Stretching

Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial tumbled 500 points. Gas prices are up, in part, because ol' Ike disrupted oil production along the Gulf Coast. Food costs are spiking. Jobs are disappearing overseas. Our homes are being devalued, people are defaulting on their mortgages and racking up enormous credit card debt. How are we to make ends meet?

I don't have all the answers. Heck, I'm a writer and gardener, not an economist. But I pay attention, I follow financial news. I look at the macro and the micro of it all. I can't make a huge difference in the big picture, but as the manager of the finances within my household, I have learned ways to stretch our greenbacks. Green ways to feed our family without stressing the planet. Since my readership attracts novice greenies and well-seasoned ecofolks alike, I'll keep it simple and inclusive.

First, I find quick and simple recipes online or in my cookbooks, enough for a full week of dinners. Streamlining works best for me, so I try to pick recipes that call for many of the same ingredients. Then I write out my shopping list and hit the stores. I won't recommend specific stores, because they differ market-by-market, region-by-region. But my approach is to shop at some big box place for certain staples -- rice, pasta, bread, etc. More esoteric items, like tempeh or Shoya (soy sauce), and castille soap are found at specialty and health food stores. Produce is a bit tricky. Sometimes the organic stuff is only located at the specialty places, sometimes it's wedged in a corner at the supermarket. If you have access to a farmers' market or CSA, go that route. My goal is to pick up enough items to last 7-10 days, and I must finish all the shopping on one day.

I get creative with my leftovers. I substitute this for that, and discover a whole new recipe. Last week I made Lentil Carrot Veggie Burgers. This week, I tweaked it a bit. Instead of tomato paste I added tomato sauce (basil and onion flavor.) I also added spinach, cooked and chopped, to the lentil-y, carrot-y mix. Hmm, I just re-read the recipe and realized I made all sorts of changes. LOL. Oh well, it was delicious and nutritious, simple and fun to make. Last week I served them with Oven-Fried Potato Chips. I modified that, too, by using Toasted Sesame Oil in lieu of butter. After removing the pan from the oven I sprinkled grated parmesan cheese over the chips. Yummy. This week I served the burgers with spaghetti drizzled with olive oil and garlic-stuffed olives. I still have about 3 cups of cooked lentils and 2-3 cups of cooked black beans to work my -- ahem -- magic.

Dry beans and grains in bulk really help to stretch our budget. Inexpensive, versatile, and healthy, not to mention planet-friendly. Match them up with some locally grown veggies, fruits and herbs, and you have yourself a good ol' sustainable dinner. Yeehaw.