Clip: Herb Companion
One of my favorite mags is the Herb Companion. I stopped taking it years back when my in-ground gardening days ended, but I still enjoy reading it. Lately they have become more online friendly:, although you do have to deal with pop-up subscription reminders.
This came in the e-mail newsletter:
Budget Friendly Meals
By Pat Crocker
Herb-rich Recipes:
• Citrus Almond-Basil Cake
• Roasted Squash Soup
• Ginger Marinated Flank Steak
• Pasta with Seasonal Vegetables
• Eggs Baked with Spinach, Parsley and Ham
• Fennel, Celery and Apple Salad
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Cannellini Bean Salad with Savory Vinaigrette
• Savory Vinaigrette
• Roasted Meditteranean Herb Chicken
• Meditteranean Herb Paste
• Rosemary Custard and Wine-Poached PearsOnline Exclusive Recipes:
• Lemon Rice
• Mediterranean Herb-Baked Macaroni
• Pureed Squash
• Tart Tatin
• Cucumber Yogurt and Mint Salad
• Lemon Rice Pudding
• Fresh Figs with Ricotta ApricotsIf your budget is stretched so thin you can practically read this article through it, take heart. As you strain to work that food budget, herbs prove that they truly are the useful plants. Put flexibility back into your food allowance by bumping up the quality and flavor of meals as you shrink their weekly cost. Read on to see just how easy and delicious it is to reel in runaway food bills by learning from the professionals.
There are some simple, concrete ideas here for good food that saves money without paring down to white rice and dry noodles.
Thrift isn’t penury, as you can see by looking at the inspirations for those lovely little bistros my East Nashville neighbors would just love to see on every other corner. It’s basic food, inexpensive food for every day life, only with a little flair.
The article suggests using seasonal food, vegetarian entres, and even food you grow yourself (herbs don’t take up that much room, and make the plainest things special). They give some ways of making meat go farther, and give some ideas for use/reuse meals.
The part I like the best is what the author calls a 5-Dinner Meal Map
The first step toward eating well while spending less is planning. A meal map not only gives you a sense of being at the helm, it helps you control spending by giving you shopping parameters. There is less chance you will opt for an expensive (and often calorie-laden) convenience meal if you have a simple recipe and list of ingredients for a healthier version in hand. In addition, it ensures you use all of those fresh sage leaves during the week and it saves time by “cooking once, using twice” (as in the Roasted Squash Soup one day and Pureed Squash and Green Beans later in the week). A good plan builds in some leftovers, one of the smartest money- and time-saving tools there is.
The secret to working the plan is to select four or five menus but only shop for three days’ meals at a time. If you do that, the refrigerator is comfortably stocked but it isn’t a disaster should one day’s meal happen to be postponed in favor of an impromptu pizza night. The goal is flexibility.
To get you started using herbs to save on food bills, we have mapped out five dinner menus in true bistro style.
Dinner 1
• Roasted Squash Soup
• Roasted Meditteranean Herb Chicken on Lemon Rice
• Rosemary Custard and Wine-Poached Pears
Dinner 2
• Fennel, Celery and Apple Salad
• Mediterranean Herb-Baked Macaroni
• Broccoli Spears
• Citrus Almond-Basil CakeDinner 3
• Ginger Marinated Flank Steak
• Pureed Squash and Green Beans
• Tart Tatin (simple fruit pie with one pastry shell)Dinner 4
• Cucumber Yogurt and Mint Salad
• Eggs Baked with Spinach, Parsley and Ham
• Lemon Rice PuddingDinner 5
• Pasta with Seasonal Vegetables
• Cannellini Bean Salad with Savory Vinaigrette
• Fresh Figs with Ricotta Apricots
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