How to stretch food.

Feeling the grocery crunch?

Want to eat out more but just can't justify the expense?

Want to know some tricks for stretching food to feed more people

while adding nutrition?

Step into my kitchen.

You all know we rarely go out for dinner. It makes me cry to see $100 or more,

being handed over to a mediocre restaurant for 5 meals.

My boys don't eat from the kids section anymore...

so it can be pretty daunting what they can pack away.

So many times, I am looking at the dish saying "I can make that." or

"Holy Crap... $20 for THAT!"

Don't get me wrong... I do love eating out.

My favorite meal is any meal I don't have to cook and clean up after...

It's just with the boys in private school, the cost of everything going up, and my

need to have nice things and several homes, eating out is one luxury

I can give up and feel okay about.

We eat out on special occasions, so maybe about 10 times a year.

That is a LOT less than the 1-2 times per week most families eat out.

So I have come up with things that taste fabulous, add nutrition, and stretch the food

so if the kids want leftovers, there will actually be some.

The red, yellow and orange beauties are sweet peppers from Costco.

The are absolutely delicious poured into a screaming hot pan of olive oil and about 1/4 cup of good balsamic vinegar. Cook until browned and they are a fantastic side dish.

Add a pinch of salt.

Taco meat. I add onions, shredded cabbage, and sweet peppers to it, then the taco seasoning.

It turns a pound of ground beef into 2 lbs, with out fat or too many calories.

I buy the leanest ground beef, so there is no fat to drain.

Fries...

I slice up sweet and regular potatoes, toss them in Olive Oil, salt and seasoning,

and bake them

I sprinkle Romano Cheese over them just before they are done...

So yummy.

I hope this was useful.

More to come.