Food Becomes You - Eating Well in Hard Times

In these difficult economic times healthy eating often is the first thing to take a hit. Some people go hungry in order to meet their housing, utility or medical bills. Other people, more economically privileged, still sacrifice quality food long before they give up their new car or cable TV.

I seriously question those priorities. Good food should be the last item sliced from the budget, not the first. What could be more important than the nourishment you put into your body? However, there are plenty of ways to shrink the weekly food bill and still eat deliciously, nutritiously, and organically. If you follow my cardinal rules, shopping at a natural food grocery should cost no more (and sometimes less) than shopping at a conventional supermarket or warehouse store.

Perhaps the most cardinal rule is MAKE IT YOURSELF. Since World War II prepared foods have proliferated and now dominate the grocery shelves. Cooking from scratch is becoming a lost art. But every time you buy prepared foods you pay a premium for packaging and labor, whether it is tuna helper or risotto cakes from the gourmet deli. Cooking from scratch takes time, but not as much as you might think once you subtract the hours wasted running to the fast food restaurant or pizza place. We live in a society where absolutely everything is converted into a consumer good, requiring ever-increasing hours of paid employment to afford it all. Making your own food is a good way to jump off the consumer treadmill.

Personally, I find cooking dinner every night to be relaxing and centering, but I am almost always home in the late afternoon. Those who trot into the house at six or later might find it more convenient engaging in cooking marathons over the weekend and stocking the freezer. Try to eat together as a family too; it decreases reliance on individually packaged convenience foods. If that is impossible, fix a casserole, pot of soup and/or salad that family members can help themselves to when schedules permit.

Thoroughly covering the topic of from-scratch cooking would require a cookbook, not an article. Let me briefly discuss a few of my favorite (and easiest) homemade goodies.

OATMEAL - Why buy those ridiculous packets of over-refined, sweetened oatmeal? To make homemade oatmeal, combine bulk oats with water and cook for a few minutes on the stove or in the microwave. Add sugar, honey, maple syrup, applesauce, or fresh fruit to taste.

SOUP - Cooking soup is like alchemy. Within a couple hours you can transform leftovers, limp greens and dried grains into an aromatic and filling kettle of nourishment. My recipe for basic soup goes like this: saute an onion and, if you eat meat, a few strips of ham or bacon. Add any vegetables you've got around (peppers, green beans, potatoes, peas, corn, tomatoes, carrots, and squash all work well but use your imagination). Add broth or water and any herbs you have hanging around the refrigerator or growing in the garden. Add some kinds of dried grains and/or beans, such as barley, rice, or lentils. Throw in any flavor-appropriate leftovers. Simmer until ingredients are tender, the soup is thick and rich, and a delicious scent fills the air. Adjust for seasoning.

MACARONI AND CHEESE - I've never understood the attraction of those dinky boxes filled with anemic noodles and dehydrated cheese. Homemade macaroni and cheese takes ten minutes. Boil a pound of macaroni and drain. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter and grated cheese to taste. I prefer cheddar (use the economical two pound block) but mac and cheese is also a great way to use up odds and ends of other cheese that accumulate in your refrigerator. If you like a creamier texture add a little milk. Add chopped sautéed vegetables such as red pepper or broccoli for color and nutrition.

SALAD DRESSING - For a basic vinaigrette combine one-third cup olive oil, one-third cup canola oil, one-third cup balsamic vinegar, one heaping teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and a dash of seasoned salt and pepper.

DELI SALADS - You pay a major labor premium for these inexpensive salads. To make potato salad, boil 3-5 pounds of new or Yukon gold potatoes (peeling optional). Let cool and combine with mayonnaise to taste. Use your imagination for additions: chopped parsley or cilantro, peppers, black olives, hardboiled eggs, celery. Add black pepper, salt and dill weed to taste. Follow a similar plan for pasta salad (tuna, kalamata olives, leftover vegetables or chunks of cheese make good additions here). If you prefer, substitute the vinaigrette salad dressing described above. The vinaigrette also works well with grains and legumes. Try it with orzo, lentils, couscous, cannellini, black, or garbanzo beans. Or try coleslaw: shred cabbage and carrots (which only takes a few minutes in the food processor), add mayonnaise, a dash of cider vinegar, white pepper and celery salt.

Okay, time to get back to the other cardinal rules.

LIMIT THE MEAT - I only recommend buying free range meat, which is expensive - no way around it. Emphasize grains, legumes, and in-season vegetables, limiting meat to a supporting role. If you do serve a traditional meat, potato, and vegetable meal, restrict meat portions to four ounces.

LIMIT WASTE - Buy only what you know your family can finish before it spoils. This is one of my problems with warehouse stores, which tempt you to buy five-pound tubs of mayonnaise or cases of avocados. Keep in mind that organic produce won't keep as long as pesticide-drenched conventional produce. Eat leftovers for breakfast or lunch or incorporate them into another meal.

BUY IN SEASON - Excepting staples like milk and eggs, don't operate from a standard shopping list. Instead, go the market and buy what's on special, fresh, and good. This might mean stocking up on citrus and root vegetables in the winter, salad greens and strawberries in the spring, green beans and peaches in the summer, tomatoes and apples in the fall. You can also take advantage of "price leaders," items priced especially low in order to lure you into the store. It used to be only supermarkets did this, but the practice is spreading throughout the natural foods world.

DON'T BOTHER WITH COUPONS - This is a generalization. Most coupons are for processed, conventionally raised foods of minimal nutritional value. Sometimes they are good money savers for nonfood items like diapers or cleansers.

BUY BULK GOODS WHENEVER POSSIBLE - Bulk goods are almost always more economical as well as ecological. Polenta, oatmeal, nuts, chocolate chips, oil and honey are a few of the many foods that come in bulk. Again, don't overbuy. Excess grains can be stored in the freezer but get an "off" taste after a few months. Bulk spices are one of the best values around. Their cost is but a fraction of that of prepackaged spices. Also, they tend to be fresher because you can buy them in small quantities as needed. I don't recommend the restaurant-sized spice jugs found at warehouse stores. For one thing, they are usually irradiated, for another they are stale. I'm still trying to use up a container of ground ginger I bought at Costco seven years ago (and our family of six eats lots of ginger!). I can't bear to throw it out, but it doesn't taste like much of anything.

EAT AT HOME - Even diners and fast food joints charge way more than it costs to cook at home. Leave dining out for a special treat.