Christine Dabney wrote:

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.


Yes stirfrys, stews and soups are more frequent than roasts or chops. A
roast would be accompanied by starches and vegetables. A large pork chop
is pounded into a schnitzel, breaded and fried to form portions for two.
A whole chicken provides several meals, again with accompaniments and
the bones etc made into soup. A plate full of rice or noodles is topped
with a little meat for flavouring.

The other things on the plate are the important bits while the meat is a
garnish. Then of course we aren't counting fish in this equation, which
usually constitutes one small portion a week.

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.

Exactly. It's tiresome at first but then becomes fun.

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...

Strawberries are starting out cheaper here too.


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.

Those are the markets with the best values. People who appreciate good
food shop there for the food rather than to be seen.

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.

Jealous again LOL. Can you FedEx me some

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

LOL yes we won't discuss those in an open newsgroup.

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....

Yes used to shop at Jon's further south. They were always decent. Got
posole? Still not too late in the season to make some. Or else green
chile stew. Pork curry of whatever ethnicity you like? Noodles topped
with stir-fried pork? Cha siu bao? Pork kebabs?


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

Christine

Good luck!