Cookbooks for fast, easy, cheap and nutritious meals! People are trying to get their budgets under control in this rough economy. Financial planners say most people have to trim 10 to 15% off their overspending to stay within their budget. The food budget is a great place to start because there are so many opportunities to cut expenses. The Envelope System, popular years ago, was the budgeting system where you filled envelopes with cash allotted to various expenses right down to the last penny. Now is the time to bring that system back for at least your grocery shopping. Shop with cash when you shop for groceries and do not take a lot of extra cash with you. And if you have cash left over, you can even transfer that cash into an envelope for a vacation and watch that fund grow. Returning to the basics can be a refreshing comfort in hectic times. For more information on family budgets see books with the call number of 332.024.
The special collection in the Reference Department for April is on cookbooks for fast, easy and cheap meals that can also be nutritious. Plan at least one vegetarian meal a week. "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals: 150 Easy, Wholesome, and Delicious Soups, Stews, Casseroles, Stir-Fries, Pasta, Rice Dishes, Chilis and More" has many recipes that are fast and nutritious too. Always check the weekly grocery ads from the newspaper and plan all of your meals and create a shopping list from what is on sale. If it is a really good deal then buy in multiples. Use the book: "Big Food: Amazing Ways to Cook, Store, Freeze, and Serve Everything You Buy in Bulk" for methods handling leftovers. "Once-a-month Cooking: A Proven System For Spending Less Time In The Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Every Day" is also a great method to plan meals ahead of time. The Agriculture Department forecasts meats will drive up food inflation. This means there will be less meat on the retail market and at higher prices. It will be important to check the price per pound on meat items. Your crock pot is great for cooking less expensive cuts of meat because the long cooking time at low heat will tenderize the meat. The low temperature also keeps the meat from shrinking so much. "Cook Once Eat Twice: Slow Cooker Recipes: Meal 1 Tonight, Meal 2 Tomorrow" has ideals on using smaller portions of meat that you have bought in bulk. Households not accustomed to home cooking may have to make a small investment in kitchen equipment and ingredients that can help speed up food preparation and will remain useful long after the economy has improved. In Rachel Ray's, "Express Lane Meals: What to Keep On Hand, What to Buy Fresh for the Easiest-ever 30 Minute Meals" has lists of what to keep on hand in your pantry, refrigerator and spice rack. The "Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen" has recommendations for the right kitchen "tools" needed for a well-equipped kitchen from pots and pans to knives to appliances plugged and unplugged. Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo, who studied families in a program for overweight children, found that basing the family diet on a low-calorie, high nutrient foods not only improved the health of the entire family but also reduced the amount of money spent on food. Look for these books on healthy cooking: the "Woman's Day Cookbook for Healthy Living" and "Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008" along with "Whole Grains: Every Day, Every Way."
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