Stretching your food budget

Cherice Bronte-Tinkew, RD, suggests several methods to manage rising food costs and maintain nutrition through menu planning and waste reduction.

To stretch a budget, Bronte-Tinkew recommends planning meals for one week at a time and using the six Caribbean food groups as a guide. These groups include staples like rice and bread, legumes such as beans, animal proteins like meat and fish, fruits, vegetables, and fats and oils. Families can organize their shopping lists by grouping ingredients under these categories based on favorite meals like chicken pelau or spaghetti.

To prevent waste, Bronte-Tinkew advises checking cupboards, refrigerators, and shelves for existing ingredients before shopping, especially those nearing their expiry dates. She also notes that some items can serve multiple purposes, such as using oats to bind burger patties or adding them to pancakes.