Comfort food that won't blow your budget

Knowing that my job may be eliminated in two months makes me want to eat every bit of junk food I can find. And since I've been craving red beans and rice but am unlikely to get to New Orleans (or even the Jazz Kitchen) any time soon, I decided to make one of my favorite comfort foods myself, with an eye to my budget and my diet. Hope you enjoy this, too.

Red beans and rice
6 servings, 6 Points each

2/3 lb dried dark red kidney beans
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 Tbsp. thyme
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth, or homemade
2 bay leaves
1 cup uncooked brown rice

Place the beans in a large bowl and add water (about 1 inch above the beans, maybe 2 or 3 quarts). Soak overnight. Drain and rinse.

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic until browned. Add the smoked sausage, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the red beans, chicken stock and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

When the bean mixture is about done, cook the rice. You should be able to take about 2 cups of broth from the bean mixture -- cook the rice in that instead of water. Yum! Then discard the bay leaves, add a few drops of hot sauce to taste, and enjoy.

What it costs:
$9.00 total, $1.50/serving (or less, if you have rice or other ingredients in your pantry)

Make it cheaper:
*I used 2/3 lb. dried red beans, soaked and rinsed, instead of 2 cans red beans

Make it healthier:
*I used brown rice instead of white
*I used turkey sausage instead of pork sausage

A quick, easy lunch

In honor of the lovely, summery weather we're having here in Southern California, here's my favorite fast, cheap and easy (and healthy!) lunch:

Three-bean salad

1 can green beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (or green -- whatever you've got on hand)
1/2 small red onion, chopped
cider vinegar (red wine vinegar is also good)
healthy oil (olive oil, canola oil, whatever you've got)
salt and pepper

The vinegar, oil, salt and pepper are to taste; I usually go with a 2-3 Tbsp. of vinegar, 1 Tbsp. of oil and a mess of salt and pepper. This makes enough for me for a week (Mon-Fri), especially if I have a hard-boiled egg with it.

Last week, the beans were on sale at Ralphs for 75 cents/can. The bell pepper was $1.19, and half of the onion was about 60 cents. Not counting the staples, that's about 80 cents/day for lunch. Add an egg, and you're at just over a dollar. Not too shabby!

First things first...The Grocery Game

I'm busy. I work full-time, volunteer, entertain, clean my own apartment and teach a class at my church. As a result, I don't have time to drive around town looking for bargains.

Several years ago, a friend introduced me to thegrocerygame.com.
The Grocery Game pairs up each week's grocery store sales with all existing and unexpired coupons. The result is a list of rock-bottom prices...and the beginning of my grocery list. $5 each month buys a subscription for the list to one grocery store chain. You can get more lists and find more bargains, but for my money, I'm driving to Ralph's down the street and calling it quits. The last time I shopped, I bought $210.50 of groceries and saved $68.82. In my book, that was a failure! I usually try for a 1:1 ratio of spending to savings. In other words, I try to spend $125 and save $125. It isn't hard, it isn't rocket science, and it is definitely worth it!

The list is generally current from Saturday night until Tuesday night. You'll need the coupons from the Sunday paper. Don't clip the coupons. Leave the circular intact and mark the date on the front with a Sharpie.

On Saturday, I log on, get the Ralph's list, and begin my menu planning based upon what meats and vegetables are cheap. This is how chef's cook! They buy what is in season and on sale. They call it a "special." I call it smart!

The last time we shopped, I bought a four pound beef roast for $6.78. That pot roast was served for four dinners. Five pounds of potatoes were .97/bag. My husband and I ate delicious pot roast and mashed potatoes for less than $2/meal.

I hope that you'll give it a try. Cheap cooking begins by slashing the prices of what you are buying. You'll still save money if you buy full-priced groceries as opposed to eating out, but we aren't looking for pennies of savings, we are looking for dollars!