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Ever have a month or two when nothing is going right and the money just isn’t there for all the groceries you need? Then, just as you think that everything will be all right, some bright soul decides to invite the boss or a couple of friends home for dinner. Or possibly, you have something like we did. Our niece’s boyfriend needed a place to stay until they got married but the marriage wasn’t going to happen for a couple of months. And right around the same time, some bills came in unexpectedly so that our resources had been drained dramatically. But the thing is, you still have to feed that person, regardless of whatever else is happening.
The question then is…how do we stretch the meals to include the extra person but not make it look that way? Have I got a few pointers for you.
1) For stews and soups–just add the big stretchers like diced potatoes, veggies (extra can or two or if fresh, just add what you have on hand), creamed corn is good, dried beans. You can also add things like spaghetti, other pastas.
2) Meatloaf—easy one. Just add more bread crumbs, crackers, rolled oats or rice. We add the rolled oats now. It used to be crushed crackers.
3) Chili–like the stews, you can add things like pasta, spaghetti, a can or two of diced tomatoes, rice.
4) Noodles and Ramen–adding spices, veggies, any leftover chicken, ham, burger, turkey is great.
5) Salads–for the leafies, add diced meat, leftovers, canned tomatoes (drained..reserve the liquid for another meal), hardboiled eggs, diced cooked potatoes.
6) Eggs–they are so versatile that you can add so many different things. Scramble and add veggies, diced chicken, diced spam, diced turkey, diced ham, cheese, green pepper, pepperoni, olives, make an omelet. Be creative.
These things will stretch that meal without anyone being the wiser. And the family will love it!
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