Using up all the
food in the fridge and not letting any food go to waste is the number one way
my family saves money.
Today, I
noticed I had a jar of chickpeas that I thawed out mid-week to use for a
chocolate chickpea cake, which by the way was sooo good! The chickpeas went undetected and
made the cake very moist. I took the remaining cup of chickpeas, still in the
fridge, drizzled some extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled a few of my favorite
spices on the beans, and then toasted them in the oven until they were golden
brown and crispy. I left them out on the table to munch on, and they quickly
disappeared.
Aside from
not letting my food go to waste, here are a few other ways my family saves
money on food:
1.
I
keep all my leftovers in glass jars. I do this to avoid plastic, but also
because I can easily see exactly what I have in the fridge. I keep all my leftovers
on the top shelf right at eye level. This helps remind me to use up whatever I
have left.
2.
I
do a quick check and reorganization of the fridge before I go shopping to see
what I have. I make my list based on what I have in the fridge and my meal plan
for the week. Sticking to the list helps
to avoid impulse buys.
3.
We
do “leftover meals” to help clean out the fridge. I throw everything into a pan
and add a favorite sauce, or a fried egg on top.
4.
I
buy from the bulk section so I can get the exact amount I need. This helps a
lot, especially for the expensive spices where the recipe only calls for a
small amount.
5.
I
shop on line at Vitacost and wait for the 20% off coupon which is offered monthly.
6.
I
take extra steps to make my own food when time allows. I save a bit of money by buying dried
beans and then cooking them in big batches and freezing them. I keep a couple
cans in my pantry in case I haven’t planned ahead, but cooking them up myself is
a big savings. I avoid buying
pre-packaged snacks when I can (power balls, trail mix, bars, canned salmon
etc.). I enjoy cooking and getting creative in the kitchen, so taking the time
to make most of my meals from scratch versus buying packaged foods saves us a
lot of money.
7.
Following the EWG’s dirty dozen and clean 15
list of produce can also be helpful in saving money. I personally buy organic
whenever I can but if your budget doesn’t allow for that, this resource is a
great way to save money.
8.
We
drink water mostly so we save money on juice and sugary drinks.
Roasted
Chickpeas
Here is a rough recipe. I imagine there are many different combination of spices that are equally delicious!
Ingredients:
2 cups of
cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons
of extra virgin olive oil
a couple
pinches of sea salt
cumin
garlic powder
chili powder
Instructions:
1.
Preheat
the oven to 450 F.
2.
Pat
chickpeas dry with a paper towel.
3.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
4.
Spread
out the chickpeas on a tray.
5.
Cook
for about 35 to 40 minutes.
6.
Stir
occasionally.
7.
Make
sure to keep an eye on them as all ovens are a little different and you don’t
want them to burn.
8.
Take
them out when they are golden and crispy.
Enjoy!
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