So the first thing I struggled with was buying spices. They are really expensive and sometimes I am not sure if I am even going to use it again to be worth buying. So I began to look for cheaper ways to buy spices.
Smith's Grocery store has spices for $1 which to me seems like a great price and they are bottled and not in the little packets you see.
Winco is also a grocery store but they carry some items in bulk such as spices, I can get the amount I need and pay penny's for it! So look for stores that carry bulk items because they are usually cheaper to buy.
I also re-use my spice bottles and little jars from red chili's and so forth, for spices I buy in bulk. That also saves you money.
Cut recipes: When I am cooking for just my husband and I, I always cut the recipes in half, sometimes I still put the same amount of vegetables in, it just depends. But you really have to get into the mind set of cut recipe in half. I sometimes put sticky notes on the page to remind me. With spices I usually just start with a smaller amount and then work my way up.
Meat: This one can be a tricky one, however once you get the art down of separating and putting in the freezer it can be a benefit for you.
I usually only buy meat when it is on sell, such as Chicken I only buy when it is under $2 lb., and hamburger when it is under $3 lb. So basically when that happens I buy in bulk and stock up my freezer.
Hamburger I separate into 1/2 lb. sections. This makes it easy to grab and defrost and I can always add more meat if needed. In my opinion I feel for most meals you don't need more meat then vegetables in your food.
Chicken I separate also into two pieces but make sure they won't stick to each other. Sometimes the chicken breasts I buy are hug, so I can usually just use 1 piece of chicken for 2 people, I just defrost, cut it up into cubes or cut it in half (depends on the type of meal).
Non-Meat Dinner: surprisingly my husband came up with this because he realized that we were eating a lot of meat for dinner. This has also helped me to step out of my comfort zone and look up new recipes with no meat and find really good substitutes for meat.
Quinoa is a great substitute for meat because of its bulkiness, learning how to cook and bake with it can be a great advantage (you can also get it at most bulk stores for a cheaper price).
A book I really like to use for these types of recipes is Eat to Live this book was recommended to me by a doctor a couple of years ago and I have loved it, it teaches you the reason nutrition is so important. I don't use it as a weight lose program I just use the recipes in the back of the book which are amazing. (they also have a cook book out now)
Substitutes: I use substitutes a lot in my cooking. When I get a recipe that looks good and I don't know what some of the ingredients are or look like, I always look them up on the internet. If I go to the store and find that it is really expensive then I look up substitutes that match the recipe I am making. I usually have the substitute at home.
Something I have substituted before is chicken broth, I can use soy sauce and a few other ingredients as a broth and it works just as great.
Here is a link on substitutes for chick, beef and vegetable broth here
Cooking help: I use a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, and my blender a lot and they save me time all the time.
I convert a lot of my recipes into slow cooker meals . All I do is take the ingredients I would cook together in a pan and place in the slow cooker on low and let cook while I am at school or work and then I will cook noodles, or rice really quick and its all done.
Rice Cooker, I love my rice cooker a lot. this saves me a lot of time and mess by just putting it in the rice cooker. I also cook quinoa in my rice cooker. After cooking the rice or quinoa you can just add it to the meal when its done.
All you do is 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water.
so if you wanted 2 cups of rice you would do 4 cups of water close the lid and press cook.
I know there are more fancier rice cookers out there but mine is pretty basic and small just enough for 2 people.
You cook Quinoa just the same as rice 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water.
here is a link (I just don't add salt)
P.S. one cup of Quinoa is enough to feed 4 to 8 people
Steamer: This I use when I just want vegetables as a side dish. I only steam my vegetables for 5 to 10 min because I don't want to steam all the nutrients out of the vegetables I just want them to be a little soft.
Blender: this is for my puree's and smoothies, and I also blend vegetables my husband doesn't like and put it in food he never notices and gets the nutrients he needs =)
Cook Books:
I love cook books and go to thrift stores and pick some up or I wait for sales at a book store and then go buy them for really cheap. These can be life savers and really help you think outside the box.
One of my favorite cook books is Fast Fixes with Mixes. They are really easy and have a variety of meals and even slow cooker meals.
Meal Planning: This is probably the dreaded day of the week for my husband however it really helps me to have a plan and know what I need to buy. Because if we don't have a plan I don't make dinner because I have no idea what to make =).
So going through recipes, Pinterest, and cook books really helps us to have an idea of what each of us want rather then Roman and Mac and Cheese for dinner.
So figure out the day you are going grocery shopping and then write down your meal plan. I usually do it on Saturday every week or every two weeks.
Also make sure the list is some where you can see it, and don't be scared to adjust the meal plan, its just there as a guide for the week.
Don't be scared: Cooking is all about trial and error, so don't be scared of the ingredients.
I have learned how to cook with so many different vegetables since I have started all this. I also learned how to incorporate it into other meals.
Such as Leek's they kinda look like a piece of a palm tree when you first see them but they are very similar to a green onion. So I used the rest of them as an onion and they taste just the same.
Talk to people about cooking and collect different recipes.
Ad Shopping: If you don't get the sunday paper then try to pick up ads at your local grocery store that way you can see what they have on sale and in season. It is way cheaper to use vegetables and fruits that are in season rather then just buying food you know you like. It helps with that creativity in cooking =)
Cooking shows: I love watching Master Chef and you actually learn how to cut and cook certain food by just watching the show.
Recipes I use a lot: here are just a few of the recipes I use with links
Quinoa Tacos (just scroll to the bottom) Husbands favorite
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Slow cooker Sloppy Joe's
Great place to find recipes:
Undressed Skeleton
Pinterest.com
Chart of what's in season
I have plenty of more recipes and if you have any questions or need help let me know =)
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