The first thing you need to do to
save money on food is take inventory of what you have. Organize the pantry and the
refrigerator so you won't be buying duplicates of stuff you already have....unless it is
on sale and you are stocking up. Next, make a list of what you NEED, not a list of
what you want. Check out the local sales weekly so you can stock up on items at the best
prices. Below is a list of what I consider to be basics in a LC kitchen. Underneath
the actual list are definitions and hints for each item. Look at the list and then
add or remove food items to customize it for your kitchen and your diet, but be aware that
adding exotic herbs and spices, and speciality foods will raise your food bill
considerably. It is up to you to decide what you want to spend your money on, more
meat or more herbs and speciality foods. I will try to make my suggestions a generic
as possible due to the variability in locations and stores and personal lifestyles.
BASIC FOODS FOR A FRUGAL LOW CARB KITCHEN:
THE REMAINING ITEMS ARE NOT REQUIRED, BUT USED FOR OCCASIONAL TREATS. It is nice to have the ingredients on hand if you have to entertain or may need to take a dessert with you somewhere and are worried that you may give in to sugary, starchy sweets.
THESE ITEMS ARE USUALLY NOT KEPT ON HAND BUT CAN BE PURCHASED ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS FOR MAKING THE OCCASIONAL TREATS.
DEFINITIONS AND HINTS FOR THE ABOVE ITEMS: HAMBURGER MEAT: The most frugal and versitile of all meats. I suggest buying two different grades of hamburger. For most of my cooking, I use the lowest grade and that is usually the 70% lean sold in the 5 pound chubs. For years, I wouldn't buy this "fatty" grade but then I learned it is actually the best bargain. ( Thank you Barbara Pollack, creator of WiseCHOice, for that tip. Check out Barbara's web site at Wise CHOice ) Here is why: It really doesn't shrink as much as you think it does. The finished cooked meat will weigh very closely to what the more expensive less fatty burger will weigh. The leaner meats lose weight as water, and tend to have less flavor. The grease that is cooked out of the fattier grade can be saved for cooking and frying or making pemmican. I recommend you have three containers in the refrigerator or freezer for saving grease. More on that later in the cooking and preparation section. You need to buy the leanest of hamburger if you intend to make jerky with the Jerky Works Gun . I have found that I get my best lean hamburger from Sam's Wholesale Club. I pay $1.69 a pound for their extra lean. The price is about $.10 to $.15 below grocery store prices and it seems to be of a much leaner quality. The closest I can get to the quality of Sam's lean costs over $2 in the supermarkets. I buy 10 to 15 pounds at a time and rewrap it in 2 pound packages and freeze. MEAT ON SALE: I don't buy a variety of meat each trip to the store. I will buy what is on sale and fill my freezer. One trip I will buy steaks and another it will be roasts or briskets or pork steaks or ribs or chicken. For example if roasts are on sale for $1.29, I will buy as many as I have money for or as I have room for and put them in my freezer. I will have enough roasts to last until they are on sale again. I usually can find brisket for $.79 or $.99 a pound about 4 times a year. I will buy 3 or 4 each time. I never pay premium price for any meat this way. If you can't find a good meat sale, compare the price per pound of the family size packs verses the individually wrapped pieces. If there is no sale, use the money budgeted for meat to get the large family packs of one or two cuts instead of several cuts of individual pieces. When you get home, divide up the meat into smaller portions and freeze it. For short term freezing, regular plastic wrap works well. Wrap it once overlapping the seams then turn it over and wrap a second layer making the seams this time on the opposite sides. This is good for at least a month in the freezer. If you plan on freezing it longer than that, you will want to wrap it in foil, double wrapped like the plastic wrap with seams overlapping and opposite for the second layer. Be sure to lable the meat if you can't see what it is or you may have several surprise dinners. Blank address labels work well on some plastic wraps. It will take a while to get a variety of meats, but you will always have meat for the best prices this way. TUNA: Buy what is on sale. It is that simple. I have found no difference between national brands and store brands. Some of you are sensitive to the soy oil and if that is the case, then buy the water packed. For most however, the oil won't hurt you. After all we are not on a low fat diet anymore! I have never seen a tuna ad where you don't have the choice of oil or water. For tuna and all canned meats, check out the dollar stores in your area. Most will have tuna for $.49 or less. Tuna is a very important food for LC'ers. Mixed with mayonnaise it is reported to completely control cravings for sweets or treats. SALMON: Canned salmon makes a very frugal meal. This is another item that may be cheaper at the dollar stores. If you are using it to make salmon patties, the chum salmon is fine. If you are using the salmon in a salad or not "doctored" up, you may want to buy the pink or milder flavored grade. Fresh salmon is not frugal in most places. The lowest prices I