Drought, Bacon and Tofurky

Last summer, farmers battled the most severe drought in at least 25 years. The most extensive dry spell since the 1950s left farmers with less corn and soybeans to feed chickens, cows and pigs, so they cut back herds and raised the price consumers pay for beef, pork, poultry and dairy.

So, now is a great time to look for healthier, more cost-effective food choices. If your meal isn’t complete without a side of meat, there are tasty alternatives. Vegetables, beans and soy products cost less than meat and they have less heart-clogging saturated fat.

But you don’t have to go vegan or vegetarian, to save a few extra dollars in the supermarket. You can save money by:

1.     Eating a meatless alternative at lunch or dinner a couple of times a week. It will trim the fat from your budget and possibly your waist.

2.     Serving smaller portions. You don’t need to super-size everything! The right serving size of meat or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards.

3.     Try soy or almond milk, instead of regular dairy milk. I love chocolate-flavored Silk, a lactose and gluten-free soymilk.

4.     Substituting turkey bacon for pork bacon or smoked ham with Hickory Smoked Tofurky (a vegetarian turkey replacement made from tofu, but sliced to look like ham).

5.     Switching from ground beef to ground turkey or Smart Ground (a vegetable protein that tastes just like ground beef).

Don’t look at rising food prices as another assault on your grocery budget. It’s just a great opportunity to cut your intake of beef, pork, chicken and dairy products…and improve your health!