Читать книгу Diabetes Meals on $7 a Day?or Less! - Patti B. Geil - Страница 8
ОглавлениеChapter 2 ECONOMY GASTRONOMY: PENNY-WISE MEAL PLANNING, COST-WISE COOKING
Penny-wise meal planning and cost-wise cooking are the first steps to stretching your food dollar while eating healthfully. The USDA has estimated that a family of four can eat at home for a cost of just $102.40 to $119.10 a week. That’s only $3.66 to $4.25 per person per day-the price of just one fast food value meal. Sound impossible? It’s not. For more information on economical eating, check out the USDA website at www.usda.gov, for sample food plans to match your individualized budget requirements.
Eating healthfully on a lean budget does require a small investment of time to plan meals for the week and cook the foods that match your budget and diabetes nutrition requirements. But, the little amount of extra time you spend is an investment that can really make a difference when trying to cut costs.
PENNY-WISE MEAL PLANNING
Like most people, you are probably pressed for time and often eat meals on the run. Why should you use even a few of your precious moments for meal planning? When you consider that food costs are usually the second largest monthly expense-after mortgage or rent payments-reducing that expense can raise the budget savings significantly. Take a closer look at the long-term savings in money, time, and health that come with taking the time to think ahead about what you’ll be eating.
SEVEN SIMPLE STEPS TO MEAL PLANNING
1. Determine your food budget.
2. Decide how often you will shop.
3. Know how many people will be eating each meal so you don’t buy too much food.
4. Plan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks incorporating store specials. Stay flexible so that you can switch meals around if your plans change at the last minute.
5. Check what’s in the pantry, then make a list of ingredients that you need to purchase to prepare each meal and snack.
6. Keep the shopping list handy in the kitchen and add to it during the week as you run out of staples.
7. Make meal planning a habit.
How Planning Meals Helps
Planning your meals a week in advance enables you to:
Provide healthy meals for you and your family. When meals are planned ahead, you can be sure that the meals are balanced.
Take advantage of special sales. Review your newspaper’s grocery store advertisements and find foods that fit your budget. Plan meals around the specials for the week to take a bite out of your expenses.
Grocery shop from a list. Studies show that without a list in hand you can spend almost twice as much at the store.
Resist impulse buying. If you know what you need for the week and stick to your list, you are more likely to avoid high priced/low nutrition items like snack chips and sugar-free candy.
Save time. By planning meals in advance you’ll be able to do all of your shopping at one time. You won’t have to make several trips to the store to buy foods you forgot, which translates into gasoline savings.
Save money. If you have your menu planned ahead of time, you’ll be able to buy the right kind of food in the package size to fit your needs.
Save your energy. Meal planning lends order to time-crunched lives. There’s no longer the stress of wondering, “What’s for dinner?”
How Do You Plan Menus?
If you are following a meal planning approach, such as the Choose Your Foods: Exchange List for Diabetes, the Diabetes Food Pyramid, or the carbohydrate counting system, you are already off to a great start.
Your meal pattern will tell you which foods you need and how much of each to include. If you are following an exchange/choices diet, you will know how many servings you need from the starch, vegetable, fruit, meat or meat-substitute, milk, and fat lists each day. If you are following the Diabetes Food Pyramid, use the serving guidelines from each section of the pyramid. The carbohydrate counting system outlines the number of grams of carbohydrates you can include at each meal and snack.
No matter what your method of diabetes meal planning, the foods you eat and the timing of your meals should be based on your personal diabetes treatment plan and blood glucose results.
Your meal plan is the basis for your menus and shopping list for the week. An RD can help you develop a meal pattern that is right for you. Having a meal pattern gives you the freedom to decide which foods meet your budget needs.
MEAL PLANNING CHECKLIST
After you try your hand at planning a week’s menu, take a moment to review the checklist below.
Do the menus:
follow your individualized diabetes meal plan?
use a variety of foods from all parts of the pyramid?
emphasize nutritious, economical foods?
take advantage of weekly store specials?
include planned-overs?
Use the Ready, Set, Shop! Menus for This Week template below to assist in menu planning. The Ready, Set, Shop! Shopping List template on p. 21 can help organize your shopping list for a speedier trip to the market.
