I spent Easter weekend in Edmonton with friends and family. I got into an interesting discussion about eating on a budget. I felt compelled to share the story of my dietetic internship year (I often feel compelled to share stories).  Internship is a ten month, full time, unpaid learning experience where you are still expected to pay full tuition. I was determined to not take out any more student loans, so we survived on my husband’s entry-level salary…so no money.  It was so no money that we had to think long and hard about renting a movie, “anything in the old release section we want to see?”.

I decided the easiest way to save some money would be at the grocery store. I have always loved a deal, but this was an extra challenge with little room for error. We had about $300 per month for groceries and still wanted to eat healthy meals. How can you do it too?

• Reduce the number of times you go to the grocery store. Every time you run in for just one thing, you come out with more.
• Plan out some of your meals ahead of time to ensure you have the things you need to make actual meals and to prevent unnecessary trips
• Eat a couple meat free meals per week. Meat makes up a large portion of most grocery bills. 
• Only buy things in bulk that you will use in a reasonable amount of time. It makes sense to buy the larger block of cheese if you are going to use it. The 1 liter bottle of vanilla seems like a good deal, but it will sit in your cupboard for 20 years before you use it all.
• Try to make things from scratch. It is almost always cost effective to do it yourself. I’m not suggesting you bake your own bread (unless you want to) but you can make your own salad dressings (see last week) and pizza crust, see below.
  

I had always wanted to make pizza crust from scratch but I wanted it to be quick so I could make it after work and still eat at a decent hour. When I found this yeast free, rise free recipe I was sold.

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425°F with a cookie sheet upside down on the middle rack. Combine dry ingredients then add wet and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times. Divide into 4 pieces and pat into 7 or 8 inch circles (no rolling pin required). Top with sauce and your favorite toppings. Place 2 pizzas onto hot cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 min and repeat with last two. In place of the cookie sheet you could use a pizza stone if you have one or perforated pizza pans. (Adapted from the 2010 Milk Calendar).

Turns out great every time. I would love it if you topped your pizzas with veggies like spinach and peppers, lean meats and part skim milk mozzarella cheese. For sure less than ordering in and buying pre-made crusts.

To conclude my story we did make our grocery budget goals and even had a few months at the $250 mark. It was a great learning experience, and really why wouldn’t you want to save on your groceries? Extreme couponing it isn’t (how mind blowing is that show?) but proven to work! 

Lets talk salad dressing: sure it is available at any grocery store, but it is so easy to make….it is. If you have a Magic Bullet or some sort of blender or even a whisk or fork, you are in business.

Dinner tonight in our house was in need of a salad and therefore dressing, so into my Magic Bullet went:

½ cup olive oil
½ cup strawberries
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar (or more to taste)
1 garlic clove, chopped
pinch of salt and pepper

Blend...strawberry vinaigrette...done!

Tonight I served it over romaine lettuce, with cucumber, snap peas, mango and goat cheese. Yum. Because it has fresh strawberries in it I would keep it in the fridge for no longer than 4-5 days.

Why do I love this? I control the salt and fat content. Trying to cut back on calories? Use less oil or skip the cheese in the salad. I also like anything that makes a salad more interesting. Plus we are squeezing in some extra fruit…yes!

There are endless recipes on the web for vinaigrettes and most are pretty easy and don’t always need a blender. I hope this encourages you to try your hand at it. Love a recipe? Feel free to share.

My husband and I went out for what we dubbed the “last supper” while I was extremely pregnant with my son. We chose a five star, exclusive restaurant in Vancouver. We knew it was going to be the last time for a while that we would be able to enjoy a delicious restaurant meal, together, unhurried. The funny part is that I don’t actually remember my entrée (fish, chicken?) but I do remember that it was presented on a bed of amazing Swiss chard. It tasted so good that I would have taken more of it over dessert.

I am sure you are thinking only a dietitian would actually say that. Well…prior to that evening I didn’t have a lot of experience eating or preparing leafy greens. In my head it was all a pile of olive green mush. Pretty un-tempting.

Once the dust settled post baby I was ready to try making some at home. I was still skeptical: was it a pound of butter that made them so tasty, was it crazy pregnant food? I decided to start with this recipe for Sautéed Swiss Chard. Turned out fabulous, for real.

For bonus points beyond great taste, Swiss chard is low in calories, high in vitamin A and K as well as antioxidants vitamin C and beta carotene. Swiss chard can be grown locally so you can support your local farmer or try it in your own garden (reported to be one the easier veggies to grow).

I have also had some other leafy greens in my kitchen….but that’s for another day…