The Sweet Life On A Budget

  Summer Salad Grocery Prices are going through the roof with no end in sight!    Using healthy, nutritious, delicious, and inexpensive dining options always reduces your grocery bill.  I accomplish this in the summer by making various salads the star of our dinners.   Vegetables are either grown in the garden or at their rock-bottom price at the grocery store.  Therefore, we eat a lot of different salads over the summer.     Having salads multiple times per week for dinner provides savings and advantages.   Here are a few benefits I thought of: If you grill the protein(s) in advance, the oven is not turned on.  The salads can be prepared ahead of time, so if you have a busy evening, no need to eat out —> dinner is done.  Adding vegetables to your diet helps to keep you healthy.  By using in-season vegetables from your garden or grocery store, you are saving money on your grocery bill.  Steak Salad My first sa...

Italian Wedding Soup   Italian Wedding Soup is a staple in Italian restaurants and diners.     It is a soup that marries green vegetables with meat.      The simmering of the vegetables and meatballs, the soup's flavors combine to create a rich, delicious soup.    Growing up, this was my siblings and my favorite soup.   It always brings back great memories of my family, especially my grandmother.    Ingredients:  Meatballs ½ pound of ground beef  ½ pound of ground pork ⅓ cup of seasoned bread crumbs ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese  1 egg Soup ¼ cup of finely diced onions 1 large finely diced carrots 1 teaspoon of finely diced garlic Salt and Pepper to taste 8 cups of chicken stock ¾ cup of orzo pasta 2 cups of spinach, kale or broccoli rabe Directions: For the Meatballs In a bowl, mix all ingredients.    I use my hands to help prevent overmixing.     Roll me...

  Updated Breakfast Under $1.00 The USDA Website grocery budgets range from $25.00 to $71.90 per week ($3.57 - $10.17 per day) per person.   The two factors that determine the amount allocated are age and sex.  With such a small amount of money allocated daily for food and my attempt to eat healthily, I need to plan each week carefully.     Breakfast is a great place to add value to your meal planning.    It can be the cheapest or most expensive meal.    The choice is yours.    Let’s look at breakfasts that come in at or under $1.00.     Beagle and Cream Cheese ($0.72 per serving) Kroger Prices Bagels (6ct)- $2.79 or $0.47 each Cream Cheese (8oz)- $1.99 Single Serving (1 oz): $0.25 Daily Cost= $0.72       French Toast ($0.75 per Serving) Kroger Prices  Eggs (12 ct)- $1.79 Single Serving: $0.15 x 2 = $0.30 Toast (20 slices) - $1.99 Single Serving: $0.10...

  Black Beans ($.30 per Can) Beans are so cheap to purchase by the can that people don’t think about how much they would save if they do a little bit of work and cook dried beans.  Let’s look at how difficult it is to do, what time is involved, and how much you could save.   Here are the basic steps:  Crockpot:  Step 1- Pick through and rinse the beans.  This will remove any dirt left on them and you can get rid of the broken or damaged beans.  Step 2- Place beans in the crockpot and cover with water.  The water should be about 3-4 inches above the beans.   Step 3-  Cook beans on low for 16 hours.  I usually cook beans overnight.   Stove Top  Step 1- Pick through and rinse the beans.  This will remove any dirt left on them and you can get rid of the broken or damaged beans.  Step 2- Soak for 4-6 hours or overnight.   Step 3- Place in pot and cover with about 3-4 inches of water above the ...