Money - 6 Ways to Eat Better for Less

Times are bad and food prices are rising. How can we cook for less? People are moving away from steak and using ground beef. They're moving away from salmon and looking to tilapia, a cheaper fish. Recipes for less-expensive dishes, such as casseroles and chili, have also surged in popularity.



Those cooking trends reflect the fact that food prices are rising faster than a cheese soufflé. But cooking experts say that with the right ingredients and recipes, affordable and tasty meals are just a grocery list away. They offer these six tips:

Plan ahead - Shopping with specific meals in mind for the week ahead makes it easier to buy in bulk and repurpose ingredients, turning Sunday night's roast chicken into Monday night's enchiladas. A lot of folks get in trouble when they don't plan ahead. The day takes longer than expected, and they're ordering out or reaching for ready-made meals, and those are very expensive, The more you can cook from scratch, the further your dollar can stretch.

Do it yourself - Instead of buying a package of grated cheese, buy a chunk and grate it yourself, We pay for the convenience of all these things. Same goes for other ingredients.

Rediscover eggs and beans - Even though the price of eggs has gone up, they're still cheap compared with meat, On the same note, a simple dinner of black beans and rice—plus chopped onion, olive oil, seasonings, and shredded cheese can make dinner for two for under $5.

Go meatless - Cooking vegetarian meals often is a good way to save money. Spaghetti and Indian-style chickpeas recipe are packed with flavour without relying on meat.

Reinvent leftovers - Extra rice can go into a fried rice dish the following night, "That's one of my favorite cheap and good meals, just add celery, bell peppers, shallots.
Certain dishes, such as lasagna, chili, and soups, also are easily made in large quantities that can be frozen or eaten throughout the week.

Use what's in the fridge - Home cooks stuck with extra eggplant or flounder can avoid wasting food by using websites to search for dishes based on the ingredients they have at home. Favourite inexpensive recipe, spaghetti carbonara uses eggs, pasta, garlic, bacon, and other ingredients that are often on hand. "It has lots of flavour, and it's easy to make.