Power Moves to Strengthen Your Budget and Nutrition
High food costs might make you feel powerless when it comes to providing adequate nutrition for yourself and your family, but the knowledge that there are nutritious, low-cost options enhances the power to make those healthy choices, simpler choices.
Here is a list of “power moves” that will strengthen your budget and your nutrition.
· Add a can (2 ½ cups) of black beans or a cup of shredded carrots to ground beef, wild game, or turkey in any recipe. This adds filling fiber and increases the volume of the meat so that it can feed more people in the household for less money.
· Learn when different types of produce are “in season” and plan your meals around those options or utilize frozen and canned produce which are a nutrient-dense alternative.
· Visit a food pantry prior to making your grocery list for nutrient-dense foods that you can cross off your list of items to purchase.
· Buy staple food items from bulk bins like whole wheat flour, brown rice and oats, and whole wheat dry pasta; buy only what you need, at a fraction of the price.
Cowboy Chili
Prep time: 20 minutes.
Cooking Beans: 6-12 hours
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients
· 1 pound dry kidney or black beans
· 3 cups beef broth, low sodium
· 2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
· 1 pound lean ground turkey, beef, or wild game
· 1 large onion, diced
· 3 garlic cloves, minced
· 3 Tbsp cumin powder
· 2 Tbsp chili powder
· 6 ounces tomato paste
· 2 cups water
Directions
1. Soak dried beans overnight in water. Use enough water to cover the beans by an inch or two. The next morning, drain the beans and cover them with beef broth. Or, using your slow cooker, cover beans by an inch or two and cook on high for 6 hours.
2. Once the beans are tender, start making the chili. Brown the meat in a large skillet. When meat is about half browned, add the onion and cook, stirring often until onion is starting to become soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.
3. Add the cumin and chili powder to the ground beef and stir till everything is coated. If it’s not spicy enough, add more chili powder.
4. Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes. When all of this is a nice deep red color, then add the tomato paste and water.
5. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the cooked beans in broth (don’t drain beef broth from the beans). Simmer for 15 minutes. If you’re using a slow cooker, add the beef mixture and the two cups water to the cooked beans and cook on low for 2 hours.
Nutrition
Serving size: 1 ¼ cup
Total Calories 258 calories
Total Fat 4 g fat
Saturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 250 mg
Carbohydrates 36 g
Total Sugars 0 g
Dietary Fiber 9 g
Protein 22 g