Thrifty Shopping

Shop weekly, not every day or two. Saves time, gas, and bother. Shop with your list in hand. Don’t let the store seduce you with its appealing displays into spending more than you intended.

The day before your weekly grocery shopping, take inventory of fridge, freezer, and pantry. Plan menus for the week ahead. With your cookbook at hand, make your shopping list of items needed to fill in the gaps in the recipes needed for your menus. Take note of how much you throw away. Buy less of those items next time. Odds and ends—half a bell pepper, one-serving bits of meat, slightly wilted veggies—can go into a soup or casserole.

You can work freckled bananas into an easy dessert. Simply peel, slice, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon. If you feel a little more ambitious, try this one:

BANANA COCONUT PUDDING:

2 servings

1 can coconut milk

2 ripe bananas

1 Tablespoon honey or brown sugar or brown Splenda®

Dash salt

½ teaspoon real vanilla

Pour coconut milk into a saucepan. Slice bananas into it. Cook on medium heat, stirring in a little sugar, honey, or sugar substitute and a few drops of vanilla, until slightly thickened. Bananas are a good source of potassium and vitamin B6.

Store all leftovers in capped jars, plastic food storage boxes or, in bowls covered with plastic wrap, labeled and dated, for up to 4 days. Reboil or refreeze if not used within that time.

Keep lettuce fresh until the last leaf is gone by wrapping the head in paper towels and refrigerating inside a plastic bag. When ready to use, wash one leaf at a time under running water. Pat dry between layers of tea towels. Tear or cut to bite size pieces for tossed salad or arrange on a platter and top with vegetables or fruits.

SIMPLE SALADS: My pattern for salad is lettuce, diced vegetable or fruit, and chopped or slivered onion or olives—three items. Pull off as many lettuce leaves as you’ll need for one meal’s salad. Wash one leaf at a time under running water. Pat dry with a clean dishtowel. Tear or cut into small pieces. Place in salad bowl and top with drained bottled artichoke arts, diced tomatoes, and chopped red onion; olives or capers optional. Rewrap the lettuce head in paper towel and return it to the plastic bag and the refrigerator Serve salad with vinaigrette or ranch-style dressing.

SOAP SAVING: Collect those little slivers left when a bar of bath soap is used up. Put them in a small jar with water to cover plus an inch. Microwave uncovered 1 minute. Voila! Soft soap for hand washing. For a more liquid soap, add more water before microwaving.

SPONGE ECOLOGY: Cut a large sponge in two. It will fit your hand better, and you’ll have a virgin sponge in reserve for when that first half wears out.

For sanitation, every few days simmer your sponge 15 minutes in a small pan of 2 cups water plus 1 teaspoon soda. You’ll be surprised how much dirt the sponge releases, how fresh and clean it gets, and how much longer it lasts.

As the weather cools and baking appeals to you, buy a copy of my "Wholegrain and Gluten Free" baking book. You’ll get 67 recipes for yeast breads, quick breads, biscuits and scones, muffins, cakes, pies, cookies, and timesaving homemade mixes. All these present baked goods filled with the fiber and nutrients what refined flours have milled out of them. The book costs $15 at Minglement or the Country store.