To save even more time, keep a master list of all the meals you plan, making it easy to select from these tried-and-true combinations rather than planning new menus every week. You will soon accumulate a large list of economical meals.
PLANNED-OVERS
Leftovers may be your budget’s best friend, but no one wants to see the same dish three times in one week. You can save time and money while avoiding mealtime boredom by using planned-overs, foods intentionally left after a meal for use in another meal. Using planned-overs is quite different from reheating yesterday’s supper for today’s lunch. When you use planned-overs, you are planning ahead for leftovers.
Many of the recipes in this book are designed around the planned-over concept. For example, the chicken left from “Marilyn’s Spicy ‘Fried’Chicken” is ready for use in “Southwestern Chicken Wrap-Ups”. You can plan to use the extra turkey from “Golden Roasted Turkey Breast” in “Tempting Turkey Pot Pie”. (See Recipes: Meat and Others for recipes.)
If you start thinking about your meals in terms of planned-overs, you’ll find easy and interesting examples everywhere. Make a pork roast with vegetables on Sunday, and plan to use the leftover pork later in the week to flavor black beans and rice.
A large round steak in a family pack can provide at least four meals. Cut the steak in half lengthwise, then slice one portion into thin strips (across the grain for tenderness) for use in stir-fry and burritos or fajitas. Freeze the remaining half. You can defrost it at a later date and cube it to make hearty beef stew. If you have scraps left, dice them to use in vegetable beef soup. Be sure to label and date your planned-over foods so that you’ll know what you have on hand and use it safely.
NO TIME TO PLAN?
Begin by reviewing the One Week’s Sample Menu at the end of this chapter, which can be individualized to suit your needs. These low-cost meals are planned around recipes found in this book. Use the menu as a starting point to plan your week and make a shopping list. If you are still overwhelmed by the thought of planning a week’s worth of menus, start by planning five meals.
Planning five meals will take only five minutes-time you can surely find while waiting for a doctor’s appointment or for a pot of pasta to boil.
COST-WISE COOKING
“I said to my wife, ‘Where do you want to go for our anniversary?’She said, ‘I want to go somewhere I’ve never been before.’I said, ‘Try the kitchen.’”
—Henny Youngman
Cooking is becoming a lost art, but it is one that you’ll need to rediscover if spending less and eating healthfully is your goal. Fast foods and convenience foods do save time, but they are real budget-busters. Don’t assume that saving money requires you to become a master chef. Start by looking for recipes like those in this book-quick to assemble, with few ingredients and simple cooking techniques.
STOCK UP
Keep your pantry stocked with low cost, healthful grocery staples to save time and trips to the grocery store. With a few basic foods from these parts of the MyPyramid, you’ll be ready to cook cost-wise meals in just a few minutes.
Grains, beans, and starchy vegetables: flour, oats, whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, dry or canned beans, rice, pasta, canned corn, and potatoes.
Vegetables: fresh or plain frozen vegetables, tomato sauce, and canned tomatoes.
Fruits: fresh and plain frozen fruits, fruit canned in juice, applesauce, and frozen concentrated 100% fruit juice.
Milk: fat-free milk, nonfat dry milk, and nonfat yogurt.
Meat and others: chicken, fish, turkey, ground beef, eggs, peanut butter, cheese, and water-packed canned tuna.
You should also have the right kitchen tools on hand to make cooking easier. Important pieces for healthy cooking include a pressure cooker, good-quality sharp knives, a grill, and nonstick cookware. Less expensive tools that should be in your kitchen are a cheese grater, kitchen shears, a steamer basket, a kitchen scale, a cutting board, and a microwave.
READY, SET, SHOP! SHOPPING LIST
Fill out this shopping list and take it with you on your next trip to the grocery store to keep your fridge stocked with all the good-for-you essentials that you need in your diet.
NOW YOU’RE COOKING!
Once you’re in the kitchen, make the most of your time and money by cooking and baking in large quantities and freezing a portion for future use.
This technique-one way to get planned-overs-is known as batch cooking, and it can be as simple as cooking a few extra chicken breasts to freeze for later use. The idea is to cook once and serve the food two or three times. For example, if you are making pasta at your evening meal, throw some extra noodles in the pot to use in a cold pasta salad for tomorrow’s midday meal. Or prepare a large quantity of a standard recipe, such as “Spunky Spaghetti Sauce” (see Recipes: Meat and Others), to use immediately, then freeze the remainder for use in lasagna or stuffed peppers. Make a large batch of waffles on Sunday morning, serve a few for breakfast, and freeze the rest to pop in the toaster on a busy weekday morning.
