Ten dollar dinners for four

(Photo: Courtesy of
the Food Network)

Does feeding four people a satisfying dinner for 10 bucks sound too good to be true? It's not, thanks to Melissa d'Arabian's smart strategies for doing more with less.

D'Arabian is host of Ten Dollar Dinners With Melissa d'Arabian, a new addition to the Food Network, where she shares her tips for navigating the grocery store aisles like a pro and squeezing the most out of every ingredient she uses.

This cooking show host is all about using resources wisely and creatively, which is good for your wallet and the planet. "I believe that being green and budget conscious are close cousins," she says.

Below are just a few of the tips d'Arabian has up her sleeve to help you spend less on groceries without sacrificing taste:

Stretch out your protein dollars

Take almost any white protein (shrimp, fish, scallops, chicken, or pork) and serve it on top of a bed of herbed white beans. Canned beans are fine, but dried are a quarter of the price and have the smallest footprint on the planet. Add salt, pepper, fresh herbs, garlic, and white wine.

"With every bite of chicken or shrimp, you get really flavorful delicious white beans that are full of protein," says d'Arabian. "You're only eating three ounces of expensive protein, but you feel satisfied."

Another tip: When you're having guests over, serve an expensive protein as your first course and follow up with orzo or something less pricey for the main dish.

Buy meat when it is on sale, not when you need it

Grocery stores place meats on sale regularly in order to lure shoppers into the store. Follow this tip, and you'll consistently save about 50 percent on meat, which is a huge win when you consider that meat is the most expensive item on your grocery bill. Freeze what you buy, and defrost when you need it.

Turn five pounds of meat into six

You'll save more money by regularly buying meat on sale at the grocery store than you will by buying in bulk at Sam's or Costco, says the Food Network star, but you can still find great deals when you buy in bulk.

The trick is that you have to divide it up when you get home and not wait until it's been sitting in your fridge for three days. For additional savings: "Take a five-pound package of ground meat and divide it into six parts," d'Arabian suggests. "It's easier to divide into an even number, and your recipes will still work out if meat is just shy of a pound."

Have a veggie meal once a week

Serve something really inexpensive to your family (even less than a ten dollar dinner), such as a quiche where eggs are your main source of protein. Making a meatless dinner once a week will save an average family about $40 to $50 a month, says d'Arabian.

Use up everything you buy each week

Every week scan your fridge for suspect items that need to be used, whether it's the sour cream that's about to go bad or some wilted veggies in the crisper.

"Managing the waste in your refrigerator is one of the best ways to save money," she says. "If you throw something out, it's a very expensive ingredient even if you got it on sale."

Keep an eye out for local produce

Seek out fruits and vegetables that are in season at a nearby farmer's market or even your grocery store. You'll get fresh, budget-friendly ingredients that don't have to travel far to reach your table.

"You do not break the bank in the produce department," says d'Arabian. Even if you end up spending a little bit more for fresh produce, it's still going to be cheaper than buying processed food. 

Buy large and small quantities in bulk

It's common knowledge that you can save money and use less packaging when you buy large quantities in bulk. Buying unpackaged couscous, for example, costs about one-fifth the price of buying it in one of those cute boxes in the gourmet aisle, she says.

But d'Arabian also uses the bulk aisle to buy ingredients she needs in small quantities. If you need an unusual spice for a recipe, buy just what you need. You could end up spending 12 cents for a spice you'll only use once and you'll eliminate waste.

Choose generics when it doesn't matter

What if you're attached to a certain brand of peanut butter for example, but a generic brand is on sale for next to nothing? Stock up on the generic version and use it at times where quality is less important, such as when you're baking peanut butter cookies; d'Arabian calls this "back filling."

Don't overlook drugstores as a source of inexpensive food items

Drugstores usually have three or four really inexpensive food items, according to the cook show host, so it's worth scanning the food aisles at your local pharmacy.

Clear out the pantry

Every once in awhile (when d'Arabian has a big expense she needs to save up for) she puts a complete moratorium on shopping and forces herself to use all the food she's accumulated.

She writes down all the ingredients in her pantry, tapes it to her computer, and searches for recipes that incorporate what she has on hand. It's a huge cash saver and a great way to prevent waste and keep your pantry fresh.

Try it yourself

Want to see how to put these tips into practice? Here are some of d'Arabian's main course recipes. You'll also find side dish and dessert recipes as well as budget tips that are specific to each meal.

• Potato-bacon torte plus side dish and dessert recipes with money-saving tips
• Crispy-skinned chicken a l'orange plus side dish and dessert recipes with money-saving tips
• North African meatballs plus side dish and dessert recipes with money-saving tips
• Lemony shrimp scampi pasta plus side dish and dessert recipes with money-saving tips

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

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