On Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:03:10 -0600, Arri London
wrote:

cshenk wrote:

Obviously learning new techniques in cooking can go a long way to
reducing food bills. A thick steak is more expensive than an equal
weight of a cheaper cut of beef/pork cooked in a soup or stew. Fill
those out with breads or dumplings to make a full meal.

Yup! Great way to get the cholestrol down is to start looking at meat as
more of a condiment to a dish.

Exactly. The two of us eat a pound or less of meat in a week. Bacon is a
'treat' for weekends only.

How do you do that? I mean, how is the meat/whatever cooked? Is it
mixed in a stirfry,or stew, or what? I am interested in this.
There's more of course!

;-) Thanks for the splendid ideas!

LOL my pleasure. Shopping and eating cheap is a science with me as well
as a game.

Same for me. I am fascinated by the notion that one doesn't have to
spend a lot of money to eat well. I KNOW it can be done. And done
well. And it does become a game to see how well one can do..and how
creative one can be.

I spent more today than I usually do, but I just went to a local
farmers market. I was ogling the vegetables and some beets called out
to me, so I bought some. Strawberries are starting to be really good
here...and prices are down. I bought a 3 pack of strawberries that
are red throughout and juicy and sweet. First strawberries of the
year for me!!! And I got some fresh eggs...just a half carton. And
some lemons...

So much wonderful stuff..but I need to figure out now what I want to
cook..and maybe hit up another market tomorrow, since I know what is
in season around here now. That way, I think I can budget for the
week.. Yes, it is more expensive to buy from farmers markets..but oh
the produce!!! Fortunately, this wasn't a really yuppie market...but
a good down to earth one...with a lot of ethnic diversity in the
people showing up there. So prices do tend to be lower than the
tonier markets like the Santa Monica ones.

The area where I am staying here in this area is not upper class by
any means. When I tell folks where I am staying ..they seem
astonished. Seems like this area has a mixed reputation. However,
there are so great little markets hereabouts.. One called Seafood
City, which caters to Filipinos. Great seafood counter...I am
thinking that it might be nice to pick up some good seafood this week
from there. Prices are very good.

And not too far from me, is a Korean market..with incredible produce
prices. Some interesting things in their meat counter...

And there is a supermarket chain in parts of this great L.A.
area...called Jons. Jons is having some great sales this week. They
are the market that has the boneless, skinless chicken legs...They are
on sale there this week... And they also have on sale pork stew meat:
that is trying to call my name for some reason. Not sure what I might
cook with it....

Let the games (eating well on a budget!) begin!!!

Christine