have seen in years is about $5 a pound. Perhaps in your area it is less expensive, but I live in the desert Southwest without a natural body of water for hundreds of miles. I should mention here that for those who like the taste of mackeral, you can use it as a substitute for salmon in most recipes and it is much cheaper. CHICKEN: This is the second most versital and frugal of meats. Chicken meat is interchangeble in most recipes. If the recipe calls for boneless, skinless, white meat, you can usually exchange thigh meat in the recipe. The only chicken I buy anymore are the 10# bags of hindquarters. When I thaw out a bag of chicken, I can get several meals from that one bag. I usually get it on sale for $.29 or $.39 a pound. The most I pay is $.49 a pound at regular prices. Check out the preparation section to see how to make the most of a 10# bag of chicken. BACON: Watch the sales and you can usually get good quality bacon for around $1 a pound for sliced bacon. I like to keep a little sliced bacon in the freezer for a few recipes that you can find in my preparation section. For everyday bacon use, I can't find a better bargain than the seasoning ends and pieces usually sold in 3# boxes. I have tried two brands and there was a big difference in the taste. You will just have to check out what is available in your area, but if you can find the one in the red and blue box that just says "seasoning bacon ends and pieces," that is the brand that has the best flavor. I found in very small print on the box that it is Wright brand. The pieces are irregular but always fresh and very smoky flavored. We eat this with our eggs and as crumbles in salads and fried with cabbage. I use the sliced for mock rib eyes and quiche. SAUSAGE: I buy a very inexpensive breakfast sausage, but I was careful to read the label. I find it at Walmart for under $1 a pound. Most of the time it is $.68. It has no cereal fillers. The ingredient list is: pork, water, salt, flavorings, sugar. Sugar is the last item on the list and does not contribute a significant amount of carbohydrates to be a problem. The brand is Aberdeen Farm's. EGGS: Eggs are a very inexpensive source of protein. If you watch the sales, you can get a dozen for around $.50 for medium and $.70 for large. For most foods, the medium is your best deal. You may want the large if you are planning on making deviled eggs or carrying boiled eggs in a lunch. That is just a personal preference. Small eggs are never a good bargain unless they are free...:) I won't throw them out if my hens lay a small egg, but for buying, always go with the medium for the best value unless the large are on sale. When you can get eggs at a good price, it is a good idea to stock up with the store limit as long as you have room to refrigerate them. Eggs keep very well. They will keep for over a month if kept cool. When a store has eggs on sale, they are usually really fresh because of the turnover. Occassionally a store will put stale eggs on sale to move them out, but that is not the usual case. LARD: Lard is grease from pork. This is an animal product and much better for you than the hydrogenated vegetable shortenings and more Paleo correct than the corn or soy oils. Store bought lard does have some preservative in it, but is still a much better deal than the other shortenings and oils. I use it when I run out of beef tallow and bacon grease. It is usually less expensive than oils or shortenings. And one more frugal benefit.......it comes in a neat recyclable plastic bucket that when empty, you can use to store your bacon grease and tallow. SPICES: Spices are what you are going to use to keep yourself from getting bored with the same old meats. The basic list includes salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, parsley flakes, Italian seasoning blend, and paprika. I do use real garlic and real onions most of the time, but find there are several uses for the garlic powder(not garlic salt) and onion flakes, particularly tuna salad, deviled eggs, hamburger jerky, and homemade ranch dressing mix. You may want to also get some Morton's Lite Salt to use in the place of regular salt if you are having muscle cramps or need to add potassium to your diet. The best prices on spices seem to be the Spice Classics brand. At my local Walmart, they are around $.80 each. Occasionally you can find spices at the dollar stores, but check the weight. Many times, the weight is low compared to the size of the container. Be aware that spices have carbs. Check your carbohydrate counter or one of the online sources from The Lowcarb Retreat before getting too creative. PRODUCE: The main items from the produce section for a LC'er are cruciferous vegetables. These include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and the broccoflower. It is a good idea to keep celery on hand. Celery makes a good cracker substitue for tuna salad, chicken salad, pimento cheese, and that occasional peanutbutter. I also like to keep lemons or limes. I buy which ever is one sale and use them interchangeably. PORK SKINS: Pork skins are a very tasty and cruchy snack. They come plain, and flavored either as BBQ or Hot and Spicy. The can be used as a cracker substitute, for dipping lowcarb dips, and crushed to be used as a bread crumb replacement in any recipe. There are several brands available. I buy Rudolph's brand at Walmart. They sell for $1.50 