Resolve to Shop, Cook, Share and Help Eliminate Local Hunger in 2013

by Elise Griffith

     Since my first column at Slo Coast Journal—indeed for many years beforehand—my personal mission has been about preparing healthy meals on a budget. Would it surprise you to know we have hungry among us on our beautiful coastline? During the holidays, I met a few retired folks at the market who were concerned about how much healthy food they could actually afford to buy. According to Feeding America.org nearly nine million Americans over fifty are going hungry, and the number of food insecure seniors is expected to double by the time the last of the Baby Boomers reaches sixty in 2025.

By now we've all become more sale savvy at the grocery store. If Morro Bay's Dollar Tree is any indication, more of us are striving to save on staples whenever and wherever we can. Quite a few of our neighbors are growing some organic produce and herbs. It's no longer uncommon to see a big pot of tomatoes, spinach, or basil on a sunny porch instead of flowers. With an easy investment of time and effort, we can share our bargains and our bounty. Doesn't that sound like a worthwhile New Year's Resolution?

Some protein is essential to a healthy diet at any age. A pork sirloin roast purchased at $1.99 per pound can become a few meals for yourself and your family plus a meal to share.

Classic, Rosemary-Seasoned Pork with Vegetables

• 3-4 pounds fresh pork sirloin, trimmed
• 1 pound fresh carrots, unpeeled, scrubbed, and cut into chunks
• 1 pound fresh small potatoes, unpeeled and washed
• 1 ½ cups water + ¼ cup each cheap white and red wines or 2 cups water
• 1 package onion soup mix (I buy mine at Dollar Tree, three packets per box)
• Several small sprigs fresh rosemary
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a roasting pan with canola oil cooking spray. Rinse the pork under cold, running water and place in the center of roasting pan.

Arrange carrots and potatoes around the meat. Pour water and wine over meat and vegetables, sprinkle with seasonings, cover and roast at 350 degrees for approximately two hours, or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees on a meat thermometer.

 

 

 

During the last half hour of oven-roasting, quickly and simply prepare the following and slide it into the oven next to your roasting pan:

Garlic-Butter Roasted Brussels Sprouts

• 1 to 1 ½ pounds fresh Brussels sprouts
• ½ stick, about ¼ cup butter or margarine
• 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced or 2 teaspoons dried minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare a baking dish with canola oil cooking spray and arrange Brussels sprouts evenly in the baking dish. Melt butter or margarine in a small skillet over medium-low heat; drizzle melted butter over vegetables, sprinkle with garlic, cover and roast at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. As an option, you can add the Brussels sprouts to your roasting pan with the pork, carrots and potatoes for the final 20-25 minutes of baking time.

Your first family meal—or two—will cost about $12.00 with careful shopping. I like to serve it with tossed, green salad and whole grain bread, rolls or biscuits to fill up the young men in my household.

As a note to empty-nest and single readers, don't be afraid to buy and prepare a full sized roast. Leftover, oven-roasted beef, chicken, and pork meat can be cut up and frozen in airtight freezer bags for future meals, including some to share with a neighbor! In fact, you'll want to set aside at least two cups of cubed or diced pork roast for each of the following recipes-from-leftovers:

10 Minute Pork & Pasta with Veggies

• 2 cups reserved, cubed or diced pork roast meat
• 1 (12-16 ounce) package dry penne, ziti or shells – I buy mine at Dollar Tree
• 1 each fresh zucchini and yellow squash, diced
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained – 59 cents each at Spencer's Fresh Market
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat on your stovetop. Add 1 teaspoon salt if desired. When water is at a steady boil, add meat and pasta, stir and boil (uncovered) for 6-7 minutes. Drain meat and pasta and return to the pot, adding vegetables and olive oil. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese if desired. The recipe makes four hearty, adult sized servings.

Rush Hour Italian Pork & Beans

• 2 cups reserved, cubed or diced pork roast meat
• 1 cup each diced, fresh green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and onion
• 1 large (26-28 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (I buy mine at Dollar Tree)
• 1-2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed – about $1 with careful shopping
• 1 full (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, including liquid – 59 cents at Spencer's Fresh Market
• ½ teaspoon each garlic powder and oregano
• ¼ cup no added sugar ketchup (available at Dollar Tree)

Place all ingredients in a large pot. Stir well to combine and bring to a low boil over medium heat on your stovetop. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Serve in bowls alone, or over cooked pasta or rice. The recipe makes up to eight filling, protein-packed servings that pair well with tossed green salad and fresh, hot bakery bread.

That's a lot of mileage from one $8.00 pork sirloin! Your grand total out-of-pocket expense could be as little as $22.00, with the added benefit that each recipe is easy to make, low in saturated fat, high in fiber, nutrition, and flavor.

