creations?  See who can make the wackiest pizza. Throw a little leftover chicken or hamburger on top. How about jalapenos? They are good for those who like it hot. Don’t forget the spices. It wouldn’t be a pizza without oregano, basil, and some thyme.

If you have at least two baking stones or pizza trays, you can make more than one at a time. Everyone can help to clean up while you wait for dinner to be ready. When the timer goes off, Bon ApetÍt!

If there are leftovers of your pizza, enjoy them tomorrow morning for breakfast!

   Macaroni and Cheese is a favorite of many people.  With it’s creamy deliciousness, it’s hard to pass up.  Unfortunately, the really good homemade baked mac and cheese is laden with calories and fat but, man, is it good!

 

In my continued effort to find ways to cut the fat and calories but still have dishes my family is familiar with and will actually eat, this goodie has been wonderful.  It’s better than boxed which is full of preservatives and sodium and it’s light enough – under that 300 calorie threshold I have set for these recipes – to qualify for my subject this week.  This has 183 calories per serving.

 

What do you look for in a mac and cheese?  Is it homemade or do you prefer the boxed version?

 

 

 

 

 

Lighter Baked Mac and Cheese

 

• 7 ounces whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon Smart Balance butter spread
• 2 ounces Velveeta reduced fat cheese product
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese ( divided)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 and coat an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to box directions until just done. Drain briefly, then return pasta to the cooking pot.
3. Add Smart Balance, Velveeta, milk, and 1/2 c cheddar cheese and stir until the cheeses melt. You may need to put the pan back on a burner for this.
4. Pour pasta mixture into greased pan and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c cheese on top and bake another 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

I don’t know about you but when I think of diet food, I think of bland, boring and horrible tasting stuff. Diet food has come a long way. It’s delicious and dishes people actually want to eat. This week, I will be looking for some good food all under 300 calories. For 3 meals a day, that only adds up to 900 calories for meals and that leaves a lot of room for some snacks!

When you think about it, 300 calories isn’t a lot so whatever I post here this week needs to be satisfying for sure! I am up for the challenge. I hope you will all follow along and even try some of the recipes to let me know if they worked for you or not in regards to taste and feeling full.

If you have not grabbed your copy of “Eating To Lose Weight” yet, feel free to go read all about it by clicking here.

To start us off, let’s take a look at some muffins. At 110 calories – this could be used as a snack throughout the day!

Low-Fat Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats ( old fashioned oatmeal)
1 cup skim milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Soak oats in milk for 1 hour.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Spoon into a muffin pan that has been lightly greased or sprayed with nonstick spray.
Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes.

Here at Budget Family Meals, I am excited at the prospect to, not only share good food, but share free products as well. In January, many people have a goal of weight loss in mind. I’m in that boat too. I have found some good information and put it all together for you. It is a 57 page PDF that is absolutely free. Please let your friends know to come sign up as well. All you have to do to get this free book is to use the sign up form on the right hand side of the page. Hurry though, books don’t stay on BFM indefinitely. Each month, I will be bringing you a new book or booklet to enjoy. Get yours today!

So you have some great ideas for your holiday leftovers. That is all well and good, but by the time you get to the leftover part, the leftovers you planned may not have worked out quite right. How are you going to make an amazing lunch the next day if you don’t have enough leftovers to work your magic? Let’s take a look at how to master leftover magic with just a few ingredients.

Start With the End in Mind

Leftovers are never a problem, except when you plan to use them for something else. All of a sudden, they become a hot commodity and there are never enough left to use in your next recipe. In order to combat this Murphy’s Law of cooking, you must start with the end in mind. When making all of your initial feast dishes, think about what you will need to have leftover for your next dish. Once you have those amounts in mind, then prepare to make what you will need as extra.

For instance, if you needed four cups of stuffing to make egg mountains the next morning for breakfast, prepare your initial recipe and add two or three cups more. This is a good estimate of what will actually be leftover for the next morning while still giving everyone plenty of food to eat the first night. Once you are sure you have enough food left over to use for your next meal, it is time to begin assembling your ingredients.

Plan the Beginning

With every good recipe, a plan is needed in order to make everything work out. Now that you know you have your main leftover ingredient, it is time to pick your other ingredients in order to complete your recipe.

