Stretch that Grocery Budget Part 5- Meal Prep as Sanity Saver

Now that you are a menu planning pro, it is time to make that menu planning even easier. Great kitchen shortcuts can make weekday meals go even quicker. Try them out!

· Make a double or triple batch of rice and freeze them in batches so you can just pull them out and thaw the day you need them.

· Try dried beans in the crock pot and also freeze them in batches.

· Buying chunk cheese to save money? Have your kids shred and then freeze. Just don’t freeze chunks of cheese as they tend to crumble when you thaw them.

· Next time you make a freezer friendly meal, double up and freeze a batch.

· Cut up your veggies for the week on a weekend.

· Chop onions and freeze in one cup increments for use. You can even caramelize them and then freeze.

· Save veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer. Then use them to make broths.

Any other great money saving tips you would like us to share? Send an email to Katie Wahl at kwahl@emergencyfoodshelf.org.

Customer Appreciation Day!

Monday, September 20th is Customer Appreciation Day at the Fare For All Warehouse Sales in New Hope. Stop in any time from 9:30am-7:00pm and let us celebrate you with delicious food, drinks, and frozen meat pack raffles. We hope to see you all on Monday!!

Stretch that Grocery Budget Part 4- Menu Planning

Ever come home from a long day at work, starving? So you rummage through your cupboards and everything seems like it is going to take forever to cook. So you break out a bag of chips to tide you over and grab your take out menus. About $20 or $30 later you have a meal that not only cost you what several meals cooked at home would cost but no control over the content of ingredients. So how to remedy this very common situation? Get out your calendar, take a look in your pantry and refrigerator and gather your grocery store sale flyers. Doing about 30 minutes of work can save you money, time and make sure you have a healthy meal on the table.

Menu planning is really basic. Make sure you know what items in your pantry and fridge that you need to use up and plan meals around those items first. Then add in other family favorite meals. While you are adding meals to your calendar, keep your grocery list close and add any needed ingredients. Don’t forget to build in a night for leftovers as well, or make sure they get packaged up for easy lunches. Looking for a great menu planner printout? Check out Faithful Provision’s at http://faithfulprovisions.com/resources/downloads/.

So next time you are starving and can’t figure out what to eat, remember that a little time spent menu planning can save you time, money and keep you healthy.

Closed on Labor Day

Fare For All Monday Sales in New Hope will be closed on Labor Day, September 6th. Our staff and volunteers wish you a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Stretch that Grocery Budget Part 3- Make a List and Stick to it!

With your new found budget and your cash in hand, it’s time to hit the grocery store! Do you ever go to the grocery store with no plan and then come home with a whole bunch of items that don’t amount to real meals? This is a definite recipe to spend more than you wanted to while probably eating out more and spending even more money.

Before you hit the grocery store, make a list. You can do this a couple of different ways. First, you can keep a list on your fridge/pantry and as you run out of things, you can add them to the list. This ensures that you will never be without staples like ketchup or mustard. Second, you can just go through your fridge/pantry right before you go to the grocery store. This can help as you will be able to see exactly what you have on hand so you don’t overbuy or waste food you have already bought and paid for.

So make that list and stick to it when you grocery shop. It can definitely help you save you money!

Fare For All In the News!

Our Outreach Coordinator Sophia was on KARE 11 this morning! Watch this great news clip about Fare For All!

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=865742

Easy Kid-Friendly Snacks

Here are two simple recipes that are not only kid-friendly, but nutritious too!

Crunchy Apples

1. Cut any kind of apple into wedges.

2. Cover the ends of the apple wedges with peanut butter.

3. Sprinkle granola over the peanut butter so it will stick.

See photo.

Tortilla Roll-Up

1. Spread peanut butter and jelly on a tortilla.

2. Top with a sliced banana and chocolate chips.

3. Roll up and warm in microwave for 10 seconds.

Have your child help make his or her treat, and enjoy it together!