You may not have time to cook during the workweek, but you may have some free moments on the weekend to start preparing food for the week ahead. This saves not only time, but also money because you can buy larger amounts of basic ingredients more economically. Make your own healthful microwave meals by separating your planned-overs into microwave-safe dishes in portion sizes that are right for your individual meal plan.
Knowing there’s something in your freezer that is just a few microwave minutes away from a meal may be just the incentive you need to skip the expensive fast-food drive-through after work.
GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR MICROWAVE
A microwave is handy for reheating planned-overs, but you can get even more savings from the microwave by using it to:
Crisp up stale or soggy crackers, cereals, and pretzels. Microwave them in a baking dish on high power until they’re very warm (1-3 minutes), stirring once. Let them cool thoroughly to crisp.
Get more juice from lemons, oranges, and grapefruits. Slice the fruit in half, then microwave it on high power for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Extract the last drops from a bottle of pancake syrup. Remove the cap, then microwave the bottle on high power for 20-30 seconds. An empty-looking bottle may hold as much as 1/4 cup of syrup.
Clever, cost-wise cooks know the value of casseroles. These one dish meals can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator or freezer, ready to bake at a moment’s notice. Casseroles are a great place to use leftover turkey, chicken, beef, rice, and vegetables. This makes for less expensive meals and faster baking. Casseroles can be designed to provide you with foods from each of the food groups in your diabetes meal plan. Take a look at the inexpensive, mix-and-match ingredients in the “Quick Six” casserole plan at the end of this chapter and invent your own one dish meal.
If you plan to cook your prepared casserole within 24 hours or so, store it raw in the refrigerator and allow about 10-15 minutes of extra oven time to make sure the chilled ingredients are baked through. If you decide to freeze the casserole for future use, wrap the dish securely and freeze it for up to six weeks. Defrost it thoroughly and safely before baking.
SAFETY FIRST
Economical eating requires special attention to food safety particularly when using planned-overs and storing large amounts of food. For the person with diabetes, the nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and inability to eat that accompanies foodborne illness are not only unpleasant, but may also have serious effects on blood glucose control.
For safety first in the cost-wise kitchen, pay attention to “sell by” and “use by” dates on the canned, jarred, and packaged foods you purchase. Safe food storage is essential. Store flour and grains in airtight containers and your canned goods in a cool area. Your refrigerator should be set at 40°F or below, while your freezer should be 0°F or colder. When putting away your groceries, keep these additional safety tips in mind:
Eat canned and jarred goods with a high acid content (tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple) within 18 months. Canned foods with a low acid content-meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables-will keep for 2-5 years.
Use eggs within three weeks of the expiration date, and keep them refrigerated at all times.
Refrigerate fresh poultry or fish for no more than two days after you buy it. If it won’t be used within two days, freeze it. Other fresh meats will keep in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
A food that has been cooked, served, and refrigerated within two hours can be stored safely in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. In the freezer, most planned-overs will store well for 2-3 months.
When you store planned-overs, divide the food among small containers so that it will cool quickly. Label your storage containers with the food’s name and the date it was prepared so that you’ll know which items to use first.
Defrost planned-over batches of frozen foods thoroughly before cooking them. It is best not to go directly from freezer to oven, because bacteria may thrive in the center of a frozen food as the edges begin to cook. It is not safe to defrost food on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Try to plan ahead to thaw your frozen dishes safely in the refrigerator.
Use your microwave to defrost before cooking only if you will be cooking your dish immediately afterward. Microwave defrosting often cooks parts of the food, and storing partly cooked food can lead to bacteria buildup.
BAGGING THE BARGAIN:
One Week’s Sample Menus for $7 a Day—or Less!
