Food prices keep going up every day! Making nutritious and filling meals is a new challenge for the average home cook. How on earth do we cook more at home and on a budget?
Here are some tips I learned in 2023.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
– Isaiah 55:2
#1. COOK WHAT YOU KNOW
I used to come home tired from a long day of work. I had all the intent to cook some yummy pasta, smoked salmon and a salad. And let me tell you, I usually ended up with scrambled eggs or take out!
{If It’s Too Hard YOU Won’t do It}
If you need a recipe book to cook the meal, leave it for the weekend! I would pull out my cookbooks and plan, but when it came time to cook __I was just too tired! My point is that if it’s too hard to cook at home, you WON’T do it. The meal plan and the ingredients you bought will end up in the trash.
#2. USE WHAT YOU CAN REALLY AFFORD
Let me tell you, we can buy whatever we want BUT the reality is that doing that will only break our health and our budget?
{Abundance is not Always Better}
Set up a budget and buy what you can afford. Cook simple meals with the ingredients you can buy.
That’s the new meal plan! Some people call this reverse meal planning.
Use what you have and then meal plan.
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. – 1 Corinthians 10:23
#3. BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR TIME
Before I got pregnant and had a baby, my cooking time was limited because I got home at 5pm. It was 7pm by the time we got to eat dinner.
{Frustration Kills our Goals}
I wanted to cook dinner at home, but the reality was that I should have probably bulk prepped on a Saturday or Sunday because after work I had limited time. Making everything from scratch after a busy day is very difficult.
My point is that everyone’s situation is different.
We need to Sit down and think__ “How can I make this work for me?” Can I eat rice and beans all week, as my side dishes?
If you and I get this right and think about how much time we truly have. We can plan accordingly and finally stop buying ingredients that won’t get used. No more, “I’m too tired to cook today!”
Another Blog Post all about Budget and Cooking
#4. COOK WITH EGGS
My husband loves to eat eggs. He likes them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The truth is that I don’t love them, but I can eat them.
{Eggs are Affordable Protein}
Eggs have protein, they are affordable, and they can be used in so many ways. They can be used as the main protein in a meal. Have you heard of breakfast for dinner?
Throw them into muffin batter, pancake batter or meat balls. Simple cooking starts with eggs! I might be exaggerating a bit, but seriously try it.
“..Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.” – Ecclesiastes 3;13
#5. RICE, BEANS AND TORTILLAS
I’m Mexican, okay, so I eat this stuff daily. Whatever grains you like, cook those. Make sure you have a base for your meals. Most cuisines around the world have this.
In the USA, I would say it’s bread or salad.
In Mexico, it’s tortillas and beans. Every meal has to have this ingredient or side dish, whatever you want to call it.
{This Base Adds Calories}
We add side dishes because they are widely available for CHEAP, it adds calories and more protein to our main dish. It stretches the meal. You will feed more people and stay more satisfied. Plus, you can bulk cook that dish once a week.
#6. BUY AFFORDABLE MEATS
How on earth do you do that today?
I know, this is a hard one. Meat is a delicate subject.
We all want more meat but what about the budget!
Well, what do I do? I want organic meat and yet I can’t afford it.
{Prioritize is the Trick}
You buy on sale if possible, you buy in large family packs and you prioritize QUALITY vs. QUANTITY.
Prioritize! You will have to decide what’s best for your family. One day you might pick organic chicken but leave the muffins. I just realized we can leave something for another thing. What do you think?
Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, or the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
–Proverbs 23:20-21
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
#7. SKIP THE SOFT DRINKS
What qualifies as soft drinks? Everything that is not water.
Well, I guess some coconut water and juices with no added sugars might make the buy list.
These tips and tricks that I personally found success in won’t work for you, unless you adjust them to what you eat. I mostly live on a Mexican-American diet, but maybe you live more of a southern food kind of diet or an Asian-American cuisine. Only you know what will get eaten at home and what doesn’t.
Prioritize what you eat!
{If You Want, It Make It}
Do you want lemonade or tea? We can make it at home and control the sugar. If you want it…make time for it. If it doesn’t fit as priority for your “time”, then it’s not even a possibility. Drink water, coffee and tea. No need to think about adding sugary drinks to our grocery bill. Also, you will have more space in your fridge!
#8. HAVE FUN ON THE WEEKEND
I think cooking is fun, but when I’m tired and hungry I just want food. On a Saturday, I can have fun. I can take out the fancy spices and cute dishes. Cook with your spouse or kids. Cook and dance all by yourself. It’s your house!
Make it a three-course meal. Have a cookout! You can add fun and not so cheap meals _at home_ when you have a good foundational plan.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. – 1 Cor. 10:31
#9. HAVE A REALISTIC BUDGET FOR EATING OUT
This one will break or save your healthy eating at home budget. The only thing to say is….
Are you truly ready to dedicate time and energy to your eating at home “idea”? It’s only in our mind as an “idea”, until we really want to make it happen.
{Move Out the Way Old Habits}
Some habits might need to be trimmed off in order to make new ones. Only you know the season you’re in. Will eating out two times a week work for you?
If not, adjust. Don’t let this one thing discourage you.
Be honest and set up a real goal!
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it. – Proverbs 15:17
#10. COOK WHAT YOUR FAMILY LIKES TO EAT
Figure out how you can adjust it to make it happen on a budget. Look at the previous tips and see how you can adjust them. How can you make it healthier?
Share your little or big successes in the comments. Let me know if anything here was helpful.
Shop this Post, Enjoy your Kitchen
If you’re on the market for these items, your kitchen will appreciate it. I share only what works and functions well. Okay, let’s look at pretty things.
Ceramic plates – These are featured in the French toast picture. I got them for my wedding registry, and I really enjoy their quality and beauty.
Small Ceramic cups– An artist handmade the one’s in the picture above, so no link. Similar item for you. I do own these small cups; they are pretty for small sips. If you love big cups, these aren’t for you.
Peony Flowers – I bought these flowers for my wedding bouquet. The quality is great for fake flowers and the color really pops.
Antique Soap Dispenser– Love these and they hide the color of the soap, plus they come with stickers.
I hate buying things that don’t last and I believe being thrifty is not being cheap but being smart with where you’re spending your hard-earned money.
That’s all, Enjoy your Kitchen Everyone
The best part about cooking at home is enjoying the process and enjoying your space.
There is a learning curve in the kitchen when we are new, but I hope these tips got you ready to keep on cooking at home.
See you in the next post!
In Christ,
Rosa Rosa
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