Some say they don't have time to "cook from scratch" on a regular basis. Juggling work, family, pets, hobbies, and volunteerism keeps many of us busier than hummingbirds during fog breaks. If that's the case in your life, can I encourage you to seek out a few pre-cooked bargains — such as Cookie Crock's, marked down, day old rotisserie chickens? They sell for under $4.00 each, and are displayed in the fresh meat cases. Simply buy one, bring it home, and pop it into your freezer until you're ready to make:

Easy-Does-It "Roast" Chicken with Veggies in Wine Gravy

• 1 whole rotisserie chicken, frozen and partially thawed - $3.69 at Cookie Crock
• 2-3 pounds mixed, fresh vegetables of your choice – I used baby red potatoes, baby carrots, coarsely chopped celery and yellow squash with frozen, whole green beans at a total cost of about $6.00
• ½ cup cheap white wine (such as Tisdale Chardonnay) + ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 packet IGA chicken gravy mix – 50 cents at Spencer's Fresh Market
• Sprigs of fresh tarragon, if desired

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a Dutch oven with canola oil spray, place partially thawed chicken in the center of the Dutch oven and arrange all vegetables evenly around the bird. Heat wine, water, and margarine in a glass measuring cup in your microwave for two minutes on high. Whisk in dry gravy mix, return to microwave and cook on high for an additional thirty seconds. Whisk the gravy once again and pour over chicken and vegetables. Place tarragon sprigs, if desired, over the breast of the chicken, cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are soft when pierced.

Because the semi-frozen, rotisserie chicken essentially "steamed" in the vegetables and wine gravy, you'll need to use tongs when removing it from the pot. It should be fall-apart tender. Carefully remove any bones from the veggies before spooning them into a large serving bowl or onto a deep platter with the twice-cooked chicken. The recipe makes enough to feed a family of four with enough left over to deliver a plate to a senior neighbor.

If your time and budget don't allow for any of the above ideas, consider making the next recipe using leftover, cooked spaghetti noodles (common when cooking solo) and two cups of "Better-For-You Beefy Lentil Mixture" from earlier columns.

Restaurant-Style "Spagagna" (aka Baked Spaghetti)

• ½ to 1 pound cooked, cold, leftover spaghetti noodles – I buy mine at Dollar Tree
• 1 (24 ounce) jar or can of spaghetti sauce, divided – homemade or from Dollar Tree
• ½  to 1 (15 ounce) container low fat ricotta cheese – watch for coupons
• 1 large egg – bought with 49 cent per dozen coupon
• 1 to 2 cups milk*
• 2 cups thawed "Better-For-You Beefy Lentil Mixture"
• 4 ounces sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 1 cup shredded, part skim, mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare one or two baking dishes with canola oil spray. In a large bowl, toss cold, cooked pasta with 1 cup of jarred/canned sauce and transfer to prepared baking dish or dishes. In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg, and milk. Pour evenly over pasta in your baking dish or dishes. Combine "Better-For-You Beefy Lentil Mixture" with remaining spaghetti sauce and sliced mushrooms; spoon and spread evenly over pasta, sprinkle with shredded cheese, cover and bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes, slice and serve with a side of tossed salad greens.

If prepared in two baking (casserole) dishes, you'll have one to eat and one to share for total cost of about $8.00. An un-named, Midwestern restaurant sells a similar entrée for just under $10.00 per plate. I encourage you to play with the recipe. When I have grated parmesan cheese and dried basil on hand, I like to sprinkle that over the mozzarella. Add diced tomatoes. Have FUN with your own, personalized creations!

Special savings tip: for cooking or baking, consider buying a can of nonfat evaporated milk for less than $1.00 on sale, and reconstituting it with enough water to make 1 quart before storing it in your refrigerator.

 

From Where I Cook… informal food co-ops can make a meaningful difference in our community. Hunger is a growing problem from coast to coast. Current reports say as many as one in four children in the United States live in food insecure homes. At the same time, there's a silent population of seniors who—on fixed incomes, and often restricted diets—struggle to eat enough nutritious food. These are our neighbors who raised families and worked and paid taxes for decades. They're also not likely to visit a food bank or enroll in meal delivery programs.

If you aren't comfortable bringing a hot dish to a neighbor, or fear they wouldn't be comfortable receiving it, why not drop off a little extra produce from your garden or grocery bargains? When purchasing bulk staples, consider setting some aside and suggest a "trade" for lemons from her tree or even a half dozen roses cut from his bush.

In future columns, I'll share a few recipes for homemade instant oatmeal packets, muffin mixes, and more. Until then, please consider what you might be willing to do this year in an effort to help eliminate local hunger. I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions!

Image on Banner by Nathan Drew