DAY 1 (4.19)
Breakfast
1 cup sliced strawberries ($0.84)
1 6-oz container no sugar added, fat-free yogurt ($0.40)
2 Golden Applesauce Muffins ($0.24)*
1 cup hot tea ($0.04)
Lunch
2 cups Favorite Vegetable Soup ($0.90)*
6 saltine crackers ($0.06)
1 medium banana ($0.04) 1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)
Dinner
1 Grilled Asian Pork Kabob ($0.98)*
1 cup Crunchy Oriental Coleslaw ($0.22)*
1 serving Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake ($0.17)*
12 oz iced tea ($0.04)
Snack
3/4 oz pretzels (about 7-8 large pretzel twists) ($0.06)
8 oz sugar-free lemonade ($0.04)
DAY 2 ($3.61)
Breakfast
1 serving Hearty Oatmeal for One ($0.64)*
1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)
Lunch
2/3 cup cooked spaghetti noodles ($0.04)
1/2 cup Spunky Spaghetti Sauce ($0.44)*
1 serving Quick Garlic Buns ($0.06)*
2 cups chopped lettuce & tomato ($0.48) 1 Tbsp olive oil and vinegar ($0.06)
1 Chocolate Peanut Butter Drop ($0.06)*
12 oz iced tea ($0.04)
Dinner
3 oz Golden Roasted Turkey Breast ($0.37)*
1 cup Carrots, Onions, and Potatoes ($0.30)*
1/2 cup Southern-Style Green Beans ($0.25)*
1 roll ($0.11)
1 tsp light margarine ($0.01)
1 Pumpkin Bar ($0.13)*
1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)
Snack
1 medium apple ($0.30)
DAY 3 ($5.48)
Breakfast
1 scrambled egg ($0.06)
2 slices whole-wheat toast ($0.10) 2 tsp light margarine ($0.02)
2 tsp 100% fruit spread ($0.09)
1 cup Berry and Banana Blend ($0.61)*
Lunch (Fast Food)
1 small chili with 4 crackers ($0.99)
1 side salad with 1 packet light dressing ($0.99)
1 small diet soda ($1.09)
Dinner
1 cup Sunday Afternoon Split Pea Soup ($0.29)*
1 serving Gran’s Country-Style Corn Bread ($0.08)*
1 Personal Fruit Parfait ($0.77)*
1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)
Snack
3 cups air-popped popcorn ($0.04) with
2 tsp light margarine, melted ($0.02)
12 oz diet soda ($0.17)
DAY 4 ($4.46)
Breakfast
3/4 cup bran flake cereal ($0.06) with
1/2 cup fat-free milk ($0.08)
1 English muffin ($0.17) with
2 tsp reduced-calorie margarine ($0.02) and
2 tsp 100% fruit spread ($0.09)
1 cup coffee ($0.04)
Lunch
1 turkey sandwich: 2 oz leftover Golden Roasted Turkey Breast*
on 2 slices whole-wheat bread with 1 tsp mustard ($0.35)
1/2 cup Sassy Sweet Potato Chips ($0.16)*
1 cup carrot and celery sticks ($0.10) with
2 Tbsp fat-free ranch-style dressing ($0.12)
1 medium apple ($0.30)
12 oz diet soda ($0.17)
Dinner
1 serving Beef and Broccoli Stroganoff ($1.69)*
Sliced tomato and cucumber (1/2 small tomato,
1/4 medium cucumber) ($0.24) with
1 Tbsp Versatile Vinaigrette ($0.12)*
1 slice French bread ($0.06) with
1 tsp reduced-calorie margarine ($0.01)
1 Rainbow Parfait ($0.40)*
12 oz iced tea ($0.04)
Snack
1/2 cup fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding ($0.24)
DAY 5 ($3.64)
Breakfast
1 slice Cinnamon French Toast ($0.07)*
1 tsp light margarine ($0.01)
1 Tbsp maple syrup ($0.05)
2 slices turkey bacon ($0.16)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice ($0.06)
Lunch
1 Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich ($0.72)*
1 oz baked tortilla chips ($0.28)
1/2 cup mandarin oranges canned in juice ($0.16)
12 oz diet soda ($0.17)
Dinner
1 serving Marilyn’s Spicy “Fried” Chicken ($0.50)*
1 serving Green Bean Stir-Fry ($0.48)*
1 medium ear corn on the cob ($0.22) with
1 tsp light margarine ($0.01)
1 serving Spiced Raisin Bread Pudding ($0.23)*
12 oz iced tea ($0.04)
Snack
1 cup Do-It-Yourself Drinkable Yogurt ($0.48)*
DAY 6 ($3.75)
Breakfast
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice ($0.20)
1 serving Cinnamon Coffeecake ($0.28)*
1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)
Lunch
1 Southwestern Chicken Wrap-Up ($0.38)*
1 medium pear ($0.43)
1 cup Apple-Raspberry Tea Sparkler ($0.18)*
Dinner
3 oz Seasoned Pan-Fried Catfish ($0.80)*
1/2 cup Crunchy Oriental Coleslaw ($0.11)*
1/2 cup Garden Vegetable Scramble ($0.46)*
1 roll ($0.11) with
