Read an Excerpt
Healthy Meals for Less
By Jonni McCoy Bethany House Publishers
Copyright © 2009 Jonni McCoy
All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7642-0710-5
Introduction
Why This Cookbook Is Different "Your ideals are well within your reach." -Ancient Chinese proverb
When I first embarked on my frugal lifestyle, we found most of the extra savings we needed to pay other bills within the grocery budget. We were able to reduce our food bill by more than half! Part of that reduction was through smarter shopping techniques. In my book Miserly Moms, I explain in great detail how to shop differently in order to reduce your grocery spending. I don't want to repeat those tips here, but rather encourage you to read Miserly Moms to learn to stretch your dollar.
Nevertheless, shopping is only part of the way to save grocery money. The other part is to modify the menu. Both things need to be done in order to accomplish a maximum reduction in grocery spending. After all, how can we save money if we have steak several times per week? We need new recipes that call for simple ingredients but still provide an appealing and healthy meal to the family.
That last part of my goal is what this book is really all about. When people hear that I shop and cook frugally, they often assume that our meals are high in carbohydrates, low in protein, andhigh in fat. It saddens me that there are such misconceptions out there about inexpensive meals.
I want to report that these assumptions don't have to be true, and I will provide numerous examples and options to support my position. This book includes over two hundred recipes that offer several features that no other cookbook offers:
Each recipe costs $1 or less per serving. The cost per serving is indicated on each recipe page.
Each recipe has been tested by a chef to make sure the recipe is written correctly, the servings are accurate, and the flavor is tasty.
Each recipe is nutritious (according to RDA standards) and is backed up by a detailed nutritional analysis.
Each recipe offers a preparation time estimate as well as a cook time estimate.
Each recipe is easy to make. No tricky maneuvers or tools are needed.
Each recipe page offers a kitchen tip on varying subjects of interest to a chef.
Chapter 1, "The Miserly Kitchen," explains these features in greater detail. I have also included some nutritional information that I felt was important to keep your family healthy. Page through the information in "The Miserly Kitchen," read some of the Kitchen Tips, and take a look at the charts at the end of the book to see how you can make your kitchen a more effective place.
Use these recipes as a springboard for your own creative ideas. Perhaps you can change a few of your family's favorite meals to make them healthier and cost less. Perhaps you can branch out and add a few vegetarian meals that everyone will love and benefit from, health wise as well as financially. These recipes are our family's favorites. You may notice the lack of pork recipes. That is because my family doesn't like the taste of pork, and no other reason. You can substitute pork for the beef or chicken called for in many of the recipes.
Many of us are frugal in our cooking because we need that extra grocery money somewhere else; others have a financial goal they are trying to meet and need every extra dime. Regardless of your reasons for reducing your grocery budget, let my recipes be a tool to saving you money for some other goal. Let your frugal cooking be an enhancement to your family's budget, not a frustration.
Bon appetit!
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Excerpted from Healthy Meals for Less by Jonni McCoy Copyright © 2009 by Jonni McCoy. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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