Seafood - Crab Cakes and Gumbo

Imitation Crab was on sale, so I purchased a package knowing I would find a recipe for it later.  At only $1.50 for 12 ounces, the imitation crab was a good purchase and much cheaper per pound than most other meat choices.

Looking through my "thrifty seafood planner", I wondered what all I could cook this week.  I also did a search on Pinterest.   What I have decided to make this week are crab cakes with salad.  I will save a bit of the imitation crab to add to a gumbo recipe since I have some left over tilapia in the freezer.

Just to spice it up a bit, I will also make a cucumber sunomono.  It looks and sounds yummy.

My planners have been by far one of the best things I've created because the planners allow me to focus my attention (and money) to maximize time and planning.   

The only things I will need to purchase are cucumbers and bagged gumbo veggies.  I have the rest of these things on hand already (or left over).  Now all I need to do is fill in the rest of my weekly menu, complete my shopping list and get going.

Not only will I make cucumber sunomono, I will also make cucumber humus and a fresh diced cucumber / onion salad.  Yummy!!!

It takes very little extra work to eat healthy and frugally.  You can't leave things to chance until you retrain your mind and habits.  Until that, spend the extra time planning.

Frugal Kitchen

Due to some situations out of my control, my family's cash flow has drastically declined.  As I continue to hope for an improvement and search for a 3rd job, the urgent need to slash spending takes it toll on our food budget.  Luckily, I can do this.  Because I need to feel that something purposeful emerges from this situation, I decided to get serious about sharing frugal kitchen tips and techniques.  Many of the conveniences in the kitchen almost double the price.  What this means is that we pay double for something that is a convenience.  Think about instant oatmeal and pre-cooked meats.  Similarly, snack size packages are often 3 times more expensive as buying in bulk.  I have bought those snack size packages before if my weekly budget allowed.  I have also not always been discriminate with much of my weekly food purchases.  Until now.................

The $60 I used to spend on groceries weekly has been slashed in half, so my money must go very far if I want to feed my family.  Because I don't have time to search for the best deals and clip coupons, I have found other ways to make every penny count.

• No packaged / convenience foods
• Some of the items that tend to cost money (and have hidden sugars and fats) are things like condiments.  Here are a few other convenience foods:  single serve, snack sized, bag salads, protein bars, packaged lunch meats, shredded cheese, yogurt cups, instant oatmeal, flavored rice or pasta packages, canned beans.
• Meatless meals
• Reduce the amount of meat used in dishes like spaghetti, soups, chili, etc.  When using ground beef, switch to ground turkey which is half the cost.  Or, skip the use of meat completely.  Meals with beans or nuts are a good way to replace meat.  Avoid buying "steak" meats. This means reducing things like chicken breast, pork chops, ribs or beef steak.  These whole cuts of meat are more expensive than ground versions.  Be careful though.  A ground meat with too much added fat may actually cost more per pound than its whole cut counterpart.  Buy meats when on sale and then find ways to stretch the whole cuts.  A whole chicken is less expensive than cut up chicken, but if you are not going to utilize the whole chicken, it will not save you money.  One of my favorite meatless meals is crudities and humus with sliced fresh fruit and cheese.
• Bulk purchases
• Peanut butter freshly ground at the store saves almost $.50 a pound, plus it has no added sugar.  It is extremely healthier.  Things like Nutella and peanut butter may seem cheaper alternatives, but they are also full of sugar, so that the amount of good protein is reduced.  Avoid these.  Also, pre-chopped veggies and bag salad are 4-5 times more costly than purchasing the greens and veggies in bulk.  One of the most drastic price increases comes from those fruit salads.  For the same amount of money spent on fruit, you could make 4 times the fruit salad.  Oatmeal, including steel cut oats, are less expensive in bulk.  Avoid the instant packaging or smaller containers.  Instead, buy in bulk.  I mix my own "instant" oatmeal.  Similarly, don't throw out any cooked oatmeal that isn't eaten.  Bulk purchase nuts are a huge savings.
• High protein items
• Nuts, beans, quinoa..................add as many high protein items to your diet as possible.  I add nuts, flaxseed, chai, or quinoa to my smoothie, peanut butter to my oatmeal, and cooked beans to my salad.  I am gluten free, so much of my diet revolves around fruits and veggies.  Humus is a normal snack item for me, as is no sugar yogurt dip.  
• Throw nothing away
• And I mean nothing....................not one thing.  Even a store bough rotisserie chicken can be salvaged for one more meal before its final disposition. It seems silly, but I made a tortilla soup out of left-over nachos from a restaurant once.  It can be done.  We are a nation of over indulgence.  I cringe at the amount of food thrown away.  My freezer has two bowls I use for leftovers.  Once is for soup and the other for smoothies.
• Create a weekly menu
• The best way to stick to a tight food budget is to create a weekly menu.  I have done this many times in my adult life, and each time, I am able to maximize the money I spend on food.  The most effective use of the weekly planner is to cut down the time spent preparing and cooking foods.  If I make a pot of beans, I figure in how many times I will use beans that week and make enough to carry the whole week.  Then, stick to the menu.