If you’re planning on baking a ham, the leftover ham with pineapple, bell pepper, onion and tomatoes would be make great kabobs for the grill. Leftover turkey with cheese, mushrooms, eggs and cranberry sauce will make beautiful omelets. Once you are sure you have enough leftovers, it is easy to get creative and develop a new favorite recipe with only a few leftovers.

Enjoy the Middle

At this point, all of the hard work is done other than actually cooking the new dish. You have ensured the amount of leftovers you need and planned out the rest of your meal. As you fire up the stove, grill or oven, now comes the time to enjoy this process. Not only are you using up your leftovers, but you are also creating a new dish.

As you cook, you can further your leftover reduction plan by turning the leftovers you have into snacks during the day. Just make sure you leave enough of your primary ingredients to finish making the meal. Once you are done cooking, you have mastered the leftover meal challenge.

So, all you need to do in order to master leftover magic with just a few ingredients is to plan the end, the beginning, and enjoy the preparation. You won’t be stuck staring into a refrigerator jammed with leftovers, scratching your head. You won’t be so overwhelmed that you just keep reheating the same plates over and over. If you plan for your leftover dishes before you even start your holiday meal, and set the stage for your repeat performances, your leftovers will take direction and the show will come off without a hitch!

I know that most people realize that cold breakfast cereal isn’t the be all and end all of a good nutritious breakfast. At least I hope people realize that.

There is a new study out that reinforces that knowledge. According to the study, many cold breakfast cereals contain just as much or more sugar as a Twinkie or 3 chocolate chip cookies. Would a parent actually give their child Twinkies breakfast in the morning? Well, I hope not and I don’t think the would.

Children should not be eating sugar for breakfast. It isn’t the type of energy they need to start their day. The trick to finding a better cold breakfast cereal is to read the label. Take back your food. Don’t rely on marketing to tell you what is good for you. Choose cold breakfast cereals that have the least amount of sugar as possible and the most fiber as possible.

The top 10 worst offenders of all of this sugar in your breakfast cereal are:

Kellogg’s Honey Smacks
Post Golden Crisp
Kellogg’s Froot Loops Marshmallow
Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s OOPS! All Berries
Cap’n Crunch Original
Quaker Oats Oh!s
Kellogg’s Smorz
Kellogg’s Apple Jacks
Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries
Kellogg’s Froot Loops Original

More information can be found by clicking here for the news story.

I don’t propose that people throw away all of their cold breakfast cereal. I do think it has a place for convenience sake and I even believe that the occasional junky breakfast is ok. However, I am a firm believer in education and making better food choices in general and arming people with the information they need in order to be able to do just that.

Overnight French Toast is one of those breakfast dishes that is usually associated with holidays or having company but doesn’t need to be just for special occasions. The fact is, this dish is so easy to make that it should be a part of anybody’s breakfast rotation.

While there are many variations of this recipe, the base of it starts out with the same ingredients all the time. You really can’t get much cheaper than bread, milk and eggs. These are items most people would normally have on hand anyway. From there, most recipes embellish with vanilla, nuts, toppings, etc. Play around with it. You’ll find just the right recipe for you. I like this one but I have also included a video with a slight variation. Enjoy

http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/overnight-french-toast-recipe/2/

 

Eggs are so versatile and so fast to make.  This should be the starting point of any hearty breakfast.

So, while we are thinking about the benfits of eggs over a nice hot cup of coffee, let’s consider what can be done with them.

First of all, even at the higher prices, eggs will give you a huge bang for your grocery dollars. They are filling and pack a huge punch in protein all while not having much in the way of calories.

Eggs have gotten a bad wrap with a reputation of increasing cholesterol. So, what do people do? They go to the store pay twice as much for engineered fake eggs that supposedly keeps them more healthy. Now tell me, how is eating an engineered item more healthy than the real thing in moderation?

Eggs deserve a chance at your breakfast table and you can make so many declious things with them.

