Emergency Meal Stretchingby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 14 May 2008 06:39 AM
If you are running short on a main ingredient, the most obvious thing to do is to stretch it out is to add other foods to it, either in the dish itself or as a side accompaniment. For example, instead of turning a pound of hamburger into four small burgers, make it into a meat loaf that will serve six to eight people generously. Chicken can be turned into casseroles, and even vegetables can become main meals. Know which ingredients are power players when it comes to stretching a meal. Potatoes are filling, and when they are baked, they give the sense of having a large portion. They can also be cut up and added to casseroles, omelets, and more. Mashed potatoes already prepared can be added to meals to stretch them as well. Bread is another power player for stretching a meal (notice that we are so far looking at starches). There is a reason that restaurants don't serve bread until after you order. People tend to fill up on it and might otherwise order less. Bread is generally inexpensive (even with the rise in prices), so restaurants appear to be giving you more for your money. A good thick slice of bread on a plate will make the meal seem larger. Bread can also be made into bread crumbs, which again can stretch out casseroles and meat (such as in burgers and meat loaf). These are just to more obvious meal stretchers. Check back today for some more creative, but easy ideas on stretching a meal. Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles: Three Ways for Frugal Summer Cooking How Much Does It Cost to Eat at Home? Three Ways Your Crockpot Saves Money Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags cost of food, food budget, frugal, meal stretching Discuss this article
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