“The Perception of Plenty”—is my way to keep from over spending on our food budget. I have been pleasantly surprised over the years to find certain foods that stretch much farther than you’d think.
- Cheese—finely grate your cheese (so it looks like the “fancy” shredded kind). People use less than the regular size grated pieces, especially if you are having a meal where the individuals put on their own cheese—like with tacos.
- Pasta—angel hair pasta feeds so many more people pound per pound than spaghetti. You may think I am crazy..but I’d invite you to try it. I have to use one and half pounds of spaghetti to feed my family, but I only have to use one pound of angel hair. It holds true also for elbow macaroni verses rigatoni.
- Popcorn—regular air popper popped popcorn is the ultimate way to feed lots of people and have them think there is plenty to go around. It only costs pennies.
- Apples—I rarely hand a whole apple to a child. Take the time to slice them up. Cut the slices quite thin. You can feed multiple children and there is less waste.
- Carrots—Baby carrots are easy, but they aren’t the cheapest solution. Buy traditional carrots, take the time to peel and cut them, and you will have snack that goes a lot further.
- Chicken—Cut chicken breasts in super small pieces using a pair of kitchen shears. Fry the pieces up and add them to your favorite sauce. I can feed my family of eight just using one big or two small chicken breast halves…and the chicken is spread though out the sauce.
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