for a 6 ounce bag, compared to the other brands that are usually $1.69 for a 3 ounce bag. MAYONNAISE: Buy real mayonnaise, not salad dressing such as Miracle Whip. Real mayonnaise has less sugar and fewer carbohydrates. I buy it by the gallon at Sam's Warehouse for $4.32 . This is used for making meat salads, pimento cheese, and makes a good sauce mixed with horseradish for your beef. PIMENTOS: Pimentos can be an asset for looks and flavor. They are not a necessary item, but I like to keep them on hand. If you can shop a warehouse such as Sam's Club, compare the prices to store prices. I can get 3 jars of pimentos at Sam's for what 2 jars cost in the supermarket. I buy the large jars and freeze what I don't use. Just make sure you use a clean spoon to remove what you need and then replace the lid and set the jar in the freezer. When you need pimentos again, you can remove the lid and set the jar in the microwave for a few seconds and it will be thawed enough. You can refreeze the jar again and again, just make sure you don't get them hot when you thaw them. Mine still have ice crystals in them when I take them out of the microwave. PACE PICANTE
SAUCE: This is used in many recipes and also makes a decent substitute
for catsup with less carbs. Only 1 gram per tablespoon. I buy the 140 ounce
size at Sam's club. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: There are several choices available and what you choose is a personal choice. Remember though, that there may be some problems if you overdo with AS(artificial sweeteners). Some people have health problems associated with aspartame aka Nutrasweet, others may notice an aftertaste with saccharine or stevia. Also, it has been reported over and over that AS may stall weight loss or trigger cravings for some people. The best effect for me seems to be to mix a combination of saccharine and nutrasweet. The two tend to have a synergistic effect and taste more like real sugar when combined. Also remember to count the carbs. Most of the powders have dextrose as a carrier for the actual AS and have an average of one carb per packet. The alternative to counting the carbs is to get one of the liquid brands. Now with that being said, the cheapest AS is usually the store brand whether you prefer aspartame(blue packets) or saccharine(pink packets). There is virtually no difference in the taste of the store brand and the national brands. To learn more about AS go to my links page and read the FAQ. DRY UNFLAVORED GELATIN: One of the national brands is Knox. Many health food stores also carry this in bulk and will sell it for under $3 a pound. If you buy bulk, 1 TBS is equal to one packet of Knox. Even if bulk is not available, Knox is a better choice than buying the already sweetened and flavored gelatins. You can make many different desserts with this. I have a recipe to make your own sugar free gelatin for pennies. DRY UNSWEETENED SOFTDRINK MIX: This is the same thing as unsweetened Kool-Aid. I don't buy Kool-Aid brand. At last price check, Kool-Aid brand was $.20 each and the store brand was $.10. I recently found the Flavor-Aid brand again(used it years ago but it wasn't available for a while) in an assortment package of 12 for $.89 at a discount supermarket. If you can't find a low cost brand at the supermarket, check out the dollar stores. I mix this with the unflavored gelatin to make my sugar free gelatin dessert. COCOA: This is dry cocoa powder for baking, not cocoa mix for hot cocoa. I try to buy my cocoa at Sam's club. The extra large container is about the same price there as a medium one is at the supermarket. I use cocoa in place of unsweetened chocolate in all recipes. To substitute cocoa use 3 tablespoons cocoa and 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate. VANILLA: Now here is one item I won't skimp on. A good quality vanilla is essential to prevent some foods from having an "off" flavor. Make sure you get a vanilla that says real vanilla extract on it, not immitation. Be frugal by comparing cost per ounce when shopping and measuring accurately for your recipes. Someone emailed me with a hint that I haven't tried yet. Split vanilla bean and place it in a small bottle of vodka(cheap will work) and allow to set until dark and strong enough. When you use some, add some more vodka. Use the same bean until the flavor weakens then add a new bean. This person said that she has been using from the same bottle of vanilla beans for a few years. I priced the beans and they run about $5 for 3 or 4 beans but that would be a bargain because that is about the same price as a good large bottle of vanilla. I plan on trying this soon and will post the results. MARGARINE OR BUTTER: In my opinion, it is healthier to use meat grease in place of butter for most cooking. If you absolutely have to have the butter flavor, real butter is the next healthiest choice with margarine as a last resort. I can't tell the difference in store brands and national brands of margarine. If you watch the ads you can usually get the sticks for about $.50 a pound or less. This is one item that stores really well in the freezer. I buy up to 10 pounds at a time when it is on sale. Butter is somewhat more expensive but I have found the store brands to be quiet acceptable. PEANUTBUTTER: We use a lot of peanutbutter in our home. I have found that the store brands usually have a stale or over roasted