Dining on a Dime

With tight times getting even tighter, I thought I'd add a new feature...Dining on a Dime.

This week's tips include:

• Plan your menus in advance, up to two week's worth. This will help you reduce trips to the store AND give you ample time to use up leftovers. In WWII, rations forced most urbanites to plan carefully...and to plant carefully as well, since Victory Gardens were intended to supplement rations, not replace them. 

• Extend your meat with additional protein, not filler. I know that the tried-and-true way to make ground meat go further is to add cracker or bread crumbs. But even if you use whole grain bread or oatmeal, the wee amount of filler is pretty much nutritionally useless. Go for beans instead. Pintos and black beans added to ground turkey or beef add a lot of protein and essential nutrients. 

At our house, we regularly use a packet of taco seasoning with ground turkey and add drained canned beans. If you have a large family, consider making the beans your primary source (double it) and the meat a seasoning. The mixture is great for tacos, burritos, nachos, on top of rice, and even on baked potatoes. Note: You can save time and money by cooking a bag of beans on your stovetop or in a slow cooker early in the week and then adding the leftovers to the ground meat later.


Readers: Do you have tips to share? Drop a note in Comments...