Healthy foods on a budget

Healthy foods on a budget




Want to fill your plate with delicious, healthy foods without breaking the bank? Good Food on a Tight Budget—the first of its kind—lists foods that are good for you, easy on your wallet and good for the planet.

Environmental Working Group’s health experts have chosen them based on an in-depth review of
government surveys and tests for nearly 1,200 foods.


BEFORE You Shop
■ Plan and save. Make a meal plan and shopping list . Use the food you have and the deals you find in store ads and coupons.
■ Add more fruits and vegetables to your meal plan. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. You can get your 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for about the cost of a bus ride in most
cities.
■ Add beans and lentils to your meal plan. Pick beans and lentils instead of meat for 2 or more dinners every week – lots of protein for less money.
■ Skip processed foods like frozen pizza, cookies and soda. They usually cost more than fresh, healthy food. Canned foods are convenient, but eat fresh or frozen when you can to lower your
exposure to toxic chemicals.

AT HOME
■ Cook and freeze large batches. Save money by cooking at home more and eating out less. Store food properly and throw less away.
■ Grow your own. You can buy seeds with SNAP dollars. You don’t need a backyard, just some containers, a sunny window and a little soil. Community gardens are often free. Try cherry tomatoes and lettuce first.




Check out www.ewg.org/goodfood

Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp

Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp

Ingredients

• 12 cloves garlic
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, shells reserved
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch red pepper flakes, or a 1-inch piece dried guajillo chili
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

 

 

Directions
1. Finely mince 4 garlic cloves and place in large bowl. Smash 4 cloves under the flat side of a knife and place in a large skillet. Thinly slice remaining four garlic cloves and set aside.

2. Add shrimp to bowl with minced garlic. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and baking soda. Toss to combine thoroughly and set aside at room temperature.

3. Add shrimp shells to skillet with smashed garlic and add remaining olive oil and pepper flakes. Set over medium-low to low heat and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until shells are deep ruby red, garlic is pale golden brown, and oil is intensely aromatic, about 10 minutes. Oil should be gently bubbling the whole time. When ready, strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, tossing and pressing the shrimp shells to extract as much oil as possible. Discard shells and garlic.

4. Return flavored oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until pale golden brown, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook, tossing and stirring constantly until shrimp are barely cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add sherry vinegar and parsley and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately.

 

How To Dine Out With Kids

How To Dine Out With Kids

Take kids to appropriate places. Can I be more specific? Nope. What place is appropriate for your kid(s) is going to depend on their manners, behavior, palate, etc. Some quite young children are fine at high-end restaurants. Most young children, however, are going to be better off at casual, family-friendly places where service is quick, crayons are included, and no one is expecting whisper-perfect quiet. Does this mean you don't always get to eat exactly where you want because your kids are "going through a stage"? It may. Parenting involves many such sacrifices. Not to worry: if you follow the items here you can hopefully minimize that stage and get back to your dining life.

No special rules. The same rules that apply to you apply to your kids. Would you wander between the tables? Make faces at fellow diners? Throw food? Yes, yes, I know some of you will say that you want to, but would you? No. And that's because you have some manners. Kids need to follow these same rules in order to learn those same rules. Not later, as my colleague seemed to think. (One exception: drawing at the table or playing with a small, non-noise-making toy.) An exception many people make but makes me extremely sad: screens at the table. I understand the temptation, I truly do, and all of us with kids have been there where we just need to hand over the electronic babysitter and talk to our friend. As a rule or habit, though, it teaches children dreadful manners and doesn't give them the chance to learn how to participate in conversation or develop the ability to entertain themselves. You don't end up with a teenager capable of talking to grown-ups at dinner if you've just handed them your phone at every restaurant meal for thirteen years.

Enforce the rules. If it's okay to throw the Cheerio on the floor, why not the bowl of soup? No need to yell or make a scene, but teaching kids manners involves calm (and extremely boring) repetition. Over and over again: use a fork, keep your mouth closed when chewing, say thank you, speak in an indoor voice, etc. etc.

Take them outside. Even at boisterous family places, no one wants to hear your baby cry or your kid have a tantrum. When that happens, you take the child out of the restaurant. The change of scenery tends calms a baby down and it gives a young kid a chance to recalibrate. Some meals may need to be cut short, packed up, and toted home. The essence of etiquette is to avoid infringing on others. Think of these circumstances as an opportunity to model that for your children.

Same rules at home. This one is optional, but I highly recommend it. I've heard of families where they have a "restaurant night" to "practice." Maybe for little kids that really haven't been out this could be good, and if it works for people, more power to them. I've always found, however, that it makes a lot of sense to just teach kids manners for meals at home, too.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Jalapeno Popper

Philly Cheese Jalapeno Popper

Ingredients

• 12 jalapeno peppers, washed
• 1/2 lb leftover steak (you could really use any beef or chicken), diced or crumbled
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 stick butter
• Salt
• Provolone or Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Score peppers down the middle and scrape out seeds and ribs using a tiny spoon or butter knife.
• Heat butter over medium heat in a medium saute pan.
• Add onions and sprinkle generously with salt; toss to coat.
• Saute, stirring frequently, until almost translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Stuff peppers with beef, then onions and top with cheese.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and almost browning.