In part one, I shared some ideas for saving money when shopping at the grocery store. I listed tips for affordable, nourishing, whole foods.
In this post, I'm sharing money saving tips to take into your kitchen and home.
Make your own chicken stock - this is inexpensive, easy, and you will also have a whole chicken to eat on. Here's how you do it: Add these ingredients to a large pot: whole chicken, carrots, celery, onions, garlic (whatever you have). Fill the pot with water to cover the ingredients. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Take the chicken out to remove all of the meat. Use this meat in other recipes! Put the bones back to simmer another 3 or so hours. Make sure there is enough water in the pot. When you feel it's done, strain it and store in containers in the fridge to use throughout the week or freezer for later.
Freeze leftovers - make large batches of meals and freeze what you don't think you'll eat in a few days. This reduces cooking effort, waste and provides a meal when you are too tired or sick to cook.
Freeze herbs - every time I buy (or grow) a bunch of herbs, I end up using part of it and the rest goes to waste. I’ve learned to wash the herbs, lay them out to dry, freeze them separated, then put them together in a freezer ziplock bag for later. Now, I only buy thai basil once a month and use it for several dishes throughout the month.
Freeze veggie scraps - this means the ends of onions and carrots, etc. that you can throw into your homemade stocks.
Grow your own food! I started last year and had no idea how much joy this process would bring me. It's amazing to watch a seed sprout into a tiny seedling and then a huge plant! The best part is the edible rewards. It takes relatively little effort to grow a plant that produces 30+ tomatoes a season and the experience is priceless. Eating fresh fruit, herbs and veggies out of your own garden is seriously something special. There's a bit of initial investment but then seeds and started plants are so much less than buying fresh produce at the store. Gardening post and how tos coming soon!
