Miserly Meals – Let’s Eat Frugal and Healthy!

By Jonni McCoy, author of Miserly Meals  

When I first embarked on my frugal lifestyle, I heard critics say that they would never want to live frugally since it meant having to eat “frugal food.” Many people believe they cannot serve healthy food to their family while on a tight budget. I am here to prove that “frugal” and “healthy” can be one and the same.

At the beginning of our frugal adventure, we lived on $40 per week for groceries. Since we were living on half of our usual income, we had to cut the grocery bill down this low to pay other bills.  Despite this tight budget, we ate plenty of produce, adequate protein, and were even able to cook around my son’s restrictive food allergies.

The first key to cooking healthy frugal meals is to look at how you shop and cook. Cooking healthy has the same guidelines as any other type of shopping that I describe in detail in my book, Miserly Moms: plan menus around sales, don’t shop at just one store, buy in bulk, and cook in bulk. If you expect to be able to buy ready-made health food, then you will overspend. Furthermore, if you don’t shop sales and pay premium prices for your supplies, then meals won’t be frugal. So the key isn’t what you are cooking but how you are shopping for it, and who prepared it.

The other way to save grocery money is to modify the menu. After all, how can we save money if we have steak several times per week?  We need new recipes that call for simple ingredients, but still provide an appealing and healthy meal to the family. That’s why I decided to share some of my frugal recipes with you, taken from my new book, Miserly Meals. Each recipe in my book costs less than 75 cents per serving, has a nutritional breakdown to show that it is healthy, and is easy to prepare.

In each column, I will offer you recipes for a complete meal: main dish, side dish and dessert. I hope that with the help of my recipes, your frugal cooking will be an enhancement to your family’s budget, not a frustration.

CALZONES                 

Serves 6                             

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Dough:

2 ½ cups flour

1 cup water

1 T. oil

2 ¼ tsp (or 1 pkg.) dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Filling:

8 oz. chicken breast, cooked & diced

2 T. water chestnuts, drained & diced

1 T. onion, chopped

2 T. mayonnaise

2 T. sour cream

¼ tsp. celery salt

Combine the dough ingredients in a bread machine (set on “dough” setting), or combine by hand and knead until elastic. Divide the dough into 6 balls. Roll each into a 6-7 inch circle on a floured surface.

In a separate bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Take one-sixth of the filling and place in the center of a dough circle, fold in half, and pinch edges shut. Repeat with the other circles. Place calzone on a baking sheet. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Other Filling Ideas: Combine any meat, cheese, tofu, vegetables and spices to make the filling. Avoid much liquid (i.e. use marinara sauce instead of fresh tomatoes).

Note: To make a quicker version of this recipe, purchase ready-made unbaked piecrust. Divide each circle in half, fill and bake

▲Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories           295

Fat                   8 grams

Cholesterol       22 mg

Carbohydrates  42 grams

Fiber                 2 grams

Protein            13 grams

Sodium         479 mg

MARINATED VEGETABLE SALAD

Serves 6 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

4 cups diced raw vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, red bell peppers, jicama, zucchini, celery, etc.)

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup chopped onions

3 cloves garlic, crushed

½ tsp. Italian Seasoning (see recipe in Mix chapter)

Place all of the vegetables in a 2-qt saucepan and cover with water. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are still crisp but tender. Remove from heat, drain, and run under cold water,

Place the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until well blended. Add the vegetables and toss. Cover and let chill overnight in the refrigerator (to enhance the flavor).

Variations: Add shoestring-sliced cheese or salami, fresh parsley, black or green olives, or jalapeno peppers.

▲Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories            171

Fat                    18 grams

Cholesterol       0 mg

Carbohydrates  3 grams

Fiber                 1 grams

Protein              1 grams

Sodium             55

FRUIT CRISP             

Serves 4                            

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

3 cups diced fresh or canned fruit (apples,

peaches, cherries, berries)

½ cup flour

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup brown sugar

2 T. sugar

½  tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

4 T. butter

In a bread loaf pan, or 8x8 pan, spread the fruit around the bottom, distributing evenly.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Mix well with a pastry blender so butter is evenly mixed in. Crumble the topping over the top of the fruit.

Bake at 350º for 20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.

Variation: Add chopped nuts to the topping for added flavor and texture.

