Sales Flyers and a Cheap Pasta Dinner

Yesterday I hit the sales at the grocery stores. I saved over $85! Checking out the sales flyers and stocking up on what's on sale is an important step in managing your food budget. Now you don't have to stock up like the Great Depression is about to hit. It's not necessarily budget savvy to buy more items than you can use within the next 6 months. And watch expiry dates, it's not good to buy 5 blocks of cheddar at half price if you will only go through 2 of them before their best before date. Even frozen goods are really only good for about 6 months max in your freezer and this includes meats.

Once you hit the sales, let those sales items dictate your menu. Pasta was crazy cheap this week. And now that the anti-carb insanity is over (no, really, it is soooo over) pasta is a great meal. Especially if you are trying to lose a few pounds. You can easily portion control your meals, it freezes well for leftovers, it's filling, cheap and hearty for the dead of winter. 1 cup is a serving size. At $1 - $1.50 for almost 2 pounds (900grams) of dried pasta, that's a lot of meals for your buck!

Here's a quick, cheap, easy, healthy pasta recipe.

Pasta and Tomatoes
Serves 4 (double and freeze!)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb - 345g dried pasta
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 32 ounce/798ml can of diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil
2. Cook pasta according to package instructions
3. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan with olive oil over medium high heat
4. Saute the onions until soft, add in the garlic and heat for about 1 minute
5. Add the tomatoes and oregano and simmer while the pasta cooks, 5 minutes or so
6. Drain the pasta and put back in the pot.
7. Add the tomato mixture to the pot and toss
8. Serve with the cheese sprinkled on top.

You can add more veggies, throw in some meat, play with the seasoning.... have fun. The point is though, you can do a simple meal, you don't have to be a gourmet goddess to put a nice healthy meal on the table. Cheap meal, did I mention 'cheap?!