How you can make the most of food coupons for big grocery savings

Food coupons have become the grocery shopper's latest BFF, for obvious reasons. When the cost of a loaf of bread goes up 10% from last week's shopping trip, you know you've got to do something if you want to keep eating nutritiously without hauling out a credit card at the check stand. Both transportation costs, getting the food to your market, and the wholesale price of the food itself, contribute to the situation. Nonetheless, you're still stuck for a solution. One way to trim your costs is with a rigorous food coupon program.

You can find coupons in the newspaper flyers, in the grocery store, online and in local coupon exchange programs. Your neighbor tosses a few she got in the mail, but won't be using, into the box, making them available to someone else who needs them. It works like a rotating, open bank of money-saving food coupons. While there are plenty of food coupons to be had, you have to use them strategically to realize the best value.

Grocers may put manufacturer's coupons in their ads and then label them 'redeemable only at Superior Grocery stores'. The fact is, that a manufacturer's coupon is just that – issued by the manufacturer, not the store. If you haven't noticed, grocers are becoming quite competitive these days. They're trying to stay in business and the giant discount grocery may be threatening the smaller grocer's loyal customer following. So, although they want you to believe that coupon cannot be redeemed elsewhere, it's simply not true. Most stores accept other store's coupons, in order to get your business.

If a grocer is out of an advertised sale item for which you have a coupon, ask for a rain check, which allows you to buy the product when it's back in stock, even after the sale is over.

You want to be careful when you use manufacturer's coupons, because you might be paying more for the name brand than the store brand, even after redeeming the food coupon. Unless you consider the name brand to be considerably superior and don't want to buy any substitute, you're often money ahead on the store brand. Hang on to the name brand coupon until the brand goes on sale – then use that manufacturer's coupon.

Making effective use of coupons requires a system, such that you don't end up wasting money because the coupon expired. Keeping a price book will help boost your savings, too. There are lots of free price books online, which are essentially spreadsheets that allow you to monitor local prices and sales cycles. You can print your price book contents and keep them in a small binder that you carry with you. Slip all your coupons into a pocket in the front of the binder.

Saving money on groceries has become imperative for most of us. Every little bit helps. Using food coupons is one strategy that gets you to your goal.

Are the Basic Food Groups Key To Diet Success?

There are so many that start off the new year with the resolution to lose some weight. Most fail, and it is often a matter of putting too much pressure on themselves, and not really knowing what they are doing. Though we have some information on what is great to eat and what should be avoided, there are many temptations that seem to get in the way. There are so many pills and programs out there, and most of them don’t work for everyone. That means you have to get down to the basics when you want to get healthier. This means learning more about the basic food groups.

Most are confused about the basic food groups, and that is no surprise. I remember learning about them when I was in elementary school, but nothing about them in high school. Perhaps there is not enough emphasis on the basic food groups in schools. What I like to see is that this is a big topic for my daughter, who is now in kindergarten, and she is always talking about the basic food groups when I am making dinner. It would seem that she knows more about them than I do. Perhaps putting a lot of emphasis on them when children are very young is the way to go, but knowing what basic foods and groups are important should be a lifelong learning experience.

Take some time and study the basic food groups, and then decide what you can do to change your diet and your health. If you keep things in range of what is recommended, and you watch your portion size, you will soon see a difference in your health and wellbeing. Even if you don’t see a change in your weight right away, you will notice a change in how you feel each day when you wake up, and you may notice a change in your energy levels. That benefit of eating from the basic food groups may give you what you need to get moving, which is another important aspect of losing those extra pounds.

If you aren’t sure where to find information on the basic food groups, you can look around online. Some government sites have great information, and you can also find books that can help you balance out your meals and get the recommended daily foods and portions that fit in with the basic food groups. Though being perfect with this is ideal, we are only human. If you slip up and make an error in judgment, don’t give up. Just pick up where you left off and carry on. A healthier life is waiting.

