(For the previous post in this series, click here!)
When it comes to cooking, figuring out what you want to eat is half the battle. I know – you want something easy, fast, cheap, healthy, comforting, and hands-off. The reality is, dishes that hit all that criteria are few and far between. So, how can you be sure you always have a recipe in your back pocket without breaking the bank (or breaking a sweat)?
Note your fan favorites.
Figure out which dishes you love to eat and learn how to make them. Would you die for deep dish pizza? Go batty for buffalo wings? Wig out over a Waldorf salad? If you’re excited about the final product, it’ll be easier for you to focus and enjoy the prep process. Make a list of your top five favorite meals – if they’re restaurant specialties, search for copycats (like this Torchy’s Queso recipe from The Urban Cowgirl).
Leverage your leftovers.
Make dishes you enjoy so much, you’re happy to eat them a second time. This is probably the simplest thing you can do to stretch your food budget. I’m boggled by the number of people I’ve seen throw food away even when it’s still fresh and tasty. Make a meal plan for the week and make space to use up leftovers. For instance, dig into a grocery store rotisserie chicken for dinner on Monday night, then use some for chicken salad sandwiches for Tuesday’s lunch, then make chicken fajitas for Tuesday’s dinner. After that, use the bones for stock.
Broaden your scope.
Explore cultural foods. They’re delicious, interesting, and often very frugal. Curry, fried rice, Pad Thai, cabbage rolls, and tabbouleh are all international dishes made with reasonably priced ingredients. Pick your preferred palette and take your taste buds on a tour. Explore this list of fast and easy ethnic recipes from Food & Wine and try something new.
Cook in batches.
Get your hands dirty now to save time and energy later. Set aside a Saturday afternoon and make too much of a good thing. Prepare foods that will freeze well: chili, stew, meat sauce, casserole, soup, Shepherd’s pie, and marinated chicken dishes are all good options. If you’re baking, keep half of your goodies out to enjoy fresh, and freeze the other half in Ziploc bags or freezer-safe containers to pull out when you’re craving something sweet but don’t want to put in the work. Of course, you don’t have to freeze your batch-cooked meals. You can batch-cook one or two dishes, then eat them throughout the week. I do this by default – my husband jokes I haven’t yet learned not to cook for eight people. Check out this collection of batch-cooking recipes from Bon Appétit for some inspiration.
Explore cookbooks.
Google searches work great in a pinch, but a good cookbook is indispensable. Confession: I have never paid retail price for a cookbook. Besides the few I’ve received as gifts, I’ve found most of my treasures at thrift stores for a buck apiece. If you’re just starting your cookbook collection, keep an eye out for Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer (the basics of everything); Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle (it’s about gourmet for every day, but also offers solid kitchen tips and techniques); and anything from the Company’s Coming series (Canada’s most well-loved collection). Another perhaps unexpected source of hidden gems: look for old church or community cookbooks. Everyone put in their very best recipe – after all, their name was attached!
Where do you source your best recipes from? Let me know in the comments!