Becoming a Domestic God(dess), Part One

It occurred to me today that I've been cooking all week and only spent $5 at the grocery store on Monday. I haven't made the big grocery run in going on three weeks, which is really unusual. I will have to go in the next few days to replenish the pantry, but I've been very pleased with saving money, utilizing what I have, and not having to leave the house.

A friend of mine is embarking on cooking to save both money and calories. My biggest struggle when I started cooking for myself was doing it cheaply and healthfully. I could pull off one but not the other. At one point, I was spending over $75 a week on food, not finishing it, and not having room in my freezer for leftovers. Then I got smart about it. And now, I'm smart about it, have access to a real kitchen, and have someone to help me eat these dinners and contribute to the budget for these dinners. Now, this happy occurrence doesn't... uh... occur for everyone so nicely and conveniently. Yet, the cooking can be done, cheaply, healthfully, and in a hurry after work when you are worn out. The key is smart stocking. This friend mentioned what he was trying to do and I thought I would post this to help him.

First, you need the basics. Now, basics are different for everyone. My basics are as follow:

Cabinet/pantry
Canned tomatoes
Canned crushed tomatoes (I use in lieu of tomato sauce)
Canned beans (black, white, kidney -- mostly black)
Canned vegetables you will eat (for me, this is green beans and corn, because Mr. B will eat both with no prodding)
Orzo
Rice
Some variety of macaroni
Some variety of long pasta
Broth or base (I now swear by Better than Boullion -- you get 38 cups' worth of base in a tiny jar... imagine how much room 16 cans of broth take up, and how much you will waste because no one ever calls for 2 cups of broth -- always 1 or 3 -- and the stupid cans only come in 2 c. sizes. Uh... I digress...)
Tomato soup
Dried beans (black, white, red)
Fresh garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Canned fruit

Fridge
Buttah!(can also be bought in bulk and frozen)
Carrots
Natural vanilla low-fat yogurt
Cottage cheese
Fresh fruit (apples, pears etc. can hang on the counter)
Eggs
Milk or soymilk (or canned evaporated milk -- some of us can't use up milk quickly enough)
8 oz. cheese bricks (Buy on sale -- they keep for ages and can be frozen. They melt better than pre-shredded so you get more flavor, better texture and can use less. The anti-caking agent on pre-shredded makes it all dry. Just trust me on this; you won't be sorry.)
Corn tortillas (yes, you can make your own, but if you're just starting out, don't bother. The pack of eight zillion keep for ages in the fridge.)

Freezer
Frozen veggies (spinach is completely necessary)

Powdery things
Flour
Sugar
Dark brown sugar (I never ever use light. I just love dark and don't see why they bother with the light.)
Cornmeal
Corn starch
Cocoa
Baking powder
Baking soda

Near the stove/spice rack
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Red wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine
White wine
Basil
Oregano
Cumin
Nutmeg
Tabasco sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Vanilla
Salt and pepper

Now, this is not comprehensive, and I'm sure there are many things on here you might not need. And, you can build on this. Clearly, the first month you cook, you won't need all the spices I listed. Pick them up on an on-sale or as needed basis. (And, buy them in the international section or at another store -- spices are a racket as described at Casual Kitchen. Much of the items can be picked up on sale, in bulk, at warehouse stores (they have killer deals on giant cans of tomato puree), and even at the dollar store.

You'll note something missing -- meat. I buy that weekly, and I stretch it. If I buy a package of sausage, it will likely go in a lasagne, a bean soup, and maybe a quiche. Same for bacon, beef, chicken, etc. I'll go ahead and cook the whole pack, then divide and freeze some for the next recipe. It saves money, and it keeps me and Mr. B from eating so much meat. (Well, he has been known to go forage after dinner, but baby steps, people, baby steps.) Also, if you're like me and lack self-control, go ahead and put some of the dinner in storage containers to cool and go into the freezer. Leave some out for lunch or the next night in the fridge, put some away for the next week or two when you're busy, and leave out a max of two servings in case you're starving. Instantly, your meal has staying power. Also, keep a list on the fridge/freezer of what meals/perishables you have so you can eat what is already there. I'm a notorious food forgetter.

I can make about 85% of my regular recipes from what's listed up there plus meat. (Casual kitchen also has an article about that -- CK calls it the 80/20 rule. Seriously, you need to read the whole site anyway. Just go look. It's lovely. CK and CHG are very much my favorite sites about cooking. They are well-written, informative, and it sounds creepy, but they seem like people I'd like to have over for cake and coffee and to tell about any hysterical kitchen tragedy/triumph.

So, that's my first musing on the topic. Read up, buddy. Next post -- how to feed yourself in 30 minutes or less or the soup's free. Oh, wait.