Creativity in the Kitchen

Ahhh, take a deep breath. My favorite moment – the calm before the storm. Blank kitchen counters and a ton of ingredients just waiting to be chopped, diced, whipped, sautéed, broiled, and frozen. Creativity in the kitchen is a tremendous asset, helping you to make the most of your food budget while never getting bored. You’ve been couponing for a several weeks and have acquired some super sale items that although you weren’t quite sure what to do with them at the time, you’ve let your mind roam (or googled!) and concocted several meals and ideas you’re prepared to put into place. Some days I prefer to get a system going and will spend several hours chopping, assembling, and cooking. Other days I keep it simple and take on a few smaller tasks. Below are some examples of creative, money-saving cooking ideas I’ve used in the past.

Look at your average grocery bill and find the most expensive items on it. If the majority of them are meat, you are not alone. Thankfully there are several tricks and tips to stretch your meat dollars. Most importantly, and most obviously, look for sales. If your grocer has 93% lean ground beef for $2.99/lb, snatch up a few pounds! Whole chickens for 75 cents per lb? Stew meat that’s 50% off? What are you waiting for?!

Also, remember that the toughest cuts of meat can become fork tender if you cook them slowly for a long period of time. Be flexible here! Too often families will fall into a routine of “Tuesdays are pork chop night.” This means you always buy pork chops, regardless of the price, thus hindering your wallet and your creativity. What about pulled pork instead? Put some pork shoulder in your crockpot before you leave for work in the morning, sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, cover ¾ of it with vinegar, and set heat to low. Eight hours later, you’ll have a juicy pork roast ready to shred for sandwiches at a much cheaper price than your local bbq joint, not to mention you can accompany them with a healthy fruit salad or baked French fries instead of greasy chips or mayonnaise filled coleslaw.

Whole chickens are my favorite. There is so much opportunity here yet many people overlook the vast possibilities for various reasons. If the thought of fondling a whole raw chicken sends you over the edge, put on some disposable plastic gloves and get over yourself. It’s dead. It won’t attack you. And it’s less cumbersome than chopping a watermelon. Unwrap your chicken, reach into the deep, dark abyss (*snicker) and remove the neck, giblets, and any other goodies your bird may be harboring in there. Give it a good rinsing, being careful to rinse under the wings and other crevices that may require you to bend a limb around to wash appropriately. Pat it dry with a paper towel. I like to quarter an onion, sometimes a lemon too, and throw it inside the cavity for flavor. Pulling back the skin (ah-hem! Get over it!), rubbing the meat with oil or butter, and replacing the skin back over it can help ensure moist meat also. Now I just throw it in the oven at 350 degrees for a few hours. Seriously just forget about it and move onto something else. When it comes out, let it sit for 10 minutes to redistribute the juices, then carve all the meat off – white meat, dark meat, get it all. Depending on the size of the bird and the size of your family, you should be able to get 2-3 quart sized Ziploc freezer bags of chicken to throw in your freezer for use in stir fry, fajitas, nachos, pasta dishes, etc. at a later date. (For a family of two adults, I can usually get 3 bags of chicken meat from a $3.50 bird – you do the math.) A close friend of mine saves the stock the chicken creates and uses as broth for her famous chicken and dumplings. Even more bang for your buck here, people.

Hamburger meat is a whole ‘nother example of endless possibilities, although one of my favorites is meatballs. The next time you find some lean ground beef at a good price, I personally suggest mixing up a big batch of meatballs. Again, portion them out into Ziploc freezer bags so you’re not stuck eating 40 meatballs in one sitting. Throw some in a big batch of baked ziti or make meatball sandwiches with marinara for dipping. (Think: Leftover hamburger buns from pulled pork sandwiches night!) Or stick a toothpick in each one and serve on a tray for a no-fuss appetizer option… they unthaw fairly quickly and are an economical “meat” option.
Another area where creativity can soar is with pasta. The wonder food, pasta is cheap, has a shelf life of ohhhh, forever, and fills you up. The bad news is that it’s always going to taste relatively the same – plain. Dress it up! Pasta can be sautéed with any assortment of veggies to create a healthy, filling meal. Dice and toss in some zucchini and watch your kid unknowingly swallow it, especially if it’s covered with spaghetti sauce (providing two servings of veggies – one for the zucchini and one for the sauce). The key here is to find whatever is in season – asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, even bell peppers – and try different combinations. Adding some elbow macaroni to a pot of soup can add some girth to a once brothy creation. Pour your chili onto a bed of pasta. But whatever you do, remember this. Please do not eat plain pasta just for the sake of it being cheap. Sure, your bowl of noodles cost a quarter… but your body will suffer. Splurge and spend $2 for a few zucchini, sliced mushrooms, and a can of diced tomatoes. Get festive and purchase the bowtie variety. Then, sauté the entire box with these vegetables. You’ve just morphed a boring box of pasta into a healthy, colorful dish. You owe it to yourself to incorporate the immense benefits that fresh veggies can provide into your daily regimen… pasta is simply the underlying staple that is economical and always available to act as a buffer during the transition.

Lastly, keep in mind that although your current diet may be a healthy one, you can avoid falling into a mundane routine just by changing a few ingredients here and there. Marinade some black beans, red/green peppers, diced tomatoes, and corn in fat-free Italian dressing for a new twist on salsa that is full of vitamins, fiber, and flavor! Add cilantro and red onion for an extra kick… Or don’t! Always throwing away fruit that’s ripened beyond the point of salvation? Peel those brown bananas and put them in a Ziploc freezer bag – they are a perfect addition to some strawberries and low fat yogurt for a smoothie… and are so naturally sweet, no additional sugar is necessary. Just when you think you’ve exhausted all possibilities, step back for a moment and let your brain refresh. I guarantee most scenarios will allow you to explore another path.

I hope this has outlined a few suggestions to help your creativity flow. Think about your current dinner menu… if your family has ever said “meatloaf again???” then perhaps it would be to your benefit to rethink your dinner plans. The same ingredients can often be presented differently to give the illusion of a completely different meal (i.e., the 1001 uses for meatballs) or even walking 5 feet further than your normal section at the meat counter will introduce you to different cuts of meat that you owe it to yourself to try. Keep an open mind and a positive outlook and know that the possibilities are endless.