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Pantry Power: Stretch Your Food Budget with Pantry Staples · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  There's no doubt about it that food is just getting more and more expensive every day.
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  And so finding ways to save on our food budgets is something that we all are having to deal with.
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  Welcome to Talking FACS, where we share research-based information that you
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  can use to strengthen your family, your community, and our state.
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  I am your host, Mindy McCulley, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support
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  with Family and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky. My guest today is Dr.
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  Heather Norman-Burgdolf, our Assistant Extension Professor for Nutrition. Welcome, Heather.
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  Thanks for having me back, Mindy. So we're going to talk about pantry staples
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  that work hard for your budget. And I know that this is a topic that really
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  speaks to the heart of so many people across Kentucky right now.
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  I think it doesn't matter if you're just trying to stretch your food dollars,
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  you know, you're trying to feed a family of four, or maybe you're just trying
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  to avoid another grocery trip.
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  I think if we can learn how to use pantry staples and see them as opportunity,
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  maybe some things that have been sitting in the cupboard or the cabinet for
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  a while, it really can help you save money in the long run. And you can still
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  build nutritious meals.
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  Let's just really dive into this topic about how we can make the most of what
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  we already have and turn it into something that is going to be a nutritious
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  and delicious meal for our family.
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  So let's start with something familiar, spaghetti noodles.
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  I know that I have spaghetti noodles sitting in a canister in my pantry right
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  now. What am I going to do with those?
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  So these are very common, affordable ingredients, and maybe we can breathe a
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  little more life into them.
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  You see a spaghetti noodle, you're like, oh, we're having spaghetti again.
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  And I know, just like you, I've probably got a box or two that are tucked away
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  somewhere, no telling how long they've been in there.
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  But instead of just pairing them with jarred pasta sauce, maybe we can try them in a new way.
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  And so maybe we can go through here with some affordable ingredients and then
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  just throw out a different way or a twist on how to use them.
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  So the first one that I'm going to suggest is a spaghetti stir fry.
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  So some people might hear that and be like, what?
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  But really, all you need to do is cook those noodles, as the package says,
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  and toss them with some frozen mixed vegetables.
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  You could even fry or scramble in an egg or add maybe some leftover grilled
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  chicken from the night before.
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  And sauces can make a big difference. So instead of having that red tomato-based
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  sauce that you typically think of with spaghetti,
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  try soy sauce or a teriyaki sauce a
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  sweet and sour sauce and honestly with
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  frozen vegetables using box dried pasta throwing
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  in an egg or two this meal cost just a few dollars
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  and actually it it makes a lot of food and could easily feed four or five people
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  and you could even get a little bit more nutritional bang for your buck i like
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  to use that phrase you know if you look for a whole grain or a legume based
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  noodle pasta noodle because that's going to add additional fiber and protein,
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  which can help you feel full for longer.
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  So yeah, a fun twist on a spaghetti noodle.
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  Like you said, we all probably have spaghetti or some kind of pasta sitting in our pantry right now.
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  Okay, so let's talk about split peas. They are often overlooked,
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  but they are very cheap, they're filling, and they don't need to be soaked.
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  So they don't require a lot of prepping.
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  Yes. What can we do with those? Okay, so you might be like, split peas, what?
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  But yeah, this is a great way to add bulk and stretch servings in a meal.
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  So when I think simple, when I think pantry staples, I think about assembling things.
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  Like, yes, it's cooking, but really we're just putting different ingredients
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  together that maybe have little or low prep.
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  So in this case, I want to do like a split pea and rice bowl.
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  So really, all you're going to have to do is cook those split peas.
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  And I would add in some garlic and onion if you have some. And if you don't, that's OK.
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  But you could easily just serve those over brown rice with a drizzle of cooking
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  oil, whatever you have on hand.
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  In a sprinkle of your favorite seasoning. It could be pretty hearty.
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  You could even add a canned vegetable on the side or add carrots or any other
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  canned vegetable you might have to the meal itself.
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  This easily costs under $5 and makes four hearty servings, if not going to create
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  leftovers that you could even use for maybe lunch the next day.
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  Split peas, like you said, I think they're overlooked. They're high in fiber.
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  They are a source of protein.
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  And really, they're great for keeping energy up. And it can be comforting.
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  This can be a comforting dish. So we've talked about peas. Let's move on to beans.
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  Because dried beans are another great option for families and also very inexpensive.
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  Yes, they're one of the most affordable protein sources out there.
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  So if people really feel like their grocery budget is being squeezed or it's
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  harder to purchase other types of protein, really looking at beans.
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  And you can get a lot of value when you purchase dried beans.
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  So one pound of dried beans, it's usually in a bag, a clear plastic bag.
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  They come in a pound, 16 ounces. It can make up to eight cups of cooked beans.
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  That is a lot of bulk. That's a lot of food. And if you cook that,
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  really, you can add that or use that in multiple meals.
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  Now, they do require sifting through and soaking before they can be used.
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  And the Extension Office does have some great resources and even some videos
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  that show you how to cook dried beans.
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  But once you know how to cook dried beans, your world kind of opens up with
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  the options that are available to you. So I'm going to throw out.
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  A simple bean taco. So, you know, you could take cooked pinto or black beans
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  that have been dried, mash them slightly, and then serve it in tortillas,
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  you know, and with whatever toppings you have on hand.
