Cutting Corners in the Kitchen

I bought a cod fillet the other day.

They're generally pricey, but I stretched 3/4 pound into two meals. I used 1/2 pound to prepare two portions sauteed with sprinkles of lemon juice and dill, sided with a sweet potato split between us, and a hearty cole slaw with added ingredients of broccoli, peanuts, figs and grapes.

Tonight, I steamed the rest of that cod, sauteed a handful of mushrooms with a few pine nuts, and mixed all of that that with some linguini and basil pesto.

The most costly items were the pound of the slaw I bought at the deli counter ($5), and the small container of pesto, also about $5. We ate all the slaw, but the pesto will be stretched to add to other noodle dishes when I want to fix something quickly.

We don't normally eat dessert, but now that Haagan Daas has these tiny containers of ice cream for about $1.50, every once in awhile I pick up a couple.

And when I go to the store, I NEVER push a big shopping cart, because I don't want to walk out with more than a couple of bags.

A big part of eating well and not spending a lot of money is thinking ahead.

What do you need to buy to go with what you already have in the cupboards or in the fridge?