Happy Cheapskate: Supper tips for busy parents

A colleague of mine at work suggested this topic and — since she's my boss — I decided it's a fabulous idea.

She is a busy, stressed out working mom who noticed that many evenings on her street, busy parents get out of their cars, kids in tow, carrying bags of food from some fast food restaurant or other.

It got her wondering about fast and healthy meals that are reasonably priced. Do they exist? Of course they do!

But they require a little thought and planning.  

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I called an expert for some tips. Stephanie O'Brien is a registered dietitian and coordinator of the provincial program called 'Eat Great and Participate.'

Between the two of us we came up with a few decent suggestions.

Stephanie says there are generally two ways to get healthy, fast and economical meals: one is to cook them yourself; the other involves some judicious shopping at the grocery store.

First we look at some good home cooking:

Tip #1: Make a big pot of something on Sunday

This is pretty self explanatory. Double the recipe for a good stew, yummy pot roast or chicken and rice casserole. Eat it every night until it's gone. Or eat it once or twice and freeze the rest for another day.

If you're thinking about roasting a chicken, roast two. Eat one of them one night and refrigerate the other.  

Tip #2: Lots of healthy things can be cooked quickly

Here are two of my favourites. 

Saute the chops. Ditto the fish, or poach it with a can of tomatoes or (my personal fav) a jar of that bottled bruschetta. Again, if you double what you're doing you got the next night taken care of.

Veggies are also super fast to prepare. Steam broccoli, cauliflower or green beans. Saute in some broth those yummy green things  — chard, kale, beet tops, asparagus. They're not inexpensive (and sometimes too wilted to be fit to eat, for that matter) but if they're fresh and packed with goodness, how can you resist?

And frozen vegetables are good, too. Some nutritionists say they can be healthier than the fresh ones.

Tip #3: Keep the food guide in mind

Stephanie says each supper should have at least three out of the four components: meat and alternatives, milk products, veggies and fruit and grains. Eating spaghetti or chili? Top with cheese or a good dollop of plain yogurt. Add a salad or quick stir fry.

Tip #4: Make food do double duty 

If you make mashed potatoes or rice, make a lot of it. You can eat the leftovers with other meals. (Again, my crowd is not fussy. If yours won't eat leftovers, you have my deepest sympathies.)

Leftover rice? Fry some onion and/or celery, maybe a few green beans, peas or broccoli, add cooked rice, a little water or broth, a wee dash of soy sauce and it's like brand new. And you might get a couple more days out of it.

Stephanie loves slaws, those bags of cabbage or broccoli to which you can (sparingly) add your own mayo or dressing. I like them because, when you get sick of cold slaw, you can fry it in a little broth and maybe add some tomatoes for a hot version.

Those big bags of spinach are good for that too. First it's a salad, then saute it and presto! It's a warm side dish.

For those days when you are too busy to prepare anything, there are healthy pre-made options at the grocery store.   Here are our favourites.

Tip #5: Pre-made salads.

If you go easy on the fatty dressing, or opt for a low-fat vinaigrette, these are healthy and good value. (See my Deconstructing Your Salad column).

Tip #6: Those hot roasted chickens are just plain awesome

Tip #7: Frozen dinners can be good

Honest. I didn't believe Stephanie at first, but she told me about her 15 per cent rule and it's one of the handiest I've come across.

If a frozen dinner has more than 15 per cent of your daily allotment of fat or more than 15 per cent of your daily allotment of sodium, don't eat it. I you do eat it, don't pretend it's healthy.

Take look at this one.

​Yowsa!  This has 60 per cent of all the fat you should eat in a day AND 60 per cent of the sodium. This does not pass the Stephanie test.

Now look at this Gourmet Steamer from Healthy Choice.

Stephanie says the fat content is fine, and even though the sodium is a tad high, it gets her stamp of approval.

Tip #7: When You're Stuck, There's Always Pasta

Stephanie likes the whole wheat kind in a box. I prefer the fresh varieties, although it's darn hard to find them with whole wheat.

The kids will probably dig the stuffed kind, and if you keep the serving size right (eight pieces?!!?), it even passes the 15 per cent rule. 

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A final tip

Before hitting the grocery store, take a few minutes and plan your meals for the week. At least, to the best of your ability. Mistakes will probably be made. 

If you write down the ingredients you need before you hit the store, you'll waste less food. But keep an open mind. If you spot a good roast or turkey for a decent price, adjust accordingly.