Steak Sauce

When I was young, there was always steak sauce in my house. My stepfather ate steak all the time, and he always doused it in sauce. This became something I was accustomed to seeing, and this was the way I ate my steak when I had it. As I grew up I would smother my meat with steak sauce without even trying it first. When I first met my husband he was astounded that I would do this, as he grew up in a home where sauce was never used. This was an interesting idea to me.

He told me that I used so much steak sauce because I had never had a steak cooked the proper way. I suspected that he might have been on to something with that statement. The ones my stepfather always cooked were well done, and always a little dry. Though they were fine, I had no idea that I was using the steak sauce because the meat was overdone and dried out. He said that if I had a steak that was done properly it would be a sin to put the sauce on it, and that he had to take me home to have one that his dad did on the grill outside.

When I first had a steak with his family I discovered that this type of meat should never be cooked all the way though. Though everyone likes their meat done differently, I found that I like it much better if it is medium rare. Many people won’t eat their meat that way, but this is the way that I prefer to have it. When it is cooked that way, and on the proper heat, there is no need for me to use steak sauce any longer. I know when I want a really good steak I can go have dinner with his family and walk away happy.

I have found an alternative to going to my in-laws for good steak, and I always decline the steak sauce at this place too. I am sure there are many great places to get steak, but my favorite is Applebees. They have a great house steak, and it always tastes good. I always get the same thing when I go there, but if you know where to find a good steak, you tend to go there when that is what you are craving. Though I don’t use much steak sauce for my steak any longer, it is great on a hamburger now and then. If you find yourself using a lot of it, perhaps you haven’t had a really great steak yet. Look around, there are many great places to find them.

Don't rely on food product labels for your food facts! Get a food reference book!

If you have a medical condition with dietary restrictions, you probably check the food label for the amount of sodium, or carbs and such. Even if you're perfectly healthy, you may think you'll stay that way by reading the food labels. Inspecting every food label can get time consuming. The problem is that these food fact labels don't tell you much at all.

For example, people with severe allergies are well advised to not eat processed or prepared foods. Why? Although recent legislation required that processed and prepared foods must list known allergens, this list is not comprehensive. In other words, that food may contain an allergen that will sicken you. As for additives, the food fact label does include these, but who knows what all those chemicals are or do?

If you really want to get a handle on a healthy diet, you need to become more familiar with the foods you eat. Of what nutritional value is a potato? Mushrooms? Fish? Is one variety better than another? What does potassium do for your health? There's one easy way to find out. Get a good food facts reference book.

There are many good books, written mainly by nutritionists and nutrition researchers. You'll find a variety of formats and presentations. Choose one which is organized in a manner that's easy for you to use. Almost all such food fact reference books are written in layman's language – you don't have to be a scientist to understand the material.

You're best off getting the newest publications, especially if you're interested in the latest research findings on various foods.

In addition to giving a complete rundown on the nutritional content, such books explain the health benefits of each food. Did you know that mushrooms are a rich source of selenium, a trace mineral in which many older people are deficient?

Some of these books also include information on culinary herbs and spices which have medicinal benefits as well. For example, turmeric, a main component of the so-called curry mixtures, is of great benefit to the digestive system and may also help lower blood sugar. Rosemary has terrific benefits to your cardiovascular system, as does cayenne.

On top of all of this useful information, food fact references provide information on choosing, cooking and storing foods, along with tips on retaining nutrients when you prepare these foods.

If you really want to know what you're eating, it's recommended that you also get a food additives reference book to add to your knowledge. These books list most, if not all, of the additives used in processed and prepared foods, with a brief description of its known effects.

Knowing your food facts is not as easy as reading the food labels. Your health will benefit from your education in just what you are eating.