1 tsp reduced-calorie margarine ($0.01)
1 serving Simple Strawberry Shortcake ($0.35)*
Snack
1 leftover Golden Applesauce Muffin ($0.12)*
1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)
DAY 7 ($3.79)
Breakfast
1 cup tomato juice ($0.30)
1 serving Eggs in a Basket ($0.16)*
2 slices turkey bacon ($0.16)
Lunch
1 cup leftover Sunday Afternoon Split Pea Soup ($0.29)*
6 saltine crackers ($0.06)
1 slice fat-free American cheese ($0.15)
1 serving leftover Simple Strawberry Shortcake ($0.35)*
1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)
Dinner
1 1/2 cups Tempting Turkey Pot Pie ($0.64)*
2 cups lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and carrot salad ($0.48) 2 tablespoons Versatile Vinaigrette ($0.24)*
1 Banana-Split Parfait ($0.60)*
12 oz iced tea ($0.04)
Snack
1 cup Tropical Slushy ($0.16)*
*Recipe included in this book.
THE “QUICK SIX” CASSEROLE PLAN
Looking for a quick and easy way to plan an inexpensive, yet healthful meal? Use the “Quick Six” casserole plan, a way to mix and match basic ingredients for added variety and economical eating. Ideas range from a classic chicken casserole built around chicken soup, broccoli, rice, chicken, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs to a vegetarian casserole made from Italian-style diced tomatoes, yellow squash, olives, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and mozzarella cheese.
1. Choose one sauce-maker 1 can (10 3/4 oz) reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup, undiluted 1 can (10 3/4 oz) reduced-fat cream of celery soup, undiluted 1 can (10 3/4 oz) reduced-fat cream of chicken soup, undiluted 1 can (10 3/4 oz) cheddar cheese soup, undiluted 1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of potato soup, undiluted 2 cans (14 3/4 oz) Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
2. Choose one frozen vegetable 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 package (10 oz) frozen cut broccoli, thawed 1 package (10 oz) frozen French-style green beans, thawed 1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed 1 package (16 oz) frozen sliced yellow squash, thawed 1 package (10 oz) frozen whole kernel corn, thawed 1 package (10 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
3. Choose one pasta/rice/potato 2 cups cooked elbow macaroni 1 cup uncooked rice 4 cups uncooked cholesterol-free wide egg noodles 3 cups uncooked medium pasta shells 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
4. Choose one meat/fish/poultry 2 cans (6 oz each) water-packed solid white tuna, drained and flaked 2 cups chopped cooked chicken 2 cups chopped cooked ham 2 cups chopped cooked turkey 1 lb lean ground turkey or beef, browned and drained
5. Choose one or more extras (optional) 1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup shredded carrot 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 can (4 1/2 oz) chopped green chili peppers 1 package (1 1/4 oz) taco seasoning mix
6. Choose one or two toppings 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded 2% milk reduced-fat mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded low-fat Swiss cheese 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded low-fat cheddar cheese 1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs 1/2 cup dry stuffing mix 1/2 cup crushed cornflake cereal
Combine one sauce-maker with 1 cup low-fat sour cream, 1 cup low-fat milk, 1 cup water, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper (omit sour cream and milk when using tomatoes). Stir in the frozen vegetable, pasta/rice/potato, meat/fish/poultry, and any extras. Spoon the mixture into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with a topping. Bake the casserole covered at 350°F for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 12 servings.
Money $aving Tip
To save yourself more money, recycle the plastic plates from commercial microwaveable frozen dinners to use for preparing your meals.