▲ Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories           300

Fat                   12 grams

Cholesterol      31 mg

Carbohydrates 46 grams

Fiber                 3 grams

Protein              4 grams

Sodium          254 mg

No part of these recipes can be reprinted without permission. All recipes are used with permission from Miserly Meals by Jonni McCoy, copyrighted 2002, Bethany House Publishers. All Rights Reserved. 

Jonni McCoy is the author of Miserly Meals (2002 Bethany House), Miserly Moms – Living on One Income in a Two Income Economy (2001 Bethany House), and Frugal Families – Making the Most of Your Hard Earned Money (1998 Holly Hall). Prior to motherhood, she spent ten years at electronics firms such as Apple Computer and National Semiconductor. She presents seminars on living for less to women's groups and other conferences. She has been practicing her frugal ways since 1991.

Jonni has appeared on several TV shows, including The 700 Club, and radio programs such as Family Life Today and the Dick Staub Show. She has also been featured in Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day magazines. Jonni and her husband, Beau, make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. You can visit her website at www.miserlymoms.com.

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Women have faced food and money shortages throughout the centuries. But that never stopped them from feeding their families healthy meals. Below are more frugal recipes for you to try taken from my book, Miserly Meals. And just for fun, I have included my favorite recipe for chocolate syrup…just like Hershey’s makes it!

Bon Appetit!

BAKED BUFFALO WINGS  

Serves 12                            

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

2 T. butter melted

1/4 cup Tabasco sauce     

2 T. vinegar, any type

5 pounds chicken wings               

In a bowl, mix together butter, Tabasco sauce, and vinegar. Dip chicken into mixture. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. 

Bake at 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

  Serve with a dipping bowl filled with Buttermilk or Bleu Cheese dressing.

GLAZED CARROTS  

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

1 lb. peeled baby carrots

¼ tsp. salt

3 cups water

1T. butter

1 T. maple syrup (or honey)

1/8  tsp. powdered ginger

In a large saucepan, add the carrots, salt and water. Over medium heat boil the carrots for 15 minutes. Pour carrots into a colander and let excess water drip off of them. Let sit in colander until the sauce is ready.

In the same empty saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, maple syrup and ginger. Do not burn this mixture. Add back the carrots and gently toss them until well coated with the glaze (1-2 minutes). Turn onto a serving platter and drizzle remaining glaze over the carrots.

▲Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories           68

Fat                   2 grams

Cholesterol      6 mg

Carbohydrates 12 gm

Fiber                2 grams

Protein             1 grams

Sodium         214 mg

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY FROSTY

Serves 4                            

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

1 cup low-fat milk

½ cup Chocolate Syrup (see recipe below)

3 cups frozen raspberries

Pour the milk and chocolate syrup into a blender. Slowly add the raspberries, 1 cup at a time, and blend for 15-30 seconds after adding each cup. Do not over mix, as this will thin the drink down.

Serve immediately.

Options: substituted other frozen fruit for the raspberries (strawberry, banana, etc.) 

CHOCOLATE SYRUP (like Hershey’sâ Syrup)

Serves 12 (Makes 3 cups)                           

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

1 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 ¼ cup water

1 T. vanilla

In a 1-qt. saucepan, combine the cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix together so that no cocoa lumps remain. Add the water and stir. Turn on heat to medium and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved (but do not boil), then remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla.

Store in a jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. It will become very thick when it is cold, but thins out once reheated (use low heat and constant stirring to reheat).

Use as ice cream topping, in milk to make chocolate milk, or in coffee to make coffee mocha.

No part of these recipes can be reprinted without permission. All recipes are used with permission from Miserly Meals by Jonni McCoy, copyrighted 2002, Bethany House Publishers. All Rights Reserved. 

Jonni McCoy is the author of Miserly Meals (2002 Bethany House), Miserly Moms – Living on One Income in a Two Income Economy (2001 Bethany House), and Frugal Families – Making the Most of Your Hard Earned Money (1998 Holly Hall). Prior to motherhood, she spent ten years at electronics firms such as Apple Computer and National Semiconductor. She presents seminars on living for less to women's groups and other conferences. She has been practicing her frugal ways since 1991.

Jonni has appeared on several TV shows, including The 700 Club, and radio programs such as Family Life Today and the Dick Staub Show. She has also been featured in Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day magazines. Jonni and her husband, Beau, make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. You can visit her website at www.miserlymoms.com.