With a few of my best friends, I am currently involved in a competition informally to find the world finest chocolate. You would think that judging the worlds finest chocolate would be beyond most people. After all, it is such a subjective decision. Are the worlds finest chocolates white chocolates, dark chocolates, milk chocolates, or some other variety? Do truffles and the other fancy kinds of chocolate candies count, or is the competition between straight chocolate bars? We never formally resolved this problem, but we seem to come to agreement a remarkable amount of the time. We haven't decided on the worlds finest chocolates yet, but we are getting closer.

Of course, we have only recently started to discover gourmet chocolate. That is part of the reason that we had this competition. All of us grew up in a small, rural town where all you could get were Hershey's, and Mars bars. The world finest chocolate never made its way there at all. I thought milk chocolate was as good as it got, and it could get pretty good. Nevertheless, I was unaware of what luxuries I was missing. That is, until one day I tried a Belgian chocolate. I practically started shaking. It was really that good. I thought I had discovered the world finest chocolates at that point, but I didn't know what delicious treasures still awaited me.

We have decided to rule out a white chocolate from the world finest chocolate competition. After all, white chocolate is not really chocolate at all. Nonetheless, we haven't really made up our mind on the chocolate truffles. On the one hand, keeping chocolate truffles out of the world finest chocolate competition seems like a real shame. The whole point, after all, is to get to try out all kinds of delicious gourmet chocolate candies. On the other hand, they seem to have an unfair advantage because they are filled with all kinds of other delicious goodies. This can obscure the quality of the chocolate and make the competition difficult to judge.

In all likelihood, what we will eventually do is to have separate categories in our worlds finest chocolates ranking. That will allow us to stop comparing apples and oranges. It seems like the only fair way to do things, and it will give us even more to talk about. God I love chocolate – it is probably the best part of my life.

The many virtues of low fat crock pot recipes

The crock pot, first introduced in the 1970s, has gone in and out of kitchen fashion several times over the years. The crock pot has some devotees for whom it has never gone out of style. This simple and handy appliance is worth a spot on your counter for a number of reasons. Due to the way slow cookers work, almost all dishes are low fat. Crock pot recipes are also some of the easiest you'll find.

Among its other sterling characteristics is the fact that you can spend 10 minutes in the morning, filling it with healthy and simply prepared ingredients, and go on your way. Requiring zero attention, dinner is cooked and ready to eat when you come home.

If you're cooking a roast or poultry, the crock pot method requires some chopped vegetables and a bit of water or broth as the base upon which you set the meat. So you've got the veggie aspect covered. Your dinner prep now involves little more than a loaf of bread and you're all set.

One of the finest virtues of this cooking technique is that no matter what your choice of food, low-fat crock pot recipes are the norm rather than the exception. Whatever fat is in the meat ends up in the broth, while the meat remains juicy. Even if you choose to make gravy, your crock pot almost forces the definition of a low fat crock pot recipe upon you. You strain off the fat and have your gravy too!

Let's say you're cooking a whole chicken. Chop up an onion, a couple of potatoes and toss in some baby carrots. Place the chicken on top and let it cook. The fat from the chicken ends up in the broth, while the chicken is as tender as can be. Remove the chicken and set aside. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables. All that's left is the broth. A fat separating measuring cup makes it a quick job of separating the fat from the broth. If you want gravy (and who doesn't?), just a couple of tablespoons, combined with an equal amount of flour is mixed with a whisk, right in the crock pot until you have a roux. Slowly add enough de-fatted broth to make a gravy of the preferred consistency. Voila! A low fat crock pot recipe, with gravy!

You can follow the same basic technique with a chuck roast. Those who wish to adhere to a low fat diet program can thus have their cake and eat it too. It doesn't get any better than that.

So what do you do with the excess fat you've skimmed off? With the holidays coming, you'll surely be wanting some gravies for special dinners. Freeze the saved fat in ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. When you want gravy, these flavorful fats are at your fingertips. When adults, on restricted low fat diets, might pass on gravy over their meatloaf, voracious teens and other non dieting family members can enjoy the rich gravies you saved from your low fat crock pot recipes!