Thrifty cooking strategies

• Make your own low-fat tortilla chips. Cut corn tortillas into triangles, spray with Pam and lightly salt. Bake at 350 degrees until crispy.
• Don’t buy croutons! Make your own by stir-frying cubes of whole wheat bread with spices. Store in the freezer.
• Lightly toast stale bread and grind or crush into crumbs. Use the crumbs to top casseroles or add to meat patties and loaves.
• Most Americans eat more protein than they really need. Add small amounts of meat, poultry, fish or eggs to a main dish of rice or noodles.
• Add small pieces of meat, fish, poultry and cheese to tossed salads, casseroles, omelets or sandwich spreads.
• Keep leftovers like rice or noodles separate from the sauce or stew. Mix and match for other meals during the week.
• Combine leftover meat, poultry, ground liver and kidney beans in a spicy chili dish; add barley or rice and extra liquid for a one-pot meal.