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January
6, 2005
Prairie
Fare: Taming the Food Preparation, Time and Money Crunch
By
Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service
The cookies have been
eaten, wreaths and trees have come down, twinkling lights are now dim
and crumpled wrapping paper went out with the trash. Holiday merchandise
is marked “clearance.” The bustling holiday season officially
is over. For many, bills have begun to arrive.
After all the activity,
it may be easier to eat out instead of cook an evening meal. Dining out
for lunch may be more enticing than packing leftovers. Having a daily
cup of gourmet coffee at the coffeehouse may seem like a good plan, too.
Finances are on the
minds of many at this time of the year. If you’re part of the 80-million-strong
Baby Boomer generation born between 1946 and 1964, you may face the dual
role of caring for aging parents while raising children and/or paying
college tuition.
According to a national
retirement planning survey conducted in 1999, 15 percent of boomers were
saving nothing. A little more than a third were saving for retirement.
This adds up to busy
families who may have financial concerns. They may be in a time crunch,
too. Many boomers turn to convenience foods or eating out as a way to
stretch their time. Fast foods and convenience foods may seem like a quick
option, but they often are high in fat, calories and sodium. They’re
often more expensive, too.
While this is a nutrition
and health column, not a financial column, the two topics are intertwined.
Food purchasing decisions can have a major impact on your cash supply,
time and, of course, long-term health. Regardless of your “generation,”
here are some questions to consider as you stretch food dollars and time
in the coming year:
- If you work outside
the home, do you bring your lunch to work? At $5 and up for a lunch,
your workday tab is about $100 a month or $1,200 per year. You could
slash that in half by bringing a sandwich from home.
- Do you regularly
have a cup of gourmet coffee, like coffee mocha? At $2 or more per cup
five times per week, that adds up to $40 per month or $480 per year.
A “treat” of one cup per week would cut your cost to about
$100 per year. It will trim some calories, too.
- How often do you
eat out? Food in restaurants is often three times the cost of food eaten
at home. Ka-ching.
- How often do you
write a shopping list before going to the grocery store? Without a list,
it’s easy to buy items impulsively.
- Is our kitchen
stocked with healthy staples? It’s a good idea to have the ingredients
on hand for quick meals like pasta and prepared spaghetti sauce.
- Do you buy fruits
and vegetables in season? For both quality and cost, it’s best
to buy in season and turn to other forms, such as canned and frozen,
during the off-season.
- Do you plan your
menus or peer into your cupboards at the end of the day wondering what
to cook? Check out our online publication, “Eating Well While
Spending Less,” at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/nutrition1i.htm
for advice on saving money while investing in nutritious meals.
- Do you share meal
preparation with other family members? Teaching children food preparation
skills will serve them well in years to come.
Here’s a quick
and nutritious recipe from the Extension program at Purdue University.
To save preparation time later, chop vegetables during the previous meal
preparation.
30-Minute Minestrone Soup
2 medium carrots,
chopped
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups water
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian stewed or diced tomatoes, undrained
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup cooked elbow macaroni
1/4 teaspoon pepper
In a 3-quart saucepan,
sauté carrots, cabbage, celery, onion and garlic in oil for 5
minutes. Add water, tomatoes and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in macaroni and pepper; heat through.
Makes 5 servings.
Each serving has 88 calories, 14 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams
of fat.
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Source:
Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu
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