Has the poverty food strategy changed?

[indieretailer]

I feed 14 people three meals a day so I try to be careful about food costs. A costbook is a must for many people to consistently track prices.

I find that the problem for many Americans is our need for constant variety of food.
As someone mentioned before, oats are great. I'd serve oatmeal everyday, but people insist on variety!

I have found the following books to be very helpful:

Extending the Food Table:A World Community Cookbook
More-with-Less Cookbook (World Community Cookbook)

Learning to use what the rest of the world eats is an eye-opener.

As for food basics, I always read the supermarket and drugstore circulars for loss leaders.


Ethnic food markets are great because many immigrants still shop on almost a daily basis and they insist on good, well-priced produce, eggs, etc. You'll be surprised to find huge mounds of tomatoes, cilantro, etc. at large ethnic markets rather than the smaller amounts what one would find at the big chain supermarkets.


One store in San Diego, Pancho Villa's Market , is owned by a group that has conventional health food stores in the rest of the county. This store is modeled for the Latino customer. You'd be surprised to see the mounds of produce displayed and the large amounts that people buy because they may juice their own fruit or make their own sauces. The frozen food section is practically non-existent.

Unfortunately, there is no way getting around having a healthy, budget-conscious diet without lots of initial footwork as to where to find the staples that one does not grow or produce on one's own.

[khorrell]

Wow Indie...thats a lot of cooking. I thought three meals a day for 6 was a lot of work, though I supposed most of the work is in the three meals a day part and not the total number of eaters.

I, too, would love to learn more about poverty cooking. While we aren't poor, we do need to keep trimming our budget as our income hasn't been increasing as fast as the clothing/food/medical/activity needs of four children. If anyone has a really yummy way of preparing oatmeal that compares well to the awful instant packages, please let me know. We ate a lot of plain oatmeal with applesauce and cinnamon when my kids were little, but as they grow so does the demand for sugar on top, and now the declaration that the little packets are yummier. I admit that 7 a.m. is a rather vulnerable time for me and I'm pretty susceptible to fast and happy rather than battle over breakfast food.

Keep bringing on the great suggestions.

[Miss Rosie]

Originally Posted by khorrell

If anyone has a really yummy way of preparing oatmeal that compares well to the awful instant packages, please let me know.

1/2 cup non-instant, old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup boiling water

Add the boiling water to the oatmeal in the bowl, and cover it for a while. I make smoothies while I wait. When the oats have soaked up all the water, let the kids add whatever suits them. This recipe has the advantage of producing something with some texture, but you can always toss in raisins, sunflower seeds, or even chocolate chips. When I was a kid, we added things like crushed hard candy. It was a great way to use leftover candy canes.

You can also make muesli or granola ahead of time for super-quick breakfasts. I love making my own granola, because I can do any flavor or additions I want.

I also use non-instant oats in meatloaf. They don't vanish into it, but everyone loves the results anyway.

[Miss Rosie]

On poverty food in general, I've been leaning toward online bulk purchases for some things. Amazon carries a few things in bulk, with free shipping if the order is over $25. It might last us six months, but it's all non-perishables. I also get certain things from herbal.com, like flax seed and my raw ingredients for tea.

I live on peppermint green tea. A friend gave me a cold brewer for my birthday, and I keep a container of peppermint green tea concentrate in the fridge at all times. If I want it hot, I add boiling water. If I want it cold, I add cold water. Visiting kids like to add sugar to it.

I haven't found a good source for unmilled grains that has reasonable shipping, but I'm still looking. If anyone knows of anything, let me know.

I'm also looking into some of the local produce co-ops as well as a bulk meat supplier. I need a chest freezer if I'm going to buy half a cow, but I'm looking into that, too.

If I get one, I might try an odd method of fruit freezing. Since my primary use for fruit is smoothies, I'm thinking of mashing the fruit and freezing it in ice cube trays before tossing it into the freezer to wait its turn. We have a few u-pick places nearby, but I would prefer not to thaw the fruit before using it. Cold is half the fun for smoothies, and fruit cubes should work just as well as frozen fruit.

If anyone has tried something like this before, let me know how it worked out.

[Megan]

Originally Posted by Miss Rosie

If I get one, I might try an odd method of fruit freezing. Since my primary use for fruit is smoothies, I'm thinking of mashing the fruit and freezing it in ice cube trays before tossing it into the freezer to wait its turn. We have a few u-pick places nearby, but I would prefer not to thaw the fruit before using it. Cold is half the fun for smoothies, and fruit cubes should work just as well as frozen fruit.

If anyone has tried something like this before, let me know how it worked out.

I don't see why that wouldn't work, Miss Rosie. I've done that with fruit juices for use in smoothies before.

