Cooking: Cheaper Substitutions

by Sherry Holetzky | More from this Blogger

18 May 2006 05:31 AM

There's no reason families cannot eat well while also saving money. A few painless substitutions can make a real difference.

Some people might turn their noses up at the thought of replacing ground beef with ground turkey. Even though it is healthier, and much cheaper than ground beef (especially if you buy frozen rolls of ground turkey), some people just don't like it. That is unless you add it to a recipe where no one can tell the difference. Now, if you try to replace the beloved cheeseburger with ground turkey, you're not going to get rave reviews. However, if you slip ground turkey into chili, tacos, taco salad, or use half ground beef and half ground turkey in these recipes, no one has to be the wiser. With today's ground beef prices, cutting the amount of beef in half will still create noticeable savings.

You can use tuna to replace chicken in casseroles and make tuna salad instead of chicken salad. Hot or cold, tuna and noodles make a good, filling, meal. Tuna is very good for your health as well as being inexpensive. It contains "good" fats and a lot of protein.

Another substitution idea is replacing expensive cuts of beef. Many families would enjoy nice, juicy steaks from time to time, but doing so can really put a dent in the food budget. Nobody wants to eat bologna for the next week to make up for that pricey steak dinner. Instead of purchasing those expensive cuts, try chuck steak. It is a very tasty cut of beef, and it generally costs less than half the price of strip steak, T-bone, porterhouse, or rib eye. It is great on the grill. Cook it like you would an expensive steak, searing the outside then cooking slowly, and you will soon be enjoying a tender, flavorful, steak, without fearing what you will have to endure later to make up for it.

Learn more about Sherry Holetzky

Sherry Holetzky is a work at home mom and freelance writer. Married to her best friend, Sherry and her husband are raising their family in a quiet rural setting in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

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