I especially liked the substitutes tip. Some people can’t or won’t eat something– there is no reason not to substitute . . .

#1 – I make up a roast, but I don’t serve the roast-meat as a main dish. I divide it up and:

(a) – I make a salad and put a few thin slices of the roast on the salad as a main meal.

(b) – I cut up some of the roast, and turn it into an omelet or scrambled eggs with vegetables.

(c) – I make up a soup with beans; other vegetables, and add some of othe roast in small chunks.

(d) – I cut some of the roast very very fine; mix it into sour cream and chives, and serve with a baked potato and summer squash as a main meal.

I essentially treat the tiny minced pieces of roast like a ‘topping’, and now he eats the ‘sprinkles’ instead of slices of meat.

Obviously, I can make a very nice fresh batch of noodles with mushrooms; top with a sour cream sauce, and top it with the bits of red meat.

I make up wraps with bits of chicken and lots of peppers; onion, tomatoes, and lettuce.

I use wraps for scrambled eggs with fresh juice for breakfast.

I blend up left-over vegetables with apple-juice for a light refreshing drink.

My husband is 74; I’m 67, and we’ve had to live on a fixed income for years, so we keep making healthy changes to keep our food bill affordable, and the more we are challenged, the more fun we have meeting that challenge.

Oh, heaven forbid! :)

I really liked this series of recipes because so many were veg (or easily made so). Like many, I grew up with plates of meat-and-two-veggies, and after going vegetarian I had to rethink that a lot. One recommendation is to go starch-and-two-veggies. I tend to stick to one-dish ethnic recipes, like many in this series, and most of mine contain lots of veggies and usually beans or tofu, served over rice or pasta.

Most people on a Standard American Diet (SAD) really eat way more protein than is necessary. For my weight, about 60g per day is plenty, and I don’t have trouble meeting it w/o meat. Whole grain pastas are healthier than white and higher in protein… all veggies have protein… and a glass of chocolate soymilk is a great way to start the day.

Anyway, thanks Trent for encouraging less meat as a healthy and cheaper alternative! The more folks who start thinking of this as regular fare instead of an alternative, the healthier/richer we all can be. The benefits to the planet and animals are a bonus!

For more info on the vegetarian food pyramid and diets from the ADA:
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/governance_5105_ENU_HTML.htm
and the USDA: http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=257&topic_id=1359

On reduced meat portions, in the US we do tend to make meat the focal point. My wife and I used to eat at least our recommended daily protein intake at each and every meal. The perception is a meal without all this protein will feel empty. Simply asking people to eat less meat will make them feel deprived, unless you replace it with something hearty and filling. Risotto with some chicken strips is one of our favorite low meat fill you up meals.

There are two points to take away here.

One, if you plan your meals from the nutritional side it changes your perspective on how much protein you use. The body won’t absorb any excess proteins and it will just be wasted.

Two, use complimentary proteins like beans and rice to pull some of the load. Together they form a complete protein like a meat or an egg. I usually add some sausage to my red beans and rice, but there is plenty of protein in the dish without it. I use the fats in the meat to get full flavor from the fat soluble spices in the dish, I suspect Olive oil would do the same thing.

http://www.howtodoitandwhy.com/wiki/index.php?title=Red_Beans_and_Rice

Have you looked into the craft of “Food Styling”? It might be an indispensable strategy for making frugal food look _exceptional_, rather than average. It’s harder than it looks.

I wish you the best, as a longtime RSS subscriber and twitter/friendfeed follower.

I too enjoyed the food series.

I second the applause for cast iron cookware but have found a problem w/ our wonderful cast iron Dutch oven – when it’s full, it weights a TON. Now that hubby & I are Social Security age, we find more physical challenges w/ kitchen equipment. I won’t call them ‘problems’ because there’s always a way around them, but they’re issues to deal with.

My husband and I have recently cut out all grains from our diet (pasta, rice, bread, cereal, etc.) and we also don’t eat legumes (soy, beans, peanuts). So our meals are focused on meat and vegetables…

I thought it would be more expensive to eat this way, but it’s not. Our grocery budget hasn’t changed at all. Our food is now more nutritious than it was before with all the pasta/rice, so we don’t have to eat as much, are full longer, snack less between meals, etc. It’s pretty awesome.

Sorry to disagree with you (it’s never fun to get comments like this), but I just wanted to point out that your statement that meals with less meat are “unquestionably healthier,” “way cheaper,” and “surprisingly tastier” is neither unquestionable nor true.

If you want ideas for meals that aren’t just “beef and potato” but that don’t have all the grainy filler, please check out the recipes I’ve come up with since making this switch.
http://www.joyfulabode.com/blog/category/primal-recipes/

I have more energy than ever before, my husband’s workouts are finally paying off (mmm bigger muscles), and my waist has shrunk an inch so far (I’m not a big person so an inch is a lot for me).

This info is exactly how I cook – and everyone loves my food – but they haven’t been around for the stuff that doesn’t work. ;)

A recipe is only an idea / guideline, measuring devices are for wimps, good tools are essential, substitute, practice, experiment, what can I do with this ingredient today, etc..

I’m now in process of learning to cook “gluten free” with a newly diagnosed “celiac – gluten intolerant” in the house – more challenges and learning ahead. I’m reading books and experimenting with all new ingredients and recipes.

Excellent post. As a was reading it, I kept thinking, this is a good article, especially that point about (every section after I read it). I extra-especially liked your point about modifying recipes and mainly using them for the ratios. I’ve started doing the same thing! My problem, though, is making something divinely delicious off a heavily modified recipe and then not being able to replicate it later! I’ve taken to keeping a notebook in my kitchen and try to myself write down things that turned out especially well.

The cast iron skillet I use the most is over 50 years old.