Healthy Ways to Stretch Meals

With food prices rising rapidly across the country, I see a lot of advice on how to stretch meals. Unfortunately, much of this advice involves adding little nutrition value to meals, or even adding negative nutritional value. Since simple carbohydrates release more of the hunger chemicals in your brain, adding more starch to your diet to stretch meals is counterproductive. Most of these starches also have very little flavor or nutritional value, and digest very quickly, which means your body wants more food faster. Not stretchy.

There are many healthy ways to stretch your meals and save money on your food budget that don't involve adding more processed foods and simple starches. Stretching meals and eating healthy should not be separate goals. You can stretch your meal dollars while feeding your family and even healthier diet with a few simple adjustments:

Cut Down on Meat

The first step to stretching most meals is to cut back on the meat portions. Most Americans eat far too much meat and not enough fiber, while most of the healthy cuisines of the world use meat as a flavoring instead of a main course. There are a lot of ways to have a filling, nutritious, flavorful meal without eating a full cut of meat at each meal.

Instead of eating a steak at dinner, stretch that meat by using one steak to make wraps out of it. Cook the meat with your favorite spices and slice it thin, add some sautéed peppers and onions, top with lettuce and tomato, and your meal for one just stretched to became a much healthier, fun dinner for four.

Having chicken for dinner? Stretch that bird by whipping up stir fry out of two chicken breasts and frozen vegetables. Serve over brown rice, and you have a healthy meal for the whole family.

Increase Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber keeps you fuller longer, helping you stretch those meals even farther. It also provides a range of health benefits, such as helping to lower cholesterol and encouraging intestinal health. Increasing fiber is easy, too! By replacing many "white" foods with their whole counterparts, you're adding a great deal of fiber. Instead of white bread, eat wheat or whole grain. Instead of white rice, eat brown. Instead of white potatoes, eat sweet potatoes. You'll be able to eat less and stay full longer, on top of reaping the health benefits of dietary fiber.

Use some of these ingredients in your meals:

Lentils

Before you add more noodles to your next dish, try adding lentils to stretch your meal. Lentils are a legume, like peas, and also a complete protein that is high in fiber and low in fat. While there are few American dishes that incorporate these delicious little fruits, many other cuisines utilize them as a staple. They're easy to use, and very inexpensive, often under a dollar a pound.

How do you use lentils? Rinse lentils in cool water, and pick out any that are misshapen. Cook them in water or broth until they are tender, about 30 minutes. You can also just add a cup of lentils to almost any soup when you add the stock, or half a pound of lentils to your standard meatloaf for a healthy, stretchy meal.

You can also use lentils as the main ingredient in many dishes. To make a hearty soup that will satisfy the entire family, cook them with some onions and spices, or even with a small bit of sausage. To make a great "meatloaf," you can cook and drain the lentils, add some oatmeal or bread crumbs, egg, onion soup mix, and top with barbeque sauce . Using one pound of lentils for either of these dishes, you make a complete meal for less than $2.00 for four or more people. That is stretching your meals!

Garbanzo Beans, or Chick Peas

Chick peas are another legume that can add flavor and nutrition when used to stretch a meal. Like lentils, they are inexpensive and full of protein. You can add them to soups, casseroles, meatloafs, salads, and many other things to stretch the meal in a healthful way. Try roasting them with some Cajun spices for a tasty snack!

Frozen Vegetables

Did you know that broccoli has as much protein per pound as most meats? When fresh vegetables get too expensive, don't cut them out of your family diet. Instead, look in your grocer's freezer section for good deals on frozen vegetables. Often, you can get Organic frozen vegetables for much less than you can get them fresh, and coupons for frozen vegetables will help you stretch your meals even mor cheaply. Vegetables are a great way to stretch meats. You can use them as an extra side dish to fill up those hungry corners, or you can add them to your soup, stew, casserole, or main course!

Look to Other Cuisines

Expanding your horizons can expand your meal stretching options. Many places in the world eat a healthier diet than Americans, and on much less money. Tired of stir-fry? Look into East Indian or traditional Japanese cuisine for wonderful recipes to stretch your meals. There's more than just curries and sushi to be had. These cuisines are full of fun, high-fiber, low-fat dishes that were invented by people who had to stretch their meals.

Don't Throw Away Those Trimmings!

Vegetable and meat trimmings can be saved in the freezer to make your own broths and stocks, stretching those meal dollars even farther. Just label a couple of freezer bags, and when you peel your carrots or onion or have leftover chicken parts, toss them in the bags. When you're ready to make stock, pull out the bag and put all the desired ingredients in a pot. Cover with water, and simmer on low for an hour or two (don't boil your stocks) and then drain the ready-to-use stock off of the solids. If you want to, you can refrigerate meat stocks for several hours, and then remove the layer of fat that floats to the top, giving you a lower fat stock. This saves a lot of money, and also increases your nutritional intake while decreasing things like sodium and fats.

These simple changes to your families diet can stretch your meals and your dollars much farther. They'll also help you increase your families health!

Resources:

John Cloud. The Rising Cost of Food. Time Magazine, June 21, 2007.