Cheap eats begin at home!

As you get to know me, you’ll soon find out that I love old sayings, Proverbs, and “words of wisdom” in general.

One of these is “Two can live as cheaply as one.”

At least, this is what people told me before I got married. This would also be the time that most writers would take a “dig” at their beloved spouse to illustrate how this old saying just doesn’t cut it in their situation.

Yours truly, on the other hand, is going to take the high road and leave my wife out of this discussion.

There are ways that we can economize with respect to our spending. The one I am going to focus on today is what we spend to eat.

If you have eaten in a restaurant lately, I can honestly tell you that you cannot possibly eat as much food for a lower price than you can by purchasing the groceries and spending a little time and effort to cook the meal yourself. This is something that I can prove to you in just a moment.

Plus, by preparing the meal yourself you will be in complete control over how the food is cooked, so that you are able to achieve the maximum nutritional benefits while consuming the minimum number of calories.

When you think about it, those who are in the business of running a restaurant are first and foremost interested in selling you food that will look and taste great. Preparing a meal that is also healthy and economical is secondary to their overall number one goal: serve you a meal that you enjoy and will come back to their establishment to dine again.

My favorite kind of prepare-at-home meal is of the one-pot variety. In other words, all ingredients are combined into one large pot on the stove and cooked to perfection. Usually these meals also do not take as long to fix compared to more complex offerings. In addition to saving time, they also taste great!

My friends are incredulous when I tell them that I can fix an entire meal (six servings) for just about $2.00 total. (American currency, of course.) It may take just a little bit of navigating on your part, but it can be done. Here’s how I do it in this case.

One such recipe is called Salsa Surprise. (The surprising fact is just how great it actually tastes!) Here are the ingredients:

2 cups of long grain white rice.
1 32 oz jar of salsa.
1 16 oz can of corn, undrained.

Cook the rice following directions on the bag. Add the jar of salsa and can of corn. Stir and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until finished.

That’s it! Your dinner is served!

Honestly, how on earth in this day and age can someone prepare this meal for about $2.00?

The first trick, I will fully confess, begins with shopping at your friendly Aldi store. Where else can you purchase a three-pound bag of rice for 99 cents? Since this recipe calls for two cups of rice (one pound) that comes to 33 cents. (By the way, all of these referenced prices are effective in the Spring of 2007.)

Your biggest expense is the jar of salsa, still only 99 cents. Follow that up with the can of corn, at 67 cents. Combining the three, .33 + .99 + .67 = $1.99.

If you want to “splurge” a little, you could serve this meal over a small pile of tortilla chips (a medium size bag will only set you back another $.99.)

This meal gives you a very low fat offering, and the nutrition from vegetables (tomato-based salsa which includes peppers), corn, and the rice, which are healthy grains. In fact, the U.S. Government has a great menu planner that will help you calculate calories, fat, and carbohydrates at http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi

Naturally, the fat content and cost remain rock-bottom because there is no meat in this dish. It’s your choice as to whether or not you would add this to the mix.

The benefits to you in preparing this especially tasty meal are incredible cost savings, plus saving on time and effort.

This is another way in which you can be living the balanced life.

Allow me to introduce myself...

It could be said that I am a man of many passions. No one diversion captures all of my time, as I attempt to strike a healthy balance between work, interpersonal relationships and recreation.

My name is Hans Seiler. In the coming weeks, I welcome you on this journey through my life.

As a firm believer in healthy living, it is important to strike a balance between proper diet and exercise. Cooking is something that I derive great joy from, when the time allows.

One of my favorite passions is beekeeping. Had you told me five years ago that I’d be caring for these magnificent creatures I would have never believed it. Not only has it given me the opportunity to meet a great group of wonderful people sharing the same pursuit, but I have had my eyes opened to a complex universe that only God above could have created. In this relatively short period of time I now find myself correctly answering the questions of other newcomers to the craft.

The health benefits and savory flavor of honey cannot be understated.

History, particularly American history is something that I soak up like a sponge. This is truly a delight to share with others. At times it appears that I was given bad career counseling that I did not pursue this as a life’s work.

Reading is another marvelous passion. While I find myself enamored with all manor of modern media, there is still something magical about the printed word on paper, and all of the images that it conjures in the mind.

Always the champion of the underdog, I posses a passion for preventing others from getting short-changed, and at the same time, granting praises for a good product when praise is due.

Since early childhood I have enjoyed a passion for sports, although this blog will never become a sports column. After supporting too many losing teams over too many seasons, my passion has become diverted to fantasy sports. In this case, the blame for not bringing home a championship falls directly upon my shoulders.

In personal relationships, I am fiercely loyal. Even when some of those relationships are with furry beings on four feet.

Nobody loves to be entertained more than I do. Whether it is enjoying a movie on the big screen, a DVD, or live concert I selectively revel in each of these environments. My wife thinks that I don’t do this often enough, to suit her anyway.

Another passion centers around success. I believe that everyone who works hard is entitled to enjoy success for their labors.

Above all I have a passion for volunteerism, particularly for serving God. It is something that we should all have ingrained in us. Fortunately I have had many mentors.

In the coming weeks, this blog will deal with all of the above and more. You can enjoy product reviews, commentary, and all manner of articles. Come back and see me periodically. We will enjoy the journey together, living the balanced life.