taste, so I stay with the national brands. If you can find a store brand that you like, it will probably be your best value. Being as frugal as I am, I won't buy something that we won't eat. Find one you like and compare the cost per ounce on the sizes. For the brand I buy, the best price is the 5# can of Peter Pan at Sam's club. Preparation suggestions and a few recipes: I am not going to be redundant here with recipes. I will only post my original recipes or unusually frugal recipes on my recipe page . I will give credit to the originator of the recipe when possible. There are other LC recipe sites that you can reach from my links page. Preparation Basics:Meat Grease: Save all meat grease. You will need at least 3 containers with lids to store this in the refrigerator and one more for temporary storage. The temporary container is to put the grease in until it is rendered clean. When you cook bacon or any meat that makes its own grease, pour the grease in the temporary container and cool. When cool, scrape the top grease off and place it back in a skillet or pot and reheat until any moisture is cooked out and all small particles are settled at the bottom. Then drain it again into the temporary container that you have cleaned while the grease was heating the second time. Drain it carefully allowing the settled particles to remain in the pot. Allow it to cool and check to make sure it is pure meat grease with no particles of meat or water at the bottom. If it is pure you can now reheat it to the melting point and store it with similar grease. If it seems to have meat crumbs or still has moisture repeat the steps until it is clean. I keep one container for clean bacon grease, one for tallow or meat grease and one for "flavored" grease. Flavored grease is from cooking meats with and spices even salt. The tallow must be absolutely pure with no flavors or salt if you are using it for pemmican. These are kept in the refrigerator with lids and used anytime I need to fry or saut� something. The flavored grease or bacon grease is good for seasoning or saut�ing vegetables. The tallow I use for my pemmican comes from the 5# chubs of hamburger. I will brown the whole 5 pounds and drain it in a collander over a bowl to collect the grease. I do not add anything to the meat at this time. When the meat is drained and cooled some, I divide it into 2 portions and freeze them. This meat is used for any recipe that calls for browned hamburger. The tallow is then refined by using the method above. The first time this is cooled, there will be quite a bit of gelatin settle at the bottom. Spoon the grease off the top and dispose of the gelatin before continuing rendering process. If I get more grease than I need, I put it in plastic containers with lids and store it in the freezer. I get the plastic containers free. They are recycled tubs that you get with margarine, sour cream, or cottage cheese or lard. If you don't get many of these from your own shopping, you might try asking someone who does to save some for you. Empty mayonnaise and peanutbutter jars are also good for storing stuff in the refrigerator but not usually strong enough to freeze in. Extra grease can also be used to fill a deep fryer. What to do with 5 pounds of hamburger: So you now have 20 or 30 pounds of hamburger in your freezer but they are in 5 pound chubs. The first possibility is to thaw one for making some packages of browned hamburger and rendering tallow as described above. If you have already done that step, here are some more ideas. I usually plan at least two hamburger meat recipes before I thaw one. I have a large family, well large eaters anyway, so we use a minimum of two and a half pounds of meat for each recipe. You can cook the whole 5 pounds using some of the recipes and freezing them for later use. You can also make a huge pot of chile and freeze smaller portions. It is always nice to have hamburger patties already cooked. You can cook several patties and freeze them for easy "heat and eat" cheeseburgers. The idea is to have a plan and cook the whole 5 pounds into something. Either one large recipe or several smaller ones and then freeze the cooked meat. This prevents you from suffering hamburger burnout before you finish the whole chub. What to do with 10 pounds of chicken: 1)Oven fry the whole thing and freeze any leftovers. 2) Boil, cool, and debone it. Take the deboned chicken and divide into smaller packages for individual recipes such as chicken salad, chicken stir fry with veggies, or any chicken recipe that you can add cooked chicken. This is much cheaper than the canned meats and just as convenient. Small packages can be defrosted in the microwave almost as fast as you can open a can. The broth from the boiled chicken can be frozen to make soup or holiday dressing(low carb style only please check the recipe page). If you want to really get a lot of broth, after you have deboned the chicken you can reboil the bones and the skin to make more broth. 3)You can substitute legs and thighs in any recipe that calls for any
chicken. Decide on what you are going to do with the meat before you thaw out 10 pounds of
chicken and cook it as soon as it is thawed and refrigerate or freeze it immediately to
prevent spoilage. Sometimes, I will thaw some out and make a special recipe and then
boil and freeze the rest.
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