news-record.com

GREENSBORO - Everyone knows you can't believe everything you see on TV.

Especially when it comes to commercials. One that really ignited a sense of outrage in me was the KFC $10 challenge.

It features a mother and her two children strolling the grocery store aisles for the ingredients to make the 7-piece KFC meal for less than $10. The daughter can't believe how much seven pieces of chicken cost (they don't actually reveal how much it is - just her disbelief). A bag of flour goes into the shopping cart. The son discovers the store doesn't carry KFC's seven secret herbs and spices.

Mom pulls out her calculator and says: "That's it. We're over $10. We're going to KFC."

The kids cheer.

And nutritionists, health counselors and anyone else who cares about what goes into their bodies collectively groan.

The truth is, you can make a dinner for four for $10 or less. And it will be better for you.

Don't have much time to cook? That's not a good enough excuse.

Working mom Beth McKinney juggles a job, four kids and still gets dinner on the table for under $10, and in less than an hour. And her meals even include meat and dessert.

McKinney, a wellness director for the YMCA of Greensboro, has three sons and a daughter between the ages of 8 and 15. She feeds her entire family - breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks - for less than $85 a week.

It just takes planning ahead and scouting for bargains.

Health counselor Miriam Biber often shares meals with her three roommates - often for less than $10 per meal. Although much of their meals are prepared with organic foods purchased at co-ops - this can be more expensive - they save money by buying some items in bulk, and making small trims here and there. For example, they have a co-op membership, which saves five percent off a monthly purchase.

They bring their own shopping bags, which saves another ten cents. Hey, it all adds up. And as members, they're eligible for special sales.

Biber made slaw recently, and didn't need an entire head of cabbage. Someone in produce cut a head of cabbage in half for her, allowing even more savings.

I'm not a health professional, but I am food conscious. I can prepare my lunches for an entire week for $10 or less. You can do a lot with beans, rice, a few tortillas and basic chicken stock. It gets even less expensive if I buy the beans and rice in bulk.

With those few ingredients, I could make beans and rice, a bean and rice burrito and black bean soup. If I have cheese, I could make black bean quesadillas another day. With eggs, I could whip up a frittata. And if I got really tired of the Latin theme, I could stir-fry the rice with whatever veggies are in the fridge.

If time is an issue, the beans can cook in the crock pot and rice can be prepared in the rice cooker.

Even if you cook nominally, most families have cheese and eggs in the fridge. And most people have some type of vegetable - onion, peas, corn, broccoli, something. Those are great in stir-frys, soups, stews, or casseroles.

Preparing more healthful, less expensive meals at home can be done. It just requires planning a menu.

Take stock of what you already have in your pantry or fridge, think about your week ahead and scout the grocery store circulars in the paper. That's what McKinney, the working mom, does. Her children are involved in numerous after-school activities, so she must plan on the weekends.

Here are more cost and time saving tips from McKinney and Biber:

If shopping at a co-op:

• Buy items such as grains, flour and beans in bulk. This also cuts down on food waste.

• Ask if it's possible to purchase half a head of lettuce or cabbage.

• Become a member. Although this requires some money up front, in the long run, it can add up to savings. Some co-ops offer working membership options, where you can pay for your membership by working at the store.

• Some co-ops offer a discount for bringing your own shopping bags.

Other tips:

• Buy products such as limes, cilantro or tortillas at ethnic markets, where it's not only cheaper, but fresher.

• Shop around and look for sales. Take advantage of supermarkets that double or triple coupons.

• Have staples in your pantry. There are tons of cookbooks that list basic staples. Some of them include items such as flour, condiments, spices, broth and frozen or canned vegetables. I also like to keep a variety of nuts and dried fruit for baking, to add in oatmeal or to dress up salads.

• Make a grocery list and menu plan in advance.

Contact Tina Firesheets at 373-3498 or tina.firesheets@news-record.com

Garlic Lime Chicken

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¹/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¹/8 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon thyme

4 boneless chicken breast halves

1 ½ tablespoons butter

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

¹/3 cup low sodium chicken broth.

In a small bowl, combine first 7 ingredients; sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breast halves.

In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat; saute chicken until golden brown (about 5 minutes on each side). Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Add lime juice and chicken broth to the skillet, whisking up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly. Return chicken to the skillet to thoroughly coat with the sauce. Serve.

Serves 4

Source: www.savingdinner.com

Microwave garlic mashed potatoes

2 1-pound potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 cups skim milk

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon white pepper

Scrub potatoes, pat dry and prick with a fork.

On a plate, cook potatoes uncovered on 100 percent (high) power until tender (about 12 minutes), turning once.

Let stand five minutes, then peel and quarter.

Meanwhile, in a 4-cup measuring glass, combine milk and garlic. Cook uncovered on 50 percent (medium) power until garlic is soft (about four minutes).

Add milk, garlic mixture and white pepper to potatoes. Beat with electric mixer on low speed or mash with potato masher until smooth.

Source: Blue Cross, Blue Shield Web site.

Shopping receipts

ALDI

Chicken breasts: $4.75

Ice cream crunch bars: $1.99

Round white potatoes: $3.99

Frozen corn: 95 cents

Total: $11.68

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

5 cups peeled cubed sweet potatoes

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons canola oil

3 ½ cups diced onions

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh green chile

4 teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoons ground coriander

4 ½ cups cooked black beans (three 15-oz cans, drained)

²/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

8 eight-inch flour tortillas

Fresh tomato salsa

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the salt and water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and add the onions, garlic, and chile. Cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook for 2-3 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a food processor, combine the black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and cooked sweet potatoes and puree until smooth. Transfer the sweet potato mixture into a large mixing bowl and stir in the cooked onions and spices.

Lightly oil a large baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 to ¾ cup of the filling in the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot. Serve topped with salsa.

Optional additions: spinach or any other steamed green can be added into the bean/potato mixture.

These are also great to freeze and take with you for quick and healthy lunches.

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals.

Here is a quick and easy salad to comple ment spicy Mexican dishes. Usually served with authentic tacos, it is also a great dish on its own.

Cilantro Slaw

1 green cabbage, shredded

1 red cabbage, shredded

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 lemons

2 green onions, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro

2 teaspoons kosher salt

pepper to taste

Shred both cabbages and set aside in a large bowl. Massage the cabbage with oil. Add green onions, salt and stir. Chop cilantro and add . Halve and juice one lemon over the mixture and stir. Add more lemon juice and black pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

Source: Miriam Biber, Sustainable Health Choices

Shopping receipts

Carniceria

Cilantro: 79 cents

Fresh tortillas: $3.78

Total: $4.01

Deep Roots Market

Black turtle beans: $1.39

Green cabbage: $1.21

Green kale: $1.29

Sweet onion: 66 cents

Beauregard sweet potato: $1.36

Total: $5.93