It was funny....as I was pondering writing an article dedicated to soup, I was half-listening to the "Armchair Survivalist" radio show (Sunday, 5 p.m. Eastern time, Oracle Broadcasting Network and shortwave), and in one short segment, Kurt mentioned stretching your food dollar with soup. Or rather, adding ingredients to a can of soup to stretch it in order to feed many people.
I know about stretching the food dollar...I'm the mother of a ravenous teenager. They say that teenagers eat 150% of the average male adult...mine is capable of eating 400% (and he's still slender, too. His father was the same way as a teen.)
Stretching your food dollar can come in several ways.
The first is having your own vegetable garden. You heard me....having your own vegetable garden. My kids have eaten salads since they were eating solid food, and even the picky eater will still quickly gobble them down. Home grown zucchini, lightly stir fried with a steak seasoning mix, is a family favorite. Veggies, full of good fiber, add a lot of bulk to little bellies...and lots of nutrition on top of that.
The next comes the carbs. I know...we have been somehow led to believe that carbs, rather than sitting on our fat asses and eating MSG smothered deep fried potato chips, is the enemy of looking slim and trim. And I'm sure many of you have heard your mothers say, "Don't fill up on bread" while out at a nice restaurant. Its all bull. You need carbohydrates to fuel your body. Not to mention that carbohydrates provide part of the protein your muscles need.
Home made bread vs. store bought bread full of chemicals. Baked potatoes vs. potato chips. Real rice vs. minute rice. Corn bread vs. fried corn chips...trust me, its the way you eat the carbs that is the enemy...not the carbs themselves. Kurt Wilson mentioned that soup can be beefed up by adding potatoes to it. Add some home-made bread to the side. Make fajitas or home-made burritos and fatten them up with real rice.
Soup is another great way to stretch the food dollar. Every study done shows that soup is far more satisfying (in other words, you feel like you are full) than the individual ingredients and a glass of water alone. It is also more nutritious...any nutrition leaked during the cooking process stays in the liquid. Home made soups are far superior tasting to canned ones. Make up a large batch....you can always freeze or can any extra to have for later. If you are worried about the MSG in boullion cubes, there are MSG-free versions out there that are just as good. There are also vegan versions of boullion cubes in several flavors...I can't vouch for their taste, as I haven't tried our "no-beef" boullion yet.
Beans have also been mentioned as a way to stretch the food dollar....they are certainly less expensive than meat, although they (along with a carb) provide the same protein nutrition. You can find clever ways to add beans to your diet...however, if you are not use to beans, I would start introducing them slowly. It does no good to your gastro-intestinal tract or your pallet to suddenly change your diet drastically.
There are clever and nutritious ways to beef up your food dollar. Try a few...your wallet will thank you.
I know about stretching the food dollar...I'm the mother of a ravenous teenager. They say that teenagers eat 150% of the average male adult...mine is capable of eating 400% (and he's still slender, too. His father was the same way as a teen.)
Stretching your food dollar can come in several ways.
The first is having your own vegetable garden. You heard me....having your own vegetable garden. My kids have eaten salads since they were eating solid food, and even the picky eater will still quickly gobble them down. Home grown zucchini, lightly stir fried with a steak seasoning mix, is a family favorite. Veggies, full of good fiber, add a lot of bulk to little bellies...and lots of nutrition on top of that.
The next comes the carbs. I know...we have been somehow led to believe that carbs, rather than sitting on our fat asses and eating MSG smothered deep fried potato chips, is the enemy of looking slim and trim. And I'm sure many of you have heard your mothers say, "Don't fill up on bread" while out at a nice restaurant. Its all bull. You need carbohydrates to fuel your body. Not to mention that carbohydrates provide part of the protein your muscles need.
Home made bread vs. store bought bread full of chemicals. Baked potatoes vs. potato chips. Real rice vs. minute rice. Corn bread vs. fried corn chips...trust me, its the way you eat the carbs that is the enemy...not the carbs themselves. Kurt Wilson mentioned that soup can be beefed up by adding potatoes to it. Add some home-made bread to the side. Make fajitas or home-made burritos and fatten them up with real rice.
Soup is another great way to stretch the food dollar. Every study done shows that soup is far more satisfying (in other words, you feel like you are full) than the individual ingredients and a glass of water alone. It is also more nutritious...any nutrition leaked during the cooking process stays in the liquid. Home made soups are far superior tasting to canned ones. Make up a large batch....you can always freeze or can any extra to have for later. If you are worried about the MSG in boullion cubes, there are MSG-free versions out there that are just as good. There are also vegan versions of boullion cubes in several flavors...I can't vouch for their taste, as I haven't tried our "no-beef" boullion yet.
Beans have also been mentioned as a way to stretch the food dollar....they are certainly less expensive than meat, although they (along with a carb) provide the same protein nutrition. You can find clever ways to add beans to your diet...however, if you are not use to beans, I would start introducing them slowly. It does no good to your gastro-intestinal tract or your pallet to suddenly change your diet drastically.
There are clever and nutritious ways to beef up your food dollar. Try a few...your wallet will thank you.
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