What kind of fruit are you talking about freezing? I get u-pick strawberries in season, and just wash, de-stem, and freeze them whole, then toss them into the blender. I would think most berries would work well that way. As for things like peaches, perhaps just pitting and slicing and freezing? I think your method would work fine, I'm just wondering if you might be able to save a few steps!

[amandajane]

Originally Posted by Miss Rosie

If I get one, I might try an odd method of fruit freezing. Since my primary use for fruit is smoothies, I'm thinking of mashing the fruit and freezing it in ice cube trays before tossing it into the freezer to wait its turn. We have a few u-pick places nearby, but I would prefer not to thaw the fruit before using it. Cold is half the fun for smoothies, and fruit cubes should work just as well as frozen fruit.

If anyone has tried something like this before, let me know how it worked out.

I don't know if it's the same in your country but here berries, even in season, are very expensive. I know this doesn't count as poverty food but the local supermarket sells store brand frozen berries for $4.99 for 500gms and I find that I only need ten or so berries to make a yummy smoothie. That works out cheaper than buying in season and freezing, which seems over the top to me. Unfortunately I don't have anywhere to plant fruit vines, or I would be in there like a shot, I love my smoothies

[Miss Rosie]

Originally Posted by amandajane

I don't know if it's the same in your country but here berries, even in season, are very expensive. I know this doesn't count as poverty food but the local supermarket sells store brand frozen berries for $4.99 for 500gms and I find that I only need ten or so berries to make a yummy smoothie. That works out cheaper than buying in season and freezing, which seems over the top to me. Unfortunately I don't have anywhere to plant fruit vines, or I would be in there like a shot, I love my smoothies

The u-picks are quite cheap, which is what I want to do, pick my own and freeze them. As far as smoothies go, I just buy whatever fruit is cheapest. Kroger usually has a generic smoothie-type mix one sale, and if they don't, there's another store near here that does something similar. I start with bananas, which are definitely cheap, and just fill it out with something frozen.

[lucille]

Originally Posted by Miss Rosie

On poverty food in general, I've been leaning toward online bulk purchases for some things. Amazon carries a few things in bulk, with free shipping if the order is over $25. It might last us six months, but it's all non-perishables. I also get certain things from herbal.com, like flax seed and my raw ingredients for tea.

I live on peppermint green tea. A friend gave me a cold brewer for my birthday, and I keep a container of peppermint green tea concentrate in the fridge at all times. If I want it hot, I add boiling water. If I want it cold, I add cold water. Visiting kids like to add sugar to it.

I haven't found a good source for unmilled grains that has reasonable shipping, but I'm still looking. If anyone knows of anything, let me know.

I'm also looking into some of the local produce co-ops as well as a bulk meat supplier. I need a chest freezer if I'm going to buy half a cow, but I'm looking into that, too.

If I get one, I might try an odd method of fruit freezing. Since my primary use for fruit is smoothies, I'm thinking of mashing the fruit and freezing it in ice cube trays before tossing it into the freezer to wait its turn. We have a few u-pick places nearby, but I would prefer not to thaw the fruit before using it. Cold is half the fun for smoothies, and fruit cubes should work just as well as frozen fruit.

If anyone has tried something like this before, let me know how it worked out.

I cut up melon (cantalope & honeydew) into cubes without the rind and froze it on cookie sheets and then put it in ziplocks. This has worked with grapes too. Bananas will work but they tend to start turning brown if you leave air in the bag or they get too warm. If we have fruit that isn't getting eaten and is going to go south soon I will freeze it for smoothies rather than letting it go to the point it needs to be tossed.

[Miss Rosie]

Originally Posted by Megan

I don't see why that wouldn't work, Miss Rosie. I've done that with fruit juices for use in smoothies before.

What kind of fruit are you talking about freezing? I get u-pick strawberries in season, and just wash, de-stem, and freeze them whole, then toss them into the blender. I would think most berries would work well that way. As for things like peaches, perhaps just pitting and slicing and freezing? I think your method would work fine, I'm just wondering if you might be able to save a few steps!

It's lack of space that concerns me. A chest freezer here will be small, and everything will probably end up smushed together in the freezer I figured I had a choice between berry cubes and essentially a lot of frozen-together berries.

I can try both ways, though, and see what happens.

[Kathryn]

Originally Posted by Miss Rosie

It's lack of space that concerns me. A chest freezer here will be small, and everything will probably end up smushed together in the freezer I figured I had a choice between berry cubes and essentially a lot of frozen-together berries.

I can try both ways, though, and see what happens.

Spread the fruit out on metal cookie sheets to freeze, and then store in ziplocks.