Recap, the plan

Ok, we talked about getting started and planning your trips to the store.  We talked about cooking from scratch and not falling into the pitfalls that jack up the food bill.   And, we talked about scratch cooking to keep costa down.

Portion controls are a necessary topic too.  We only need a four ounce portion of meat.  That's about the size of the palm of your hand.  By portion controlling your meat before it goes on the table, you can stay within budget.  Take a look at the food pyramid.  Fill in the meal with whole grains, vegetables and some starch.  When my kids were teens, or had snack foods that they knew were free foods.  That is, I bought them for the sole purpose of allowing them protein rich snacks to tide them off until dinner time.  They knew that those foods were not part of dinner and they could eat as much as they wanted.  I never had to worry about the kids spoiling their dinner.  They all ate well and didn't have a weight problem.  We always had plenty of good food to eat in the house.

I made stew beef from a three pound hunk.of chuck  steak,  we had beef tips, mashed potatoes, gravy and salad one night.  We included my six foot four son.  We still had enough for me to have a lunch the next day and for my husband and I to have a dinner of stew the following night.

When I went to the nutritionist when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, she stressed a four ounce portion of meat, a small portion of starch, and Over 1/2 your plate was to be veggies.  A good  balance of foods is essential for nutrition and for keeping a sound budget., there are USDA guidelines for food on the Internet.

On another note.  The USDA has come out saying that foster farms has had some problems with salmonella.  They are not recalling the chicken,  ALWAYS remember to wash everything that touches or that you touch  with raw meat juices very good.  Cook your chicken until 179 degrees.  I have a probe thermometer.  Last time I got carried away working on my studio and it cooked beyond its
timer.

Thanks for stopping by.

Pleas share

Jane