With all of our talk lately about the high price of food, it seemed like a good time to share some tips about budget-friendly ingredients, and what I’ve been stocking in my pantry/fridge to help stretch the food dollars a little further these days.
Tell us, what are your favourite budget-friendly ingredients? Is there anything you must buy because it’s too good of a deal to pass up?
While reading the new SavvyStories feature on our website last week, I was introduced to Kristine Fretwell, a food blogging mama from beautiful British Colombia. Kristine’s blog, Busy But Healthy, is a collection of family-friendly recipes peppered with a touch of personal anecdotes about her life as a mom.
One of my favourite things about this blog is that every single recipe Kristine shares is geared towards being as healthy as possible. Which makes her doughnut muffins a must-try for me, seeing as they’re totally good for you, not to mention gluten-free.
I asked Kristine if she would take some time to answer a few questions I had for her. Thanks for participating, Kristine!
Q: Which ingredient do you love these days?
Kristine: Oat flour. If you’ve seen any of my baking recipes, it’s definitely a staple. It’s so easy to make at home for cheap (just grind regular oats in your blender). I love that it’s a whole-grain flour, but doesn’t taste ‘bran-like’ unlike with other flours. The texture comes out great, and it still surprises me how versatile it is.
Q: What is the last meal you cooked for your family?
Kristine: One of the last things I cooked was my foolproof recipe for Peanut Butter Chicken. So easy and quick to throw together, the sauce is amazingly good, and the chicken comes out so tender. I served it with squash. I had some kabocha squash that night (sort of like Butternut squash), and the combo was great!
Q: What is your ideal cooking soundtrack?
Kristine: My ideal cooking music would be something calming like Adele, or spa music or some relaxing jazz-type music. The reality is the Treehouse channel is the typical soundtrack in my house, since I have a 3 year-old.
Q: Which do you prefer: chocolate or cheese?
Kristine: That’s a tough one. I could not live without goat cheese and feta, but on the other hand, I couldn’t imagine baking without chocolate chips or using cocoa powder. I think I’ll have to go with chocolate.
Q: Name the one cooking utensil you can’t live without?
Kristine: It’s got to be a spatula. How else would you get every last bit out of the bowl? I hate wasting even a little bit of a great batter. I’ve got four, so I would be quite panicked if they were all gone all of a sudden!
Welcome to the EatSavvy Blog where you’ll find great food ideas for your family. We want to help you tackle the day-to-day monotony of what’s for breakfast? Lunch? Snacktime? Thanks to our amazing food blogger Jannise Scott of www.familybites.ca, we’ve got some great tips in the kitchen as well. Get inspired.
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Comments
Hi AS - Gah! Thank you so much for catching my typo. Indeed, the muffins are not vegan, but rather gluten-free, which is what I meant to write. The wording has been changed in the post.
As for the oats not being gluten-free, I am not an expert in GF cooking, but I have written to the author of the recipe to see if she can clarify for me. I will let you know what she says. Thanks again!
They have eggs and oat flower, neither vegan or gluten free.