My cowgirl found this black leather vest at the thrift shop and boy is she tickled! All she needs now is a horse.

One of the second most frequent questions I get asked these days is, "How are you managing to feed your family in this economy?" Yes, I have felt the rising food prices. (Picture shows baked green beans with salt, pepper and olive oil.)

So I have recently decided to revert back to my old cooking habits, and serve meat once, maybe twice, a week (usually roast beef for Sunday dinner). My children are very happy about this since they love their vegetables. Then I get asked...well, exactly how do you serve the veggies? Tonight I took pictures. I have to admit...tonight's meal is bigger than usual because I don't want to cook much tomorrow. I will reheat the leftovers and add sourdough dinner rolls. Easy! (Picture shows stirfried rice and cabbage with fresh garlic and soy sauce.)

How do I know what to cook? Whatever is on sale or regularly cheap. Our farmer's market sells 50# bags of potatoes for $10. Can't beat that! Today Walmart had cantaloup on sale for $1.25 each. We eat three at a time. Walmart also had very fresh green beans for cheap (I forget the price). I bought the cabbage from a local amish guy for $1 each.

I used to find cheap long grain brown rice at our amish store, but no longer. I will wait until our health food co-op has it on sale, then buy 50#.

(Above picture shows leftover baked potatoes stirfried with mushrooms, red and green peppers, celery, and onions ~ veggies leftover from pizza night.)

Here it is! Yummy! This past week we've eaten bean burritos, pizza, veggie stirfries, baked potatoes and salad, herb spaghetti, etc. Cheap food! We also like ricecakes with cream cheese (and chives when we grow it) and veggie sushi. I buy whatever fruit is on sale...and bananas. For my family, I always try to serve either rice, potatoes or some kind of bread...otherwise my children will get hungry before bedtime.

One last hint: I used to provide bowls of cheap, roasted peanuts for snacks...the kind you have to crack open. Now that two of my children scored high for peanut allergy, I tend to provide pretzels or popcorn in addition to fruit.

I hope this helps. Really, my best advice is to cut out the extras. Usually if it comes from a box or a can, it's extra. And yes...I really notice the difference in my budget.

Let me know what your favorite cheap but healthy food is. Thanks!

I thought this weekend would never come. Our family has many projects to finish...painting beehives, gardening, and sewing...and practicing for special music at church. Enjoy your weekend. Many blessings ~ Kathie

PS ~ Because our family does not consume any dairy, I tend to focus more on dark, leafy veggies for the calcium content. Broccoli and spinach are our favorites.