Tasty, Healthy & Cheap

As a stay at home wife, I cook dinner. I like to cook and now that I have time I think I am getting better. However, I have started to make new criteria for the food I prepare. I want the meals I put on the table to be 3 things: Tasty, Healthy, & Cheap

1) Tasty--This is easy to explain. I want my hubby and I to enjoy eating meals. I want him to look forward to yummy food at the end of the day.

2) Healthy--We are getting older (gasp) I know, sad but true. As we get older, I want us to stay healthy. I firmly believe that one of the most important health decision you make is: what you decide to put in your mouth. I've seen my grandmother keep adult onset diabetes in check by managing her diet. I saw my hubby bring his cholesterol down markedly just by changing his diet. So I try for low fat, low cholesterol, high fiber and high vitamins.

3) Cheap--I like a deal. Let me take that back, I love a deal. Triple coupon day at the grocery store is a like a holiday to me. One of the biggest changes I've made is actually using all the food I buy. When a recipe calls for half an onion and 3 carrots I don't put the rest back in the bin and forget about them, I've been making an effort to use the other half of the onion and the rest of the carrots before they go green and fuzzy. I've also been making more food from scratch...I used to make spaghetti by using jar sauce. Now I make sauce using real tomatoes and garlic and basil and onions. It is amazing how much more you can make for the same price. Plus it tastes really good.

So here's my mantra as I scour cookbooks and roam the grocery store: TASTY, HEALTHY & CHEAP