Menus On A Dime By Jill Cooper Tawra Jean Kellam Original Artwork by: David G. Cooper Wichita, KS Published By Not Just Beans Wichita, KS Visit us on the Web! E-mail editor@livingonadime.com The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book. Copyright 2006 Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam All rights reserved
How to use these menus Have you ever inadvertently worn plaid and polka dots together? In cooking terms, that's roughly the same as serving marcaroni and potato chips. That's why it's important to plan your meals! We created this menu booklet to go with our cookbook Not Just Beans: Fifty Years of Frugal Family Favorites. Most of the recipes ideas are found in there. When using these menus sometimes they call for pie or a salad. Everything does not need to be homemade- you can use store-bought pies, cakes, cookies, dinner rolls or bags of salad. Especially on what I call "rougher" days. Even though this may not seem very frugal, it is still much cheaper than going out to eat. I would rather pay extra for a pie and make the rest of the meal from scratch than spend more money on delivered pizza. When making these menus I tried to use ingredients and dishes that are found in most homes. I realize that every menu will not be perfect for your family and their tastes so I have made them adaptable and interchangeable. For example, if a menu calls for green beans, you can substitute broccoli. If your family doesn't eat pies use a chocolate cake instead. Sometimes you may decide to use only the main dish from a menu and to create your own menus using that main dish. These menus are not set in stone. You will get much more use out of them if you try mixing and matching. After you have used them for a while you may want to start making some menus of your own with your family's favorite recipes. Here are some basic simple guidelines to follow in creating your own menu ideas. Tip! Write down the menu number on your calendar or day planner. This way, you'll know at a glance if you need to buy something at the grocery store, thaw something out or make it for the next day. 1
SPECIAL NOTE! The * symbol refers to recipes avaliable in Not Just Beans: Fifty Years of Frugal Family Favorites and Dining On A Dime. Feel free to use your own favorite recipes if you prefer. Basic Menu Meat or Main Dish Starch side dish (potatoes, rice and pasta) Vegetable side dish (1 or 2 fresh or cooked vegetables) Salad Bread or Crackers Dessert Drink 2
Try to have a pleasing balance of color. Do: Chicken Mashed Potatoes Green Beans Sliced Strawberries or Red Jell-O Salad Don't: Chicken Mashed Potatoes Corn on the cob Banana In the last menu everything on the don't list is basically the same color. They fade away and don't have the eye appeal as the first list with its green and red. Try to have different types of texture. Do: Sausage gravy on toast Hash browns Mixed fruit Jumbo cookies Don't: Sausage gravy on toast Creamed peas Creamed potatoes Vanilla pudding Everything on the don't list is creamy, runny or soft. You need some crunchy, crispy, soft and in-between textures. 3
A couple of other things to keep I mind: If you have mixed fruit for a salad, don't serve fruit pie for dessert. If you serve a milkshake as a drink, don't serve ice cream for dessert. It's the old saying "too much of a good thing" or in this case "too much of the same thing." The most important thing is to avoid letting these tips overwhelm you and cause you to give up. You'll find after a couple of months using my menus that a lot of these things will become habit. Besides -- I've never heard of a family dying because once in a while someone didn't have the right color of vegetable or served all soft foods. These are only guidelinesnot commandments. If all else fails, don't make your own menus -- just use ours. We have enough menu ideas in this booklet that you can feed your family for a couple of months before you need to repeat any of them. 4
Dirty Dishes Cause Debt! The other day I was asked one of the most common questions that people ask me. "Where do I start to get out of debt?" After telling me of her huge credit card debt and how they eat out almost every night, the lady took a deep breath and said, "How do I save on laundry detergent and cleaning supplies?" Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. Even though saving money on cleaning supplies does help and should be done, that usually isn't where the biggest problem with the debt lies. This woman never once thought to ask me how to stop eating out so much. Most people don't want to face the real causes of their debt. Their biggest problems are the things they like the most. Going out to eat is one of the top five causes of debt. Get those dirty dishes out of the sink!! We go out to eat because we can't face a dirty kitchen. Keeping your kitchen empty of dirty dishes is the key to saving money. This is probably the #1 way to start getting out of debt. Most people are so overwhelmed with piled counter tops and dirty dishes that they would rather go out to eat than face a dirty kitchen. Do the dishes after every meal and keep hot soapy water in the sink while you are baking or cooking. Clean up as you go. If your sink is empty and the dishes are washed, your kitchen always looks good. This helps you save money because you have the time and space to cook. 5