Diabetes Meals on $7 a Day?or Less!. Patti B. Geil

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food for the week ahead. This saves not only time, but also money because you can buy larger amounts of basic ingredients more economically. Make your own healthful microwave meals by separating your planned-overs into microwave-safe dishes in portion sizes that are right for your individual meal plan.

      Knowing there’s something in your freezer that is just a few microwave minutes away from a meal may be just the incentive you need to skip the expensive fast-food drive-through after work.

       GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR MICROWAVE

      A microwave is handy for reheating planned-overs, but you can get even more savings from the microwave by using it to:

      

Crisp up stale or soggy crackers, cereals, and pretzels. Microwave them in a baking dish on high power until they’re very warm (1-3 minutes), stirring once. Let them cool thoroughly to crisp.

      

Get more juice from lemons, oranges, and grapefruits. Slice the fruit in half, then microwave it on high power for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

      

Extract the last drops from a bottle of pancake syrup. Remove the cap, then microwave the bottle on high power for 20-30 seconds. An empty-looking bottle may hold as much as 1/4 cup of syrup.

      Clever, cost-wise cooks know the value of casseroles. These one dish meals can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator or freezer, ready to bake at a moment’s notice. Casseroles are a great place to use leftover turkey, chicken, beef, rice, and vegetables. This makes for less expensive meals and faster baking. Casseroles can be designed to provide you with foods from each of the food groups in your diabetes meal plan. Take a look at the inexpensive, mix-and-match ingredients in the “Quick Six” casserole plan at the end of this chapter and invent your own one dish meal.

      If you plan to cook your prepared casserole within 24 hours or so, store it raw in the refrigerator and allow about 10-15 minutes of extra oven time to make sure the chilled ingredients are baked through. If you decide to freeze the casserole for future use, wrap the dish securely and freeze it for up to six weeks. Defrost it thoroughly and safely before baking.

       SAFETY FIRST

      Economical eating requires special attention to food safety particularly when using planned-overs and storing large amounts of food. For the person with diabetes, the nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and inability to eat that accompanies foodborne illness are not only unpleasant, but may also have serious effects on blood glucose control.

      For safety first in the cost-wise kitchen, pay attention to “sell by” and “use by” dates on the canned, jarred, and packaged foods you purchase. Safe food storage is essential. Store flour and grains in airtight containers and your canned goods in a cool area. Your refrigerator should be set at 40°F or below, while your freezer should be 0°F or colder. When putting away your groceries, keep these additional safety tips in mind:

      

Eat canned and jarred goods with a high acid content (tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple) within 18 months. Canned foods with a low acid content-meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables-will keep for 2-5 years.

      

Use eggs within three weeks of the expiration date, and keep them refrigerated at all times.

      

Refrigerate fresh poultry or fish for no more than two days after you buy it. If it won’t be used within two days, freeze it. Other fresh meats will keep in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

      

A food that has been cooked, served, and refrigerated within two hours can be stored safely in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. In the freezer, most planned-overs will store well for 2-3 months.

      

When you store planned-overs, divide the food among small containers so that it will cool quickly. Label your storage containers with the food’s name and the date it was prepared so that you’ll know which items to use first.

      

Defrost planned-over batches of frozen foods thoroughly before cooking them. It is best not to go directly from freezer to oven, because bacteria may thrive in the center of a frozen food as the edges begin to cook. It is not safe to defrost food on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Try to plan ahead to thaw your frozen dishes safely in the refrigerator.

      

Use your microwave to defrost before cooking only if you will be cooking your dish immediately afterward. Microwave defrosting often cooks parts of the food, and storing partly cooked food can lead to bacteria buildup.

       BAGGING THE BARGAIN:

      One Week’s Sample Menus for $7 a Day—or Less!

       DAY 1 (4.19)

       Breakfast

      1 cup sliced strawberries ($0.84)

      1 6-oz container no sugar added, fat-free yogurt ($0.40)

      2 Golden Applesauce Muffins ($0.24)*

      1 cup hot tea ($0.04)

       Lunch

      2 cups Favorite Vegetable Soup ($0.90)*

      6 saltine crackers ($0.06)

      1 medium banana ($0.04) 1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)

       Dinner

      1 Grilled Asian Pork Kabob ($0.98)*

      1 cup Crunchy Oriental Coleslaw ($0.22)*

      1 serving Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake ($0.17)*

      12 oz iced tea ($0.04)

       Snack

      3/4 oz pretzels (about 7-8 large pretzel twists) ($0.06)

      8 oz sugar-free lemonade ($0.04)

       DAY 2 ($3.61)

       Breakfast

      1 serving Hearty Oatmeal for One ($0.64)*

      1 cup fat-free milk ($0.16)

       Lunch

      2/3 cup cooked spaghetti noodles ($0.04)

      1/2 cup Spunky Spaghetti Sauce ($0.44)*

      1 serving Quick Garlic Buns ($0.06)*

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