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  So if you've got some different stuff, you could add shredded lettuce and sauce and cheese.
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  But really, you could do this at really low cost, feeding four people for about six bucks.
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  You could add in canned corn with those beans to help balance out, add some color.
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  In some bulk. It's also great in soups over rice. You can mix it into ground beef.
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  So if you're making a traditional beef taco meal, adding in a couple cups of
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  beans could stretch the protein that you have in that meal.
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  And then maybe it could be lunch the next day or serve dinner for a couple of nights.
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  So yeah, I strongly encourage people to, the next time in the grocery store,
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  just look at the dried beans section at all the options that are available.
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  Even in smaller rural dollar stores, they're going to also have dried beans as well.
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  Yeah. And that black bean taco, you're not going to miss the meat when you have
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  all of those beans in there. It's still very filling. Yeah.
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  Let's talk about milk. And I'm talking about the dried milk. Oh, yeah.
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  Something you might have on your pantry right now. Like, how do I use it?
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  The only way I think to use it is to put it in my hot chocolate mix.
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  How else can we use it? Yeah, so dry milk and other shelf-stable options are
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  great when fresh milk isn't available or if you're concerned about buying fresh
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  milk because you don't want it to go bad too quickly and you feel like you're wasting your money.
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  Dry milk is also called powdered milk, so some people may refer to it as that,
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  and it is found in the aisles of the grocery store, and it's also a common item on food pantry shelves.
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  So the water in the milk has been fully evaporated. Yeah.
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  Leaving that powder and that helps extend the shelf life so microbes and bad
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  germs can't grow and thrive there.
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  But once you have it at home, you can reconstitute it. Or what that means is
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  that you add the water back to bring it back to its true milk form.
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  And there's a variety of different types out there. So you do need to pay close
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  attention to the packaging to correctly prepare it.
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  So keep that in mind. Some are quick to prepare.
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  Some may have some additional steps. So yeah, you can use dry milk just like
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  you would fresh milk in recipes or drinking it however you want to You mentioned
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  putting it in your hot chocolate It can also be added to things that you're
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  baking to help boost the nutritional value So,
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  you know, if you like to make pancakes at home You could add dry milk powder
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  to your pancake mix to give it a little bit of extra nutrition.
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  If you make pancakes for dinner, you could serve that with some canned fruit.
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  You could top your pancakes with peanut butter.
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  And we love to have breakfast dinner in our house. Or even if it's a day where
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  you have time to prepare breakfast, this is a breakfast that could be four for under $4.
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  So really, you can get a lot of nutrition in there for a small amount of money.
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  So it seems like most of these items could stay in your cabinet or your pantry
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  indefinitely, almost. and really
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  could build that balanced meal that we preach and recommend forever.
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  So I think it's a win-win no matter what we talk about.
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  And maybe someone's at a point where they want to start to try to build out
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  a cupboard or a pantry or a cabinet in their home where they kind of have these
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  items that they can turn to in a pinch.
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  It's really helpful to have things like canned beans, dried beans,
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  canned vegetables, rice, pasta. Some of these things we've talked about here,
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  often they can be bought in bulk, and that could be a good value if you know you're going to use it.
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  So don't just buy them in bulk if it is an extra cost and you don't think you're going to use it.
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  And a lot of these items go on sale often. So maybe there's a 10 for 10,
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  or with the holidays, you tend to see canned vegetables that drop down to 69 cents, 79 cents a can.
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  It doesn't hurt even if it's not in your menu plan for the week.
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  Maybe to grab an extra can of green peas or canned corn just to have on hand
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  because they really can help round out a meal.
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  I know that that's what we do in my home.
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  If I'm making my grocery list, I might say, well, I might pick up a couple cans
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  of canned corn just to have if I feel like a meal that I'm preparing needs something
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  extra or to add another color to the plate when I'm feeding my kids, that kind of thing.
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  So it's just also helpful to have these on hand when maybe fresh ingredients
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  are limited or a lot of these things don't need a true recipe.
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  The ideas we've talked about, it's kind of assembling again.
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  So once you kind of have an idea of some meals that your family likes,
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  it's a way for you to build a meal maybe in a pinch when you don't have much
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  time and you haven't been able to plan out meals for the week.
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  All of these are really budget-friendly ideas.
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  Everything that you've suggested is going to be kind to your wallet.
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  I like that about them because you know that that's where my training is in
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  family resource management.
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  And so I like that it is friendly to your wallet. With a little creativity, right?
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  Just maybe taking a chance, trying something new. Maybe it's trying stir fry
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  sauce with your spaghetti noodles instead of pasta sauce.
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  But one little thing, one little change can make a big difference.
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  We don't have to get stuck in those kitchen ruts or those meal ruts just because
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  we've always done it that way, right?
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  Yeah, we have some great resources, some handouts about building meals with pantry staples.
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  I think it'd be great to include those in the show notes as well.
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  Well, and we certainly will.
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  And you have given us a week's worth of meal ideas.
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  And so we'll get through the week with your ideas.
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  And then, of course, what we share in the show notes. Hopefully we'll get people
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  through a whole month and then they can start over again and feel like they've
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  just gotten a whole brand new twist on their meal planning.
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  Heather, thank you for joining me. I always appreciate your fresh perspective on fresh food.
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  Thank you. If you are just tuning in, you're listening to Talking FACS and
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