Pumping It Up

So we are still on the Mediterranean diet, but I've had to modify it a bit for cost purposes.  I was blowing the grocery budget to smithereens with all that freshness.  Fresh all the time equals dollars! I'm still following the rules with our cooking but using lots more frozen and dried items to stretch those food dollars.  And that is what this post is all about.

We really like Mexican/South-western dishes.  While shopping at Sprouts one day I found a pre-seasoned rice package of rice and quinoa- still has great wholesome, organic ingredients, just in a different form.  The package says it serves 4.

To spread my grocery dollars I sauteed some frozen peppers, onions, and corn, along with a can of petite diced tomatoes, a whole bunch of red beans (you could use whatever bean you like) from a huge batch of dried beans I soaked and cooked a few days ago.  I also added some shredded chicken that I seasoned with a homemade south-western dressing. How does this spread out the dollars?  I'm so glad you asked!

After all these additions, I stretched this 4 serving dish to 8 servings.  I KNOW!  Now we can have dinner for ourselves, a few lunches, and even take a serving to my Mother-in-law for her supper!  Super cool, huh?!

Most everyone I know needs to save money, or at the very least doesn't want spend too much on groceries.  So join me as I keep trying to eat healthy and save some bucks too.