 

1. Breakfast burritos. These are very easy to make. Simply scramble some eggs, put them in a flour taco shell, top with a little cheese, a little picante sauce, you have a great breakfast that you can take on the go. If you want to be a little more creative, add some peppers, onions, sausage.
2. Your own Mc”sandwich”. Fry an egg, top with cheese and put between two toasted English muffins for a quick breakfast that is easy to handle while you finish getting ready.
3. Speaking of sandwiches, a biscuit will also fill the bill when it comes to convenience. This is especially nice if you don’t like English muffins. The added bonus to the biscuit is that you bake them all at one time. No waiting on the toaster where you can only do a couple English muffins at a time. This gets more servings cooked in less time. This is great if you have a crowd to feed in the morning.
4. Boiled eggs are a great choice for little hands. These are things all small children seem to love. You can easily even get a couple eggs in them by serving boiled eggs. Add a little fruit and your little one will be very satisfied for the morning.
5. If you have a little more time, why not consider making a breakfast pizza? Using a premade crust or your own crust, make up an envelope of white gravy for the “sauce”, top with cooked sausage, onions, peppers, cooked eggs and cheese. Pop this in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is brown. I usually set my oven to 375 for this.

There you have it. Five easy ideas to use eggs for your breakfast that won’t break the bank, that will satisfy the entire family and, best of all, provide your family with the nutrition and energy they need to get through the morning!

 

 

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This week on BFM, we will be talking about the most important meal fo the day…breakfast. I know that mornings are hectic and it can be daunting to figure out what to feed the family each morning before school and before work. Fast food is expensive and school food, while an option for kids in many school districts, can also be expensive and not necessarily the most healthy of foods.

Between people getting dressed, kids fighting and finding lost backpacks, finding easy morning breakfast options is very important. I can’t help you with finding the backpack or the lost socks or the other shoe, but I can help with breakfast options! Let’s look at some ideas. Recipes will be added through the week.

1. Homemade trail mix can be mixed ahead of time and stored in individual containers or in a jar in the pantry. Be sure to include a mix of healthy nuts (for protein) and dried fruit.

2. Pre-packaged nut packets are also a quick solution when you are short on time on week day mornings.

3. Yogurt with healthy cereal. Before you grab those kid-friendly looking yogurts with the mix-ins or green dye, read the labels. You are better off mixing in a cereal like Grape Nuts for added crunch and nutrition.

4. Frozen grapes or cherries. Not everyone is a big eater in the mornings but some frozen fruit to nibble on during the ride is a great way to wake up their tummy.

5. A tortilla can be filled with shredded cheese, thinly sliced apples and microwaved for a few seconds until the cheese melts. It’s tasty, nutritious and fast.

6. If you are trying to wean yourself off of a fast food breakfast, try an English muffin with ham and American cheese. If you have time, microwave until the cheese melts. If you have even more time, fry an egg.

7. A great way to use up leftovers from last night’s dinner is to add a piece of leftover chicken to a dinner roll with some cheese. Heat and eat.

8. If your family is big on Saturday morning pancakes, make extra and stash them in the freezer. You can microwave them or eat them frozen (kid friendly). You can serve them with syrup or spread them peanut butter.

9. Smoothies are a great way to get a lot of nutrition in your body quickly, and they taste great. Try vanilla soy milk, a banana, a handful of strawberries and ½ cup of uncooked oatmeal. Give it a spin and grab a straw.

10. Another version is the chocolate smoothie. What kid wouldn’t want a chocolate shake for breakfast? Mix chocolate almond milk, a banana and 2 tablespoons of natural peanut or almond butter.

11. Oatmeal with all the fixings is a great, quick breakfast. Prep all the add-ins, nuts, raisins, brown sugar, and have them handy at all times. This breakfast works best for kids that are driven to school. It’s a little tricky to walk to the bus stop while eating out of a bowl. Not impossible, but tricky.

12. Homemade granola and milk is another great to go breakfast for the car ride.

13. Better yet, turn that homemade granola into homemade granola bars.

14. Leftover mostacholi is a healthier alternative to cold pizza and quite popular with kids. Plus, there is nothing easier than cold, leftover noodles to serve for a breakfast on the go.

15. Bake banana bread or zucchini bread on Sunday to make your Monday mornings go a little smoother and tastier.

Whichever tips you take, have everything prepped in a drawer or section of the fridge for easy access. Better yet, make sure everyone can get their own breakfast by putting everything in easy reach.

Be thinking about ideas of your own as you prepare to collect these recipes to make your mornings healthy and easy. I’d love to hear your ideas this week! Together, we can make mornings much more efficient.