Tip from a Member

10 Cooking Tips to Help Save $$

• Cook batches - If you have time over the weekend, make large quantities of your favorite dinners. Set aside enough to serve the next night, and freeze additional batches for days when dinner's a rush. (Freeze promptly so teenagers don't polish off the extras…) Florentine Brunch Casserole and Beef Tamale Bake are easy to make and freeze.

• Go meatless a few days a week - You'll save money and reap health benefits, too. Try Creamy One-Pot Pasta or Portobello, Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Pizza.

• If you do buy meat… buy the tougher cuts, which are less expensive, and stew, roast or marinate to tenderize and add more flavor. Try Balsamic-Glazed Strip Steaks or Chipotle-Rubbed Beef Filets.

• Use whole grains - Brown rice and quinoa are delicious and nutritious in their own right, but you can also use them in Quinoa Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms and Leeks and Harvest Brown Rice Salad.

• Buy beans - Dried or canned legumes like white beans, chickpeas, and lentils are an inexpensive way to add protein to your diet. You can use them to make a tasty pot of chili go farther, or you can make a salad topping by combining white beans with some extra-virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, and crushed red pepper. Try Hearty Oven Chili or the Hearty Six-Can Chili recipes.

• Make a pot of soup - Easy, nutritious, filling, and inexpensive soup is the ultimate money-stretcher. Throw in leftover veggies or protein, pasta or rice, and lentils or beans. Try Roasted Tomato & Barley Soup or Italian Meatball Soup. Add a side of crusty whole-wheat bread, and it's a meal.

• Boost salad - A simple salad dressed up with easy additions such as cold roast chicken, shrimp, ham, or chunks of tuna can be an entrée rather than a side. Try Deluxe Cheeseburger Salad or "The Works" Baked Potato Salad

• Experiment with herbs - Fresh herbs add a flavor boost to any dish. If you find you have extras, whip up a quick sauce or pesto for use later in the week. Sautéed Halibut with Citrus-Basil Sauce is a great way to use basil, and you can experiment with Basil-Walnut Pesto to brighten up pastas, soups, and even sandwiches.

• Make your own snacks - You can reduce your food bill by reducing your snacking. Packaged snacks are expensive, often loaded with sugar and fat, and full of chemicals you can't even pronounce. If you're a compulsive snacker, switch to homemade treats such as Game Day Party Mix Another good choice? Moroccan Hummus is a dip-with-a-kick for dunking baby carrots or pepper slices.

• Employ leftovers quickly - Don't push leftovers to the no-man's-land at the back of the fridge. Make sure you use them promptly, either for lunch or another dinner. Turn leftover 30-Minute Chicken into Barbecue Chicken & Onion Pizza and leftover turkey into Turkey Vegetable Cobbler.

Want to know where to find these recipes? You can find them in the following Pampered Chef cookbooks and product use and care cards:

• All the Best, It’s Good for You, Season’s Best Spring/Summer 2008, Grill It Quick! Recipe Collection, Spin on Salads, 29 Minutes to Dinner, More Stoneware Sensations, Smooth Edge Can Opener Use and Care Card, Colander & Bowl Set Use and Care Card, Hooked on Fish Recipe Cards, Moroccan Rub Use and Care Card

Ronnie Keels
The Pampered Chef
717-747-0883
www.pamperedchef.biz/Rkeels